small h

If someone else is paying, definitely go and get the monkfish, the leek salad and the olive oil cake. There's also a lot more on the menu - the swordfish was of interest to me, as were the shrimp and the aforementioned wedge salad. And the chef just got a James Beard nomination, if you're a Beard whore (probably not). But yeah, your life will not be over if you miss this one.

Yes, Eleven Madison Park is their neighbor. Dunno, it's (marginally) easier to spell? You say pascaline, I say chawanmushi, let's call the whole thing off.

Six of us went to the relatively new “seafood steakhouse ” Time and Tide , from the fancyfood folks at Kent Hospitality. It is steakhouse-like in that the fish is aged. and there’s a lot of expense account-y large format (and large price tag) menu items, like this tuna collar with gochuchang, which was delicious, but - as is typical for collars - did not contain much actual tuna. Look at the size of those radishes, though! I was most excited about the halibut pithivier, which looked very impressive. The fish was a bit bland, but I am easily seduced by presentation and vin jaune sauce. I also liked the monkfish make-your-own-mole-taco plate. The mole was quite spicy, as it should be, so I would advise choosing this or the tuna, but not both, 'cause it was a little too much overall heat. This crab tagliatelle was very nice, but not as crabby as in the video, so that was deceptive. And I fought for the wedge salad, but we had a leek freak among us, so we got the leek salad instead. I was won over. The frisee wasn’t as much like a ball of hair as frisee usually is. I was less enamored of the squid (the rest of the table loved it), as the sauce was too heavy. And I’m not much of a carrot fan (I lost the battle to not order this). The biggest disappointment of the evening was the uni toast, which had zero discernible uni. There’s none on the toast, as you can see, and there’s apparently none in the spread either, which just tasted of citrus (or maybe sour apple - that’s what’s listed on the menu). The steelhead and mackerel were fine - I kind of think it’s a waste to order raw fish in an expensive place, since it’s something I can make myself. And this giant goldfish is a good conversation piece, but not that exciting a dish. It’s a cheddar shortbread, basically (I was hoping for a biscuit). Desserts were very good, a panna cotta and maybe the best olive oil cake I’ve ever had. All in all, a mostly solid, very expensive meal, so this isn’t a place I’d rush back to. The room is enormous, so who knows how they’re going to keep enough tables filled to stay afloat (reservations look pretty easy to get). Service was excellent, and points for not making me feel bad about hurling my martini glass to the ground while trying to brush off my plate.

Nice round egg, on smoked salmon, on avocado, on bialy.

My egg circle greets your egg circles.

I think (also judging by the cleaned-out vendors at USQ) that a lot of people were storm shopping, as was I. I got to DiPalo's at 3:30 and there were about 25 people on line, which is unusual. I wish they had an express line for people who don't need to taste 40 different hams.

After a four hour shopping trip (would've been briefer, but I made some transportation errors, and DiPalo's line is VERRRRY SLOW), I had assembled the makings of (among other things, obviously) chirashi, so I decided to try my hand at it. I even got out the good knife! I am untrained at cutting fish, as is obvious, and I also suck at omelettes, as previously whined about, but I was not displeased. Also made broccoli leaf oshitashi and ponzu sauce for these amazingly easy-to-open oysters (Wellfleets and Bad Boys).

Me, tomorrow.

(raises hand) I was at USQ today and tasted Cato Corner's Drunken Monk, which may be even more pungent that Hooligan. I elected to take home a milder cheese, 'cause the mister's tolerance for stink is essentially zero. I get my Hooligan fix when he's out of the house.

Homemade fettuccine with roasted oyster mushrooms and sage butter.

I knew that Pinhead has a Freaks connection, but that's it. And now I have the Fess Parker song stuck in my head, which is unpleasant.

I Wanna Be Sedated? I know, it's very obvious, but it's the first thing that popped into my head.

This hits hard. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/david-lynch-blue-velvet-mulholland-drive-1236110711/

Or! Or! She just likes being on her own.

The time for winter borscht is now.

A (low alcohol) screwdriver with fresh squeezed orange juice, because H found a bag of oranges.

I lived at the Carteret (next to the Chelsea Hotel) in the 90s, and every morning I went out to buy a NYT and an egg & cheese from the Malibu. It was a good reason to get out of bed (and the apartment).

Oh, look, an hourly report on all the hipsters eating at a hipster diner. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/dining/24-hour-diner.html Why not the Hollywood? Why not the Malibu? Why not the Orion? NOT ENOUGH HIPSTERS, THAT'S WHY!!!

Jealous.

The CUNY Professional Staff Congress has ratified its new contract, which means $$$ for me. Yay.

All things khaki. And I managed not to fail at hollandaise, like I usually do.

I have thoughts. Lemme know how it holds up for you over the course of the season.

What I will remember: reading his "Go Out" list during the pandemic (re-titled "Stay In" or maybe "Stay Home") for info about online musical performances to entertain me me while I was stuck in the house; chatting back and forth with him here late-ish at night, when we'd both had a few; reading his remembrances of his late wife, with whom he is now reunited, if you believe in that sort of thing. I'm very sorry I never had the opportunity to meet him, but I'm grateful I to have "known" him, sort of. May his memory be a blessing.

Janet Planet, playwright Annie Baker's (of whom I'd never heard) first film. It stars Julianne Nicholson - medium H is a fan, which is why we watched - and traces the low-key events of the summer of 1991, before her daughter starts sixth grade. This is one of those quiet, languid independent films in which a few mildly important things happen, but nothing much changes. It was pleasant enough, the performances are good, and it's shot well, but there's ultimately not enough there there.

I know it's customary to say good things about the dead. She's dead. Good.