I'm still pretty tired all the time, so all I can generally think about is sleep. And food. To try to stay awake while working late (since I was late coming into the office), I thought I'd write about some food I've enjoyed over the last couple of weeks. I'm also starting to slowly get into the holiday spirit, so I'll attach some early holiday photos at the end, for your enjoyment.
For Thanksgiving this year, we went to a restaurant that was new to me - Schiller's Liquor Bar on the Lower East Side. My gal pals and I have gone to Tre, an Italian restaurant in that same neighborhood, for Thanksgiving before, but we decided to change it up this year. Schiller's got the nod because they were featuring a turkey dinner special.
Schiller's has a nice airy feeling, with a funky vibe that was a lot of fun. Our server was also a charmer. I started off with a lovely glass of their cote du rhone, while my pals enjoyed some French martinis. We also got the party started with a plate of delicious oysters. They were a thing of beauty. 
Please don't tell the vegetarian police, but I decided to go with the turkey dinner prix fixe special. I started with the pumpkin soup, which was fine, but I think I've been spoiled forever by that amazing pumpkin soup I had at Mesa Grill last month. This soup was a little thin, maybe was flavored with carrot juice which made it a little too sweet, and not aggressively seasoned. Again, it was fine, but nothing spectacular.
The turkey main course, though, was SO good! The turkey was moist and succulent and the gravy was savory and herb-y. The mashed sweet potatoes had the full flavor that was missing from the soup, and the cranberry sauce and the roasted Brussels sprouts were really yum yummy. It was hard not to just shovel all these delicious flavors, which just screamed 'Thanksgiving', into my mouth, but I forced myself to savor them. Besides, after the oysters, the soup and the bread that was placed tableside, I was already starting to slow down... 
Dessert was a tasty piece of pumpkin pie. They also had a choice of sticky toffee pudding, which just sounded too sweet to me. The pumpkin pie, alongside an excellent cup of coffee, was just the right way to end the meal. Though I will admit to a prejudice and state that I think my mother's pie crust was lighter and fluffier than this one. :)
After eating (and drinking!) so much, my gal pals and I walked off the food - first by heading to a movie theater to catch a showing of Lincoln, then by walking up to Herald Square to catch the subway. The weather was warm and our spirits were high. Unsurprisingly, I had a great time with my gal pals and think it was the PERFECT Thanksgiving. With terrific food to match.
Ever since I went to the restaurant 508 Grille, I've wanted to go back. I enjoyed the food a lot, but I felt like the evening was rushed and I didn't get to really relax and enjoy the place. Last Friday, a handsome gent and I went back there to see if the food was really as good as I remember.
Um, in a word, YES. My goodness, that food is delicious. We decided to just focus on the small plates to share - you all know my theory about how getting small plates allows you to eat more. Hello. It's a good theory.
I had talked so much about the homemade ricotta and the kabocha croquettes that my handsome friend and I decided to get them again, plus we decided to augment them with the cucumber panzanella and the roasted duck empanadas (dear vegetarian police - I did NOT eat the duck. Though I did succumb to meat later in the meal...). I really do think that homemade ricotta bruschetta is a perfect bite - you have the creaminess of the cheese, the sweetness of the honey, the salitness of the sea salt, the crunchiness of the bread and the brightness of the lemon zest. I will continue to dream about that dish. The croquettes were also deliciously crispy AND soft - very yummy. My handsome friend loved the duck empanadas and we both thought the cucumber panzanella was perfect. Cucumber, grape tomatoes, red onions, crunchy croutons and feta cheese. Deliciousness in a bowl. OH, and my glass of malbec was also perfection.
Of course, once we heard our charming server describe the roasted fig flatbread to the table behind us, we thought, ok, we can eat ONE more dish. So, we devoured the roasted fig flatbread, with blue cheese and serrano ham. Jeepers, that was another deliciously well-balanced dish. Salty sweet, with the crunch of the flatbread. Thumbs way up on that. 
We ended the meal with some churros and cappucinos. Sigh. I was stuffed but happy. 508 Grille is not a place to go every night (all those little plates do add up when you get the bill), but it was so great to sit in a lovely candlelit restaurant and catch up with my handsome friend, plus we also ate some amazing food. I can't wait to go back. 
My goddaughters' holiday dance recital put me in the mood for Christmas - as expected, they were the most beautiful ballerinas, though, again, it was a LONG day. Two Nutcrackers in one day is a big ask. Good thing I love The Nutcracker. And my goddaughters. I am SO looking forward to seeing ABT's Nutcracker on Friday! Until then, enjoy some 'let's get ready for the holidays' photos, along with a plug for a Broadway show I think you should see, and a subway poster of a holiday event that I can hardly wait to experience... 
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