NYC-Boston 12-28Dec12 (Day 14)

Booked Nougatine for our Christmas Lunch. It's the casual sister of Jean-Georges, a three Michelin-starred restaurant just next to it. Arrived early...all cheery and full of anticipation. Little did we expect to be snubbed by the really snobbish lady receptionists. First they did not bother to look up or say some xmas greetings or even a normal welcome. They simply told us to wait at the side. Fine. We made reservations months in advance fyi. Second we were among the first to arrive, but the last to be seated. That's totally unacceptable and discriminatory. We waited for a good half hour, or maybe more! Mood dampener for sure.. :((

However we were determined not to let them spoil this special day for us. Glad everyone's mood picked up when the meal commenced. Food's quite good actually. Proud to have my fourth lobster this trip! I think they were serving a christmas menu so it's more pricey than usual. Otherwise their set lunches look rather reasonable.

I love how alcohol lifts our spirits. The bad service (just the receptionists, not the servers) may have prompted a bad start but by the end of the meal we'd already put the episode behind us and were purely enjoying each other's company =)

Name: Nougatine at Jean-Georges (website)
Location: 1 Central Park west New York, NY 10023
Expenditure: 140usd pp incl. alcohol

The restaurant was chosen also because it's right next to the Central Park and what better thing to do on Christmas than to take a stroll here after lunch? Goofed around for a bit before E and WP left to meet other friends. We would have loved to skate at The Wollman Rink if not for the queue. I wouldn't mind the long wait if it were snowing!

Met up again for dinner at this Japanese grill restaurant near our hotel. 2nd visit for S and I. Caught some mochi hammering action in which WP bravely participated. Great food once again although not exactly cheap for the amount we ordered. Perfect "snacks" to go with sake!

Name: Inakaya Robata Grill and Sushi (website)
Location: 231 W 40th St New York, NY 10018, United States
Expenditure: 50usd pp incl. alcohol