Commander Cody's Fish Shoppe 631-749-1851 Corner of Smith Street and Midway Road Year-round fish market and dinners to go; outdoor summer dinner dining.

We rented a house at the end of June on Shelter Island and we fell in love with this beautiful getaway.

Of course we needed to eat at all of the yummy restaurants on the island and one of our favorites was, Commander Cody’s.

It is super tiny; about 10 tables all together. Usually the owner is frying chicken outside in fat filled frying pans.

Sometimes there is waiter service and sometimes there isn’t.

If you enter the kitchen, be prepared to be talked to.

Peaches usually works behind the raw bar and I have to say she is similar to Thai food, sweet and salty. That's me and Peaches in the picture, on the top of this post:)

The daughter of the owner, who went to the CIA in Hyde Park, typically is cooking just about everything.

She is a great cook, yet a touch salty too:)

The raw bar is amazing, the ribs and fried chicken are off the hook.

The only fish I tried was the salmon. It was heavily seasoned and cooked perfectly.

The three times we went, fabulous Blues music was blasting.

Don’t forget to BYOB and remember to tell Peaches I said hello!

Menu~

Did you ever go to Nells on a Wednesday night to dance to salsa?

17 years and 40 days ago, Calle Ocho on the Upper West Side was really in a rhythm.

We were constantly packed and I was so excited to be a part of the restaurant.

We literally timed the opening on the heels of Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martins explosion onto the scene.

There was this young woman, who was moonlighting as a cocktail waitress. By day, she was working in a successful gallery in Soho and at night she handled a packed lounge, with up to 50 people.

I never saw her sweat. She was always in control and always had a beautiful smile.

Her name was Carolyn Pena and I definitely wanted to date her.

We would make small talk from time to time , but she was always busy holding down her station.

One Monday night I asked her what she was doing on Wednesday and she said that she was going to Nells with some friends to dance to Salsa. “I responded, wow, so am i. Hope to see you there!”

When Wednesday came, I was so excited. I went to have dinner by myself in Chelsea and then around 8pm, I started to walk to Nells. I bumped into my old friend Steven Kalt, who now owns and runs, one of the hottest restaurants in LA, Spartina.

I got to Nells around 8pm, the music was blasting and I literally was the only patron there.

*note- who goes to a club at 8pm, DUH!

I stayed till about 10:30 and never saw Carolyn Pena.

The next morning, I was working at Union Pacific. I accessed our payroll and got Carolyn’s home phone number. (Not really a smart way of getting a girls phone number)

At 6am, I left the following message on her voice mail, “Hi, this is Paul David Zweben, from Main Street Restaurant Partners. I was at Nells last night and you never showed up! If you’d like to speak, please call me at 917.653.**49,or 212.223.8832, or 212.721.**20 or email me at pzweben@ms**group.com.” and then I hung up.

I am sure she listened to the message and said, how did he get my home number and man, this guy is crazy.

She finally called me up and I asked her out and she said she was busy that day. Then I asked for another date and she said she was busy and finally I asked for August 16, 1999 and she said yes.

Our first date started at Butterfield 81, where my dear friend Tom Valenti was the chef.

I remember as we sat at the bar, Carolyn excused herself and as she walked away, Tom said in his raspy voice, Dude and his big beautiful smile of his exploded. He said, Paul, you did good.

After drinks at Butterfield 81 we went to Raos for dinner and the rest is history.

I remember sending an email to my partners, Jeff Kadish, Steve Scher and Spencer Rothschild that I was dating Carolyn Pena and that she was the one. Jeff emailed me back and said to fire her.

It was the best firing ever. Carolyn attacked her true passion of selling real estate and she never looked back.

Carolyn, thank you for giving me two beautiful children and a warm, loving home.

I know I am not perfect and I know I live in the Dog House on a regular basis, but I wouldn’t want to be on this journey with anyone else.

Happy 17 year dating anniversary!

• 
• We had a big sale pending at 55 Liberty street, just weeks before Lehman Brothers imploded. Let's just say that the buyers knew what was coming in the banking sector, well before the sellers did. The sale never happened. The buyers came to the closing table and tried to negotiate a sales price of $1,000,000 less than the contract price. The sellers told the buyers to take a hike!  I remember meeting my wife, after I left the closing table at a cafe on 6th ave and had to give her the news. It hurt for about a day and then we looked at each other and said, this is the perfect point in our careers to fine tune our team, have better systems, better marketing, more networking and more social media. I am grateful 55 Liberty never closed!
• Liberty tower. 55 Liberty street . Built in 1909 by Henry Ives cobb ( one of only two New York commission ) it stands 33 stories and 385 ft tall with foundations sunk 90 ft into the ground and is just 58 by 82 ft across. The building has had a turbulent past - the original owners were almost bankrupted by its construction, then in 1917 the famous 'zimmerman plot' was traced back to a rented office in the building. In 1919 the building was sold to the Sinclair oil company famous for the 'Teapot dome scandal' of 1922 -the biggest scandal to rock the U.S until Watergate. The building settled down to an uneventful life being sold by Sinclair oil in 1945 and returning to multi occupancy use until 1979 when it was turned into condo's The building was literally shook to its foundations by the destruction of the twin towers causing structural damage and underwent major renovation. #thezwebenteam #driven #focused #passionate @douglaselliman

Open House Details

• Sunday, August 14^th, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM BY Appointment only~

It reminded me of a major turning point in my career. I had been cooking for 9 years.

