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