New Jersey and New York - May 2025

After our month in DC, we decided to spend a week in NJ/NY to see friends.  We originally had planned on going straight to NY from DC but we had to go back to TX for a couple of days to attend Ginny's (Peter's mom) Celebration of Life.

New Jersey

We arrived in Newark on Sunday mid-day - Tom picked us up at the airport and then we had lunch at Coniglio's in Morristown, sharing a pizza and salad among the three of us.  Kim was working at a track meet so we stopped by to see her and Riley.  We then went back to their house and had some wine before going out to dinner at Huntley Taverne where we shared a great salad and fish dish.  We stayed the night and then Riley dropped us off at the train staton the next morning to catch the train into the city.

New York

We spent the next six nights at Mark and Alicia's apartment. While in NY, we did the following activities::

Central Park - We walked around Central Park, checking out the newly renovated Conservatory Gardens which had beautiful tulips and the newly constructed Davis Center in Harlem which will operate a pool in the summer and ice skating rink in the winer.  The park was heaving with people - more than what we would have expected for a Monday.

Walking around Central Park

Good Night and Good Luck - We went to the matinee performance of this play with George Clooney. The play was a little show at parts but overall very good and funny.

Good Night and Good Luck

9/11 Museum - We spent a little over two hours here and wish we had more time - we could have easily spent three hours.  The museum is very well done - excellent exhibits and cool how they did the layout.  The museum is underground surrounding the original footprint of the towers - you could see the original spots where the columns were.  We would definitely go back to do it again.

9/11 Fountain Memorial with World Financial

Hell's Kitchen - We went to this Broadway musical that is based on Alicia Keys early life and includes all songs from her.  The music and dance was spectacular!

Hell's Kitchen

And ate/drank at the following places:

Lava Shawarma - Had lunch here - we each got a beef and lamb shawarma - Keith had his in a pita and Shawna had hers in a wrap that they crisped under the grill.  Very tasty. 

Buceo 95 - We met up with Helen and her husband, David, for dinner at this tapas restaurant on the Upper West side. We shared several dishes for the table - all good.  We then went back to their apartment to meet their kids.

Dinner with Helen and David

Masa - We had lunch at this three Michelin Star Japanese restaurant.  We sat at the counter and the decor was minimalist.  We were not allowed to take photos. The wine pairing was excellent.  Every course except the first and last was nigiri, which Shawna had not had before, and it was made by hand in front of us.  We enjoyed every piece except for the sea urchin. Overall, it was very good but probably not worth the money.  

Masa

Chez Mark/Alicia - We had dinner at Mark and Alicia's place.  We started out with Aperol spritzes out on the 3rd floor outdoor space.  Then we had a couple of bottles of wine.  Mark made a very yummy salad and chicken parm.

Fushimi - We had dinner at this Japanese restaurant before our Broadway show. We shared a few appetizers - all very tasty.  The restaurant was a bit of a scene but not bad for a pre-Broadway place. 

Baccarat Hotel Bar - We met Rak (who was in town for work) and Mark here for a drink.  The drink prices were outrageous but was nice to see Rak for a bit. 

Drinks with Rak and Mark

Black Iron Burger - We met Guy for lunch here in the Theater District - Mark joined us.  We each got a burger - very good.

Lunch with Guy and Mark

Chez John/Edi - We drove out to NJ to have dinner at John and Edi's House. Mark and Alicia also joined us. They ordered in Mediterranean which was really good so we had that for dinner with a few bottles of wine.  It was great to meet Edie and their two girls.

Dinner with John/Edie and Mark/Alicia

Bar Hugo Rooftop - We had drinks at this rooftop bar in Soho with Mark/Alicia and Kim/Tom and Kaley prior to dinner. The place was packed.  We lucked out with some nice weather - views were nice.  Service took a while but drinks were good.

Night out with Kim/Tom and Mark/Alicia

Altro Paradiso - We had dinner at this Italian restaurant in Soho with Mark/Alicia and Kim/Tom - cute place and pretty good food.  We shared a few pastas and appetizers for the table and then the two of us shared a pork chop.

Cork Wine Bar - After dinner, we had one more drink here - we shared a bottle of bubbly among the six of us (Mark/Alicia, Kim/Tom).

Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York - March 2024

Our next leg on the road trip was a week and a half in CT, MA and one more night on the way back South in NY.

