BRUNCH WITH BONO


On Friday, rather than accepting a date to hear live music, I met my friend Robin at Hillstone's--because I was hungry. I had been recovering from a cold but couldn't stay in bed, so a restaurant seemed like the ideal destination. Food comes first is my motto when making plans.

The date was Jon. French guy, nice guy, Wharton grad. I told him I was going to meet my friend for food and then I'd text him after to see if the band was still playing. Once at Hillstone's, I scanned the menu and immediately found what I wanted: baby back ribs. I consulted with the waitress, as though I really cared if she thought I shouldn't order the ribs.

I always ask people for their opinions. What would you do if you were me... (Well, you're not, ha!) She said the ribs were really a lot of food for one person. And she suggested the chicken. I ordered the ribs, finished the whole plate. I hadn't had ribs since my Rib-ranking days. Rib-ranking, verb: Trying every conceivable variation of ribs in an entire metropolitan city, what my sister and I used to do for fun as kids! Foodie kids want sushi not pizza...unless it's gourmet pizza.

The ribs were lean, lots of meat on the bone, smothered in a near-drinkable hickory flavor of bbq sauce. The meat was easy to remove from the bone, slightly charred. The ribs were served with shoestring fries (love these) and coleslaw. I was pleasantly surprised by the shoestring fries rather than the expected potato salad. I was less impressed by the mayonnaise-laden coleslaw. The contents of the coleslaw seemed to be 3:1, mayo:leafy veggie. I wasn't convinced they had used cabbage actually. I washed this down with an Abita beer.

Everyone was diving into my fries so I had to guard them, making it known that I was recovering from a cold. Being sick does get people to keep their hands off your food! It turns people around me into the germaphobe I usually am.

Upon finishing dinner, I texted Jon, my would-be-date. He said he was heading to MPD, and to join. Robin and I hopped in a cab and went to the most obnoxious restaurant in the Meatpacking District, MPD. It's not a club, and yet the music is blasting at levels that far exceed the noise limitations of a club. The problem with it being a restaurant is that people are seated and so everyone is expected to talk...over the music. Result: a headache.

Fortunately my glass of Moet rosé was made more pleasant when Jon got the clue that I wasn't interested in shouting over the music into his ear less than a foot away (and vise versa) And then...Robin spotted Calvin Klein across the room. An older man, beautifully dressed, full of energy, dancing with a group. As our table was finishing with the bill, Robin and I excused ourselves to go "say hi" to Calvin Klein. He was soo nice! And so full of life for an older man. He told us to join his table. He offered us champagne. We thanked him and explained that we had to stay with our friends (who had a table at Avenue lined up next). Before I left the table, Calvin Klein invited me to lunch the following day, and we exchanged bbm pins. In bbm, his name came up as Dominique. It wasn't Calvin Klein afterall.

Dominique is from Belgium; he's in the fashion industry and owns a line that is popular there. He bbm'ed me the following morning re: lunch plans. He said for me to meet him and his group from MPD at the French, highbrow, UES restaurant called Bilboquet at 2:15pm. I asked if I could bring my friend Robin. He said that it would be ok if I wanted to bring 1 friend. I checked with Robin. She was in.

It was a rainy day in Manhattan. A late lunch seemed like the perfect plan.

Bilboquet is designed as a careful study of a beautiful, Parisian cafe. With only 5 tables, reservations are required. It's intimate, the size of a small living room. It's bright, with fun, clever paintings on the walls. One memorable painting was an eye chart on a yellow/orange background, with its letters spelling "LET THE SUN SHINE IN." Adding to a cafe vibe were the oversized windows opening onto 63rd Street. Our table consisted of 4 guys who had known each other for 10+ years, and 2 girls (Robin and me). From the moment we sat, rosé and white wine were on tap. I had never seen people drink wine like water, literally.

One of Dominique's friends captured my attention. He was tall, with dark curly hair. He spoke in a commanding tone of voice. I thought he looked like an actor, so I asked which one people say he looks like. Jokingly he said, with a straight face, "I usually get Tom Cruise." From that point forward, I found most of what he said witty and funny. He's a restaurateur named Phil who owns several restaurants in Manhattan and outside NY too. He attended Columbia for his MBA. Mid-thirties.

The menu was an extensive array of everything French, with an emphasis on excellent fish/meats and market-fresh produce: tomatoes, string beans, arugula, avocado... Most appealing to me for an app was a dish that flew across the room at lightning speed: a salad with thick wedges of avocado. I didn't bother to ask what it was. Instead I took a gamble at what I thought it was. I scanned the menu. La Salade de Crabe and Avocat. Unfortunately this was not *the* dish, and was not what I envisioned based on the name, but it was surprisingly good. The plate consisted of a generous layer of minced crab, topped with a thin layer of chopped avocado (guac, anyone?) The plate was expertly styled with a cilantro sauce and parsley flakes.

