Central Park at day's end

et’s not start with all the clichés, but with the reason that we decided to forego our at least annual, trek to England and Europe, which was to visit and support the even more wonderful city of New York.

In this article, as with all our travel articles, we have included some great tips and ideas for your next visit there, so please sit back and enjoy the read. (Please see our Great Finds Archives for past articles.

THE MARK

Always the premier question...where to stay. We enjoyed two very different hotels in New York, so that we could offer alternative venue and budgets to our loyal readers.

We arrived on a July Monday afternoon and headed for The Mark. What a great name that certainly hit the mark in our book! Very chic, smart and intimate the hotel is situated between Madison Avenue and Fifth on East 77th Street, a few steps from Central Park and the other way, a few steps from the likes of Versace and Gucci boutiques! What a find. I think I was in heaven!

With accolades from international press such as W, Conde Nast and Zagat, we are not alone in finding The Mark luxurious, elegant, discreet, sumptuous and sophisticated. Under the expert management of Raymond Bickson and his staff this place ran like fine clockwork. As well as being a great business hotel, The Mark can cater beautifully for 10 or 300 guests. Their premises are very deceiving and comprise several suites and salons, perfect for any event.

The lobby is small and the marble floor gleams. When we were there, the first sight and aroma were of the four huge eucalyptus trees staking out the four corners of the lobby. How different and refreshing. With experienced Concierge, namely Corinna Luebbe who helped us in that wonderfully easy, yet efficient way at one end, and friendly, but ultra-professional Reception staff at the other, you have every need covered.

Off the lobby was the tiny but very cozy and intimate Bar, which on Monday evenings during the summer, offers pre-dinner wine tastings. On the far side was a tempting view of Mark’s, the restaurant, in anticipation of good things to come.

Our suite was gorgeous, in soft sage greens and woods, and provided for our business requirements as well as our aesthetic desires. The bathroom was along a marble passage and very handsomely appointed in beiges and blacks with a splash of red here and there. It had a deep bath, I was in heaven! This suite also included a galley kitchen outfitted in granite and steel, which we didn’t want to dirty! The bed was tailored with fine Frette Linens being the icing on the cake.

MARK’S

Mark's Sommelier Richard Dean with Chef Andrew Chase and two of his expert and delicious dishes

Our dinner reservation was for 8PM. We love eating in the hotel on our night of arrival, so much more relaxing, and relaxed we were after our wonderful dining experience at Mark’s. Sommelier Richard Dean was great company as well as providing his expertise and Chef Andrew Chase shared his terrific talents for our benefit.

The restaurant looked inviting with it’s warm tones and wood detailing, finished with crisp white linens and a stunning summer touch of an enormous central jardiniere of sunflowers. With our welcome glass of Champagne de Venoge, we tasted an Oyster and Caviar Cocktail with miso, dill and cucumber-melon sorbet. This was set in a tomato based gel, almost looking too good to eat!

We opted for the Chef’s Summer Tasting Menu which was varied and excellent. Our appetizers were the Roasted Beet Salad, with endive, walnut and herb goat cheese and the Asian Barbequed Eel served with a sweet pea puree, salsify and mizuma (a feathery, delicate salad green resembling a tiny watercress, hailing from Japan).

We love anything with the much underrated and little used beetroot, with it’s deep, dark and refreshing flavour. Both were exquisitely presented and equally delicious. I was rather concerned, and not a little perturbed by the thought of eel. However the memories I have carried, since being eight years old, of peering over a tray of writhing, pungent eels in an English market and worse, the strong, slimy taste, were completely dispelled as I bravely tried this eel dish! This was delicious and perfectly accompanied by a wonderful French Chablis.

We were sent tastings of the Glazed Maine Lobster, with a cassolette of spring vegetables and parsley cream­divine, and the Seared Red Snapper with Cockles and a ragout of fennel, woodear mushrooms and Chinese broccoli, the broth was amazing.

Then came the perfectly cooked, melt-in-your-mouth, Slow Cooked Salmon with wilted spinach and champagne sauce (offered with pasta on the menu, but we declined it), and the fabulous Confit of Guinea Fowl over onion marmalade with pate de foie gras and truffles! We enjoyed the salmon with an Austrian Reisling and Neal had a delicious glass of red wine, the name of which escapes me, well sorry but is it any wonder by this stage?

The desserts looked equally wonderful and we tasted the Mille Feuille with honey sauce and rice pudding and the Vernona Chocolate Tart with vanilla ice. Along with these rich contrasting flavours, sommelier Richard treated us to tastings of dessert wines such as the Schneider Chardonnay Eiswein, the Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat de Beaumes de Venise. Wow! What a finale. So glad we only had to ride the lift to retire for the night!

The Mark and Mark’s is to be highly recommended. The staff, excellent service and standard here are second to none. A fabulous oasis in the hustle and bustle of New York City. We can’t wait to return.

