Emily Competes On Ultimate Recipe Showdown

Any reader of the wonderful blog, Sugar Plum, who saw Ultimate Recipe Showdown last night, had to have been very disappointed for Emily.

Rachel, who wrote a great description of the taping, and I were there along with Emily’s mom and aunt and uncle. We were gobsmacked that she lost. More about that in a minute.

Rach and I saw the second round, so we didn’t see Gail’s amazing winning pizza being made. We just kept hearing about it.

My question, which was not answered after seeing the show last night, is how could that pizza have been made from start to finish in an hour and a half, which was the time allowed for the signature dish??! The recipe says to raise the dough for 4 hours! So where did the pizza dough come from? Isn’t that kind of the most crucial part of the pizza? I also found it interesting that Gail used only one packet of yeast for 5 cups of flour. Is that why it has to rise for so long?

I thought that all of Emily’s adversaries were really nice people. Until I saw the show, I had no idea that Gail was a race car driver AND a cooking teacher. How could I not like that last thing?

Ricardo looked pretty great in person (and on television), and it only became clear when I saw the show how much the lady judges really liked him and how much Chef Psilakis didn’t. Well, he didn’t actually NOT like Ricardo, but he didn’t let him get away with anything because of his dreamy accent and tight shirt.

The Peanut Butter Chocolate Torte looked fantastic on television and I thought Kimberly did a nice job.

Did you have this same impression as I did, that none of the other contestants seemed to WANT to win as much as Emily? If she had won, it definitely would have changed the course of her life. She actually said that. I didn’t get that same feeling from the others. I do like to believe that things happen for a reason, and that one door closing means another (potentially better) door opens.

But the reason we were astounded at the final result was because we were sitting right there when Emily kept getting all of this amazingly positive feedback from the judges…and Guy. Plus I could have done without Guy asking her every two seconds, “Are you doing okay?” If he was so concerned, just give the dough and let her get out of there.

This is what the judges thought about Em’s first dish, (which Rachel and I didn’t see):

Katherine Alford: “I love the combination of putting 2 really classic dishes together.” But she didn’t like that the crisp coating on the chicken fell off.

Rosemary Ellis had a hard time with the hot sauce.

Chef Psilakis, who just sold his share of his restaurant, Anthos, to his business partner Donatella Arpaia said to Emily: “I love the fact that you’re so playful with the food that you make.” But he agrees that there’s too much Buffalo Sauce. Gail came in first, Kimberly second, then Em and then Hot Guy.

Here are the Gail’s and Em’s scores:

Gail:

Taste 49 Originality 24 Appearance 14 Ease 9 Total 96

Em:

Taste 47 Originality 24 Appearance 14 Ease 8 Total 93

Peanut Butter Torte Gal, Kimberly, was only one point ahead of Em with 94 points.

Before the speed round, Guy says he thought Em’s nerves were “shaking”, just a bit.

Okay, fine, but look at what they said about her second dish, Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Hazelnut Frico. (I spell Fricco with two c’s, Emily spells it with one. Tomahto, tomato.)

Katherine about Emily’s soup: This was “an ambitious dish for time AND (for its) combinations of flavors”. ”She’s so ambitious. She really set the bar high.”

Oh, here’s Guy again, ”How are you FEELING, Emily?” Annoyed that you keep asking, that’s how!

Emily starts to make the fricco. We didn’t see it closely at the time, but looking at the cheese on television, it looks like they gave her FINELY GRATED cheese. I think she must normally use a more shredded cheese, because she says it looks powdery. Why should that be problem? Because the fricco is going to cook quicker than she’s used to.

Rachel and I were sitting there, smelling the fricco that was in the oven and we just knew she should be taking the baking sheet out. I swear I wanted to yell, EM, YOUR FREAKIN’ FRICCO are (is?) done!!! But I didn’t. (Should I have?)

The judges are worried that she won’t get the fricco on top of the soup in time. She does.

Gail was sweet and said nice things.

First up is Emily. Rosemary is happily surprised. She thought it might be a dessert soup, but it wasn’t and she really liked it.

Katherine says Emily’s “strength is layering flavors”. (She remembers her well from last year.) “Just beautifully,” she adds. Listen to this: “It’s one of the best examples of comfort food we’ve seen today.”

Emily is tearing up, because the remarks are so nice. Now HERE, listen to CHEF Psilakis: “I think you have to understand that you are INCREDIBLE at what you do.”