Just as we were moving onto the entree, a nice apertif arrived--Bono. In such a small restaurant, everyone is visible and social. Bono was seated with his group of 6 at the table beside ours. He was seated along the wall of the room, facing out. I was facing the wall from my table. For the remainder of the meal, he and I were making eye contact.

The entrees arrived. I ordered the Filet Sea Bass, Compote de Fenouil (pictured above). The sea bass was prepared the way I like it--skin grilled until it's crunchy. It was a thick cut, no skimping on size. What I enjoyed most about the dish is that they left the fish alone, unpolluted by sauces, hovering above the chaos below: a montage of sauces, lettuces, and tomatoes. It was a dish about as tasty as it was pretty. Everything was fresh. My only gripe: the flesh of the sea bass was slightly overcooked. It's a delicate fish, and a chef must be careful not to turn its consistency while charring the skin.

I sampled some of the other dishes at the table, including Moules Marinieres, soaked an ample amount in a light, white wine reduction. Another popular dish at the table, Poulet Cajun, cajun chicken, with cajun prounced ca-hoon! It wasn't all that spicy, dummed down by a cool parsley dressing. The tuna tartar, traditionally prepared, inventively served beneath a wonton cracker.

The conversation continued flowing with Phil. We discussed his new restaurants, I told him about my passion for food. In the meantime, Bono and I continued making eye contact.

The desserts arrived. I pounded an entire chocolate mousse parfait, by myself. I hadn't had chocolate mousse since...I can't remember when. I enjoyed the mousse with child-like excitement.

When I looked up, Bono smiled at me. At that point he wasn't eating. So I thought--why not see what's up? I walked 4 feet to the bench along the wall and took a seat beside him. Robin trailed, and took a seat beside me. We introduced ourselves, and Bono seemed interesting in getting to know us.

Bono: What do you think of the food?
Me: It's surprisingly good.
Robin: So good.
Bono: I agree. Typically in Parisian-looking cafes you don't get food this good.
Me: Who are your friends?
Bono: We all work together. It's a rare occasion for us all to be able to take a break at the same time.
Me: That's nice.
Bono: What do you guys do in the city?
Me: I'm a real estate broker.
Robin: I am too, but I'm getting my Masters in Social Work at NYU.
Bono: That's great, and you guys are from here?
Robin: I am, she's not.
Me: I'm from Texas.
Bono: Nice. I've never met a Southerner I didn't like.
Robin: I've got some Southern in me, I guess. I went to Virginia Tech, ya know home of Michael Vick.
Bono: Who?
Robin: Michael Vick.
Bono: I don't know who that is.
Robin: He's the one indicted for killing pitbulls.
Bono: Killing people? Oh my G-d (turning to me) Who is your friend?
Me: I have no idea who she's talking about.
Robin: Pitbulls! Not people!
Bono: Don't try to cover it up now, you're friends with someone who killed people.
Me: Do you ever make it down to Austin?
Bono: I've been meaning to go for South by Southwest. Have you been?
Me: Yeah, it's great. I just got my 3-day pass for ACL. It's a good line up. Arcade Fire..
Bono: We'll be touring with them soon.
Me: That's great! You have a similar energy.
Bono: I know, I'm psyched, I think they're the best band we've had open for us.
Me: They are really good. I discovered them by accident while going to hear Spoon at MSG. Do you know Spoon?
Bono: Of course.
Me: I would love to see you live with Arcade Fire.
Bono: You should come. (He motioned for his assistant to give me contact info, I handed her my cell)
Me: I would love to. Wouldn't that be great, Robin?
Robin: That sounds amazing.
Bono: So, come to the show in Manitoba.
Me: Ok, we will. Thanks. It must be incredibly fun being on stage.
Bono: It's more fun being off.
Me: Really?
Bono: Ya, it's hard work.
Me: I can imagine. But still, must be a rush.
Bono: It is.
Me: Nice meeting you.
Robin: Nice meeting you.
Bono: Good meeting you too.

We returned to our table, the guys somewhat envious we had managed to speak to Bono for a solid time frame. The last item to consume, a small tangy, citrus dessert drink. It was not my favorite, a little too strong for me--but Robin loved it.

Our table exited Bilboquet at the same time Bono's table did. Dominique and I were outside, using our umbrellas as though they were swords. Bono walked out and said "Jousting!" Then Dominique and him had the opportunity to talk. We stood outside figuring out where the next destination would be (Nello's) while Bono and his crew piled in a black SUV.

Bono rolled down his window, and called out to me "Nice meeting you!"

Phil and I have a date tonight.

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