The Fro Fro Blog

Park Avenue Autumn (New York)

One of the things I hear most often from fellow East Coast transplants in San Francisco is that they miss is the change of seasons.  While I was home for Thanksgiving, I got a taste of a restaurant that changes with each season.  Not just the menu, mind you -- come on, isn't everyone doing that by now?  -- but everything from the menu to the furnishings and decor, to even the name of the restaurant itself.  It's Park Avenue Autumn now, in December it'll become Park Avenue Winter, and so on.

Our family's party of eight was seated at a large, round wooden table and treated to an a amuse of sweet-tart caramel apple pops topped with seasoned bread crumbs.  I popped one in my mouth and nibbled on gingerbread while poring over the menu.  So many great-looking choices made it very difficult to decide.

   

I ultimately decided on an appetizer of Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli with Cider Lacquered Grapes, and an appetizer-sized portion of Local Diver Scallops with Red Delicious Apples in Lemongrass Broth for my main.  The ravioli were al dente, buttery rich, and topped with toasted pine nuts and parm.  The scallops were also beautifully prepared, swimming in a sea of tapioca pearls.

     

An entree size of the scallops is available, but I wanted to save room for several sides: Haricots Verts;  Miso Glazed Brussels Sprouts; Creamed Corn, Jicama & Thai Basil; and Broccoli & Cheetos.  That's right, Cheetos.  The menu even displays the registered trademark symbol, so you know it's the real thing.  Cousin Jay thought it was "gimmicky," and I thought it was odd amidst a menu and ambiance that are the antithesis of the Cheeto.  But oddly enough, it worked!  Like Indian Summer, I suppose.

   

         

Dad is usually a very good sharer, and I'd wanted to get a taste of his Lamb Shank with Saffron Cauliflower, Mint & Pistachios -- but by the time I snapped out of the trance my own dishes had put me in, all that was left on his stark white plate was a large naked bone.  Mom, on the other hand, saved me some of her Atlantic Cod with Butternut Creme Brulee and Hen of the Woods Mushrooms -- even thought it was her bargaining chip to score a taste of my scallops.  It was worth the trade: the smoky cod with the sweet creme brulee was a real winner.

For dessert, I had trouble convincing my tablemates to order any, but a few forks all around ended up digging into the Chocolate Cube (a hard chocolate shell filled with cinnamon mousse and devil's food cake) and the Caramelized Banana Crepe, Frozen Maple Mousse & Crunchy Bacon Crumbs. 

    

Fall is fleeting...in a few weeks Autumn will be gone.  Looking forward to coming back to Park Avenue to see the change of seasons.

Fro Fro's FYI:  If I have one note of caution, it would be to keep an eye on your wait staff and your bill.  They poured a second bottle of wine without asking permission, and put not one, not two, but three bottles on the bill, one of which they removed at Uncle Billy's request.

New York Post, Saturday Edition

"Shopping is my cardio." -- Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw

After Mom's magnificent Thanksgiving feast and a couple of days of the ensuing leftovers, I was ready for some Carrie Bradshaw-style cardio.  Thankfully the holiday sales are in full force, so the damage wasn't extreme.

My first stop was Smythson, the Bond Street stationer, to replenish my supply of little leather-bound books to jot things down in, plus notecards and envelopes.  There's always lots to be thankful for not just at this time of year, and Fro Fro believes in handwritten expressions of gratitude.  My parents raised me right.

Next, I hit one of Carrie's favorite cobblers, Manolo Blahnik, and a few of my favorite Fifth Avenue F's including  Fendi (It's my monogram after all!) and Ferragamo (lured in, no doubt, by the poster for Australia -- Ferragamo did Kidman's shoes for the movie). 

 

Product (RED) has set up a retail store on Fifth Avenue between 53rd and 54th where you can buy (RED) merch and support their efforts in Africa.  While there, I signed up for (RED)WIRE, their digital music magazine launching December 1.  You get exclusive tracks from major artists and (RED) gets $5/month for AIDS relief in Africa.  Learn more about (RED)WIRE and sign yourself up here.

