food diary 12: ayat, art, & minetta tavern
march 18 - march 25
Apologies for the delay, but thank you Kai for coming up to me at the party at El Cid to tell me that you enjoy my food diaries. I’m always flattered and honored to have readers who mainly know me online. L.A. and Hawaii to come soon<3 Here’s my final week in New York City before my travels.
3.18 Caught happy hour at Zest Sushi with Noah and Aristilde then stopped by Clando. Love Zest’s plum wine, but mixing sweet drinks all night was a bit too much. Disappointed to see that all the outdoor tables are gone. Last autumn now feels like a faraway dream.
3.19 We celebrated Zoe’s belated birthday at Ayat which is a Palestinian restaurant I first learned about after eating brunch there with Eileen Myles. Their menu is extensive, but the chicken is always wonderful. We shared the lemon chicken and the pomegranate walnut salad. It’s BYOB, so I brought a bottle of white wine. I love that they bring you pita and olives as well.
3.20 I stopped by St. Jardim after an optometrist appointment and tried their breakfast sandwich. I enjoyed the kick of the jalapeños. It’s still as busy as it always is when it turns into a wine bar. Later in the day, I went to the SVA open studios mostly in support of my friend Lucia’s artwork. Then Mia and I went to Thai Diner, and we shared the papaya salad while I got their chicken banana blossom salad served with rice. Their guava sours are a must.
3.21 Matt and I performed at Dear Mama, which is a lovely venue that provides performers with complimentary meals and drinks. I tried their croissant BLT, and it was pretty tasty. Despite breaking a string, playing guitar while he read was fun and I was excited to share the latest installment of my one-sentence prose poem novel.
3.22 After Matt’s fantastic gig at Caffeine Underground, we returned to Orso and tried their bolognese alongside our usual Sorrentina pizza. Even though it’s in Midtown, it has a certain je ne se quoi reminiscent of Nora Ephron’s New York. There’s a certain theater and art crowd. Again, their cute animal ceramics really do it for me.
3.25 Before my flight the following morning, Matt and I dined at Minetta Tavern. While I enjoyed their burger, I didn’t think it was particularly special but I love the atmosphere and we received complimentary champagne. Their chocolate soufflé is beautiful.
Thank you for reading and stay tuned for L.A. food adventures as well as a little diary about my time there. I enjoyed being back more than I have in the past.
xoxo,
ashley