Gotham Gal

I was a fan

I admit it.  I was a fan of Hillary Clinton for a long time.  I hit the wall and did a 180.  How she has conducted herself in the primaries is not what I want from a President.  For me, politics as usual doesn't do it for me anymore (not that it ever did).  I want a big thinker, I want someone who has a well oiled machine, I don't want someone who is going into debt to continue to run their campaign, I want someone that people believe in.  I also want Obama to stand up and get tough and to get other people in the party to tell her it is time to go. 

Hilary's audience in Pennsylvania are people who are over 50, making less than $50K a year and don't have a college degree.  I don't believe that represents the rest of America.  She can not afford to continue in this campaign because that constituency doesn't have the cash to support her campaign. 

More and more people are becoming angry with Hillary as time goes on.  The heads of the Democratic party should stop playing politics as usual and tell Hillary, it is time to go.  It is time to unite the Democratic party and run against the Republicans, not run against each other.  It is time to make change.  It is time to open your eyes and see the reality of the situation, you will not win.  By continuing to run a negative campaign, you make the Democratic party look bad which in turn will make it more difficult for us to win in the Fall. 

Please, please...it is time to go. 

She and Him

She and Him, she being Zooey Deschanel, him being M. Ward played at Webster Hall last night.  They were supposed to perform Monday and Tuesday night at Hero Hall but she was under the weather on Monday night and the performance was cancelled.  Somebody was obviously on top of it because both performances grouped together and they moved to Webster Hall for Tuesday evening.  I believe it was their first concert of the tour.

The story behind She and Him is supposedly that Zooey had written and recorded some songs at home on a tape recorder.  Her friends urged her to send her stuff to M. Ward.  He got it, he loved it and wanted to do something together and low and behold, She and Him was born. 

I am a huge fan of M. Ward.  Saw him a while back.  Extremely talented guy. 

Zooey didn't say a word last night, due to her vocal chords or a cold but she certainly could belt out the music.  I am not sure I have ever seen a performer as happy as she was to be on stage.  She is an actress and all of a sudden she is an indie rock star.  Pretty cool.  Her music is somewhere between 50's sweet songs to June Carter.  His voice is striking and her voice is too.  The combo really works.  Mostly he just plays guitar but when they come together it is a whole other element.

Definitely worth a listen. 

Restaurant 81

Last night was a girls night.  I get together every couple of months with three girlfriends.  Most times we do something during the day but last night was dinner.  They all live on the Upper Westside so I made the journey uptown for dinner. 

In the past year, a variety of well reviewed restaurants have opened  on the UWS.  I have never understood why more places haven't opened up there.  There is an audience for it.  The latest round of restaurants include Dovetail, Quest, Mermaid Inn, Telepan, (soon)Shake Shack and Eighty-One where I went last night. 

I will probably get blasted for this but I was trying to explain the restaurant to Fred this morning and what it was that I didn't like.  The food was good not great.  The menu didn't really appeal to me but it was creative and thoughtful.  The restaurant is beautiful.  Very adult.  Large plush booths, quiet, plenty of room, lush curtains, a wall of wine, a long bar.  Good service.  What is it?  Fred hit the nail on the head.  There is no edge. 

Granted, last night was Passover, and we were on the UWS, but by 930 the restaurant was empty.  In essence, the restaurants up there are a welcome addition to all the locals but I would never go out of my way,  unless it was to see my pals up there, to go to dinner.  The importance of the UWS restaurants to create a relationship with their clientele is even greater than the restaurants downtown.  I just don't see people from other neighborhoods making an effort to go to 81st street to eat dinner unless you live up town.

We began with a small glass of carrot juice from the chef that was just awful.  Not sure what was interesting about it except it was pure without any pieces of carrot.  They also passed out bread and matzo.  The matzo was a nice touch. 

I started off with a shaved raw vegetable salad with a walnut pesto.  Simple and light.  I did taste the hens egg with roasted asparagus and morels which was quite rich and tasty.  For dinner, I went with the soft shell crabs.  Ode to the season.  Crispy soft shell crabs over a grapefruit chutney which didn't work and a cold couscous on the side that was so loaded with garlic that the two bites I took are still living with me this morning.  Two people had the cod which was a huge piece that was had been cooked in a sake broth and doused with crispy shallots.  It was quite good.  We had two fantastic bottles of wine.  The list is quite extensive.  We also had a frozen meyer lemon souffle that had a dollop of orange sherbet on top.  The combo of the flavors made it taste like a creamsicle.  Love that.   A nice touch is the small tray of desserts they serve at the end.   There are some really nice thin spicy cheese sticks at the bar too.