Connecticut

After spending a few days in TX for Keith's dad's birthday, we flew back into LGA and picked up our car at the hotel where we had left it.  We then drove to New Milford, CT where we stayed one night at the cute B&B, Homestead Inn, that Carmen had arranged for us.  We had a nice room with a king bed on the second floor.  After getting settled in, we walked around town and grabbed a hot chocolate at a cute cafe, River and Rail Cafe.  

Homestead Inn

That evening, we met Carmen and Lew for dinner in New Milford at La Piccolina - a cute Italian restaurant just a few blocks from the Inn.  We walked over and had a nice dinner starting with a pear salad and then ending with a pork tenderloin with roasted potatoes and broccolini.  

Dinner with Carmen and Lewis at La Piccolina

The next morning, we had breakfast at the Inn - a quiche with English muffins which was tasty.  We then packed up and drove to MA.

Massachusetts

We stayed for three nights at Fannie's house (Fuqua alum) - who lives in Newton about 15 min outside of Boston.  She has a three story house (the downstairs is rented out) - we stayed in one of the guest bedrooms on the second floor.  We arrived mid-day and after unloading, we had a salad that she made for us.  We then went to the nearby Planet Fitness to work out and that evening, we went out to dinner to Korean Garden where we shared several yummy dishes.  For dessert, we picked up some mochi donuts at Mochinut and brought them back to the house.  

On Saturday, we worked out again in the morning and then went downtown to the JFK Library and Museum where we spent a couple of hours.  The library was pretty good but not as informative as we would have liked.  We had a little time to kill before dinner so we grabbed a hot chocolate at Tatte, one of Shawna's new favorite cafes (they are also in DC) and then we met Brian (former LivCor colleague of Keith's) at Bar Mezzana for dinner.  We shared a crudo, a couple of pasta and the branzino - all very good.

Dinner with Brian at Bar Mezzana

On Sunday, after our workout, we went downtown again to walk around Harvard for a few minutes.  It was quite cold so we got another hot chocolate, this time at what was supposed to be Boston's best at JP Licks - turns out it was just OK.  We were supposed to go to a museum that Fannie had recommended (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum) but it was sold out so we instead went to the Museum of Fine Arts.  The place was huge so we just went to part of it, seeing the art from Egypt and Greece.  After this, we picked up Will, the son of Jim and Liz (more Fuqua alumns) who was attending college at Northeastern and brought him back to Fannie's where she made us a yummy meal of dumplings and Thai curry.  We also had brownies with ice cream for dessert.  Keith then drove him back while Shawna chatted with Fannie a bit more before heading to bed.

Time with Fannie

The next morning, we had coffee and breakfast with Fannie and then drove to CT.

Connecticut

We stayed near Bloomfield (where Shawna used to work for Cigna) for three nights at the Courtyard Marriott - across the street from the Marriott Shawna used to go to all the time for work.  While here, we caught up with the following former colleagues of Shawna's:

• Union Street Tavern - Had lunch with Cheryl (was on Shawna's team) and her husband Mike.  We split a salad and tacos.  Got to hear all about her retirement plans as she only had about a month left at Cigna. 

Lunch with Cheryl and Mike at Union Street Tavern

• Meadow Restaurant - Met Eric (was one of Shawna's former bosses) for dinner. We shared a hibachi and a Thai basil chicken - tasty. 

Dinner with Eric at Meadow Restaurant

• @ The Barn - Met Jean (was a peer of Shawna's) who is also retired for lunch. We shared the brussel sprout salad and a cheese board.

Lunch with Jean at @ The Barn

• Metrobis - Had diner with Jen and Cindy (was on Shawna's team) for dinner.  It was a three course menu - all of the food was really good. The restaurant is really nice as well.

Dinner with Cindy and Jen at Metrobis

• @ The Barn - Had lunch with Jackie (was one of Shawna's former bosses) who is also retired for lunch. We shared the brussel sprout salad and the mussels. 

Lunch with Jackie at @ The Barn

• Marriott - Met Heather (was Shawna's boss) here for a drink. Stacie also joined us towards the end since we were giving her a ride to dinner.

Drinks with Heather and Stacie at the Marriott

• Treva - Had dinner with Eva and Stacie (were peers of Shawna's). Food was great.  We shared a bunch of dishes for the table.

Dinner with Eva and Stacie at Treva

We drove by the Cigna building so Keith could see where Shawna used to work when she was in town. 

