Yelp Review for Circa Restaurant

My godson Jeremy and I had high hopes for this restaurant and had consulted a few menus, including Yelp's, associated with this restaurant, read the reviews. We decided to share the mussels with beer, bacon, and onion... we both ordered the Steak Frites rare for me, medium rare for him, steak sauce separate.

For the first time in our culinary travels together, Jeremy refused to eat the mussels after he tasted one with the broth and complained it had an off after-taste to it. I was ambivalent towards it, though I found the stringy pieces of bacon a little disconcerting. I wasn't crazy about it, but didn't hate it as much as Jeremy apparently did.

Jeremy ordered the crab fritters which were very good, but the size of a small
melon ball, I think there were 6 of them, for $16 If I would have known they were this tiny ahead of time, I never would have ordered them.

The two Steak Frites arrived with the steak sauce oozing into the sliced steak, after I specifically ordered it served separately. The fries were warm, but the sliced steak was ice cold. We sent them back. When they arrived again, my meat was noticeably no longer rare, the steak itself was STILL cool to the touch, my fries were hot but hard to chew. I grudgingly accepted my fate, but Jeremy would have none of it.

He sent his steak back a third time, hoping it was the charm. It turned out to be the charm, his steak arrived warm, now it was medium, and his fries were
hot and delicious. I asked our very patient waitress if I could have some french fries that weren't cold and hard to chew, she graciously said yes.
The hangar steak is tasty. The fries are very good.

I gave this restaurant 2 stars instead of the one I planned to give it because
I believe there is room for improvement here. When the steak finally came out something other than cold, it was tasty... when the fries were hot not hard but tender, they were good. Forget the mussels. The menus online ALL say the mussels are $12 The mussels cost $18 The menus online said the Steak Frites was $25. The steak cost $29 All menus should be updated to reflect the rather steep increase in prices.

My Birthday

: It's time to share how my day went on Sunday, December 11th... my birthday.

My phone's alarm didn't go off at 7:45 but I managed to wake up 8:30, made a bee- line to the shower and decided not to wash my hair {because it's very long and would take forever to dry).and be quick about it. I had to leave the house by 9:30.Having selected and layed out my clothing the night before, there were no decisions to be made, thank G-d! I am so not a morning person I dressed in black velvet straight leg jeans,, a matching black velvet long sleeve tee-shirt. I then layered a holiday jacket that Patty gave me for my birthday adorned with gold and green leaves and red holly berries and gorl and silver swirls going from shoulder to wrists... the design on a black linen background is quite lovely. I wore quilted black knee length rain boots Dmitry got me last Christmas.... three teired graduated size pearls was the only jewelry. I carried my black trench coat from Banana Republic which suited my mood and the weather.

I picked up Jeremy at 10, got to the Park and Ride and caught the non-stop bus to NYC's Port Authority Bus Terminal at 10:20.. so far so good. The bus was crowded but we got 2 seats together. Jeremy was content to play with his phone, I rolled up my trench coat placed it against the window and closed my eyes. I swear the next thing I know we're in the tunnel which never ceases to give me the willies being under that river... it's 11:40.

I sat briefly to give Juniors on 49th a call, to reserve a table.. you can only do it 30 minutes before, as per their policy. Go figure. Then the fun began. Finding a cab.Let me tell you, it aint easy. Keep in mind this is 2 count em! weeks before Christmas,one week before Chanukah, and a Sunday to boot. Additionally, Fifth Avenue, from 48th Street to 57th Street, into an open street on three Sundays in December: December 4, 11 and the 18th. A congested area became more congested. It also began raining, it was a cold rain.

After about 20 minutes we got the cab, with the help of a rather sweet panhandler who managed to flag one down. Jeremy gave him all the cash he had.. a princely sum of eight dollars. I just mymbled thank yoiu and bundled into the cab.

