Celebrating our Anniversary

Michael and I celebrated three years of marriage yesterday, just like that. 

Before our dinner, Michael gave me a bouquet of dried lavender meant to stay fragrant for six months (because we are leaving for Italy and so I would not get to enjoy fresh flowers), a bottle of red wine (from Burgundy, yum!), a bag of sweets (I do love gummies so), a bunch of eucalyptus and lavendar soaps and my very first bath bombs (I can't wait to try them out).

I took him to dinner at L'Atelier de Joel de Robuchon in the Landmark.  On our way there, he was trying to guess where we were going and I was trying to drop hints but still keep it a surprise.  I chose it because it's one of the few restaurants neither of us have yet been to for dinner during all of our time here, and also because Michael loves French food.

Our meal last night didn't disappoint.  I can't say that I loved every dish, or that I am 100% certain that L'Atelier deserves its three Michelin stars, but we had a great time and will definitely be going back.  Maybe I'll take my parents when they come to visit in October!

 

The restaurant is not big - every seat is bar stool height and you either sit at one of two small tables in the corner, or at one of the seats at the counter surrounding the kitchen.

 There is a beautiful glass partition all around, full of dusted chocolate and (plastic) berries and flowers.  Your server reaches over the counter to serve you, whether it is wine, appetizers, entrees or dessert.

The restaurant is very stunning with its dark, stark theme - blood red and broody black.  They also use fruits and vegetables to beautiful effect.

We started with beautiful, ruby red glasses of a Louis Jadot burgundy with a fragrant nose and a smooth palate (and that's about the extent of my wine expertise), and a humongous bread basket that required a long exposition of which I only heard bits like "bacon," "chestnut," "tomato," "cheese" and "cheese."  They were also so attentive with the water service that somehow Michael and I guzzled our way through two bottles of sparkling water.

We started with an amuse bouche, but consisting of what I have no idea.  I would give this one a pass though - kind of bland and cold and I didn't think it did anything to awaken our taste buds.  However, I loved the presentation of every dish.  Everything was beautifully plated and with the most impeccable attention to detail. 

 Case in point - these little orange dots applied by hand!  This was a pouch of zucchini flowers wrapping up hunks of lobster, sitting on top of a lobster and zucchini jelly.  I personally did not love this dish - it had so much promise, with beautiful tender pieces of lobster claw strewn throughout the flowers, but it was served quite cold, and with red pepper, which ruined it for me.  However, if I didn't hate red pepper with quite so much passion, this dish may have been more of a winner.

 This dish impressed even Michael, who hates seafood: crispy fish fried to a crispy exterior and meltingly tender interior, paired with clams and a seafood paella (and some foam for good measure).  I loved this dish - the skin was fluffed up and fried in a way I had never had before and I loved the contrast of all of the textures shot through with the tart, acidic mustard-y yellow sauce.  I also loved that this dish was plated to look like... well, a fish!

 I chose the quail for my entree.  It was savory and succulent and tender, served with mashed potatoes topped generously with big slices of truffles.

 Michael chose the Wagyu tenderloin, paired with green beans and fried shallots.

For dessert we each had a little dessert made of fresh strawberries, cream, and strawberry sorbet, topped with a meringue dusted with Sichuan peppercorns.  Despite having no more room, I managed to eat it all.  Funny how that works!

Clearly this is a special occasion place - they not only decorated our dessert, they also came over and took a professional picture of us and sent us home with it framed.

 As if all of that weren't enough, we got more petit fours (I touched none of them, Michael tried a couple) and a lemongrass and ginger tea (for me) and a moka coffee with caramel sauce (for Michael).  I am not joking when I say that I went home with a belly ache because I ate and drank so much.

 

I played reporter during the second half of dinner and asked Michael life questions such as, "in what ways has having a child been different than what you expected?" and "what has most recently surprised you about your job?" and other similar topics that we do not have time to talk about any more.  

So that was a great anniversary for the books, and I think we were both thrilled at the chance to sit down to such a beautiful dinner together.  

Countdown Mode

So last I left off, we were about to embark on an action packed weekend.

 It was actually a lot of fun - I had an amazing little picnic with Lola in the park during the Saturday 

day (and it didn't rain! wonder of wonders). 

 

 

When Lola got bored of her water cup, fan, teething crackers, fruit, and guitar (you need a full circus and then some to keep this little one entertained), she found my wallet and face (especially nose and hair, ouch!) particularly fun.  I'm going to tell myself that this is a sign of affection...

Michael and I ended up enjoying a great double date night at Bibo with our friends (the beautiful bottle of Barolo did not hurt either) on Saturday night, and on Sunday I had a very helpful refresher CPR course (which makes me feel a little better about being in rural, remote villages in Italy for the next two weeks) as well as a (tiring but good) swim playdate with our friends and their baby who is almost 4 months younger than Lola.

Tomorrow is our third wedding anniversary (wow! time flies) and I have a fancy dinner planned for Michael and me at a very nice restaurant in town.  Neither of us has been there before, which on the one hand is risky because it could be disappointing, but which on the other hand I think is nice because we can partake in the experience together.