 

Cigna building where Shawna used to work

We also squeezed in one touristy/cultural event by touring the Mark Twain House who lived in the house when he wrote most of his major books.  The house was very interesting in decor and architecture.  

Mark Twain House

New York

We drove to NYC for one night to see Billy Joel at MSG.  We stayed at Mark and Alicia's apartment again.  We arrived mid-afternoon and relaxed a bit before joining them with an early dinner - we ordered in from a yummy Turkish place sharing a salad, lamb patties and dumplings - all very good.  We then went to the concert which was amazing.  Turns out it was his 100th show from this residency so they filmed it to air on CBS a few weeks later.  And to top it off he had two surprise guests - Jerry Seinfeld who came out and said some nice words and then Sting who sang two songs with Billy.  

Sting and Billy Joel

The next morning we had to get up early to drive to NC - took us a little over 12 hours!!

New York - March 2024

For the next leg of our trip, we spent 5 nights in NYC, staying at Mark and Alicia's apartment on the Upper East side.  They rent the apartment across the hall from their place which is normally used by their son but he was away at college so we got to use the place.  We got into the city around 2pm and then had to unload everything since we were putting the car in a garage.  After we unloaded and got settled, we walked around the park with Mark and grabbed a couple of beers together.  That evening, we had dinner with Carmen (Shawna's step sister) and Lewis at their apartment - we had not seen them since before Covid.  They served us a healthy and yummy salmon, brussel sprouts and salad with ice cream for dessert.  When we returned from dinner, we had a couple of drinks with Mark and Alicia in their apartment and got to catch up with Cassie as well (their daughter).  

Walking around the reservoir in Central Park

On Thursday, we went to a nearby gym - Synergy - where we payed for a 5 day pass.  The gym was not fancy but did the trick.  We then walked around the park and grabbed a quick sandwich and bagel at the Bagel Shop.  That evening, we went to the taping of the Colbert Show at the Ed Sullivan Theater.  It was so cool to see the process.  We stood in line for about an hour before they let us in and after we were seated, there was a 'warm' up act where a guy came out to warm up the audience.  Then the band came out and played music.  And then finally, Colbert came out to do a Q&A and then went into the monologue and the show. The guest star was Paul Simon who played two songs - one that was on the show and another one that is supposed to be used for a later show.  Definitely a fun thing to do!!

Colbert Show

While we were waiting in line at the Colbert Show, Shawna got an alert that a table opened up at Blue Hill in West Village - we had wanted to try this place for quite some time so we jumped on it.  After the show, we went here for dinner and had an amazing four course meal - each course usually had at least two if not three dishes.  We also did the wine pairing.  Such a great place!!

One of the courses at Blue Hill

On Friday, we went to the gym and then had lunch with Mark at Chipotle.  We then walked around the park for about two hours and then had a couple of beers at a nearby pub.  That evening, we all met up with John Cronin for dinner at Bocca Di Bacco in Hells Kitchen.  His wife was supposed to join but one of their kids were sick so we didn't get to meet her.  We had not seen John in quite some time so was nice to catch up.  The food was great - we all shared several appetizers and a couple of pastas and then we both shared a fish dish for our entree.  

Dinner with John, Mark and Alicia at Bocca Di Bacco

On Saturday, we went to the gym again and then grabbed a quick lunch at the corner bagel store.  We walked around the park again as well.  That evening, we all met up with Kim and Tom at Thep Thai for dinner.  We shared a bunch of dishes for the table - food was tasty.  We then went to Brandy's Piano Bar where we stayed until midnight, drinking beer and singing along.  We capped off the evening with a slice of pizza!!

Dinner at Thep with Kim, Tom, Mark and Alicia

On Sunday, we slept in - our bodies were not used to staying up so late!!  We then went to Union Square to meet up with Guy (Fuqua alum) and his wife Jean Marie for lunch at Boucherie. Keith got the steak frites and Shawna got the fish - both tasty.  We then went over to Old Town Bar (one of the oldest bars in NYC) to have a few beers since it was St Pat's Day.  Back uptown, we met up with Mark and Alicia at Gerry's Place where they were meeting with a bunch of friends for beers - we were quite tired so we only stayed for one beer before heading back to the apartment to do laundry and pack up!

