Gotham Gal

The Gourmet Cookbook

I love collecting Cookbooks. Luckily, I have limited space for books in my kitchen which makes me think about each cookbook I buy. I get the monthly food mags such as Gourmet, Food and Wine and Bon Appetit so I am always cruising through for new recipes, foodie information etc.

So, when I saw the Gourmet Cookbook was coming, I decided to make the purchase. First of all, I am a huge fan of Ruth Reichl. Her books are funny. I have seen her speak and I just like her vibe. A real smart foodie.

I got the book from Amazon a few days ago. I have literally gone through every page. Just scanning the recipes and reading information here and there. I remembered so many of these recipes from receiving 10 years of Gourmet magazine. This cookbook is absolutely fantastic! A must own in any cook's kitchen. The culmination of recipes from different regions. It is really well done. I marked a bunch of pages to make. Each recipe gives u tips on how long it takes to prepare, cook or if that you can make a certain portion in advance or if this would really be good for a dinner party or just for your own family. Really well thought out. Am I gushing?

This could be the cooking bible of the year. Rush out and buy it!

Kerry, tonight is the night

Tonight we will be sitting down as a family to watch the debates. We hope that John Kerry comes through as the obvious choice after the campaign. He is obviously more articulate and thoughtful in his decision making, he is obviously going to take our country in a different direction and that he is obviously going to make us a leader in the world not a tyrant. I hope George Bush shows his true colors of being a spoiled arrogant rich kid who does not think things through and is oblivious to the realities of the world today.

Kerry needs to ask the question to the country that was asked years ago by Ronald Reagan, "are you better off today than you were 4 years ago"? I am not. I am more scared about the economy, terrorism, environment, separation of classes, health care for all, lack of money for homeless, mental health, education, our leadership in the world, civil liberties, privacy, religious separation of church vs. state, inflation and our weak dollar. I could go on and on but bottom line is the vision and leadership of the Bush Administration has taken us in years back in time. We need a new voice and someone who will help us return to the roots of what America stands for.

Please John Kerry, tonight is the night. Come out and stick to the issues. Be on message. Stick it to him. Make sure he sweats. Point out that he ignored the advice of his own team. He lies. The polls must tip in your favor. Tonight is the night.

Traveling Grandparents

My mother started something with my kids years ago which I think is fantastic. She takes short trips to interesting, educational places with each of our kids separately. It is a wonderful way for her to really get to bond with each kid. Also, the kids love it and really remember each journey. Her thought process was, why do they need another toy? That thrill lasts a couple of days but traveling experiences last a life time. I couldn't agree more.

Granted, she can afford to take them on some interesting journies but it could be anything. When they were 4, she came up to NYC and spent the day with them. Each of them got to have their first Broadway experience and go see Beauty and the Beast. They had lunch, theater and some other adventure. It was perfect. They were close to home but it was a special day with Grand'ma.

When u were six, you went to went to either Baltimore of Philadelphia. Few days in either city. They would stay at a hotel, go out to dinner, check out the museums, see a movie, etc. It was great.

At 8, they ventured out on a plane to Chicago. Chicago is a fantastic city. My son is our there now with my Mom. The Science museum is one of the best interactive museums in the country. They also went to the Navy Pier where they went in the Ferris Wheel and saw a new IMax film. They were checking out Millenium Park, doing deep dish pizza and of course going to the top of the John Hancock building. The trip is fun and educational.

At 10, she took our oldest to Paris and all the girls tagged along (my sister, me and our middle daughter). We went to London when our middle was 10 - again a girl's trip. At 12, she took our oldest out to Laguna Beach for a few days.

They kids look forward to the trips. They have also each created a special relationship with my Mother because they spend a few days just one on one enjoying something together. I highly recommend this to anyone. These memories will be treasured forever. Hurrah for G'ma.

Korean Barbecue

After fasting all day Saturday and overeating bagels, nova, whitefish, kugel and ruggelah, I was definitely ready for a different type of food on Sunday night. We were getting together with our friends and neither of us could come up with somewhere to eat. We were overloaded. We finally decided on Kum Gang San in the West 30's. She had been before, so off we went.

What a hoot. The West 30's is "Little Korea". There are easily 10 restaurants on that block serving Korean food. There is a rock structure water waterfall to the right when u walk in. Up the stairs is dining and downstairs below. The lighting is very bright. It feels sort of like a cafeteria. It doesn't really feel like you are in the middle of NYC.

We sat down, there were 8 of us, at a long table that has 2 barbecues set into the table. We ordered shrimp, chicken, beef and vegetables to grill. We also ordered a side of vegetable dumplings. The waiters start by putting your food on the barbecue and you get to watch and pick it out when you are ready. The food starts coming out in droves. There are tons of small plates of different Korean specialties such a kimchee, fish cakes, steamed spinach, tofu with chili sauce, red chili paste, cabbage and onions and a big batch of lettuce. U are supposed to take your barbeuce and wrap it with sauces in the lettuce. It was fun. The food was good, nothing out of this world but different.

