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It may have been gray and chilly in New York City today, but I couldn't help but notice an undeniable sign that spring is around the corner: Bruno's Hardware in Brooklyn Heights has its selection of barbecues out front on display.
Crocuses can simply fuggedaboutit.
It's sad. The first restaurant in the Meatpacking District is closing.
It opened when the Meatpacking District was filled with meatpackers.
It is closing when the Meatpacking District is filled with over-priced apartments and uber-hip restaurants.
And so, Florent -- the beloved refurbished French diner -- will be shuttering in June.
Like I said: It's sad. Last night, I couldn't help feeling melancholy while sharing a bloody red Grilled Strip Steak, French Fries and Green Beans with my pal Kristin. We washed it down with a bottle of spicy Malbec, toasting the glory that is Florent and bemoaning its demise.
After paying our bill, we wandered out onto Gansevoort Street, slightly buzzed, sated, and all the while cursing the likes of Soho House, Spice Market, The Apple Store and Jeffrey.
Wandering down the neighborhood's cobblestone's streets, in true French revolutionary style, we shouted "Off with their heads!" to anyone willing to listen. Unfortunately, however, the throngs were too busy lining up for Pastis and Highline to care.
Over the past three weeks, I've been following the farmers' strike in Argentina with bated breath.
Why, you ask? Am I worried that I won't be able to get my favorite cut of steak at a local Argentinian steakhouse? Not really. Although, a visit to Tribeca's Industria Argentina isn't a bad idea...
Actually, I'm planning on going a bit further than Tribeca for a hearty helping of Argentine bovine. I'm traveling to Argentina itself!
But, with all the news of the farmers' strike and empty grocery store shelves, I was concerned that I would need to pack a lunch before I went -- a lunch that would last 10 days. (One order of fishes and loaves, please!)
Thankfully, the strike has been called off. That said, according to the Associated Press there are still major issues with the food supply chain at present:
Cattle trucks returned to the main stockyard in the Argentina capital Thursday after a 21-day farm strike against rising export taxes, but shortages of beef and produce remained a headache for consumers nationwide.
The Liniers stockyard received about 1,000 cattle Thursday and expected more than 10,000 head on Friday. But many butchers reported freezers still empty of beef as they waited for meatpacking plants to resume production across Argentina, a major beef producer.
Trucks carrying farm produce rolled freely again from countryside to cities, forming long lines at busy markets.
I'm hoping the long lines will have subsided by the time I hit Buenos Aires next weekend. We'll see...