Ladies Who Lunch.

Not a practice I frequently participate in, but I recently made an exception.

I truly admire women, but they don’t always make genuine friends and working partners. Many specialize in jealousy, back stabbing in the workplace, hurtful gossip and dumping tactics as soon as a viable male enters the picture.

I tread lightly, but still enjoy spending time with the gals.

With the reality of heading back to Los Angeles weighing heavily on me, I made a date with my girlfriend, Sandy, to rendezvous one last time in Manhattan.

Sandy lives in LA, but has drunk the Kool-Aid and has been moonlighting as a happy and busy New Yorker for the past few months.

We rendezvoused at Bistro Chat Noir, an adorable pint sized pinkies up restaurant, residing in a 1939 Louis Candela townhouse (my building is also a Candela). I have passed bistro Chat Noir for years on my shopping treks from the upper east side to home sweet home on the west side.

The outdoor cafe tables and picture perfect roses adorning the tables have always been alluring.

I made plans to meet Sandy and her longtime friend, Leslie, at Bistro Chat Noir on East 66th Street.

I arrived early and nabbed one of the charming outside tables.

We all settled in, began chatting and then ordered a bottle of Sandy’s must have rose, Whispering Angel, which was a perfect choice on a gorgeous summer day ($70/bottle).

Our server, Pablo, went with the flow and tolerated our time consuming chit chat, special requests of no peppers, no dressing, sauce on the side…all the inane requests that upper east side ladies who lunch make on a daily basis.

Sandy and I decided to share.

We started with the tuna tartare with sour apple, avocado, jicama, cucumber, adorned with wasabi and tobiko caviar…fabulous consistency and delectable ($17).

Our main was a perfectly prepared wild salmon with warm lentils, carrots, brussels sprout leaves with the pommery mustard sauce on the side….excellent ($34). My Omega-3 fatty acid and amino acid levels must be impressive since salmon has become my go to dish.

Leslie ordered the chopped chicken salad with endive, baby spinach, tomatoes, avocado, celery remoulade, bacon, blue cheese…no dressing ($25).

The Black Cat Burger ($24) and the large size Lobster Salad ($45) both looked delicious.

We partied like it was 1999, carbs were barely consumed and no one uttered, “I feel fat” yet we were all satiated.

Pablo brought the dessert menus and the Lunch Ladies collectively passed.

One never consumes dessert in public on the upper east side. That’s almost as horrible as not having your hair blown straight or walking Madison Avenue in Roger Vivier flats without feet splayed.

It was the perfect Ladies Who Lunch afternoon and made even more palatable by the chilled and sublime, Whispering Angel.

Bistro Chat Noir is a bit pricey in the real world, but it is a lovely place with delicious food to have lunch or dinner outside (or inside) on a good hair day on the upper east side.

And, the Ladies who I Lunched with, were beyond Lovely.

Bistro Chat Noir 22 East 66th Street between 5th and Madison Avenue. Open Sunday and Monday 11:30am-10:30pm, Tuesday-Thursday 11:30am-11pm, Friday and Saturday 11:30am-11:30pm. Reservations on OpenTable.com.