...more recent posts
Drunken Cowboys (detail)
Bill Schwarz
date uncertain
In this charming image, two hardy sons of the west are shown drinking together convivially. The photo is a rare example of the "emulsotype" process, used in primitive versions of the "instant photo booth," a popular attraction at Western carnivals and rodeos. This image is a detail from a larger contact sheet, which is approximately 8 inches in height and somewhat faded from its original dark sepia hue. Little is known about Mr. Schwarz, the photographer; researches into the better known emulsotype practitioners have yielded ambiguous information. The provenance is further complicated by a persistent rumor that Schwarz isn't the photographer at all, but an "appropriation artist" from the late 20th/early 21st Century. Appropriation, an artistic practice based on the theories of Marcel Duchamp and Karl Marx, flourished for several decades and greatly interrupted and confused the historical record with regard to fine photography. Be that as it may, this image survives, even if little is known about the milieu in which it was actually produced.
hour left on these boys
off to Italy today will probably not report till back but we will visit the recently 2*'d Arnolfo in Colle di Val d'Elsa (Tuscany), the venerable 2 *'d Da Vittorio in beautiful Bergamo, along with the awesome one * Trattoria Della Posta in Montforte, and lots of non stared local yummy's--SUPER CHOW
when you get an tingle for some old Tempier at the current retail for ten year younger bottlings head up here we had 1989, 1988, 1990 La Tourtine and La Migoua and the very rare 1988 La Louffe--the food is very very good--cellar loaded with many other value (like 1982 Peyre Rose Clos Ciste @ $24) along with fair priced splurg wines (best Tempier is 88 La Tourtine by the group vote)
palladin calls 71 clinton a shack.
the market is spring forward--my two favorite people are back--the east end fish folks and the organic man--i bought 10 flounder for 11 bucks and last years roots that were left through the winter to sweeten (rude a begger, carrots, turnips, garlic....)
last nights meal at Meigas was the best yet, not all dishes in the seafood tasting menu were wonderful but some rocked, expensive yes but if could just stop going to Veritas after dinner's in NYC i might be able to afford my rent...
just back from Virot's bar--two excellent wines (99 Boxler Riesling Harth @ $50 and 96 Ch. Simone Blanc @ $65) and 4 Bar Menu offerings (best were--Oysters au Gratin with mushrooms and Baked Clams!!!)--looooking forward to dinner
last night we ate at Locanda Vini & Olii--and i loved it--we had to make a trek to an old part of Brooklyn that was beautiful--wide streets--i got a great vibe from the locals!!! the wines were interesting and well priced--the apps were all excellents--good pasta--yummy not over sweet desserts--fantastic cheese plate--the place was also well designed, hope to go back soon
I can't pull up the 20 posts on vini et oilie. But spoke with Alex and he said the new posts refered to gettin' there. yes count is six pluss Tom M (if he still wants to come along. Alex will go home first and so will I where I would collect Tom in JC. Included in the 20 post thread were verbal directions for subway. If any one could copy and repost appreciate it. So meet U there @ 8 ? cool ?
mary's fish camp didnt rock not bunk but didnt funk--way over priced (IMHO)
could not add a comment to the original post so---went for a third time to "A Salt and Battery" and wanted to get adventurous but all i could muster up was the Dandelion and Burdock Soda, passed on the new dessert: deep fried Cadbury chocolate egg (cream center), the special of the day looked great:rock salmon stuffed with spinish, tomatoe, peppers, garlic butter etc and than deep fried---they are still trying to master the fried ice cream which i know is difficult....
Get thee to the recently opened Whole Foods on 7th Avenue and 24th Street. Produce that would make your heart pound.
More Green Teas info :
"China Tea" is a term used to describe tea grown in China for the foreign or
export market only. "Chinese Tea" is the term used to describe that tea which is
grown in China and intended for local or internal consumption only. We, in the
United States, would probably never taste "Chinese Tea". That may be both
good and bad at the same time. There are over 1,200 varieties of tea grown in
China and since only a very few are exported, we are limited to what taste
experience we can enjoy. On the other hand, it insulates us from some extremely
unpalatable teas.
Tea is thought to have originated in China, broadly speaking, where longitude
100 passes through the Tropic of Cancer. From China it spread by seed, and for
the most part without the intervention of man, to most other parts of what is
now known as the tea-growing world, either directly or in steps from one
country to another. There are exceptions to this natural spread but they are
limited to those varieties hybridized by man.
The precise history of China Green Tea (China Black Tea is a relatively new
process or invention) is difficult to trace and thus establish. There are some tea
scholars who say it is 2,000 years old, others 2,500 and still others say it may
be 5,000 years old. There are several reasons for this confusion. The Chinese
character (ideogram) for tea, until recent times, was basically the same character
as that used for an herbal tea made from sow thistle or sow weed, making it
difficult to know exactly to which plant a writer was referring. Another reason
is that as each succeeding dynasty rose to the "Dragon Throne, " they would
eliminate previous records of a particularly excellent tea and literally rewrite
history to make their dynasty the one which discovered that particular tea. Also,
at certain times in China's history, there were two or more ruling dynasties or a
major and a minor dynasty coexisting, each of which would rewrite the history
of tea or a specific tea to prove that they had discovered it. Historical records
regarding China tea became very confused and confusing. The only thing that
can be said for certain is that the art of growing, processing, brewing and
drinking tea evolved in China; just when, however, is totally uncertain.
There are a number of China teas available to us, but because of growing
conditions and plucking seasons they are not all available at the same time.
Below are just a few, a very few, with their English spelling, Old Chinese
spelling and New Chinese spelling:
English/Old Chinese/New Chinese
____________________________________________________
Dragon's Well/Lung-Ching/Long-Jing
Lion's Peak /Shih-Feng /Shi-Feng
White Cloud /Pai-Yun /Bai-Yun
Jeweled Cloud /Pao-Yun /Bao-Yun
Purple Sprout /Tz'e-Sun /Ce-Sun
Old Man's Eyebrows /Shou-Mei /Shou-Mee
Sow-Mee
(None) /Pu-Erh /Pu-Er
Country Green /Ching-Cha /Ching-Cha
Oolong (Style) /Wu-Lung /Wu-Lung -or-(Wu-Long)
If one enjoys excellent China green or Oolong teas, it is a must to prepare them
using fine utensils from China. We most heartily recommend Yixing
(pronounced E-SHing) Ware. That is, authentic Yixing Ware, not imitation or
Yixing style (refer to section: Yixing Ware for more detail).
We respectfully quote from an honored Tea Master (Mr. John Blofeld): "a
combination of fine tea, enchanting objects and soothing surroundings exerts a
therapeutic effect by washing away the corrosive strains and stress of modern
life...(it) induces a mood that is spiritually refreshing...(and produces) a genial
state of mind." I honor Mr. Blofeld, now deceased, for the years he devoted to
his studies of China Green and Semi-Black Teas.
got to get up here--there is a 13 page (mostly pictures) article in the new Saveur!!! very hungry!! Fore Street
288 Fore St., Portland, Maine, 207-775-2717
MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express
$$$
Chef/owner Sam Hayward is dedicated to the precept that simple food—very, very pure and good food&3151;is better than any amount of processing or saucing could ever be. His showcase is this handsome place in the old area of Portland, where meats, fish, and, especially, vegetables are treated to wood fire or roasted in an oven until their goodness shines forth. This may sound too plain, but the creations belie that. And the lively ambience and sheen of sophistication make a visit to Fore Street a happy time.
wine stuff from old china
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?
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.