Tracking the NYC Restaurants in ‘And Just Like That...' Season 3, Episode 9
And just like that, HBO Max's Sex and the City sequel series returns for its third season. And Just Like That... brings back our long-time New Yorkers Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis), as well as relative newcomers Seema (Sarita Choudhury) and Lisa (Nicole Ari Parker), to our televisions and laptops. What is summer without our gals talking candidly about sex, making bad puns, and dining and drinking around the city?
Like previous seasons, Eater will be tracking where the gang is eating across New York City, from brunch sessions to romantic dinners to cocktail dates. This guide will be updated weekly when each episode airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m., leading up to the finale. And we're saying it now: there will be spoilers ahead.
Episode 9, 'Present Tense'
THE THING THAT EVERYONE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR HAPPENED. The women are finally saying the things they want to say, and the plots actually move forward. Hooray: Carrie and Aidan are no longer. They've been grappling with old habits, resentment, and trust issues. Aidan can't get over Carrie cheating on him a billion years ago and the fact that she's hanging out with someone who gets her writer sensibilities and smokes a pipe (remember his whole anti-cigarettes thing from before?). And Carrie is shrinking herself to be right for him. So, they break up while an on-the-nose Taylor Swift song plays.
'Present Tense' is a decent episode among a spate of duds, thanks to a lot of callbacks to Sex and the City that made the original series enjoyable. Carrie and Duncan's relationship recalls her failed tryst with novelist Berger and the scrunchie debate, while the slapstick comedy antics of Charlotte navigating her vertigo and Harry's post-surgery bulge remind me of the plot where they both get food poisoning.
100 East 63rd Street, near Park Avenue, Upper East Side
(For context: Seema and hot gardener Adam are still debating the merits of deodorant versus crystals, so she tries it his way and rubs said rock against her armpits.)
Seema rushes over to chef Daniel Boulud's restaurant (which is playacting as a spot called Pelican — maybe the show couldn't get the rights to use the name?) to meet a client. She pre-orders a truffle pizza, and the guy comments on whether the server has 'body order' (oh god), and Seema realizes it's her. She heads to the bathroom, which is occupied, so she takes out emergency deodorant (doesn't everyone have one of those in their bags?) and slathers it on in public without embarrassment.
253 West 11th Street at West Fourth Street, West Village
Aidan texts Carrie while she's shoe shopping, asking if she wants to meet for lunch at 'that place we love' — it's the second reference to a neighborhood spot they frequent this season. It turns out to be the longtime West Village bistro (not to be confused with the San Francisco-based bakery chain of the same name). Aidan's already there, sitting at a patio table near the door, and orders them iced teas. They have an honest conversation about his trust issues and her frustration that everything she's doing for their relationship will never be enough. Their tenses reveal how they feel about their relationship, speaking in the past rather than the present. And just like that, they're done. Cue Taylor Swift's 'How Did It End?'
113 Greenwich Avenue, at Jane Street, West Village
The real Carrie Bradshaw is back: she's in a hot dress walking along the cobblestone streets of the West Village, meeting her friends at the Italian restaurant. We're peering into the restaurant from the outside, seeing Carrie greet each of her friends as if she's returning after a long time away.
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New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Maxim's 'unsexiest women' list surfaces with surprising first-place winner
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Elle
4 hours ago
- Elle
Sarita Choudhury Feels ‘Lucky' She Didn't See That Infamous Trey Scene in 'The O.C.'
