This weekend, Kendrick and Dad are both out of town, so I’m staying over at Mom’s for a couple of nights. Friday night, we went to the always-excellent 44 & X for steak frites (highly recommended; the fries are second only to McDonalds, and the steak is perrrrfect). Also excellent and recommended: our adorable waiter, Chad.

I get so lazy about my attire when I go to my parents; I just want to spend 100% of my time in PJs. Up there, I’m wearing Kendrick’s John Varvatos sweater and slouchy jeans…and it took some convincing to get me to swap out my Emus (replacements for the Uggs!) for actual shoes.

Virgil with his honorary Dogmother Morgan after brunch at Wicker Park (Kendrick brought him to meet us afterwards…we didn’t actually pull up a seat for him at the table). 

Wicker Park might be my new UES pick for brunch - technically it’s a pub, but the decor is much airier and prettier than your typical bar/restaurant, and food is much better than the offerings at the other pubs in the area I’ve tried. And the price is totally reasonable, especially given the cozy atmosphere: $12.95 for a big, delicious plate of food and a beverage (including Bud Light drafts and mimosas). I had Eggs Benedict, which came with potatoes and an unusually nice side salad, and sources (Morgan and Andrea) tell me that the breakfast sandwich is awesome too. The Bloody Marys aren’t included in the brunch special, but if you go, you must get one anyway: they’re among the best I’ve ever had. 

Me, Morgan and Andrea at Dos Caminos Soho for New Year’s Eve 2010 (we were joined by my husband, Morgan’s fiance Tyler, and Tyler’s brother Hunter).

We had an absolute blast - the restaurant was decorated beautifully, the staff (especially Niceto - a friend of mine from way back in the day who I just discovered works there - and managers Whitney and Amanda) was super nice and fun, and the food was SPECTACULAR. It was an absolutely perfect New Year’s. No excessive walking through cold city streets (we miraculously got taxis in both directions), no awkward hugs with strangers, and no next-day regrets about spending too much money on bad champagne (the champagne was g-o-o-d, and the prices were totally reasonable).

I will be doing this again. Preferably before December 31, 2010.

I’ve thought long and hard about whether or not I want to tell you about my secret…but I’ve decided that, in the spirit of Christmas and giving and all, I simply must share: I’ve found one of the city’s best Italian restaurants. And it’s located directly next to the Port Authority.

I discovered Trattoria Casa di Isacco while walking home from work one day last winter - it’s located on a pretty dilapidated stretch of 9th Avenue, and yet the window display stopped me dead in my tracks: it was filled with gorgeous meats, huge platters of fresh bufala mozzarella, and pears stewing in brandy. Soon afterwards, I went back with Kendrick and my parents to check the place out.

Each and every dining experience I’ve had at Trattoria Casa di Isacco has been unforgettable. The atmosphere? Exactly what you’re looking for on a cold night in New York City: string lights, cozy tables, brick walls, and Italian opera playing over the sound system. The food? I do not exaggerate when I say that the sopressata is the best I’ve ever had, and that the manchego cheese and olives take me straight back to Italy. But the best part of the experience is Isacco himself, who bustles between tables handing out tastes of his favorite antipasti, bursting into song, and pulling enormous barrels of house-made grappa off the wooden shelves for patrons to smell (try the fig and pear…they’re to-die-for). 

(Pictured above is a pounded veal with mozzarella salad dish that isn’t on the menu, but that Isacco has made specially for my dad in the past, and that I couldn’t help but order for myself on Saturday. I am not a huge veal fan, but this? This is spectacular.)

Yesterday afternoon I met author Suzanne Guillette at Les Halles, on Park Avenue. I reviewed Suzanne’s debut memoir, Much to Your Chagrin, earlier this year, and she and I have been corresponding via email for a bit, so we decided it was time to, you know, take the next step. After reading her book I felt that I knew her already, and she was just as lovely and engaging as I had imagined she would be. 

Les Halles, by the way, is one of my favorite restaurants to meet at for a late-afternoon drink: it’s quiet and elegant, the waiters and bartenders are super-friendly, and the martinis are the size of small boats. (I also have a minor obsession with Anthony Bourdain, who used to run the kitchen there, and I must admit that a small part of me hopes that he’ll come strolling through the door in search of some of their famous french fries.)

I have never eaten shrimp as delicious as the shrimp at The Freezer. Their secret, according to Sharyn, is Old Bay Seasoning (the butter that I drenched them with might have helped, too).

Z D pink skinny jeans from Bealls ($20), Betsey Johnson heels, Mossimo Supply Co. cardigan from Target.