Gotham Gal

Being hard wired

I belong to a book club.  We meet monthly.  I really enjoy the conversations and the group.  Last night we discussed our last read, The First Desire by Nancy Reisman.  It was a good first novel.  The characters were a sad bunch but we discussed how the author could have given the reader more insight into each character.  Regardless, after the night ended, I walked home with one of the members who is very smart and insightful.  It was truly interesting listening to her perspective about not only this book but each book that we read.  She is turned on or off by the actual way a book is written.  Whereas I am more interested in the storyline and can ignore the prose.  We had all read the same book but what each of us focused on or remembered was completely different.  It is how we are each hard wired.  Our thought processes are individual. 

I look at each our children.  Each is a completely different kid through out.  Let's take music.  They each recall every line from each song.  I don't.  Even my favorite songs, I can not recall the words.  I am turned on by the actual music, the notes played.  Again, different hard wiring.

This past Sunday, in the New York Times magazine, the article was titled "The Ever More Carefully Arranged, Artfully Blueprinted, Technologically Devised, Painstakingly Organized American Childhood".  It was an interesting article.  Why are more and more parents pushing their children to be something that they are not?  One of the articles focused on "Constructing a Teen Phenom".  Parents pay literally $30,000 if not more to send their kid to IBG (International Performance Institute) to undergo a supposed education to train their kid to be an pro athlete.  It was obvious to the journalist who wrote about this story and even the people that run the institution that the majority of the kids there were not hard wired to be professional athletes.  In fact, there were mediocre players at best. 

So, why are parents pushing their children or allowing their children to attempt to be something they are not hard wired to be?  Is it guilt?  Is it trying to make a better childhood for their kids that they didn't get?  Why can't kids be kids? 

Sure there are some total freak of nature kids that come out of the womb hard wired to be amazing athletes or prodigy piano players or star gymnasts.  Were those kids nurtured for that or did their prowess just develop over time during a normal balanced childhood?

My husband wrote a post about the Growing Up to Fast.  I completely agree with him that this new genre isn't so bad.  Each genre is different from the last and kids will always figure out a way to explore and create depending on the moment. 

But, are parents pushing their kids too far to be something that they aren't?  I recall a parent I knew many years ago who had a great boy that was totally into sitting in the corner and playing guitar and drawing.  She hated it.  She pushed him into every sport possible.   He did it, begrudgingly.  In the end, when he was allowed, he reverted back to what he enjoyed and who he was, an arty kid. 

What will be the backlash to our new technological world?  Will the kids that have been streamlined their entire life to go to Harvard rebel after all of it and become slackers, carpenters or miserable economists?

Only time will tell. 

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a day of reflection.  Thankful for what we have.  I am truly thankful for what I have.  My kids and husband are fantastic people and we are a tight knit group.  I have made wonderful friends over the years and enjoy all of those relationships.  I try to live life to the fullest and always try to remember to embrace every day.  My extended family and my husband's extended family are also part of our lives and am happy for that.  My extended family has always been a big part of my life which I am grateful for. 

I read a quote yesterday which was read at the assembly at our kid's school from the new Principal of the Middle school who is an incredible addition to our community.   It is from Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the Little Prince says to the aviator, "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly: what is essential is invisible to the eye."

Perfect quote of the day. I really do appreciate everything that I have.  Perhaps this Thanksgiving I will take time out to see more with eyes as I listen with my heart. 

Books and Music

I decided a few days ago to add books and music to my blog.  I like it b/c not only am I a voracious reader but I have continued to buy and listen to new music for as long as I can remember.

Also, books that people read, and like and music that they listen to, and like,  gives someone better insight into the kind of person they are.  Since blogs, as least mine, gives someone reading it a good insight into my thoughts, interests and day to day events adding the arts of music and books seemed like a good idea.

I'd love to hear comments and I hope that I turn someone on to something new that they might never have heard of before.

enjoy...

12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men is timeless.  The Roundabout Theater is doing a first-ever theater performance of this drama.  The cast consists of mostly seasoned veterans of theater.  The play lasts an hour and 45 minutes without an intermission - my favorite type of play. 

It is a solid performance across the board.  I really liked it.  The story line, which I already knew, kept me riveted through the entire performance.  The scenery was very clever.  The scenes either take place in the juror's room or the bathroom which is off to the side of their room.  When characters go to the bathroom and dialog begins, the floor shifts over so you can see the bathroom and the conversations taking place.  When that ends, the bathroom shifts out of view.  Very clever. 