When I heard him say that, I started crying. I was soooooo sure Em was going to win.

He continues that the soup is “both savory and sweet and the fricco bridges that gap perfectly,” but he would have liked it thinner.

Remember I said that about Ina’s Butternut Soup, that it looked way too thick? Emily’s didn’t look anywhere near THAT thick. But my thinking is that when money (or dinner) is on the line, you should always purée your soup in a blender, not in a food processor or with an immersion blender.

Having said that, I know that there was NO time and Emily was lucky she even got it cooked in time. (But I’m just looking at the recipe again and I see that there’s celery in it. More reason for a blender. It’s really the only thing I can come with as to why she didn’t triumph.) And I don’t think the slightly overcooked fricco was the problem. The judges didn’t criticize that at all.

After all the lovely things the judges DID say about her, Guy asks her for the 40th time, “Are you doing okay?” SHE was doing just fine, but we, in the audience, who were THERE, weren’t doing okay. We were sitting on the edge of our seats. We just wanted her to win NOW. The judges even looked at her with such affection, I thought it was hers. But again, we hadn’t seen the pizza she was competing against.

Even Guy says, “I think you’re in the running for this.” Ricky and Kim get eliminated. Gail and Emily go on the award (awkward) platform.

Gail is sweet and she says she would be happy if Emily wins and her dream comes true. She’s nice. They’re all nice, actually. This was a good group of folks, with quite a diverse bunch of recipes.

Okay, back to the action.

I see Guy kind of wink at Emily and I am completely positive she’s about to win.

I’m grabbing at Rachel like I’m drowning and she’s the life preserver. (Her poor arm.) We really and truly thought that Emily was about to be pronounced the winner.

We were barely breathing. Guy reiterates that Gail had a score of 96 in the previous round and the highest score of the day wins.

And then…and then…

Oh wait, first, Guy says, “The judges say, Emily, that you have a gift and I AGREE.” Okay, give her the check already!!!!!!!!!!!

Then…”Emily’s score is NINETY ONE.” Ugh. Arghhh. Ouch. Egads!

Gail is truly thrilled. Michael says her pizza crust rivaled some the best pizzas he’s ever eaten in New York.

Darling Emily comes in a close second and wins, not the money, but the respect and admiration of some very notable food professionals. That’s a pretty great outcome, even if it wasn’t the one we were hoping for.

Ultimate Showdown On The Food Network Tonight With Sugarplum's Emily

What will happen tonight when Emily (famed for her Sugar Plum blog) competes for the big $25,000 prize on the season opener of Ultimate Recipe Showdown? Tonight's category is Comfort Food - the same one she competed in last year (and came oh, so close to winning).

This is what we know right now:

The 4 contestants have to make their “Signature Dish” plus another Speed-Round recipe. Emily will be making Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese, and her Speed-Round dish will be Creamy Pumpkin Soup, which she told us on her blog will feature Toasted Hazelnut Fricco. Fantastico! (One OR two c’s in Fricco is okay).

Good luck to Sugar Plum. Gosh, I hope all her dreams come true.

URS is on at 9 pm Eastern Daylight Time. I hope you’ve all changed your clocks by now.

Send Emily To New York

We have to get our favorite blogger back to New York. Here’s an easy way to do it:

Emily, Sugar Plum’s recipe creator extraordinaire, is a semi-finalist (natch) in The Quaker Oats/Top Chef Viewer Quickfire Challenge. If she's one of the top three vote getters, she'll get a trip to New York.

Read Emily’s blog to find out all about it.

VOTE for Emily HERE.

I don’t know if it was famous gangster Al Capone; Richard J. Daley, Chicago’s mayor from 1955 to 1976; or earlier mayor William Hale Thompson, who said Vote Early and Vote Often. I say Just Vote.

Sugar Plum's Emily Wins Our Hearts And Palates...

If Not The Actual $25,000

Ultimate Recipe Showdown
Comfort Food Competition

This is the first time I've ever told you the outcome of a cooking competition at the beginning of a post. There's a reason for that. You have to read to the end to find out why, but, for right now, The Comfort Food face off featuring Emily is about to begin...

I’m so excited I can barely sit still.

I even have H(usband) watching, which, if you knew H, is pretty revolutionary. Guy strolls out with all kinds of hubbub in the background. We learn that OVER TEN THOUSAND recipes were submitted and looked at. Our little Emily made it to the TOP FOUR.