Otherwise, I am in full-on countdown and vacation planning mode.  There are some people who can just pack by throwing a bunch of stuff together (I'm looking at you, Michael) or more accurately, throw a bunch of stuff haphazardly near a suitcase and then expect their better half to tuck and roll and pack it away neatly (now I'm really pointing a finger at you, Michael), but my theory is that there is only one kind of truly successful packer, and that is someone who approaches packing with the methodicalness of a five star very modern model of a modern major general.  I can't tell you the number of times that we have been halfway around the world when, at the car rental counter, Michael realized he forgot his driver's license, or, before a nice dinner at a resort, that he packed nearly all pants and no collared shirts, or, no gym shorts or pajamas... Similarly, whenever I have not prepared a full, detailed list, or have not dutifully checked against that list, I find I inevitably fail to include something vital.

In contrast to life pre-marriage and pre-baby, I am only now starting to look at the towns and wineries I want to visit, and consider the activities I want to do; whereas in my prior life I would have been fretting about missing out on booking the best wineries or restaurants by being so last minute, on this trip I am adopting a very laissez-faire attitude.  I have heard that all of the restaurants are great; in fact, the more humble and less notable, the more surprising and delicious.  Let's just say I am not too worried about gaining weight from excessive amounts of pasta on this trip.  I admit I don't want to miss out on wineries, but I'm also pretty sure that any of the chiantis and brunellos in the region will taste amazing to my untutored tongue.

I have already loaded up my kindle though, in anticipation.  Despite being laissez faire about nearly everything else and trusting that the vacation will work out if I embrace leisure and the slow movement, I'm not prepared to go into a two week long vacation without a glorious spate of books to power through!  Speaking of, maybe I will summon up the energy to do a book round-up while sunning pool-side...

After an amazing safari in Tanzania watching lions prowl and hunt buffalo outside her lodge and tracking wildebeest during their migration, my sister is currently on an 8-day hike of Mt. Kilimanjaro without any internet access.  This was an epic bar trip that I encouraged 110%, because if there is something you never regret, it is traveling when you have the youth and the time.  I can't imagine a better time to travel than after finishing your NY bar exam and before starting work! 

It somehow heightens the tension and the excitement that I won't hear from her until she lands in Rome and takes the train to Certaldo (the nearest little town to our first villa) on the 28th of August.  It's rare to have travel plans like that nowadays -- I forget how much more of a sense of danger and excitement (and stress and fear of the unknown) existed!  I hope her hike is going smoothly and safely and I can't wait to chill with her in the rolling hills of Tuscany.

And that's about it - two days and a wake-up and then we're leaving on a jetplane!  It feels right to end this blog post with a picture of Lola and her dimple, so here she is!

TGIF!! Weekend Plans and One Week Until Tuscany

TGIF!!!

 Clearly Lola is on board. 


I had a pretty nice Friday - the skies have just been relentlessly dumping on us, but I had a manageable bit of work paired with a very nice client lunch where we ate an enormous amount of sushi and sipped champagne in honor of a client's belated birthday.  My next week looks decidedly less manageable - an ominous bout of negotiations is already casting its long, dark shadow - but I am going to ignore it.  Denial is bliss.


I have planned a pretty action packed weekend,  For Saturday, I plan to try out a new pilates studio followed by a pedicure (yes, a total treat!  It's amazing what passes for fascinating things in my life now), and Michael and I plan to check out a kid's club on the south side.  At night, Michael and I have a double date planned at Bibo, the fun French restaurant in Hong Kong that is decorated with Banksy street art, followed by (if we're not completely exhausted) a rousing game night at our friends' beautiful apartment.


On Sunday, I am attending a CPR course in the morning, followed by a swimming pool playdate with friends and their son.  I really hope it doesn't rain. 


In between all of this, I have to pack.  We leave for Tuscany on Friday night and, at a two week trip,  this will be the longest period of time that we've been away since Lola was born.  As we will be staying in pretty rustic towns/remote villages, I want to ensure we have everything we need in case we can't find it in Italy.  I am in countdown mode - I can't wait*!


*Except for the nearly 13 hour flight from Hong Kong to Rome.  I wish we could just skip over that part.  I think the law of relativity is that hours spent on an airplane with a baby is multiplied fivefold.

Landmark Status Granted

I'm writing to provide a quick update on my post from April - we got word at the end of June/beginning of July that the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate our neighborhood in Brooklyn as part of the historical district.

The letter said that the Commission "designated the district because of its special character, history, and aesthetics, along with its value as part of the development and cultural heritage of New York City."

As part of the presentation to get the vote passed, the Commission put together an incredibly detailed 288 paged report with maps, testimony, a thoroughly researched historical and sociological essay, pictures and a detailed architectural summary of each street in the newly extended historical district.  I am truly amazed at the quality and breadth of work that went into this exercise.

The best part may be that our house is featured in one of the pictures, called out specifically for its "basement detail."  How fun! 

