Gotham Gal

Morimoto Restaurant

Morimoto got panned in the New York Times.  One star after spending the amount of time and energy in a space that large must be painful to the owners.  It would be to me. 

We go out every 2 months or so with 2 other couples for dinner.  One of us, not me, is a big time restaurant chef/owner.  Needless to say when where ever we have gone, we get special treatment and a good meal.  We also get extras sent over because the chef wants our chef to taste.  It is part of the customs between chefs. 

Last night we checked out Morimoto.  The space is huge.  It appears to have 5 different seating areas and a downstairs bar area.  There are long tables, small tables, tables between glass partitions, tatami seating too.  Very Disneyland like.  The basement is one big poured concrete mass.  The bathrooms have hot seats and different buttons for washing yourself.  I guess it is big in Japan or Philadelphia?  For such a huge to do, the work looked very worn and not fresh.

Let's talk about the food.  Awful.  We considered the chef's tasting menu but the options sounded unappealing.  They also served sushi and the beginning vs. the end like most Japanese chefs do.  Something was unappealing about eating grilled beef after sushi.  We opted for sharing.

We shared 6 cold and 6 hot appetizers.  We each ordered our own sushi.  We also split 2 main courses.  The cold started with a corned beef like yellow tail, lamb carpacchio, mozzarella with different fish on top of the small pieces, oysters with foie gras, tuna tartare and a cold chicken salad.  The tuna tartare is served on a small wooden tray, pounded out.  Another part of the appetizers is a flat wooden tray that has 8 different layers across of what you can mix in with that.  Scallions, sour cream, etc.  Like the clothes this season, it is completely way over thought.  The only thing semi-edible was the poached chicken that had some decent tasting dipping sauce with it.

The warm appetizers fared no better.  Tuna pizza (the Mercer kitchen also makes one that makes Morimotos taste like fast food ), lobster dumplings, fried gyoza and rock shrimp tempura 2 ways.  The tempura wasn't bad.  One was a spicy orange sauce and the other was a wasabi type sauce that wasn't particularly tasty.  We also had the tofu that they make at your table.  It is a production.  The tofu was disgusting with horrible tasting dips.  I took one bite and shoved it away.

The sushi, which should be good, wasn't.  It was the rice.  I can make better rice at home.  Even your local sushi guy can make better rice.  It tasted like it had been sitting around since 6am that morning.

Desserts came.  Nothing worth discussing.  Morimoto was there and he never came out of the kitchen to say hello to our friend.  They didn't send over one extra to taste.  The place is outrageously expensive.  I know I am being redundant but the food was just awful.  I woke up this morning and said to Fred again, after saying it last night, that was awful!!  He totally agreed. 

Bottom line, don't go.  I would be surprised to see this place make it.  Disneyland type restaurants with bad food generally have a very short life.  If I was to review Morimoto, I wouldn't even be kind enough to give him one star.  He gets a big zero from me.

Stuff Happens

I finally used my membership with the Public Theater this past weekend.  This play made it worth supporting them this year.

Stuff Happens is a new play written by David Hare.  The play is about the events that happened starting with 9/11 to the Iraq war.  The play shows the story of how and why we went to war.  As someone who has followed this closely, the play is spot on.  Of course the actual conversations that took place between George Bush and Tony Blair or George Bush and Colin Powell when they were alone are not facts but dialogue  based on factual information, sources etc. 

It is quite a powerful play.  3 hours long.  The acting is superb.  Certainly as the falsification of information which is the reason for us going into war unfolds daily, it is really remarkable to watch live what apparently went on.  Watching the events of the past 6 years unfold over there hours packs a huge punch.

Poor Colin.  They really screwed him.  Condi is played brilliantly and spot on.  Tony Blair is used.  Bush is semi clueless but you really aren't sure.  Rummy is frightening and Cheney is just as scary.

I took Jessica to see this.  She is into politics.  She asked some questions but she left really having a much better idea of what exactly took place.  Also, how politics works which is the scariest or saddest part. 

My favorite part was when the play ended someone from the audience shouted "somebody, please tell me this isn't true."  That sort of sums up the whole play.  It is like watching Watergate unfold again. 

Landmarc

We dropped by Landmarc for an early dinner on Saturday night.  Lots of families were having early meals and then as we were leaving I noticed that the entire clientele had changed.  No kids.  It is always great to see a restaurant become part of the community.

Landmarc is located in Tribeca on West Broadway.  Decorated in stark greys, woods and brick.  Very simple and European.  Good lighting. The bar is at the back of the restaurant and seats 8.  You can eat there too which is what we did.  Behind the bar is a small grill that has serious suction above it to grill meats.  Nice additional touch.

