So, after burning the brain gears in an all-day meeting, wordsmithing blue book reports and resolutions, nine of the commission took off by foot to Second Avenue and Elaine's restaurant. Evidently this is a long-time literary spot where authors of all sorts would go to hang out. The restaurant interior has bookshelves high above the tables with the diners' books and there are then lots of posters of their publications and advertisements for parties at Elaine's.
The menu is mostly Italian so I broke my fast of not eating veal and had veal marsala. It was very good. The place was a bit noisy and therefore it was hard to follow the conversation (as well as being at a round table with eight others) but it was good to be out and enjoy the conversations close to me.
When we left after 11.00, the place was just cranking up with Friday night goers. The increase of people that late reminded me of Spain. What a difference from Vermont where the kitchen in most restaurants closes at 9.00.
I could have used a walk twice as long as the actual one (from 89th up to 95th and 2nd over to basically 5th) because I still am quite satiated and not ready to go to bed yet even though it is well past midnight.
Tomorrow night's dinner will be pretzels on the train (!).
2 comments:
I used to want to go to Elaine's - but never did. That is despite the fact that I spent almost every week day in Manhattan for more years than I can recall!!
Thanks for this experience of it.
I was thinking of you when hearing a local news report about ridership being up on the NYC-Rutland run.
Safe travels.
Penn Station used to have such a good NY pizza place... (The real kind, which you can fold, the crust is so thin, and with good cheese and exactly the right flavor in the tomato sauce.) I'd always get two slices for the train on the way back up to Boston!
Also, you can't find a decent bagel anywhere these days, not even in NY. Though I gather there is one place, uptown somewhere, that is still okay.
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