A Return to New York
The second anniversary of “Food and Whining” just happens to coincide with my return to one of my greatest joys surrounding food – dining in New York city. I haven't been here in over two years; two long, complicated, stressful, and painful years (the first more than the second). The demands and uncertainties of divorce combined with the loss of my father overshadowed any sense of optimism and long-term thinking. I was occasionally convinced I might never set foot here again. “Things will get better”, assured friends who had endured either (or both) types of loss. Things did get better; a great deal better. After that unintended hiatus, I'll be here twice in under a month. I had nearly forgotten the trademark intensity of this place, but a taxi ride from Laguardia into Manhattan can serve as a quick reminder. My driver, like all other New York taxi drivers, used the accelerator pedal as more of an on/off switch and the brakes for brick-wall-stops. Rapid flicks of the ste