Gotham Gal

Peter Dayton

We purchased a piece of Peter Dayton's work at Winston Wachter over 6 years ago, actually 7.  We were so lucky to have met Peter, his wife Barbara and 2 cute kids a few years later and become friends. We have been fortunate to watch Peter's work grow over the years. 

Peter's work is so different than anything else I have ever seen.  Decoupage flowers from seed packages, blown up, duplicated on a large canvas and encased in a polyurethane.  He is incredibly prolific.  I have seen other work of his that is very stark and other that is like a 60's acid trip.  Peter was also in a punk rock band in the early 80's in Boston and has now returned to the roots of rock and roll and in another band which is pretty cool.  His new work, which I saw last night at Winston Wachter is of surfboards.  Fitting since Peter and his family reside in East Hampton.

It is wonderful to see his work continue to grow and be able to applaud his successes on the sidelines, because we know him.   If you get a chance, go check out his show.  It will definitely put you in that summer mode.

Parea and Pylos

Love Greek food.  The flavors, the simplicity.  We hit up 2 Greek restaurants this weekend.  One new and one an old favorite. 

Parea is the latest restaurant in the Flatiron District.  They are housed right next to Grammercy Tavern.  That space has never had a successful restaurant but hopefully this one is it.

I was surprised that it wasn't more crowded this past Friday night.  They have done a really nice job with the decor.  The ceiling is made of wrought iron branches.  It really creates a warm feeling.  The best part is the long long communal bars.  The actual bar goes on forever.  In the middle of the restaurant is another long bar with stools on both sides.  There is a bunch of small sitting areas when you enter Parea too.  It can be intimate but also good for a large groups.

We just had a bunch of appetizers with our friends.  We split everything.  Large shrimps in a spicy tomato sauce.  Deep fried goat cheese dumplings crispy and divine.  Pork fried extra crispy served over a mixture of veggies.  I am sure I haven't remembered them all perfectly but they were delicious.  The cured meat platter was really good and a nice presentation.  Large platter with each different meat separated so you knew exactly what you were eating.  We felt we needed a cheese to go with that.  They immediately brought over a deep fried feta that had been pounded flat with rounds of bread. 

The men really wanted to order main courses but we were en route to another event.  So, now I have a reason to go back. 

Sunday night we went to Pylos for Mother's Day.  Pylos is always good.  A little more on the rustic side of Greek cooking vs. the more modern version at Parea.  A large plate of cut up warm pita breads served with a thick bean dip.  Good.  We split a bunch of appetizers.  There grilled octopus is always a winner.  Perfectly grilled and served in a plate that is coated in a rich reduced balsamic vinegar.  Greek salad is a must.  Large triangular pieces of feta cut up and layered over large wedges of tomatoes and slices of cucumber with a classic Greek vinegarette with oregano.  We also went for the meatballs.  This I could have done without.  More like 4 small lamb burgers mixed with mint.  None of us really cared for it.

Dinner next.  Scallops and shrimp perfectly cooked in a light ouzo tomato sauce over Greek noodles.  Excellent.  The noodles were really delicious.  The whole grilled fish is always a winner.  Filletted whole sea bass (different every night) served with a bit of olive oil and herbs.  Lamb is the key to any Greek restaurant.  Braised lamb shank served with a spicy red sauce over Greek noodles.  Very good.  Dessert was inhaled by the crew.  4 triangular phyllo baked goodies stuffed with a rich custard.  My favorite Greek dessert.  We also had a chocolate mousse in a parfait glass with whipped cream on top.  Rich chocolate.  I barely got in a bite.

Pylos is such a winner.  The warm lighting.  Earthenware pots hanging off and over the entire ceiling.  Cozy pillows across the banquettes which make it so incredibly comfy. 

Both winners downtown.  Will write on Parea again when we return for the main courses.

Damn, A lot of time has passed

Today we did a podcast with 2 special guests.  Josh Harris and Jason Calacanis. 

