New York: Day Three

On our last whirlwind day in New York City, Eric almost got run over by a grocery cart. 

After enjoying a lunch of a cheese blintz with strawberry rhubarb sauce and crab asparagus soup (me), spinach & feta croissant and chicken noodle soup (Eric) at Zabar's Cafe, we ventured next door.  It was around 1:00 p.m. and the specialty food store was chock-full of ladies of a certain age with fur coats.  One of them sighted Eric and charged at him with her cart at full speed.  For no apparent reason.  I guess she could tell that we were not native to her store.  We ducked out of the way and headed over to the coffee bean section where things were a bit calmer.  But we kept moving since we didn't know what other determined grocery cart drivers were lurking around the corner waiting to strike.  We came away with Demerara sugar (which I could not find in Baltimore), a "Dagoba" dark chocolate bar, and a new tea ball.  (Ever since reading Chez Pim's "For the love of tea!" post, I'd been on the lookout for a larger mesh tea ball.  Zabar's upstairs kitchen shop seemed a good place to get one.)

We left Zabar's with our kneecaps intact, and headed for the Museum of Modern Art, again, and this time it was open and teeming with people.

We explored the wonderful MoMA building and saw exhibits on design, architecture, photography, and painting.  After a couple of hours, Eric and I hit our museum overload point at the same time so we got on the subway and headed to the Lower East Side.  The day's bakery trip was to the Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery at 126 Rivington Street (between Essex & Norfolk).  It was exciting to taste not one but two cupcakes after reading about New York's cupcake trend in so many food blogs.  (And about Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery in particular at Chocolate & Zucchini.)

The plan was to split one cupcake only since we had dinner reservations at Prune, which was a close walk away.  I got to pick, so I bought a "Black & White...Just Right" (chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream). The cupcake that came out of the case was vanilla buttercream with HOT PINK icing.  The color was a little intimidating but it tasted great.

After licking our fingers, Eric started gesturing toward the cupcake counter.  After a few meek protests, I gave in.  The cupcakes weren't that huge, after all.  This time we bought "Bob" which is yellow cake with chocolate almond buttercream (as seen in the picture).  This was our favorite.  Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery was a place that invited hanging out, and it looked like some people at the other tables were there for the night with their board games and relaxed posture on the chairs and couches.  But we had a dinner date so we left the warm bakery and started walking.

It wasn't long before we reached Prune at 54 E. 1st St. (between 1st & 2nd Ave.)  This was a friend's recommendation, and I'm so glad we saved it for last.  It was an amazing finish for our trip to New York.  The 2004 Zagat Survey describes Prune as: "a foodie's dream" sporting a "gutsy" "adventure" of a menu...the downside is a space so "pocket-sized" that it's comfortable only for "contortionists" or "hipsters without hips." 

We showed up promptly at 6:00 for our reservation and so were the first to be seated.  (It seems horribly uncool to eat that early in New York City, but we did have to drive back to Baltimore that night!)  The hostess looked at our winter jackets, my bag filled with Zabar's finds and urban trekking gear, and quickly offered to take all of it off to some mysterious location.  We accepted so as to not cause any accidents in the small and charming space. 

I loved the pink Prune t-shirts all of the servers were wearing with jeans (the shade of pink was easier on the eye than that on the pre-dinner cupcake).  The menu was simple and the server took the right amount of time explaining it to us.  I chose the braised lamb shank with lemons and tomatoes.  It was delicious, with large chunks of cooked lemon and the soft tomatoes blending into a satisfying sauce.  The tender braised lamb was topped with the world's biggest cinnamon stick which infused the entire dish.  Eric had roasted capon with a garlic crouton (a thick piece of garlic toast under the capon, actually.)  It was amazing also, with a pairing of light and dark meat, a delicate sauce, and the yummy toast.  We shared a side plate of mixed new potatoes with butter and parsley.

Prune filled up as we ate.  Both the bar and the tables were busy and the diners all looked delighted with their drinks and their food.  As we finished our meal with coffee and the complimentary hunks of dark chocolate that came with the bill (a nice touch, I thought!) we got to talk with the older couple sitting next to us.  Throughout our dinner, I had been listening to their conversation and trying not to poke the woman with my elbow as I ate my lamb (it really was that cozy).  They seemed to be regulars at Prune, since the owner/chef stopped by their table on her way home and they chatted about the wine they were drinking that night and how the staff treated them.  Now it was our turn for some conversation.

"Excuse me," the woman asked.  "But what do you think of people kissing in public?"  She was referring to the young couple near the door who was waiting for the next open table. They had no trouble entertaining themselves as they waited.  My answer must have made the woman happy, because she kept up the conversation and asked, "Are you visitors?"  We said yes and she and her husband welcomed us warmly to New York.  We spent a few more minutes discussing the capon, which she had ordered as well, and she and Eric agreed that it was wonderful.  A delicious dinner and a hearty city welcome from regulars at our favorite new restaurant.  I can think of no better way to end our trip, except for maybe a bakery stop or two, but it was time to return home.

Comments

[BNA]

Aw man, I want to go to Prune...the Thai place next door is always where we seem to end up. Glad you had a good time in New York!