Schmecks in the City II

Devastated last night to see that Sheena's favourite theatre district bistro Les Sans Culottes West (aka The Men Without Pants) is closed. Replaced by yet another fucking sushi bar. The "East" location may or may not still be open. Didn't go check it out. Les Sans Culottes was the ultimate chick dining experience. While one ponders the menu, they'd bring out a big metal sausage tree. Yep - 4 or 5 types of sausage hanging there, to be cut to your taste. Then they hand you a big knife. And you can cut and hack and saw to your little hearts content. Sheena will miss this place very very much.

So reversed direction and walked back a block to The Paramount. One of the first Ian Schrager artsy fartsy places that can charge double the average nightly rate while offering half the comfort experience. Last time Sheena stayed there she uncharacteristically removed every trace of mascara before check-in lest she sully the starched white suite interior. I guess they can also up the price by not having any signage whatsoever on the door. You just "know" where it is.

Grabbed a couple of papers and sat up in the Library Bar. The soundtrack was kind of an 80s Worst-Of compilation. Not even in a retro-ironic sense. Like bad shit - Duran Duran, T-Pau, ABC, and the coup-de-grace: Haircut 100.

Overlooked the lobby and people watched for hours. Menu was spectacularly pedestrian, but ingredients were perfect, carefully presented and of high quality. Had caesar salad and the cheese plate. Huge strips of anchovy, which Sheena finds a little much in large quanities, so just rubbed them all over the crisp romaine, beautiful sharp parmesan and garlicky croutons. Cheese plate was a nice selection of complemented by the yummiest ripest strawberries ever encountered in the month of January. Menu on the surface was a bore, but execution was fun and flawless.

Now inspired to go buy some new furniture...