Brooklyn Heights, 2004. That’s the year I met Emma Sullivan and her cousins Maruja and Pepita. Emma owned The Long Island Restaurant, one door down from our apartment on Atlantic Avenue. I was in the restaurant often. It was (and still is) a beautiful time-capsule of a place, booths and wooden bar, photographs of Buddy — Emma’s late husband — and other family members behind the bar, a manual cash register that made me smile when Emma opened it. The sound was comforting. It was a warm and gentle room.
Emma closed up shop in 2007; she and Buddy had taken it over in 1956. Hers was a 51-year run of countless conversations and days and nights making guests feel at home. I miss walking into her restaurant, and probably always will. (The space was reopened in 2013, after Emma leased it to a pair of worthy guys. Next time you are in Brooklyn, pay them a visit.)
I wrote this week about Emma and her cousins and The Long Island Restaurant for PaperCity magazine, and included a frittata recipe based on that special woman and her cousins. You might like to make the dish one morning, or night. Think of Emma — or someone whose life is special to you — when you do.
Like good music and wine, plus some tasty crab cakes? If so, and you find yourself in Missouri City, Texas, check out B’s Wine Bar. Angela and I were there last night, and the band was hot, the crowd stylish and fun, and the staff welcoming and obviously excited about their work.
Angela and I were seated in the wine room, just the two of us at a quaint table, the kind one finds in parks in Paris. We talked and drank and laughed and found a place new to us to which we’ll return. (Thanks for the recommendation, Kennady.)
How’s this for a transition: I love foie gras. I’ve eaten it in Spain, in Dubai, in Paris, in New York, in Italy, in New Delhi, and, most recently, last week in Houston. It’s from Hudson Valley Foie Gras, and it’s prepared in a wonderful way. Take a look at this:
That’s Foie Gras alla Fiamma, newly added to the tasting menu at Tony’s, and it’s good. Order it and savor the preparation process. There’s Moscato and a vanilla bean and a grape, and it’s served with toasted farro. Sensual, delicious, decadent.
Recent Comments