This Weekend: Bubbles, Buttercream, Terraces, and Mothers.

Good morning, 

Photo by Ann on Unsplash

Things here are a bit difficult, and I wanted to send this out for the weekend, but also let you know that the Strong Buzz may be on and off for a while because my mom is not doing so well.

We have been in crisis for about a week now. I’ve been trying to get her safe and settled in a new senior assisted living environment and handle all of her losses: of mobility, independence, along with various other added indignities. The pace of trying to sort out her care and keep her safe while parenting two kids has made me feel sort of like a Tasmanian Devil, I whirl around like a fury cartoon character, filling out forms, powers of attorney, while remembering the permission slips for the school dances, and the litany of camp forms, writing so many checks, speaking to caregivers and doctors, trying to be patient with my mom, while burying my own frustrations, like pushing broken rocks down into my gut. 

I find myself leaning my head against the wall and sobbing silently or just feeling tears fall out of my eyes while I am running around, like my face is a leaky faucet. The losing of mothers is something many people have written about, and while mine is still with me, she is going. I feel her fading away. It’s like I am watching her and she’s becoming more grainy, pixelated. She is no longer solid. I don’t know how to be without her. I don’t know life without her. I feel like I am breaking open from the inside out. This is life, I know, its natural progression, but it doesn’t feel good. There’s fear, and anxiety, sadness, grief, frustration, and an urgency to make it all slow down, all of that stewed together like some broth from hell.

And so, in the meantime, we eat.

For now, check out Demo if you haven’t, in the West Village. It’s a true gem from Jacob Nass, Chef Quang ”Q” Nguyen, and Ian Henderson-Charnow. 

Jacob, Q, and Ian (L to R), the Demo Team.

Q has cooked at some of the most acclaimed kitchens in New York City, but he started out as a musician; he played trombone for 11 years before working front of house at restaurants in Texas and New Orleans, moving to New York City and into the kitchen at culinary hotspots like Má Pêche, Cosme, and Wildair, where he met future business partner Jacob Nass who was running their wine program. 

At Demo, they’ve created their own little den of deliciousness. Q is doing a super impressive menu that is best enjoyed sitting at his open kitchen counter. Start with “Crabs Casino,” topped with a pat of Café Paris butter, a flavor-forward compound made with parsley, chives, shallots, curry powder, chili, mustard, lemon zest and worcestershire sauce. (I want it on everything.) There’s also a glossy scallop crudo dressed with gremolata, a bouillabaisse-esque bowl of monkfish with clams, savoy cabbage, and lentils, and a lobster au poivre with miso fries, a fun riff on the classic with steak. But the showstopper might be the Arroz a la Plancha, a sort of paella, stocked with mushrooms then blanketed with a layer of bubbling taleggio and fontal. 

As for wine, Nass has curated a natural wine list that goes beyond the ordinary to focus on smaller producers and lesser-known varietials. “We are carrying folks making wine in a sustainable traditional style rooted in tradition and a sense of place,” he says. 

Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina at the Essex House

One more recommendation: if you've got a celebration, special occasion, or you just feel like getting dressed up and drinking champagne and feeling fancy, go to Michael Mina’s new Essex House restaurant, Bourbon Steak, which is magnificent. We went for Sam’s 11th Birthday and it was everything you want from an over-the-top dinner, tableside fondue, carts of crustaceans, and a space that is just gorgeous, like Truman Capote and his Swans might be gossiping in the corner Hollywood booth. 

And for your Weekend Buzz: bubbles, buttercream, and a new outdoor terrace that will blow your mind. Enjoy!

Hope to be back soon.

Andrea