Yes, it’s true, I’ve decided to give up blogging and join the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour…

Okay, I made that up. Actually, that’s a few of us at Grand Prix New York last Friday night.  I was lucky enough to be invited to GPNY for a “drive and eat” — a few heart-pounding races on the go-kart track, followed by a tasting of the late night menu from its in-house restaurant, Eau Rouge.

First let me say how startled I was by the size of this place — 120,000 square feet that includes two indoor tracks, game room, restaurant, bar and pool tables.   

There’s something for everyone here.   If you want to tap into your inner Mario Andretti and race go-karts, you can do that.

If you want to sit at the bar and watch the action, you can do that (no drinking and driving though).

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If you’re simply about good food and want to dine at the sharp Eau Rouge, you can do that.

I recommend doing all three.  And I know what some of you are thinking: I’m an adult, I don’t want to race go-karts!  To which I say, try it, you might be surprised by how much fun you’ll have… at any age.  If you don’t believe me, watch this clip I shot on my camera.

Men, women, children — we all got caught up in the fun of flying around the track at 30 mph, and it didn’t take long before our competitive juices were flowing.

I finished a respectable fifth in the first race.  In the second race I was passed by a bunch of pro-looking drivers (who owned their own race helmets), then suffered the indignity of being nudged and spun out in a corner, killing any chances of a decent finish.  The good news — I was enjoying myself so much that I didn’t even care. 

Afterwards, we changed out of our race suits and headed over to a private room in the back where we sampled Eau Rouge’s tasty late night cuisine, like these chicken and steak quesadillas.

The Kobe beef sliders were a hit.

Aren’t these some great looking spring rolls?  That’s seared tuna inside.  I love the contrasts in color — looks like a watermelon.

I’ve come a long way on the mac and cheese front.  I’d been completely turned off by it ever since a neighbor made it for my sister and me when we were kids.  I think it was an instant one out of a box.  The radioactive bright orange and all around goopiness just about made me gag, and I hadn’t come near the stuff until three years ago when I ate a homemade version and realized how delicious a properly prepared mac and cheese could be.  Anyway, I’m telling you all this to point out that the mac and cheese at Eau Rouge is properly prepared.  In fact, I had three helpings.

Food and fast driving?  That’s about as good as it gets for me. While my eating skills are finely honed, my go-kart skills need improvement.  I was okay with being spun out though — it was going to take more than a spin-out to wipe the goofy grin off my face.

Grand Prix New York
333 North Bedford Rd.
Mt. Kisco, NY
914-241-3131