Life is just a bowl of peanuts

I need the world to know that at times I'm not always eating. Although the main subject is food, Finer Things in NYC. I tend to do more throughout the day and night than just eat. 

I'd like to just eat and search the world over for The Finer Things all the time. 

Along with living in the greatest city in the world...I have to work to pay rent and well...eat. The Finer Things do not come cheap. 

I work alot. 

One is a normal job...day job. As normal as it can be. 

The other...abnormal job. 

The bar part of the 2 girls from a Bar. 

A bizarre dysfunctional establishment that was established decades ago. 

It follows suit of 2...

2 brother's owned it. 

It's 2 odd for words.

and it's my 2nd job. 

I find I need 2 get out.

But it brings in 2 much fast money.

I want 2 cry at times.

The 2nd girl from 2 girls from a Bar wants 2 cry too. 

When I tell friends that I work in a bar they think ..how cool. I used to think that as well. It could be cool. But it's not. At times when I come in to open on my afternoon shifts I pretend it is cool. 

I have keys to a bar...cool...setting up I pretend I'm that cool chick from all the biker movies that own a bar. I have tattoo's that are also really cool. 

And big hair.

And I cuss like a sailor.

Customer's come in and I have a boys name like Cyd...or Harrie...so when people talk about me everyone thinks I'm a guy. But no, I'm just the cool lady bartender that every loves. A good ole broad. That can throw down shots of tequilla and win at arm wrestling. But also really pretty, does her nails and smells nice. 

That's what I pretend. I also pretend I just won the Grammy for best new artist of the year. 

Someone walks in and makes me a star and then VH1 does a Behind the Music about me and they come back to film at my bar. All the regulars and mean co-workers suddenly are nice to me because I came back and let them have a cameo. All the musicians try to be nice so they can try and play background during the taping. 

Everyone says things like...we knew she would be a star. She just had that something special. 

And i leave and tip them a kazillion dollars and call them sweetie. 

Yes...these are all the things I do when I open the bar. 

Then I start my shift and watch the food network and get back to reality. 

21 club 2010

I love NY for so many things. History is intriguing, and NYC history has a life. They say no other city feels like NY. No other city is like NYC. 

You can feel the pulse. You can feel it's breath of life. You can hear the sounds in your heart. NYC touches every sense you have. Yet at times it just doesn't make sense. Its the relationship city. A person, a friend, a lover. 

The history of the 21 Club is so NY. You walk in and feel you stepped back into a time where men where men and women weren't allowed. 

It's an old 40's black and white. Lauren Bacall is leaning with her back against the oak bar. sipping an old fashioned. LB is way too classy and is such a real lady to have a maritini glass. She's not a cliche. Bogart walks in wearing his signature hat, over coat and seems so much taller than he was. Stops at the coat check girls that smile nervously. He hands then his things, winks and calls her doll. 

The service at 21 club - greeting is by many many men in dark suits. 2 coat check girls. 2 host stations with computer's to check in. 

Escorted to the table by another suit...sat by another. 

Another suit hands us menu's and asks us if we would like a cocktail.

Then a white coat man server (they only have male waiters) takes our orders. As i decide yes I would like cocktail, he walks away. 

The last suit returns and I say I would like a cocktail. He walks away and returns with a wine list, then walks away again. 

White coat waiter returns. I want to call him Joe. He reminds me of Joe our surley waiter from the Bar. Joe worked at the bar for 100 years. He was 120. I worked with Joe for about 2 years. Every Tuesday. Joe would come into work at 6 carrying his canvas Strand book bag that held his shoes. We started at 8. But he would come early for cocktails. Shuffled to the front door and park himself on a stool. No movement for hours as he would sit like a cigar store Indian.  Not really greeting or speaking, although when he would talk  he sounded like he had marble's in his mouth. 

