Xiomara Ardolina, chef / owner, Xiomara restaurant, Pasadena

I stayed at a friend’s apartment on East 57th at 2nd , right in the heart of New York. I walked to Little Italy, Chinatown and back. I stayed away from every upscale restaurant you can think of. I’m tired of them. But I did go to Douglas Rodriguez’s new restaurant, Chicama. He started Nuevo Latino cuisine in New York. I went to my favorite bar, Bull and Bear in the Waldorf=Astoria. I also saw three plays: “The Boys from Syracuse,” “The Producers,” “Oklahoma.” I grew up in New York. So it’s kind of coming home.

Discovery: There’s this restaurant on 73rd at Madison Avenue called Via Quadronno. It’s narrow and long. I had the best cafe latte there.