The jurors are definitely angry from the time they enter the room.  All baggage and prejudices come with them from the get go.  I would have liked to see the director instruct the characters to come in less angry and do a better crescendo as time goes on but the heat is turned up constantly through out the play regardless.

All and all, worth seeing.  Good solid theater.  The show only goes on for 6 weeks.  I would bet that it is exhausting as an actor to put this type of performance on every night for too long. 

Showing the back room drama of a jury is very interesting.  I went home and put the movie in my Netflix queue.  I'd like to watch the movie with the kids and discuss the debates that take place in the juror's room and how Democracy works.  Last year our oldest went downtown to do a mock trial with her class.  It was really fantastic.  She'd probably get a lot out of it as would the other kids in discussion.  The movie is timeless and so is the debate. 

So, I am really glad to have seen 12 Angry Men last night.  To be able to see good theater and then bring it home later for discussion is what good theater should be about.  Also, having the kids see Jimmy Stewart act can't be a bad thing.

Thanksgiving Stuffing

I love Thanksgiving.  It is one of my all time favorite American holidays.  I love the fact that the majority of Americans are sitting down among their friends and family and eating turkey, stuffing and pie.  Also, there are soup kitchens that make sure that every American gets a bite of that annual dinner. 

This year, we are getting together with 3 different families, my sister and another friend.  I'm really looking forward to it.   Everyone has their "must haves" on Thanksgiving.  God forbid you don't have your annual stuffing or that pumpkin pie.  We have our traditions too but the one that has stuck with as a long as I can remember is the stuffing.  I have to have the stuffing we always make every year.  After all, who eats stuffing during the year?  This is a one time, once a year treat. 

I am going to share this recipe since it is so basic and you could literally add anything you wanted to this recipe.

2 sticks of butter, 8 onions chopped, 2 heads of celery sliced into small pieces, 2 loaves of challah sliced and 2 loaves of Arnold's white bread, one dozen eggs, 5 cups or possibly more of warmed chicken broth.

Melt the sticks of butter in a huge frying pan  Add the onions and celery until soft not browned.  Toast all the bread.  I do it in the broiler, quickly and then cut into small squares.  Put the toast in a large large bowl, pour the onion/celery mixture over the top and mix.  Now, take eggs that have been beaten loosely and pour in.  Pour in a few at a time until the mixture starts to get soft.  Pour in some chicken broth and get the mixture softer.  You can play around here between the chicken broth and the eggs.  The mixture should be thick and mushy.  Make sure it isn't too soft.  Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. 

You really can't beat this stuffing.  You could add oysters, dried fruit, mushrooms or anything that you want to this recipe.  It's basic, easy and delicious. 

I stuff the turkey with this recipe and then put the remaining in a souffle dish to cook.  You can't go wrong with too much stuffing b/c there is nothing like the leftovers with turkey and cranberry the next day.

Photo Sites

For the past 20 years, we have been sending out Xmas cards.  I like it now more than in the past because it is a great way of catching up on people, watching their kids grow, hearing about their year, etc. 

Over the years we have done different things.  We have sent out simple cards with just a signature.  We did a top 10 list one year so people knew what we had done that year.  I actually liked that but sometimes the list was a little too too so we opted out of that list.  We had inserted pictures of the kids too.  For the past few years, we have sent out a simple fold over card with a picture of the kids scanned on.  It is my favorite and will probably be the card of the moment for awhile. 

I am the organization queen, so I usually get these cards made sometime in September at Kates Paperie.  Not cheap but they do a great job.  This year, I opted to do the cards myself and save some $$.  It was an interesting process.

The best part is that I took the photo, downloaded it on my computer, sent the jpeg in over the internet and created my own card, how many I wanted, what it would say, entered my credit card number and I should receive the box in about 2-3 business days.  Sounds easy - right?  Not exactly.

We use Iphoto on the Mac in our kitchen.  I use Picasa on my office PC.  So, we're basically covered on all bases.  Iphoto did not offer me anything that I felt I wanted.  Picasa didn't offer me anything that I wanted.  So, I signed up and used Shutterfly.

