Sweating bullets of chili joy...

I am continuing my “busman’s holiday” in New York City, and at the moment I am sitting at Señor Swanky's (no kidding) Mexican café on Columbus Avenue off 85th Street eating some surprising good southwestern chili. It is a rare find on the east coast – you can find so-called chili, but nothing in substance or "heat" to match what those of us from the southwest have come to expect. Typically the eastern attempts are watered down or not quite as “hot” as they ought to be – but I have been sweating bullets of chili joy from the first spoonful. Very nice! With a bottle of Corona and tortilla chips, I am good for the rest of the day…. Randi was down here for the weekend but has now trekked back to work, and I am spending most of my time enjoying the open schedule during the day that allows me to do some catching up as well as prepping my course at Baruch. On Sunday we had traveled to the New Jersey town of Sparta for a party held at another terrific restaurant – a very out-of-the—way place called Zoes By The Lake that serves French cuisine. We went there for a special occasion, but ordered off the dinner menu and found it to be as good as anything in the Boston-New York area we've eaten. Tough to get to, but if you are in the Delaware Water Gap region along I-80 really worth the stop. To make things better, and as noted in the name, it is located right on a small lake, adding to the great atmosphere. Besides the food, hanging around Manhattan has reminded me why I like to visit here for extended periods, especially during the late spring, early summer and early fall. Sitting in cafes, watching the VERY DIVERSE mix of people, listening to sounds ranging from car horns to horse hoofs (I am staying at a home located outside the horse path in Central Park) – all extremely satisfying and actually exciting. I guess when you are born in New York you retain that sense of belonging despite having lived elsewhere (and I have lived many elsewheres). The Corona is almost done in and I will shift my locale to a coffee shop to work on that “catching up” stuff… Tags: Zoes By The Lake, Senor Swanky's (New York), New York City, Sparta NJ, chile, Mel Dubnick, accountabilitybloke