A wonderful night with my friends.  I am glad I went up town last night to check out one of the new restaurants that have been sorely needed in that neck of the woods.  Maybe my expectations were higher.  Restaurant 81 was okay but absolutely not worth the journey.  The vibe just didn't do it for me and neither did the food. 

O Ya, Boston

Frank Bruni wrote that O Ya was one of the best new restaurants in the country.  The chef and owner, Tim Cushman, of O Ya was also honored as best new chef in 2008.  There is good reason.  O Ya is one of the best culinary experiences I have had.  Definitely up there in one of my top ten food adventures. 

The restaurant sits between the theater district and Chinatown.  I am not sure we would have found it on our own.  An old warehouse on a random corner but once you open the door, you have the aha moment.  Warm, serene, lots of wood, great lighting, Asian in feel.  We sat at the sushi bar that light literally resonates off of.  Also, sitting at the sushi bar allows you to watch the preparation of each dish.  Live theater.

Nancy Cushman, who is Tim's wife, the restaurant is run and owned by both of them, is an expert on sake.  We told her how we like our sake, and she chose a bottle for us.  We ended up with two different bottles both incredible.  The first bottle was called Yuki no Busha, fruity yet crisp and dry.  Delicious.  The second bottle was called Sato no Homare that was also crisp and dry but the aromas were delicate and more subtle in regards to the fruit.  Both excellent.

Jess and I discussed each plate and then ordered.  We started off with two pieces, one each of a peruvian style shutoro tuna tataki that was deep red, almost burgundy that was over a warm piece of rice with an aji panca sauce (spicy chili sauce) and a small dollop of cilantro pesto on top.  The intense flavor of the tuna with the spicy flavors of the cilantro and chili sauce were incredible.  We both look at other and said omigod.  With the tuna was also had two pieces of sea urchin from Santa Barbara that had a blood orange homemade soy sauce over the top and fresh wasabi.  Another hit.  The flavors that he pairs with the fish are creative yet keeps the flavor of the fish as the singular taste that stands out. 

Next up, warm eel.  This was brilliant.  Warm eel served over the warm rice and served with thai basil, kabayaki and fresh sansho.  The basil gave the eel an ever so slight hint of tasting Thai food.  Clever.  We also had the sea scallop which was scarlet in color served with a white soy yuzu sauce and yuzu tobiko.  Wow. 

Next round was hamachi belly that was topped with a dollop of sea urchin that had been marinated in yuzu soy.  The combo of textures were really interesting.  Also out was the Scottish salmon.  Salmon, 3 pieces, served with a spicy sesame ponzu and scallion oil.  The spicy sesame was interesting.  We had been watching a salmon dish get made over and over again which we didn't order but perhaps should have.  One of the chefs kept taking a butane lighter and charring sliced tomatoes and seaweed weed and dressing it over the salmon.  Then he would take sesame oil, heat it and pour it on top of this dish.  It would sizzle and be served immediately.  It was really something to watch.

Next out was hamachi tartare.  This wasn't my favorite.  Chopped hamachi shaped like a cylinder and mixed with a ginger sauce and spiced chile oil.  Different and spicy but not my fave.  We also had the Japanese cherry trout which I had never heard of before.  Red trout that had been miso cured and served with a sansho leaf.  The trout had an interesting texture with a very mild flavor.  It was sublime.

The last two plates of sushi was kim medai which is a big eyed red snapper served with a white soy ginger and lemon oil.  The lemon really opens up the taste of the fish.  Last was the hamachi served with a mignonette and thai basil and shallot.  Simple and a take off of the classic Nobu hamachi.  Really delicious and one of their best sellers. 

Last up was a few non-fish items.  Yuzi brined chicken wing that is boned and then stuffed with a mixture of napa cabbage and shitake mushrooms.  The chicken is caramelized and cut in two pieces served over homemade kimchi which is not like your regular kimchi.  No garlic per se and more like pickled cabbage.  This was incredible, different and delicious.  We also had a round of zucchini sticks which were mixed in a grated fresh wasabi, ground sesame, green onions and citrus zests then deep fried.  Different but not something I'd necessarily order again.