Diana, her first competitor, is a little annoying. Sorry, but she is. She’s small and scrappy and I don’t like her one bit. The next is swat team member Rick Massa. Guy better watch his step around him. I hate to say it, but I really like his dish. Rick says he went from cop to cook and that he’s here to win.

Em is just too cute as she introduces her Baked Butternut Four Cheese Farfalle with Sage. Wow, her hair looks great.

The last contestant, Michaela Rosenthal, looks like a pro as she introduces her recipe beautifully. She could be a tough competitor. She’s been in over a dozen cook-offs.

We see the four cooking. They have an hour and a half to do their first dish (out of two). Em cooks butternut squash in the microwave for speed.

(Oh, there’s just one tiny little picayune thing that I’m not happy with. Emily covers her butternut squash with plastic wrap, which is completely verboten in my kitchen. I don’t like melted plastic on my food. Even H notices. Hush, I say, she’s in a hurry.)

I’m not paying attention to anyone else, although Michaela says something I really agree with, which is that it’s very important to leave the vegetables sautéing as long as possible to fully develop their flavor.

They highlight Diana’s dish. They show her healthy lifestyle. She's lost a lot of weight. Whoo-Hoo. Let’s see more Emily.

One of the judges, Chef Michael Psilakis is impressed with Rick’s knife skills. They show Rick with guns. (Maybe they’re rifles…?) Scary. He WAS kind of hot when he was young. He’s nice, but he better not beat our Em. They show him barbecuing with fellow swat team members.

Judge and Family Circle Editor-In-Chief, Linda Fears , loves the idea of Emily adding butternut to mac and cheese. We see Emily’s kitchen (nice!)…Where’s Mom?...and a tiny glimpse of her town, plus the restaurant where she serves. Em is carrying a hundred cups, okay, maybe just twenty or so, but she is seriously awesome.

Rick appears to be burning his onions and the judges are worried that the blue cheese in his dish may be too strong.

Back to Emily. The judges are watching and are concerned that she’s using too much sage. They wish that the sage was going IN, not just ON the dish. Emily tells us the cheeses she is using are brie, gorgonzola, fontina and gruyere. What a cheesy deliciousness she’s whipping up!

Michaela wants her soup to be super smooth.

Rick takes his dish out of the oven before anyone else and Guy calls him Rambo Rick. Rick is worried that he’s finished too early and that it will cool too fast. The judges notice he looks stressed.

Times up! They all finished in time.

Diana is up first. She watches as Chef Psilakis cuts into the tortilla on top of her soup. Diana drones on and on as she’s given permission by Guy to give a play by play of the judges tasting her food. What was he thinking? She goes on for so long that Guy gets on his phone and then pretends to leave.

3rd judge Katherine Alford, the Food Network’s Test Kitchen Director, likes the dish. Chef Psilakis says it was a little difficult getting into, but it's good.

Rick is next. Katherine is worried about the blue cheese in the recipe, although she says it turns out to be a successful dish. Michael loves the smoky bacon flavor. Linda says she wants to make it for her family.

Emily comes out. Linda likes her butternut mac and cheese, but says the sage is a bit overwhelming. Guy asks Em if she is familiar with how sage changes when it's cooked. She says,"THAT’S why I need to go to culinary school." Good One!!!

Michael says, “I can’t TEACH you how to put a dish together and I can’t teach you how to love food. And THIS really shows both of those things. It’s incredible, seriously incredible, at that age, without any education (let’s not get crazy here, Michael) or training, to be able to put something like this together. You should be proud of yourself." RIGHT ON! Emily has a serious crush on Chef Michael.

Katherine loves Michaela’s soup, but thinks it’s too thick. Linda loves the heat of the jalapeño. Michael too. They announce the scores of the first round. The order is Rick, Diana, Michaela and Emily. Rats!

They go on immediately to the next dishes. I’m not even listening as I’m contemplating how Emily got robbed in the first round scores. The competition’s procedures are a bit obtuse. There’s a second round where they have to cook a dish in 30 minutes. Those apparently get judged the same way as in the first round. The person having the single highest score in either round wins, which could actually work to Emily’s advantage.

Em is making a Pumpernickel Pastrami Panini with Rosemary-Ale Jus. Wooee-Zowee! SHE’S the one going into the second round with all guns blazing, if you ask me.

Emily is disappointed with her first round scores. She says she needs a home run in this round, so she can win and go to culinary school.

