downtown New York City in 8 hours

the NY Times does a column once a week in the travel section...about a 36 hour guide for select big cities around country. Its been my saving grace for towns we've explored. Especially Atlanta. This is my tribute that brilliant morsel of a column

A couple weeks after we opened on Broadway in September my boy Julian texted me 'for a good day meet me at the BM.' The 'BM' [Brick Mansion] is his tenement on Mulberry Street near Canal smack on the edge of Little Italy and Chinatown...this newly renovated brick apt that youd imagine Steve McQueen wouldve lived in in his late twenties... exactly where you'd picture 2 Colombians, a fashion PR girl (Sandra) and a costume designer (Julian), to live. Or the set of Woody Allens next movie about a fashionable couple who've mastered the art of space...fitting shoes under coffee tables that fold into chairs. racks of clothes spilling out into the living room. And it STILL doesnt looked as cramped as it is. its so interesting how they manage to do that. Its an art actually. thats when I ask myself....'why do us New Yorkers have this weird false sense of pride about being able to 'tolerate' living in a city amongst millions of people? Its like that article a few years ago in the Onion...8.4 Million New Yorkers Realize New York City A Horrible Place to Live.' Unless your rich:) I still wonder...

When the phone rang he caught me in that perfect mood...just the text I wanted to see when I woke up inspired from my dream.  Because I swear I must've been dreaming about my cooking show when I'm 50... when all my mates and nieces and nephews and my sister Margarets Patsy Kline band comes over to my garden on the Big Sur coastline. Where we sample all the fine local produce and pick apart a suckling pig and pickled everything! There are many facets and choose-your-own-adventures to this dream but this'll do for now.

Asia Dog

10am We took a swig from the Makers flask and head out to our first destination...just around the corner is Asia Dog. You pick your meat and your topping. I got the beef hot dog Wangding style-with pork belly and scallions in a light yummy chili paste. And then I sampled the beef dog, Bahn Mi style (pork pate with pickles, cucumbers, pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro, and jalapeno). the flavors on both were all right and not on-point as you'd think from the ingredients... but my problem honestly was the regular white and wheat Wonderbread bun they use. In theory a Wonderbread hot dog bun sounds perfect right?-that throwback taste. They need something more crusty that wont dry up or get soggy, which these both did. Its just a little more pricey than you think but if I'm paying for a gourmet dog, it needs to be gourmet all around.

Barrio Chino

12pm to asbord the Makers we went to Barrio Chino (which means Chinese Hood) Theres no sign outside. You walk in and its all brick walled and dark with cool vintage Chinese decor...when we asked about the chili infused section, our waitress brought over some samples of jalapeno and habanero infused tequila. Ay DIOS MIO! Ayudame! Estoy En Fuego! Be Careful. These will singe your nose hairs off....Although its intense, the heat only lasts for a few minutes and leaves your mouth feeling satisfied with a slight chili aftertaste. I ordered the pork and pineapple tacos and the ceviche camaron (just the basic lime, onion and cilantro) and the Sopa de pollo. My tamarind Mojito and Julians Dark Ginger Mojito was MUY RICO! Everything was on-Point. One of my favorites int he city. Already been back once before I left...

2pm Julian told me we had to check out Cafe Habana on Prince and Elizabeth. but first...directly across the street lies a string of cool clothing and vintage clothing shops, in particular is this spot Unis. Now its a bit on the pricey side but what makes it special is its got that nice blend of fashion, urban, and sporty that stays classic and never goes young or urban outfitters cheesy. Its stuff you'll keep forever...assuming you don't loose it. I bought a burlapy backpack and a teal bandana that, to this day, I have yet to find that  Caribbean blue shade in anything close. So yes, the bandana from heaven was worth my $16.

