Glorious Monday
I'm sitting in a restaurant. Being served glorious food with my lovely wife and my good-pal Jeff and his brand new bride Frauke. Outside is a slightly overcast and chilly Monday afternoon. I sip Champagne.
City Hall
My pal Jeff was married Monday at City Hall in downtown Manhattan. He asked us to be their witnesses, wedding planners, and documentarians (actually, he only asked about the witness part and we added the other roles).
Have you been to the newly remodeled City Hall in Manhattan? I hadn't been there before (I roll 718-style City Hall) but it's a funny/fun space. It's a pretty well organized operation. There's a gift shop.
We went in and basically were given a number and we waited for about twenty minutes. Next to us was a guy eating some pretty stinky dumplings. Our number pops up and we are led into the waiting room for the chapel. It was interesting because you have some couples there (like Jeff y Frauke) who are celebrating the marrige. Then there are others who seem to have come in on their lunch break and maybe don't know the other person.
There are couches. The couches have a lot of stains. What are people doing on these couches? Don't tell me.
The four of us are called into the chapel and the ceremony is presided over by a short, casually dressed woman who refers to the bride and groom as "husband" and "wife". (right?)
As in, "will the husband take the ring...".
That's probably for the best as you don't want to have to sweat everyone's names when you are doing a few thousand ceremonies every day. The husband enthusiastically said, "I will" and the bride teared up and rings were exchanged and proclamations were made and kisses were had and documents were issued.
Bravo!
Pregnant
Also, everyone at City Hall acted like they had never seen a statuesque german girl who is like nine months pregnant get married before. C'mon people.
Celebrate For lunch we went to Bouley on Duane street in Tribecca (look at this person's great photos from there). They do a five course fixed price lunch that was absolutely brilliant. Maybe it was just all the love, but it was a truly great meal.
There was Champagne. I had a sashimi-like dish (Carpaccio of Kampachi - Young Big Eye Tuna & Striped Amber Jack) to start and then a beautiful piece of smoked salmon followed by a perfect grilled trout dish. All of this was good, but I somehow missed the dish that Mrs. Robot ordered which was the porcini flan with Alaska dungeness crab and black truffle. Holy moly. It may be the single best thing I have eaten this year.
My main dish was duck, or more precisely: Organic Long Island Duckling roasted with truffle honey, puree of nevada organic dates with turnips, julienne of local beets.
I think that is right. Delicious.
Dessert was nuts: "Snowball with Lychee, Pomegranate Granite". I guess it's a meringue that is filled with the chilly, icy fruit granite. It was a great desert and not only looked awesome but was totally refreshing and palate cleansing and all that jazz. But I'm not mentioning the second best part of their dessert: a spoonful of their homemade coffee ice cream. Hot damn. I'd eat a pint of that.