Juniors was a zoo, There were lines snaking everywhere... people waiting to be seated for lunch it was a little after 12. We checked in and finally got a table bout 45 minutes layer, which wasn't too bad considering all factors. We ordered an order of potato pancakes served with freshly made chunky applesauce and shared a hot corned beef sandwich. It was good but not the Carnegie Deli or Sardis... and not even a garlic pickle? I was disappointed . I did get a free slice of strawberry cheesecake for my birthday, I took a forkful and gave the rest to Jeremy.

We were finished by 2:20 and went on a cab hunt for a second time. On this outing I learned that bike lanes are dangerous. They zip by on a fast clip. We did get a cab a reasonable 15 minutes later, and were on our way to the August Wilson theatre on 52nd and a matinee of Funny Girl with Leah Michele at 3:00. The good news is we got to the theatre in time to wait in line to get in... bad news is it was raining a little
harder and there weren't many overhangs to stand under. Finally they checked my purse cleared me, scanned the ticket and before I knew it I was buying a Poland Spring water and heading to my seat.

The show was delightful. In some ways Leah channeled Barbra Streisand (who originated the role on Broadway) and in some ways she made it her own. I especially enjoyed her "Don't Rain on My Parade," and "People" which closed the first act. Sitting up so close one can watch the actress's eyes, I swear I thought I saw a tear in her eye.. or maybe it was my own. I love that song.

The show ran until 5:50, I called Churrascaria Plataforma to tell them we would be late and change the reservation to about 6:15 from 6. Little did I realize the curse of trying to hail a cab two weeks before Christmas, on a Sunday with street closures, at prime dinner hour, in the dark.... but it wasn't raining cats and dogs any more, oh no! It was sleeting. Temperature was 33 degrees. And I was dressed in black, and short.
No cab was gonna see me unless I was practically IN the street. This was one helluva clusterf*ck for someone like me who is a) nightblind glare messes my vision up b) not fond of standing in the middle of the street trying to flag down a cab.... even the cop on the block sensibly wearing a hooded yellow slicker , didnt mind my risking' my life trying to get a darn cab! She never said a word, and did I detect a smile on
her face when I finally got the cab... ?

We arrived at Plataforma about 6:30 or so and were seated at out favorite table number 5 against the far wall by the kitchen where the meat comes out hot on skewers, sliced at your table... I had endcuts rare thank you, and was extremely pleased that the pre covid array was back and just as delicious as ever. On their menu displayed online, they say nothing about the prime rib roast, the rib eye steak, the bacon wrapped filet mignon, the tasty garlic steak, the amazing juicy flank steak,
rib lamb chops, leg of lamb, short ribs of beef, to name just some of the meats and also poultry, pork and salads and traditional Brazilian dishes that I don't bother with.At dinner's end they came out with a marvelous pistachio cake filled with pistachio pastry cream, pistachio sponge and pistachio buttercream and dusted with pistachio. I was in heaven.

It was now 8:25 and time to leave, though I would have loved one more Brazilian coffee, but... time to go on the odyssee to find a cab. I resigned myself to the fact that I had to ne ON THE BUS by 9 or get stuck in the city overnight. Or have to call Uber I guess, to drive us back to New Jersey if we missed the bus. I stepped up my game literally and hoofed it to the main intersection almost 2 blocks away. What the hell,
my head and hair had been wet most of the day, what's one more round of sleet and cold? To make a long story short, I coulda kissed the driver who flashed his lights to tell me I was hius next fare. I tipped him well, We got on the bus which wasnt crowded at all, and didn't stop at Newark Airport. We got back to Jeremy's by 10:15 and I got home to watch the tail end of the Dolphins/Chargers game which they lost. I am a die hard fan. I recorded the game. Made a hot chocolate, settled down to watch the game and play some poker on wire. I was wide awake and pretty excited over a really successfully executed birthday... one that was very enjoyable and special.

There is a PS to this story


Jeremy being the good heart that he is went on Amazon and bought 2 rather nice umbrellas for our travels next year... just in case! :-)

For My Brother

My big brother is dying. I never thought I would say those words about my brother, his indomitable spirit and his insistence that he would outlive me, convinced me of it. He would remind me that genetically he was predisposed to live a long life. There was no incidence of cancer, it was heart disease and diabetes that were the usual suspects in the family tree's demise.