Their shtick is the wines.  They do not serve wines by the glass.  They do not mark up their wines like everyone else, they keep it to a 15% markup vs. 35-50%.  They pass the savings on to us and in turn only serve full bottles or half bottles.  I like the half bottle thing because you can taste a bunch of different wines.  We had a Palazzio Testarosa Pinot from Central Coast, CA which was awesome.  I'm actually looking into buying a case today.

We didn't eat a lot but everything made me want to go back and have a full meal at a later date.  We split 2 appetizers and one main course.  Grilled octopus, tomatoes, potatoes and a chorizo vinaigrette was not at all what I expected.  Grilled octopus cut into small slices mixed up with halved cherry tomatoes and chopped up frisse lettuce.  A chopped salad.  The vinaigrette warmed the dish with tiny pieces of chorizo in it.  Really delicious.  We also split warm goat cheese profiteroles.  The goat cheese was loaded with herbs and I found the profiteroles a little too dense.  I was expecting something light and fluffy.  On the side was roasted red peppers which didn't really make the dish.  For a main course we split the braised lamb shank.  This was excellent.  Large lamb shank, the meat just about to come off the bone served over small halved brussel sprouts that were crunchy, mashed celery root like mashed potatoes and little pieces of lardon which were cooked really crispy. 

I liked the vibe.  I will definitely make plans to return.  Lots of thought when into this restaurant.  There is more on the menu that I'd really like to try.

Josh Rouse

Josh Rouse played Town Hall on Friday night.  I really like his music.  I would classify the music as 21st century folk.  I actually have a few friends that if music was their profession, they could be Josh Rouse. 

The problem with folk singers live is that you might as well be at home listening to their music.  Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful to see him perform but it just wasn't that exciting.  It is the same thing with Jack Johnson.  Love the music but I'd never see him perform again unless he happened to be the starting act for someone I really wanted to see.

I love folk type music.  Jack Johnson, Josh Rouse, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams or Bob Dylan.  But live just doesn't quite pack the same punch as Nada Surf, The Killers, The Stones or The Strokes.  There is something about a group of musicians and what happens on stage. 

Maybe if we had seen Josh perform somewhere like Merriweather Post Pavillion.  Outdoors, laying on a blanket, having a picnic, drinking a bottle of wine.  Perfect.  But Town Hall..not sure it makes the cut.

the SAT's

Years ago when I had to take those god awful SAT's I didn't believe in the test.  I recall that I took a group prep test with about 45 other people and never showed up because I had softball practice.  It was a rebel thing.  I thought the tests were stupid.  They were not a realistic picture of my capabilities.  Actually looking back on what I scored and what I have done with my life, I was right.

The test still exists and my small rebellion did nothing to change anything. If anything I hurt myself by not learning how to take the test.  After all, it is a learned skill.  Of course you have to be familiar with the content. To be able to understand exactly the answer they are looking for is entirely another thing.  It is like a tough crossword puzzle.  The key is the last few letters.

I do understand that colleges get a tremendous amount of applications and the SAT scores allow them to make a cut off on who they will look at.  Good or bad, there has to be some type of process particularly because each state and each school is different.  How do you level the platform? So in essence if there are 20,000 people applying for 1200 spots and the cut off point is a combined score of 1800 (including the writing part which now accounts for 1/3 of the test for a score of 2400) and that lets the school only look at 8000 of those applications, I get it.  They  might miss out on some possible great candidates but that is a risk you have to take.

I have always felt that grades, activities and an interview were the most important.  The whole child. Also, some of the most successful people I know didn't go to the best colleges. But everyone has that story.

The SAT has become such a gage for the universities and colleges.  So, when the institution that grades those tests screws up, it is appalling.  The SAT scores are one of the many stressful parts of High School.  Waiting for the score.  Perhaps taking the test again.  Then when you get a score  you can't imagine you got because you thought you did well and it harms your chances of getting into the school of your choice and you find out that the test was miscalculated against you by 400 points, you are more than freaked since all the acceptance letters are already out. A rambling sentence but I am trying to make a point here.  This is exactly the life of a teenagers mind. 

What is the remedy?  Should we just slap the College Board on the hand?  Perhaps colleges and universities should start looking at the whole child and measuring their abilities on how they fit into a particular institution in another way.  How?  I don't know but my guess is if people start delving into the College Board, there will discover that there has been other testing flaws over the years that have just been covered up.  There should be a public outcry over the credibility of these tests. 

The College Board earns revenues of over $480 million a year.  Whoever came up with this company was a genius.  We have become reliant on them but their credibility has gone down the drain.

Based on a Totally True Story

Based on a Totally True Story is a wonderful production being put on by the Manhattan Theater Club.  This play written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shows me again one of the reasons I continue to support MTC every year. 

The venue is at the West 55th playhouse.  Small and intimate.  There isn't a bad seat in the house.  The stage is set in the middle of the stadium like seats.  You are literally part of the scenery. 