Sarita Choudhury makes a point of avoiding the ever-fervent And Just Like That… discourse. 'I protect myself by not reading anything,' says the veteran stage and screen actress, who portrays the ultra-confident and unapologetically sexy real estate broker Seema Patel on the Sex and the City sequel series. But last week, news broke that Choudhury couldn't avoid—even on vacation in Spain. A day after she jumped on Zoom to speak with ELLE, series creator Michael Patrick King and star Sarah Jessica Parker dropped the bombshell that And Just Like That… would end with the remaining two episodes of the current third season. Immediately after, Choudhury reposted Parker's tribute in her Instagram Story, but has otherwise remained quiet. (Her representatives declined to comment.) In 2021, Choudhury—whose career took off after starring opposite Denzel Washington in Mira Nair's 1991 film, Mississippi Masala, and recently stole scenes in Fallout and Ramy—joined three-fourths of the original SATC cast in And Just Like That... After helping a widowed Carrie (Parker) sell the apartment she shared with Big (Chris Noth), Seema filled out an expanded and more diverse circle of high-powered, well-dressed, and quick-witted women that's actually representative of New York City. She brings the single, child-free, and self-made woman energy to the group—which sometimes elicits an oversimplified comparison to Kim Cattrall's Samantha. But in AJLT's now-final season, Seema embarks on an uncharted and revealing journey that feels much higher-stakes than when she was a victim of Birkin bag theft. Professionally, Seema—at the top of her game in a posh real estate agency—is thrown for a loop with her business partner and friend, Elliott (John Glover) announces early retirement. Instead of elevating her to sole owner of Proust & Patel, like originally promised, Elliott sells his controlling shares to Owning Manhattan's showboating deal-closer Ryan Serhant. Bouncing back from her initial shock and humiliation, a resolute Seema starts her own luxury boutique agency. But she encounters hurdles along the way, like getting real about her finances, swapping her chauffeured car for an MTA card, and braving a case of pink eye, thanks to her budget-friendly, but hygienically-challenged neighborhood lash spot. After breaking up with smooth but distracted movie director Ravi Gordi (Armin Amiri), Seema finds an instant spark with Carrie's crunchy, hunky landscaper Adam, played by Logan Marshall-Green, a.k.a. The OC's Chino hothead, Trey Atwood. Choudhury, however, didn't watch the mid-aughts teen drama, so she wouldn't have been preoccupied by, say, memories of a comatose Trey after Marissa (Mischa Barton) shot him. 'I'm lucky I didn't,' says Choudhury. Adam, who's at ease with his own feelings (maybe due to his close relationship with his late hippie, artist mother) plays a perfect foil to the bold, but emotionally guarded Seema. With Adam, she learns to be vulnerable and honestly express her feelings, which is perhaps a more daunting prospect than starting her own business. Behind the scenes of AJLT, Choudhury settled into a groove, too, especially with filming raucous lunch scenes with the rest of the main cast. 'The group scenes are now my favorite, because it's the only time I get to see everyone and we get to hang out in the makeup trailer before,' says Choudhury, who at first feared those moments back in season 1. 'Those lunch scenes in Sex and the City back in the day were iconic. So in my head, I was like, 'It doesn't even make sense for me to sit at that lunch table.' It was too meta for me. But now, it's completely the opposite.' Choudhury explains she quickly found her footing in season 1, largely because the original cast members, Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis, were so supportive and welcoming. 'The original girls are so amazing. They're so normal. It's shocking. That's why it was actually very easy [to settle in],' she says. 'You don't feel that pressure on the set. I mean, it's women in their 50s hanging out. Everyone has children, and there's so many things that we're juggling.' While Choudhury ignores her social mentions and comment section, she welcomes the fans who approach her on the street—many of whom are rooting for Seema and Adam. 'They're super excited and they just give me a lot of energy,' says Choudhury. 'I've never experienced that. I've never done a show with that kind of energy.' Ahead, Choudhury—who was extremely careful not to reveal finale spoilers—discusses why Adam is different from other guys, a time when she felt like she lost her power, and how she takes inspiration from her character during a 'shake up.' I didn't actually take anything from my own. I got the help from MPK [Michael Patrick King]. There were two scenes, specifically, where you're being told something, and people are watching your expression, you're covering up, but you can't help but show [emotion] a bit. When we were shooting, MPK was like, '[Seema] covers up immediately, and then her awkwardness or vulnerability [later] betrays it. But she would never [reveal it immediately in the moment].' So she'll take the champagne and be like, 'Well, that's for me. I deserve it.' Because she's in a business suit, in the meeting, being told she's not getting the company or being valued for all that work. I think I do that. I think we all do that, where you have the facial reaction and then, later, you have the phone call or the road trip with