what happened? did she go nuts?
as long we are talking wacky packs, check out the latest -- people cards.
HBO just played eyes wide shut and it blew.
Cinefiles is up. Go crazy. Let me know what is broken.
I know there are some problems cropping up with our increase in usage. Particularly on the discussion pages. The way I am making the indentations to show the nesting of comments is not scaling. My guess is this is particularly apparent in Navigator (which doesn't like so many nested tables.) On the really long threads it might even seem like your computer crashed, but it's just thinking. (Remember, if you get into trouble on the mac - command-option-escape will force quit Navigator, and then you can start it right up again.) Anyway, I now see how to do it without nested tables (which aren't really a good idea, I now see why.) Hang in there. Help is on the way. One thing you can do in the meantime is to try to post comments from the top link on the comments page so that there aren't so many levels of nesting going on.
I know there are some problems cropping up with our increase in usage. Particularly on the discussion pages. The way I am making the indentations to show the nesting of comments is not scaling. My guess is this is particularly apparent in Navigator (which doesn't like so many nested tables.) On the really long threads it might even seem like your computer crashed, but it's just thinking. (Remember, if you get into trouble on the mac - command-option-escape will force quit Navigator, and then you can start it right up again.) Anyway, I now see how to do it without nested tables (which aren't really a good idea, I now see why.) Hang in there. Help is on the way. One thing you can do in the meantime is to try to post comments from the top link on the comments page so that there aren't so many levels of nesting going on.
O.K., I think it's working. Let me know about anything that isn't. I'm going with Cinefiles because it seems to have some support, and I like it. I'm open to changing this if there is enough support for a change. Voice your opininon.
drat fink references a Malcolm Gladwell New Yorker piece about McDonalds, which I had seen earlier today via Arts & Letters Daily. I couldn't quite believe what I was reading: Gladwell's proposals for "better junk food" include using Olestra (of "anal leakage" fame) to make McDonalds fries, and reviving the McLean burger (the processed meat was good, he says, all it needed was better promotion). The piece reads like an advertorial for scientifically-enhanced food: it made me wonder who's paying the New Yorker's bills these days.
According to AOL, you northeasterners are "hunkering down" for the big storm. Is that true, and could I have an example?
So what's going on with the film page? Did we decide on a name? Bill, are you actually going to start going to movies?
Anyone have any green tea brand recommendations? I'd be curious to hear the Wheels ultra high end picks (I know he has some,) but I'm looking for something I could find in the east village and wouldn't cost more than the ridiculously overpriced coffee I drink too much of now. My first try was something called tazo. It's O.K., I guess, but can I do better?
I always wondered about Dave's business model. This shocking photo reveals the truth. Who'd have thought?
Digital Imaging Forum is a website run by MANUAL (Ed Hill and Suzanne Bloom), who wrote for Artforum in the '80s and were early adopters of digital tools for making visual art. The site's current "feature presentation" is a nice piece of digital video by Michael Ensdorf. Windows Media Player may be necessary to run it; I'm not sure how flexible the site is re streaming.
jimlouis - the weather man says you are experiencing "severe weather" - hope all is well. take cover.
Here's a fun one from Evhead: this day in music, a site which will tell you the number one song (both in England and the US) for any given day in history. My birthday had the Beatles in top spot on the U.K. charts with Get Back, while Aquarius / Let the Sunshine in by 5th Dimension was number one in the US of A.
as napster is put to sleep, will that just mean more for the hibernating bearshare? heres iNother one.
I was just thinking that since the cinema topic is suddenly well represented by the many people here who actually care about film and write/speak well on the subject that you (we) might start a new page catagory (like the food and art ones). Perhaps we could even post short original films (w/ special guests ?) made for the internet or that just happen to be short and adaptable to this site anyway. Feel free to shoot this idea right down. Names ?
I'm taking it upon myself to take this back to the main trunk of the tree house tree. The length of the thread is boggin' my computer down terribly.
"Plus, Soderberg is arty as hell. I find his use of alternating film stocks irritating. Oliver Stone started this trend, and now everyone's doing it. Did anyone else find the use of the piss-yellow, grainy stock for the "Mexico" scenes to be subtly racist/colonial? Imagine if it was inverted--if the Mexico footage was shot clear and bright and then every time he cut to Washington DC you were suddenly in a blurry miasma. (Might be more interesting, actually.)"
That bothered me too. I think in the case of the Wizard Of Oz the switching of film stock was inspired. But in Stones case it seemed to be a sort of arty crutch. With Traffic I chalk it up to cinematic short hand of the laziest variety as well as a hackneed attempt to seem cutting edge.
"Also, I found it ridiculously coincidental that Catherine Zeta-Jones would call Frankie Flores to do the hit, and even more ridiculous that he would accept the job from her. The last time we saw him he was a broken, weeping wreck. "Another job? Sure, I don't know you, but I'm your man!"
LOL! Right, rediculous. I didn't catch the portrait but even so it just doesn't wash.
I hated Traffic. What a phony crock! "
Right on brother!
