Christmas Week Dining

It was mostly eat at home for the holidays, but we did manage a few memorable meals on the fly, and one family fine-dining experience.

Salad @ Nordstrom Bistro

Shopping with my brother two days before Christmas, we had lunch at the Nordstrom Bistro in Kenwood Mall. Tucked into the second floor of the store, it's easy to forget that it's there. This was only my second time to eat there, but we had good salads -- one with grilled shrimp and this Asian-accented chicken salad -- and you can get a decent glass of wine if you are so inclined.

Veggie Burger, J Alexander

Veg Plate: grilled artichokes, stuffed tomatoes, etc.

Another quick lunch was today with my friend Susan at J Alexander. (This place also has a respectable wine selection, but I didn't indulge today.) She had a veggie burger, and I went with a very good vegetable plate, which as I posted on Facebook had the benefit of being both delicious and (at least relatively) virtuous.
Our fine-dining meal was the night after Christmas at our neighborhood's star restaurant, La Poste. As usual, the best thing about the evening was the great wine selection and service. In the photos are my chicken entree and my husband's fish special--I forget the variety of fish.

La Poste Chicken

La Poste Fish Special

A splendid time was had by all.

Why it's so hard not to regain lost weight

The old term "yo-yo dieting" is probably familiar to all who struggle tokeep the pounds off. We put on some weight, go on a reducing diet (and lose weight, hooray), only to regain the pounds later.

There's a fascinating story on the New York Times website today headlined "The Fat Trap." Click here to read the whole article, which discusses research into why those lost pounds always return. Our bodies go into an altered state after we've successfully dieted, and actually fight hard to get back the fat we worked so hard to get rid of.

More evidence -- as if we needed it -- that life isn't fair.

An excerpt:
"For years, the advice to the overweight and obese has been that we simply need to eat less and exercise more. While there is truth to this guidance, it fails to take into account that the human body continues to fight against weight loss long after dieting has stopped. This translates into a sobering reality: once we become fat, most of us, despite our best efforts, will probably stay fat."

That tells me that, among other things, parents and other caregivers need to work really hard to make sure that our children don't become overweight.

It also tells me to stay vigilant in my own battle of the bulge; I've never been obese and at most have been slightly overweight, if you go by the standard weight charts. (This is the result of decades of daily exercise and trying to eat well -- not because I have an especially forgiving genetic makeup or metabolism.)
The lengthy Times article will appear in the next Sunday magazine. It goes into a lot of detail about research into why and how fat people get and stay fat.  We learn about how the National Weight Control Registry tracks thousands of people who have been successful at maintaining significant weight loss. Says an official at the registry: "' We had two goals: to prove there were people who did, and to try to learn from them about what they do to achieve this long-term weight loss.' Anyone who has lost 30 pounds and kept it off for at least a year is eligible to join the study, though the average member has lost 70 pounds and remained at that weight for six years."

What are these researchers finding out?

"There is no consistent pattern to how people in the registry lost weight — some did it on Weight Watchers, others with Jenny Craig, some by cutting carbs on the Atkins diet and a very small number lost weight through surgery. But their eating and exercise habits appear to reflect what researchers find in the lab: to lose weight and keep it off, a person must eat fewer calories and exercise far more than a person who maintains the same weight naturally. Registry members exercise about an hour or more each day — the average weight-loser puts in the equivalent of a four-mile daily walk, seven days a week. They get on a scale every day in order to keep their weight within a narrow range. They eat breakfast regularly. Most watch less than half as much television as the overall population. They eat the same foods and in the same patterns consistently each day and don’t “cheat” on weekends or holidays. They also appear to eat less than most people, with estimates ranging from 50 to 300 fewer daily calories."

I'll stop here. If you're interested in knowing more, go to the article, or read the magazine next Sunday.

More food, cocktails, and fun in NYC

Got to move on from the fabulous New York City adventure we had before Christmas, and focus on how to make 2012 a Healthy New Year.
But here are just a few more photos from the Big Apple.....

