4pm: insufferable light begins to seep through permagray skies. rats scuttle back into sewers. home depot announces flatiron store.
Had dinner last night at the new Twilight 101. This is Christopher "el teddy" Chestnut's new place in the old Texarcana spot on 10th between 5th and 6th. Only the bar area is open now (including a couple of tables) but the full 80 to 90 seat back room will be open in "about a month."
Mediterranean tapas menu. Wines from Spain, France, and Italy produced within 100 miles of the sea. Everything we had was simple and good. Same with the moderately priced list (all available by the glass as well.) The room has a nice feel with lots of little details. Very enthusiastic staff. Great spot for a drink and small bite (or more) of food. Worth a look I think.
Mediterranean tapas menu. Wines from Spain, France, and Italy produced within 100 miles of the sea. Everything we had was simple and good. Same with the moderately priced list (all available by the glass as well.) The room has a nice feel with lots of little details. Very enthusiastic staff. Great spot for a drink and small bite (or more) of food. Worth a look I think.
adding some movie oriented weblogs to the cinefiles portal page. the best of the lot thus far seems to be greencine.
just ran across this adaptation/susan orlean weblog maintained in part by jason kottke.
a blog about wes andersons next project, The Life Aquatic.
I've never been overly enthusiastic about Jeff Beck's recorded music but I saw him live at Wolftrap for the first time tonite and it was fantastic. Drummer formerly for Zappa was also impressive. Keyboard player was no slouch. Drive back here in light traffic took only one hour. I was only person on road for last three or four miles, which after driving in DC traffic is a sweet thing indeed.
just went to see Swimming Pool. nice tone for a psychological thriller but there wasnt much satisfaction with regards to the ending. maybe my lack of appreciation of metaphor is to blame. still worth seeing.
"Last Sunday, on the occasion of the impending release of her new film, Lost in Translation, I joined a couple of other journalists in a group interview with Sofia Coppola. The interview took place in New York City at the end of her press junket. There were commodious suites, exhausted publicists on copious sofas, and complimentary sandwiches. "Big brother" Roman presided benignly hung out near the buffet."
No doubt you've all seen the Time magazine piece making the rounds. Is this as explosive as it sounds?
Yet when Zubaydah was confronted by the false Saudis, writes Posner, "his reaction was not fear, but utter relief." Happy to see them, he reeled off telephone numbers for a senior member of the royal family who would, said Zubaydah, "tell you what to do." The man at the other end would be Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, a Westernized nephew of King Fahd's and a publisher better known as a racehorse owner. His horse War Emblem won the Kentucky Derby in 2002. To the amazement of the U.S., the numbers proved valid. When the fake inquisitors accused Zubaydah of lying, he responded with a 10-minute monologue laying out the Saudi-Pakistani-bin Laden triangle.
I had 3.5 hours in Boston that was not in the previous plan so sadly I didnt bring my "places I want to eat notes"....
I had yet to try Todd English's Kingfish Hall, and it was close to the train station so I started there. Damn awesome "Fat Belly Clams" and a glass of Gruner, followed by a dish of melon in a sweet, spicy curry soup, on top was placed crab, herbs like cilantro, mint, basil and toasted coconut!! Super with a German Riesling, great summer dish.
Next stop was the North End, I had never been (not to see Paul Revere's house nor the birthplace of my Grandma in 1901) so I wandered all over, its so much more beatiful than NYC and smells better also. Lines at every restaurant, and they had no bars, so no seats for me. Next I stumbled on a Patron Saint festival, very cool, music, people pining dollars on it. After an amaro and a biera, I went to the most poshed up place (with a nice menu, whom were turning people away) and asked if they had a bar for a single person, "No but we have a wierd table no one wants" (it was the worst table but fine for me) I ordered fresh fava beans and pecorino, that came poshed up in a cone of fried parma cheese, than crab cannelloni with corn, onion, cream sauce etc. Both very good, I would not go back cause I would try some other small place, but Mamma Maria was nice to me...
