A week in New York

My trip to NYC turned out to be both enjoyable and productive. Fortunately I was able to hold most of my meetings at the hotel, so it minimized the unnecessary travel through the freezing cold and snow. I limited any excursions to only what was strictly essential in nature-- seeing Broadway shows, dinners and trips to Brooks Brothers (ha!). As usual the Waldorf was exceptionally accommodating to my needs. Breakfast meetings, power lunches and nicely appointed meeting space. 

The Waldorf=Astoria is a truly a stunning and elegant hotel. Just being there makes you feel special. I've written about this previously, but I can't resist sharing it again. The famous clock tower in the main lobby of the Waldorf has the most delightful chime. Here is a quick clip of it chiming at midnight. Admittedly I am fascinated by clocks so I tend to stare in awe of this beautiful timepiece:

Whenever I needed to leave the hotel, I walked everywhere in the city, only taking a taxi when absolutely necessary. NYC was home to me may years ago so when I return it all just comes back to me as if it were 1985 again. Despite all the time I've spent in Manhattan the sight of skating at Rockefeller Center continues to captivate me. It is magical, exciting and surreal in many ways. It was over two decades ago when I last skated here, when I took a friend who had never been to NY and wanted the full experience. Initially I resisted, feeling as though it was "too touristy", yet when I acquiesced, rented ice skates and took to the rink, I had the best time. That night has remained with me and I have such fond memories of the Rockefeller Plaza ice skating.

New York is such a vibrant city on so many levels. I especially enjoy seeing how various buildings are illuminated in color depending on the season, holiday or special event. This most recent visit, I was there during Valentine's Day, so there were plenty of red, pink and purple buildings throughout the city were really fun to see. These days I tend to only get back to  Manhattan a few times per year, just long enough to soak up the energy of the city and always leave wanting more. Until the next time...

What About Red Velvet Cake?

A local place here in Palm Springs called Coco's Bakery Restaurant added Red Velvet Cake to their menu for a limited time. I have to say, it is QUITE DELICIOUS. In fact I have been craving a slice all week. I may just need to swing by there tomorrow. I had no idea what the heck is in red velvet cake, just that I liked it. Anyway so I finally broke down and googled it. I came across the wonderful story about it that was right up my alley. This from our friends at Wikipedia: "A red velvet cake was a signature dessert at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York City during the 1920s. According to a common urban legend, a woman once asked for the recipe for the cake, and was billed a large amount. Indignant, she spread the recipe in a chain letter." So just for fun, I'm sharing the Waldorf=Astoria Red Velvet Cake Recipe also, right here on my little old blog. The next time I'm at the Waldorf I'll have to ask them to make it for me so I can see if its better than Coco's recipe here in Palm Springs.
So my question to you is, Do you like Red Velvet Cake?

Waldorf=Astoria Red Velvet Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Shortening
1 1/2 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
2 ounces Red food coloring
2 tablespoons Cocoa -- heaping
2 1/4 cups Plain flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tablespoon Vinegar
1 teaspoon Butter Flavoring (if desired)
***Frosting***
3 tablespoons Flour
1 cup Butter (Not Margarine- you can tell the difference in the flavor).
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup Milk
1 cup Granulated sugar

Directions:

Cream Shortening, sugar and eggs. Make a paste with coloring and cocoa and add to mixture. Add salt and flour with buttermilk and vanilla. Alternately add soda and vinegar and don't beat- just blend. Bake in two 9-inch pans (greased and floured) for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Layers may be split to make four.

Frosting:
Cook flour and milk on low heat until thick. Then cool (I put it in the freezer for this.). Cream sugar, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Add to flour-milk mixture. Beat until mixture is like whipped cream. Spread on layers.
*sometimes when we're going to make the frosting, we've been known to double it because it is soooo good!

Breakfast at The Waldorf with Olivia

Last week I was in New York for a few days on business. I made last minute plans to meet Olivia for an early breakfast. Regular readers may recall that I last met fellow blogger Olivia while in London, where she had been living before relocating to New York. As I was staying in Midtown Manhattan, Olivia very kindly made the journey into the city, braving the snow & sleet. It was a nice chance to catch up on things since London. We had a relaxing chat over breakfast. I had Eggs Benedict and coffee, Olivia had a bagel and tea. Much to my surprise, Olivia brought a present for me (see the beautifully wrapped package in gold stripes). It was a lovely picture frame for me to use in memory of my beloved Koshimi. It was such a nice gesture, I'm not sure I properly thanked Olivia for her thoughtfulness. Our time flew by ever-so-quickly before I had to dash off to a work meeting. Olivia may be moving to Washington DC next, I wonder if I'll have any business travels there! I'm starting to wrap things up at work before the holiday. I'm planning a Christmas extravaganza post, so I hope you can check back. Thanks for stopping by today.
-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Favorite Things That Could Make Me Spend $25,000

I wouldn't say I had a bad week, just that it was a little gloomy. I was in San Diego most of the week where it was overcast and rained several days. Work was hectic and had several stress points that wore me out. Meetings back to back all day. Things that should have been nailed down slip through the proverbial cracks and caused extra work. And the never ending flow of e-mails. Hundreds of them a day, just piling up, unanswered. Rather than letting it get me down, I try to think of my favorite things. Well as some of you know I am cursed with champagne taste. This brings me to another scintillating edition of: The Saturday Seven: Favorite Things That Could Make Me Spend $25,000. This is an exercise in dreaming...go on let go, it feels good to splurge. Assume you had money to burn. But first, for something different and for your viewing pleasure, I thought I'd lead off the Saturday Seven with a clip you all know...

