Ok…So we are coming off the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays and cold weather abounds. So naturally, I being a warm weather fan reflect back on balmier times when one can stroll about at night and enjoy the mild air.

Last July, I had the good fortune to be in New York City during a particularly nice week, weather-wise and invited a friend to join me for dinner. Kim’s suggestion was to take advantage of the summer specials many restaurants were having, to entice new customers, under a special program offered in New York City. Being a long term resident of Manhattan, Kim is versed in the ways of dining out and I was keen to see what her choice of restaurants would bring.

So my dining friend Kim and I headed off on foot…the only way to really be a New Yorker, as cabs don’t qualify, and we headed down to the heart of the Greenwich Village area…strolling first through the ever gentrifying Meat packing District.

The restaurant chosen for the night, “August”, had a very cozy feel to it…glass and brick and a feeling of permanency. European – old world flavor is the first thing that came to mind. While we had to wait a short time for a table...a good sign as it shows a loyal clientele, we spent the time near the small bar area sampling two choice glasses of wine.

Our table was readied in the back room, kind of an atrium affair as I recall and we took advantage of the pre-fixe menu… designed to expose new patrons to the chef’s features, with suggested wine pairings.

We found the service attentive without being intrusive and the food selections wonderfully paired. We opted to each select opposing dishes under each category so we could sample a broader range of appetizers entrees and desserts. A great strategy regardless where one dines!

I was especially fond of the Saffron Orzoa with feta, okra and grilled eggplant, preceded by the Gratineed Clams seasoned with scallion and chorizo appetizer. I am a dessert man and my favorite was the Blueberry Clafooti with buttermilk ice cream. My only wish…for more ice cream!

Following the wine stewards recommendation, we tried several of the pairings and found the subtleties lent a nice resonance to the meal. Kim and I left feeling satisfied, a wonderful meal, great conversation, attentive wait staff and excellent wine recommendations. Then a long walk back in the mild night air under the influence of an “August” moon in July.

So give it a try if you find yourself in Manhattan, www.augustny.com where you can get directions and check out new happenings at the restaurant. Plus I think their graphics say volumes about the feel of the restaurant.

The great thing about eating is the diversity, kind of like the options Donna at GourmetStation presents. She is always looking for new taste pairing to present to patrons online and just like GourmetStation is fun to explore, NYC is such a wonderful place to explore because the number of restaurants in the city continues to grow and new food trends and restaurant settings provide an unlimited range of options.

Sometime you feel like a fine meal...and well…other times you feel like a good burger. And luckily my good friend of 28 years Alice, also in Manhattan, suggested we take in her old watering hole Café Loup where we had just such an opportunity.

Café Loup,(as in Loop) is a ubiquitous New York restaurant bar - a very relaxed neighborhood feel...layered with a nice upscale patina. A super chef/owner was our host and knew Alice by name and a “beyond courteous” bar tender kept my dining companion Alice and I heartily plied with our favorite wine …Alice chose a wonderful Sauvignon blanc and we never found our glasses empty.

Since this was a personal catch up session and the summer heat made escaping into a nice cool locals spot that much more inviting, we talked for hours…And what made the day even more memorable was the exploding steam pipe which had occurred in an area of Manhattan near Grand Central Station, where I had been earlier that day and also affected Alice’s subway stop on her way home to meet me, which of course gave me an earlier start at the bar!

At some point in the active conversation…and conversations with Alice are always active and engaged, our burgers were delivered to the very busy bar area where we were sitting.

Thick, a bit rare, politically incorrect, but the way they preferred to serve them for flavor and robustness. Solid…straight forward…great grill burgers, thick juicy and tasty. We washed it down with more wine and as the long night came to a conclusion…my conclusion was that I was very glad to be in a very fun locals restaurant in New York City with an old friend.

So if you find yourself in Manhattan, give these two interesting spots a try. New York is about experiences, so create some new ones yourself 2008!