I have always been a big fan of Josh.  He is incredibly smart.  A big thinker and very visionary.  He gets the arts but he is also extremely analytical.  He has a very proven track record.  Some of his ideas he didn't execute on but others did (not because they talked with Josh but because eventually everyone got there  - Josh saw it months if not years ahead) and most times he was right on the money.  Josh also saw the whole reality tv too.  In 1999 Josh put 36 cameras in his apartment and you could watch him 24 hours a day on the web.  As for podcasting,  I remember sitting around on Friday evenings in early 1998 and listening to steaming media podcasts.  But he was doing that even in 1995. It seems like yesterday.

I worked with Jason.  I was the second person at Silicon Alley Reporter where Jason tested out his entrepreneurial legs.  He is quite the character.  Smart and scappy.  Huge ego but hey, that is probably a key to his success.  If you throw Jason out of a 9th floor window, he'd end up on his feet.  He is just at the beginning of many ventures down the line.

The 2 of them came over this morning to catch up and do a podcast.  It was really fun and great to see them both.  All and all a good way to spend the morning of Mother's Day.  No music but great chat.

Enjoy.  If you want Fred's input, go to his blog.  To listen live, click here.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.  A silly holiday but if you are a mother, take full advantage.  Every year I get a fantastic gift.  The majority of my jewelry comes from mother's day and birthdays.  This year I was expecting the same thing but low and beyond I was blown away with this gift.  I got a brand new spanking red Vespa for cutting up the town.  Psyched is an understatement.  My whole world is going to change.  I took each kid out for a ride around the town.  It is so sweet!

Water

Maybe because it has become relatively easy and inexpensive to produce music and movies at home it has created a plethora of new film makers. I was thinking about this when I saw all of the previews today. Certainly the huge amount of film festivals has filled a void for Directors, Actors and Producers to show their stuff.  I can't keep up with all the Indie films that come through New York. 

I had been reading about Water, a new film by Deepa Mehta.  This film is the third in a trilogy of films about India.  Mehta who was born in India in 1939 has come back home, she currently lives in Canada, to make films about realities in India that people want to believe don't exist and India doesn't want the Western world to see.

It took a long time to make this film.  Although the film was given the go ahead from the Ministry of Film, there were protests. People burned down the sets, there was delay after delay.  But, she persevered and made the film.  After seeing this film, I am going to rent the first 2 of the 3.

Water is filmed in the holy city of Varnassa that resides on the Ganges River.  The film is set in the 1930s.  It is about widows.  Indians believe that once you are a widow,  you are forced to reside among other widows.  You are now worthless.  The only other option is to die with your husband or if the family allows, marry the brother of your dead husband.  Gandhi tried to change these old traditions but unfortunately they still exist today.

An 8 year old girl becomes a widow.  She doesn't even remember being married.  Her husband dies and her father leaves her at the "widow house".  The movie is slow but the crescendo is powerful.  How can an 8 year old girl spend the rest of her life having no life? 

Beautifully shot.  The Ganges is such a central part of their lives.  Bathing, holy water, using for food, etc.  There are a variety of characters that intertwine with the widows which gives the viewer much better insight into their world. 

As our country is pushing Democracy on the world it is so interesting to see a movie about a completely different culture.  It is eye opening.  We can't even relate to the beliefs and world that they live in.  Although the movie focuses on the lives of a group of widows, the big picture is really what life was and still is in parts of  India.

New York Taste.

New York Taste put on a benefit last night to help fight childhood hunger.  Great cause.  The event is called Taste of the Nation.  They money they raise goes to a variety of organizations that are dedicated to this cause such as Share our Strength, City Harvest, Food Bank for NYC to name a few. 

The only oxymoron here is that a bunch of people, I mean a bunch, the place was packed, get together to taste food from all the top restaurants in NYC.  It is fun and filling.  I guess the food thing makes sense as we are getting stuffed, the kids are getting funded through our dollars.

