sweatshorts

I was in the Hamptons this past weekend, meeting friends who had been out there since March. It's a totally different environment than the city, to say the least. On Thursday, I had my first restaurant meal since March 13, outdoors. It wasn't good. The food sucked, but it was also stressful and weird. It feels very strange to be served by masked waiters while not wearing a mask. Might have been better if the food/service was better (won't let that experience dissuade me from trying Foxface). On Friday, we had a reservation to sit outside at a different restaurant, and that afternoon got call that we would be moved inside due to the pouring rain. My three dining companions were ok with that, but I nixed it. So, no, I won't eat indoors.

White Horse Tavern probably had a group of ~50 in front last night at 8PM. Sidewalk and bike lane completely blocked. The city really needs to shut down the streets to (already basically nonexistent) car traffic and hand the streets over the people.

Thanks for checking. I've been getting Suarez delivered through the mail, which has been great, and Whole Foods had Other Half Green City and Forever Ever yesterday, which seems like a new development.

I'm at the intersection of West Village/Chelsea/Meatpacking, but I'm happy to walk pretty much anywhere south of 34th. Lots of free time these days....

Where'd you get it? I can't seem to find any places that sell it near me in the West Village.

In line with the comments about Gabe Stulman's comments, this article is baffling to me: https://ny.eater.com/2020/5/8/21250577/coronavirus-paycheck-protection-program-nyc-restaurant-otway "The other reality is that because we are closed, I don’t need staff. But in order for the money to be forgiven, I have to use the 75 percent on payroll. Unfortunately, [that 75 percent] doesn’t cover my federal payroll taxes so for me, at 7.6 percent of federal payroll taxes, it would come out to $6,000 out of pocket. I have to take that six grand out of somewhere, so you take the remaining $25,000 minus the $6,000, and then $19,000 is usable income. I have to weigh the pros and cons. If I have to use money in eight weeks, my rent is almost $7,000, so that is almost $14,000 out of that $19,000. Because you can only use it on rent and utilities, then there’s another $4,000 for gas and electricity. But we are not even using gas and electricity for the most part. An excess of $7,000 of that $25,000 wouldn’t even be used. Technically the money is only helping me a little bit." The whole point of the PAYCHECK Protection Program was to allowed business owners to continue to pay employees with limited/no revenue, right? It's supposed to be geared towards helping the workers, not the owners. I understand if she wants more help for herself/the business itself, but why would you not give 75K of a forgivable loan to your employees?

Here's Cagen's takeout menu and instructions: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_A7w4xhk_M/. They have other specials that they're listing on their Instagram too. I've noticed most restaurants are keeping their Instagrams much more updated than their websites. I think the biggest thing is to try to find a place near you. Something from Marea isn't going to be all that good after sitting in a plastic takeout container while the delivery person bikes 50+ blocks. Rezdora and Fiaschetteria Pistoia (and maybe others) are selling make-at-home kits which would be a better option if you're looking for pasta (though Rezdora only has one meat-free option).

My cousin is in the hospital in Kansas with a positive test, his wife and kids have also tested positive. I have a friend in London (caught it skiing in the Alps), a friend in Florida (caught it in Aspen), and two friends in NYC with positive tests. Then another 4-5 friends in NYC who have/had all of the symptoms but haven't been able to get tested.

The Pastrami was great, and so foolproof that even I managed to not fuck it up. I also was feeling creative last night and added a 1/4 ounce of the habanero hot sauce to a mezcal margarita -- it worked really well. First time I've made a cocktail at home in years and I surprised myself. Desperate times...

Yeah my biggest curiosity is what the actual infection rate is, given that they're now only testing cases serious enough to require hospitalization. I have a couple friends who have positive diagnoses and even more friends who are showing symptoms and think they have it but can't get a test.

Which drugs and which numbers are you talking about?

Glad you're staying busy. Wish I could get over there.

I don't think that's realistic Unless we implement South Korea-like testing/tracking/quarantining, which is the only way that it seems we can resume a semblance of three-weeks-ago life, what is realistic?

Most of my friends are really not appreciating that this new normal of not leaving your home except to go to the grocery store or for a walk by yourself will likely last the better part of 12-18 months... https://twitter.com/jeremycyoung/status/1239979813147820033?s=12

Not sure where exactly to write about this: After reading about it in a certain newsletter, I saw Tumacho last night, which was lovely and weird and hilarious. Afterwards, my date and I went to Van Da. We walked in and the host told us he wanted to hug us. He said they had 30 reservations cancel last night. We got there around 8:45, there were ~6 empty seats in the (very small) upstairs area, and the downstairs was completely empty. By 9:30, we were the only people left in the entire place. Not sure how long smaller restaurants (and their staff which relies mostly on tips) will be able to survive. The meal was excellent.