One tuesday night Joe just stopped coming to work. He didn't call.He didn't quit.  He didn't stop by. He just stopped. No one is sure if he is still around.  I like to think he's shuffling around at the Strand Book Store mumbling and yelling at clerks and asking for 2 Yengling. 

Our waiter finally returns and takes our order. I don't think he ever spoke to us. Maybe he does know Joe. 

Due to the respect I have for these classic old establishments....there is nothing I can say about our meal. 

NOTHING. Nothing good that is. 

The service was an experience. We had about 16 people stand nearby as it would appear to serve us. Yet, the service was poor to " ugh, I can't stand this I wanna get my own salad. "

Our water was filled often. 

It is a place to go for drinks. History...yes. But it is NYC, we got alot of that. 

21 club-history, timeline

1871-72:   Construction of the townhouse at 21 West 52nd Street gets underway. '21', as well as buildings 19 and 17 were part of a row of brownstones designed by the firm of Duggins and Crossman. 

January 17, 1920: The Eighteenth Amendment goes into effect beginning the Prohibition Era. 

1922:  To earn night school tuition, cousins Jack Kriendler and Charlie Berns open their first speakeasy, The Red Head, in NYC’s Greenwich Village. 

1923: Jack and Charlie open Club Fronton at 88 Washington Place. Among the Fronton’s notable patrons: NYC Mayor James J. Walker and poet Edna St. Vincent Millay.  1926: Jack and Charlie move the business uptown to 42 West 49th Street because condemnation proceedings start to make way for a subway around Washington Place. They name their new bistro The Puncheon, but (partly to confuse the federal tax men) it is also known as The Puncheon Grotto, Grotto, 42, 42 Club, Jack and Charlie’s, and Keyburn Club (its name when raided).  1928: Rockefeller Center is planned, and Jack and Charlie receive $11,000 from landowner Columbia University to vacate #42. They purchase a house on West 52nd Street, and spend the next year converting it into a speakeasy and restaurant.  December 31, 1929 - January 1, 1930: With the help of their patrons, Jack and Charlie unhinge the wrought iron gate that had been the portal to #42, and install it three blocks north at 21 West 52nd Street. They open Jack and Charlie’s '21' Club in the wee hours.   1930: Daily Mirror gossip columnist Walter Winchell (the inspiration for Sweet Smell of Success character J.J. Hunsecker) is banned from ‘21’. As retribution, he runs a column noting that ‘21’ had never been raided by Prohibition agents. The next day, ’21’ is raided. Soon thereafter, Jack and Charlie hire architect Frank Buchanan to install a complex system to hide and destroy liquor in case of future raids, including the infamous ‘21’ Wine Cellar, now considered one of the world’s most coveted private dining rooms.  Want a bit more information on the architectural secrets of '21'? Read "Architecture and Construction History: The '21' Club" by Mr. Adam Gauntlett BA MA MSc RICS.  52nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues is nicknamed "Swing Street" and is home to over 30 speakeasies.  1931: A model of the British Airways "flying boat" is the first corporate toy hung from the '21' ceiling.  Jack purchases 19 West 52nd Street; in 1935, its lower floor becomes an addition to '21'.   1932: '21' is raided again in June when ten federal agents knock on the door. Doorman Jimmy Coslove squints through the peephole and, seeing the officers, activates a secret alarm that alerts management that a raid is imminent. The officers then burst in, and ransack the building, looking for liquor. After hours of searching the premises - closets, rooms, attic, basement - agents admit defeat and leave without finding the two thousand cases of contraband that is hidden downstairs. The great mystery as to why the agents never found the liquor? '21's secret Wine Cellar, built to be invisible.  According to Joyce and Lisa Baron, niece and great niece of former ‘21’ doorman Jimmy Coslove, he was one of 7 brothers and sisters who all had different spellings for the last name. According to family legend, Jimmy drove one of his sisters down to Florida to pick up booze, which they hid under the large car fenders to bring back up to New York for "21"; this made the situation look like a young couple on vacation rather than "rum-runners" so the police wouldn't bother them.  