friday in new york, boqueria

how wonderful it is to have wi-fi so that I can sarah ruhl interviews, look up recipes, and blog! The leaves are a mixtures of reds, oranges, and yellows outside. It seems that fall has increased in its expansion even in the stort time I was gone. Brooklyn was beautiful. Manhattan was beautiful. That Friday evening upon my arrival David and I hurried along to a favorite bar of his-you can get Miller High Lifes for $2.50 and bring in fresh lobster rolls from Luke’s next door! I’d never had a lobster roll until then, but it was everything I’d hoped it be and more. Rich and fresh, thick with meaty flavor laid out on a toasty buttered bun.  Washed down with the best cheap beer you can buy….oh lala!

And then drinks at Death & Co, a speakeasy in the village.  I had a gin fizzy, something wonderful and frothy with gin, orange-flower water, lime juice, and whipped egg whites.  The sweetness of a milkshake, bu lighter and more refreshing. Against the backdrop of a mid-1920s club, I felt like I was in a novel. 

We drank for a bit, met up with Alex! (best friend, hooray!) And then realized just how hungry we were. (Splitting a lobster roll only goes so far) So we walked a few blocks to this amazing Tapas restaurant caled Boqueria, where my Uncle’s friend Andrew was in charge of the ordering. We were first greeted with this amazing bubbly pink wine.  It was called Txakoli, and had to be poured from above in order to preserve the airiness of it.  It felt like drinking soda, but more indulgent and more alcoholic.  Then the food came. First-sweet peppers fried and dipped in salt. I was intimidated at first, afraid they would burn my delicate tongue. But they were sweet and salty and wonderful and I had to eat another before they all vanished.

Next on the menu was toast with Jamon Serrano. LIke prosciutto, but instead of Italian it was Spanish. It was thick and rich atop of grilled pieces of crusty bread.  Just remember he rich meatiness of the jamon serrano makes my mouth water. Luckily, I didn’t have time to stay hungry because our next bread dish came right out! This time a tomato spread on the toast paired with an anchovy. I’ve never eaten an anchovy before and I  must say, it was pretty damn good. Perhaps I enjoyed it so much because the sweetness of the freshly pureed tomatoes complimented it so well. I’m not quite sure, but regardless, it was pretty amazing. Don’t hate the anchovies.

Following our toasts were four oysters, one for each of us. I was thrilled with such a delectable ocean treat. At first I was intimated by oysters, but last year I was converted and now I can’t get enough of them.  When you slurp them up you can almsot taste the ocean (in the most amazing way),   With a little cocktail sauce dabbed on top, its perfection.

Then came my two favorites. A quail egg, delicately placed on a thick slice of chorizo atop a piece of toast (man, we were LOVIN the toast). I will now spend this time to rant a bit about the beauty of a runny egg. There is nothing more satisfying than breaking open an egg and then watching the yolk run down like a waterfall over whatever food it happens to be sitting on. In this case, the yolk danced with the spicy chorizo and was soaked up by that wonderful sourdough. The explosion of flavor was perfect, and I could have died right there a happy girl.

Finally-Paella. Oh, Paealla, how I love you. The variety of indulgent seafoods and the saffron, all piled together on top of a bed of crispy rice.  Each bite is a surprise and you’re always blown away by just HOW GOOD it is. My personal favorite-the mussels. I think they absorb the flavor a little better than everything else, that perhaps some of those juices collect in their bed of a shell and then make their way into my mouth. 

After that grand finale of a dish, we were stuffed but not done. My Uncle will never let me end a meal without some sort of dessert. In this scenario, we bid farewell to the delicious Boqueria with its handsome waiters and god-sent Paella, and headed down a few more blocks until we arrived at Milk, the Momofuku dairy bar.  Its separate from the Momofuku restaurant, with its concentration solely on dessert. With so many choices, I was a little overwhelmed (that and a lil drunk) but when I was Cereal Milk ice cream on the menu, I was sold.  It tasted like childhood for adults, especially with the coating of salted cornflakes around the edge.

Alex and I hopped in a cab to Brooklyn, full and happy, together and sleepy.  Watching the buildings pass us by from the lil window in the cab, I thought about how magical New  York could be and how every night held the possibility of a new adventure.

For anyone going to New York without the privilege of a wonderful gay uncle, I can tell that 1) Luke’s, 2) Death&Co, 3) Boqueria, and 4) MIlk, are all winners. Do yourself a favor. You’re tastebuds will thank you.