Archive for Wine, Food and other Fun Stuff
The end of a quarter brings a blizzard of Residential Sales and Rental Market Reports; followed by a spurt of press coverage spinning and analyzing the reports. But here’s a report that’s different.
New York Retail Leasing Activity Report created by Faith Consolo Chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman’s Leasing and Sales Division.
The Faith Report reads like a who’s who of luxury retailers.
Faith believes that “New York City luxury retail remains resilient, with new entries and expansions paving the way for a phenomenal fall.”
From Madison Avenue to 5th Avenue and the Upper East Side, across Central Park on the Upper West Side down to Union Square, the West Village, Soho, Nolita, Tribeca and to the Lower East Side, the Faith Report alerts you to the newest digs for your favorite designers and other trend-setting retailers.
The Most Annoying Words In Real Life & Real Estate
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A "Wordle" of 2br/2bth co-ops & condos =>$1M in Manhattan
In a recent Marist poll, nearly half of Americans – 47% – said they find “whatever” most annoying. The other sayings weren’t quite so loathed. 25% say they find “you know” most grating; 11% can’t stand “it is what it is”; 7% would like to ban “anyway” from all verbal exchanges; and 2% reported that they could do without hearing “at the end of the day.”
After reading thousands of Manhattan apartment descriptions, I have come up with my top list of real estate words and phrases that I find most annoying:
- Boasts
- Oversized (also ample or generous)
- Sun-drenched
- Residence
- Triple mint
Here’s a “finger-nails-on -the-black-board” apartment description:
This triple mint, sun drenched apartment boasts oversized windows and generous maintenance. You must call me for the non-negotiable price, a private showing or whatever. Anyway, if you have to ask the price this residence may not be for you. You know, at the end of the day it is what it is.
Every quarter I find it fun and interesting to read what the pundits have to say after the Manhattan Real Estate Market Reports are published. As you can see below, the 3Q Manhattan Market Overview created quite a lot of buzz. This report was prepared by Miller Samual Inc. for Prudential Douglas Elliman.
I think the discussion of the 3Q market trends is best summarized in this special report podcast on The Housing Helix by the report’s creator Jonathan Miller .
| 10/02/2009 | The New York Times | Manhattan Apartment Sales Spike in 3Q; Prices Vary | Newspaper | |
Fantastic Lunch at Per Se Restaurant!
Posted by: | CommentsWe celebrated our anniversary at Per Se in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. From the personalized menu wishing us a Happy Anniversary to the tour of the kitchen and wine cellar, it was an amazing day. Their service was stellar and the food was remarkable! We booked a reservation (on the wait list) for next month.
Enjoy the photos and beautiful presentation of our Chef’s Tasting Menu – you can almost taste the food with your eyes!
Harry Potter, Farmers’ Market, Whole Foods And The Half Blood Prince
Posted by: | CommentsIt was going to be in iMAX and 3D at the “only real IMAX, not the new fake digital LieMAX.“ We got to the AMC Lincoln Square theatre at 68th Street and Broadway about 45 minutes early so we could get “perfect seats” smack in the middle of the theater and about 3/4 of the way up.
While we waited for the show to begin, we munched lots of popcorn and I began read the NY Times article by Micha Pollan: Out Of The Kitchen, Onto The Couch about “How American cooking became a spectator sport and what we lost along the way”. It seemd to explain to me the design of so many kitchens in new developments: Kitchen Stadiums. More on this another time.
Just as the movie started there was an annoucement “…as you know, only the first 20 minutes will be in 3D…” We were pissed but when the “signal” came to remove our 3D glasses we did and enjoyed the rest of the movie in “real” iMAX. Caveat emptor!
After the show we took a walk to the Time Warner Center to visit the Whole Foods Store stopping off at a small Farmers’ Market on 65th Street rght where Columbus Avenue and Broadway cross.
Whole Foods Market at Time Warner Center
Tuna Salad Sandwich Throwdown
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It was a hot humid going-to rain-any-minute kind of a Wednesday in the summer. My wife was going to stay at her office late then go to Lincoln Center to see South Pacific at the Vivian Beaumont theater.
I had some time before an afternoon meeting and some follow-up calls. So I jumped in a cab and went home. I’d take the conference calls and GoTo Meeting there.
But I was hungry and had about 20 minutes to kill before the 1pm meeting. It was going to be a tuna sandwich lunch. I wondered which would taste better in tuna salad- scallions or shallots (I normally use red onion).