"Plus, Soderberg is arty as hell. I find his use of alternating film stocks irritating. Oliver Stone started this trend, and now everyone's doing it. Did anyone else find the use of the piss-yellow, grainy stock for the "Mexico" scenes to be subtly racist/colonial? Imagine if it was inverted--if the Mexico footage was shot clear and bright and then every time he cut to Washington DC you were suddenly in a blurry miasma. (Might be more interesting, actually.)"
That bothered me too. I think in the case of the Wizard Of Oz the switching of film stock was inspired. But in Stones case it seemed to be a sort of arty crutch. With Traffic I chalk it up to cinematic short hand of the laziest variety as well as a hackneed attempt to seem cutting edge.
"Also, I found it ridiculously coincidental that Catherine Zeta-Jones would call Frankie Flores to do the hit, and even more ridiculous that he would accept the job from her. The last time we saw him he was a broken, weeping wreck. "Another job? Sure, I don't know you, but I'm your man!"
LOL! Right, rediculous. I didn't catch the portrait but even so it just doesn't wash.
I hated Traffic. What a phony crock! "
Right on brother!
"There are
hopeful signs about, not just Woodcocks,
but buds forming, catkins and days
lengthening, and maybe a mild spell has
you thinking we’ll cruise on in from here,
but no, it’s still Winter.
That’s Lent." Amen. Not sure I have the clearence to post this here, but amen.
I just saw "You Can Count On Me" again. For me It stood up to a second viewing.
February 28, 2001
- $25 AND UNDER
Locanda Vini & Olii: In an Old Apothecary, a Cure for the Common Trattoria
By ERIC ASIMOV
WHEN I visit a restaurant for the first time, I almost always enter believing I'm going to enjoy my meal. But once in a while I sense that a place is going to be special, and that's how I felt about Locanda Vini & Olii, a mom- and-pop trattoria that opened a month ago in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
The beautiful space, which had been a pharmacy for 130 years, certainly contributed to this feeling. The woodwork has been lovingly restored, and many old features have been left intact, like small wooden apothecary drawers, set sideways into the wall for holding supplies, and rolling wood ladders and old counters used for a small bar and to display desserts.
Care seems to have been given to every detail, including the overhead lights, dim enough to create a moody ambience yet illuminating each table perfectly. The wine lists are glued to bottles, one for white, one for red, as if they were labels.
Even so, if it were one more trattoria with the same old food, no matter how attractive, it would provoke yawns. But Locanda's menu is full of dishes perhaps unsettling to those expecting the standard issue. Clearly, it is the personal expression of the owners, François Louy, from Milan, who was a manager for the Cipriani restaurants, and his wife, Catherine de Zagon Louy, from Florence, who was a manager at Balthazar.
Starting with the fragrant Tuscan bread, made without salt, the Louys do things their own way. Instead of a dish of olive oil, they set out arugula blended with pine nuts and oil like a pesto, nicely bitter and just right with the bread.
Appetizers may be as unexpected as tongue marinated in white wine and herbs, boiled, thinly sliced and sautéed until mellow and nutty and served with a parsley sauce ($7). Or bresaola with pears ($7.75), a play on prosciutto with melon using fine air- dried beef and an unsweetened pear sauce. Shrimp are served with wonderful chickpeas flavored with rosemary ($8).
Some appetizers are meant to be shared, like the seafood charcuterie ($12), which includes thick rounds of soft tuna sausage and tender, paper- thin slices of octopus, or slices of venison cacciatorino ($10), an intense hard salami served with earthy chicken liver crostini.
Superb choices abound among the pastas, which are almost all made by Luigi Ghidetti, who shares chef duties with Michele Baldacci. I love the maltagliati ($8), fat strands of carrot-colored pasta in a light ricotta sauce with soft fava beans, diced prosciutto and plenty of sage. Little lasagna noodles made with chestnut flour go beautifully with a chickpea and sausage sauce ($9), as does penne with a creamy walnut sauce ($8.50) and guitar-string pasta with a Sicilian sauce of mashed sardine, dill and raisins ($9.50).
Not quite as exciting but still delicious are fat ropes of pici, an eggless pasta, with porcini mushroom sauce ($8), and pappardelle with a robust duck ragù ($9).
Beyond pasta, Locanda offers a small, changing selection of main courses like tender braised pork ribs ($14), with roasted potatoes, or excellent braised lamb ($16), baked in a small round bread.
The small list of wines includes some excellent choices from little- known producers, including Barbera del Monferrato from Accornero ($22) and a light but flavorful red from Ercole Velenosi ($26) in the Marches. Mr. Louy eagerly makes recommendations.
Desserts ($5) may be the weak link, yet they too are enticing. A dense chocolate tart was too dry, but I loved ricotta-and-almond cheesecake flavored with rose water, and the best dessert may have been the simplest: small circular biscotti, flavored with anise and barely sweet.
It's a thrill to find a restaurant like Locanda Vini & Olii, where decisions are not made according to formula and marketing concerns. Passion rules here, and it is evident in almost every bite.
