Saturday, October 28, 2023
Intrepid fellow travelers Jill and Steve came into Manhattan to join us for dinner at Obao Noodles & BBQ, 647 Ninth Avenue, with a menu that combines Vietnamese and Thai cuisines. The other 70 or so diners were in an elevated mood, either on their way to a nearby Broadway show or displaying the Halloween costumes that they donned for dinner. It was quite noisy, but, at our age, imperfect hearing is to be anticipated and occasionally a blessing.
The food was very good, with two caveats. Portions were small and the spare ribs with honey tamarind glaze that Steve and I shared were excessively fatty ($12). I did not return them, which I should have, maybe because the honey tamarind glaze was very tasty. Fortunately, the roasted duck noodles were so good that I resumed my normal, jolly demeanor ($20).
After dinner, we went one block over to a nearby branch of Amorino Gelato, 721 Eighth Avenue. They have three shops in Manhattan, among over 200 worldwide. I've been to locations in Paris and London, all in the name of science, of course. The "Classic" cup served as the perfect cap to the evening, two scoops for $7.10, blood orange and tiramisu.
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Maybe it's time to give it up. Today's paper recounts how Ye, f/k/a Kanye West, built a business empire while espousing rank antisemitism and how "a surge of antisemitism and anti-Israeli sentiment is proliferating across the Chinese internet and state media." https://www.nytimes.
I seem to be playing for the wrong team. Can I be traded or just move as a free agent? Who wants me? Does anyone need me? Could I be comfortable in a controversy-free environment? Are pigs flying yet?
. . .
If my conversion requires relocation, the real estate news isn't good. I'd have to "Earn $115,000 to Afford the Typical U.S. Home." https://www.redfin.
Of course, the typical U.S. home is in areas where Jews don't live, such as Akron, Ohio, El Paso, Texas and Little Rock, Arkansas. But wouldn't that be part of my plan? If I wanted to still hang out with Jews for old time's sake, I'd have to stay in the Holy Land or move to the Bay Area or Southern California.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023 The Upper West Side’s Power Couple left for London today. The trip was uneventful except for the New York City cab driver who insisted on taking a route to the airport perpendicular to the correct one. We took a day flight which got us into our hotel in time for a proper night’s sleep, except it took going into three rooms and leaving two at The Capital, a very elegant hotel in Knightsbridge, to get comfortable. Knightsbridge, by the way, is Beverly Hills with Arabs instead of Jews. Wednesday, November 1, 2023 The food at Granger & Co., 237 Pavilion Road, was good. Hot smoked Chalkstream trout, two poached eggs, two lettuces, avocado, cherry tomatoes and sourdough toast (£21.50). However, what started as a late breakfast stretched into a late lunch, because, while Granger’s upstairs room has high ceilings and glass walls making for a very bright setting, it is one floor removed from the food preparation, a long distance to traverse, it seems. An advantage to the drawn out meal was missing two windy rainstorms outside. . . . Relocated into our fourth room at The Capital and the skies having cleared, we took a stroll to the Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road. There, I admired their marvelous collection of objets de gift shop. . . . Before dinner tonight, I counted four Bentleys and five Rolls-Royces in the immediate area of our hotel. Just saying. . . . Dinner was at Al Bashra, 58 Knightsbridge, making my contribution to peace at this Lebanese/Egyptian restaurant. The decor was provided by very big screen soccer games. Fortunately, the staff were not entirely distracted and were able to serve fine food. We started with a mixed mezza platter, hummus, falafel, kibbe, stuffed grape leaf, moutabal (charred eggplant, tahini, lemon and garlic, easily mistaken for babaganoush) and tabbouleh (finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, onion, bulgur wheat, lemon juice and olive oil) with fresh pita (£15.95). I had a hefty lamb shank as my main, with a big pile of delicious rice (£21.50). Thursday, November 2, 2023  The new revue devoted entirely to the music of Stephen Sondheim is entitled “Old Friends” and we were delighted to see it tonight with our old friends Lady and Lord Kennington. The show was marvelous. All the numbers were familiar to me as a Sondheim obsessive, but hearing them again so well performed by a cast of 15 headed by Bernadette Peters and Lea Solanga was thrilling. Yes, I am gushing. . . . Before the show, we four ate at Old Compton Brasserie, 36-38 Old Compton Street, a very large, very busy joint in the theatre district. I enjoyed a big plate of fish and chips, although it should have been called fish and fries, since the potatoes were rectangular and crispy, American style, not the large, mushy wedges the British call chips (£16.50). That’s merely an observation, not a complaint. Friday, November 3, 2023 The headline today reads: “A Hamas official promises more attacks against Israel similar to those of Oct. 7.” I guess he didn’t get the memo that said make sure that Israel gets all the blame. . . . . . . We ended the retired-from-work week appropriately at Friday night services at Westminster Synagogue, Rutland Gardens, a necessary gesture in these difficult times. There were about 40 people in attendance, a youth event adding to attendance. Kamila Kopřivová, a young woman rabbi from the Czech Republic, was very charming, although she didn't look old enough to drive. . . . |
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