I’m not watching anyone else particularly closely. Pumpkin and avocado are in Diana’s recipe. Rick is grilling bacon and puréeing tomatoes. He’s making soup and a sandwich. Guy doesn’t think he can finish in 30 minutes.

Emily gets to work on her panini. The judges are talking about how they all crave pastrami. She has to talk to Guy while she’s cooking. Leave her alone, so she can cook. Michaela is making fritters. That’s pretty brave.

Rick is worried about his cheese not melting.

They judges comment on Emily adding apples to the pastrami recipe.

Diana has nightmares about people eating burned food. She has a lot to concentrate on at once.

Michaela is very sure of herself. I like her. She’s not full of herself, just confident.

They trying to make it look like Emily burned a sandwich. Chef Psilakis is worried that Em won’t finish in time. “Just cut them and plate them, Emily”, he says. She does. They all finish. Rick says he thinks the Food Network clock runs faster than normal clocks.

Diana says she got worried when she smelled Em’s sandwich. Michaela and Rick agree. They think her dish looks amazing. Of course, it does, it’s EMILY’S!

Katherine doesn’t like the texture of Diana’s dish. Linda likes her avocado butter. Michael would have liked more herbs in the dish.

The judges taste Rick’s next. Linda gives Rick bonus points for the bacon in his grilled cheese AND tomato soup. She loves it. Katherine doesn’t like the bacon in both. Michael says this sandwich is equal to his mother’s grilled cheese, which is the highest praise.

Emily is next. She says she’s nervous because there is a really long pause, as the judges just eat and say nothing. Guy says it’s killing him. He really wants to go over there and taste her panini. He does!!!

Katherine says it’s a great sandwich. It’s very layered and very comforting, but she doesn’t think it has enough pastrami. Linda disagrees. She says it’s a perfect amount. Michael isn’t rapturous over the sandwich and the jus separately, but together, he says, it’s a different story. He loves it.

Katherine says she’s honored to be part of the start of Emily’s culinary career. Awww, Em is touched.

Michaela hopes they love her recipe. Linda says one side was crisper than the other. Katherine says this is Sunday breakfast for her and that she probably doesn’t need the lemon glaze. That’s funny, because Michaela says she usually leaves it off. Michael says the candied ginger is a rock star touch. He says it's astounding that a home cook made this in half an hour.

Rick says a swat call up would be easier than waiting for the scores. The four contestants gather for the results. They kind of rush the whole thing. It’s mildly confusing. Oh, because Rick got the highest score in the first round, 96, THAT’S the number they have to beat. Diana doesn’t win and is excused with a score of 90.

Emily gets a 95 and is excused. It’s between Michaela and Rick. Michaela gets a 94. WHY did they send Emily off first? That doesn’t make sense. Rick wins. I don't care anymore. Some woman comes up and hugs him. I guess that’s his wife.

They show Guy and Katherine in Friday’s Test Kitchen with Rick’s first dish which will be featured on their menu. Then we see one outtake and it’s over…

Well, obviously, Emily was robbed. Rick is a nice guy, but she needs to go to culinary school more than he needs more guns…or whatever.

But I really hope what Emily takes away from this entire experience is the amazing competence she showed (which is NO surprise to Sugar Plum fans) and the esteem she was shown by seasoned food professionals. They were impressed!

Whatever the result, Emily showed her talent and, as Chef Psilakis remarked, this is BEFORE culinary school or any professional experience. Obviously, we’re in store for some great things from Emily. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Okay, time for a disclaimer. I WAS THERE for part of the taping. I saw her in action. I saw our Emily compete, which was truly thrilling. I sat next to Mom and was included in the special friends and family section, which meant that I had a superb view of everything going on.

It was also my first time inside the Food Network and, for a Food Network fanatic, every little detail was fascinating. I loved seeing Guy in the flesh. I loved the culinary assistants scampering around. I even loved the superbly professional audience wrangler. Incidentally, Guy appears to be EXACTLY as you would expect - a big, bold personality with WILD hair.

I was slated to watch the afternoon session. The only thing that went a bit awry was that the morning session ran longer than expected, so the afternoon taping started (and ended) later. Unfortunately, I had to leave before the final results were announced, BUT I did see the second recipes being prepared and judged.

This is what impressed me the most and I’m not sure it was adequately displayed in the final show: The judges were careful and deliberate and displayed such a high level of knowledge that I was blown away. They didn’t just look at and taste each dish quickly. They analyzed each component, the method of each recipe…they compared and contrasted them to other dishes in their memory. They studied the recipes. They watched the steps as the dishes were being put together. It was a tour de force of culinary expertise and very, VERY impressive.

