Well, yesterday was an action packed day. We've been working on a photography job so we've been staying pretty close to Ingram St. these past few days. In fact, the only adventure of any note was on Wednesday evening when we got to visit Silver Cup Studios with Jason, a reader of this site. He contacted us when we moved back to New York to see if we would be interested in visiting his workplace, the studios where The Sopranos are filmed. The answer was a resounding Yes! and on Wednesday evening we got to see where the magic happens and even a bit of the magic itself, since they were filming that evening. No, we can't tell you what we saw, it's a secret. The empty sets were almost more fun than the set where the actors were filming. There's something about the space that sets your imagination afire. The spaces are so perfectly preserved and empty, just waiting for someone to come in and bring it all to life. Thanks again Jason! We had a wonderful time meeting you and touring the studio.
Yesterday we attempted to go to lunch at 'Ino but it was packed. So we decided to try out Ditch Plains, where the staff is friendly and the food is tasty. The oysters were well shucked and juicy, the Eggs Benedict was loaded with lobster and the mac and cheese was one of the best I've had in a restaurant. We did some window shoping around the village and then moved uptown to look for parking in the theater district. We found on-street, unmetered parking for the second time that day, a minor miracle, and walked up to the Time Warner for more window shopping and menu perusing. We discussed the new pricing at Per Se $250/person for a set menu, no choices and supplements for premium ingredients such as foie gras. This is up from last year and led to a discussion about restaurant prices in New York in general. We both understand that premium ingredients are expensive, rents are extremely high and you have to pay well to attract great staff, but I'm wondering if there's a glass ceiling on menu prices and where it is. As a culinary student and as a young cook I used to be frustrated because I couldn't eat at many of the great restaurants because they were so expensive. All these years later, I now feel the same way again.
Finally we wandered back downtown and met Mom & Uncle Steve at Le Madeleine for a pre-theater dinner. It's a comfortable, cozy bistro that is exactly the kind of place that is perfect for a quick meal before a show. We went to see A Chorus Line, which was one of my favorite productions as a teenager. The tickets and dinner were a Hanukkah/birthday present from Uncle Steve and Claire. We thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening.
As we walked towards the car after the theater, I noticed that the lock looked funny. It was separated from the car door in a way that it hadn't been when we left. Upon closer inspection the paint around the lock was slightly chipped and it looked as though someone had jammed a flathead screwdriver between the lock and the door. When we opened up the car, we discovered that someone had indeed been inside and had broken into the center console to search for hidden treasures. Ironically the console had not been locked so there was no need for force once they were ensconced in the vehicle. As a result, repairs will be needed on both the lock and the console. Fortunately the thief got nothing more than an open roll of quarters and some older prescription sunglasses. The car was basically intact and we were relatively unscathed by the incident. It does make garage fees look much more palatable, but even parking in a garage is no guarantee against theft in the city. But even this could not ruin the evening. It was just a blip on the radar of a basically excellent Saturday.
**Alex was just playing with the lock. For all you Jeep Wrangler owners out there, locking the car is basically a waste of time. After a bit of experimentation he realized that if you pop out the top half of the piece where you put the key in the lock, it unlocks the car. You don't need any special equipment and it's almost easier than using a key. Lesson learned. There's a reason why they put a microchip in the ignition keys. Even if they break in, at least they can't drive it away...