 

After a few hours on my Fifth Avenue treadmill, I'd worked up quite an appetite.  What would Carrie do?  Lo and behold, I found sweet relief at Crumbs Bake Shop's 52nd & Madison location.  You may recall on an earlier NY visit, Crumbs was my winner in a chowdown versus Magnolia, and I'd been craving their Oreo cupcake almost every day since (on the days I'm not craving the ones from Hey Cupcake in Austin, but that's another story).  Yesterday I scratched that Oreo itch, and got a taste of their Hostess (OMG...watch out Thomas Keller!), Reese's and Cappucino varieties too. 

 

Just a taste, though.  I didn't want to spoil my appetite for dinner at Park Avenue Autumn.  Stay tuned for the delectable details!

New York Post, Tuesday Edition

I'm home-sweet-home for Thanksgiving and while of course that means family time for Fro Fro, it also means exploring some of my favorite stomping grounds. 

I hit some of my best-loved Madison Avenue boutiques that don't have San Francisco outposts, like G.C. William (1137 Madison), Olive and Bette's (1070 Madison), and Searle (1124 Madison, 805 Madison). 

My day also included:

Hot chocolate-to-go from La Maison du Chocolat (1018 Madison) that was so deliciously thick, sweet and rich that it stopped me in my tracks...

 

...appreciating the fine art at Christian Louboutin (941 Madison)...

 

...and a journey back in time at Kenneth W. Rendell Gallery (989 Madison), poring over historical letters, autographs, documents and manuscripts....  One of my favorites was a letter from Frank Lloyd Wright: "I am willing to do my part when doing it will get results.  Are you ready to go?"

Speaking of doing my part to get results, I did mine to try to stimulate the economy.  Unfortunately, there were very few other customers in the stores despite amazing sale prices.  Definitely not good news.

So what's this little slave to commerce to do?  Head down to the Barrymore Theater in Times Square to see Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), and Raúl Esparza (Pushing Daisies) in David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow."  Now that's a hot lead!

 

   

A Virgin virgin no more

The apostrophe must have flown away.      

It's time for one of Fro Fro's favorite holidays -- gobble gobble!  My regular airlines were charging two arms and two legs to get home to my loved ones in New York, so I decided it was time to go hip instead, and booked myself on Virgin America for the very ... first... time.

How was it? 

Hot:  I mean that plane must have been 75 degrees for five hours, no matter what they did to try to cool it off in there.

Cool:  Pristine aircraft -- and check out these mod seats with the touchscreens.  When I tried to swipe my credit card, I was obviously first-timer.  It's all in the wrist, I guess.  I'll get better with practice.  Also cool: leaving from SFO's International Terminal (ooh la la), watching Monday Night Football most of the way, method soap in the lavatories and an on-time arrival.

 

Touch me, baby.

Not cool:  The dry sandwich I bought for $9 with that novice credit card swipe (It did come with two mini Charles Chocolates, though.  That was cool.)  The 45-minute wait for baggage that cancelled out the on-time arrival.  (Normally I never ever check bags and now I remember why.) 

  

Not so simple after all.

Bottom line: As good as or better than any other airline I've flown recently but that's not saying much. It was my first time, though. I'm sure it gets better. That's what she said.

Morton's the Steakhouse: Anniversary Burger

Certain special occasions come around once in a blue moon.  The Jets leading the AFC East -- and showing previously undefeated Tennessee who the real titans are today -- is one.  Morton's 30th Anniversary is another.  So I decided to celebrate today's win at the Steakhouse, which is offering their very special Prime Sirloin Burger on Sundays for $19.78 (to commemorate the year of the restaurant's founding).  

While $19.78 may seem excessive for a hamburger, keep in mind that:  a) $5 per patty goes to the Make-a-Wish Foundation,  and b) the burger is amazing.  While I know all hamburgers are, technically, ground steak -- Morton's is a cut above -- from the quality of the meat itself to its texture, seasoning, preparation and generous portion.  Not to be overlooked are the toasted bun and the fries -- both of which had slightly crunchy crusts and fluffy middles.     