Lunch at Boucherie with Guy and Jean Marie

On Monday, we left some stuff at the apartment (to pick up again later) and then drove to LGA where we then flew to Dallas for a few days.

NYC - Aug 2022

Drinks at the Met

Since Keith had to be in NYC for this board meeting, we decided to stay the weekend and catch up with friends.  Keith was there all week and Shawna arrived Thursday evening.  We stayed at the W Hotel Union Square and worked out of the hotel on Friday.

On Friday afternoon, we took the train out to New Jersey to stay at Kim and Tom's house for the night.  After having a couple of beers and hearing about their trip to Switzerland, we cleaned up and headed out to dinner at Ninety Acres - a beautiful restaurant in a park about 40 min from their house. We started with a cocktail and then moved on to wine while sharing a burrata salad, veal rags and a pork entree.  The food was delicious.  Once we got back to the house, we crashed pretty quickly - Kim was disappointed that we didn't stay up for more drinking!!

Dinner at Ninety Acres

On Saturday, we went for a hike near their house with the dog and then showered at their house before taking the train together back into the city.  We dropped off our stuff at our hotel (Sheraton Time Square) and then the four of us went to meet Mark and Alicia for drinks at the rooftop of the Met.  It took a while to get to the rooftop as there was a line to get in but once we got there, it was amazing - great weather and views of the city.  We had a couple of drinks.  Cassie, Mark and Alicia's daughter, also joined us.  We then headed downtown for dinner at Casa Carmen, a trendy Mexican restaurant in Tribeca.  We had yummy margaritas and some great food, sharing a bunch of dishes for the table.  

Dinner at Casa Carmen

On Sunday, we got our usual Starbucks and relaxed in the room, and then did a walk around Central Park.  Back at the hotel, we showered and then went to the airport to fly back home.  Great weekend!!

New York - Feinberg Bat Mitzvah - Sept 2021

Having quite a laugh (post injury) at the bat mitzvah

We spent a few days in NYC so that we could attend Casey's bat mitzvah - Mark and Alicia's daughter.  We had attended their sons bar mitzvah a few years earlier so came back to witness the 'girl version' of this fun event.  We arrived into the New York City late on Wednesday night as we took a direct flight from Oregon (spending a few days in wine valley with the Snarrs to celebrate Kim's 50th birthday).  We checked into our hotel, Courtyard Marriott Central Park (which was not your typical Courtyard - rooms were decent, not many amenities but at least it was close to the park) and promptly went to sleep.

Central Park Reservoir

We worked out of the hotel on Thurs / Fri and had dinner on Thursday night with Keith's boss and his wife at Buddakan.  While Shawna had met Keith's boss a couple of times before, it was nice to spend some more personal time and to meet his wife.  When we sat down at the table, we were surprised with some glasses of champagne that have been arranged in advance by Keith's work to celebrate Keith's two year anniversary with the company.  We shared several tasty dishes including dumplings, cauliflower pops, stir fried broccoli and fish.  When it came time for dessert, we ordered two to share but needed up getting one of each (four in total) comped as Keith's boss happen to know the general manager.  

On Friday night, we had dinner just the two of us at Musket Room, a small, very cute and really yummy Michelin starred restaurant in SoHo.  We were quite tired and had contemplated canceling but we were glad that we ended up going.  We shared the bread with spreads and squash blossom for an appetizer and then shared the duck for an entree - delicious!  We had a drink to start, a bottle of wine with our meal and a couple of glasses of dessert wine.  All of which made for a good night's sleep as we slept in until 7:40 am the following morning!

Pre injury photos

On Saturday, Keith got us Starbucks for breakfast and then we worked / relaxed in the hotel for a bit until we headed out to Central Park to do the big loop and one lap around the reservoir.  On our way back, we stopped at a Sweetgreens and got a salad and a warm bowl that we shared for lunch.  That afternoon, we took a nap and then got ready to go to the bat mitzvah which was located in a warehouse type building in Chelsea.  Kim and Tom also came and we also saw Alicia's sister.  At the party, we had a few drinks and some heavy appetizers and then decided to join in on the fun on the dance floor.  About two minutes into dancing, Shawna ended up tearing a calf muscle as she was jumping up and down.  She felt a tear in her leg and quickly hobbled off the dance floor.  Apparently you should no longer dance that way in your 50s!!  She elevated her foot and put some ice on while Keith, Kim and Tom enjoyed a bit more of the party.  When it came time to leave, Keith and Tom had to carry Shawna out because at this point, she could not walk on the injured leg!  We cabbed it back to the hotel, hopped her way through the lobby and to the room and then elevated and iced some more while trying to get some sleep that night!

