Wish I Said That

Saturday, June 13, 202

The Upper West Side’s Power Couple headed northeast today to witness history, #1 grandson’s graduation from high school. It is a defamatory rumor, however, that he is the first one in the family to accomplish this.

We are staying in Newton, Massachusetts, instead of the usual Natick perch, because the school is in nearby Brookline, saving 15 miles. We had dinner at the Social Restaurant & Bar, 320 Washington Avenue, Newton, in the lobby of our hotel. It is a big, somewhat gentrified sports bar. Early evening Saturday, the large screen televisions around the room had little hometown contests to bother us with.

I had a French Dip Burger, a very fat pattie of shredded and ground beef, with Swiss cheese, carmelized onions and horseradish aioli, accompanied by a large portion of herbed French fries ($14). What makes it French Dip is the small bucket of beef drippings on the side to be dipped into. This is known as "au jus," treated as a noun more often than not on many American menus. As far as I know, this is a Los Angeles invention where only Spanish is treated with respect. Done right, it can be quite satisfactory and this one was, although it did not rely on sliced roast beef as its base.  

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What’s the alternative?

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Did something happen last night?

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The temperature reached 90° while the graduation ceremony was conducted in an unairconditioned gym. Actually, a winter event would have worked well because of the warmth generated by the adoring parents and grandparents. The accomplishments of the young men and women graduates overcame the physical conditions, however, and we were happy to share the occasion with them. Our guy won an award and co-led the singing of The Star-Spangled Banner and Hatikvah. What's not to like?

.  .  . 

Our family gathered for dinner at Lehrerhaus, 425 Washington Street, Somerville [Washington is a favored street and avenue name in the Boston vicinity]. It is a Kosher establishment that also serves as a place of learning. 

The physical menu is a visual pun, dishes in the middle and commentary up and down the sides akin to a Hebrew prayer book. The table shared Spring Fava Bean spread and Chopped Not Liver (mushrooms and nuts) $9 each, with fresh pita. As my main course, I ordered Mac & Cheese Kugel, a crispy version of the classic dish ($22). Then, a variety of desserts passed among us: Boston Cream Napoleonka, vegan (!!) chocolate, vanilla custard, crispy phyllo ($13); Basbousa, semolina cake, cardamom cream, grapefruit marmalade ($14); and a sundae with birthday cake ice cream ($12). 

All three generations came away satisfied.

Monday, June 15, 2026

I pondered the Knicks championship on the drive home. A remarkable aspect was, of course, the command demonstrated by Jalen Brunson, son of a former Knicks player, voted the tournament's most valuable player.  At 6'2", he was the smallest player on the court. One of his opponents was 14" taller. For heaven's sake, I am 6'2".

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

America's Favorite Epidemiologist received floral tributes and greetings from near and far today on the occasion of her birthday. While she continues to mature, she doesn't age.

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The Borowitz Report informs us that "Ayatollah’s ‘Art of the Deal’ Becomes #1 Bestseller."

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Hannah Shizgal-Paris is the top chef at Roman’s, 243 Dekalb Avenue, a 14-year old restaurant that is getting attention for making the New York Times list of 100 best local restaurants. It’s a small, boxy place, tightly packed with a dozen tables and a full-service bar with ten stools. The hard, flat surfaces keep the noise level high.

We were happy to agree with Elaine Shizgal Cohen’s suggestion that we have dinner at her niece’s restaurant. With Caring Ken Klein aboard for ballast, we were in the car almost one-and-a-half hours to cover seven miles in rush hour. It was worth it, good food and the zing of having the chef come over to your table and take a picture with you.

While the restaurant is supposedly named for the owner’s son, it is solidly Italian. We shared a fava bean purée with sourdough bread ($20) and a very large salad of little gems lettuce, cucumbers, piave (cow’s milk cheese) and mustard vinaigrette ($25). I had cavatelli (small shell-like pasta) with a spicy lamb sausage ragu ($30) and a forkful of my young bride’s spaghetti with zucchini, basil and parmigiano ($29). 