The premise is a totally true story.  A total slice of NYC / LA life.  Carson Elrod, who plays the main character Ethan is excellent.  He play a gay man living in NYC, writing the comic book series Flash for Time Warner while he also writes plays on the side.  After all, he is a writer.  He meets Michael, played by Pedro Pascal who is also excellent, at the local gay coffee bar.  He is a writer too.  They begin a relationship. 

Through this relationship, Ethan's play is picked up by a Los Angeles producer who wants to turn his play into a screenplay.  Mary Ellen, played hilariously by Kristine Nielsen, is the crazy producer.  She is in Los Angeles and the majority of their interactions take place by phone. 

As the relationship grows between Ethan and Michael, the craziness of Ethan's world begins to take a toll on their relationship.  He has deadlines all over the place.  The Flash, the screenplay and he is trying to write another play.  Michael during this time is also writing a novel.  During this insanity, his father dumps his stuff on Ethan.  It sends Ethan over the top.  Ethan keeps it all to himself which isn't good for healthy adult relationships. 

The father, played by Michael Tucker, is wonderful.  I forgot what a great actor he is and the stage presence he commands.  Also I can't help but add that Linda Cho, who does the costume design, did a fantastic job.  The clothes are totally hipster on these 2 guys.  The Los Angeles producer is perfectly dressed in her sweat suit and sneakers and hippy skirt.  Even the dad is spot on. 

The play goes from present, to future, to past.  It is a wild ride.  It is a total slice of life.  Completely a New York story.  One that could have been overheard at the local coffee shop or told among your friends.  Also the places they refer to such as the restaurants they go to, the theater they see, the movies they talk about are familiar places in my own life. 

We walked out of the play happy.  If you can get tickets, go.  I really loved this play.  The acting is great.  The story line is clever.  The lines are good.  A great evening.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip

A request from Emily to fill the cookie jar.  They are pretty good.  Subtle taste of oatmeal that works well with the chocolate chips.  I got this from one of my favorite cookbooks, How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups rolled oats ( not instant )
pinch salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 t. vanilla
1 large bag of chocolate chips ( milk chocolate or semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 375.  Cream together the butter and sugars then add the eggs one at a time and beat until blended.  Combined all the dry ingredients.  Alternating with the milk, add the dry ingredients and milk to the batter.  It says to do it by hand but I used the mixer at the lowest speed.  Then add in the vanilla.  Then add in the chocolate chips.  I also use the blender to add in the chips. It is easier and they are evenly balanced.  You could use dried fruit here too. 

Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheets and bake until lightly browned.  About 12-15 minutes.  I used parchment paper on the baking sheets.  Makes life easier.

10 year old's perception

Josh and I had a hot date last night.  We went to Esca for dinner and then to see the Pajama Game.  He loved both. 

We chatted with David Pasternack, the chef,  when we left.  Josh told him that he thought that the Italian sushi could be a little less salty otherwise everything was really good.  You gotta love it. 

But the best line of the evening was when we were talking about weight.  Josh asked me why do all Jewish girls want to lose weight?  He wanted to know if it was to be skinny for the Rabbi.  I got a good chuckle out of that.  I told him it was our hearty Eastern European builds with the desire to look fashionable or maybe it was the neurosis of weight and looks passed down from generation to generation.  His guess was as good as mine.

He thought about it and also declared that he found that most of the Jewish women he knew were  incredibly efficient.  Then he rattled off all of their names.

Interesting perspective from a 10 year old eyes.

The Pajama Game

My sister was working for Sony Records when they signed Harry Connick Jr.  He was a  young kid from New Orleans from a well known political family in the Bayou.  He had been playing the piano since he was a kid with various jazz musicians.  He came to New York with his high school girl friend in tow.  He was going to be the new Frank Sinatra.  Years later, the girl friend was dropped, a model came on to the scene and now he is married with kids and lives in Connecticut. 

I was invited, thanks to my sister, to a small intimate gathering of Sony executives when they signed Harry.  He played a small concert for us at the Algonquin Room.  It was spectacular and memorable.  This guy reeked of talent. 

After seeing him last night in the Pajama Game he confirmed for me that talents in one area don't necessarily translate to other skills.  He might be have an awesome voice and play the piano like a champ but his acting abilities are high school level at best.  He is painful to watch.  He is concentrating so hard to get the dance numbers right and act that he doesn't connect with anyone on stage.  He doesn't look like he is having fun.

The good news is that the production is really well done.  All of the other actors, my guess are veteran Broadway performers.  They are really good.  The dancing is great.  They all look like they are having a great time. 

Kelli O'Hara, who plays Babe, the side kick to Harry's character, Sid, looks more and more frustrated as each act unfolds.  She is obviously holding him up. 

The play is sold out.  Perhaps the production will continue on Broadway but I highly recommend replacing Harry with someone who could play Sid as Sid deserves to be played.