Little David Anthony Checks Up
Anthony went to visit his pediatrcian, Dr.Zsolway, just before the X'mas holidays for one of his regularly scheduled "check ups". "My what a handsome baby" said the very smart and observant pediatrician as she examined him in the Woods building of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.Little Anthony is doing great in his height, measuring 24 and 3/4 inches, putting him in the 50th percentile for his age. He did gain weight, but not quite enough to keep him out of the 25 percentile bracket... althought 13 pounds, 13 ounces seems like a lot for someone not quite 4 months old!
Everything else checked out normal and the doctor left the examining room and in came the nurse... a bad sign for sure. The nurse was very pleasant, but had a bunch of syringes in her kit. Yes it was time for Anothony to get another set of his immunization shots. 3 or 4 injections in the legs and a squirt of another vaccine in the mouth. Whaaa! Whaaaa! But a quick pick up by Mommy and 30 seconds later, all was forgotten. Let's go home!
Lombardi's Restaurant
Lombardi's Rest. in Phili is located just one block north of David and Heidi's apartment on 18th Street and Walnut. The sign in the window says:"voted #1 pizzi by Zagat's" so of course the Weston Food Critic (a big fan of Zagat's) had to try their pizza.Well pizza fans, you will not be disappointed if you go there. It turns out that they have been voted #1 for pizza in 1996,1997 and 1998!!! Wow! We had one large pizza with meat balls(one extra topping) "to go" and it cost $17.50. It was indeed very tasty, the pie crust was soft and chewy, Neapolitan style.
This is the second branch of Lombardi's. The original is still in operation and is located in the SoHo district of NYC on Spring Street. We give this restaurant a rating of 18 for ambiance, 20 for service and 23 for food. Go and enjoy yourselves.
Getting Ready For The Big Move
Heidi and David are preparing for the big family move to the suburbs. Settlement for the purchase of the Gladwyne home is on December 1, then the telephones turn on December 2, and the move is happening on December 3."It's going to be a busy week," said David. In preparation, they have been spending Thanksgiving week packing up all their belongings in big boxes. "I don't think these boxes are going to be enough," said Heidi. They have twenty boxes, and will probably need to get more. And there is a lot of special packing needed for electronics.
They've also spent the week tying up all the lose ends for the home purchase. They locked in their mortgage rate (6.75); raised the last bit of cash for the down payment by selling some stock (David sold his shares of ONSL); notarized a power of attorney form for Heidi (she can't be present at closing); faxed insurance and mortgage paperwork to all the parties; and arranged for wire transfer of funds to a bank (Heidi says, "I feel like I'm one of those people with a Swiss bank account").
Tiffany at the Met
Each Thanksgiving we spend time at the Met, Shop 5th Avenue and share a Turkey dinner with Deanna and her family. The Met always has a special exhibit going on, and this year the one we enjoyed the most was that of decorative artist, Louis Comfort Tiffany, son of the founder of the famous jewelry shops.Almost everyone has heard of his famous Tiffany Lamps, but did you know he also made decortive furniture, painted, made stain glass windows and created wonderful glass works of art? If you go to NYC by X'mas, try and catch this special show.
Shui Long Bao
Yes, over Thanksgiving, the Weston Food Critic make another visit to Joe's Shanghai on Pell Street in NYC's Chinatown. The Shui Long Bao is the best on the East Coast.... go and treat yourselves and eat some. Hummmy!Sarabeth's
There are four Sarabeth's in Manhattan, all owned by the same person whose main fame comes from her baked goods. Located on Amsterdam Avenue and 81st, Sarabeth is a charming bisto with a bakery counter up front and plenty of seating on the sides and in the rear.Our first visit to Sarabeth's was for Thanksgiving dinner... our 1st Thanksgiving meal not served at home in about 30 years! Thanksgiving used to be a day when all restaurants would close in the USA. Today, with both partners working and a lot of stress on the job, more and more Americans are taking their Thanksgiving meal to a reastaurant.
Our meal was highlighted by a wonderfully rich and sumptuous squash soup, followed by one of the freshest and tastiest house salads ( with a bit of goat cheese) we've ever had. The main course of turkey, mashed potato, brussel sprouts, and stuffing was a bit of a disappointment. Now recognize that the Weston Food Critic and friends usually like the turkey undercooked and juicy and you'll understand better. In most restaurants, like Sarabeths, the turkey tends to be overcooked and dry, which greatly deminishes the flavor. Of course the deserts( mostly Sarabeth's baked goods) were wonderful and a great way to top of a very good meal. The pecan pie was rich, loaded with fresh pecans, and not at all sweet... just right.
We rate Sarabeths; 18 for ambiance; 20 for service and 17 for food. The price of the meal we had at a fixed price was $45. With wine tax and tip, our dinner ended up costing approximately $70 per person.