Julian and Lee have arguing about whos got the best Elote (EE-low-tay) or Mexican style corn. Everyones got their own spin and its hard to believe that some basic corn can taste so slammin good but Cafe Habana's threw me through the hot tin roof. Its grilled to a crisp, add a thin layer of mayo, chili powder and lime...and thats it. Hands down the crown of the king corn goes to Habana. I washed it down with a popular Cuban drink, the Chilada [or Michelada as its been called]...a good beachy summer drink-Mexican beer (Cornona, Pacifico) and lime juice. I had to get the Cuban sandwhich. The gooeyness from the cheese and pork shoulder meatiness was almost overwhelming but in a good way, in a full stomach way. Id say it was a close tie with the Spotted Pig's Cubano which adds prosciutto and pickles but still worth the effort hearing the grumblings from the hipster to my left trying to read his newspaper. Thats one thing about places like this...for such a down home feel that it projects, the people waiting, and serving for that matter, treat it like a cool kids club. I'll still come back tho:)

Hester Street

3:30pm We followed our instincts down to the Hester Street Fair but it was closed. So with another swig of our warm Makers, we decided to crash the Thompson Hotel Pool. Julians roommate Sandra had met up with us at this point and his sister Vanessa was to meet us here to add to the fun. We had assembled our own little posse.  We passed the belhops and followed a man into the elevator and asked him where the rooftop pool was again [as though we forgot] and up we went. Gentlemen if your in the city and really want to impress your girl, for a cool down from the stifling heat, forget Jones Beach or Rockaway...instead, pack some sliced mango's and dark chocolate and and bring her up here to the Thompson rooftop incognito style like you own the place, get Champagne service, and find some beach chairs away from the dj...This will be a good afternoon. And its not one type of crowd. Everyones between 20-40, wanna-be European clubbers, hipsters, models, white, black, latino...Most of them probably couldn't afford the luxuries of the Thompson but want to live it while they can. Which makes it more fun and laid back for the rest of us. The rectangular pool in the middle of it all, like anything so precious and cool at this hour on a hot NYC day, was overflowed by the Europeans and we get that splash in our eyes every few minutes but it never gets annoying. Instead, you just vibe off the music, admire that we're all in this together, and bounce your body to the thumping music. The only people I felt bad for were the apartments across the street that with a good leap, I could jump to.

Thompson Hotel 

Freemans

Ms Sheik and Thomas joined us at Freemans before she left us high n dry...we miss you Mama

5 bottles of Rose and a few packs of cigarettes later,  5 pm we headed to Freemans. More suited for a sexy late dinner spot, this place is so tucked away from the city and the lower east side, you could live here your whole life and never know it was here. Its down an alleyway past an 80's sports poster shop that Freemans also owns...bringing back that era when posters of sports stars and their signature shoes became uber popular, you feel like youre in a Jeff Koons Exhibit. The Bash Brothers-Canseco and McGwire, Patrick Ewing, classic Jim McMahon looking like Don Johnson on a 'Chicago Vice' poster. And at the end of the alleyway, past the strings of Christmas lights is Freemans. No name anywhere. It speaks for itself. Rustic American food and drink. Old Victorian high celings and busts of every animal imaginable line the walls like a hunting lodge museum. We ate here a few weeks later but I saddled up to the bar next to the young couple getting drunk like us in the afternoon. I ordered the Sazerac, my new favorite drink-a mix of Rye Whiskey, Peychauds, and bitters.

To fit in our last bit of downtown before going to the show...oh my god we still have a show to do...5:45pm We went to the Meatball Shop. Its situated right around the corner of Katz's deli due east of the Sunshine Theatre. The vibe was better than the food, which wasn't bad but nothing to run home about. The perfect tribute to an old school Italian meatball shop with vintage pictures of fat old men and greasy moustaches, lifting weights in one piece bathing suits. Almost like if you turned a turn of the century barber shop into a little meatpie factory. You pick your meat, your sauce, and your starch [like Mashed potatoes, or Polenta, or on a roll]. I got the vegetarian [blackbean] meatball with pesto and polenta. Not the best combo and then later tried a regular beef and marinara meatball on a roll. Much better but I have to say the best part about the place aside from the decor, oddly enough, was the bathroom. Which, speaking of, Habana-also a good spot to pee, was voted best bathroom in NYC. There's nothing like the surprise of a good bathroom to lift your spirits back up.

