Gotham Gal

Duke Theater, Stunning

I read two reviews on the play Stunning and felt compelled to go.  I took my Dad and his wife.  I had never been to the Duke Theater before which is a small theater, 199 seats, on 42nd Street, connected with Lincoln Center geared towards emerging playwrights.  Great venue. 

The play, Stunning, is about a Syrian Jewish family living in Brooklyn.  The main character, who is a 16 year old girl, Lily,  has just married a middle aged man, is an incredible actress (Cristin Milioti).  She is a bit shell shocked and uneducated as she has known this man since she was 12.  As much as Lily wants to be part of the world she is in, she seems to be uncomfortable and not sure about it.  She has had no life experience, her education ceased when she was about 12 and she really doesn't even like her husband.  Her role is to now have as many children as possible  Yet, she is a child playing a grown-up.

Lily hires a maid, an African American, named Blanche (Charlayne Woodard).  She is also a fantastic actress.  Blanche tries to open Lily's eyes to the world, teach her that she can take control of her own destiny.  But, at the end of the day, can she? 

On the drive out to the beach this weekend, Emily and I were discussing religion.  She doesn't understand why anyone would be so religious.  She understands the community aspects but sees that religion has caused more trouble ( Middle East ) than it is worth and who is to say if religion actually is real.  We had an interesting conversation about it and although she didn't see the play, I told her about it.  Lily, the main character, as much as she wanted to leave the life that she had been born in to, she couldn't.  Where would she go, her family would consider her dead, she would have no support system, she had no education, etc.  It takes a pretty strong independent person to be able to cut those ties.  Emily wondered if another 100 years from now we will still be seeing the Hasidic Jews roaming through Williamsburg as we did the other night.  Who knows?

As much as the play had a bit of a mixed message, the characters were all held back by where they came from and who they were.  The stage set which was also well done was completely white and every piece of furniture continued to change at each act like transformers. 

Stunning, is David Adjmi's, the playwright's,  New York debut.  Impressive. 

Peter Luger

Imitation is the ultimate form of flattery.  Many steak houses in New York City has basically done that by attempting to copy Peter Luger yet Peter Luger still has a charm that nobody else can copy.  It certainly isn't the cash only or Peter Luger credit card only option.  Maybe it is the location.  Maybe it is the old wood floor and the long bar that just calls out for a scotch and a cigar.  Maybe it is the small partitioned off area where the cashier sits.  Maybe it is the simplicity of the menu.  Whatever it is, there is nothing quite like Peter Luger's.  We went the other evening to celebrate my father's 70th bday.  Luger's is his kind of place.

We order the same thing we order every time.  Tomato and onion plate ( definitely better in summer months ), onion ring/french fry combo, Canadian bacon ( which is out of this world ), steak for as many as needed, creamed spinach and then if we can stuff it in, dessert.   BTW, the bread they bring out at the beginning is pretty damn good too.  The steak sauce, we all decided, tastes better there than out of the bottle that you can buy at your local grocery store maybe because it never gets cold.  We did opt for the desserts.  Chocolate sundae, pecan pie and the huge bowl of whipped cream on the side.  A couple bottles of red wine with the meal and we could all go home and hope that one meal like this a year wouldn't clog our arteries too badly.

My father, who is not a believer in holidays as a whole, seemed to enjoy himself.  Never one to celebrate fathers day, valentines day or any of these hallmark events which he deemed ridiculous.  Yet, he rose to the occasion and truly enjoyed himself.  My brother and I told stories about growing up which is always funny since everyone remembers different things.  My sister, who is traveling, was not able to join in the fun.  Maybe on his 71st.

All and all, a really memorable evening. 

City Winery

I got a full on tour of the City Winery last night, Michael Dorf's latest venture.  Quite impressive.

The place is huge.  Great venue for events.  Has a very down home look almost like a place that has been around a long time.  You can go there to listen to music which you can check out on the website to see what's coming up.  You can also do a private event in one of the many rooms from a private dinner in the wine room to a curtained off platform to taking over the whole place.

The food is fine.  Nothing fantastic but not bad.  The menu pairs the wines with the food which is clever.  Murrays cheeses are available and they do a tasting there every 2 weeks among the many other things they do.  I might make the menu a little more burger, fancy pizza oriented but that's me.

The most interesting part is that they are really making wine there. You can buy the ability to make your own wine which produces about 240 bottles.  Companies and individuals do it.  It is a clever way to create a company day of bonding by making wines.

The grapes come from all over the world.  Last night we tasted the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir and they were really good.  Great for drinking and pairing with a variety of foods.  Pretty impressive, actually.

Michael has done a helluva job.  It as if the Knitting Factory just grew up. A much more clever House of Blues.  Look for a City Winery at an urban location near you soon.  

Diane Birch

 We went to see Diane Birch at Joe's Pub last night.  Always have been a fan of Joe's Pub.  Small intimate atmosphere that gives you the feeling of being in the musicians living room.

