Steve R.

I have lots of negative things to say about many of the overpriced, undergood places that are all over NYC these days, but I have not a bad word to say about this place. It is simply a gem.

Pushing this up. We went back for another month a little over a year ago and again stayed in the 11th. Went to a lot of places, did a lot of things, ate a lot of food, saw several people from various food boards who are now friends (the CH contingent is still around). If anyone wants more info, just ask. The reason for this post, however, is that we're going back early May and will be there until June 10th. Another rental in the 11th, but we do get around. So... anyone got anything to say about Paris that I should know? Merci. (and yes, Don, we'll be going to Roland Garros again - got Quals tickets, as the first rounds were quickly sold out - but we'll probably be able to pick some up while there).

I think that I'm more in agreement than disagreement with the idea that Grand Slams define greatness in our current era. However, for me at least, that's an easier conclusion on the women's side. The fact that the men's Grand Slams are "best of 5 sets" significantly changes the game for me by rewarding some qualities (longer concentration, consistency, fitness) more than the other tournaments do and, therefore, creating the possibility of some folks winning more Grand Slams (& not "lower" tournaments, where the sprinters might excel). There's also my need to include, in the term greatness, the ability to win on all surfaces. So, for both the men and women, I'd want to see their Grand Slam titles reasonably distributed over hard, clay, red clay and grass surfaces. That being said, on the men's side, one would still be hard pressed to deny who the best players have been over the last 10-15 years. On the women's side, a no-brainer until you get to #2 🤔. btw: the US Open Quals started today. Couldn't get there, but will definitely prowl the grounds tomorrow and Friday. Then, tickets to 3 days next week when it officially begins. Anyone else?

Okay, let me update this. Today's final in Cincy between Alcaraz & Djokovic has now become my #1. Well, maybe it wasn't the "best" match (people have different definitions) but it was, to my eyes, the most talented twosome I've ever seen play the game & battle each other. I've still not decided that I can say that I like Djokovic (his COVID stance and actions didn't help). He's definitely sounding more likable to me as the years roll on, but I now have infinite respect for his ability.

Here's one that might not have hit your radar yet. As per the article, the owners are long time food board folks (& friends) who are sourcing incredible product daily. David Santos is their chef. I've been there & so have some very picky eaters -- all good. If possible, go: https://www.grubstreet.com/2023/07/foxface-natural-nyc.html

Yes. Otherwise, I would've continued to pound down Big Macs. Or Velveeta grilled "cheese" sandwiches on Wonder Bread (they undersold their product - it definitely built my body more than 12 ways). I also agree with you that I'm not interested in meals that are well sourced, prepared with care & don't taste good. As you say, "tastes good" is a necessary factor. And, because I'm so goddamn jaded, I'd add that a healthy dose of mistrust is a requirement when buying the watermelon from the "Organic" section. (by the way, could you be more specific about what you saw when the lights went on? I need to stop my mind from endless speculation) 😇

Thanks all. Look at it this way: I'm sacrificing myself so that you all know how good, mediocre (or bad?) both Zaytina and/or Oyamel are these days. Convivial is a must for us given our past experience there and love for the stuff on his current menu. The 2 others are like our tour itinerary - places we shoulda gone years ago, but never did & we want to say we have. And now Pat has given us some hope. Albi is constantly highly recommended & a possibility: generally impossible to get into but, since Chris (The Green Zone) is somewhat involved, maybe doable. Or maybe it'll be the place we go 10 years from now, having missed its prime 🙁 Probably will. Almost this exact dish was a hit for us twice at Clown Bar in Paris. I don't remember cabbage in theirs but, if Convivial's pastry shell is half as good (not to mention the squab)...

Spur of the moment decision yesterday to spend a 4 night/3 day weekend in D.C. mid-July. Booked into the Hilton near the Wharf (L'Enfant Plaza) since they bent over backwards to give us a "big room with a city view" & to house our car without charging us their usual big city valet $$. Our trip is intended for us to finally go to places that we cant believe we've never gone to, so we have a tour of the Capitol Bldg, a pass into the Library of Congress, one to the African American Museum, and possible visits to the Supreme Court building and the White House scheduled. It's amazing that we've been to so many places in D.C. without being to any of these. Keeping with the theme, we've reserved our 1st night dinner at Convivial. We loved it in 2018 & the current menu, while not the innovative stuff that we had back then, is exactly what we love(d) eating in Provence and Paris. He had me at Quenelles (nantua to boot!). Looking forward to it. (not that this is the place to list our other restaurant decisions (I'll write them up in more appropriate places) but we're going to Zaytina and Oyamel, two places we've neglected and really need to go to even at this late date. Also going to Officina on the Wharf because -- well, why not - sunset, etc).

