Wilfrid

Bottle out of the fridge and glug from it. I hear you. The ritual of the glass transforms it all. Same mixologist served me a Hanky Panky entirely innocent of Fernet-Branca, like I wouldn’t notice. Cross that bar off the list.

Another shrinking menu. The appetizers are fine, but very few entree options for solo diners or parties who don’t all want to eat the same thing. There’s now one whole chicken and one whole duck. If you want half a chicken (they used to offer a quarter) or half a duck, you will pay $46 and $72 respectively, and I kind of hope a $72 duck dish feeds more than one person. Yes, there’s salmon, but that’s for the one person in the party who won’t eat bird. This was a useful place positioned between mid- and high-end, but I couldn’t use it now.

A Hendricks martini with a twist please. ”Would you like vermouth?” No, just bring the bottle and a straw.

Oh yes, I did check on that. They do.

Okay, will give Notify a try.

“Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror” to start with.

Almost moot as there is not a single table for 2 available on Resy as far ahead as you can look.

I was looking at the name Zac Posen, but was thinking of Zach Galifianakis and wondering what he was doing designing clothes. Be gentle with me.

Office, what office??? 😂

Yay.

Duck gizzards are almost always available at Hong Kong Supermarket on Hester, and possibly at the other large Chinese supermarkets too.

My second gig since things started opening up, Nellie McKay at Birdland. A familiar Nellie set, although she just seems to get better and better at the piano. Stride, ragtime. She starts with some sweetheart ballads, sung in her very precise, sweet voice, then about four or five songs in she does "Hungry Freaks (Daddy)," then it's all politics and outrage. Great stuff.

Yes, younger than me ergo way too soon.

I was very surprised not to be asked for proof before entering the Met on Saturday. They can surely staff the job. They used to have several people on the door armed with those temperature guns. Restaurants and bars I’ve visited recently are checking. To Joe’s point, it’s good to sit down and unmask in a room full of vaccinated people.

The bird is grounded. Only 70. Apart from curious mornings listening to “Birdflight,” I did once have dinner with him at the home of some Mouthfullers, and he was… everything you’d expect. Very nice, very full of jazz stories.