Last out was the highlight.  The concierge at our hotel said tears came to his eyes when he ate it because it was so delicious.  A small piece of warm foie gras served as a piece of sushi, over warm rice with a balsamic chocolate sauce and a dusting of raisin cocoa pulp.  With this you are given a small sip of aged sake.  One bite and the entire piece just melts in your mouth.  Washed down with the sake is an incredible treat.  The sake reminded me of vin santo from Greece.  Genius.  Lucky for me, Jessica doesn't like foie gras so I got two pieces.  Just incredible.

A beautiful restaurant that plays Beatles in the background and serves some of the most creative food I have seen or had in a long time.  A culinary festival.  If you are in Boston, get there.  It is worth every penny and the experience will be remembered for years to come. 

More on college

Today we did a triple whammy.  We drove out to Tufts for a tour and info session.  I went to school in Boston but never made my way on to the Tufts campus.  It was very interesting for a variety of reasons. 

First of all, the tour was packed.  Possibly 50 students and either with one parent or two and some brought a few siblings.  The guy who spoke to the group about what separated Tufts from other schools was fantastic.  Not only did he speak about Tufts, he gave the group some advice on writing their essays.   What was interesting is the mothers in the crowd taking copulas notes.  The woman in front of me was writing an outline as he spoke as if she was back in college in a lecture hall.  Both Jessica and I were dumbstruck.

I started watching the mothers taking notes.  Each of them were very serious.  They almost tried to connect with the speaker on stage while taking everything in.  Their kids just sat next to them listening.  I found it just amazing.  I wonder if these mothers also pour cereal for their kids every morning, pick out their clothes and make sure their homework is complete before handing it in.  How are these kids actually going to leave the nest and function?  Why are these mothers doing this?

Is it because these mothers have made their kids their work?  Perhaps it is a backlash to their own childhood?  Were mothers of that generation so laissez-faire that their children felt they had to be so involved that they hold their kids hand through ever step of their lives?  I honestly do not know but I wonder how these kids are going to become adults.  How are they going to be able to make intelligent decisions, are they going to go to college and just let loose and drink until they drop, are they going to be lost and find the need to come home every weekend, are they going to graduate and come home to live permanently, are they going to be able to function in the workplace?  Quite frankly, I find it scary.

Once again, these kids asked not a question.  One kid actually sat in the front of the tour part blowing bubbles and im'ing on her phone while her mother listened and asked questions.  Many of the kids actually looked so disengaged because why engage yourself when your Mom can take care of everything for you.  Maybe it is the cost?  Perhaps parents feel that they need to make sure the decision is ever so right because the cost of going to college is so high.  Thoughts out there?

We left Tufts and traveled by car to check out Babson that has a really nice campus and Brandeis that doesn't.  Babson is set in the middle of a beautiful suburb lining a country club and golf course.  Not sure either are right for Jessica but again, that is her decision.  She asked plenty of questions and is taking the whole thing in. 

Like finding the right person to work for you or finding the right apartment or house, you just know.  There is an air of comfort the minute you meet someone or walk in the door.  The same is true of shopping for colleges.  Unfortunately you can't just expect that the college that you feel the best about is going to feel the same about you.  It is a true crap shoot.  Although you might know in your heart that you are the perfect fit for a place, you can only hope that the institution feels the same.  In essence, you better find a few places that you feel comfortable on and not set your sights on the ultimate one. 

After our college outings we drove back to Boston.  I drove Jess around the city and showed her where we used to live, our perspective colleges, and places we used to hang.  It was really fun and it was incredible how quickly the roads came back to me.  We tried to get into the fraternity that Fred lived in ( I lived there two memorable summers as well) but nobody was home.  I would have loved to show Jess inside.  At least I got a picture of her on the stoop.

Having kids, buying diapers, watching them learn to walk, seeing them off to the first day of school.  These are all memorable moments.  Taking your first born to look at colleges is one on hand absolutely fantastic because I firmly believe in teaching your kids to be independent and fly the nest.  On the other hand, I can’t believe where the time has flown and how did I become a mother of a kid going to college. 

Applying to colleges, looking at colleges, what is offered at college, absolutely everything about college has changed dramatically since I went to college.  More people, less slots.  Tons of extracurricular options, outrageously expensive, beyond competitive and the parents are different too.

We went on one tour today and the parents asked the majority of the questions which I found strange. Why weren’t the kids asking the questions.  After all, they are the ones that will eventually be coming to the college of their choice, alone.  What the parents were basically asking is which candy bar has the golden ticket for my child so I can pick it.  Sort of funny but sort of insane, that particular school was Harvard. 