There were a variety of liquor vendors.  Wine, alcohol etc.  Lots of colorful mixed drinks.  There was also savory and sweet food.  I began with the savory.  I tried very hard to taste everything.  The toughest thing was the place so packed that the flow didn't work so well.  I don't think they anticipated that many people.  The plates started piling up everywhere.  It was like the end of a successful cocktail party where no one has come to clean up yet.

We got to taste from all of Danny Meyer's restaurants, Savoy, Nobu, Rickshaw Dumpling Bar, Colors, Tamarind, Devi and Cru just to name a few.  But hands down the best taste of the night was the Kobe beef from Craft Steak.  Wow.  They had a side of a cow that they were slicing.  It was delicious.  I am making reservations today.  The second place winner, in my book, was Urena.  A Spanish restaurant in the Flatiron area.  I will also go and try that out.  That is it for the savory.

The sweets were all over the place but the winner in my book were the cookies at Fleur de Sel.  I went there when it first opened and was disappointed but I am now going back. 

I talked to Peter Hoffman of Savoy when I was there.  Wondered the benefits for the restaurateurs for doing this.  He said that it is great to be part of the Community and support the cause.  Also, he sometimes gets some new patrons who have never been because of the taste of the night.  He is right on all accounts.  It appears like they raised a lot of money for the cause.  I have also added 3 places to my list to patron.

Chinatown

Sunday was a perfect day for a long walk through Chinatown to test out the local fare.  One of the most amazing things about NYC is that in a moment you can be in another country.  I literally felt like we were on vacation today.  Checking out another city. 

Jessica and I plotted out our day. 

We took the subway down to Grand Street and began. 

Our first stop was the Dumpling House at 118 Eldridge Street just off of Broome.  The menu is limited.  10 steamed pork and chive dumplings for $2.  The meat was tasty and the dumpling skins were thick like a classic Chinese dumpling.

One item they were making which we didn't get because we were pacing ourselves was a sesame bread stuffed with tuna.  They took a large circle piece of dough, deep fried it and then cut into eights.  Each piece was covered with sesames.  Cut in the middle which pushed the top back for a flap.  Inside it was stuffed with shredded carrots, cilantro and tuna salad for a whopping $1.50.  Next time I am trying that. 

Next stop was Yogee Noodle at 85 Chrystie Street.  It was a good sign when we sat down and realized we were the only people not speaking Chinese in the entire restaurant.  We ordered a beef noodle soup and a wonton noodle soup.

The beef noodle soup was excellent. Lots of thin noodles that melted in your mouth soaking in a sweet beef broth and large chunks of beef.  We licked the bowls clean.  The wonton's were delicious in the other soup but a little on the bland side.  We should have probably kicked it up a bit with the hot chili oil on the table.  We had 3 soups and four diet cokes for a total of $18 with tip. 

We continued to walk down Grand Street to our next stop.  It is incredible the amount of fish and vegetables on each stand.  I saw nice sized soft shell crabs selling for $6.50 for a dozen.  I believe they are $4 a piece at Citarella.  2 stops on the subway might be worth the ride. 

Next stop was Sou Dou Dumpling Shop at 214-216 Grand Street.  I thought these dumplings outweighed the dumplings at Eldridge Street.  The skins were thinner so they did not overpower the dumpling.  Their specialty is spicy pork dumplings.  We got them 2 ways.  One in the classic dumpling lightly fried and the other was a rounder with a thicker skin.  I really liked them both.

We also got a pork bun which was okay.  Total cost $3. 

We were dumpling out so we went for the sweets.  Last time we had dim sum we had these awesome pineapple and cream buns so we were searching for them again.  We couldn't find them at one bakery but did pick up a strawberry bubble tea.  Personally I think they taste gross but the kids wanted to try. 

We finally found our sweets. 