The following morning we found a local cafe for a late, light breakfast and took advantage of the proximity to the Whitney Museum for an overview visit. We also made sure we shopped for gifts in the fabulous Parisian Patisserie original, Fauchon.

Reminders of September 11 at Ground Zero... thank you Bradenton Fire&Rescue

Our next, much more serious appointment, was near Wall Street to meet our brother-in-law Terry, who was to take us to Ground Zero. Terry and his colleagues had been conducting business in the World Trade Center prior to September 11th, and very thankfully survived. Who better to show us the awful remains there and to get some local feed-back.

We walked to the now-mammoth hole and site of the devastation. The area was busy but less noisy than whenever we’d visited before. Visitors to New York like us, were there, wanting to pay their respects and somehow take in the all too regularly seen TV images for real. Another necessary stage in our grief for New York’s families and businesses, as well as for this world so affected by the atrocities.

The stunning reading room of the New York Library

Later we met other friends for dinner at Pastis near Greenwich Village. We had very much liked its well-known sister restaurant, Balthazar, enjoyed on a previous visit, but felt Pastis didn’t live up to our expectations, being pretty unfriendly and unhelpful. Oh well live and learn!

After an early start the next morning and a visit to Rockefeller Center and The Today Show, I was able to hand my recently published book, (see home page on our website) to Ann Curry, hopefully for some exposure. We then headed for the New York Public Library. This too, a place I’d never had time to visit previously. What a fabulous architectural landmark, as well as such a seat of learning.

Quite something to see the original Declaration of Independence. My aim was to see the reading rooms, it was all worth the trek. The soaring ceilings, huge gilded crown mouldings and faux-painted skies were gorgeous and along with the miles of stuffed book shelves it was all very inspiring. It was great to be in that collegiate atmosphere once more!

THE FOUR SEASONS

Chef Christian Albin of The Four Seasons with Taste Publisher Neal Finelli

Next was our lunch date at The Four Seasons Restaurant. This was another landmark I had wanted to visit, and at last here we were. One of New York’s grandest and most memorable, popular with celebrities and intellectuals alike. The more formal Pool Room, and the less formal Grill Room, both require jackets.

The two experienced and well-suited suave maitre d’s were charming and amusing. We gave them a copy of Taste, telling them of our travel article just for their interest, and we were surprised and delighted to get the royal treatment. Even famous and long-standing Chef Christian Albin, came out and happily gave us a tour of the huge bustling kitchens. We were very impressed by his gracious relaxed manner and he amazingly, didn’t seem in a hurry to show us back to our seats. It was great with all the power lunches being conducted around us!

The huge, famous windows that I’d seen on television, were spectacular and obviously timelessly covered with thousands and thousands of fine chains all attached in swags. The air vents were placed discretely at the foot these myriad chains which made them sway ever-so slightly, catching the light to make them sparkle magically, yet diffusing the daylight glare and disguising the adjacent buildings beyond.

A sumptuous dessert at The Four Seasons

We had booked and planned for a light lunch and our orders arrived. Parma Proscuitto with Mission Fig Salad and a Boston Salad with watercress, red endive and Hudson Valley Camembert, which were both delicious. Then followed more tastings from Chef Albin! The Cassoulet of Rabbit, with sausage and chanterelles, the Seared Snapper and corn risotto! Well, so much for our light lunch, but what an unexpected surprise.

Not yet quite happy with the delights they had bestowed, we were later treated to a dessert plate comprising a mint chocolate ice-cream with a thin chocolate tarte and pistachio tuile. Wow! What more can I say, this was the icing on the terrific cake and we will never forget our fun and fabulous lunch and wonderful treatment at The Four Seasons.

On the Ave was a stylish, modern hotel on the upper West Side with beautiful views of the Hudson River

ON THE AVE

It was now time to change hotels and leave the excellent Mark for a much more casual and affordable, yet great find, on the west side of Central Park, On The Ave. We were pleased for the exercise after our lunch. This place is set up for a younger, not so wealthy, set. It was clean and efficient and left us to our own devices. The 250 bright, spacious king or queen rooms, or penthouse suites look out to the Hudson River, Central Park or along Broadway. On The Ave features cable TV, KoolConnect Interactive Media and every convenience to make a business or pleasurable visit everything that you could want.

The hotel belongs to the Citylife Group which also has two other excellent value and convenient hotels, Thirty Thirty and Habitat Hotel. A block from Broadway, On The Ave was a terrific base and after settling in and re-grouping we later made our way through Central Park to Guastavino’s for dinner.

GUASTAVINO’S

Stunning Guastavino's offers French and Italian cuisine

Owned by Sir Terence Conran, this is the first of his American restaurants. He is revered as one of Britain’s greatest entrepreneurs and restaurateurs, owning many fine restaurants and a chain of interior design stores. An example of which, The Conran Shop was also next door here. We enjoyed browsing and buying there prior to our meal.

