NY I Love You, but...

HA's Valentine Party

I have the same relationship with New York City that I have with Valentine's Day. It's love-hate... a true bipolar, changing-by-the-minute affair.

Valentines Day:

• Love: paper hearts, heart-shaped cookies, chocolates, chocolates in heart-shaped boxes, vintage Valentine greetings
• Hate: cupids, V-day restaurant specials, commercialism, the couple making out on the train 

New York:

• Love: abundance of great cocktails, food, and art; my NY family; the bodega across the street that's open until midnight
• Hate: crowded subway trains, cost of living, midtown, pretentiousness

Any given New York night can be a love-hate adventure. Take this past Wednesday... LP and I saw a new play--love being able to see original work! But it was in midtown near Times Square--hate midtown! Luckily, we were introduced to a new cocktail bar by a gentleman of taste with familiarity for the territory. The Rum House is in the Edison Hotel on 47th Street. If you are nearby, stop in and ask Cliff to make you a drink. You will not be disappointed! And be sure to take a stroll through the Edison Lobby... it's on the way to the Ladies' (or the Men's).

Thursday night the adventures continued--both delightful and annoying, with a touch of NYC random thrown in. I met LP and YN at Booker and Dax, a hot new addition to the Momofuko family that is a creation of David Chang and Dave Arnold (French Culinary Institute). Milk Bar moved to the north side of 13th Street and Booker and Dax is in it's old place next to Ssäm Bar. Their specialty: "new techniques and technologies used in the pursuit of making delicious drinks." (Love this!)

YN arrived first. I followed five minutes or so later, and LP, coming from class, came in a few minutes thereafter. The hostess made us wait until everyone in our party arrived only to tell us it would be at least 30 minutes, and could we give her a cell phone number and go have a drink somewhere else while we waited for her to text us. (Hate this!)

We launched ourselves into the East Village. After leaving the Blue Owl because it smelled of bleach, we stumbled upon Happy Time, where we were invited in for beer or wine and a free stand-up comedy show.

The first act bombed and then launched into several minutes of self-deprecation. And, we realized we were the only three people out of 15 who weren't amateur comedians. Awkward. We were set free in the middle of the second act by the text from our hostess.

The drinks at Booker and Dax were phenomenal. I've been thinking about one of them since Wednesday--its complexity left a mark on my gastronomic psyche the way a late morning dream might linger into the afternoon.

Oh, I know! It's dramatic, but let me just say this... It was a Friend of the Devil set aflame by a Red Hot Poker. And, oh my goodness, it was deliciously sinful and warm. A 1500-degree metal rod, made by David Arnold, is used to ignite all the drinks in the menu's Red Hot Poker category. Imagine a caramelized mix of rye, sweet vermouth, campari, pernod, and bitters in a tea cup.

And the technology doesn't stop there. The cold drinks are served in glasses chilled with liquid nitrogen. Rumor has it there may also be a contraption that clarifies grapefruit juice. (I don't know if they actually have a contraption for that, so please don't spread it about Twitter.)

Mmmm... I want that drink again.

Friday and Saturday there was much more love in the air because HA and CO both had fabulous (and impressive) parties--a Valentine's extravaganza with all things sweet and delightful and a Crush party with a homemade ice-cream tasting. Deliciousness abounded! And tonight, I had a great dinner at Talde in Park Slope.

Tomorrow, I will have a night to recover, but Tuesday is the 2012 Bacon and Bourbon Expo at Astor Center!

Love, love, love, love that!

Martinis at HA's with Bourbon-Soaked Dehydrated Strawberries

HA's Mini Parfaits with Fresh Whipped Cream