In typical kids fashion, everyone was moaning before we set off on our adventure.  They all knew I was psyched so they went along for the ride.  We ended up having a great time.  We even ventured into some of the Italian shops in Little Italy which literally bumps into Chinatown.  The kids were in awe.  They made me promise to come back and buy from the local shops in Chinatown and Little Italy.  I vowed to do one Italian and one Chinese dinner straight from downtown stores before they went to camp.  This picture with Jessica, Emily and me represents the success of the day. 

Jesus Camp

Jesus Camp is a documentary that I saw at the Tribeca Film Festival this week.  The film is a portrait of kids who attend a camp in North Dakota that is run by an evangelical woman preacher.  Most of these kids have been born again from a very young age.  The film is frightening and interesting at the same time. 

The filmmakers zero in on 2 kids, Levi and Rachael.  Levi declared to be born again at age 5. He thinks of himself as a preacher.  He is home schooled.  The statistical information that is given during the film was pretty interesting.  1.8 million kids are home school and 75% of them are evangelical.  Wow.  Also, 49% of born agains are born again before age 14.  Interesting.  Brainwashing perhaps?  Levi is taught by his mother that science is bad, global warming is irrelevant and George Bush is our hero.  He is doing the work of the Lord. 

Rachael, speaks like she is 30 years old.  She attempts to convert random people on the street because god told her to do so.  These kids are also hauled off to protest at abortion clinics with red tape sealing their mouth with the word LIFE written over it.  At one point at the camp they are shown small babies at different weeks old to show abortion being bad.  Meanwhile these tiny babies are fully formed at 3 weeks. 

The preacher, Becky Fisher, preaches to these kids the evils of sin.  The week long camp with kids and parents in tow was like watching people go through a brain washing exercise.  Seeing a 7 year old girl sob and throw her arms up in the air for Jesus because she hasn't always been a believer in school makes your jaw drop.

The film makers, Heidi Ewing and Rachael Grady spoke to us after the movie.  They had a tremendous amount of energy.  They started out making a movie about children preachers and ended up following another path.  The documentary makes you ask bigger questions.  What is the role of religion in politics? 

One of the preachers they film from Colorado Springs who has one of the biggest followings in the country actually speaks with George Bush for a conference call every Monday.  This preacher gave me the impression of someone that makes you check your wallet when he leaves the room. 

Other questions come to mind to.  Children learn from their parents.  Are liberal parents allowing kids to look at the big picture and make their own decisions or are they brain washing them too?  Liberals aren't taking their kids to camps to be preached at over and over again 24 hours a day.

The film will be showed on A & E over the next couple of months.  I highly recommend watching it.  It scared the hell out of me.  What I saw was mental child abuse.  These people truly believe that the lord is their savoir.  Why worry about global warming when Jesus is coming to save you tomorrow?  If these people are making an impact on our politicos, wow.  Very scary. 

Ditch Plains

Ditch Plains.  The latest seafood type shack in the West Village.  The Pearl came first (still my favorite), then Mary's Fish Camp but I believe their heritage is from New England.  Ditch Plains is the surfers hang out in Montauk at the end of Long Island.  I had high hopes. 

Situated on the corner of Bedford and Downing street where there are a mecca of good restaurants.  The interior is dark yet open.  High ceilings with large booths on the right, tables for 2 and four on the left and a big bar area when you walk in with 2 flat panels showing surfing.  Plenty of hanging can be done. 

They serve food starting with breakfast thru late night.  You can order anything on the menu anytime. 
The music was fantastic.  They get a A plus for that.  Modest Mouse, The Clash, The Killers.  Someone knows their music. 

We found it hard to decide what to eat.  There is plenty for sharing but very few main courses.  Of course there is a lobster roll but the other main courses were chicken pot pie and fish of the day.  One of the best things on the wine menu is you can order full and half bottles.  I like that.  These are the same guys that own Landmarc where half bottles are abundant. 

