Another Egg-celent Post!

Tis the season for eggs…they are all over Passover and Easter – ritually, spiritually and design wise – they are the star of the season. A universalsign of spring and to me one of the most inspiring, perfect shapes in the world (my first diamond was a stunning oval).

I am in awe of eggs, I am moved by eggs and strangely – I am motivated by eggs. I read with complete understanding Dominque Browning’s account of her journey healing from Conde Nast and her obsession witheating  eggs– truly – I get it. Eggs soothe the spirit, the eye and the soul – I don’t know why, really – but the delicate balance of the shape, smoothtexture and optimistic nature of all that eggs represent (spring, birth, life, etc.) make me feel at peace. It is in reality – in stark contrast to the very fragile nature of the egg. Breakable and difficult to mend (think Humpty Dumpty) – eggs soothe rather than rattle me. Odd, I am sure.

So in honor of the season and of course the holidays – I’ve taken in more than a few eggs with some of my favorite people this weekend.

A power-breakfast with girls at Maialino at the Gramercy Park Hotel, found Jennifer Perillo and me  tucked in to a brightly lit booth brimming over with eggs. Each of us had a daughter by our sides and life was good!  We had three separate takes on the Danny Meyer egg on our table:

Lila ordered the Cacio e Pepe Strapazzato – a luscious offering of perfectly scrambled eggs, pecorino and black pepper – likely too assertivefor an eleven year-old’s  palate but much appreciated by me for its simple complexity and perfect execution.

Jennifer and I ordered two additional egg dishes – they can absolutely speak for themselves:

Uova al Contadino

Amatriciana Al Forno

By Saturday morning – my girls and I were ready to move west (enjoying our stroll across 17^th street – making stops at Apartment 48 and Pippin). We were among the many getting out and about to make the most of the breathtaking day – blue sky, warm sun and nowhere to go – how lucky!  Our destination – trendy brunch! And so where else to go – but to Cafeteria for one part food, one part ambiance and one part cool.

Of course, the joint was jumping! So we took three seats at the bar (and really that was the best part- three of us in a row – having a new kind of fun!)  Rebbecca ordered three scrambled egg whites (leave it to her to find a way to make the universal egg her own) with a virgin something or other that the bartender invented just for her!   I went for the Monterrey Eggs – a few fried eggs served with white beans, warm tortilla, avocado, jack cheese, (very unnecessary) potatoes and cherry tomato salsa. I added a personal dash or two of Tabasco verde for the perfect Saturday AM kick. Lila  started with a blueberry lemonade and then went egg-less but ended up with no less than two orders of pancakes – another story, another time!

 For now – just my wishes for an egg-celent holiday and an optimistic start to spring.