Rained out at the ballet.

Rained out at the ballet.

Originally uploaded by swan lake samba girl via mobile.


T-Mobile

Failing to consult weather forecast means having to wait out thuderstorm with ridiculously overpriced meal at lincoln center cafe.

Update: Okay, don’t EVER go to the Lincoln Center Restaurant on the ground floor of Avery Fisher Hall (Panevino is it’s name, just to make clear it’s not the Grand Tier Restaurant in the Met I’m talking about). If it’s thunderstorming, just run across the street with your Playbill on top of your head to Fiorello’s or Josephine’s or, like Barbara did (in comments below), Starbucks. I had to run to Magnolia’s afterward to get the taste of desiccated Orta out of my mouth. (Menu said it — ‘it’ being a type of fish I can’t seem to find any mention of anywhere on the internet — was supposed to be pan seared but I know pan seared — not from cooking myself lord forbid but from dining out — and this was not it. It was dried straight through; pan seared is seared on the top and bottom leaving the moisture and flavor inside.) The ladies beside me (who’d just enjoyed ABT’s Don Quixote) were having equally desiccated chicken. They had never heard of orta either. And my fava bean puree was not a puree; it had the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes, and was completely flavorless to boot. The Chianti was okay but I could have done without the dishwater soap-stained glass. When I finally got home (ended up getting wet anyway), I had a very upset stomach for the rest of the night. Always say no to Panevino, even in an emergency!

9 Comments

  1. I was also at Lincoln Center during the storm. Stayed at the Met until they kicked us out and then ran as fast as we could to Starbucks. Finally it eased up and we made it to the car only to have another storm cell come thru while we were on the highway. Pulled into a restaurant parking lot to wait it out. Summer storms, not fun. But Don Q was delightful!

  2. Barbara, you were smart! I wish I would have run across the street. I loved Don Q too — saw it earlier in the week but no time to write about it! It is one of my favorite story-book ballets. Who was your matador? I know Ethan and Gillian did the main parts.

  3. The MetOpera kitchen was cited by the Dept of Health for rats or something. ICK

    I miss the sushi man.

  4. I was there too! Al and I were drenched! We waited at the Barnes and Noble because we were catching Don Q at 8pm, with Nina Ananiashivili and Angel Corella (the turns!!!). Right before going in the theater we grabbed some Sushi A-Go-Go right across the street which was average priced and delicious! (we bought drinks at the Duane Reade though) hehe.

  5. Haha, it’s like everyone has a drenched-at-the-ballet story from that day! I’ve been wondering how that sushi place was, Dea.

  6. Dea, I love Sushi A-Go-Go! We had a nice meal at Rosa Mexicano – love their made-at-the-table guacamole – but I intend to get some California rolls sometime before Met season is over. Tonya, the Matador at the Don Q matinee was Gennadi Saveliev. A fine dancer but not too much personality, I feel. I longed to have seen David as the NYTimes review raved about him – of course!

  7. In all honesty, I’ve been to Panevino 4-5 times and never had any problems there. But it’s become so expensive I won’t bother any more. If the weather is bad, I just head to the opposite side of the Avery Fisher lobby where you can get an adequate sandwich for $7-8. (I’ve even brown bagged it from home a few times. Why not?) And if my destination is the Met or the State, I use the underground passageways to negotiate my way.

  8. Hi Barbara,

    Yes, the guacamole at Rosa Mexicano is awesome! And the place is really lovely. (sorry to divert from the ballet, Tonya! hehe)

Comments are closed