Reiss, Royce, Rocco's, Murray's, and HOME

     What to do on a sunny day that has stubbornly remained chilly at 20-degrees?  Go out walking on the sunny side of the street anyway!  That's what we did.
     Hurrying along wind-swept Bleecker Street, we dashed into Reiss (seen above), where I snatched up two lovely pairs of spring-colored socks: pink with pin-dots, and daffodil yellow.  
     Then we went to HOME on Cornelia Street for a warm lunch.  Only one server was on duty, and his hips swished as he blithely led us to a deuce in the back.  To help warm up, we ordered a creamy amount of goodness in the form of clam/bacon chowder!

Above us was a piece of amazing lacquered local artwork.  The colorful piece featured hues of cobalt blue and orange, with a well-etched intricate tree (the bark was made out of metal foil appliqué).

     I ordered Bouillabaisee (clams, mussels, fried oysters and white fish in flavorful saffron broth)--and lots of crusty soft bread.  Lewis chose an Oyster Po'Boy.  For dessert, our Butterscotch Pudding was accompanied by my espresso and Lewis's digestif of Prichard's "Sweet Lucy" Bourbon Cream!  (Try it, it's lovely).

     Soon it will be St. Joseph's Day.  Rocco's Bakery started crafting both versions of "San Giuseppe Tarts": cannoli cream, and custard filling.  We got one of each, as well as a Hot Cross Bun (only produced after Mardis Gras/Shrove Tuesday during Lent).

     We were about to leave the neighborhood when Lewis noticed a new Royce Japanese Chocolate shop.  After the saleswoman's generous samples, he bought a handsomely-wrapped assortment of Green Tea cubes (considerately enclosed in an insulated "cooling" bag with a dry-ice pack)!

     Murray's Cheese Shop beckoned me.  I had seen a particular cheese on TV's Food Network: Delice de Bourgogne, a small-batch French triple-cream delicacy.  Using my iPhone to show it to one of the cheesemongers, he instantly recognized it and gave me a sample.  It was delectable.  Lewis perused the Bleus, eventually choosing a new one for us: Fourme D'Ambert (a rare Frenchie, similar to Roquefort, which is aged in Murray's NYC caves for 4 weeks).  We also got "Sole Gran Queso", with a lovely saffron-colored rind (from the baskets used to drain the fresh curds) and a flaky texture like Parmigiano.  

    We popped into the Chelsea location of Trader Joe's--which at 2pm is perfectly empty--to pluck some pink hyacinths, fruit, leeks, cereal, and spelt-flour bread (NOT made with American "Franken-wheat").  
     Arriving in Astoria, I put everything away while Lewis blew bubbles all over my bedroom.  It looked pretty, as I'm sure you'll agree!  But, I had other intentions for blowing.  :-)