Two superb meals in Manhattan: Rouge Tomate & Maialino

Colette and I had to be at a grant-awarding meeting in New York (this is a fun part of my day job) so we went up early to do food and art.

Lunch was at Rouge Tomate (no rapport with that in the Marche St Honore) with our dearest friends from downstairs in Paris. They have a $29 “business” lunch which if you’re in the mood for it, is a terrific bargain. The others ordered off the carte at a bit more – about $42 for 2 courses, $50 for 3.

My starter of heirloom tomatoes with burrata and peach bits was just what I needed and wanted and the two friends’ crudos of walu and char were perfectly set up.

Then I had the un-confited duck leg with cherries (yes) while the others feasted on tagliatelle with seafood, halibut and “chicken salad” like your Mother never made.

For dessert, a strawberry/banana/banana-cake “terrine” was Colette’s choice from my prix fixe and the bread pudding was equal to it.

Coffee was pathetic, bread was good and with a Martini, beer, bottle and glass of wine and 2 espressos the bill before tip was $254.76, thus $127.38 a couple.
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For dinner we ate together at Maialino in the Gramercy Park Hotel and had another fine meal.

I ordered the highly-recommended-by-our-waiter, not always a good thing if they’re trying to get rid of something – salad with microtomed piggy and giant black and white beans with a dressing of lemon and EVOO that cut through everything to give you a crisp, fresh taste, which both of us sopped up with the really good bread.

For a main, Colette ordered the pasta with a Bolognese sauce and I the pasta with clams – both nickel.

Dessert: Colette went with what was called pine nut tarte with lemon caramel sauce and glaze and I had some excellent grappa to settle the stomach before heading out into the threatened tornados.

With no coffee nor bottled water but a bottle of super Tuscan, our bill came to $102.34 without tip.