December 5, 1933: Prohibition is repealed.  1934:  Charlie creates '21' Brands, a liquor importing/distilling/distributing company; its first salesman is then-aspiring 1944: Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall celebrate their first date at Table 30. They first work together in To Have and Have Not, written by another '21' regular, Ernest Hemingway (who was caught making love to gangster Legs Diamond’s girlfriend in the '21' kitchen in 1931). Notable writers frequenting '21' at the time include Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and Lillian Hellman.   1945: Spellbound hits theatres and is one of the earliest films to feature/mention '21' Club.  According to Jeff Kraft and Aaron Leventhal, authors of Footsteps in the Fog: Alfred Hitchcock's San Francisco, Mr. Hitchcock had a long-standing connection to the '21' Club. Starting with his first trip to the United States from England in the late 1930s, he was a regular patron of the restaurant throughout his life.   July 20, 1941: Charlie Berns is pardoned by FDR. The official pardon reads, “…pleaded guilty in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to an indictment charging the maintenance of a common nuisance where intoxicating liquor was kept, sold, and bartered, in violation of the National Prohibition Act, and on March eleventh, 1929, was sentenced to pay a fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00)..."  1946: Walter Weiss comes to work for '21' as a waiter ultimately becoming "the legendary Maitre'd" according to his NY Times obituary. Ultimately responsible for which celebrity or VIP sat where, nobody 'dressed a room' like Mr. Weiss. His much beloved successor is Oreste Carnevali, who came to ‘21’ in 1994 from the Four Seasons.    1953-1958:  That's the fact Jack: acclaimed actor Warren Oates (Sgt. Hulka from Stripes) worked off and on as a coat- and hat-check person at '21'.  1957: Hollywood comes to '21' and shoots scenes for the classic films 'All About Eve' and 'The Sweet Smell of Success'. 1960:  Every President since FDR has been a guest of '21' with the one exception of George W. Bush. In true fashion, JFK dined at '21' on the eve of his inauguration.  1980: Wall Street Boom. '21' spawns the power lunch.  Forbes says "more deals are done at '21' than on the stock market floor." Part of the movie "Wall Street" is filmed in the restaurant.  1985:  '21' is sold for the first time to financier Marshall Cogan. Patrons hold their collective breath as it closes for a massive refurbishment.  Four months later '21' re-opens to rapturous praise - it looks the same, and feels the same.  It's still '21'.  1995: '21' is sold to Orient-Express Hotels. It is fitting that new owner, James Sherwood, is known for acquiring properties that represent what is best and authentic about the world's greatest cities.  1997:  The famous Wine Cellar is remodeled, becoming one of the most sought-after private dining rooms in the city.  Patrons enter through the now famous brick wall "door" that the Feds never found.  2002: The new Upstairs at '21' restaurant opens on the first floor to great acclaim. It is hailed as 'the most romantic restaurant in the city, a heartfelt love song to New York'.  2009: On December 31st '21' celebrates its 80th birthday.

Sick in bed

Winter in NY is beautiful, magical and cold.  The holiday season here is lovely. After the Holiday's...not so much. Cold, dreary rainy snowy...flu weather. I do still love it. Although after over loading my system with Vitamin C, day quil (problem is I took it at night) and theraflu, I lost the battle. 

So here I am sick in bed thinking about some of the most lovely soups I've ever had. 

Winter in NY is soup season. 

L'Ecole - The restaurant of The French Culinary Institute in NYC. 462 Broadway. I stopped in with Dani. Dani is my dancing daughter. She lives in New Orleans now and she better stay for a while so I can visit her in NOLA. 

Dani would come in to NY for work or to visit me from time to time. This particular trip was all visit and no work. 

After a day of shopping in Soho and Canal exhausted and hungry we just stubbled into the first place that looked appealing. Turning the corner onto Broadway I noticed FCI...and that they have a restaurant. 