For dessert, we shared two portions of chocolate sorbet, which the New York Times described as “stunningly dense and dark as the far side of the moon” ($10). Our meal earned Roman’s its place on the best restaurant list.

.  .  .

An update from Andy Borowitz:

"Ayatollah Names Trump Employee of the Month"

Chow Time

June 6, 2026

Warm weather means gazpacho at Zabar’s, 2245 Broadway, three varieties — homemade, Andalusian and watermelon, our favorite ($11.99 for 24 fluid ounces).

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For years now, I have heard the annoying Kars4Kids jingle at all hours on any number of television stations. What I missed is that, according to its website, Kars4Kids is "a registered nonprofit Jewish organization." That’s another cross for us to bear.

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The Supper Club met tonight at the Posmans. Eva provided a lovely main course of roasted salmon, while Susan prepared mushroom and goat cheese galettes (flat, round pastries) and my young bride made her first ever cheesecake with strawberry sauce. Mission accomplished.

Sunday, June 7, 2026

Motek is Hebrew for sweetness, more of an appellation (sweetie pie) than a description. It is also a successful restaurant at 928 Broadway with many sister establishments in south Florida. We met Denise and Rob Teicher there for lunch today. It's a large place, very deep and loaded with people when we arrived at 1:15. Very noisy people. 

We sought some relief by going to a smaller room on the floor below where it was quieter and cooler. Be advised, though, that it is at the bottom of a steep staircase. Also, the distance from the kitchen above made service occasionally ragged. On the other hand, the menu of Israeli/Middle Eastern items was large and interesting. We enjoyed a shared plate of zucchini latkes with applesauce and sweet labneh (strained goat's milk yogurt) ($16). I then had chicken schnitzel, two pieces of flattened chicken breast in a pretzely coating, a tad dry, with a radicchio salad on the side ($26). 

I hope to return at a less noisy time to try some of the many hot and cold mezzes, pitas treated as flatbreads, and lamb dishes.

 

Monday, June 8, 2026

I went through Times Square and the vicinity of Grand Central Station to get to my doctor’s appointment and the evidence was clear — the Knicks have captured the Apple. Knicks shirts and caps (and at least one pair of socks) outnumbered the Yankees and Mets gear together. Since I could not but tap dance to my own drummer, I wore a New York Rangers T-shirt lettered in Hebrew. I gathered not only admiring glances, but expressions of approval from young and old alike.

The result of the game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden tonight was ultimately disappointing. My favorite comment came from Jimmy Kimmel on Donald Trump's interest in the game. "You'd think that he would be rooting for the Spurs, right? It's what got him out of Vietnam."

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

I got the bandages off my hand this morning and drove to Seasons 52, 217 Lafayette Avenue, Edison, New Jersey. As my faithful readers know that must mean that we had lunch with my brother, who lives right nearby. An added treat was the presence of Benjamin, his #2 grandson visiting from California after attending a conference in Philadelphia. 

Among the virtues of Seasons 52 is the absence of fried food, French fries for instance. Instead, many items are grilled. Also, no dish is reputedly over 595 calories.

https://www.mashed.com/285228/the-untold-truth-of-seasons-52/

Its wine collection is extensive and varied, with many selections offered in 6 and 9 oz. servings. As the designated driver for the usual one-hour drive home, I abstained.

I started with a spinach and strawberry salad, tossed with Gorgonzola cheese, white balsamic vinaigrette and toasted almonds. It was a little overdressed, but delicious ($11). Then, I had a trio of “handcut” wood-grilled beef tenderloin tacos topped with fresh pico de gallo, cotija cheese and a taco slaw, served with a side of avocado-lime crema and a southwest organic greens salad ($16).

Another feature of Seasons 52 is interesting desserts served in small portions. I had a raspberry cannoli sort of ($4).

