NYC – A Sensible Feast – Biscuits + Brioche

Despite the constant rain, Seattle can be a magical city. We have the Cascades and the Olympics, Mount Rainier, the Puget Sound, Lake Union, Lake Washington, and all the coffee and pho one can imagine. I’m not from here. A whim brought me to the Pacific Northwest back in its heyday of 1991. My roots reside on a porch swing deep in the heart of sunny Louisiana. But I live here now. And despite my occasional need to escape, I keep coming back. Someone once asked me why. The conclusion … it’s a nice place to be alone. Although solitude can mean a reprieve from the chaos of noise, people and social challenges, sometimes you just need to dive right into the extreme melting pot of the senses. About two weeks ago, I headed to New York, yet another city I call home. Talk about an awakening. The flavors, the sights, the sounds, the um… aromas, all wrapped up into one tightly woven ball of sexiness. NYC, you done me good.

Places I went that you should too …

Corton: 239 W. Broadway, NY, NY 10013; 212.219.2777

Bouley: 163 Duane Street, NY, NY 10013; 212.964.2525

King: 5 King Street, NY, NY 10012; 212.255.0700

Balthazar: 80 Spring Street, NY, NY 10012; 212.965.1414

Frankies: 457 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231; 718.403.0033

Pies ‘n’ Thighs: 166 S. 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211; 347.529.6090

Ladurée: 864 Madison Avenue, NY, NY 10021; 646.558.3157

Bien Cuit: 120 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 718.852.0200

A big welcome by Frito and Lily …

Oh, Manhattan, I heart you …

Eataly – Pasta and Cheese – mmmmm …

Stone Rose – Time Warner Center – Columbia Circle …

What do you get when you cross Salvador Dali with the Guggenheim with Terry Gilliam with Jean-Pierre Jeunet with Monet? – Paul Liebrandt’s magic at Corton