The fish of the day was salmon, not my favorite, so we spent some time trying to figure out what to eat.  We began with a dozen oysters called Moons from Rhode Island.  If I were a betting person, I'd guess our waitress had never been a waitress before.  When I asked where the oysters were from she was baffled.  She also kept just filling up our wine glass even if we had just a few sips.  Very annoying.  The oysters were good.  Plump and juicy served with a heavy handed vinegar mignonette and a too light on the horseradish classic oyster sauce. 

We decided to go with 4 other appetizers because there are really no main courses.  One thing is nice that we didn't order is a cheese platter and a meat platter which is great for parties to share.  We ordered the spicy calamari salad.  Pieces of deep fried calamari mixed in radicchio and greens.  Tasty but way too heavy handed on the spice.  Too too spicy.  The other salad was a warm shrimp salad with frisee and bacon.  Earlier on, I had asked the waitress if the mussels could be made without garlic.  She had no idea how mussels were made by her response but she asked and said they could.  So, you would think she would mention that the warm shrimp salad is laden with garlic.  Alas.  Big chunks of bacon served in a warm vinaigrette with shrimp and frisee was nice but was there a reason behind the 30 plus pieces of sliced garlic?  Someone back in the kitchen is way over thinking this.

Our next 2 appetizers were mussels and salmon tartare.  Mussels come 4 different ways which is nice.  We opted for the standard white wine and shallots.  They were very good and the sauce was delicious.  We hit the bread basket and sopped everything up.  The salmon was chopped finely with a lemon flavoring and served with tiny toasted breads.  Not that interesting or appealing. 

When the check comes so does a small bowl of salt water taffy which is a nice touch. I love salt water taffy.  I'm not running back to Ditch Plains.  They really need to rethink the menu.  It is way too limited for lunch and dinner.  Breakfast is fine.  Maybe I am not the customer.  It is good for grazing with a young crowd.  The music rocks and is loud which is fine because I like that music.  The couple sitting next to us were village locals checking out the spot.  They were probably in their mid-50's.  She says to him, three times because he couldn't hear her, this is a place to come stoned to.  He laughed.  I think she summed it up.

The Dem's

Fundraising for the Democrats has it's pros and cons.  The con is trying to get people to give money.  It is money straight from your pocket.  No tax deduction, no nothing.  The pro is getting people together to meet the candidates and feel like you are going to make a difference.  The pro always gets me.

We had an event last night to raise campaign money for Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Sherrod Brown of Ohio.  Both hopeful Senator candidates.  Both of these candidates were wonderful. 

Senator Chuck Schumer kicked off the evening giving a passionate speech about the need for change in our Government  and the opportunities for the Democrats.  He was fiery last night. 

Claire has an incredible air about her.  She is passionate.  She sticks to what she believes in.  She is tough and has lots of charisma.  My guess is that we will all hear more about Claire McCaskill in the future.  She could give Hilary a run for her money.  Truly.  I'd be first in line to back her up.

Sherrod was also good.  He talked a lot about the issues he faces in Ohio.  He was a bit more long winded but he was passionate about his state and the need for change.  Impressive.

Their audience here was passionate too.  Lots of questions with succinct and intelligent answers from the candidates.  Very interactive.  I think the candidate would have stayed all night if their handlers would have let them.

Andy Ostroy, who was at our house last night, wrote a great blog on the event.  A political blog worth reading. 

If you really want the Democrats to take back the Senate this year, send in a contribution to either of these candidates.  Whether we like it or not, it is impossible to get elected without money in the coffers.  As a whole I am pretty discouraged with the entire political process, Republican and Democrats alike.  But I realize that the Democrats represent what I am about.  Presently we have a 2 party system and I am going to support the party that I believe is our future regardless of the process.  Then of course, until someone comes up with something better.

I was encouraged by these 2 Senator hopefuls last night.  It is time for a change.  My mantra is ENOUGH, Vote Democrat.