Wall Art, Original Pilzner Restaurant, Ruyzyne Letiste, Prague

In Europe, no forum is too banal for tasteful art . . .

Bird's Eye View of NYC

so we chartered a helicopter and flew into low orbit over NYC, then using a special nasa-developed camera we were able to take this excellent picture despite semi-cloudy, hazy conditions . . .

 

naaah.

we were at the Queens Museum of Art, which oddly specializes in New York World's Fairs (its on that location) . . . this diarama was built for the 1964 Worlds Fair . . . .so it's a little outdated, but we had fun trying to do things like locate Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, and even the Polo Grounds . . . good fun . . .

L' Artiste, Astoria, NY

amuse bouche - salmon tartare with goat cheese on crostini - meh . . .

Mrs, Nana & the S-i-L had the champagne mint julep . . . I talked them into it, but I had a tanqueray martini . . . they had a whole array of fruity martinis that I wasn't interested in . . .

S-I-L & I both had the french onion soup on his recommendation . . . ummmmmmmmmm.

Someone had this appetiser . . . looks like duck breast to me, but it's not on the menu . . . it WAS as special.

after we struggled with the wine selection the amiable owner showed off some bottles that another customer brings in . . . very, very nice wines . . . 8^D

nana had the coq au vin . . . another one of my personal faves . . .

Mrs had skillet Roast Salmon with Truffle infused Risotto Cake and sauce matelote . . . awesome . . .

the S-i-L and I shared the Osso Bucco . . . we had little forks too, suitable for scraping the marrow out . . . ummmmMMMMMmmm . . .

Mrs & I shared the chocolate fondant . . .

Nana & the S-i-L shared the French Coffee Panna Cotta . . .

awesome place . . .

Crepes at Chez NaNa

"disappointment" at not getting warm bankies" assuaged by superior crepes, two kinds:

strawberry, and ham&cheese . . .  

Kon's Asian Bistro, Warwick, RI

           
http://konasianbistro.com/

very nice miso shiro soup . . .

we love edamame appetisers . . .

I had pineapple sweet-&-sour shrimp . . . aghhhh . . . not fantastic . . . but not terrible . . .

crispy peanuts chicken . . .

kids at the other end of the table had sushi . . .

The Grille, Warwick, RI

I had a black-and-tan . . . sometimes the best pleasures in life are simple, yet not the simplest . . . 8^) . . .

a chicken & cheese dish.

mac-and-cheese for the 2 year old . . .

pasta carbonara for me . . . uh . . . looks like the mac-and-cheese with bacon & veggies . . . maybe that's all it is, but somehow, it seems to me, it should be, uh, more . . . if you see how I mean . . .

a half a turkey wrap and a cup of soup . . .

not terrible, but sorta non-descript . . . ok for a lunch once-in-a-while . . .

Aromi, again, 12-04-20

we always like to start with a little prosecco, but this was noticably superior . . .

it is actually italian methode champaignois, made with chardonais and pinot noir grapes . . . 8^0 . . .

so, we recommend it if you can find it . . .8^) . . .

 

a harmless little amuse bouche', codfish in a vegetable pudding . . . it was several spoonfulls and quite filling . . .

 

Mrs loves her reislings, so that is what we had with our dinner, newer style, dry & fruity . . .

 

our favorite waiter Leon kept apologizing because they had no mussels (not up to standard!), but the clams were awesome

 

the seafood antipasto plate was kinda mind blowing . . . could spend a whole evening just grazing on this . . .

the boiled prawn, the deep-fried anchovies -

a slice of mackerel, some small lobster, with a small field-green salad -

octopus in marinara sauce --

 

we were surprised to love the anchovies most of all, and the mackerel...

 

while we waited for our main course we enjoyed a little asparagus risotto . . . no conversation during the risotto, it was that good . . . 8^D . . .

 

our main course was something we have frequently there, the seabream grilled with vegetables . . . it seems so restrained, so spartan, at the same time as hedonistic . . . we love it . . . but the camera battery died, so we have no picture this time.