Diane Birch, has been making the way through the blogging scene, particularly with the "mommy" bloggers.  That is certainly a wide category but each of these women are market makers in their own community.  Steve Greenberg, of SCurve, is the genius behind using the internet with the musicians he represents.  In full disclosure, we are investors in SCurve records.

I have always been impressed with Steve's pulse on music that he believes in but I have been more impressed with his fundamental understanding on how to use the web to expand his artist's audience.  He gets social networking, he gets twitter, he gets the blogging community etc.  Where there are so many companies who know they have to use it but are so secretive and don't understand it is the transparency that is one of the keys.

I am personally not a huge fan of Diane's music but she is absolutely young, talented and enjoying the music.  I'm glad we had the opportunity to see her and all the fans that came out for the show. 

Fancy Food Show

Yesterday I spent 10 hours at the Fancy Food Show.  It was fun, fascinating, interesting and tasty.  A little bit of a sensual overload.  BTW, this show has been going on since 1955. 

I walked the entire show.  There are literally thousands of booths.  The entire Javits Center, downstairs and up.  The lower floor, which is where Ricks Picks  had a booth, was where the vendors from throughout the US were and upstairs was the International floor.  I visited Italy, Greece, Egypt, India, France, etc.  I tasted cheese, sausages, chocolates, sausages, chips, peanuts, olive oils, vinegars, brownies, cookies, brines, etc. 

My observation is that there is a definite line drawn between the higher end, newer markets, beautiful packaging and then the lower end old school type of branding.  I spent a little bit of time talking to the people who run the event.  Attendance was up by 6% over last year.  They were also seeing a shift in the markets.  More specialty stores.  Larger stores such as A & P who are realizing that they need to think about raising the quality of products they have in the store as the market is asking for better value and healthier products.  These type of products I would called the Target of the food industry.  Maybe no more expensive than the brands that they are selling now but they have the look and the branding that the customer wants in their kitchen.  Also, more people are eating at home and with the advent of the Food Network and alike, food becomes a bigger business every year.

It was interesting talking to the retailers, the distributors, investors, etc.  One of my old favorites, the people behind Bone Suckin' Sauce were there and I got to meet Pat who runs the company.  I remember ordering from them, online, over 10 years ago when they made me fax over the paperwork which I had to print from their site.  Long time.  There business has seriously grown.  I have always been a fan of Fizzy Lizzy and really enjoyed talking to Liz at the after party where all the "food" people went to download in the east village. I spoke with Anne Saxelby for a while too although she isn't a vendor, she is the queen of cheese at the Essex Street market (you can also order online).   I saw brands that were tiny and have obviously been funded such as Food Should Taste Good multi-grain chips.  I tried Mari's brownies which are out of this world and a local company.  I see Effie's in person after already reordering their crackers from Foodzie , I got to try their new corn cracker.  Checked out the products at Dancing Deer Baking Co. which has recently been financed and enjoyed the chocolates at John Kelly.  Those are some of the highlights. 

Although the cheeses from Italy were outstanding the vibe is so different in the International area.  My guess is that the countries represented are subsidizing the businesses who come to the show as they  help the export markets.  They are having a good old time up there eating and drinking coffee and wine.  Quite interesting actually.  Lots of duplication.

All and all, a really interesting day and as an investor, it was really worth spending the day there and getting to see the day to day and meet the faces behind the people who love the product.

Jewelry

Tammy Gia, who is the woman that we helped get out of Brazil a few months back is a jeweler...and a very talented one at that.  She is going to be at a new designer show all week on Mulberry Street selling her wares.  If you are in the neighborhood, check it out.  If you aren't, you can always buy her creations on line.  Of course, she also has a store on her Brazil site and Etsy ( not sure the link here).  Tammy is also a photographer too so the pictures of her jewelry are well captured.  She is also an absolute sweetheart.  If you get to Mulberry, let her know I sent you. 

Locanda Verde

 Friday, I had the pleasure of doing something I rarely do, have a nice leisurely lunch with a few glasses of wine.  What a treat.  We went to Locanda Verde.

Locanda Verde has taken over the restaurant at DeNiro's hotel, The Greenwich Hotel, in Tribeca.  The previous restaurant was called Ago.  The good news for everyone in the neighborhood is that the chef, Andrew Carmellini, is fantastic and needless to say, so is the food. 

The decor in the restaurant has not changed since the beginning.  Big open rooms, large bar, European in feel and casual.  Carmellini took the casual feel and went with it on the menu. 

Lots of wines by the glass, beer too.  We shared everything which is the way to go, then you get to taste a little bit of everything.  We began with a whipped sheeps milk ricotta with sea salt, olive oil and herbs over the top served with triangular toasted bread.  Full of flavor, spreads nicely across the toast, would spread it over anything on the menu.  The foccaccia, which was just 2 small pieces that probably comes when you sit down, were light, airy and tasty.  I spread the cheese over that too. 

