Juan Carlos, master cocktail maker at Orsay
From what I understand about the Theory of Relativity, there's no mention of cocktails in it. Nevertheless, I've discovered my own way to expand time while remaining at rest. And by at rest I mean seated at an outdoor table at Orsay restaurant on the Upper East Side. Yes, cocktails are involved, exquisite cocktails, but this is not a blog post about drinking until your surroundings mutate into liquid pocket watches. This is a blog post about the art of killing time.
Located on the corner of 76th Street and Lexington, Orsay is a Parisian feast for the eye situated in a quiet area where it can be enjoyed without competing noises and hoards of people. Sitting in the open veranda area on a stunning Saturday in June, I caught up with a friend who is always super fun to hang out with, so the meal had a lot going for it from the start. I ordered the Croque Madame without ham, which some would say, and did say, is not a Croque Madame but a cheese sandwich. I wouldn't go that far, but I admit it was a crock Madame.
Now for the cocktails. The art. A meal with well-placed cocktails is like a well-punctuated sentence, it flows nicely. This brunch was well-punctuated. Juan Carlos, the mixologist at Orsay, is a masterful drink maker and cute (see pic). It takes a very skilled craftsman to understand the art of subtlety, and there is a delicate subtlety to Juan Carlos's enchanting libations. Needless to say, delicious cocktails that ingeniously mask the taste of alcohol behind the poetry of flavor can be treacherous. So sip cautiously and set your limits. Also, you wouldn't want to ascend and descend the marble stairs that spiral up to the restroom with impaired senses.
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