Carrie. But in terms of my life, as an actor, you go through it all the time. Because everything is about your artistic desire versus what you're receiving. Maybe the job doesn't align perfectly with what you want. Or we audition and don't get the part. We're so good at rejection as actors. I'm really enjoying it in season 3. Because in season 1, it was more, 'Oh, I need to pull this off, because I'm so different from Seema.' This comedy, mixed in with a very grounded—oddly—story, is an opportunity I've had in theater, but never really on screen. So it's been fun to be agile. It's like doing math. You literally have to figure out the comedy and keep it real. It's new for me and I love it now. I remember realizing, 'Oh, my God, this is the rom-com moment.' Everyone probably thinks Seema's really tough, but I think every woman wants that moment. Every other scene with Adam before that was sparring with words and Seema just making fun of [him] because she liked him. You do that when you're 12 years old; that's how she was behaving. So for me, that scene was just like, 'It's happening, so just let it happen and enjoy it.' It's that moment you can't quite believe it's happening, and there's part of your brain that just is like, 'Don't talk. Just accept it. It's so beautiful. Oh my god.' I think I was having that realization even though everyone is staring at me, and there is a side to it that's just so outlandish. Logan is so good at this. [Adam] is so grounded and he watches, and that disarms her. Because I think she's the watcher and the mover. Like, she says something, and he matches it with a phrase. It's like Beatrice and Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing. They're not the ones that are supposed to fall in love. They're constantly sparring. Of course, as you're watching it, you're like, 'Of course, they're gonna get together.' He's the only one who doesn't let it go. He's matching her word for word. He touches her … like [removing her] eyelash and coming in that close and touching her face. I don't think Seema was used to that on any level. Again, as women, we love that, but we don't know how to tell a guy to be like that. You can't train someone to be like that. A guy is like that or not. Yeah, his hands are in the dirt every day with things that are growing. He's just the opposite of Seema. It's the kind of thing, when you're so happy in your own world, and then a friend or someone just goes, 'Yeah, but…'' Like, reminding me of something I wanted to do, as if I hadn't remembered myself. It's embarrassing. [For Seema], it's like, 'Well, you think you're on top of the world with everything, but then why is your love life always such a sham?' Even in her business mind, she's like, 'Wait a minute, the equation is not working. Let me try and play with this equation.' But within three wrong sentences, either from the brilliant Cheri Oteri, or from the guy on the date, she's out. She's not gonna give anything too long. I never thought I'd feel this, because I know it's a scene where I'm playing the character doing this. But when I saw the costume options, I was literally appalled. I've played Seema long enough, but it kind of shocked me. I felt like an imposter, even with the straightened hair. It was perfect for that [scene]. Because you could wear pastels in the style that you usually dress and still feel some odd power. It felt like I had no angle that I was used to! So I lost my power. I didn't know how to navigate these colors and clothes. Oh, wow. [Long pause.] It's funny because we get the scripts ahead of time by a few or maybe five days. But I remember, as we were hitting this area, I was even thinking, 'Oh my god, what is going to happen?' Because, with shows, sometimes you open the script that's just been sent to you, and you're praying—because some story lines you enjoy—and you're like, 'Oh, please don't shift this one away.' So I can't give anything away, obviously, but the question you are asking is exactly how I felt as an actor at this point in the series. I remember thinking, 'Oh my god, what are they going to do with the last?'—especially because there's only a few left. I did not know what was going to happen. I know that doesn't answer your question. But I'm aligned with you in asking it. Oh I know, it's inspiring to me too, because we all get shaken up—or need shaking up—and I don't know which one is truer. Because she's a so-called 'strong woman,' it's kind of great to see, 'Oh, how did she deal with it?' Because, I need to learn that all the time. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Eater
20 hours ago
- Eater
A Sneak Peek at the Stunning Dishes Debuting at the Happy Crane