I heard all the comments on Emily’s last dish, which were, of course, somewhat edited for the hour show. But, as I left, before the final scores were tallied, I was SURE Emily would win. And when I heard that she had lost by ONE point, I was soooooo disappointed, but also so proud that she had come that far.

One more postscript: that lunch that Emily and I shared at the Spice Market? That was AFTER the show had been taped. (How I longed to tell you all…) When I saw Bob and Danny in the restaurant, I MADE poor Emily stop them as they were leaving. And, proud friend that I am, I reminded Bob that Emily was one of the contestants on the URS and that she ALMOST won. He told her about the thousands of entries they had had and how well she had done. I have a feeling that that’s not the last the Food Network, or food fans in general, have heard from Emily.

Blogging Buddy Alert!!!

Don't forget to watch everyone's favorite young blogging baker, Emily, tonight (Sunday, January 4th) on the Ultimate Recipe Showdown - 9pm eastern time, 8 central on the Food Network as she competes for a TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR prize. Go EM!!!

Happy Halloween!

I probably have made Em very mad at me for the nasty comment that I left on her disturbing post, "The Ten Best Halloween Candies". She really had a terrible list, which couldn't go unanswered. I'm not brave enough to make my own list, but hers was bad, really bad.

Here's a GOOD list of what's BAD. I agree with everything but the candy corn.

And here is some of what I'm giving out tonight. I do like 3 Musketeers and Reese's; and Whoppers are ok, but the rest, I pretty much hate, so I won't eat it.

Note: I felt so bad about all my yucky candy I went out and bought some good stuff. After 3PM, it was all half price! (I did steal the Reese's Pieces and set them aside for the movies.)

One More Thing...

I forgot to mention one little tiny thing about my lunch with Emiline. We saw (AND SPOKE TO) to 2 HUGE stars. Okay, one intermediate one and one big television honcho, but BOTH connected to the FOOD NETWORK. The first I noticed when I initially walked in. I just thought there’s a cute guy, without realizing who it was. THEN I heard him order something and I knew instantly that it was the very, good looking in person, Danny Boome!

THEN, guess who his luncheon companion was! IT WAS PERFECT! It was none other that Bob Tuschman! I craned my neck until it was permanently twisted, but I COULD not hear a word they said.

The minute Em came in, I said “EM!!! Look who's here!” I told her she had to throw herself in front of them when they left and I would get a picture. I said just tell Danny how much you love his show. “BUT,” she protested, “I’ve never seen his show.” "HUSHHHHHHHHHHHH," I hissed, "HE doesn’t know that. Just DO IT."

So what if I don’t love Danny’s show? I’ve always said HE is wonderful (mostly...well, sometimes), he just needs another vehicle for his obvious good looks…talent, I mean.

I practically hurled Em in his path as he got up and, of course, he loved it.

Here's the proof:







We didn't discuss our blogs...it was better to remain mysterious fans who had had a special moment. I have a feeling that he’ll always remember Emiline as the sweet young fan who approached him…oh yeah, and her REALLY pushy friend.

PS Emiline, THAT'S how you remember it, isn't it?

Spice And Everything Nice

If you’re ever in New York and in need of an excellent meal with a riot of flavors from all over Southeast Asia, go to The Spice Market. This is where Emiline, her mom and I had lunch last week.

Shortly after we arrived, nicely spiced papadums came to the table. They were perfectly seasoned with a not too hot dipping sauce.

I was excited to try the Bento Box. It’s their faster, less expensive option for lunch. As you would expect from the name, the food is presented in small dishes and containers on a bamboo tray.

There was no Japanese food, despite the name, but I liked that they borrowed the term and applied it to little tastes of their signature fusion cuisine.

Em and I ordered the Bento Box with the Chicken Skewer option. (Pork and Beef were other possibilities.) Her mom ordered the Chicken Samosas with cilantro yogurt and Spicy Shanghai Noodles.

I tasted the noodles, good, but a little greasy. The samosas looked crispy and delicious.

The Bento Boxes came with beautiful drinks.

