Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Texas hold ’em is not my game

February 23

Tonight was poker night among the buddies of the fiancé of my friend Yishane Lee. Ray Garcia, the fiancé, used to be the host, but he has moved in with Yishane in distant Inwood and so hosting duties fell to his friend Matt. It is a little odd to be invited into such a comaparatively tight-knit cabal (the evite asks us not to bring friends of friends so that the gathering can remain small), but I think I have ingratiated myself with them by losing.
I was late tonight because I got involved in conversation and eating with Andrew Robinson, the chef at a new place in the East Village called Tree. He was a student at the French Culinary Institute, so we gossipped about other FCI graduates while drinking Syrah and Pinot Noir, and I marveled at the extremely tall waitresses who are working at Tree. Seriously, one of them is 6'3".

What I ate:
Roasted, sliced beet with chevre and mache
Seared foie gras with port reduction
Braised short ribs with root vegetables and mashed potatoes
Roasted Cornish hen with Swiss chard, fingerling potato and garlic confit
Poached sea bass with braised fennel and grape tomato
Roasted rack of lamb, farro and mint pistou
Chocolate cake
Chocolate mousse
Apple tart

Followed, at poker, by several Saranac pale ales and two slices of pepper-and-sausage pizza

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