The Meal of a Lifetime
It was that time of year again; my brother, dad and I were in New York City, staying in a beautiful hotel on East 53 street in Manhattan. It was almost time to leave for dinner at one of my grandparent’s favorite restaurants. We all started getting dressed, choosing what clothes to wear for this very special occasion. My dad would iron the clothes my brother and I chose to wear, since we were too young to do it ourselves. Once we got dressed, we went into the hotel elevator and down to the lobby, where the doorman wished us a good evening. We stepped out of the cool, air-conditioned hotel air into the hot and heavy air of New York City. The sun had gone down, but heat was still diffusing off the warm pavement. The smell of gasoline, coupled with the occasional smell of trash or sewage, permeated the air. Despite some of the unpleasantries, the skyline was beautiful; skyscrapers made of marble and glass illuminated the night, turning the sky a shade of orange unlike anything in New Hampshire. We walked down the busy streets, gazing up at these massive buildings surrounding us on our way to my grandparent’s apartment. It wasn’t too far a walk, and soon enough we could see my grandparents, Pop and Joanne, standing on the sidewalk waving to us. It was wonderful to see them again; it felt like it had been so long, and it was such a wonderful experience the last time we visited. These visits were something unique; not only did I get to experience some of the best quality food in the world, I got to experience my grandparents, their enlightening personalities, and get to learn who they are as people. We all embraced, and I could feel their sunglasses hanging from their shirts push hard against my chest, just as they had done the last time. We quickly hailed a cab, filled with anticipation about the meal to come. We piled in, and drove to the Palm Restaurant.
The restaurant itself looked very much like a typical steakhouse. The supports were made of aging wood, and the tables were a dark, smooth and polished. The seats were covered with maroon leather, with plush padding underneath. The one thing that made this restaurant unique was the walls; they were covered with professional paintings of actors and actresses, famous news anchors, TV personalities, and frequent visitors of the restaurant. I looked around, trying to find some recognizable faces with my limited knowledge of famous people. Joanne showed us her and Pop’s painting on the wall across from us. They visited frequently enough to have their faces painted on the wall, as well as have their own favorite waiter whom they could request at the beginning of the night. Pop is in his seventies, with a heavier build and a balding head which he strategically hides by combing his hair over his forehead. He is a very social and very intelligent person, who loves telling stories and the history behind them. Joanne is about 15 years younger than Pop; she’s about 5 foot 7, has a light frame, and has brown hair and eyes. She has quite the personality; she is a kind and loving person, a strong, resilient leader, and one hell of a businesswoman. If her requests aren’t met down to the finest detail, she won’t be satisfied. This ensured that we always got the best service possible, something that I love about her. Her drive to be kind and giving to the people she loves is beyond anything I’ve seen in anyone other person I’ve met.. Luckily, the restaurant staff knew her well, and did everything perfectly for her.
To start, we decided to order some appetizers. The waiter handed us the menu, and we all began to browse over the different foods we could get. While my dad, Pop and Joanne discussed different options, my brother and I tried to decipher the fanciful names of the spices, sauces and styles of preparation mentioned in the descriptions. After asking what these were, we narrowed down our options to a few different dishes. We knew we wanted to get the prawns because of how much we loved shrimp, but we couldn’t decide between the crabcakes or the scallops. When Joanne heard us trying to decide between them, she told us not to worry and ordered both for us. She was a foodie, and loved giving us the experience of trying new types of food. It made the experience so much more memorable and meaningful, having someone so kind allow us to try all these different types of food.
While we waited for the appetizers to come, we started catching up on what had happened in our lives recently. Pop and Joanne asked my brother and I what we had done recently, and we talked about how school was going, the sports we were playing, and the hiking and swimming we had done over the summer. Overall, the stories were relatively boring and uneventful, especially compared to the ones Pop and Joanne told. They started with their visit to Africa, and the safari they went on. Then, they transitioned into business trips they had taken to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and other major Asian market cities. They also talked about their trip to Cambodia, which they had taken over 10 years ago. This transitioned into my brother and I asking Pop about his time in Vietnam. He talked about his time as a Green Beret, and a mission he went on with a pilot dive-bombing in Cambodia. He went into great detail about the experience, flying over the jungle into territory that he technically wasn’t legally allowed to be in, which he joked about. He told us about the intense G-forces as they plummeted at the ground towards their target, and how he passed out when they pulled out of the dive. He was always so good at telling stories. He could hook people in with ease, and describe events in vivid detail while also providing a comedic aspect to even the most serious of stories. It was fascinating; I never knew how many adventures they had gone on together. I always thought they stayed in New York City most of the time living lazily in their apartment, not out exploring the world.