The other tour today was Brown.  I’d apply.  It was Jessica’s favorite too.  The open curriculum is fantastic.  In many ways Brown reminds me of LREI.  The key to success is being a self-starter.  Small but not too small.  Providence is a nice sized city with plenty of arts and good food. 

All and all it was really fun to visit college life today.  One thing that still stands out is what I loved about college.  The opportunity to spend  four years of your life in an intellectual setting to take a variety of classes, meet people from all over, and discuss politics at 2am.  College is a four year stepping stone that is essential to becoming an adult.  You transform over time.

I am really excited for Jessica, as I will be for Emily and Josh and in six years from now, it will be just me and Fred.   It seems just like yesterday we were having Jessica.  All I can say is wow.

ilili NYC

I really do enjoy middle eastern food sans the garlic.  Unfortunately garlic is part of the package unless you make it at home.  I like the communal aspect to the dishes, the pita bread, the dips and the spices.  The garlic kills me.  If garlic isn't part of your life and then you ingest more than your share, you feel off the next day.  Alas.

We went to Ilili which is the latest addition to the restaurants cropping up in the 20s around 5th Avenue. A big space, lots of wood and light.  Two separate rooms.  One for the bar and small couch like chairs, the other for the restaurant.  Very modern yet simple.

An extensive menu and specials too.  I really liked where the entrees could come either large or small so you can share.  We bumped into someone we knew there, who happens to be Lebanese, who thought the food was excellent.

Some plates really stood out where others were okay but as a whole, really good.  We began with hummus which is rich, creamy with lots of olive oil.  The baba ghannouj was tasty but I preferred the hummus.  Chankleech is a feta dish.  It comes out on a small plate with three different ingredients.  Feta mixed with scallions and herbs, chopped tomatoes and chopped white onions.  You mix them up and serve.  Really delicious and the feta packs a good punch.  The fattoush is a nice simple garden salad with sliced radishes, toasted bread crumbs and a lemon vinaigrette.  It was a nice balance among the heavy dips.

Next out was Lebanese crudo.  Amber Jack sliced thin with a babba ghannouj and thinly sliced radishes on the side.  Fresh fish and an interesting concept.  We also went with the sliced octopus which had been cooked, sliced thin in a hot pepper oil and a little bit of lemon.  Also interesting.  Both sort of got lost among the heartier food that we had but I liked it. 

Kibbeh Naya was the steak tartar which was almost like a paste served with bulghur, onion and mint.  A large bottle of olive oil is delivered to the table which you are supposed to drench the steak tartare with.  I am a big fan of raw food including raw meat but the tartare did not live up.  Too pasty.  One of my favorites was the Lahmajeen.  Grilled pita bread topped with lamb, onion and tomato.  Think lamb pizza with no sauce.  Ramps are in and are probably hitting up all the menus around town.  They had four special dishes with ramps.  We went with the dumplings.  Sauteed ramps served with small plump dumplings oozing with cheese.  It was really good.  Their version of perogies but much better.  Mekanek is a dish of spicy lamb sausages, the size of your finger, pan fried and served in a small iron skillet.  Very spicy, tasty and a classic dish.   We also had the mixed grill.  Chicken shish kebab loaded with flavorful herbs grilled and served over a flat pita bread. Juicy, well cooked.  I also liked the beef kebabs, served the same way but found the chicken much more flavorful.  The last thing on the mixed grill was beef kafta, similar to the lamb sausage but beef.  Spicy.  We only went with one side which were the Batata Harra.  Deep fried, really browned, rectangular fries served with a spicy red sauce.  Really good fries and addicting.   They also give you a big basket of pita bread which is puffed up.  When you break into the bread, steam comes out.  Delicious and light.

Of course, dessert.  Roasted apricot cake that oozed when you stuck your fork in.  Quite good and a nice ending to the meal.  We also went with the special ilili bar which is layered and served like a candy bar on a plate.  Chocolate, peanuts, caramel.  Interesting and super heavy.  Last but certainly not least was a deep fried noodle dessert with a dollop of cream in the middle.  Very middle eastern and quite good.

I would definitely go back except for the garlic, I liked the food and of course the company. 

Chocolate?

I have always been a fan of creative ideas particularly ones that make money and can also help people.  My friend recently told me about a company called Madecasse which makes chocolate and vanilla products.  What is interesting is where they make them and how the money helps the country they are making the products in.