A Rainy Weekend: Spaghetti Fun, Brunch at Feather and Bone, and Giggles Galore

It rained incessantly this past weekend and we all, especially Lola, had a huge case of cabin fever.  Now that we've lived in the tropics for so long, I don't think I can ever go back to winter again... but now I have a new life goal - to live somewhere really dry.

Jovie came up with the idea on Saturday morning to let Lola engage in her favorite activity right at home.  I took these pictures of Lola that ended up being all backlit (gah, elementary photography mistake), but she had such joy in her expression that I am going to post them here any way.  Let the record show how passionately our little sweet pea loves messy play!

 

Mind you, she was just shrieking and sighing with happiness.  She loved draping the pasta on her legs, and also flinging the spaghetti in her hands and watching them wrap around her wrists.  She was also not above shoving entire pieces of pasta into her mouth.  Italy, here we come!

 

To get out of the house for a bit, Michael and I went to brunch at Feather and Bone, a butcher shop/restaurant.

 

  

We sat at the counter which provided us with a fantastic view of all of the delicious slabs of steaks and meats being prepared.

Michael got the steak and eggs, which he said was quite tasty, and innovative with a dash of paprika.  The meat was cooked to a perfect medium rare.  I didn't sample any of the dish, but my one critique was that the eggs looked like they had been prepared a little too early and had cooled a bit.

 I got the baked eggs with sausage, beans and tomato.  It was tasty and hearty and the (heavily) buttered toasted bread sticks were a guilty pleasure.  My one critique was that there were slightly too many beans.

 We didn't let the rain keep us down though, on Sunday we were just fooling around in the house.  Lola is so cute when she grins, gurgles, giggles and cackles that I often find myself resorting to ridiculous sounds and faces and gestures to try to elicit a sweet reaction.  We didn't get to make it to the pool, or any outdoor parks, or playrooms, or clubs (maybe next weekend!) but I think we ended up making the most of it and still managed to have fun.

Lola is Eight Months!

So this post is 11 days late because that's the kind of operation we've started to run around here.  But at least it's finally getting posted...

It took me so long to post this because I couldn't get good pictures of Lola - and when after a week I got no closer to staging a good picture, I asked our nanny/helper/Michael to help.  Unfortunately I have no good shots - when they finally tried, Lola was mostly only interested in eating her sticker.

 

For the past month, Lola has been saying "ma ma" (officially her first words!) and she uses them all the time now, mostly when she is upset, wants to be held (which she will also express by flinging her arms open), really (Really) wants something, or wants me. I love holding her close and knowing that I can give her comfort in my arms, but now 95% of the time after I scoop her up she immediately twists around and is reaching for something else or wriggling out of my arms.

Lola has started crawling on her knees and is getting faster and faster.  She has a rather awkward one legged crawl right now, where she often forgets to bend her right leg.  She is also dancing (and by dancing, I mean shaking her body vigorously back and forth, or shaking her two hands quickly up and down) any time there is music - even if the music is only in her head.  It is pretty hilarious, and there are many times when we burst into laughter because, mid-crawl, mid-sit, mid-play - Lola will suddenly start grooving.

In the swimming pool, also, we have seen progress these last couple of weeks.  Since gaining the ability to sit steadily, Lola has been much more comfortable sitting in the baby pool, dangling her arms and legs in, and even getting water splashed on her hair and face.  Michael has also taken her into the big pool a couple of times, and other than getting really nervous when she's on her back, Lola has been a very good sport about trying out this whole thing.

Lola's first top tooth (and third tooth overall) is coming in now, and by the looks of it it is coming in very, very crooked.  It has clearly been bothering her, as she has been touching her tooth and gums with her finger, looking to chew on everything, and generally drooling a lot more than usual.  She has been crankier than usual, although still a generally really good sport.

Lola continues to dominate messy play at her playgroup, and this has translated into her being completely bold and ruthless at handling (smashing, crushing, pounding, grinding and smearing) whatever foods she is eating.  Let's just say she digs in unhesitatingly with both hands and paints her highchair, the dining table, the walls, her face, her hair... with all the artistic flair of Jackson Pollock.

She has also learned to share her food and I think it might be the sweetest thing.  We taught her by cheering and clapping whenever she reached her hand (with food) toward us, and we were rewarded by her huge gummy grin.  Now, knowing that this behavior results in our smiles and gratitude, she is very generous with her spoils.

Here she is sharing with Michael, and delighting in the sharing.

Baby Shower and Playgroup

We went to a lovely baby shower last week - here are Lola and I just before we left!  She was being super cute and very cooperative with her sunglasses.

Here are some recent pictures from Lola's playgroup, which she just loves. 

Here Lola is in a jinbei, or a Japanese style kimono romper for babies, which I brought back from my Tokyo trip.  It is the softest cotton, easy to wear, and with no elastics.  She seems very comfortable in it.  In fact, I wish I had one...

 

Playgroup has really encouraged our little girl to be fearless - including crawling through this green tunnel on her own, chasing after other babies, and swan-diving into messy play.