Being older then you by almost a decade (my #1 Doubles High School tennis - won the Mayor’s Trophy as best NYC doubles in 1970) gives me more of a first hand look at some of the players you listed. In my elderly opinion, any team that doesnt include Bird is just wrong. And this coming from an anti-Celtics fan. I’m sitting here wondering whether I’d bench Magic for him, imagining him feeding Michael better & creating havoc slashing thru the paint. So, I guess I’m in the middle with a Jordan, Bird, Chamberlain, Russell & Olajuwon team, although I’m still scratching my head as to how I can bench Magic for Hakeem. As for your friend Bob’s team, the question was not what would be the best team but which individuals make the best starting five.

So, I turned 70 today & last night had a dream that I was talking to Maggie (Dom’s daughter) about when I hung out at DiFara’s, way before she was born. I’m gonna choose not to try to delve too deeply into why this was my birthday dream topic. 🤔

Stella’s was excellent. We gave up our reserved table & sat at the convivial bar, talking to those next to us and 2 great bartenders. The food was good, solid homestyle Greek, but done with better, fresher ingredients and with better kitchen skills than the many typical Greek places that I frequent in NYC. No, its not high end stuff but everything was better than it should’ve been for the price. The fried smelts were not the small baitfish but more like small mackerel, over a dozen to an order, cleanly fried and meaty. I’d eat this regularly. The “flaming cheese” (saganaki) was as entertaining here as in other Greek restaurants, but the cheese was better. Apps are large and are sharable by 2-3. So are the mains. One excellent moussaka was enough for both of us. We may have to stay in Richmond more often.

There’s a Hampton Inn on the corner, less than a block from The Grey, and we stayed one night last week on our trip down to Florida. It’s the only Hampton we stayed at that charged for parking ($30/night) but, since it was a free stay with Hilton points, I didnt care. We like Hampton (see my separate “ode to Hamptons” elsewhere on the board). The stay was just about perfect. The Grey, on the other hand, wasnt. The menus in the bar area and main dining room have recently been revamped and are now the same in both. The fixed price is gone from the dining room and the a la carte menu did not yield interesting results. It seemed to me like they are walking thru the motions without inspiration & the chef is clearly capable of better (she was in the open kitchen, in charge of what was going out). Reservations are still tough, the place was full & others were enjoying their food, so maybe its just me. Or maybe the new menu is not yet tweaked. Whatever - it was a disappointing dinner. Nothing bad, just something I can get elsewhere without fanfare. We’ll go to Husk next trip thru Savannah.

Forget talking about restaurants, lets get back to Don’s point(s) about Hampton 😇 We drove down to Florida again this month, as we’ve done quite a few times before, and, again, we stayed exclusively at Hampton Inns. Since we’ve varied our stops over the years (in both directions), I think that I have a reasonable perspective on what Hampton brings to the table (okay, so I had to get some food reference in). Almost to a one, we’ve been satisfied. Yeah, there was the night where the curtesy refrigerator was louder than the a/c unit (I unplugged it) and the morning where all water was out (turned out to be throughout the city of Florence, SC so not Hampton’s fault), but the locations near I-95, the free parking, the breakfasts (minimal, but good) and the reasonably predictable room standards make it an easy overnight in & out. There’s almost always another Hilton property next door or across the street, but the Hamptons just about always beat them out for our business. You can join Hilton’s membership program and get the same discount as AARP or AAA. And get points - we took out a Hilton Amex card years ago and use it only for these stays, gathering enough points (w/bonuses) to use for free stays several times, more than equaling the perks that our Sapphire Reserve card would have given. Okay - back to the food board stuff.

Anyone been to Stella's? We'll be passing thru in a couple of weeks, but its a Monday dinner and both ZZQ & L'Oppossum are closed (so's Shagbark). Edo's Squid (which we love) is just too heavy a meal and we cant take leftovers.

Well, for what you want, you picked the 2 most solid examples. Joe Beef is not as excessive as it was, but it's still the benchmark for very hearty stuff. If you like natural wines, I'd also look at Joe Beef's next door sibling Le Vin Papillon. L'Express is also good & we liked a place called Gus. Menu changes daily, so you'd have to check what's cooking to see if you're interested. Also Maison Premiere, which we liked a lot. Daily blackboard menu, but always with some really interesting stuff going. We spent a bit of time touring around Montreal's wall murals (graffiti). Extensive & interesting. If you're into hockey, the Bell Center arena has a tour. The St. Joseph's Oratory & the Museum of Archeology are interesting and Notre Dame Cathedral has a laser show in the evenings that might be a thing to do (we liked it okay, but thought it kind of one note). Lots of music in local cafes to check out.