a drive out to the beach for the day and Loi

Beachsaying
Fred and I drove out to the beach for the day.  The last time Fred was at the beach we had a different house standing so it was good to get him out there before the summer.  It has been quite the project and I am super excited about moving back in this summer. 

Beachchair
While we were out there we stopped by the gift that the "beach gang" gave us for our 50th bday.  The saying on the bench is above.  The bench sits in front of Jacks coffee in Amagansett.  So if you are in the neighborhood, stop by and get a seat.  I love this gift.

We returned to the city to have dinner with our friends on the UWS…gasp.  Each neighborhood in the city is so different.  We have a lot of really good friends that live on the UWS.  We always feel like a fish out of water up there.  We took our passports with us.  Just kidding.  We had dinner at Loi.  I think out of the five times we have eaten up there in the past 20 years, we had dinner in the same exact space when it was a different restaurant. 

Grapeleaves
Loi is a Greek restaurant.  You can see the chef above.  This is one of the pages in the menu.  Each table gets a few grape leaves and a whipped yogurt with olive oil to start.  Nice touch.

Shrimpspinachouzo
We split all the appetizers.  Shrimp cooked in ouzo served over spinach.

Gigantebeansredsaucefeta
Gigante beans cooked down in a tomato sauce and served with a thin block of feta cheese.

Unilemon
This was interesting.  Uni served in a lemony oil.  I just took out my uni and placed it on the small crisps of toast.  Nice.

Sardines
Grilled sardines. 

Octo
Grilled octopus.  All the appetizers were well prepared, nice presentation and the service was really good. 

Seabass
A whole sea bass baked in salt for two.  I didn't grab a pic of that in time but this is what they brought back to the table after showing off the fish.

Lamb
I went with the roasted spring lamb and slices of potatoes. 

Custarddessert
This is one of my favorite Greek desserts.  Phillo and custard.  Nice.

Nice meal, good friends and a change of scenery.  Beach to the UWS.  Big travel day.

Comments (Archived):

  1. ellen

    mouth-watering

  2. rachel

    love your bench! couldn’t think of a better gift for the people who have everything…!

  3. Atg

    Also absolutely adore the bench. I often look at plaques in parks and on benches and think that they express the loveliest sentiment in the world. You must have a great group of friends.

    1. Gotham Gal

      totally amazing gift.

  4. Emily Merkle

    Super gift. Thanks for sharing.

  5. awaldstein

    Lovely gift.Reminded me that I’m way overdue for bench in Central Park for my father and grandfather. Two people who really loved NY.

  6. Eliot Pierce

    Over 15 years ago, my parents gave my sister and me a bench in Central Park in front of the Delacorte Clock at the zoo and I ended up proposing to my wife on it 6 years later. Since then, my parents then gave each of our children a bench in the park as well (in addition to my niece and nephew). Yesterday afternoon, I went for a walk with my dad in the park to talk over some life choices… and we sat on a bench — not one of THE benches, but a bench in Central Park as I vow never to kick anyone off one of our benches. It was just lovely… There is nothing quite like a bench. 🙂

    1. Gotham Gal

      great story. i love all the benches in central park with the plaques. each tell a story.