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Sea Salt, 1123 First Avenue, is a newish Greek restaurant, four years old, with 25 marble-topped tables and an eight-stool bar. It is conveniently located for Barbara & Bernie, cousins of cousins, and I was able to get a parking spot right on First Avenue. A large party was seated as we completed our meal, but otherwise it was half full and relatively quiet.

The menu was predictable, but well executed. We shared three mezze, humus, babaganoush and red pepper/walnut spread, with lots of fresh pita ($25, 3% more for credit card). Bernie and I each had the Koftedes Plate, six grilled minced lamb and beef patties, rice and green salad ($28). The women swapped vegetable mousakka ($25) and bronzino with capers, olive oil & lemon sauce ($36). Every morsel was consumed.

Thursday, June 11, 2026

0kay, I despaired and turned off the television at halftime. 

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The euphoria resulting from last night’s basketball game is pretty firmly entrenched, but this article from Time Out has me annoyed.

https://share.google/R2fYu9nrj7KmyvsjX

It is labeled “The world’s 20 best food cities right now.” The list, in order, is:

• Lima
• Bangkok
• Mexico City
• London
• Barcelona
• Ho Chi Minh City
• Melbourne
• Beijing
• Athens
• Lisbon

I have visited six of these, London, Barcelona, Ho Chi Minh City, Beijing, Athens and Lisbon, although only the first two more than once. Significantly, I have also been to San Francisco many times and have lived in New York for very many decades and cannot abide their omission from this list. They may not outdo a Beijing or a Lisbon in its local cuisine, but they offer an unmatched range of excellent choices from around the world. A basic problem with this survey is its reliance on "thousands of locals" who may have never been exposed to a good bagel.  

You might want to see how many of these cities offer one of the World's Most Iconic Sandwiches.

Friday, June 12, 2026

I had lunch at Dimsum Garden, 1068 Second Avenue, one of four related restaurants. It has a large dim sum menu, but I was feeling entirely conventional and ordered one of the 35 lunch specials @ $12.99, including soup, a small vorspeis and rice. I ate egg drop soup, a spring roll and orange chicken with brown rice, all quite good. By the way, their mustard was as hot as I have ever had.

The joint was empty when I walked in at noon, but soon there were 16 other people eating in. There are five booths and seven tables, mostly made of blonde wood. And the air conditioning worked just fine as the temperature rose to 93°.

    

Handy Man

Saturday, May 30, 2026

I don’t think that I am any more courageous than average, but there are situations that call for boldness. I must challenge the basic principle of Chowhound’s list of “The Hands Down Best Bagel Shop In Every US State, According To Reviews.”

https://www.chowhound.com/2180635/best-bagel-shop-every-state/

Utopia Bagels is not a bad choice for New York State, although it would not be mine. That’s not the point. New York covers a land area of 54,556 square miles; it is the 27th largest state in size. As large as the Holy Land is, it contains only 40% of the state's population. Forgetting the distance within the Holy Land itself that a person would have to traverse to get to one of Utopia's four locations, a lot of New York State residents would have to pack a lunch to get to Utopia Bagels. Designating it as the go-to place for bagels is not helpful. We won't even consider what a Californian or a Texan who might have the good sense to desire a bagel might have to endure to get their state's best. Chowhound's list is an unnecessary provocation for too many people.

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Over 10,000 lawyers have left U.S. government service since the Second Coming, leaving about 40,000 still employed. Both numbers seem quite large and nowhere near what I might have guessed.  

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/31/us/politics/trump-administration-exodus-of-lawyers.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

For many of those displaced attorneys, this might be a blessing, offering them an opportunity to move into the private sector or other government venues not so notoriously politicized. Others might have to resort to advertising their availability on benches at bus stops, spiking the demand for bus stop bench painters.

Sunday, May 31, 2026

Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal, North London's football (soccer) club, to win the Premier League championship, the most prestigious prize in professional football, the World Cup viewed as more of a criminal enterprise. The victory was sufficiently exciting to cause rioting in France and the arrest of 780 people. Let's see what happens when the Knicks win the National Basketball Association championship. 

