5/31/03 Rose and I spend a rainy day eating (and spending) our way across the city!!! Fish, Century 21, Kura, Barnes & Noble, Veniro's:


Today was one of those rainy days that never lets up. It basically pours, on and off, all day, alternating with regular rain, and if you're lucky, for a few moments every now and then... drizzle. Rose and I had all day to spend together. We hadn't seen much of each other in months, and hadn't spent a whole day together since camp in 1999. But the rain ruled out some more preferable plans, like biking, or walking to the waterfront, shopping outdoors, etc. So, what was left? We didn't want to see a show, or a movie. We wanted to talk. And we weren't in the museum mood. So... we decided to eat. ALL DAY. We picked places that we could turn into an experience instead of just a meal. And we went from lunch, to dinner to dessert, with a few other indoor stops along the way:



Rose and I woke lazily around noon, and slowly made our way, in the cold, pouring rain, to a place that I've long wanted to try. I've seen it while walking along Bleecker St. between 6th and 7th avenues. It's called FISH. It is both a restaurant, and a place where you can buy fish. Today, we were going for the restaurant part. Rose and I were taking advantage of the fact that we each like fish as much as the other.




Being both mid-day and raining, we were literally the only people there, for much of the time.




I started with Lobster Bisque because I thought it would be chunks of lobster in a creme base. It was neither. It was no chunks of anything in a broth. And it was a bit too strong. But I had in anyway.




So, then I had half a dozen blue point oysters. They have a special in which is comes with a glass of white wine and it costs about 8$... very reasonable, especially after tasting it. The blue points in the Oyster Bar at Grand Central are fairly boring, but these were some of the best oysters of any kind that I've ever had!



Mmmmmmm.




Meanwhile, Rose got the mussels dish that she ordered. It was HUGE! And it was, by far, the best plate of mussels that I've ever had. No sandiness. Extremely tasty. Most of them quite large. They tasted more like Oysters than any mussels I've ever had. Amazing! Rose was in heaven.




Behind the counter was a board with the day's fish prices. If we wanted, we could have left with a pound of salmon steaks or fillets, or other kinds of fish to bring home and cook, if we wanted.


So then, I took Rose to Century 21, "Manhattan's best kept secret." It's a large department store across from the World Trace Center Site. She went crazy. She needed socks. That's not all she got!






Bags.




Shades.


I try on a pair. No good.




Blurry, but smiling.




Rose dropped her $300+ purchases off at my apartment and we headed out on the M15 bus, to go to Kura. She is also a sushi lover.




No matter how many times I get it, I have to take a picture of it every time. White Tuna Sashimi. My favorite thing ever. Rose liked it as well.




She got a Japanese Beer. This is what she ordered. Not to shabby!



After a lovely dinner, we walked, still in the rain, to Barnes & Noble at Astor Place. Rose wanted to buy a particular book for the ride back to Philly tomorrow.






Then we went to Veniro's for dessert. Why not?




I was fixating on her earrings at one point during our time there, so she took one out and showed it to me.




I got three mini pastries and a pina collada. She got an orangina and a mini-New York style Cheesecake with fruit on top. The cheesecake was the surprise of the evening. It was EXCEPTIONAL. I helped her with it, only to discover...




....that the cheesecake had been presented on an up-side-down coffee cup top. Ha! Creative, no?