So I whipped it up and let the flavors meld together:
Bumble Bee canned tuna in water, 1 Tbs chopped scallion, 1 Tbs chopped scallion, 2 Tbs chopped celery, 4 Tbs Hellmann’s low fat mayonaise, fresh lemon juice. Some grape tomatoes and lettuce for the sandwiches.
Divide tuna into 2 bowls, then added the scallion to one bowl and the scallions to the other. Combine half of the celery and mayo in each bowl and add a squeeze of lemon. Mix, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate and let sit ’till after the meeting.
The GoTO meting was over at about 2:10 so I had about 20 minutes until my next call. I made a couple of sandwiches and the tasting began.
As the thunder started to roll and the rain began to pour, I logged into the meeting and decided that the shallots beat the scallions.
Malbec Wine Tasting at Morton’s Restaurant
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We had a wonderful bottle of Malbec while in Argentina a few years ago. I think it was called Luis Borcas. I’ve never tasted a more wonderful wine paired with beef but have been unable to find it here in Manhattan.
So when I was invited to a Malbec tasting at Morton’s Steakhouse on East 45th Street I was excited to taste these Trapiche Malbecs. In addition to the wine we were treated to samplings of food as well.
On the wine list:
Trapiche, Torrontes, 2008
Trapiche, “Oak Cask,” Malbec 2007
Michel Torino, “Don David,” Malbec 2006
Broquel, Malbec 2006
Trapiche, “Adriana Venturin,” Malbec 2006Paired with samplings of:
Sliced Tenderloin with Chimichurri Sauce
Broiled Sea Scallops, Apricot Chutney
Selection of Cheeses
Miniature Morton’s Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake
I dutifully sampled the five selections, but kept coming back to my favorite the Trapiche Single Vineyard “Adriana Venturin.” It was spicy yet soft, and after breathing for about a half hour was wonderful with the sliced tenderloin on crostini.
Not really a fan of deserts-and for some reason I didn’t think the chocolate cake would compliment the wine, took a glass of the Adriana Venturin to the bar and ordered lamb chops.
It was really was excellent.
What a great July 4th weekend! Our visit to Boothbay Harbor, Maine included lobster dinners at the Lobster Dock restaurant which has wonderful views of the bay.
Mitch, the owner buys fresh lobsters daily from the local fisherman who dock their boats in the bay near this well known lobster shack. They are boiled in sea water and are accompanied by corn on the cob and a biscuit! Don’t forget to check out the crispy onion rings.
But the Lobster Dock is not just a one trick pony. Lobster rolls, lobster stew, creamy and and fresh clam chowder and amazing crab cakes are also featured there. You might recall the crab cake throwdown between Mitch and Bobby Flay from the Food Network.
While in Booth Bay I couldnt resist checking out a few of the condos. On Trulia I found 12 listings in Boothbay Harbor. They ranged in price from a $279K 2br/1.5bth 1360sf condo to a $475K 3br 3bth 2200sf unit with water views.
We drove by four of them just ”steps away” from the Lobster Dock as we drove in for our pre fireworks dinner.
On the water 3br 3bth 2200sf condo-$475K
Interestingly, I tried to get comparable selling prices but that information doesn’t appear to be publically available. Like in the old days, I guess you have to check with one of the local brokers who are the price/information gate keepers. I didnt have time to visit the county clerks office because we were on our way to visit the town’s July 4th picnic bash.
At the picnic, my wife needed to have a taste of the cherry pie. Since it wasn’t available ala carte, I was “forced” to get the barbecued chicken which included the pie! Hmm that was good.
Midtown Manhattan Korean & Mexican Food Mashup
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We expected a taco, perhaps this short rib taco, but we got a kimchi quesadilla instead
They were serving a Korean/Mexican mashup..kimchi quesadilla out of a truck… the Dessert Truck on loan to Kogi! And it was on 56th street and Lexington Avenue, only a couple of blocks away from my office.
It seemed like a good idea when I read about it in Eater.com and even better when I read the buzz on MidtownLunch.com where, after the fact, I got the photo below. (I was without a camera since I returned my Apple iPhone yesterday. Good thing too with the new models and software update announced today.)
At $4 bucks and going to benifit CityMeals-on-wheels I couldn’t miss it!
...but the chocolate mousse from the Desert Truck was excellent!