Locanda Vini & Olii
129 Gates Avenue at Cambridge Place, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; (718) 622-9202.
BEST DISHES: Tongue with parsley sauce, bresaola with pears, shrimp with chickpeas, seafood charcuterie, venison cacciatorino, carrot maltagliata, chestnut lasagnette, penne with walnut sauce, pasta con le sarde, pappardelle with duck ragù, pici with porcinis, braised pork ribs, braised lamb, ricotta cheesecake with rose water, biscotti.
PRICE RANGE: Appetizers, $5 to $8; main courses, $6 to $16.
CREDIT CARDS: Cash only.
HOURS: Tuesday through Thursday, 6 to 10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, to 11:30; Sunday, to 10. Closed Monday.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Two steps at entrance; restroom is narrow.
Locanda Vini & Olii: In an Old Apothecary, a Cure for the Common Trattoria
By ERIC ASIMOV
WHEN I visit a restaurant for the first time, I almost always enter believing I'm going to enjoy my meal. But once in a while I sense that a place is going to be special, and that's how I felt about Locanda Vini & Olii, a mom- and-pop trattoria that opened a month ago in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
The beautiful space, which had been a pharmacy for 130 years, certainly contributed to this feeling. The woodwork has been lovingly restored, and many old features have been left intact, like small wooden apothecary drawers, set sideways into the wall for holding supplies, and rolling wood ladders and old counters used for a small bar and to display desserts.
Care seems to have been given to every detail, including the overhead lights, dim enough to create a moody ambience yet illuminating each table perfectly. The wine lists are glued to bottles, one for white, one for red, as if they were labels.
Even so, if it were one more trattoria with the same old food, no matter how attractive, it would provoke yawns. But Locanda's menu is full of dishes perhaps unsettling to those expecting the standard issue. Clearly, it is the personal expression of the owners, François Louy, from Milan, who was a manager for the Cipriani restaurants, and his wife, Catherine de Zagon Louy, from Florence, who was a manager at Balthazar.
Starting with the fragrant Tuscan bread, made without salt, the Louys do things their own way. Instead of a dish of olive oil, they set out arugula blended with pine nuts and oil like a pesto, nicely bitter and just right with the bread.
Appetizers may be as unexpected as tongue marinated in white wine and herbs, boiled, thinly sliced and sautéed until mellow and nutty and served with a parsley sauce ($7). Or bresaola with pears ($7.75), a play on prosciutto with melon using fine air- dried beef and an unsweetened pear sauce. Shrimp are served with wonderful chickpeas flavored with rosemary ($8).
Some appetizers are meant to be shared, like the seafood charcuterie ($12), which includes thick rounds of soft tuna sausage and tender, paper- thin slices of octopus, or slices of venison cacciatorino ($10), an intense hard salami served with earthy chicken liver crostini.
Superb choices abound among the pastas, which are almost all made by Luigi Ghidetti, who shares chef duties with Michele Baldacci. I love the maltagliati ($8), fat strands of carrot-colored pasta in a light ricotta sauce with soft fava beans, diced prosciutto and plenty of sage. Little lasagna noodles made with chestnut flour go beautifully with a chickpea and sausage sauce ($9), as does penne with a creamy walnut sauce ($8.50) and guitar-string pasta with a Sicilian sauce of mashed sardine, dill and raisins ($9.50).
Not quite as exciting but still delicious are fat ropes of pici, an eggless pasta, with porcini mushroom sauce ($8), and pappardelle with a robust duck ragù ($9).
Beyond pasta, Locanda offers a small, changing selection of main courses like tender braised pork ribs ($14), with roasted potatoes, or excellent braised lamb ($16), baked in a small round bread.
The small list of wines includes some excellent choices from little- known producers, including Barbera del Monferrato from Accornero ($22) and a light but flavorful red from Ercole Velenosi ($26) in the Marches. Mr. Louy eagerly makes recommendations.
Desserts ($5) may be the weak link, yet they too are enticing. A dense chocolate tart was too dry, but I loved ricotta-and-almond cheesecake flavored with rose water, and the best dessert may have been the simplest: small circular biscotti, flavored with anise and barely sweet.
It's a thrill to find a restaurant like Locanda Vini & Olii, where decisions are not made according to formula and marketing concerns. Passion rules here, and it is evident in almost every bite.
Locanda Vini & Olii
129 Gates Avenue at Cambridge Place, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; (718) 622-9202.
BEST DISHES: Tongue with parsley sauce, bresaola with pears, shrimp with chickpeas, seafood charcuterie, venison cacciatorino, carrot maltagliata, chestnut lasagnette, penne with walnut sauce, pasta con le sarde, pappardelle with duck ragù, pici with porcinis, braised pork ribs, braised lamb, ricotta cheesecake with rose water, biscotti.
PRICE RANGE: Appetizers, $5 to $8; main courses, $6 to $16.
CREDIT CARDS: Cash only.
HOURS: Tuesday through Thursday, 6 to 10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, to 11:30; Sunday, to 10. Closed Monday.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Two steps at entrance; restroom is narrow.
There'd been some talk of a Thursday get-together. Where we at with that?