Don't hide, little piggy -- you deserve this!

The anniversary burger was originally slated to be available only on Sundays until the end of September, but it turns out they plan to extend the promotion through December.  Let's pray the Jets' winning streak follows suit!

Read more about the burger here.

Find your nearest Morton's the Steakhouse location and make a reservation here.

Fro Fro's FYI:  The Prime Sirloin Burger normally isn't available in Morton's restaurants that don't serve lunch, so if you don't see it on the menu, you'll have to ask for it.  And you will love it.  I guarantee it. 

Dynamo Revisited

Ever since my first visit to Dynamo Donut and Coffee, I'd been wanting to try their Maple Bacon donut.  But they only serve that specialty on Friday and Sunday, so I hadn't been able to satisfy that particular craving until today.  Since my J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets beat the Pats on Thursday, my Sunday morning was freed up to pursue a different type of pigskin.  

Boy oh boy, was it worth the wait!  

I also got a Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Glazed, good for two more punches in my Dynamo Frequent Fryer Card.  The Vanilla was just that, but the Chocolate was my kinda donut -- dense, with a layer of chocolate glaze and a little kick in the anise.  

Dynamo Donut & Coffee | 2760 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 | 415.920.1978

Race Report: U.S. Half (San Francisco)

Well helloooo, darlings.  I know.  It's been so long since we've been together and I'm sorry.  But in case you haven't heard the latest news, the economy's in the crapper.  So I've been working extra hard and bringing home the bacon more than I've been eating it.  

But nothing can deter me from my race-a-month program, so last Sunday I ran the U.S. Half, right here in my hometown of San Francisco.  It's so convenient, in fact, that I can walk to the race start and home from the finish.  The start was called for 7:00 am, and when I woke to see my bedside clock said 7:03, my heart was doing the racing until I realized it was actually only 6:00 am since it was time to "fall back."

I donned a new outfit for the occasion, a red-white-and-blue ensemble I picked up from Atalanta Athleticwear at the Expo at Sports Basement the day before.  I used to mock the skirt, and now I can't get enough of them.  I'm a girl, for God's sake -- I want to look like one, even when I run.  Especially when I run.  

We'd had torrential rain the day before, but thankfully there was none as I walked over to Aquatic Park while eating my Builder's Bar.   I arrived and made my way through the large crowd, noting lots of hopeful smiles and Obama-wear.  The announcer noted that the crowd was 60% female -- chalk up another point for girl power! 

Soon the race gun went off, and I crossed the starting line at 7:03.  Yes, this was where I was supposed to be at 7:03.  The race began with an uphill climb out of Aquatic Park, then right out to the Marina Green in time to see a beautiful rainbow over the Golden Gate Bridge, reminding me for the millionth time why I love living here.  

I was feeling good, especially since I'd dressed appropriately -- not like the long sleeves/long running pants mistake I wore for the Bridge-to-Bridge last month.  I know I'm harping on the wardrobe, but it really does make a difference in terms of how I feel during a race.  

We made our way into the Presidio, and it started to drizzle a bit, but I didn't really mind.  Made a mental note that I should get out and run in the rain more often.  That thought didn't last, and nor did the rain -- by the time we got out of the Presidio we were back on dry land.

The rest of the race was one big blur of hills, punctuated by a trip over the Golden Gate Bridge.

I hadn't been looking at my watch much, but when I got off the bridge I realized I was pacing very slowly.  I wondered how this was possible, since this race had been my personal best for a long time until this year's See Jane Run in May.  I'd always suspected that this one wasn't measured properly and maybe now they'd finally corrected it.  I'm sure that's not the case, but I was searching for answers. I have none, other than the fact that at least I know Africa's a continent, not a country.

Then I decided that even though I wasn't going to be breaking any records that day, I'd kick it in for the final two miles.  I finished strong -- beating this woman in front of me in a sprint to the finish line while the announcer cheered me on: "Go, Laura, Go!" 

My time was 2:27:01, which quite possibly could be a personal worst.  But as you can see from the smile on my face, I actually had a great time, which is what really counts in the end.