Guastavino’s and The Conran Shop are found just under the Queensborough Bridge. It’s a New York City landmark space and is named after the engineer who designed the bridge. It encompasses two restaurants, a bar, lounge and four semi-private dining rooms. Guastavino Restaurant is a 300-seat brasserie offering French and Italian fare and the 100-seat Club Guastavino serves classic French and Italian cuisine in a luxury upper level setting. True to form, this magnificent space has the stunning architecture that Conran is famous for spotting and utilising for utmost impact. The soaring cathedral-like buttress arches within, rise to 40 feet at their highest. They are clad in the original, but cleaned, cream tiles. Conran had these vaults enclosed with specially commissioned exterior windows which run the length of the building. A remarkable feat.

Chef Daniel Orr, formerly of La Grenouille, expertly balances this gorgeous place with his fabulous food. It was packed on a Wednesday evening and as busy as Chef Daniel was, by the end our dining, he produced our tasting menu prepared for us on a special sheet in a folder for us to keep. As well as a signed cartoon of himself! Such style.

The unique Salmon Toro

Our memorable evening in this stunning space was well produced for us by Dennis, who was very professional, yet relaxed. He presented a lovely white Bordeaux, 2001, La Caussade which was divine with our first offerings. The Vichyssoise of carrots with sweet peas and herbs, was absolutely delectable and unusual, and the Salmon Toro, in rice vinegar, chili vodka, Russian caviar and celery leaves was a dramatically presented and delicious.

The following plates were accompanied by a North Fork, Long Island, Chardonnay. The poached Maine lobster, heirloom tomatoes in tomato gelee with basil cream and the pine grilled mussels with juniper and lemon butter were fragrant and imaginative. The pan-seared filet of beef, foie gras, gratin of potatoes and wild mushroom jus, were just melt-in-the-mouth! This along with a 1998 Calaveros Cabernet Sauvignon was very special.

Guastavino's fabulous cheese board

After some walking and exploring the 26,000 square feet area, we somehow made room for a taste of the flambée berries and cherries, the best soufflé laced with passion fruit, done tableside with Grand Marnier sauce, petit fours and coffee. Brilliant! Guastavino’s also had a wonderful cheese board on a two tiered cart. We will save ourselves for that next time! We just loved this very switched-on, reasonably priced place and fully recommend it as a great find in New York.

Our excellent proximity to Central Park, once again gave us an opportunity to get some much needed exercise while heading towards the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Well, along with a short cab ride. Another amazing iconic institution. Such a vast resource, and where to start? We enjoyed soaking up the Gauguin exhibition, amongst other things. The roof top sculptures were also fun, and the views over Central Park were superb, as on our front cover.

We had read about Artisanal, a new Fromagerie/Bistro/Wine Bar, and wanted to visit. This proved a bit of a trek across town and to be smaller than we’d thought, but worth it just to enjoy the aromas and selection and a lot cheaper than a visit to France!

Neal was then headed to The Museum of Television and Radio to experience the “David Bowie: Sound and Vision” retrospective. I was off to make the most of the Grand Central Station market shops, on the lower level, before they closed. Wow! What a great find and well worth a visit filled with the delicious, the rare and the quality. I was glad I finally made it.

GRAND CENTRAL OYSTER BAR

Since 1913 the Grand Central Oyster Bar has been serving wonderful seafood including Lobster and Bouillabaisse

After this we were to meet up with Neal’s sisters, Beth and Lori and their husbands for a fun and relaxed meal at the Grand Central Oyster Bar. Yet another famous, historic and celebrated New York institution, still going strong after 89 years!

On the lower level of the newly renovated terminal, which is fabulous if you haven’t been, is where this legendary restaurant is found. The 450-seat Oyster Bar offers a vast selection of the freshest and most seasonal seafood available from all over the world. Including 20 to 30 varieties of oyster daily, a staggering total of over 5 million sold a year, as well as 20 to 30 types of fish. With their reasonably priced menu and a competitively priced and carefully selected wine list, with over 75 by the glass, it proved to be a great place to get together. Even Krug Champagne was by far the least expensive we’d ever seen on any wine list. The straight forward unfussy menu had something for everyone, including steak!

General Manager Michael Garvey, pleasant Manager Jonathan Young and our terrific waiter took good care of us all. With the low ceilings and full restaurant it had a relaxed and friendly atmosphere all of its own. Chef Sandy Ingber, here since 1983, is at the Fulton Fish Market every morning at 3AM to ensure quality control. 90% of what he buys is consumed that day, and the City Harvest Charity happily takes anything over for their great organization. One hundred staff work here and it has its own bakery and smoke house below! Can’t get fresher than that. We were all treated to delicious tastings of fish soup and seared Ahi tuna, as well as our own orders of excellent, halibut, tuna, crab and bouillabaisse. Some dessert treats were also enjoyed which topped a great evening spent together.

It also was the finale to yet another wonderful stay in New York City. We can’t get enough of this great city and can’t wait to return.

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