It is lovely...pleasant, not overly Frenchy, just lovely classy white table cloth appeal. Yet you know your gonna eat someone's homework. 

The meal was amazing....these are the best students ever. The chef's probably passed their last test. 

This was a few years back, so the menu was a bit fuzzy. Dessert was delicious as you can imagine. 

But the soup...the soup I remember to this day and can taste it still at this moment. It was a rich, creamy butternut squash. The color of warm sunshine.  Sense memory took me to a place lying on a cool soft bed of grass with the warm sun pouring down on me on a early summer morning.No cares in the world...not a thing to do but love life.

Butternut squash is one of my favorites. This was seasoned perfectly and garnished with a bit of mushroom (sorry can't remember which one), the mushrooms were seasoned as well and slightly grilled. A few sprinkles of chive perhaps. 

I wish I could totally remember and I wish I had a big bowl right now. 

We also had the best shrimp I ever ate. 

Just chilled seasoned slightly shrimp cocktail. Sounds so simple...yet I can still remember it 2 or 3 years later. 

Another favorite soup experience I had was at Butter Restaurant.415 Lafayette. Celebrity Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli. 

Love her. 

It was a Finer Things with Jen and myself. Special guest Bashy. We at times will allow a special guest appearance. 

It was Restaurant Week of 2009. 

From what I recall it was a zucchini soup. lovely and green and buttery. I do apologize for not being able to know exactly and describe it in depth. It was over 6 months ago. 

Today's menu lists it a soup de jour. Perhaps it is. 

Butter is also a must go. Rated high for beauty, service and lovely lovely food. 

Although the butter itself is nothing to rave about...funny huh.

Home soup...my "I'm sick at home" soup is campbell's tomato soup. I garnish with basil, salt and pepper. I usually put in a little cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes. Then a layer of cheese. 

Any favorite cheese will do. I may do a nice swiss today. In my fridge I have jalepeno's and pablamo peppers...they may get a nice grill and chop and join the party. 

This with a grill cheese with bacon sandwich would make the best...I miss my mother afternoon. 

PLEASE NOTE...within this blog, it's my thoughts spilling out on a page and shared for the universe. No spell check please...so don't call me out on bad typing, grammar, and spelling.

It is a pet peeve of mine on formal letters, buisness emails, etc. but until I get a personal editor...please bare with me. 

I am a smart girl...but still 1 of 2 from 2 girls from a bar. 

Bar Americain - I love Bobby Flay, 2010

152 W. 52nd Street...

My sister came to town for a quick stop from Denver to Albany. Jen and I had Bobby Flay's place on our list for a while. Then when we found out our friend Josephine was the pastry chef we made it a point make reservations. 
This was Friday night...sister and I had Theatre Tickets for Next to Normal (a review about that will be coming soon). Jen had to go to work at the bar after dinner. 
Nevertheless we had 2 hours to see what the hullabaloo was all about. 
2 hours of amazing service by Dave..2 hours of mouth watering, sintilating to the palate food. 
Jen says...Best pork ever..and an amazing pastry chef...but then said...well that wasn't pork belly. Pork belly is our new best friend. Our belly's might start looking like a pork belly. But the real pork belly's are the most delectable happy treats every invented. I believe there should be a entire page devoted to the pork belly. Yes...there will. oh yes there will. 

jen concludes...no comment. 
sorry...the no comment and comments had to be mentioned. If only to give pork belly its props. 

Jen had the rack of pork, in a sour mash, double apple butter,smashed potatoes, green onion and goat cheese....uh yeah...it was as good and better than it sounds. 
plate licking good. tie your worse enemy to a post and drag him for 20 blocks kinda good. so good you wish you could eat slower but can't cause it's so damn good kinda good. 

sister had the Duck, dirty wild rice pecans and bourbon....no lie. Bourbon make everything lovely. 
Not even a bourbon drinker...but dang...that duck was a little drunky yummified. 
I didn't hear my sister speak for the next 8 minutes. she's a fine lovely classy lady, but again...plate lickin good. 