Getting carried out of the party

Next day heading to airport

On Sunday, Keith went out for Starbucks again and also got Shawna some crutches and bandages to wrap the leg. We then checked out of the hotel a bit earlier, recognizing that it would take longer to navigate the airport on crutches.  At the airport, Shawna did not make it very far before needing to get a wheel chair to get her to the gate and then needed another wheel chair (which we had to wait for) when we landed to get her to the curb.  We were back to our house mid afternoon and Shawna did her best to unpack and settle in while using crutches in the house.  While we will certainly remember this silly mishap, we were bummed that we could not enjoy more of the party.

New York - Aug 2021

Keith had a board meeting in New York so we decided to take advantage of that to catch up with friends.  Shawna went on her own to have a girls weekend with Chris and then Keith arrived on the Sunday.  We worked from there during the week and then met up the following weekend with Kim, Tom, Mark and Alicia.

Accommodation:

Renaissance Chelsea - Trendy hotel in Chelsea with a rooftop bar that attracted a much younger crowd.  Room was the typical small size for NY but was cute.

Activities:

Shawna flew in on Thursday night, arriving at the hotel close to 10pm.  She worked from the hotel on Friday and then Chris joined her around 7pm.   After dropping off her bags, we then went out for a really fun night - going to a few bars and eating at a cute restaurant.  On our way back to the hotel, Chris helped a guy who was stumbling drunk in the street - he could barely stand so after some sleuthing to get his passcode for his phone, she called the last number dialed and got his friend Chloe to come.  When Chloe arrived, she was complaining about her boyfriend and asked us if she should break up with him - we thought it interesting that this is what she chose to focus on when her friend was passed out on the sidewalk.  Chloe then called her boyfriend who came within a few minutes but he was quite drunk himself so they really could not get the friend off the ground to walk him home.  Shawna wanted to call 911 but they pleaded with us to not do that, worried that he would get in trouble.  So, we left them to take care of him and went to our hotel to have one (or two) last drinks.  After that, we decided we had enough excitement for the evening so we went to bed, sometime after 1am!

Chris and Shawna out on the town

On Saturday, Chris ran out to get us Starbucks for breakfast and then we headed out to do two tours.  The first was a tour of St Patrick's Church (the one downtown) and the Catacombs.  The tour guide was really good and we learned that the church was a cathedral where the bishop worked until the larger St Patrick's was built in midtown.  We also learned that the phrase 'stinking rich' came from the smell of rotting dead bodies of the rich who were buried in the catacombs but the doors were not sealed so the smell escaped outside!  We grabbed a quick slice of pizza for lunch and then did our second tour which was of Grand Central.  This tour was also quite interesting and we learned about some of the secret places in Grand Central such as a tennis club on the fourth floor!  

St Patrick's Church

Tour of Grand Central

After the tour, we walked back to the hotel, stopping at Eataly on the way home for a gelato and some cheese and crackers which we ate back in the room along with an Aperol spritz.  We then took a short nap and then got ready for our second fun evening of yummy food (Gramercy Tavern), drinks, pool, and people watching.  When we got back to the hotel, we hung out outside to watch the young kids trying to get into the rooftop bar - we had the terrible idea of drinking a bottle of wine while doing this which we definitely felt the next day!!  We finally got to bed around 2:30pm.

All decked out for our fancy meal

On Sunday, we slept in until 10am and then had a quick brunch at a place very close to the hotel.  We then said our goodbyes and agreed that we could not do another night like the last two!!  What fun times though! That afternoon, Shawna relaxed, and then Keith arrived at the hotel around 5:30pm.  We ordered in sushi and just relaxed in the hotel.  

Yummy cocktails at Gramercy Tavern

That week Shawna worked from the hotel and Keith had meetings at the property. Keith also had work dinner plans Mon-Wed nights so Shawna just ate at the hotel restaurant one night (salad) and ordered in ramen the other two nights.  

