A Piece of Paris & A Nibble from Napa - Not Really
I decided to use my morning meeting in Soho as an all-out excuse to return to Paris - or get as close as I could within the confines of New York City.
I went to Balthazar for breakfast.
Admittedly, this Keith McNally favorite has a beautiful dining room. Every inch has been meticulously designed to evoke a Parisian brasserie. Yet, for some reason I couldn't help but wonder if the restaurant's design group had also been employed by the folks at Epcot.
It was too perfect. I had only the attitude of the Manhattan elite, giggles of Japanese tourists and grating accents of Long Island daytrippers spoiling the fastidiously French setting.
My Almond Croissant was too perfect too. It appeared to be the quintessential, Gourmet Magazine cover-ready Almond Croissant. But one bite and I realized that its flavor was lackadaisical. The almond filling had no oomph. The croissant itself was tired and flat. No flaky, buttery goodness here. All in all it was "feh."
All in all I wasn't in Paris - I was in Manhattan.
I shoulda just gone for a bagel.
Disheartened, I trudged through my day to another appointment in the Columbus Circle area - meeting up later with my pal Jen at the Time Warner Center's Bouchon Bakery for lunch. Having yet to try this little slice of Napa Valley and Thomas Keller on-the-cheap, I had high hopes.
The display cases didn't disappoint. They were mesmerizing. I finally settled on a Tuna Nicoise Sandwich (a few specimens pictured above), a mound of well-seasoned tuna topped with sliced hard-boiled egg and slivers of crisp red radishes, heaped on a fresh roll with just enough give to make me want to give in.
It was yummy. So was the Nutter Butter Cookie that Jen and I wolfed down as a completely undeserved dessert at the meal's end. (The best desserts are always undeserved - thereby more decadently sinful.)
The meal, the company, it was all marvelous. Yet something was profoundly wrong.
Very wrong.
For no matter the meal or my lunchtime companion, not only was I in New York rather than Napa - but I was in a MALL.
I WAS IN A MALL!
Once again, I found myself surrounded by those darn Japanese tourists and Long Island daytrippers. (The Manhattan elite were presumably across town at Barneys.)
So ultimately, I never made it to Paris or Napa - just Epcot France and the mall.
But who am I to complain? A Metrocard is a heck of a lot cheaper than a plane ticket. Besides, that Nutter Butter Cookie was a doozy of a dessert!