And now onto The Saturday Seven: Favorite Things That Could Make Me Spend $25,000
#1 New Wardrobe at Brooks Brothers: $2,400

#2 Weekly Massages for a Month: $600

#3: Five Nights in New York at The Waldorf Astoria Hotel: $6,000 (all expenses)

#4 Twelve Day Cruise to Tahiti: $6,000

#5 Three Nights in Las Vegas at the Bellagio Hotel: $3,000 (all expenses)

#6 Five Nights in London: $7,000 (all expenses)

#7 Rescue a Cute Dog at an Animal Shelter: $500 (includes fees and vet visits)

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS YOU COULD SPEND WITH WILD ABANDON IF MONEY WERE NO OBJECT? GO AHEAD, LEAVE A COMMENT! IT'S FUN!!!
-Rick Rockhill

Rick's Roadshow in New York: Sunday Brunch...and Dinner

Rick's Roadshow in New York continues with all sorts of things today. It was part business and part leisure. Sunday brunch at The Waldorf is one of the finest in all of Manhattan, it never disappoints. It has an enormous variety of dishes, from all the traditional breakfast items, with omlette stations and even an eggs benedict station that makes variations using lobster, pork or salmon. They had a Beef Wellington that was out of this world, and a leg of Lamb that was incredible. There were all sorts of cheeses, fresh prosciutto ham, and a fresh seafood station that would even tempt Dr Wang. Lobster, King Crab legs, Oysters, and Shrimp galore.

above: The Seafood station was amazing and popular with the guests.

above: The dessert station was so tempting...creme brulee, mousse, tarts, flan, a chocolate fountain, and all kinds of pastries and cakes.

above: one of my favorite desserts, some kind of layered chocolate thing, topped with real gold flakes...so decadent!

above: I just liked all the fresh orchids throughout the brunch area, it made it feel so festive.
Dinner at "Bouley"
Sunday evening I had dinner at an interesting restaurant called "Bouley", located on Broadway and Duane Street in the TriBecca area of Manhattan. I went with the tasting menu, which consisted of the following:

• Organic Connecticut Farm Egg steamed with Black TruffleSerrano Ham, Parmesan Reggiano and 25-Year Old Balsamic Vinegar
• Sashimi Tuna with Shaved Fennel dressed in Herb Oils and a Spicy Marinade
• Wild King Salmon with Morels, Crosnes, Morel Purée,Fava Beans grilled a la plancha, Naval Orange Powder, and Clementine Glaze
• Organic Colorado Rack of Lambwith homemade Sheep Milk Ricotta Gnocchi, Rocket Salad, Fava Beans,Fresh Sage, and Zucchini-Mint Purée
• Texas Pink Grapefruit Soupinfused with Green Cardomon, Star Anise, and Tahitian Vanilla with Campari Sugar and Fromage Blanc Sorbet
• Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé with Vermont Maple Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sorbet
  

above: the entrance to Bouley was quite unique- a wall of fresh apples all lined up from floor to ceiling, which greeted diners with a sweet smell of apples.

There are two different dining rooms, above is the "white dining room"

above: the "red dining room", which is where I dined. It was a fun evening with a diverse menu.

Westminster Dog Show Weekend

This weekend I'm in NY for the Westminster Dog Show. I'm staying at the Waldorf-Astoria, a grand old hotel with a lot of history. There is a big clock in the center of the lobby with a gold Statue of Liberty on top (see pic below left).

The hotel is brimming with activity from Fashion Week(by the way I have no idea what that means) There are tons of tall skinny models walking around totally self absorbed...
But back to the dog show...


Below: Friends Mark and Candy having a laugh over a glass of wine at the Waldorf...

Below: The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show guide book and very cool poster

On Saturday evening I attended the 52nd Annual ShowDog Awards, as a guest of Pro Plan dog food. (Pro Plan is an excellent super premium dog food made by the folks at Nestle-Purina PetCare. Popular with breeders and owners of show dogs, Pro Plan has a great reputation within the Dog Show community.) The Show Dog Awards event was first rate, or as I like to say: "Top Drawer".
Below: The giant ice sculpture of the award statue, and below right, the actual award statues...they resembe the Oscar Awards!

After a sumptous dinner, they served these excellent desserts- a sort of mocha mousse with a white chocolate dog sitting on top.

Bill Cosby is a show dog owner and won two awards. Daughter Erinn Cosby was present to accept the awards, along with the team of breeders, and handlers. Bill Cosby spoke to the audience via video, with one of his dogs.

Below: Pro Plan friends Mark, Candy and Ernie after the awards dinner

Below: Other top Show Dog Award winners.

- Rick Rockhill