by Kels
It was Saturday, the 13th and feeling much like Friday the 13th, as I was filled with the foreboding thought of the two tough days to come. My birthday falls the day after Valentine’s Day. Just being recently at odds in my love life, and having the double whammy of Valentine’s Day AND my 39th birthday back to back, I needed to get my mind off of this and just go have some fun. So, I of course turned to good friends.
I hopped on a train and went down to NYC for the day. I first went to visit my dear lovie Joseph on the Upper East Side. On my way to his place, I picked up the most delicious scones from Corner Cafe & Bakery 3rd Avenue at 93rd St. I bought one Cranberry and one Apricot Walnut and then popped across the street to buy some gorgeous yellow tulips. The scones were heavenly, melt in your mouth goodness topped with a pat of butter. The tulips were fresh and a vibrant, make-you-feel-good kind of yellow.
After spending a few hours hanging out and catching up with Joey and his pussycats, I went on to the second part of my day with my close friend and confidant Renee. We hooked up in Chelsea for some long overdue art viewing. It was really cold out, which made it physically shocking to pop in and out of the warm galleries. After a couple of hours, we were ready to find somewhere warm to hunker down and have a long chat so we wandered off to look for food and drink. And, like often happens when wandering in NYC, we stumbled across the perfect little place, Pepe Giallo, on 10th Ave and 25th Street, a very quaint and cozy Italian restaurant with loads of ambiance.
The front room is warm and filled with an amber glow from lights covered in paper bags. The large wooden bar in the back has a huge clear cylindrical glass vase of fragrant flowering branches that are probably 4 feet tall. It is strikingly beautiful. Although the back room has lovely garden seating, we chose to stay up front where is much cozier. On the front page of the menu was printed "no diet coke - no skim milk - no decaf coffee", so we knew we were in the right place.
We ordered a bottle of wine to start. Valpolicella Superiore - Zenato (Veneto) 2007. It’s a dry & robust Italian with a velvety texture and current, black cherry, & spicy aromas. It immediately warmed my insides. For dinner, I began with a salad of yummy goat cheese, apple and tomato over organic greens. Next was a heaping bowl of Pappardelle with sausage in spicy tomato sauce. Sorry, all you herbivores, but I like-a de good-a sausage and have no regrets. It was fantastic! The pasta was very fresh pasta and homemade sauce with exactly the right amount of spice so it didn’t burn my taste buds off. Service was mellow; slow, but just right if you want to enjoy your wine and company without feeling rushed. The waiter was very handsome, friendly and quite helpful. Pepe is the perfect haven after braving the elements of the city in February.
After finishing every last bite, we rolled down the street to find a place for another drinkie poo or two (or maybe 3) and came across Le Zie. Yes, another Italian place. It is also a restaurant but has a separate lounge. A long couch sits against the main wall in front of a bar, buzzing with people coming and going. It is quintessentially New York. We were chatting up a friggin’ storm about loves gone wrong as we indulged in our vino. I have no idea what we were drinking, just knew it was warm and rich and felt good going down in the company of a good friend.
(A) I love the photo. Seriously. I may tattoo that across my entire back.
(B) This reallllly makes me miss NYC.
(C) And you!
Posted by: Jay | 03/07/2010 at 12:48 AM
Yeah, I really dig it too. What I like most is that this image is so creepy for such a cute, quaint little restaurant. Someone there has a sense of humor.
(miss you too!)
Posted by: Kels | 03/07/2010 at 05:27 AM