Jeremy's Fresh Pina Colada

Baby had returned from Marrakech after two months away for business and I had been madly editing to put the final touches on my novel. Exciting! But just the same we thought it was high time for some sun, surf, and sand as the fall had descended indeed so unexpectedly. So we headed off to South Beach for a week to stay at Delano. To be perfectly honest, all we did was sleep, eat and drink poolside or at the beach at this utterly spectacular hotel, and not necessarily in that order.

Jeremy, the bartender at the pool was kind enough to make at least several pina coladas on the rocks for me. Now, I love a pina colada when I make them myself, but out and about, when they are frozen, they often don't taste like there's any booze in them and after one they become cloying. One might as well stuff themselves with rock candy! So here is the elegant solution with Jeremy's recipe that certainly made for a few entirely enjoyable afternoons. I suspect the use of coconut water is the trick. Do enjoy!

Jeremy's Fresh Piña Colada
Ingredients:
2 oz. fresh pineapple juice
2 oz. Coco Lopez
2oz. light rum
1oz. Coco Vidal coconut water
Method:
Shake and our over ice, a splash of dark rum on top. Garnish with a pineapple slice.

Lex and the City

My niece Alexzandria is no longer a little girl; somehow the years have slipped by and she's become an extraordinary young lady. The first article I had published back in 2001 was about Lex (her affectionate nickname), as I imagined what a trip to Manhattan might be like for her and what we'd do. She was only six when I wrote it, and now she has a driver's license and a boyfriend.

We've spent many fun summers together, Lex and I, at the family cottage in Friendship, Maine but she hadn't been home to New Hampshire for Christmas in about 12 years and she'd never been to New York. Lex turned 16 over the summer and since we were unable to be together for that important event, Baby and I flew her from Lavergne, Tennessee to see the Big Apple at Christmastime as a birthday present. After a wild four days in the city, we whisked her to New Hampshire to meet up with her father and my parents.

Naturally, I started planning the itinerary weeks before her arrival.

Saturday, the week before Christmas: After traipsing the Highline, a beautiful elevated railway-turned-park in our neighborhood and taking her to one of our favorite Chinese places nearby, we threw a party in her honor. It wasn't a huge affair, just about 20 people. They all sat and chatted with her, absolutely adored her and were thoroughly impressed by her demeanor. We made Chasen's chili, chicken mole, mac n' cheese and pork cracklins corn bread to make Lex feel right to home. Of course, we brought out a cake with 16 flaming candles on it and sang Happy Birthday to her.

Sunday: Manicures and pedicures with Baby's niece, who is also 16 years old! They had never met before but had texted each other for some time and of course they are facebook friends. We took them to Laurent Tourandel's burger joint, BLT Burger for lunch, before taking them to Rockefeller Center to see the tree and then letting them loose in Saks to go shopping. Before long, they were walking down 5th Avenue arm in arm, like old pals. We stopped into a penthouse punch party at Royalton hotel and then made our way to the Village to Cowgirl Hall of Fame for nachos, quesadillas, chicken fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

Monday: Oak Bar in The Plaza for a lunch of lobster bisque, Cobb Salad with lobster, a tuna melt and the most outrageous chocolate and cream something or other for dessert. What a gorgeous, warmly paneled room! The afternoon sun was winding down while we took a leisurely stroll through Central Park, up to the American Museum of Natural History for the wonderfully fun Journey To The Stars show in the Planetarium. The Hurricane Club, a marvelous tiki bar/supper club styled after exotic monsters of yesteryear such as Trader Vic's finished us off for the day.

Tuesday: Hudson Hall in Hudson Hotel for lunch, where Lex confirmed just how much she really could eat! A walk to Times Square and thereabouts led us to the Phantom of the Opera theater where we found a couple of reasonably priced seats for that night. While we waited for the curtain to rise, we ducked across the street to have some New York pizza at John's with Baby. Then home and time to pack!

Wednesday: En route to New Hampshire on the bargain and remarkably clean megabus, we stopped off in Boston for a tour of Faneuil Hall and a night at Ames hotel. We all had a delicious, eat-way-too-much dinner at Woodward in the hotel with some friends before collapsing into bed in our respective rooms only to depart the next day to wrestle with relatives over the ensuing holiday.

I was nervous how everything would turn out, but I'm very happy to say it was just perfect. I just wanted to do something good and perhaps toss in a little inspiration along the way. We should inspire children.

Ah, my dear Lex. She may very well be on her way to growing into womanhood, but she will always be a sweet little girl to me. Happy Birthday Lex! And Happy New Year to everybody! Thanks for reading Evenings With Peter!

Next Magazine Review - Asia De Cuba

Asia De Cuba
237 Madison Ave (btwn 37th/38th Sts)
212-726-7755
chinagrillmgt.com
kbnetworknews.com

On a recent trip to Miami, I had the pleasure of dining at Asia De Cuba in the newly opened, gloriously fantasy-scaled Mondrian hotel overlooking the bay. The coolly chic setting and extravagant dinner equally conspired for a wonderful evening. I thought I should revisit the restaurant’s first fusion-fueled location in the Morgans hotel, here in New York. I hadn’t been since somewhere in the 90’s, when it was a sheer revelation in its Philippe Starck-ness décor. Asia De Cuba still sets quite a table and quite a scene.

A bracing Mai Tai ($14) was first up, made with Bacardi O, Gosling Dark Rhum, a host of juices and almond syrup. Then the food arrived, like a delicious culinary landslide, served family-style to feed roughly four (also can be tailored for larger parties). Tunapica ($24) is a must, with tuna tartare, Spanish olives, and coconut in soy-lime vinaigrette, stacked on wonton crisps. Crispy Calamari Salad ($25) was a risky but triumphant gathering of hearts of palm, banana, cashews, bitter greens and sesame orange dressing. Sumptuous Lobster Shiitake Potstickers ($30) are my favorite, in vanilla rhum and lobster coral sauces.

Rare Pan Seared Ahi Tuna ($43) was quite good, served over crunchy wasabi mashed potatoes, made so by wasabi peas! Delicate Miso Cured Alaskan Black Cod ($38) is richly, melt-in-your-mouth good, served with black bean and edamame salad. Asia De Cuba ‘Mar y Tierra’ ($79), their version of surf n’ turf, presents nicely done slices of wagyu striploin and huge tempura shrimp sprouting outwards like Cuban cigars. Avocado pineapple salsa and spoonfuls of spicy chipotle béarnaise go with. For sides, we ordered the fantastic Lobster-Boniato Mash ($16) with great lobster chunks and Plaintain Fried Rice with Avocado Salad ($12), another clever union that suddenly made sense.

Desserts are divinely decadent, utterly ruinous combos. The jaw-dropping Bay of Pigs ($19), a super-hyped banana split, practically covers the table, knocked over the top with coconut “sushi.” We also practically stabbed each other’s hands with our forks going for the Piña y Crema ($14), a gorgeous vanilla cheesecake with caramelized pineapple and passion fruit syrup. Simply fusion-fabulous!

nextmagazine.com/eats