Last night I had dinner with an old friend.
We went to Tamarind, a nice Indian restaurant on 22nd between Broadway and Park Ave. South. I had the Tandoori Mixed Grill, a large plate packed with lamb chops, shrimp and chicken. If you don't eat much Indian food and want to test out some new flavors, this is the dish to get. Everything is cooked in the tandoor, a type of clay oven. The chicken looked dry but was surprisingly tender. I haven't eaten that much good Indian food since my friend's Indian wedding. I think I half expected my friend (groom from above-mentioned wedding) to ride in on his horse and inform me that the party's in the other room.
Last time I was at Tamarind, I met Rachel Ray. It must've been 2004. She had just finished filming something (Indian food special perhaps?) and enjoying dinner with friends. As they were leaving I said (suavely), "Hey Rachel. My mom watches your show all the time, she really loves it. (akward pause) Can I have your autograph?"
What a dork.
Rachel was very nice and wrote, "What's cooking? - Rachel Ray." That always reminds me of the 'Bubble Boy' Seinfeld episode when Jerry signs an autographed picture of himself at a diner and then tries to get it back from the waitress who requested it because Elaine convinces him that his note is stupid. Anyone remember what he wrote?
This time around though, the dining room was celebrity-free, which allowed us to focus on two things: tandoori chicken and catching up. Inevitably, (I ran out of chicken and) we wound up discussing our careers. I pretty much hit my poor friend verbatim with everything I've written in this blog to date.
My friend was very understanding and said, "Sounds great, if that's what makes you happy.".
Damn right.
If I'm going to be working for the next 30+ years, I might as well build a career based on something I enjoy. Speaking of which, I'm on the train now, a perfect opportunity to flip through my pocket portfolio and get cracking with some revisions.
Rule #1: when selling the dream, make sure you buy what you pedal. Otherwise, you'll waste your own time and do a crappy job trying to sell everyone else.
Joe
http://twitter.com/joeyz101
Nothing finer than eating in your diner - something along those lines. Rob
ReplyDeleteinteresting blog cuz i lived in the 20's for about 4 years during college and never heard of the place. Curry in a Hurry was always my pick for Indian Food on 28th and lex ( i think ) ...Tamarind, if i had only known.
ReplyDeletegot really excited when u said rachel ray cuz i am probably the biggest fan of the Food Network and every person on that channel to me is a celebrity ... if i ever ran into one of them i'd be so star struck.
Thanks for the comments.
ReplyDeleteYes, Tamarind is a really nice restaurant. The owner didn't waste time telling everyone in the dining room that it is Rachel Ray's favorite Indian restaurant!
I've been meaning to try Dawat Restaurant in Midtown East. Many people have said its one of the best Indian restaurants in the city.
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/dawat/