New York
With Winter Storm Harvey having fizzled by the time it hit New York, it was an easy jaunt into Manhattan. The cheesecake at Two Red Hens is legit, it may look heavy, but it was lighter and even more tasty than expected. Delicious!
Then onto one of Sam's recommendations for dinner, yakitori at Tori Shin. Went for the more diverse menu at their "Select Table," which added things like an amazing uni-and-roast-duck appetizer in addition to the spread of chicken yakitori. The cooked oyster was good but clearly not a focus, the unagi tempura was delicately breaded but substantial on the inside, only the tsukumen was a bit of a letdown- more ordinary than the rest of the menu, with slightly over cooked char shu. Can't forget the Honshu waygu A5 either!
The yakitori itself was superb, with the hearts and the medallion (I think that was it?) being as good as advertised. The chef's personal favorite was the main artery, which was so good I had to add an extra order... plus just to complete the chicken feasting, a separate order of gizzards, which were also superb. As good as it was, I'm not quite sure "Select Table" was worth the price over the regular yakitori menu in the end; will have to come back for the regular menu sometime!
Didn't plan to head to Blue Ribbon Sushi, but it turns out it wasn't far from my subway stop, and they weren't full... it was excellent, as promised. A bit tight inside, but welcoming despite the dimly lit atmosphere and with a well chosen selection of specials. Both the o-toro, the Hokkaido uni, and the botan ebi are horribly expensive; however the toro was definitely worth the trouble.
The final fortuitous event of the night was getting in a few good night shots of World Trade Center. The rooftop hotel bar had a no camera policy, but on the way back from dinner, found one vantage point in the freezing wind that worked out better than anything I'd seen earlier.