YHB in NYC

In town from San Diego for a press junket, old school Cafe Drake cohort Yolanda Hunt-Boes stopped by to spend a nostalgic weekend with us recently. We filled the hours with great conversation as always, plenty of catching up, plenty of bottles of wine and several tasty meals. Somehow we found time to squeeze in Woodshed Theatre's Urban Appalachian adaptation of Hamlet, cunningly titled 12 Ophelias. Photos above include the lovely YHB, the play and Yolie's charming step-daughter (also in town, from Berlin) Lotte.

Dinner 1 was prepared in the Cafe Drake kitchens, a simple affair of pan fried calamari (with tomatoes and chiles), braised mustard and collard greens, Catalan-style garlic toast, red and yellow cherries for dessert and lots and lots of wine.

Brunch 1 occurred at Greenpoint's Polish standby Christina's Restaurant (853 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222), where a Polish Platter ($9) was unusually varied (pirogis of all sorts, stuffed cabbage with an atypical cream and paprika sauce, kielbasa with spicy mustard and bigos - slow simmered sauerkraut studded with smoked meats and onions. A respite from the ordinary Hungarian Pancake ($8.50) switched out beef goulash for a stuffing of chicken and pepper stew, tucked inside a crisp (but not greasy) potato pancake and served with a side of marinated beet salad.

Brunch 2 was at Williamsburg's ever-popular (a 45-minute table wait even before noon!!) Egg (135 North 5th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211), where Yolanda and Cafe Drake slurped strong coffee ($2 for individual French Press portion), nibbled on complimentary tiny cinnamon donuts and plowed through plates of organic grits, nicely cooked eggs, Kentucky country ham and candied bacon (all for $8 a plate). Our only complaint would be the deliberately minimalist decor, with its pock-marked walls left hospital white and bare bones ambiance.

Best of all was dinner at Miranda (80 Berry St, Brooklyn, NY 11211), where the wildly friendly and helpful staffed ushered us to table before an open sliding glass wall, graced with nighttime breezes and delicate candlelight. Decent bread but superb sun-dried tomato pesto arrived soon after, and no sooner had we clicked in cheers our glasses of dry Spanish rose (Vina Ruffina '06), ($8 per glass) than an appetizer of fried risotto balls - Arrancina ($9) hit the table: crisp and salty on the outside, the crust yielding to a molten creamy center dotted with perfectly al dente grains. Cafe Drake adored the pappardalle (thick, homemade noodles, substantial but fluffy with eggs) tossed in a mole poblano ragu ($20) threaded with chunks of stewed beef short ribs, but found the Orata a la plancha ($24) a tad overwhelming in sea brininess. Not to fret, as a final course of Leonora goat cheese ($6) sided with preserves and sliced apple was transcendent - aged to a pale flakiness, salty and full of citrus overtones. So in love with Yolanda was Miranda's staff, they graced us with complimentary dishes of shaved ice drizzled with guava syrup, the ultimate end to a summer repast.

Cocktails were courtesy of catty-cornered Hotel Delmano (82 Berry Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211), Cafe Drake's "Cheers".