We tried the Fiji iced Tea, unsweetened but served with simple syrup for sweetening, and the jewel-toned, but fairly bland, Cherry Yuzu Soda. It wasn’t carbonated enough and really didn’t have much flavor, lacking in both cherry AND grapefruit tasting yuzu. The Saigon Cosmo (not included in the lunch price) was yummy. The Plum Saké was an interesting substitute for Grand Marnier with the vodka and cranberry juice.

The soup in the Bento Box was a Spiced Pea Soup. It was just right – spicy as in wonderfully flavored, but not overly hot.

The Chicken Skewers were among the best I’ve ever had. The chicken was cut in perfect small cubes, with perfect grill marks as if they had been painted on. The satay sauce, which I love, was thin enough to coat the chicken perfectly, but thick enough to stay on with each dip.

To me the star of the Bento Box was the Mango Salad.

Em loved the crystallized tamarind. Me too, I had never had tamarind that way before. Its characteristic sour tang was enhanced by the delicious candied orange flavor. It was a great foil for the mango.

The last dish was striped bass.

It was served with Napa cabbage (wok-fried) and water chestnuts and cucumber. The fish was tender, served in big flakes, but I didn’t find it terribly exciting. This could have been where the excitement of the lunch got in the way. Perhaps it didn’t hold my attention, because I was too busy concentrating on my blogging bonne amie.

Dessert drew me back in. The first one was Kulfi.

I LOVE Kulfi. It's a dense Indian ice cream, made from condensed milk. The Spice Market version was an Ovaltine Kulfi with Caramelized Bananas and Spiced Milk Chocolate Sauce.

Luckily, I couldn’t taste the Ovaltine, but unluckily, this kulfi was not served frozen. It was like a rectangular block of a milk chocolate truffle, not terribly chocolaty and, in fact, rather bland. I was disappointed it wasn’t frozen and I prefer dark chocolate anyway. The caramelized banana and crunchy topping (Em, I can't remember, was that popcorn?) were good, though.

The other dessert that we shared - ginger ice cream - fared better, although it was a bit of a challenge to open the Chinese takeaway box that it was served in.

After we finally figured out how to get into it, the ginger ice cream was quite tasty. But while the kulfi wasn’t frozen enough (or at all), this was TOO frozen. Finally, I ripped it out of the container completely and put it on a plate, which allowed it to soften a bit.

The service throughout was unobtrusive and professional. In fact, I didn’t even notice it…that’s how good it was. It is a really pretty place - exotic and kind of mysterious with screens and balconies and big pillars blocking your view of the beautiful people (and their view of you).

On my next visit, I have to go with someone much less alluring than Emiline and someone to whom I don’t have much to say – H(usband), are you available? ;-) – THAT WAY I can really concentrate on the food.

The night after we went to Spice Market, Jean-Georges was on Nightline…in a little feature they call “NTL Platelist”. He made a quick little lobster dish – to him, lobster always requires butter – which was topped with a lychee salad. Very pretty, very delicious looking small plate.

He also made Tuna “Noodles” - thin strands of tuna mixed with Thai chili, shallots, olive oil and salt served with mashed avocado and radishes (for their crunch) splashed with some chili oil. The dressing was young ginger, lime leaves, soy and chili oil. I love him, his accent, his restaurants. Fusion to Jean-Georges means Asian flavors combined with French techniques. Yup to that.

Blogging Buddies Meet!

Many of you will be sooooooooooooooo jealous when I tell what I did yesterday and with whom I did it. Are you ready? I know scads of readers and bloggers alike will be green with envy when you learn that I met (in the flesh) our favorite blogging baker babe – Emiline!!! That’s right…On her visit to New York City, she and her mom made time for lunch with little old me…and I couldn’t have been more delighted.

She was everything I hoped and knew she’d be: adorable, cute, funny, smart, observant, clever, quick on her feet (well, we were sitting, but she would have been, had the occasion arisen). Her mother is loads of fun and great company.

Much thought went into where to meet them. It had to be quintessential New York, it had to be superb. I also wanted it be lovely to look at and comfortable for a long visit. I didn’t even hesitate. It was a place my lovely s-i-l introduced me to months ago and I knew it would fit the bill. We went to Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market. It features my favorite – fusion cuisine, great renditions of different dishes from India, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Vietnam…to name a few of the flavor profiles represented. The restaurant itself has an exotic feel about it, just like the food...It doesn’t disappoint.

Neither did the company. We could have talked for ages. It’s possible we gave the plates in front of us short shrift, as we had so much ground to cover. But I don’t want to do that now, so tomorrow I’ll tell you AND show you what we ate.