I had the Plate of the Day. First love that Bobby does it like a Blue Plate Special. We did do 6:00 dinner reservations. Eating before 8 PM in NYC makes you feel like you should get a special...like the senior dinner at Denny's. Or an all you can eat shrimpfest.

Today's special was Salmon...Cedar planked Pacific Salmon, wild mushroom, pinot noir.
This is a meal on a piece of wood...wrapped in parchment paper. Salmon cooked to perfection...just the right about of mushrooms and the sauce...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. It was wrapped like a present, so pretty and surprising. I wanted to eat the paper and take the cedar plank home. 

Remember Jen doesn't like seafood...funny cause she likes the beach, just doesn't care for fish, sushi or shellfish. 
She is getting over her fear of fish and tries everything now.
It is a pre-requiste for Finer Things. You must be brave. 
Jen loved the salmon !!! she did just have one bite...but she said...best Salmon I ever had. 
Fine...probably was the first time, but if your gonna be a Salmon virgin, Bobby Flays is pretty darn good to make it your first. you always remember your first. 

Which yes...we are all in love with this man. 

Decor...lovely. spacious. Liked the light fixtures...something we always notice.

Lighting was perfect. Not too dark but not bright light either. 
Jen did arrive first and was seated by the open kitchen. We like that. We get to see the inner workings of an Iron Chef. Draw back...there was the ice shelf with all the seafood displayed. Jen had to switch seats as to not bolt outta there before we arrived. 

Service...lovely. friendly. I had heard reviews and was a bit prepared to have a mediocre snobby staff. 
It's a top popular NY restaurant with a celebrity chef. Bobby Flay is known all over the world. Celebrity restaurants tend to get too commercial and attract clientele that well is down and out obnoxious. Staff can also create that...who the hell are you attitude in places that will always be full no matter what they do or feed you. 
This was NOT the case. 
The host was sweet and when taking our coats a gal about 5'2" 106 lbs with outstretched arms hands us a coat check ticket and had us place our coats in her arm over the other 8 coats she was already holding. 

Dave...as I mentioned was our charming server. Explaining all the dishes with delight and sparkled when you knew he was talking about his personal favorite. 
That reinforced our meal choice's and we wanted Dave to come and have coffee with us and become your new best friend. 
His recommendations were spot on (such a top chef term). 

When we asked about desert...we mentioned our friend Josephine. Dave was so excited that we were friends. he adores Josephine...as we all do. 
Oh...my stars...I almost forgot about the corn bread. 
Bread basket...lovely...3 corncob shaped corn bread, 2 dinner rolls, and 2 long, i can only assume mini french bread loaves. 
The corn bread was to die for...like you had died and gone to heaven. melt in your mouth...bit crispy on the outside and bite of delight on the inside. 

Josephine is really a pastry angel...German Chocolate cake, coconut whipped cream.
and Deep dish chocolate cream pie....
The cake is lovely...not overly coconutty...a chocolate ganche on top that melt in your mouth like...well...chocolate. 
The Deep dish chocolate cream pie...ahhhhhh...a think crispy layer of a cookie like goodness powdered perfectly like its going to the prom sitting on a deep bowl of never ending chocolate cream pudding. 
This is not the chocolate pudding with the hard chocolate skin your mother made. Which I always liked...pudding skin...that was home. 

Dining at Bar Americain was enjoyable...and pleasant. Other than the applause we heard in the middle of our meal. 
Jen thought Bobby arrived and was doing his walk through. But no...it was a man proposing on bended knee. She said yes. Sweet and touching moment...we would have preferred to see Bobby. 