Perhaps Shutterfly doesn't have as good as an interface as the other options but Shutterfly is what I chose so I stuck through the process.  I found the process completely annoying.  First of all, it takes awhile to figure out that u are actually moving through the process.  U pick a card and hit next, then u put in the jpeg and hit next.  Eventually the picture is shown on a card in someone's hand so u know that is "aha, what my card will look like".  Then, u continue with the saying u want inside the card.  Again, takes awhile to make sure u see that it is correct.  Finally, u purchase.  Now, I wanted to be able to see my final product to insure that it was correct.  They don't let u do that. U bascially have to go through the entire process again without any changes but a final card is not presented.  It wouldn't take a technical genius writing their code to fix that.  It took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to buy what I had ordered.  The card goes into your saved file.  I retrieved it and fooled around until I figured out how to buy it.  You can buy multiples of 1-thousands.  Although, the box that u put your units appears that it can only hold 2 digits so that would mean either 99 or less.  But, if you need 500 or more u can click on a button.  After getting frustrated, I realized that you could put 250 in the box but wouldn't be able to see 250 but only 50 which is fine because you know it is correct due to the cost of the product.  Next u pay which then confirmed that I ordered 250 cards. 

I got an email confirming my purchase.  I had 1/2 an hour to make the various changes but I didn't even go look and make sure the card was right b/c the site doesn't confirm that for u in the first place.  Then, a few hours later I received another email saying my cards were done and being shipped. 

It will interesting to see the level of quality in these cards.  I will ship them regardless unless they really look bad.  If they do, I'll send them back.  But, in terms of savings and creating my own, that was very cool.  I basically had a 60% savings which is significant.

I'll keep u posted on how the final product comes out.

Tis the Season to Eat

We have been doing and are going to be doing a serious amount of entertaining this season.  We really do enjoy it.  Love having people over, love cooking, love the whole vibe of people enjoying themselves in the comfort of our home.  I know a lot of people that would find that incredibly stressful but we welcome it. 

The hardest part about planning a dinner party is 2 things.  One, what is the menu and 2, who of your friends will mix well together.  Most important, keep the alcohol flowing. 

Two weeks ago we have a sit down dinner party for 18.  It was really great.  I generally ask people in advance if there are any dislikes, allergies etc. so there are no problems at dins.  I recall my parents having a guy over for dinner and when they sat down he told my Mom he didn't eat meat so she ended up making him an omelet.  She was not a happy camper. 

For starters at the cocktail hour, I really serve very little so that the appetite is roaring for dins.  We served cheese sticks and rosemary walnuts.  They are easy to make and people eat them like drinking water. 

Dinner started out with a mushroom tart over a bed of baby arugula with a light french vinegarette.  Main course was pan fried red snapper coated in a mixture of dried herbs served over rice with a warm brown butter balsamic sauce.  Dessert, my favorite, was a chocolate cream layer cake with lemon cookies and cranberry nut biscotti on the side.  The good news is everything is easily prepared in advance so u can really enjoy your own bash.

This week, we had 20 people over for a sit down dinner for our kids school.  I wanted to make something easy b/c although I love to cook, it wasn't my personal friends which is more a labor of love. 

My friend had recently served Chicken Marbella and then I read in Elle magazine about a dinner party that the woman had also served Chicken Marbella.  I pulled out my well worn Silver Palette cookbook and looked up the recipe.  I doctored it a bit b/c we are an anti-garlic household.  I know, hard to believe but we are.  It is the perfect large crowd meal.  It can be served at room temperature.  It literally took me about 10 minutes to prepare the day before while it marinated in the refrigerator over night.  Just stick in the oven before dins and u are ready to go.  I served that alongside a green salad with fennel, shaved parm and walnuts.  Dessert was also a classic and easy.  Individual chocolate mousse with whipped cream and shaved chocolate on the top served along side with peanut butter cookies and chocolate peanut butter bits that are like popping a reese's peanut butter cup in your mouth. 

Next week, 17 for Thanksgiving.  But, we are all sharing a bit in the cooking.   I can hardly wait!

MOMA

The new MOMA has reopened.  There is a lot of hoopla around the museum.  The design, the building, the new restaurants.  I have always been a fan of this museum and am looking forward to getting up there to see it.

In fact, as members, we were invited to an evening event on Novemer 23rd.  The ticket is for 2 people even though we have a family "fellow" membership.  That particular night our youngest son and my husband have tickets for a Knick game so I was thinking of going to the opening with our two girls.  How great to be able to celebrate an event of this type in your own town.  It has not happened that way.