7:30pm we reached the theatre...unscathed but exhausted, dehydrated and headached BUT satisfied. I couldve ignored the wake up call and stayed in and cooked food but I realized the whole point of NYC in the summertime was exactly this-crashing hotels and eating good....and a few drinks sprinkled in between. Otherwise we might as well be in Dallas.

Best leg of lamb and mint oil with honey & vinegar roasted parsnips & carrots

I never understood Americans obsession with beef. let me rephrase. not so much that its beef is that its pretty much only beef.  It's our preferred meat by miles, at least since white men stepped onto the continent. As a culture, as westerners it's hard to accept that our diet is that limited but its kinda true. It really doesnt feel like we eat much meat outside the range of cattle and chicken. And I never understood why. Don't get me wrong-there are cuts and parts of the cow I would devour in a heartbeat. Some ribeye or oxtail can taste incredible. There's something about lamb when you cook it though thats more tender and almost juicier than beef a lot of times. I never understood why it never caught on more, outside the southwest. Its on every menu in New Mexico. And healthier. With proper Salt and olive oil, it crisps up around the edges like no meat...I remember Seder/Passover night smelled like this. There's nothing like it. For dinner for mom and Iris tonight...and to prep for my painting day tmw, re-imagining the flamingo room in the basement, I pulled out an old classic recipe for mom...my creation spawned from scrumpets at the Breslin. It was well good too! And it may not be HGTV style but I'll make the flamingo room posh!

Nicks Best Leg of Lamb 

To the sheep!  Firstly wash and pat-dry and admire your beautiful leg of lamb. With a sharp knife, Make about 3-4 1 inch deep slits on both sides. grab a handful of basil and oregano and/or rosemary and bash them up in a pestle/mortar [or food processor or chop by hand] with 3 whole garlic cloves, 1 lemon rind, a few glugs of olive oil, salt and pepper. Take the rub and spread it around the entire leg with both hands. stick good chunks into the 8 slits with your fingers. It should be gloopy and be able to smear around easily. Set this aside on a platter. 

carrots/parsnips & spuds

turn your stove up to 325F. get a mandolin, peel and quarter 4 long thin carrots and 4 parsnips. If you want potatoes-I know we don't eat them a lot these days but when they crisp up from the lamb fat you'll seriously wonder why you ever questioned it. If you want potatoes, get 4 medium yukon gold potatoes, peel and half them. toss them all in a roasting pan large enough for your leg, separating the potatoes on one opposite side. drizzle a few glugs of olive oil, season generously with sea salt & pepper. heres the fun part. On the carrot mix, drizzle about a tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of apple cider or champagne vinegar over the top and mix them around. Now toss all the veggies together and create a bed in the middle for the leg. lay the leg across the top of the potato bed and tuck in. You'll roast this in the oven for  2 hrs. midway give the leg a baste and scuff the potatoes around on another side to get color spread around. for the last 20 minutes however, turn the heat up to 375 and blast that crispness. remove from the oven.  you'll need a meat thermometer now. this is not the point where you want your meat to run dry as this meat can and this will help with the exact medium doneness factor. it should be between 150-160 inside the leg. Now wrap the leg up in foil for at least 15 minutes to retain moisture while its still essentially cooking inside the foil. toss the veggies in for another 15 minutes, take out and set aside. when your hungry guests arrive [ it serves 6], carve thin slices on all sides holding it lengthwise and pour a quarter of the reduced juice from the bottom of the pan through a strainer and over the meat. save the rest as au jus. keep the bone and a good amount of trimmings intact to boil up to make shepherds pie. serve lamb and veggies together....now dip the lamb in that mint oil :) enjoy

mint oil

get this going while your legs in the oven. I don't know where the mint 'jelly' thing ever started but this mint/vinegar concoction is much more tasty and pucker. grab a handful of mint and throw in a pestle/mortar or food processor. add 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar and hot water, 1 teaspoon of sugar, a few pinches of salt and a glug of olive oil and bash/mix till almost a paste. You may have to mix it around with a spoon a few times. put into a small bowl and set aside. room temperature is fine for a few hours.