My oldest brother had passed away two years ago, probably from unchecked diabetes. He was in the hospital a month, we had been estranged but I did have the opportunity to speak with my nieces and got word to him that I loved him. It was a sad time for everyone.

But this is the brother I was close to, my middle brother. He lives in Texas, he is who I turned to when I had covid. He was the brother I turned to period. He was the last of my family to survive besides me. I love him with all my heart.

He was never thin, even as a kid he had meat on his bones. He grew to be a man of 5'10 1/2 and about 250 pounds. Last time when I met with him and my sister in law in Manhattan we had lunch at the Carnegie Deli on 54th (which sadly closed the same year). My brother relishes food as much as I do, and he is an accomplished cook... I always called him a cook and I was a chef! :-)

He ordered some humungous corned beef and pastrami sandwich, and enjoyed every moment of it, you don't get that kind of deli in Texas. I had the corned beef and took half of it to go! lol That is a memory I am holding on to, it was a great day. I remember it was chilly and we went back to his midtown hotel and sat outside on a smoking patio. They had huge outdoor heaters going so that cut the chill nicely. My brother smoked, I do not.

As many of my friends know, I've been occupied and stressed out trying to find a place to live. My brother is a very kind-hearted man, he knows I am financially challenged aka poor, and would send me money every 2 months. I knew he had fallen and had hurt himself badly, was in the hospital for what he said was a ruptured pancreas. I was concerned but my brother was his usual ornery self and kept assuring me he was fine.

He then said he went to a rehab facility. I thought he was getting better, he didn't say anything was amiss other than the fact that his weight was around 157 and he didn't have much of an appetite, which didn't sound like my brother. I did notice that he was more cantankerous than usual but thought it was probably because he wasn't home.

I was wrong. I was wrong about a lot of things.

A few days ago my sister in law called me and I think gave me the most shocking news I have ever had in my lifetime.... my brother was dying. I think I am still in shock. It's like a bad dream, a waking nightmare. Not my big brother! He was my rock more like a mountain, larger than life. He and his beloved wife were always going on cruises, he was always so proud of his wife. This was an amazing woman he met and married seven weeks later. They were 45. They have been together 31 years...her grace astonishes me.

My brother is very intelligent, and extremely skillful in business and did well with his wife by his side. He audited medical bills for insurance companies in the maritime industry. He saved them hundreds of thousands of dollars and was an expert witness in cases where there were disputes. He received a hefty percentage of what he saved them, and lived quite comfortably; he has a lovely home in a suburb of Houston, Katy, Texas.


My sister in law told me that my brother has cancer of the pancreas today. He has a month to live. The cancer has spread to his brain. This staggered me, again I was not prepared to hear this. From what I understand, the hospice will medicate him and make sure he feels no pain, and keep him comfortable. Whatever that means.

My brother weighs 100 pounds. I hate cancer. Forgive me, I have no more words.

Yelp Review for Dora's Restaurant

Dora's
$$ Italian, Seafood
17 Main St
Clinton, NJ 08809

5.0 star rating 4/11/2018

This was my second trip to Dora, my first trip was a little disappointing, I had linguini with red clam sauce which was not really a clam sauce, but a tomato sauce. I like a good clam sauce with olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic, tomato..... not a tomato sauce per se, but that's me!

I am very pleased to say that my second visit was wonderfiul. My dinner companions were well known by restaurant staff, being semi regulars there, and one was celebrating his birthday. We were seated at a lovely table in the front window that overlooks quaint downtown Clinton, the tables are spaced enough apart to ensure some privacy... and there's a cheerful fireplace for cold evenings which added to the overall homey atmosphere for a neighborhood restaurant.

A crusty warm bread and a mixture of good olive oil and fresh herbs for dipping arrived with the menus. So far so good.............

