Spoon #24: Brasserie Le Bouchon

This past weekend Ms. Dish and I ran off to Cold Spring, New York in the beautiful Hudson Highlands.  In between exploring the ruins of Bannerman's Castle and the Mount Beacon Incline, we stopped in at Brasserie Le Bouchon.

I already knew that Brasserie was French for "restaurant" but what's a Bouchon?  According to the internet it's a particular type of restaurant, focusing on Lyonnaise cuisine.  Now I'm no expert, so I can not vouch for the authenticity of the dishes, but I can tell you our waiter had what appeared to be an authentically French pointy-mustache!  Mustaches aside, this place was very relaxed and the food was downright delicious.

Here is Spoon #24:

This looks like a Sant Andrea Bellini, just like Spoon #11.  Number 24 is a bit on the small side, so I was afraid that this swap may have been Golidlocks'd, but we ended up quite successful! 

Spoon #23: Ruby's

This past Saturday, Ms. Dish and I again found ourselves hungry in SoHo.  Fortunately a popular internet based user generated restaurant review site guided us to Ruby's on Mulberry Street!

Once again Ms. Dish and I forgot to take a picture of the place, so please accept this "street view" from the internet.

Ms. Dish and I almost passed on Ruby's as it seemed a little too "hip" and despite the very hot and muggy weather, there was no air conditioning.  We're both glad we gave it a chance though... It turned out to be a pretty cozy joint and after a couple of basil lemonades we were sufficiently cooled down and had a great meal!

Here we present Spoon Number Twenty-Three:

Number 23 bears the markings "Winco Stainless 18-10" on the back.  This spoon is very similar to Spoon 16, which was an Oneida New York.  Funny how repetitious spoon styles can be! 

Number 23 is evidently a Winco "Peacock" as shown here with the family:

You know what's odd about this spoon?  There's no "8 in a circle" on the back like all the other Winco spoons that we've run across!  Now what are we to make of that?  Is it a bootleg Winco?  This spoon seems pretty worn and old... maybe the "8 in a circle" is a more recent thing?  The only thing more mysterious than the "Winco 8" is a Winco spoon without it!

Spoon #22: Maxwell's

This weekend Ms. Dish and I snuck off to Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey:

Suffering from a lack of cameras at the time, the picture above has been taken from the internet.

Ms. Dish and I actually came to Maxwell's on our first date, but so far we had only been there for the music (they seem to always have the best bands) or drinks.  This was our first opportunity to sample the menu, we are pleased to report that the food is very good! 

Now here is the big news, Spoon Number Twenty-Two:

Yes sir or madame, your eyes do not deceive you; just like Spoon Twenty-One, this is a Qualite Dominion - our first ever direct-swap!  To honor the establishment where this occurrence first took place, I propose we call this a "Maxwell's Swap".

Perhaps of even bigger significance, Spoon 22 breaks our five-way tie for the title of "Most Swapped Spoon"!  The Qualite Dominion is victorious!  How mysterious then that we have still not uncovered any information regarding this spoon or it's maker...

Spoon #21: Old Town

This weekend Ms. Dish and I continued on our old bar kick, swapping at Old Town Bar on 18th Street:

We used to come here all the time.  Old Town is a classic old New York bar, dating back to the prohibition days.  The dumbwaiters, still in regular use, are the oldest in town!  We were so keen on the Old Town as it is not nearly as pretentious as most of these types of bars.  Then maybe a year or two ago we detected a turn for the worse.  The food was not as good... the staff were not as friendly... and the place got crowded.  On Friday though we were in the neighborhood and figured we'd stop in.  To our delight, it was just like we remembered back in the "Good Old Days"!

By the way if you happen in on a hot summer day, be sure to try one of their lemonade and vodkas!  And if you're a guy, you should stop in and check out the giant Hinsdale urinals which recently celebrated their 100th birthday! 

Spoon number 21 came in a bowl of Old Town's famous chili:

A Qualite Dominion, just like Spoon 14.  Now our "Most Swapped Spoon" contest has reached five-way tie!