View from hotel room (Excelsior)

At Eataly

Cake at Fiorello's, near Lincoln Ctr

Antipasto plate @ Fiorello's

Fall Classic Cocktail @Gramercy Tavern

Antipasto bar at Fiorello's

More good eats in New York City

Merry Christmas to all!
Our pre-Christmas trip to NYC included these wonderful dishes from Gramercy Tavern. Appetizers of beef carpaccio and melt-in-your-mouth smoked trout....

Beef carpaccio

Smoked trout

We also had a great cocktail with the apps, called Fall Classic: bourbon, apple cider, Calvados, thyme and lemon.

For my entree, I tried their lamb, which was amazing -- the plate included several different cuts of the lamb (in small pieces, thank goodness) and a bit of tasty lamb sausage as well.

Gramercy Lamb Entree

Christmas is upon us, and I have house guests and lots of cooking to do, so the rest of my NYC foodie adventures are still to come.........

A few NYC foodie highlights

Guess I couldn't have been too unhealthy in food choices, because my bathroom scale today says that I didn't gain any weight living it up in wonderful, exciting Manhattan, NYC.

Fab breakfast at Nice Matin

We loved our hotel, the Excelsior on the Upper West Side. It's a half block from Central Park and faces the small park adjacent to the American Natural History Museum, where you catch the B or C train downtown. Some people say that's too far away from Midtown (it's at 81st), but its remove from the craziness is what we love. You can easily get to the touristy things but come home to a residential neighborhood at night. Our morning routine--coffee at arguably NYC's best cafe, Joe's the Art of Coffee, followed by breakfast at Nice Matin (in the Lucerne Hotel, on Columbus at 79th)--had us interacting with few tourists, and we made friends with a couple of New Yorkers who gave us great tips about where to eat and shop.

Joe's has several Manhattan locations

Without making this a super long post, here were our favorite foodie finds (aside from the aforementioned Joe's and Nice -- photos of them above, including my scrambled eggs with smoked salmon breakfast.

1. Dinner at Gramercy Tavern, one of Danny Meyer's flagship restaurants and a favorite of many Manhattanites. (No photo now, as I have temporarily misplaced my regular camera -- these are all from the cell phone camera) Everything about it -- ambiance, service, drinks and food -- was perfection.

Tacos at Red Cat in Chelsea

2. Lunch at Red Cat (amazing shrimp tacos, in photo) in Chelsea. The tacos melded flavors wondrously, and the Campari spritzer I ordered with it was a great accompaniment.
3. Dinner at Calle Ocho, adjacent to our hotel, was surprisingly good. My husband's "vegetable paella" (in photo) was excellent.

Veggie Paella

Once I retrieve my camera and download those pix, I'll post part 2.
Finally, the Christmas window displays in the city are always worth a detour. Our faves were in Bergdorf Goodman. Here is a photo of one of them.

Fanciful window display

Did I say not always healthy? What an understatement!

We always try to make healthy choices when we eat out, and being in NYC should not be an exception. But it's such a rare treat for us to hit that great city, we sometimes feel the bonds of discipline slipping away when confronted with an interesting, totally-not-Cincinnati menu.
For instance, at Gramercy Tavern -- the culinary highlight of our 6 day/5 night New York adventure -- I succumbed to an amazing lamb dish recommended by our waiter.
Given that it is Christmas week, we have been away since last Weds., my brother arrives tomorrow for the duration of the holiday, need to get the house ready, etc. etc. etc., I may not be able to catch up on the blogging for awhile, at least not as fully as I would like.
Bear with me, dear readers!
This photo is of a marvelous, large canvas that hangs in the spectacular lobby of the Rose Theater (Jazz at Lincoln Center's venue) -- our favorite experience of the week in NY.

Back soon with tales of NYC food adventures, not always healthy