When The appetizers arrived, they looked amazing. Joanne said they “weren’t just food, but pieces of art… they’re beautiful”. The prawns were huge, almost the size of my hand, hanging around a beautifully designed glass cup filled with cocktail sauce. The crabcakes were small, filled with color from the vegetables with pieces of orange and white crab dispersed throughout. The scallops were golden brown, perfectly cooked on a plate with sauce and vegetables decorating the edges. The prawns had just the right texture; they were thick, and firm, but not too chewy or fibrous. The crabcakes were just the right balance of vegetables with rich, sweet crab. The scallops were sweet and salty, and practically fell apart in your mouth. The food was gone almost as quickly as it had arrived. Joanne asked us how it all was, and we all told her it was delicious. A smile grew across her face; she loved giving us this experience, and it made her happy to see how satisfied we were.
After the appetizers, we ordered our entrees. Pop and Joanne decided to split a steak together, while my brother, my dad and I each got an 8 ounce steak with lobster. While we waited anxiously for the food to arrive, Joanne shifted the conversation away from them and towards my brother and I. She asked us if we kept up with current events or politics. I was just starting to become interested in these sorts of things, so I was glad she brought it up. She asked us about political candidates we were interested in, different issues occurring in America and around the world, and what topics we were most interested in. She did this in a way that didn’t make either of us feel like our opinions were being threatened, so we were able to talk about everything and how we felt. That was a really nice experience, being able to share my opinions without someone constantly interrupting and attacking my thoughts and ideas. Then, Pop, my dad and I started talking about history, mainly medieval European times, but a bit of Middle-Eastern and Asian history as well. The conversation made me feel even better than the food did.
When the Entrees arrived, the smells of the food followed with it. Joanne had described the steak here as having “fat marbled throughout the meat and cooked perfectly, so that the meat isn’t hard to chew, but still retains all of its juices and flavor”. It was just as good as she described it. The seasoning smelled delicious, and the scent of the steak fats and lobster mixed in the air with it. I cut into the steak, and it required almost no effort. Juices spilled out of the meat, and the colors that were exposed were amazing. The middle of the steak was red, which faded into a light pink and eventually into the brown at the surface. I took my first bite; the outside was crisp and rich with flavor, and the inside was tender and easy to chew. The lobster was a hardshell, which made it difficult for me to break into. Joanne called over the waiter, who promptly broke apart the shell perfectly and exposed all the meat. The lobster was sweet and rich, with a hint of saltiness. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Once we thought the meal was over, Joanne asked us if we wanted dessert. We were given the dessert menu, and were promptly drawn to a seven layer chocolate cake. The cake was about 5 inches tall, with fluffy cake sandwiched between layers of thick, creamy chocolate frosting. It was a great way to end a fun, eventful and beautiful evening.
At the time, these dinners were a great time to spend with family, eating delicious food and telling each other stories. I got to experience some of the best food in New York City, and spend quality time with some of the people I love most in life. However, looking back on these events, they have a newfound, greater importance to me. About a year ago, Pop was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. It was devastating, watching someone who was once the best storyteller I knew now have trouble remembering his daughter’s name. As it has progressed, forming complete sentences has become hard for him, and he now uses gestures with his hands to make up for the lack of words. As depressing as it is, I’m glad I was able to experience these dinners while he was still able to to tell these wonderful stories in all their grandeur. It allowed me to experience him the way my dad did. I got to see what kind of person he was, hear of the adventures he went on and the history he knew firsthand. I got to see the love and compassion between Pop and my dad, and how much Pop’s behavior influenced how my dad raised me. Not only this, but I was inspired by Joanne’s incredible personality. Her strength, kindness, and ability to organize the most extravagant of events is awe-inspiring. Seeing her strength and perseverance, even in the face of the most daunting hardships has helped me to deal with pain in my own life.I am incredibly grateful for this, and especially thankful towards Joanne for making these wonderful meals happen.