The MOMA has always been lame.  Their website, at least in the past, was beyond frustrating for the store and to figure out the exhibits.  The customer service is weak at best.  I went to an event in Queens and getting on the list of an artist that we actually had collected was almost humorous talking to the amount of people.  In terms of this event next week it was very disappointing. 

I called the membership department and explained my situation.  I'd like to bring my other daughter too so she could come and look around that night.  We would probably be in and out quickly.  Certainly would not be drinking the passed champagne because they are both under age, etc.  The message that they left me was that they were unable to honor my request.  Not a good starting for an organization that I would guess has not finished the fund raising for their Capital Campaign.  I called back and left a message of my frustration, considering my membership is for 5 people.  I'd even be happy to up the ante if that would help.  But, no call back and it has been over 5 days.

I can't decide whether to call back again or just let it be.  But the truth is, I am very pissed off.  I was looking forward to going.  I was looking forward to feeling good about the new building.  It has left a bad taste in my mouth.  As someone who has been in the fundraising world, flexibility is key. 

Shame shame on the MOMA.

Ivo and Lulu

We were going to a cocktail benefit this past Saturday night for the Arnold P. Gold Foundation.  Our good friend was chairing the benefit.  The gala was being held at the Fireman's Museum on Spring Street.  The space is pretty interesting.  All of the history is downstairs and the event space is upstairs.  I liked it.  I believe each one of our kids had been there at one point through a school trip.

We decided to find somewhere near for dinner after cocktails.  The event ran from 8-12 but we decided to go early and have dinner around 9:30.  My husband came up with the place.  What a great find!

Ivo and Lulu is a small place on Broome Street between Varick and 6th Avenue.  BYOB.  So, we stopped by the restaurant with our bottle of wine, put our names on the list and then headed over to the event.  We came back about one hour and a half later and we were almost top of the list.  Couldn't have been more perfect. 

The restaurant consists of about 24 seats.  Long and small.  It is open from 6-11 or 6-10 depending on the day.  The food is french caribbean.  Everything has a good kick.  We started with a yellow apple roasted with camenbert that was very good.  We also split for starters smoked mussels in butter and cilantro.  Warm, rich and a great bread dipper.  We decided on duck for the main course.  There was a duck special with peppers and papaya and another duck on the menu of mango and spices.  Both were really good.  The portions are small but really the right amount. 

I'd say we were the oldest people in there by far, but it was a wonderful little place.  The whole bill (we opted against dessert) came to $41.  Cash only.  I felt like we were 20 again and living in the East Village.  It was great.

I would absolutely go back again but try to go during the week when there is probably not as long of a wait.  Since we dropped our stuff off early and our name, we were good but other people were told the wait would be about an hour.  I give the owner credit.  The tables turn quick, the food is consistent and the place can't be bigger than 300 square feet.  Sweet spot.

Grammercy Tavern

I can not count the amount of times that I have been to Grammercy Tavern.   During 1999, I literally ran an office out of GT one day a week.  We'd sit in the bar seats, the one to the left where there are 2 chairs and a sofa for 2.  It was my favorite spot.  We'd start with a business lunch, move into cookies and coffee with a new group around 3 and then move into drinks and cheeses around 5ish with another group and then end up with dinner and another group to close out the day. 
Needless to say, it was a foodies dream.  The food has always been delicious there.  The front room is one of my all time NYC hang outs.  The fresco above the bar, the lighting, the service is fantastic, the bar is classic, the floral arrangements are big and gorgeous.  Truly a must go to at one point.

If someone asked me to count how many times I have eaten at GT it would be absolutely impossible.  Maybe 100? 

Last night, we returned.  We met our friends for dinner.  We went early, hoping that there would be an opening at one of the tables in the front room where u can just show up with out reservations.  The back is a must reserve situation.  The place was jammed at 6:15...but we waited.  We got my favorite seat at 7pm.  We even bumped into other friends having a drink at the bar. 

The menu has basically stayed the same all these years, but is always delicious.  The artichoke salad, the grilled octopus, the filet, the salmon, the chicken.  All good.  The desserts are worth the extra calories...so is the cheese plate. 

I really like all of Danny Meyer's restaurants but GT is one of those restaurants that to me, has become a NYC classic.