September 11

This video was uploaded two years ago and eight years later the Twin Tower lights still shine. How can we ever forget? The music, "There's a New Star in Heaven" by Chris de Burgh was written in memory of Princess Diana.

After taking a hiatus, Gramery Cafe is back.

Here's a recent pic of Vento, taken two weeks ago....we took a lunch break while my Mac was going thru a major diagnosis at the Apple Store.

After numerous conversations with Apple's experts and a visit to the Genius Bar, neither of which could figure out why Snow Leopard disabled syncing.....I finally solved the mystery myself going on a discussion board located using Google search.

btw....Lunch was great!

The Big Bake-Off

As a kick-off to the summer season, what better way to celebrate than with a bake-off at The Front Porch.

AND, who knows how to make a traditional Easter Cake better than Mario Batali? Ask Ernest, and he'll tell you Grandma Romano.

So Ina "Batali" Wakstein challenged Ernest (or was it the other way around?) to a Memorial Day bake-off....Mario's legendary recipe vs. Grandma Romano.

Click on THE BIG BAKE-OFF to see who won.

Birthdays

Central Park is beautiful this time of year, with trees in full bloom, BUT nothing compares to the beautiful arrangement of roses the Frogels surprised me with at Benji & Jake's.

The family is here upstate, celebrating another birthday with me, beginning with dinner last night at The Front Porch, along with my dear friend Janet. Jan stopped by this morning, looking great after her workout, with a Plumeria scented candle....and tonight is another celebration with Janet and Ernest at The Old Homestead.

We met Judith this afternoon, getting ready for her seasonal opening of The Fat Lady Cafe. This is an early start for Fat Lady, which usually opens Memorial Day weekend, and we're all looking forward to lunch on the deck.

The Front Porch

It was opening weekend at The Front Porch and we always look forward to Sunday brunch and Ina's famous granola (made with love), quesadillas and yummy desserts.

We were happy to see Jan, Chelsea and Chris are back, as we had our first brunch of the season with Gail and Ron.

Did I forget to mention dinner? That risotto was perfect!

Passover

I'm still playing around with my new Flip Mino, and with iMovies special effects, creating videos is easy and fun.

Here we were last weekend at Mesa Grill, where Bobby Flay's innovative cuisine keeps regulars coming back for more.

The weather took a turn last Sunday with spring-like temperatures....a great day for a Wally-walk in Stuyvesant Park.

Wednesday was the first night of Passover, and we celebrated at Knickerbocker Grill's annual Seder. The ceremony was a little too long for Elliot, whose ADD kicked in....and OUT came the Blackberry. Thank GOD we were seated in the rear, where the singing Rabbi was unable to see him checking email and returning calls.

Bobby was no better, with his ear glued to HIS cell phone, as he gobbled down dinner and cut out before dessert....Beyonce calls! We wrapped his dessert to-go, and a lucky homeless fellow was the recipient of Knickerbocker's flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce.

Thankfully, Passover comes only once a year. Religiosity is just too much for this family.

We Love Restaurants

As you can tell from the title of this post we LOVE dining out.....AND, documenting our dining experiences is a snap with our new Flip video camera. Here you can view some of our favorite haunts, where we dined last week with Janet, Jan and Don at Buona Fortuna, and with Louis at Blue Water Grill.

We spent this weekend in the city where I joined Jenn and Bryan for brunch at Vintage Irving. Unfortunately the waffle machine was broken, so I selected the coconut pancakes....and they were yummy! You won't find these items on their website, but it's one my favorite places in the area for weekend brunch.

Last night we met up with long time friends, and Syosset natives, Joanne and Eddie, for an elegant dinner at The Modern.

The Modern is actually two restaurants in one....The Bar Room offers an a la carte menu where The Dining Room's menu is prix fixe, with a choice of the tasting menu or a selection of three courses.

This afternoon Elliot and I stopped for lunch at Mesa Grill. Bobby Flay's signature cuisine never disappoints. I had my favorite dish.....Chile Relleno....and their muffin basket (with coffee) is divine.

The weekend ended with dinner at Mumbles, a local bistro, meeting up with neighbors, Gail, Ron, Jeanne and Alan.