We drove past the theater district, had Times Square pointed out, and dodged big trucks, cyclists, and other traffic. My friends Richie and Captain Gary were determined I should have a classic dining experience in Manhattan, and the guide was a mutual friend of them and the other couple, who deftly maneuvered us to our destination. It was Wulfgang’s Steakhouse on 54th Ave (I believe). For starters, it was a beautiful old building with marvelous wooden floors and great light fixtures. I learned most New Yorkers don’t dine out Sunday nights; they either brunch or have a late lunch and then order take-out I suppose or perhaps some of them cook.

Anyway, this is a well-known place which has opened a couple of other locations and the menu is fairly limited because their focus is simple. Take good beef, dry age it, and cook it to perfection. There are traditional sides and a range of desserts, but the star is unquestionably the porterhouse. In this case, two massive ones came out on sizzling plates, sliced thickly for us to share. The true medium rare lovers were happy and those of us needed just a little less red merely left the chunks on the intensely hot platter for another few seconds. The house potatoes were typically German and both the apple strudel and cheesecake with real whipped cream were as good as it gets.

Our chauffer for the ride in had to part with one of the other individuals to go in a different direction, so the cab ride back to Secaucus, NJ, completed the experience. Since my meals in NY had always been limited to either JFK or LaGuardia, it was definitely an evening of note.

Okay, I have gotten wimpy about the cold, although in all fairness, if I go to a cold climate in winter, I expect to bundle up. Hitting a high of 45 on what is the second day of spring, however, just doesn’t feel right. I mean, yes, if we were in the Dakotas or up in the mountains, but anyway, such is the variability of this area. I haven’t checked our flight status yet to see if everything is on time – I’ll do that when I finish this post. Yesterday was lunch with the kids at the Dogfish Brewery (or maybe it’s just a restaurant and they bring their beer in) and a nice sampling of both food and beverage. Not being at the age yet of a kid’s meal, Amelia samples a little of everything. Oyster crackers really are perfect kid-size and a French fry is always welcome. Salmon and grilled chicken were happily munched on and while a piece of lettuce was fine, asparagus did not meet with approval. It is rather a strong taste.

Oh, on Saturday when my dear friend and I were out and about, we ran across a place called Cava Fresh Mezzzo (I think was the name). We weren’t in any of our regular spots and it looked intriguing. It was one of those build-your-own places like a Chipolte except with Mediterranean cuisine. You could do a rice bowl, salad, pita, or mini-pita and soup. They had multiple spreads for the pitas – I went with a spicy roasted pepper one. Protein choices were beef meatballs, lamb meatballs, chicken, shredded spiced beef, or they had falafel balls and also roasted vegetables. There were various toppings such as diced cucumbers in an herbed yogurt sauce, tapenade, etc. Considering the wet and cold of the day, we opted for the mini-pita and a wonderful roasted tomato soup. They did not serve alcohol and I didn’t give the beet lemonade a try. The food was delicious and we had scooted in just ahead of the crowd, so it was a pleasant experience. I don’t know if this is a regional chain, but if you run across one, I can recommend it.

Our annual trip to DC is usually timed to catch the Kennedy Center performance of our son in the Bowen McCauley Dance Company (http://www.bmdc.org) (He’s the Kimball one). The timing for that changes slightly each year and the one year we said, “Not happening”, was when they set the schedule for February. Having experienced enough winters in DC we knew the probability and sure enough they had to reschedule one of the performances due to snow and ice. March, as the time for the famous cherry blossoms to appear, is tricky. Yesterday when we arrived was wonderful – okay, a little cool for us, but sunny and fine with a heavy long sleeve top. Unfortunately, the prediction that drove us to lug along the coats is for temperatures to tumble and have a mix of rain and maybe snow starting late today. Ah well, so it goes.

We almost always stay with some good friends and get caught up. Last night, being a Friday was understandably crowded in the couple of restaurants we tried. We hadn’t made reservations because we weren’t entirely certain of our schedules. So we called en route to the Mount Vernon Inn and since that is a little out of the way (not from where they live), we were all set. And yes, if you aren’t familiar with it, that is the sit-down restaurant at Mount Vernon. It is a lovely place with a fairly small menu, but something for everyone. Salmon, braised lamb shank, pork chop and I had one of the specialties you can’t get much outside of this region. It was a hoecake (grilled corn cake) topped with ham and lump crap with hollandaise sauce. The ham and crab combination is a special country-type ham and the proportion has to be just right or the balance is off. When done correctly, it’s delicious.

