Pastis is back!!!!!! Keith McNally’s beloved french bistro has returned to the Meatpacking district and re-opened after it’s 5 year hiatus. He has partnered with another James Beard Awarding winning chef, Stephen Starr, of Le Cou Cou fame. The menu remains the same classic french bistro flare. It is as delicious as ever. I could not resist the artichoke hearts and the mussels in white wine. Both were incredible. But if the incredible menu does not get you there..the scene definitely will. I met my childhood friend Leeann, yes the one who deserted me for Maine, in NYC on Tuesday night. PS The last time she was there in the old location she was with Justin Timberlake!!!!!! Back to our night…We arrived at Pastis 1 hour before our reservation and we were just so happy to chill on the bench by the door, honestly the best seat in the house, until our table was ready The hostesses were so accommodating. They kept coming over telling us they were working on the table. They genuinely cared about us waiting and made it a priority to accommodate us, even though we were the early ones. And this is the “it” new restaurant. Everyone is dying to be seated and they were worried about US!!!! Amazing customer service. The restaurant was crawling with celebrities. Sweet Zac Posen was checking in with us. Keith McNally was in the back with his posse and literally right behind our table was John Legend. Pastis is the hot place of the moment. RUN!!!!!!!!!
This weeks book is a fabulous moving novel, Ask Again, Yes: A Novel by Mary Beth Keane. Here is the story:
How much can a family forgive?
A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the friendship between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, the daily intimacies of marriage, and the power of forgiveness.
Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie cops in the NYPD, live next door to each other outside the city. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come.
Ask Again, Yes is a deeply affecting exploration of the lifelong friendship and love that blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next 40 years. Luminous, heartbreaking, and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes reveals the way childhood memories change when viewed from the distance of adulthood—villains lose their menace and those who appeared innocent seem less so. Kate and Peter’s love story, while haunted by echoes from the past, is marked by tenderness, generosity, and grace.
For more information, or to purchase this book, click HERE.
My amazing sponsors Iconic Modern Home invited me to a fabulous show house that they just finished staging with the PBS show This Old House. It is a 6,000 square foot Greek revival farmhouse located in the historic district of New Caanan. I spent the entire day there today and BOY am I ready to move in. Here are some of the highlights of this incredible home…….Don’t forget…staging WORKS….consider Iconic Modern when selling your home….
I came across this recipe recently on an insta-friend’s page @cattlebarronincashmere. If you are not following her, you should!! She posts fabulous recipes, shopping and fashion tips. She is one of my fav instagrammers. Back to the soup….I made this this week and it was out of this world good and easy. I am going to put it in my dinner rotation all winter. Bon Appetit!!!
1 med chopped yellow onion
3 cups of chicken broth
4 cups water
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
Add all ingredients to a large soup pot
Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 35 minutes
Use an immersion blender to puree the ingredients in the pot
Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream, a big pinch of coarse pepper, a dash of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg.
Serve with fresh thyme and croutons.
The idea of framing a designer scarf and hanging it in your home is not a new one but I have been seeing some great pieces lately on instagram. I really do love the look, depending on the scarf design, of course. I have never seen the gallery wall concept done in all scarfs as shown below….It looks fabulous…If you are thinking of adding a framed scarf on your own walls, Ebay, The Real Real, and Fashionphile have some great options. Here are some of my favorite photos for inspiration!!!!
Now that we are back on track with back to schedules, back to school, back to our routine….let’s get back on track with our reading. This week’s choice When We Were Strangers: A Love Story by Renee Carlino is an absolutely perfect cannot put down story!!! Here is the summary:
From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City.
To the Green-eyed Lovebird:
We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House.
You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more.
We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other.
Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding…
I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello.
After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half? – Amazon.com
To purchase this book or for more information, click HERE.