Finer Things 2010

Miromoto Experience 2010

The food was beautiful and amazing. We had shared the tuna pizza. Jen is not a sushi fan but was game to try. She had 2 pieces and would have had more but wanted to save her appetite for the Rib Eye. The Rib Eye was cooked perfectly and the sauce was so good we wanted to take the plate and lick it. 
Service was lovely. 
The setting was ultra japanese modern. Almost feeling cold...but not. 
It felt spacious with a lovely winding staircase against a wall of recycled water bottles and sporatic colored light spots.
Seemed like we didn't see anyone twice that attended to us. We had an abundance of attention but not intrusive. 
The table service..was understated chic asian. clear chopsticks...cute. I would have worn them in my hair. 
Coffee service was so pretty I wanted to steal the creamer...I didn't. I swear. 

I imagined foodie dining to be like this...each dish set in front of us by a different staff member each time explaining in detail what each dish was, how it was prepared and what went into it...tuna pizza with a drizzle of bla bla bla and thinly sliced jalepeno peppers orginating from Morimoto's grandmother on a sunny day in Japan while giving birth to her 7th child. ...ok...not that much detail but I'm sure the kitchen was blue. 

The Host Corey was adorable. The General Manager took the time to stop and say hello. 

Of course the restroom's were the most beautiful and amazing experience I have ever had. Heated seats.
down the twisted staircase to the lounge and additional table seating. we were offered a table immediately when we arrive if we chose to to sit downstairs. We wanted to be near the action so to speak. 
More people upstairs to watch...although we've lived in ny way to long...we were watching the plates go by. The hell with the people. 
Although they may be lovely all the same...but lets face it. If they don't order interesting dishes would we want to really care to know them ?

The restrooms...lovely..a bit dark. I do like low light but I have a tough time finding doors when it's pitch black. This was a nice comprimise. 
The individual stalls...spaciious. BUT THE SEATS..along the right is a bank of buttons. 
After 2 martini's i did try them all. 
Not sure what some did...nor do I remember. But to my delight..they have a bidae. No spell checks please...editting will take care of that later. 
But yes...these restrooms are a much see. I believe the second stall and I are engaged.

A wonderful dining experience. As the "2 girls from a Bar" Finer Things. Add this to the top of the list.

2 girls from a Bar...Finer Things. 
2010 will be bringing you reviews from BarAmericain, Bobby Flays over rated but just gotta try restaurant. 
21 Club...a NY staple. 
Craftbar - Tom Collichio's place in Flatiron building. 

It's restaurant week...so many more reviews to come. 

RATINGS:

Food is a relationship.

The worse date ever. 
This would be that guy that says he’s one thing, but you find out in a NY minute that he’s so not all that. 
Liars – he isn’t 6 ft. he’s 5’6” not even close. 
Said he works in finance…he robs banks
Entrepreneur – owns his own Pedi cab
Single – he’s not. He may be in his own mind, just forgot to tell his girlfriend.
Married ??? it’s complicated.
Really likes you…calls once. Then stops. Asks you out…but it never works out. 
He’s into you…but not enough to make an effort.
Takes you to dinner…but his card is declined. Performs the “ what the hell is wrong with my bank “ act. 
This is a 2 act play…monologue on his cell phone with the bank. Good performance does the angry guy on the phone. Reality…he called a recording or no one is on the other end. 
Finale of the 2nd act…you step in and pay for dinner while the manager and bus boys wait for “your date” to resolve the problem. 
He’s embarrassed…apologizes. He thinks you’re amazing…so you cut him some slack and forgive him. Even buy him dessert. 


Best Date ever….the one that you know you can have a relationship with me. 
Hot and sweet…kind and gentle…make you laugh. Makes you cry. 
Likes you as much as you like him. 
I’m still waiting. 

Note – Jennifer and I are not professional food reviewers. Not culinary experts. We’re just two girls that work at a bar and we get hungry.

These will not be listed chronically or alphabetically.
It’s all random and whatever pops into out heads. Basically as memory serves us. 

Just like people we meet…just because we don’t remember your name or many details it doesn’t mean we didn’t like you.