So what about the food? The birthday boy had a generous portion Eggplant Rollatini, stuffed with Ricotta cheese and melted Mozzarella and a rich Tomato sauce. My other companion and I had the excellent Butternut Squash soup. For the main course I asked to have what my in the know birthday boy ordered: home made Parppadella , a ribbon like noodle with Bolognese, Mirepoix, fresh Herbs and a dollop of Ricotta cheese with a special request to add Meatballs, which were meat and pork, and scrumptious!(apparently I didn't see the appetizer of meatballs and sauce, or I would have ordered them, they are THAT good) and sweet Italian Sausage.

The restaurant manager, a charming man named Brian, patiently took the request and accommodated his additional request to add plenty of garlic and fresh basil. My other companion had Pan Roasted Half Chicken, Pan Roasted Chicken, Broccoli Rabe, Sausage, and Tomato. Portions were very generous, I took half of mine home for tomorrow's lunch.

Dessert was a real treat, a creme brulee for me was delicious, a chocolate mocha mousse cake with a candle arrived for our birthday boy, and a lemon confection went to my other companion.

Service was extremely attentive without being obtrusive. We had reservations for 7 PM and stayed til a little past 9 and were not rushed at any time to finish up, as the restaurant closes then for the evening. I was very pleased that I came, and look forward to visiting this moderately priced restaurant again.

Yelp Review of the Melt Shop

Melt Shop
$$ Sandwiches, Salad, Comfort Food
135 W 50th St
New York, NY 10019

1.0 star rating12/12/2019

My godson and I visited this place for lunch and ordered the grilled cheese with bacon. I ordered mine without the brick sauce and maple. My godson ordered his with no changes.

The sandwiches were both lukewarm, not very browned., but greasy as all get up. The 2 one half slices of bacon that came in the sandwich were barely cooked (and barely there) and the cheddar cheese had an off taste to it. The brick sauce on my godson's sandwich was awful. I gave him half of my sandwich that didn't have the brick sauce, and he still found it lousy.

We wasted $7.59 a sandwich on something I wouldn't feed a dog, let alone a hungry diner. It all ended up in the garbage. Comfort food? I think not......Nathans is steps away, we would have been better off there...avoid this mediocre place..... unless you like overpriced dreck!

Third Yelp Review for Plataforma

12/12/2019
Well it was my birthday and I returned to this marvelous restaurant with my usual sidekick, and prepared to be dazzled by delicious meats brought to the table on skewers by servers who seem to memorize what you like. I like rare end cuts, my companion medium rare end cuts, and that is what we were offered.

My favorites were the prime rib, rib eye steak, top sirloin, flank steak and leg of lamb. The mashed potatoes are to die for!!

We arrived after theater at 5:00 PM, and already the restaurant was humming with a nice crowd which grew to packed because this place is that good! The service is flawless, we don't order drinks, waiters were constantly filling our water glasses. Also, we were waiting for rib lamb chops my companion's favorite! and were asked what meat we might like. How perceptive! We told one of the servers what we wanted and it was delivered to our table almost immediately.

When you go there for your birthday you get a free dessert, and a gift card for a free rodizio style lunch or dinner. The manager sang "Happy Birthday" to me by NAME, which really impressed me, and warmly wished me a happy birthday, holiday and New Year. I hugged him.

This is a place with a heart. We plan to go there in April after theater in celebration of my companion's birthday. It is, by far, my favorite restaurant not only in Manhattan, but anywhere. So go! Go hungry! But go!

Second Yelp Review for Plataforma

1/24/2019 We revisited this wonderful Brazilian steakhouse and were absolutely thrilled that they hadn't changed a bit! We were seated after seeing a matinee on Broadway at about 5:10, and again I requested a table not far from the kitchen...because I'm smart! I also decided against the salad bar, because I came here for the dizzying array of delicious meats that got served hot, straight from oven to table. The servers remembered that I like my meats rare, and my companion likes his medium rare. Their attention to detail is outstanding!

