The Wandering Eater

Lunch at Eleven Madison Park was my last and final restaurant for Restaurant Week on Monday. (For those of you who are still curious when is it over, it’s officially this Friday, July 27, 2007; while some restaurants are extending ’til Labor Day.)

EMP’s interior once you enter…

I had high hopes for EMP, since I had a really great experience last time when I tried Chef Humm’s Gourmand Menu that courted me to be one of the many fans of this place (if you do a search at Chowhound, you know what I mean or read Frank Bruni of the NY Times’ piece). To end Restaurant Week with a good bang of sorts, I ended up with a larger group of friends: Robyn, Helen, Doug, and Ariel.

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The past Friday evening, I had dinner at the Bar Room at the Modern with Ariel.

Since I have arrived there earlier than he did, I took the time to take in the atmosphere and the vibe of this place since it is so different than what I have experienced for lunch the last time I was here. It’s more energetic since it is a Friday night: the after-work crowd, friends and dates having their dinners. It’s definitely more relaxed, loud, and arguably chaotic due to the talking, noise, and the start of the weekend.

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As those of you who are following my tracks on where I’m going for Restaurant Week, I went to Aquavit Café for lunch. Why? Just because of the fact that my dining companion for the day, Ariel was in the mood for Scandinavian rather than something from August.

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This is considered Round 1 of Restaurant Blitz Week, as I call it, since most foodies who love to eat out would try to nab reservations at the pricier yet delicious restaurants around New York City. I admit I was one of the crazy people who would call the restaurant’s reservation line about a month in advance the moment it’s open…as well as making arrangements with people who can eat with me on that particular day.

I think the gods knew that the day I wanted time off from work on Wednesday, went against me and made me feel miserable. Why? The rain fell like there was no tomorrow during the morning.

It’s Pouring!

All the commuters were stuck underground due to the flooded tracks and everyone was running late. OMG. I hate public transportation but I depend on it to get to the city. *sighs* Anyways, I eventually got there but soaking wet and peeved.

This similar scenario occurred to all of my friends who were joining me later in the afternoon. They were almost an hour late. Yeah, you’ve read that correctly an hour. I don’t blame them for being late, I’m blaming MTA (the mass transportation agency run by the city). I felt awful especially for Helen since she’s traveling from Staten Island to the Upper East Side, and that took her at least two hours. Poor thing.

While I was waiting in the restaurant, Aureole I met one of my readers, Carol. To my surprise, she recognized my face and she stopped for a few moments to introduce to her and say hi to me. Um, Carol if you’re reading this now, I’m terribly sorry for my lack of words I didn’t say to you since you caught me off guard and frazzled wondering where the heck are my friends but it was certainly nice meeting you!

Eventually Robyn, Giulia, and Helen have arrived. If you’ve been a reader for a while you remember the latter two from the macaron/fooding hunt we all participated the past April.

We all gathered into this gorgeous, elegant, Upper East Side restaurant and were escorted to the second floor to be seated.

Aureole

Interior of Aureole; Ground floor

Here’s the menu.

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Some things in life are better simple. Take cake for example. I know a typical person would love cake slathered in buttercream or any smooth, sweet frosting. I would too…but I wasn’t feeling fussy these days since a batch of buttercream wouldn’t survive the heat in my kitchen since these days the weather in New York City it is hot and humid: a baker’s worst enemies. I just wanted a simple pound cake - unadulterated, simple but nevertheless delicious.

Pound cake - interior view

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I’m kind of lazy these days due to the heat of the city…and I’m not really eating out just because I’m fasting (sort of) due to the coming of Restaurant Week! I’m planning to have three lunches and a dinner within three days. Sounds like fun yet my weight’s going to take a toll. Oh boy…

Technically, Restaurant Week is ten days long (starting on Monday, July 16th) but I’m not willing to spend that much money and I can’t eat that many courses and restaurants. Sure, if I had a basal metabolic rate of a hummingbird then I don’t mind eating a lot.

To give you a little bit of a preview on future posts, I’m first going to Aureole, then to Aquavit Cafe, the Bar Room at the Modern, and cap it all off with one of my favorite restaurants at the moment, Eleven Madison Park.

In case you are participating RW at the Bar Room at the Modern for dinner, here’s a preview of one of the entrées they are serving. (I know this because they’ve sent me the menu.)

You know what it is if you have read my post back a few months ago when I had lunch there.

If I happen to see you at any of these places during Restaurant Week, Yay! If not, well…if you happen to be in the city anytime in the fall, I’ll be there due to classes (and obviously eating around with my camera on-hand).

The past Sunday, I went out to the city with one of my best friends, Seungmi for dinner. But we agreed to meet up in the late afternoon for the sake of an odd flavor combination for a chocolate bar: chocolate and bacon. Intriguing? It was to us. So we head down to SoHo to the Chicago-based, trendy chocolate shop, Vosges Haut Chocolat.

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