CHRISTMAS EVE: DICKENS to DREAM GIRLS (AND I AM TELLING YOU)

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No rest for the wicked, or at least so they say. The alarm went off at 5:30, with a bit of snoozing. We needed to be at the Dickens Museum by 10 am sharp for our “A Christmas Carol” tour of the museum. Normally it is just a self-guided tour through the house that Charles Dicken once lived (he wrote Oliver Twist in this house) but today was a special day, more of that later.

We again had room service for breakfast to save time. We had eggs benedict, now as you know I am pretty fussy (if not downright bitchy about my eggs benedict) but today met standards. It was a very different take on an American classic. The hollandaise was very good, but it was more like a custard and actual slightly browned on top like a meringue. The eggs were not evenly cooked, one was a bit under poached meaning a bit of uncooked white, but that didn’t really bother us.

We ate breakfast, got ready and headed out for the first part of our day. Jerry’s GPS has kicked into full swing and we have master the Tube so getting around has gotten much easier. Typing on this laptop on the other hand is driving me crazy, as it likes to delete entire paragraphs. But that is another story.

We were a few minutes early so we waited outside with the other eager Dickens fans. Shortly after 10 am, so much for British promptness, the doors open and our tour began. What made today different was that the house was fully decorated in the style of A Christmas Carol and there were actors who did various outtakes from the story itself. From Jacob Marley to Bob Cratchit and of course Scrooge himself. It was very entertaining and the house was pretty impressive. The visit did not take as long as we anticipated so we walked around the general area bit and got a feel for local life.

The plan was then to head to Covent Garden and have lunch at the oldest fish & chips establishment in the city Rock & Sole Plaice, unfortunately we were still pretty full from breakfast and it did not take us as long as anticipated at the Dicken’s Museum. So instead we walked around Covent Garden, bought some wine and pastries then back to the hotel before we headed to the entire reason we choose London for Christmas.

Now, before you say, what there has to be more, this is all pretty boring. Fear not my devoted followers, there are stories about our shopping in Covent Garden. It all started with our trip back on the Tube. We got off at the Covent Garden stop, which is several stories underground so a lift is the best way to get to the exit, unless you want to walk up 5 flights of spiral stairs. As we were getting in the lift there was a bit of jostling as we entered. In other words, there was good old New York subway shoving. What we did not expect was the New York attitude. One woman was moving in with her husband who was gently nudging her into the lift, now compared to New York, there was room for 23 families of 5 in this lift, but one woman bumped in to another and the other said stop pushing me. The quick response was “sorry darling but you were shoving me first” followed by “fine bitch” now add the British accent and a lot less tone than in New York, and you might get the picture. I was trying hard not to laugh out loud.

Oh, but it gets better, that incident didn’t involve me, I was just an innocent bystander. After we left the Tube, we headed to find Jerry a proper British cap and a few necessities for the room. We found the Tesco (Oregonians think Fred Meyers; New Yorkers think well there is nothing like it in New York) and bought the items we wanted (yes wine). We then headed to a bakery to pick up some items for breakfast the next day. Then the fun really began, as we were patiently (yes, I can be patient) waiting in line to order, a very hmm how to say this nicely, oh why bother the woman was a grade A bitch, shoved, not pushed or simply cut in line, but with her elbows shoved me out of the way and into Jerry. Well of course she did, her punch card was full and she had a free breakfast sandwich due her, so I better just get the hell (and trust me that is not the word I want to use) out of the way. Under my breath, but not really, I said sorry but I was next in line (I was thinking far worse) she clearly was royalty and in no mood for manners, and just continued to shove me out of the way. She must have really needed that breakfast sandwich; blood sugar must have been low.

Now I wish I could say that was the only incident of the day, but that would just be a lie, not 5 seconds later, another entitled 20 something (insert explicative of your choice) shoved me aside because she just had to pay right then and there. Obviously, she was late, late for a very important date, with the Mad Hatter I am sure. I managed to behave myself, but Jerry who did not witness the first incident, got slightly in her face and said “excuse me but you will just have to wait, he was next” that is about as aggressive as he gets, unless you really piss him off, which takes a lot.