I suggest trying the mashed potatoes as a side, they are excellent, we had several helpings of them. Deserving mention are the prime rib, rib eye steak, top sirloin, and garlic steak. I loved getting an end piece that was also rare.

We celebrated my birthday again, I plan to make this at least a yearly
event, and forego any other restaurant, I found paradise! My companion had the Tiramisu for dessert AND a generous portion of creamy strawberry ice cream. I had the chocolate cake, which was dense and rich which arrived with a sparkler and some cheerful singing for my birthday.

Unlike others who feel this restaurant is pricey, I say, get real! this is one of the best rodizio style restaurants in the country and you get what you pay for! Before I left, I had to shake hands with the gentleman who handed me the check..for a job well done!

I am thinking about taking my companion to dinner for his birthday in April, and will make reservations for the same time after a matinee... after all, he's worth it!

Yelp Review Series for Churrascaria Plataforma

5.0 star rating 1/17/2018 Let me preface this by saying I read many reviews before going, and I was prepared for a dining experience worth the pricey cost of admission. My son and I arrived at 5:10, on a Monday, we had reservations, though at that time, I doubt we needed them, the place is huge.

I asked for a table away from the ice chilled salad bar which I ignored, and near the kitchen so I would have first crack at the delicious meats that were brought to my table. They did ask us to choose some sides for the table, I suggest the mashed potatoes which were very good and creamy.

Where's the beef??? With a flip of your chip to green a dizzying array of meats on skewers are offered to you with a flourish by expert meat cutters. I couldn't get over how they encouraged me to have another piece of requested rare prime rib; another slice of an excellent flank steak. I admit I didn't taste the tempting pork, or the bacon wrapped turkey, I wanted the beef selections. My son ate everything and enjoyed it all, but he has the appetite of a wolf!!

We were celebrating a birthday, and the management was sweet enough to bring a lovely piece of chocolate cake with a sparkler. When I was asked to blow out a symbolic candle, and make a wish, I wished to come back to Plataforma again. This is a wonderful restaurant with a lot of heart and the service is warm and welcoming. Enjoy!!!

Bill Gates and Coronavirus

Bill Gates continued his unbridled criticism of the United States’ response to the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday, calling America’s testing system “insanity” and stressing that the country was now facing “a pretty dramatic price” both in human death and wasted money.

Speaking with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Gates said it takes far too long to receive coronavirus test results in the U.S.

“You can’t get the federal government to improve the testing because they just want to say how great it is,” the Microsoft co-founder-turned-philanthropist said. “I’ve said to them, look, have a CDC website that prioritizes who gets tested. That’s trivial to do. They won’t pay attention to that. I’ve said don’t reimburse any tests where the result goes back after three days. You’re paying billions of dollars in this very inequitable way to get the most worthless test results of any country in the world.”

On the topic of America’s lockdowns, Gates pointed to countries in the European Union that faced the coronavirus outbreak earlier than the U.S. and instituted more coordinated lockdowns.


“What’s impressive is that Italy, France, Spain ― who had a wave before us ― managed as they fell off to keep even the parts of the country that hadn’t had the intense epidemic from creating a second wave,” Gates said.

”In the case of the United States, they opened up their bars. They didn’t do much in the way of wearing masks. And so those areas became this second wave,” he added.

Gates has pledged $1.6 billion to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, with $100 million going towards coronavirus vaccines. Most recently, he argued that the CDC’s COVID-19 response was “muzzled” by a White House that refused to offer proper leadership during a time of crisis.

Deux mondes différents

Deux mondes différents
Nous vivons dans deux mondes différents
Car on nous a dit
Qu'un amour comme le nôtre ne pourrait jamais être
Si éloigné
Ils disent que nous sommes si éloignés
Et que nous n'avons pas le droit
Pour changer notre destin
Quand apprendront-ils
Qu'un cœur ne trace pas la ligne
Rien ne compte si je suis à toi
Et tu es mienne
Deux mondes différents
Nous vivons dans deux mondes différents
Mais nous allons leur montrer
Alors que nous marchons ensemble au soleil
Cette…