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| Driving down Fifth Avenue on the way to La Grenouille, Saturday night, 8 PM. Photo: Jeff Hirsch. |
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| Monday, December 16, 2013. The weekend weather was the story in New York. The weatherman forecast a big storm covering something like a thousand miles. It was heavier elsewhere, and the “storm” didn’t arrive in New York City until Saturday morning. Although the weatherman had us bracing for it well in advance. Weather is more and more a major distraction in our lives. I’m not sure if it’s a phenomenon or just part of aging. In a way it’s almost a relief from the anxieties created by the news of the world. It reminds that there is something far far bigger than our worldly selves. I do remember extreme weather when I was a kid growing up in New England. And as far as snow is concerned, I remember more than one wintertime walking down the middle of Park Avenue (while others were on skis) in the winter. |
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| Maybe this winter coming up (officially beginning next Sunday) will be another one of those. Back in the mid-90s, we had one winter where it seemed to snow daily, and the white stuff accumulated into great mounds of snowbanks with only narrow paths for walking in some parts of the city. Most memorable about that winter was how it slowed everybody down, and seemed to calm them down too. People took their time because they had to. So it was rather lovely all around. At least for those of us who had warm shelter. Meanwhile, the weather flacks beat the drums and we awaited this thousand mile storm coming from the Midwest. On the map on Accu-weather which I might check mindlessly several times a day, it was fascinating to watch it move West to East. into the Northeast, with a thousand mile rain storm simultaneously heading toward us North from the deep South. |
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| Saturday morning there was a light, almost floating snow flurry. It was cold out but the roads were wet so it wasn’t sticking. Mid-mornng there were three major sanding plows stationed in the next block, as if waiting for their assignments in the city. It didn’t look like they’d be necessary for at least several hours, if at all. I took this first picture about 1:30 Saturday afternoon when it began to look as if the snow would stay and maybe accumulate. That’s snow falling, not fog. It was now more than a dusting, but it didn’t seem like blizzard-proportions. |
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| Saturday night I was going to dinner at La Grenouille with JH and his wife Danielle, and his mother-in-law Kathleen. The reservation was for 8 p.m. Recalling my traffic gridlock a couple weeks before when the weather was clear, I planned to leave a half hour early for what is usually a ten or fifteen minute ride to 52nd and Fifth on a Saturday night. The big traffic is gone by that time of day – with the exception of this specific time of the year when the great Christmas tree is on display at Rockefeller Center only three blocks from the restaurant. This night the problem was getting a cab on East End. But it turned out not to be. I got one in less than five. His meter was off. He told me it was broken. I believed him at first and then it occurred to me that because moving around was going to be a slow process (slippery), he thought he could make a few extra bucks. He quoted me a price: about 30 – 40% above what it would normally be on the meter (for that distance). Naturally I accepted; I was grateful to have a cab. He was a very careful driver too – another plus. |
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| I arrived at La Grenouille at exactly eight. The JH party was coming from exactly the opposite side of the island. They had to come through the Park and were slightly delayed but not by much. The restaurant looked to be about half-full. I was surprised that there was as big a crowd. I asked Charles Masson if he’d had many cancellations. He said: almost none. Although he did have some “confirmations” for reservations never made. La Grenouille is such a desirable destination for a exquisite Saturday evening dinner that many know it can be hard to get a table without booking well in advance. By 8:15 we four were at table and within minutes the entire restaurant was full. |
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| After we placed our orders, the captain asked if we’d like to order a soufflé. The choices presented: chocolate, lemon, Grand Marnier. JH asked if they could do Pistachio. Of course. We ordered one chocolate and one pistachio. For dinner, Danielle had the Mushroom Risotto (Le Risotto aux Champignons) and the famously perfect Dover Sole. Kathleen started with the chestnut soup with lingonberries (Velouté aux Marrons, Crème Fraîche aux Airelles) and had the Beef "Tournedos" with Chestnuts, Brussels Sprouts and "Salmis" Sauce (Tournedos de Boeuf en Salmis, Marrons et Choux de Bruxelles) as her entree. JH had the Lobster and Tarragon Ravioli (Les Ravioles de Homard à l'Estragon) and the Dover Sole. While I had the Whole Roasted Organic Chicken "Grand-Mère" with Thyme, Bay Leaf, Bacon, Pearl Onions and Potatoes (Le Poulet Rôti "Grand-Mère"). I love their endive salad as a starter. It’s ample and tasty and satisfying preparation for the main course. Everything was excellent, as was the atmosphere, the flowers, and the room, with its singular luminescence. |
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| When we were finished and ready to leave about eleven, so was much of the clientele. No longer snowing outside, it was raining. Hard. And cold. The streets were slushy, and and a rushing stream of melting snow was flooding the curbsides. I left the party on foot, heading East hoping to find a cab that was available. I had an umbrella. I caught a cab at 54th and Park; not a long slog as it turned out. Traffic on the avenue at that hour was very busy if not heavy. The roads were icy with snowtracks forming on the sides, but I was home in ten minutes. A great night in Manhattan. Sunday morning, about 11, I took this last picture of East End Avenue where the snow had begun to accumulate 24 hours before. |
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Contact DPC here. |