is the regional editor for Eater's Northern California/Pacific Northwest sites, writing about restaurant and bar trends, upcoming openings, and pop-ups for the San Francisco Bay Area, Portland, Seattle, and Denver. Chef James Yeun Leong Parry is opening his highly anticipated modern Cantonese restaurant the Happy Crane on Friday, August 8. This is the crowning achievement of his culinary career thus far, which spans Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong (Bo Innovation), Japan (Nihonryori RyuGin), and the United States (Benu). For the last year or so, he's been touring the Happy Crane around San Francisco as a pop-up. Fittingly, he's found a home in the location of Benu chef Corey Lee's former restaurant, Monsieur Benjamin, in the busy Gough Street corridor. His vision is 'to represent something that feels authentic, that is rooted in traditional flavors,' he says, but given its San Francisco location, the Happy Crane will also be taking advantage of local seasonal produce with a mashup of traditional and modern cooking techniques. 'What I hoped to represent is food that doesn't look overly complicated, but actually in the back end, that's where the work is,' Parry says. 'The real hard work is in the preparation and the techniques.' Read on for the inspiration and details behind four dishes on the Happy Crane menu. XO Little Fry King Jeremy Chiu Parry calls the XO Little Fry King, 'a wok dish that's super flavorful, very umami-forward.' It's a street food made in dai pai dongs, or food stalls in Hong Kong, incorporating vegetables and dried seafood, like shrimp and fish. In Parry's version, he focuses more on folding in fresh seafood. Cantonese food is highly seafood-focused, and that's something that he is passionate about. Parry will change this dish with the seafood 'seasons'; at the restaurant launch, the dish stars abalone, but he hopes to swap in shrimp or firefly squid when it's the right time of year. Parry works around the chewy qualities of the abalone through Japanese knife techniques, tenderizing it with thin knife cuts before lightly steaming the meat. This gives the abalone, as Parry puts it, 'the right amount of bite, but it's not overly chewy and still showcases the freshness of the ingredient.' The abalone is then stir-fried with bay shrimp, salted duck leg in place of the more traditional Jinhua ham, Chinese chive flowers, Jimmy Nardello peppers, bean sprouts, and cashew nuts. It offers different textures with the chewiness of the abalone, the crunch of the vegetables, and the umami notes of the XO sauce. 'It looks simple, but actually there's real tension and thought behind it — and it's tasty,' Parry says. The XO sauce is worthy of its own write-up. As Parry explains, 'It's a labor of love in that there's just a lot of steps, then the yield is quite small.' As Jinhua ham is not allowed into the United States, he is instead making a duck ham, air drying it in the walk-in and adding it to his XO recipe, along with dried scallop and shrimp, raw and dried chiles, garlic, and shallots. The sauce then marinates for six days before it's used in this stir-fry dish. Eventually the team will scale up the amount of XO they make, but for now, this is the only dish it stars in. 'Truthfully, the reason for that is, I'm really stingy about it,' Parry says, laughing. 'It's so labor-intensive.' Crab rice roll Jeremy Chiu Parry admits that cheung fan, or rice rolls, are more of a dim sum brunch dish, 'but I wanted to serve it as a dinner item, almost like a noodle, where we freshly mill the rice ourselves,' he says. He does not include any flour in his batter; instead, the bouncy, chewy gelatinous texture is achieved through soaked jasmine rice ground on a stone, then steamed. Parry's rice roll is a nod to another dish, similar to a hor fun with gravy — a less common dish at restaurants, he says — so his version comes with a sauce made of crab butter made of crab shells, chicken stock, and Shaoxing wine. The rice rolls are then dressed in this sauce and topped with Dungeness crab, Chinese celery, and yellow chives. Brent Wolfe quail Jeremy Chiu Parry admits he is also very passionate about Cantonese roast meats, and from the start, his team makes its own char siu, or Chinese barbecue pork; siu yuk, a Cantonese roast pork belly; and quail (with plans to expand the offerings down the line). He uses quails from Brent Wolfe, whom Parry calls one of the best quail purveyors in the country. For this dish, Parry takes Cantonese roast duck cooking methods and applies them to this smaller bird, dry-aging it up to six days for a crisp skin. The duck is marinated in their house-made five spice, along with ginger and fresh and dried spices, along with a glaze. The dish requires a three-step preparation: First, he cooks it at a low temperature before tossing it over a charcoal yakitori grill. It's then finished at a high temperature 'fry' where hot oil is ladled over the bird to crisp up the skin at the end. The bird is then served, bone-in, claw and all, with a side of Sichuan pepper-salt and fresh lime, plus salted, pickled Tokyo turnips to reset the palate. Mochi Rocher Jeremy Chiu Ferrero Rocher chocolates are a favorite gift to give family and friends around Chinese New Year, Parry says, and it serves as the inspiration for his dessert jian dui, or fried sesame dumplings. Traditionally filled with red bean paste or lotus seed, his version is instead filled with dark chocolate ganache and a candied, salted hazelnut, plus a chopped hazelnut exterior. Parry makes his dough with both rice flour and glutinous rice flour. The dark chocolate ganache is then portioned out with the candied hazelnut at the center, and frozen, before it's wrapped in the dough. The dumplings are then rolled in those toasted hazelnuts, rather than the usual sesame seeds, then fried to order. The result is a still-warm dumpling with a runny chocolate center; to complete the look, it's presented in a Ferrero Rocher-like wrapper. 'It's just a fun, fun way to end dinner, that's not too sweet,' Parry says. The Happy Crane (451 Gough Street) debuts Friday, August 8, and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations can be made via OpenTable. Jeremy Chiu Jeremy Chiu Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