 - Oneida Baguette
 - Oneida New Rim
 - Winco Continental
 - Winco Stanford
 - Qualite Dominion

At this point I am thinking that the title of "Most Swapped Spoon" may have reached ludicrous proportions; but we've come too far to simply forget about this contest. What next?  A sixth contender?  Or will one of these spoon giants prove victorious?

Spoon #20: P. J. Clarke's

The Famous P. J. Clarke's:

Pure class and more popular than ever.  For better or worse, there are a few P. J. Clarke's throughout New York now - and did you know there's even a P. J. Clarke's in Las Vegas?  The original, however, is located in a tiny building tucked right in between midtown skyscrapers.   You can tell a lot of people have been through this place, and at that its age (over 125 years!) it has had its impact on New York.  Just take a look at the History section their website. 

If you're a fella you have to check out the bathroom; stained glass ceilings and giant porcelain urinals make you feel like a king! 

Here's ol' spoon number twenty: 

Well if it isn't an Oneida New Rim.  Just the same as Spoon Six even down to the 9-11 marking near the bowl.

You know what that means - we have an unprecedented three-way tie for "Most Commonly Swapped Spoon" between the Oneida Baguette, the Winco Continental, and the Oneida New Rim!

UPDATE:  Hold your horses, I just realized we also have another contender for our tie:  The Winco Stanford!  A four-way tie between Oneida and Winco! 

The Spoon: A Poem

Some days I think I need nothing
more in life than a spoon.
With a spoon I can eat oatmeal
or take the medicine doctors prescribe.
I can swat a fly sleeping on the sill
or pound the table to get attention.
I can point accusingly at God
or stab the empty air repeatedly.
Looking into the spoon's mirror,
I can study my face in its shiny bowl,
or cover one eye to make half the world
disappear.  With a spoon
I can dig a tunnel to freedom
spoonful by spoonful of dirt,
or waste life catching moonlight
and flinging it into the blackest night.

- Richard Jones

Spoon #19: Fraunces Tavern

Earlier this week Ms. Dish and I stopped in to Fraunces Tavern in the Financial District:

Fraunces Tavern is an old building with a new restaurant.  In fact, many sources say Fraunces Tavern is the oldest building in all of Manhattan, originally built in 1719 as the home of Etienne "Stephen" DeLancey.

It seems that any building of such age falls into the "George Washington's Axe" category.  Do you know all about George Washington's Axe?  It's one of my favorite anecdotes, so I'll remind you.  Essentially it revolves around someone saying "This is George Washington's Axe!  The handle has been replaced three times and the head has been replaced twice, but it's his original axe!".  Another example is the Ship of Theseus which will have the philosophers arguing until they are replaced!  Fraunces Tavern certainly falls into this category.  Over the years the building has seen a lot of action; opening as a tavern in 1762, pre-Revolutionary War cannonballs through the roof, George Washington's farewell to the Continental Army, multiple fires, and a bomb attack by Puerto Rican terrorists!  In all that time the building has undergone many changes.  It seems no one knows exactly what it looked like originally, but the current manifestation is the best guess. Many more details can be found on Wikipedia and the Fraunces Tavern Museum website.

All of this history aside, last year a new restaurant operated by Ireland's Porterhouse Brewing Company opened for business at Fraunces Tavern, serving typical pub fare with some fancier options to suit the financial district patrons.  As the Porterhouse Brewing Company name would imply, they have several of their own brews on tap and if you enjoy a nice whiskey this seems to be the place to go.  Fraunces Tavern is a stop on the American Whiskey Trail and their "Dingle Whiskey Bar" is home of the "Fraunces Tavern Whiskey Society".

Now here we have Spoon #19:

We know all about this spoon, because it is identical to Spoon #3, a Winco Continental! 

Do you know what this means?  It means with two occurrences, the Winco Continental is tied with the Oneida Baguette as our most commonly swapped spoon!