Last stop Chinatown for dessert, a Tsing Tao.
I had yet to try Todd English's Kingfish Hall, and it was close to the train station so I started there. Damn awesome "Fat Belly Clams" and a glass of Gruner, followed by a dish of melon in a sweet, spicy curry soup, on top was placed crab, herbs like cilantro, mint, basil and toasted coconut!! Super with a German Riesling, great summer dish.
Next stop was the North End, I had never been (not to see Paul Revere's house nor the birthplace of my Grandma in 1901) so I wandered all over, its so much more beatiful than NYC and smells better also. Lines at every restaurant, and they had no bars, so no seats for me. Next I stumbled on a Patron Saint festival, very cool, music, people pining dollars on it. After an amaro and a biera, I went to the most poshed up place (with a nice menu, whom were turning people away) and asked if they had a bar for a single person, "No but we have a wierd table no one wants" (it was the worst table but fine for me) I ordered fresh fava beans and pecorino, that came poshed up in a cone of fried parma cheese, than crab cannelloni with corn, onion, cream sauce etc. Both very good, I would not go back cause I would try some other small place, but Mamma Maria was nice to me...
Last stop Chinatown for dessert, a Tsing Tao.
Had my secong meal at Applebee's (in MA) this year and while it gets no stars its not as bad as I thought it would be.
I had to eat there cause it was late and was close to the hospital my mom is in, she has been not great lately (doesnt eat well and every once in a while wrestle's with a 1.75L plastic bottle of distilled grain) plus was stung by a wasp Saturday to which she is very allergic. She wandered up to the Emergency Room, screamed to everyone about angels and started talking to my deseased father before passing out cold on the floor.
The hospital is very close and before they expanded many years ago, deer roamed between it and my house. There is a stream between us that had crayfish when I was very young, I sadly never ate them, just liked to play with them. Back in the day the bigger streams had Horned Pout (Catfish).
Now we have Applebee's, Longhorn, one very polluted stream and the best hospital for miles around.
I had to eat there cause it was late and was close to the hospital my mom is in, she has been not great lately (doesnt eat well and every once in a while wrestle's with a 1.75L plastic bottle of distilled grain) plus was stung by a wasp Saturday to which she is very allergic. She wandered up to the Emergency Room, screamed to everyone about angels and started talking to my deseased father before passing out cold on the floor.
The hospital is very close and before they expanded many years ago, deer roamed between it and my house. There is a stream between us that had crayfish when I was very young, I sadly never ate them, just liked to play with them. Back in the day the bigger streams had Horned Pout (Catfish).
Now we have Applebee's, Longhorn, one very polluted stream and the best hospital for miles around.
the market had Dragon Beans and Cranberry Beans....YAHOO
mint?
Last nite at wd~50 was the best meal to date there, the two new main dishes go right to the top of the charts (Super Yum Yum Deluxe)....there is a Skate with Corn and Huitlacoche with two Art Nouveau looking spash's of what I assume is creamed corn and an oil, its clean, beautiful, screams summer sweetness....a new Lamb with Arugula, Goat Cheese and a stewed(??) fruit (sadly i cant remember what it is exactly but the taste is still rattling round in my brain), all 4 of these on a fork and it explodes gamey earthy flavor, clear yet rich, matched with a wine from Bea was a home run.....the White Gaspacho keeps getting better to me and I cant imagine someone makes a better example anywhere in NYC (USA??), one I had a famous 3* restaurant was water to this magic summer elixer, such a cool texture, longest finish in the soup bizzness, flavors coming in from all sides, 100 Million Points....a new Shrimp dish is also super cool and not to be missed.....we were too stuffed for Mr Awesome's dessert's but he sent out a masterpiece of diced mango, arugula ice, pumpkin seed, coco foam, we had room for that.....one of the greatest if not the greatest meal I have ever had in NYC
Con Ed gives you money
mickey hart interveiw on wnyc today (soon, leonard lopate show). it's taped from a few weeks ago.
