Faithful readers of this blog with good memories know that instead of exchanging Christmas gifts, Paul and I choose a nice restaurant that we wouldn't otherwise visit and make that our present to each other.
Usually we make this outing in the month or two following Christmas -- something to look forward to after the holidays are over.
This year, we never quite got around to it in January or February. In March, we found out I was pregnant, followed by about two months of morning sickness and then a busy summer.
Over the summer and fall we would occasionally discuss where we wanted to go, but we never made a final decision. But with a baby due in a month, we knew it was now or never. Long story short (or in this case, maybe short story long), we finally celebrated Christmas 2011 in October, with a trip to Gramercy Tavern.
The restaurant's dining room takes reservations four weeks in advance, but the tavern section is walk-in only: perfect, since we made it our restaurant of choice just a few days before we visited.
We got there early (at least by New York standards) at 7 p.m. There was an hour-and-a-half to a two-hour wait -- did we still want to put our name down, we were asked. They seemed surprised when we said yes. Paul and I both knew that if we didn't eat there then, we never would -- and would probably never celebrate Christmas 2011.
We passed the time by walking to Eataly -- a nearby high-end grocer I'll write about in a future post -- but had our table at Gramercy Tavern within the allotted time. My butternut squash lasagna was superb, and I treated myself to a rich hot chocolate for dessert. Merry Christmas to me.
As for Christmas 2012? We haven't a clue.
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