The place was packed with people when we left. I saw some different things on tables. Next time I would considering making a walk around the restaurant before I decide what to order. I could just tell the waiter - I want what they are having. People seemed to know exactly what they were doing.

Afterwards, the search for ice cream in the neighborhood proved to be unfruitful which was a drag. We ended up walking down to the Shake Shack for custards and our friends went back uptown to their local haunt. It was a great way to spend Sunday night.

Citibabes

Now I have heard it all. My friend told me about this today. Citibabes is a private club for toddlers and their families that is opened soon in Soho. How frightening? What has this city come to? The cost is $1000 to join. There will be a spa for the mom's and plenty of baby/kid friendly environments to play in.

Why did they choose Soho? The owners believe that the demographics of downtown have changed. I am here to say I completely disagree. Yes, the demographics of downtown have changed in some respect. There is more money, real estate is more expensive, there are a lot of young families due to the large spaces downtown etc. But, people downtown are much more low-key. They are not flashy. It is hard to figure out who has money and who doesn't. It is a completely different environment just as the Upper Westside has a different vibe than the Upper Eastside. Downtown is a whole different universe compared to uptown.

As a parent of a school that has 25% of the operating budget going to diversity, I would say that the majority of parents are our school would be aghast to know that Citibabes is opening in Soho. All I can say is you picked the wrong location. If this succeeds downtown, I will be truly surprised. Then I will be able to say good luck and good riddance. I can hardly wait to say those words.

Education

My husband posted today about Progressive Education. It was a great post and I wanted to comment on it.

I have never believed in traditional education. I have always been a rebel and questioned everything, so needless to say, traditional education would not have been a very healthy environment for me. I went to a very progresive school in the early 70's, probably a bit too progressive because there was no structure at all, so lesson learned that there must be rigor and accountability in any type of education.

Our kids go to LREI which is a leader in progressive education. I love the education they are receiving because they are learning to become life long learners. They are involved in their own education. They challenge themselves daily through breaking down problems and putting them back together. That is how you learn for life. Rote learning is bogus. Cram tonight, test tomorrow. It doesn't stick in the long run. I am amazed at what our oldest, who is in 8th grade, remembers from 3rd grade. Why? Because she was part of the learning process.

My husband went to MIT and then years later went to UPenn grad school. MIT defines a progressive institute. My father went there for graduate school and he still learns by breaking down the principles. When my husband went off to grad school, he had never taken an economics or accounting class. He was an engineering guy. So, the first semester he really had to figure out how economics and accounting worked. He didn't memorize it, he broke it down and put it back together. He spent the last 3 semesters training every friend of his in those 2 courses. It was the progressive training at MIT that helped his mind look at everything clearer and taught him how to learn not memorize. It was really quite amazing.

I distinctly can recall a few classes in college where our learning was integrated into the entire classroom through discussions and project based work. Those are the only classes I remember that I truly enjoyed. You should enjoy your education. After all, a lot of us spend from 4-21 being educated. Life is too short not to learn something new everyday and enjoy doing it.

Aquagrill

There is absolutely a reason that some restaurants are around forever. Aquagrill has been open since 1999. I can't count the amount of time that I have been there not only for dinner but for lunch too. I have always had a great meal.

My husband and I have taken to sitting at the bar and eating appetizers and oysters. There are about 15 different oysters to choose from nightly. Last night we had a dozen. We also had a hamachi sushi last night served with edaname and a spicy sauce that was incredible. We also had sea urchin which is one of my favorites and softshell crab served over a bed of lettuce. The small breads they serve at the beginning are also hard to resist. There is a jalapeno corn bread and the onion foccacia. Sweet, warm and tasty. They also serve a nice little plate of desserts at the end of your meal.

There is seating outside during the warm weather and the place was hopping last night outside. We chose the bar but as a rule, I'd sit anywhere or eat anywhere there. I would hope that the Aquagrill will be here for many years to come.

Reading the Paper

Reading the paper this morning was so depressing. The congress voted in Gross, congress is letting Bush's tax cuts continue regardless of the tremendous deficits, healthcare is a shambles, after the United Nation speech the majority of the world can't stand our deemed leader who used the stump to talk about how fantastic he is when he is clearing lying about Iraq (based on data from his own people), more soldiers were killed today, the Patriot Act is basically going to take away a tremendous amount of our civil liberties away even though that was not what is being recommended by the commission they are going to follow the evil Bush organizations supposed rules of Democracy, another suicide bomber in Israel who was a 19 year old woman/girl, Greece falsified their documents to get into the European Coalition, Kerry isn't gaining enough momentum against the liars and the lies they tell and it is a bright beautiful fall day in NYC.