Monday, June 1, 2026

Marilyn & Michael Ratner’s wedding anniversary is one day later than ours, although they got a 35-year head start. Also, Marilyn just had a birthday while America’s Favorite Epidemiologist has hers in a few days. So, we decided to have a bang-up joint celebration with lunch at Le Bernardin, 135 West 51st Street, awarded the highest ratings by Michelin and the New York Times. 

It ain’t cheap. My membership in the Democratic Socialists of America was voided by walking in the front door. The only choice for lunch in the dining room is a three-course menu at $139 a person with a supplement for some dishes, typically those with caviar. The lounge offers a $94 three-course lunch and an a la carte menu. Something to drink, tax and tip gets you easily to $200+ per person in the dining room and it’s wonderful. Tables in the high-ceilinged room are a discreet distance apart. Service is impeccable; bread is offered four times during your meal with little butter pots each time. Not just bread, but a choice of five — brioche, baguette, raisin walnut, olive focaccia and sourdough.

The first course has a choice of 21 items. I had a 2” disc, described as “Crab Avocado; Celeriac Remoulade, Dijon Mustard-Citrus Sauce.” A popular choice for the others was “Hamachi Sashimi; Pickled Mushroom and Watermelon Radish, Citrus Dashi.” 

The main course offers 12 items. While Le Bernardin is known for its fish and seafood, I could not resist “Sautéed Duck Breast; Caramelized Endive and Glazed Broccolini, Port-Tamarind Sauce.” Others chose “Steamed Halibut; Truffled Morels, Wild Mushroom Bouillon” and “Pan Roasted Merluza [Spanish hake]; Stuffed Baby Sweet Peppers, Lobster Gumbo Sauce.” 

Desserts completed the chorus of oohs and aahs. Here, there was a choice of seven plus ice cream and sorbet. My three companions all had “Pistachio Praliné, Grand Marnier Bavarois”, a pistachio praline atop velvety Bavarian cream infused with Grand Marnier, an orange liqueur, beautiful to the eye and the tongue. Predictably, I went chocolate, “Warm Peruvian Chocolate Tart, Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream.”  

There were, of course, amuse bouche before and petit fours after. My nap lasted three hours.

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Happy Birthday, Allison.

.  .  .

I discovered today that I blow my nose right-handed. This is one of the things that I do exclusively with one hand or the hand, making me cross-dominant, not ambidextrous. Since boyhood, I have written with my left hand and eaten with my left hand, yet I throw a ball and bat righty. I cannot do otherwise. When I went to tennis camp in January 1983, I spent the entire first day trying to figure out which hand to hold the racket in. As new tasks arose over the decades, I instinctively went one way or the other. 

This all became relevant today when Dr. Michael Rettig sliced open the middle finger of my right hand to cure its spontaneous locking, known as trigger finger, an annoying but non-threatening condition. For the next week, my right hand is heavily bandaged and in a sling and I will learn exactly which hand washes the other.

 

Thursday, June 4, 2026

It's not a perfect correlation, but Trump states seem to be more dangerous for workers as well as for the rest of us.

Friday, June 5, 2026

Stony Brook Steve, Terrific Tom and I had lunch at Schnipper's Quality Kitchen, 820 Eighth Avenue. The decorless space is very well located, sitting at the base of the New York 

Times building and across the avenue from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The last stop of the M104 bus is right across the street. It also makes good hamburgers.

I had the Burger Special #2, a double cheeseburger, lettuce, tomato and special sauce, with French fries and a fountain drink, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper et alia, unlimited ($18.50). 

  

While we enjoyed the food and each other’s company, we had the added pleasure of meeting Mircea Petrescu, a young Romanian man living and working in Belgium, in New York and the United States for the first time on a quick business trip. After spending time with the contemporary version of the Three Stooges, Mircea started asking about New York apartments.