Today will be errands day and then an early dinner at the Rooftop Terrace Restaurant at the Kennedy Center prior to the performance. Another old friend is coming down from PA with her daughter to join us.

A serving of crawfish at the March 5, 2016 festival in Homestead.

Notwithstanding trying to work through the concept of having a Mardi Gras and Crawfish Boil in March, the music was lively in Losner Park on Saturday. The parade is billed unabashedly as, “short, enthusiastic, and with the most beads per person”, and lives up to that. It’s only about two blocks long and there are plenty of beads to be thrown to the crowd. People get into the spirit with masks, colorful hats, and other attire. There are also lots of purple or green shirts with gold accents. I’ve about decided that in view of wanting to have a parade while it’s still light, but also being able to segue into nighttime for the adult party aspect, having the festival in March can really be promoted as, “Missed Mardi Gras? Come to Homestead for a final round of celebration.” I think that would bridge the gap for those of us who have a cultural attachment to traditional timing.

Anyway, there was a nice crowd and it certainly looked as though everyone was having a good time. With Mickey McGuire, the on-site Director (Program Manager?) for the Seminole Theater as Mardi Gras King and me as the Queen, our driver, Kevin from Sabates Chevrolet, was a pro and a fun guy. The bright yellow Camaro was a happy coincidence that literally matched the yellow of the special event tee shirts.

I didn’t try the hurricanes, although I suspect they went down smoothly as they usually do. Crawfish were too messy to try to deal with considering I was wearing one of my silky (with some bling) tunics, but Hubby was able to arrive after a full day on the water and he had them along with a bowl of chicken and sausage gumbo. These events are always a lot of work to put on and hats off to everyone who has a part in that.

When you go on these trips where you have an event scheduled to end late in the afternoon you always have to choose about your return. Do you plan an early evening flight or stay over an extra day? The decision is a little trickier in a situation you are unfamiliar with. For example, we travel to Washington, DC fairly often and I know how long it takes to get from different points to the airport and about how long it takes to get through security and so forth. I also know there are multiple flights and if I cut it too close on one, the odds are I can take a later flight if I have to. More importantly, it’s only a two-hour flight back, plus it’s east coast time. When traveling in winter, weather delays are always possible, especially from a place like Chicago.  In other words, we made the decision to fly Monday morning rather than try for a Sunday flight. As a morning person, I’m fine with getting up very early to catch something like a 7:00 a.m. flight. Hubby, not so much, and unless I really have to, I’ll book us later. That was the plan for our return. Events transpired so we were not delayed due to local weather, but rather some other circumstance. Fortunately, I got a robo-call from the airline to alert me and we were able to relax in the hotel for an additional hour.

Then there was an additional delay for take-off. That added up to two hours which put us into Miami at 5:30. Traffic has been worse, and rather than eat out again, we swung into the grocery store on the way home for a roast chicken and salad. Still, it made for a longer day than I’d hoped. On the “up” side, Hubby was able to have his deep dish pizza. With it being a local specialty, it stood to reason there would be a place at O’Hare and there was one in the food court. I could have my own choice of something else and after that we popped into the bar near the gate where they had one of the local beers as well. So, if one must be delayed, being in an airport where there are decent services does help.

Our World Underwater opened at 5:00 yesterday and we had a fairly steady stream of people coming to the booth. The film presentation didn’t start until 8:00, and Richie was not the first presenter as we had thought. In other words, by the time we finished up and actually left partway through, it was already late. We’d eaten pretty heavily at lunch knowing the schedule, and naturally the hotel bar was jammed when we arrived. The regular restaurant where we’d had lunch was still open, but quite frankly, I hate to enter a place with only thirty minutes until closing time. I don’t like to be rushed and even when the staff doesn’t act as if  they want you to please leave, you know that’s how they’re feeling.

Anyway, somewhat like when I made my trip to MA this past summer and didn’t get a lobster roll, Hubby has been looking forward to authentic Chicago deep dish pizza (not my thing, but he enjoys it.) So far, we haven’t been anywhere that serves it. The first night when our friends picked us up, we all agreed going to a family-friendly place was important. It didn’t occur to us that the hotel would have flatbreads instead of Chicago style.  There was no way we were going off in search of restaurants that late last night and tonight we’re planning to be with a small group going to a well-known steakhouse. Not that we don’t both love a good steak, mind you. Ah well, maybe tomorrow night. Hubby did have a new porter last night that he really liked.