I try to be an informed person. Perhaps I should take the road that some Americans must take which is not to educate, challenge and understand what is happening in our world. It saddens me to think that I am a minority in this country. How could any intelligent person take a look at the economy, the war, our civil liberties, the environment, our allies detest at our ruling party, our tremendous deficit, the weak dollar, the presence of inflation (been to the grocery store lately?), and the feeling of disgust, hatred and division among our countrymen and have any interest in re-electing this group of liars back in office. Is it their check book? Is it a one issue like gun control or abortion laws? Is it their supposed love of religion? It is the supposed swagger and arrogant decision making even though the decisions are bad at least they are making them? I can't figure it out. All I know is as each day gets closer to the election, I try and have faith in the good of Americans that when the majority of them get into the voting booth on November 2 that they look at themselves, alone in that booth and ask themselves the question "with all I know about where we are and where we were 4 years ago, regardless of being a Republican, Independent or Democract at heart, can I really vote for a man who has lied and taken us down a deep dark path based on bogus information with no resolution to get out and believes everything is hunky dory in Iraq and the economy and our place in the world?" I truly hope that answer will be no, I can't do it and the lever for John Kerry is pulled because 4 more years of this party is going to leave this nation in a very very sorry state.

Cru Restaurant

How could I not go? Cru is literally around the corner from me. I walk by everyday.

From a visual, the place is really boring. Very clubby. The bar area in front has some tables and chairs and stools at the bar. There are no flowers, no accessories, nothing to create a warm intimate vibe. It as if they built a men's club and forgot to budget money to complete the look. I actually spoke to one of the managers about it but he seemed to think it wasn't cold. I guess they didn't hire a decorator. Too bad.

The main dining room is very spread out. The acoustics are so much better than they used to be in that room. They have definitely spent a lot of money on changing the place from Washington Square Park where you could not hear yourself think. They could benefit from putting a few more tables in. Again, it looks as if they didn't finish the room. It is sort of strange.

Cru has been open for a month or so and it was not that crowded last night. The food reviews have been stellar but the place isn't full. I think it has to do with the ambience because the food is quite good. They also have 2 huge books on the wines they carry which is impressive and overwhelming at the same time. So, from a foodies a perspective, high kudos but the vibe is so boring! They really need to jazz the place up a bit. Bring in someone to help u - please! I'd like to see Cru succeed.

Typical in high end restaurant fashion, they bring little tastings for the table inbetween your courses. We were served a curled beet potato chip with puree beet inside as a little bite to start. Delicious! We were also served proscuitto wrapped around crunchy melon, small cheese balls, small tarts filled with figs and mascapone. All tiny and all packed a big punch. Before our appetizer came, one more item which was a sunchoke soup in a tiny container. Then, after all that food, the appetizers came.

There are appetizers and there are crudos to choose from. The crudos are small portions of raw fish served sashimi style highlighted with different tastes. The appetizers are larger. Nothing is too large but really just the right size. I had the artic char served with a vanilla oil and the fluke which was rolled up with a dollop of caviar on top. Both excellent. Our friends each had the warm bean salad with a pistachio type vinegarette. They loved it.

For dinner, I had the lamb chops with were really served beautifully and cooked to perfection alongside a fava bean puree. My husband had the roasted monkfish, also very good. Our friend had the ravioli which is served as one long ravioli. Great presentation. The other friend had the duck, which was also good and again, the right portion.

We passed on dessert but they brought us four different treats as I knew they would. One was a chocolate pudding cup which was a bit too heavy on the dark chocolate, another was 4 spoons of chocolate raspberry bits, another was lemon pieces and also carmelized macadamian nuts. Just the perfect sweet amount for the end of the meal.

The food is really top. Well prepared, beautifully presented, etc. They take their cooking very seriously. Nothing new and different just well done. But, the place is just a boring men's club. I hope they succeed but they really MUST create a better more sophisticated ambiance to go with the fantastic food they are serving or honestly, we won't come back.

Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park held their first annual fundraiser last night. The tents were set up right behind the Arch. The weather was fantastic. The crowd was so excited. It was a real neighborhood event. What a great benefit to put money to use...clean up your local park.

NYU has so far given $1m towards this group who are really attempting to create an endowment to run the park, keep it clean, have gardeners, etc. and at the same time renovate the park. Madison Square Park really set the bar on this. Personally, I think NYU should fund the entire endowment of $7-8 million which would give other people the incentive to give money towards the renovations. Afterall, this is NYU's front and backyard. It is only a benefit for them and potential givers to their school to have a stellar park.

Last night was catered by Mario Batali, who has an interest in beautifying the park too. His new gelato cart will be opened next week on the Madougal corner of the park. The food was really fantastic. The cocktail hour had little pizza's, eggplant with cheese, hunks of parmesean and a variety of other goodies. There were also a variety of different martinis which was a fun addition. The dinner started with a mozzarella and heirloom tomato tower with a light vinegarette and basil. The second course was a pasta with basil and parmesean. Main course was braised veal. Dessert was chocolate tortes and whipped cream. I also grabbed a gelato on the way out. All the all, delicious food, many wines to match and a fun event. No rubber chicken at this fundraiser.

It was a beautiful evening all around - weather, people and the excitement of the park. I'm really looking forward to watching how this group proceeds with the park over the years to come.