On a second go around we had 2 large wood-fired prawns that came over a thinly sliced fennel and sweet pepper roast.  Perfectly cooked, large and delicious.  Our next round was pasta.  Pasta, to me, is always a treat.  I rarely eat is and I love it.  We had the fettuccine verde.  Green fettuccine with a cream based bolognese which was out of this world.  Carmellini did fantastic pastas at his last place too.  We also had the broccoli rabe grinder.  Crispy bread, like a hero, filled with broccoli rabe, thickly sliced sausage, spicy peppers and ricotta.  Another winner.

Had a few scoops of the sorbet to finish.  A win win for Tribeca to have a delicious casual spot.  No question that I will return.  One of the best new places I have been to in a while.

Josh goes to camp

 Yesterday we dropped Josh off at the camp bus.  I remember the days when we used to drop all 3 kids off at the camp bus.  Seems like yesterday.  Now, everybody is doing their own thing. 

Josh went to camp for four years with his sisters then they bagged camp.  The next year Josh went to a different camp which was not a big hit.  The following summer we all went to Paris to live which was probably better for the four of us than it was for Josh.  After all, he was a 12 year old boy and doing the cultural thing daily got to be a bit much.  This year, he opted for returning to another camp with his friend (pictured above).  We will see how it goes.  His fear is that the landscape changes but the clientele doesn't.  I get it.

He is certainly at the age to figure it out himself.  If he absolutely abhors the experience, there is always the pick up method.  I would have never done that 4 years ago but at this point, he knows the drill.  Fingers crossed. 

Ricks Picks updated online

Ricks Picks made some great changes to their website and added a new product which I highly recommend trying. There has been a lot of buzz about the product, The People's Pickle, which is blowing off the shelves.
The Fancy Food Show is going on right now which I plan on attending tomorrow, all day, more on that later. The NYTimes, featured Rick on their first post about the Javits Center food show.  Could this company replace Vlasic pickles on day? 

The Standard Grill

The streets are hopping, the windows are open, the bars are packed walking up and down Washington Street.  The Standard has truly changed the neighborhood.  I was given a tour of the restaurant during construction and really thought they were doing a great job.  Now, seeing the final product, I still feel the same way. 

The front room is a long bar on one side, probably fits over 25 people, and the left room is filled with tables.   The low ceiling and big windows give the room a feeling of intimacy and the white and black tiles on the floor make the restaurant feel a little bit like a high end fish place out of Boston.  Not sure why I felt that way but I did.  This is the more casual area.  The back room, which is the main restaurant has a more clubby feel.  Dark woods, a very cool penny tiled floor with booths and leather chairs.  An open kitchen in the back where there are also a few stools to sit and watch the food get made.  I like the whole vibe. 

The menu is big but not too big.  You can order from the counter from a variety of salamis and oysters.  I like that you can get a half a dozen oysters and a glass of Dom Perignon.  A nice touch.  There are about 8 different appetizers, the same amount of sides and main courses and then an addition of mains from the grill. 

At the table is a small bowl of chopped Parmesan cheese and another bowl of long radishes and chunky sea salt on the side.  Nice touch and different.  I am a huge fan of the radishes. 

We began with 2 different appetizers.  Octopus that had been cooked and then charred in paprika to give it a Spanish flavoring with chopped sweet potatoes and chilis on the side.  A really nice dish, light but packed a flavorful punch.  We also tried a salad.  Thinly sliced snow peas and thinly sliced radishes with a light cider vinaigrette.  Pretty tasteless, needed salt and just didn't do anything for me. 

Main courses.  Braised Loup de Mer in a shallow bowl served over a chorizo-fennel broth.  Light, well cooked and tasty.  The other was from the grill page.  Swordfish that had been marinated with soy, lime and ginger with a side of some type of mixture of the three to create a chutney.  Heavy heavy handed.  The fish was overcooked and like eating a hunk of steak.  The flavor was so intense that it just overpowered the entire plate.  I barely made a dent on that.  We did have some sides.  A mixture of gold and candy stripe beets roasted with a butter sauce and chopped peanuts.  Really delicious, well cooked and glad I had it.  We also had the duck fat potatoes that have an orange sauce strewn across the top which must be the duck fat but it really gives the potatoes an unappetizing look.  Cream spinach was really good with shaved cheese over the top.  Nice.

We did go with a dessert.  We split the strawberry fool.  Strawberries, chopped, in mascarpone cream over a vanilla sponge cake and shaved strawberry granita.  Nice.

Total assessment, is I really did like the vibe.  The place just opened, and the menu is pretty big.  I would like to go back and check out the "million dollar" chicken and the steaks.  I heard the pork chop was fantastic.  There are probably a few highs and a few lows on the menu and will continue to be.  But, it is around the corner from me, and I believe the kinks can be worked out.  I thought the food was okay, not great, but that was just round one.