Went to the CIA and FIU, was an apprentice baker for 3 years, worked a...t the Breakers Hotel and The Grand Bay hotel (rip) and The Headquarters Plaza hotel in Morristown, New Jersey.
I realized it was time to work in the city.
I made an appointment with Marc Sarrazin, a French country butcher who became the owner of DeBragga & Spitler Inc., a wholesale meat purveyor to fine restaurants in New York City and a benevolent godfather to generations of young American chefs.
When I met Marc, I was in a suit and had my leather folder with my resume and letters of recommendation.
He looked at it for about 3 seconds and then asked what chefs I worked for.
I told him the chefs names and he asked me again, what chefs I worked for.
He then , for a third time, he asked what chefs I worked for. I started to answer again and he said, stop, you've worked for no one over the last 9 years!
He then took out a piece of paper and wrote down the address for the River Cafe and to speak with the Chef, David Burke. He said, "maybe he will give you a job."
He got up, shook my hand and wished me luck.
As I began to drive to Brooklyn I realized that Marc dismantled me in about 5 minutes.
I arrived at The River Cafe and met David.
He offered me a line cook job, paying $8.75 per hour. It was the turning point of my career!
I will always be grateful to Marc Sarrazin. He placed me into Wharton cooking school and it molded my career!
The moral of the story? Work hard, learn and always work with more talented, more motivated and more creative people than you!

WINDSOR TOWER, 5 Tudor City Pl, PH3 - Murray Hill, New York

RARELY AVAILABLE ICONIC PENTHO-- -- USECome. See. Believe. This breathtaking and iconic penthouse home is unlike anything you have ever seen. From the moment you step inside, you'll be enchanted by the dramatic double-height ceilings, beautiful, restored, floor-to-ceiling casement windows and spectacular panoramic city views. This triplex, 2-bedroom, 2 ½ bath home has an expansive, open layout creating a truly grand setting. The open living/dining room and chef's kitchen occupy much of the apartment's first level. Allow yourself to be drawn in by the beautiful restored details including exquisite herringbone floors, a functioning wood-burning fireplace and sparkling Swarovski chandeliers and sconces. A spacious 2nd bedroom is also located on the first level with plentiful closets and marble ensuite bath. The incredible master suite occupies the full second level. With a separate dressing room, walk-in closet, and decadent marble bath, this is truly a serene escape from city life. The third and final level is the piece de resistance, the magical setback roof terrace! Wow your guests with cocktails on the roof, while watching the sunset and taking in quintessential city views. Striking Neo-Gothic architectural details of pinnacles, gargoyles and griffins add drama and playfulness to this exceptional home. Modern comforts complement the polished design with central air conditioning and your own washer/dryer. It's easy to see why the iconic penthouses at 5 Tudor City Place have served as the backdrop for unforgettable NYC scenes in movies such as The Godfather III, Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway and many others. This full-service building features a 24-hour doorman, fitness center, bike room, laundry, recreation room and excellent live-in super. Developed in the 1920's to be an urban utopia, this serene neighborhood has lured New Yorkers as a garden oasis in the center of the city with its manicured gardens, stunning architecture, waterfront proximity and European ambiance. Have it all in this lovely, tranquil trophy home conveniently located just moments away from the hustle and bustle of midtown, fine dining and designer boutiques.There is currently an assessment in the amount of $101.01/month.

I am so incredibly excited to share my interview with my friend, Chef Laurent Tourondel!

Elliman Talks: Laurent Tourondel from Douglas Elliman Real Estate on Vimeo.

The day before Easter, my little one and I decided to decorate Easter eggs for the big dance, the following day.

The more we decorated the eggs, the more the eggs reminded me of the real estate business.

These are their stories:

When you meet the buyer's attorney at the closing table and realize he or she has never done a real estate transaction.

When you ask the seller's agent of there is another contract out on the property and they can't look in your eyes. That's a bad egg.

When you ask the seller's agent if there is a flip tax and they have this look.

When your buyer wins the bidding war on ‪#‎Easter‬ ‪#‎TheZwebenTeam‬ ‪#‎NYCRealEstate

When you meet the buyer's agent for the first time and realize his/her profile picture is over 20 years old! ‪#‎NYCRealEstate‬ ‪#‎TheZwebenTeam

When you finally meet the managing agent at the closing table and realize, he or she is over worked, underpaid and manages 50 buildings and needs a cocktail ASAP! 🍷🍷🍷‪#‎TheZwebenTeam‬ ‪#‎NYCRealEstate

When a buyer comes in to your open house and refuses to sign in. ‪#‎truestory

When your agent has won the war and just needs a beer! ‪#‎TheZwebenTeam‬ ‪#‎NYCRealEstate

All in good fun!