As time has gone by, I have become a fair weather skier. Now mind you, I have been skiing since age 15 and turn 53 this month. After seeing Olympic skier Stein Erickson a few years back in Deer Valley, Utah, I am inspired to keep going, as he has  done…..and for the record Stein is in his 80’s and still going quite strong.  And I hope to still tackle the slopes when I am his age…..

But, there is cold weather skiing and then there is spring skiing, accented with brilliant sunshine, long days and late afternoons spent on the sun deck drinking a favorite libation. And I have become a fair weather skier by choice.

Well this spring’s ski trip turned up a wonderful lodging spot in south Lake Tahoe, The Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort. I hooked up with my friend Ed and his family and hosted them at a timeshare exchange right on the lake.  I got there first and was greeted with 67 degrees in South Lake Tahoe, hardly putting one in the mood for skiing, so I spent the afternoon sunning and walking along the shores of lake.

It has been a number of years since I had been to a ski resort in the area…and was taken by all the large Ponderosa Pines and the brilliant blue of the lake surrounded with snow capped peaks and remembered how I felt when I first experienced the scenery there. It really is a magical place.

While the snow conditions were not optimal this year, it was still more than adequate for our group and we had a great time skiing a more family oriented resort, Sierra, about a 20 minute drive from our lodge. Once we got everyone in to ski equipment, off they went to lessons or to the top of the mountain, where a great 2.5 mile trail makes it easy for even beginners to work their way down the mountain.

I have to tell you though, one of the reasons Lake Tahoe was picked over Park City this year, is that Ed, a retired dentist attended Emory dental school with an old friend, Dick, who still works his practice on the north shore of Lake Tahoe and Ed thought it would be great to get to visit with them as well as ski.

So, after a few days at the ski resort, we drove up the east side of Lake Tahoe to meet Dick and his wife Sandy at a restaurant they recommended, called The Soule Domain. What a treat. The marketing brochure positions the restaurant as featuring “Creative American Cuisine in an elegant Log Cabin” and that is exactly what they deliver. The chef/proprietor is Charles Edward Soule IV and all of our dishes were wonderfully presented and artfully done with excellent flavor profiles. (The Soule Domain: Can be reached at 530 546 7529  and sits ½ block up Stateline Road across from the Tahoe Biltmore Casino Crystal Bay in North Lake Tahoe….or check out their website http://www.souledomain.com)

The dinner conversation was lively and one of the points brought up that night at dinner by Sandy and Ed was how life was for Dick.

I had heard Ed mention this fact before, but it was confirmed that night by Sandy in how life for Dick just seems well….perfect.

No matter what the issue in the world, what natural disasters were happening …. “It was always a wonderful day in Dick’s world.” Well two nights later we were invited to Dick and Sandy’s house sitting on Lake Tahoe and I go to see first hand how such a statement came to be.

Dick and Sandy have lived in Lake Tahoe for quite a few years and have worked hard to establish the life that they have. Dick has his dental practice in a building that overlooks Lake Tahoe. His commute to work is a 15 minute or less kayak ride down the shoreline from his home. He did confess to me that if the lake level rises he can’t paddle under some of the docks and has to go around them, adding 3 minutes to the paddle commute. All the while admiring the scenery, snow capped peaks in winter and gorgeous weather and pines in the summer.

Sandy is equally athletic, tanned and quite accomplished as well. Their young adult kids were off in Argentina exploring and dinner at their house that night was relaxing. It was fun to see how life had turned out for Dick and Sandy. Wonderful life together, smart and attractive children, beautiful home, world class scenery and long term established friendships.

So as you can see, it really is a wonderful day in Dick’s world….and I thank them for sharing. And I thank Ed for allowing me the privilege of meeting Dick and Sandy.  Now we all can’t live on Lake Tahoe, but I would like to think that just perhaps, if we all step back and look at the positives in our own lives, a little bit of Dick’s world just my rub off……and I hope it’s a wonderful day in your life too!

Mark Stine