No Water, No Power, No Problem

The sky was dark and it was frighteningly quiet. Normally, waking up on Heather lane feels like a Disney movie: one would expect Snow White to be in the kitchen with the woodland creatures helping her tidy up the place. But Saturday was more Hitchcock than Disney: eerie and still, with the only sound heard being the periodic cry of a crow. That was it. You knew something was a-brewin'.

At 4am she hit. Waking up to winds howling and tree branches bending like blades of grass was, to be honest, more exciting than scary. But the excitement soon wore off as fatigue set in, so back to sleep we went.



Sunday, we were without electricity. Still, with our ice filled coolers, Rummikub set up for the evening's entertainment, wines safely being cooled via generator and a plethora of candles, we were content to be in the dark- well, at least for a night or two.

After breakfast we set out to see how our lovely town of Warren fared. Unfortunately, the answer was obvious: not so good.

Monday brought a new development to our humble abode: no water.
Okay, no power is one thing, but no water? The only sensible solution was to pack a bag and book a room for me and Zazi (my younger son) at the W New York Hotel. Times like these are when you get to pretend to be Eloise, everyone's favorite storybook city child!





(Side note: You know how when you're away from home for too long you miss your own bed? Well, that never happens at the W. I don't know if it's the mattresses or the whatever/ whenever service, or the combo of the two but all I can say is, WOW! Trust me, if Eloise had had a choice of where to live, she'd have skipped the Plaza and gone straight to the W in a New York minute!)


No sooner did my son and I arrive in the city that never sleeps than our social calendar became full.
On our first night, we headed to the US Open. Thank you, Ed!

On night number two, Zazi 's friend from the Island of Long came to town to hang with him. They bought tickets to go dancing at Pacha where our very own Jersey Boy, Pauly D, was the DJ. (You could not say this sentence with enough sarcasm if you tried, but try anyway.)


As for me, I headed downtown to a wine tasting hosted by Daily Food and Wine, met up with Valerie and her man, Rick, stayed a bit, and then headed to dinner at The National, a great bistro that's a stone's throw from the W NY Hotel.

I became a fixture at The National in record time: I had eaten lunch there on Monday, breakfast on Tuesday morning, and now I was headed back for dinner, and not because I had to but because I wanted to.

Valerie's friend, Valerie ( who from this point on will be referred to as Val 2) also joined in on this triple-play midtown dining experience. Now very familiar with the menu, I knew exactly what to order and which wines as well! Our waiter, Colin, was very helpful and almost as personable as Tracy, my lunch and breakfast server. (Tracy, by the way, designs T shirts so if you're in need of a dozen or so, give her a holler!)

(sous-vide)

Val 2 made a request for red wine, but I knew I wanted the Sauvignon Blanc with my bird.
This delectable chicken dish is prepared by a French method called sous- vide which means "under vacuum". But what exactly is sous-vide, you ask? Well, the chef cooks the bird in an airtight bag under water for up to three days at a low temperature. (Yes, three days!) The results? Unbelievably tender and juicy meat. I have to admit, after tasting this dish, it crossed my mind for a millisecond to cook my Thanksgiving turkey sous-vide.

Once again, Billy came to mind as I ordered a bottle of white and a bottle of red. Val 2 said it was not necessary to order two bottles, as we couldn't possibly finish them both. Oh, really? After the Beyond (great name for a wine, no?) and the 2004 Villadoria Nebbiolo were consumed, guess who was complaining that there was nothing to drink? I jest of course, but when the 3rd bottle arrived at the table, (a sexy 2001 Amarone) let's just say Val 2 didn't mind when the waiter filled her glass...