The rest of the day was without incident. The streets were pretty sparse of people so it was pretty quiet once you got outside of Covent Garden. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a hat shop and bought Jerry a great cap, cashmere, virgin lamb’s wool and alpaca. He looks very dapper in it, pictures will be in a later post.

Finally, safe in the room, we had a spot of wine and rested before our matinee. We had tickets for Dreamgirls. I actually bought these before we had the plane tickets, and if truth be told, it is the real reason we are spending Christmas in London. Everyone who knows me back in Portland, knows that I am a HUGE and I mean HUGE Dreamgirls whore, not fan, but whore. I have the original Broadway cast album, the movie sound track and the movie on dvd.

This was also the very first play/musical we have ever seen in London. In short London theater is as good if maybe not better than New York. The staging, costumes and overall experience was amazing. In fact, in London you can purchase a special package that gives you entry to a private lounge before the show and during the, as they say in England, interval. I purchased non-discounted tickets, almost dead center stage in the dress circle (first mezzanine for New Yorkers) and the upgrade package for the private lounge. With all that, it was still cheaper than most tickets I have purchased in line at TKTS in New York. So, what’s up Broadway, get with the program.

I could go on for pages on how incredible this production of Dreamgirls was, but instead I will just say I was in tears at one point and Amber Riley (you Gleekers know who I am talking about) killed the song of the show “I am telling you.” It was truly a show stopper that would have made Jennifer Holliday proud. A show has never deserved a standing ovation more than this one, it was on spot from beginning to end.

After the show, we went back to the room to rest and get ready for dinner. I want to just rush through dinner, but I won’t, I am going to get some sleep and have a calmer head before I continue the story of dinner. Let’s just say I am Telling you it was much less than we hoped for.

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It is now 6 am Christmas Morning, as I finish up this post. So back to Christmas Eve dinner. We had reservations for Simpsons in the Strand, it has a 200 history of serving roasted meats from the trolley car. It is also located in the Savoy Hotel, with that we thought we would be in a perfect British traditional meal. I had long been awaiting the prime rib and Yorkshire pudding I already knew I was having. I will not go in to great detail here and am cutting them a bit of slack because it is never easy to maintain standards on a holiday. However, we will not return nor do I recommend it to anyone. The service as not any better than some place in Hell’s Kitchen. Our waiter was not overly familiar with the menu, which likely has not changed in 200 years. The biggest problem was the pace. On two separate occasions, we had to ask them to slow down and both times it required them taking the food back. This is even after we said we were in no hurry and for them to please just take their time. We should have known we were in trouble when they had to ask what type of Martini I wanted. Its London, I want Gin are you seriously asking?

We barely had cocktail in hand when the appetizers arrived, I kindly asked them to wait until we had finished our cocktails. The waiter finally understood the pace, but evidently that was not relayed to the meat carver. Not more than 5 seconds after our appetizers had been cleared up rolled the trolley and he started to carve. I again, had to politely ask him to wait. Our waiter was in the background shaking his head and then came over an apologized, wasn’t necessary as it wasn’t really his fault.

The meal itself as fine, not great and certainly not Rules, but it didn’t make us want to walk out. As for the meal.

Jerry started with smoked Scottish salmon and capers with rye bread. I don’t even really like salmon but it was good. I started with potted shrimps, this is basically a country style shrimp pate. The spices in the dish were pretty could and it went very well with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. With the appetizers, we were off to a good start, food wise. The entrées were satisfactory and the sauce on Jerry’s was clearly the highlight of the meal. Jerry had a roasted partridge (no not in a pear tree) but in a very good leek cream sauce. I had the prime rib carved at table side. It was served with roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and savoy cabbage, (had one bite of that, so not a cabbage person). The horseradish was the highlight here, straight up grated horse radish not mixed with anything. Jerry also had a side of very good mashed potatoes and I a Rocket & Stilton salad. The wine with dinner was very good, a Chateau Trianon from St. Emilion. (how could it be bad.)

We passed on dessert and strolled back to the hotel. Back in the room we enjoyed some Champagne (Moet for less than $30 and it was not the white star either). We are getting a good exchange rate and things are much cheaper here than we expected and certainly far less than 10 years ago, on our first trip.

Today we have a day trip out to the countryside, but that is for the next entry.

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Photos

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