Room Service

Saturday, November 4, 2023 

Moving at a reasonable pace, we managed to get out of our hotel room by noon and stroll down to Belgravia, the poshest neighborhood in London.  The wait to get into Ottolenghi Chelsea, 261 Pavilion Road, one of this Israeli chef’s seven very successful local restaurants, was moderate, although the 30 seats were never empty for more than a moment.  

The lunch menu was very interesting, even if we really wanted breakfast.  Respecting the rules of the menu, I ordered "Herby mushroom, rice and cheddar fritters with rose harissa and herb yoghurt" and two side salads, "Roasted beetroot with plum dressing, gorgonzola and hazelnut" and "Roasted squash with green tahini, chestnuts, confit herbs and pumpkin brittle" (£23.50). Afterwards, comparing notes with my exotic traveling companion, we agreed that the food was more to be admired than enjoyed.

In order to balance my diet, I went to EL&N, 42 Hans Crescent, part of an international cafe chain, for dessert and struck it rich with Bogtrotter’s Chocolate Cake, a delicious creation (£8).  This rich layer cake is somehow labeled with "a disparaging term for a person of Irish birth or ancestry."

.  .  .

We had another lovely evening with Lady and Lord Kennington, starting with dinner at The Ivy Tower Bridge, Tower Bridge Road.  The Ivy in Soho was the hot spot where the rich and famous wined and dined for over 100 years.  Then, in a bold move, the company opened 60 additional restaurants in the last 10 years.  Somehow, they’ve thrived.  

We certainly enjoyed our meal tonight.  I had a brilliant steak tartare, with cornichons, shallots, capers and egg yolk, with fries (their term) (£25.95).

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The Bridge Theatre is right next door to The Ivy and is hosting a new production of the quintessential American musical comedy "Guys & Dolls."  It has been one of London's biggest hits for months and the Lady and Lord were happily seeing it for the third time.  While it was a little sexier than other versions that I have seen, including the wonderfully idiosyncratically cast movie with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, the main point of departure was the staging.  Part of the audience stood surrounding the performers in a roughly pentagonal space, with portions of the floor rising and falling scene to scene.   We sat, but the enthusiasm of the crowd was infectious.

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Typical British understatement:

 

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It took three passes until we got reservations at Harry’s Dolce Vita, 27-31 Basil Street, just down the block from our hotel and across the street from Harrods.  This convenient location alone might account for its popularity, but the excellent food would draw crowds even to a Rudy Giuliani press conference site.

The fried calamari was the best that I ever had (£10.95) and the veal Parmesan was superb (£29.50).

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What do these numbers have in common?

253

249

374

243

224

They are the room numbers that we have occupied since we checked into The Capital on Tuesday night.   Mind you, it is a lovely boutique hotel, with very attentive service, in an elegant neighborhood.  

Tonight, we were moved because, when we returned from dinner, we saw a very wet patch on the wall surrounding a light switch.  With a choice of electrocuting one of us or short circuiting the entire building, management ushered into the latest space.  There are two days to go.

Monday, November 6, 2023

The crowning event of our week in London was dinner hosted by Lady and Lord Kennington, including their fast friends Robina Rafferty and Colin and Fleur Brennan.  The evening consisted of excellent food, sparkling conversation and warm feelings.  We thank those wonderful people for adding so much to our experience.

.  .  .

We think of Americans as a very social people.  Didn't we invent slumber parties?  A new survey belies this idea, finding us more isolated than other countries.  

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/03/10/older-people-are-more-likely-to-live-alone-in-the-u-s-than-elsewhere-in-the-world/

 

"In the U.S., 27% of adults ages 60 and older live alone, compared with 16% of adults in the 130 countries and territories studied."  

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Great silver bird takes us back to the Land of the Free and the Home of the Indicted.  We return equipped with a 600 gram (well over 1 pound) tin of Fortnum & Mason’s Chocolussous Biscuits that we purchased and champagne truffles from hotel management as a peace offering.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

We fell asleep early and arose early to victories by the national Democrats and the New York Rangers.  Almost glad to be back.

.  .  .

On the other hand, making sure not to call a spade a spade: "A group of 300 U.C. faculty members, including many at UC Berkeley, wrote a letter condemning the university system's use of the word 'terrorism' to describe Hamas' attacks on Israel."

https://buffalonews.com/college-campuses-convulsed-in-protest-during-mideast-war/article_d5c00fcb-c0bd-5a59-93c9-51b21b4e15a2.html

Thursday, November 9, 2023

I reminded myself to be on my best behavior in order to attend a local meeting of the Stanford Law School Alumni Association, featuring a talk by Nate Persily on "The Challenge of Artificial Intelligence for American Democracy and Elections."  His presentation was so thoroughly professional that you almost forgot how threatening it was.

Friday, November 10, 2023

I ate at home the rest of the week, but the publication of the latest Michelin Guide may encourage me to get out more.  https://www.opentable.com/blog/nyc-michelin-stars-2023/