annie hall (b)lite
three of the best dishes from Jean George were:
lobster scented with mace, fresh lychees and celery hearts in a ice wine verjus dressing
peekytoe crab and english pea fondue, rhubarb gelee, shiso puree
foie gras brulee, slow roasted strawberries and aged balsamic
lobster scented with mace, fresh lychees and celery hearts in a ice wine verjus dressing
peekytoe crab and english pea fondue, rhubarb gelee, shiso puree
foie gras brulee, slow roasted strawberries and aged balsamic
the world as blog
the more one cooks the more one understands the cost of fine dining in people hours and product cost (never mine rent and hopefully profit).....i cant cook great but i have a small group of dishes that i can cook well, but just a few do i feel are my own, some are great adaptions.....last two weeks i have a new dish that rocks!! make a rich herb risotto (rice quality and stock quality are tres inportant) i use basil, chocolate mint and lots of parsley, and on top i shave 1 and 1/2 ears of corn (per plate) and ricotta salata (SP? hard riccota) thats it, its so yummy....another new easy dish for summer i made up and is only 8 items is a pasta sauce of oil, butter, salt, cook down a ton of sweet onion, add a ton of sweet cherry tomato, at the end add 6+ ears of shaven corn, last stir in some fresh basil = 7 items, cook some top end egg pappardelle (rustichella d'abruzzo is awesome brand) add to sauce el dente and yahoo to summer....
We finally made it to the food stall at Red Hook soccer fields, very cool, we wernt too hungry so we had a queso arepa(sp?) side of slaw-ish cabbage, jugo de pina and will come back starved soon.....
did anyone see the giant rubik's cube at astor place?
2003 Top Eats
Globe All
Passadis Del Pep (Barcelona) 4*
Varoulko (Athens) 4*
Slanted Door (SF) 3*
Carballeira (Lleida, Spain) 3*
Uglesich's (New Orleans) 3*
#9 Park (Boston) 3*
El Torreone (Torrisellas, Spain) 2*
Asados Nazareno (Roa, Spain) 2*
Frankie & Johnny's (New Orleans) 2*
O Loutros Fish Taverna (Thessaloniki, Greece) 2*
Botafumeiro (Barcelona) 2*
Loc All
wd50 4*
Kai 4*
Wallse 4*
Jean George 4*
Al Di La 3*
Locanda Vini Olii 3*
Fleur de Sel 3*
66 3*
Grand Sichuan Int Midtown 3*
Gramercy Tavern 3*
Bao Noodles 3*
Globe All
Passadis Del Pep (Barcelona) 4*
Varoulko (Athens) 4*
Slanted Door (SF) 3*
Carballeira (Lleida, Spain) 3*
Uglesich's (New Orleans) 3*
#9 Park (Boston) 3*
El Torreone (Torrisellas, Spain) 2*
Asados Nazareno (Roa, Spain) 2*
Frankie & Johnny's (New Orleans) 2*
O Loutros Fish Taverna (Thessaloniki, Greece) 2*
Botafumeiro (Barcelona) 2*
Loc All
wd50 4*
Kai 4*
Wallse 4*
Jean George 4*
Al Di La 3*
Locanda Vini Olii 3*
Fleur de Sel 3*
66 3*
Grand Sichuan Int Midtown 3*
Gramercy Tavern 3*
Bao Noodles 3*
Went to Jean George last night for what is probly my 5th or 6th meal since they opened, everyone has been 4* to me, we did both tasting menu's (we tried 12+ dishes) and tasted all 16 desserts, I was also happy as the wine list had many items to pick from in my price range, overall it was expensive of course but its like seeing the Stones play at the Garden every few years, and like Keith, Jean George still rocks!!