On Thursday night, Keith had planned a surprise belated birthday evening for Shawna - he not only wouldn't tell her what the plans were but also would not tell her what she had to wear until that afternoon.  Turns out jeans and a nice top were the requested attire which Shawna was glad was not something weird!  Our first stop for the evening was dinner at Indian Accent, a restaurant that Shawna had found when she was planning dinner for the weekend with our friends.  We sat outside because inside required us to have the tasting menu. The meal was delicious.  Our next stop was to see Springsteen On Broadway which was awesome.  It was a 2.5-hour show with no intermission of just him on stage with a guitar and a piano, telling stories of his childhood and singing some of his songs.  His wife joined him on stage to sing two duets with him.  Shawna had not guessed that this was the event so it truly was a surprise!

Springsteen On Broadway

On Friday evening, we met up with Kim and Tom at Eleven Madison Park for the all-vegetarian tasting menu.  It was our first time seeing them since Covid and we celebrated both Kim and Shawna's 50th birthdays!  Three of us got the wine pairing (the cheaper - Off the Beaten Path - option) while Kim got her own bottle of wine as she does not like red wine.  As you can imagine each dish had a beautiful presentation and the food was really fresh and wonderful.  Our favorite was the eggplant which was the last dish right before dessert - mainly because it was the most flavorful.  After dinner, we walked over to another place and sat outside to have a beer, and then Kim and Tom caught a train back to NJ.

Eleven Madison Park

On Saturday, we slept in until 8am which is nearly unheard of for us these days but that's what happens when our old bodies stay up until midnight.  We did some work in the morning and then went to Central Park where we walked the entire big loop plus one lap around the reservoir.  Right when we were finishing our walk, we got a text from Tom that they were coming into the city early to do a walk with us so we went back to the hotel, grabbed a salad at a deli nearby, and then showered before they arrived.  After they dropped off their bags in our room, we went back to the park to do another lap around the reservoir - we ended up doing over 12 miles between the two trips.  There was a large concert in the park that evening so the crowds were started to gather and it was a bit challenging navigating around.  

Central Park Reservoir

We went back to the hotel, taking turns getting ready in the room while others sat in the hotel lobby bar drinking a few beers.  That evening, we met up with Mark and Alicia (along with Kim and Tom) for dinner.  We all had a great time catching up.

Dinner at Hearth

On Sunday, we relaxed in the room and then took a train down to Philly, a cab to the airport, and a flight home from there.  We had found out the day prior that our flight was canceled out of NYC due to a Tropical Storm that was supposed to hit on Sunday so instead of getting stuck in NY for a few days, we took trains, planes, and automobiles (literally) to get home!  Aside from this diversion, the trip was really great - nice to be back in NY and to see friends!

Restaurants:

Eataly - Shawna grabbed lunch here and we also stopped here for gelato.  The store is amazing with several smaller restaurants inside.

Jake's Saloon - We went here for a few beers and had the spinach artichoke dip for an appetizer.  It's what you would expect from a pub.

Loulou - We had dinner and drinks at this very cute restaurant.  We sat at the bar and shared a salad, shishito peppers, and baked brie.  Food was tasty and the drinks were quite good.

Gramercy Tavern - We treated ourselves at Shawna's favorite restaurant in Manhattan.  We had a five-course tasting menu with wine pairings.  Everything was super tasty - fluke, poached lobster, arctic char, duck breast, and berry cheesecake - yummy!!  We also sat in the bar after dinner and had a couple more drinks.

Society Billiards - We played a few rounds of pool and were reminded that we are not very good!  The place was great - clean, large with lots of tables.

Smithfield Hall - We had burgers for brunch - quite tasty.

Indian Accent - We had dinner here for the surprise date night.  We shared a potato and chickpea appetizer, lamb for an entree along with a mushroom side dish and garlic naan.  Since we knew we would have quite a bit of wine the next two nights, we just had a couple of beers with dinner.  Everything was very tasty!

Eleven Madison Park - The treat of the trip! We had dinner here with Kim and Tom and enjoyed the all-vegetarian tasting menu with wine pairings.  Needless to say, it was all very good!

Hearth - We had dinner here with Kim, Tom, Mark, and Alicia.  It's a cute Italian restaurant in the East Village.  We shared a few appetizers for the table - garlic bread, heirloom tomatoes, and a cucumber dish.  Keith and Shawna then shared the striped bass for an entree along with butter beans and polenta.  We all shared a few desserts as well.  The food was pretty good (the fish was a bit bland but the other dishes were tasty) - the service was a bit slow.