They are implementing something called Equitrade which is the concept to end poverty through sustainable commercial international trade.  Madecasse has implemented this in Madagascar.

Madagascar is where a lot of cocoa and vanilla used in products around the world come from but also happens to be one of the worlds ten poorest countries.  Although they export some of the finest cocoa and vanilla in the world, they don't make the products in Madagascar.  What Madecasse has done is taken the natural resources in Madagascar and instead of exporting them around the world for people to make the product elsewhere, Madecasse is making the product in Madagascar and then shipping the product to the rest of the world.  The majority of the money made is in actually making the product and selling it to retailers.  Take an agriculturally based country and by using their resources to make the product at home, it would capture another 60% of the profits.  Thus, create jobs and provide more capital for areas in need such as education.  Brilliant. 

I was in Brooklyn today and walked into the Chocolate Room.   A wonderful chocolate store where you can buy chocolates, have a coffee and a piece of fantastic chocolate cake, or anything chocolate.  They had the chocolate bars from Maddecasse and their vanilla products too.  I bought a few items.  The chocolate bar is delicious.  Also, the woman in the store was so into the company.  She brought out a pamphlet and showed me how the product is giving back. 

The giving back thing is great but also that this company plans on growing and being profitable is even greater.  My frustration with the non-for-profit world is that there isn't a bottom line.  To be able to create a business model where the entrepreneurs are able to grow a company, put money in their own pocket and at the same time make an impact on a poor country by perhaps putting a certain % into education or to just create jobs and a new economy somewhere is a fantastic and intriguing business model. 

Brooklyn

At one point of our lives, we lived in Brooklyn Heights.  I used to take Jessica to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens on the weekend.  As close as Brooklyn is to Manhattan, it is a very different place.  Making my way around the Grand Army Plaza and then down the Eastern Parkway seeing the beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom was just beautiful. 

The Brooklyn Museum is one of those buildings that pack a wallop just standing in front of it.  The rooms are almost cavernous with tall ceilings.  I went out to see the Murakami exhibit.  Not your typical artist. 

There is a wide range of work shown from his early years to just recently.  Like companies are now doing everything cross platform, Murakami is a cross platform artist.  He has taken traditional Japanese painting and incorporated animation and comic books into the work.  I looked at his work and thought these characters could be on a cartoon show for Saturday morning or fantastic toys for kids or amazing wall paper for a kids play room or he must have done some serious drugs while creating some pieces of work. His art is perfect for commercial use.

He is a cross between Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Walt Disney.  My favorite was his latest works.  A few large scale canvases that had one large animated dark figure with a zen quote.  More reminiscent of the latest series of comic books that are not only dark but thought provoking and deeper than you realize at first glance.

Really glad I went.  Very 21st Century.

The Ten Year Nap

After reading the review of Meg Wolitzer's latest book, The Ten Year Nap, I was intrigued.  The book is about four women who live in Manhattan (one moves out) who have essentially taken a ten year nap to raise their children.  The ten year nap would be the ten years that they have all been out of the work world. 

It is well written.  Each character is developed by giving background info on their lives growing up and the households they lived in.  I assume so the reader can try to figure out why each is somehow lost by not working or why they are okay with it.  There are plenty of flaws and frustrations in the book but it is a book that could create interesting conversation among many women that I know today, young and old.  The conversation would start about the characters but would quickly move from the book to discuss where each of us are now and why or why not.

One character was a lawyer, one a brilliant mathematician, one who never finished her dissertation to become a professor and another an artist.  Each had children and sort of walked away from their professions.  After ten years, each character seems to still think of themselves as the working person they were or uncomfortable that they don't have a job or a role that defines them.   Although they each enjoy being there for the kids, they feel lost. They do like being stay at home mothers but at some level feel guilty for it.

I have some friends that made the choice to stay home and are thrilled with how that defines them.  Others who feel that they are lucky and glad to be home to raise their kids but long for something else.  I know of men who if they could would love to pack it in and stay at home as one of the characters father longed for in the book.

After ten years, some of the characters return to the work world.  Not all return to the work they did before.  I found that intriguing.  Many times when one steps back from the work world they are in, they realize they didn't really enjoy what they were doing.  Taking that break gives them an opportunity to rethink their desires of what might be a better way to fulfill their days.

My career has been all over the place.  As I see more and more young people go from career to career maybe I was before my time.  Yet as I look to the future when my kids all fly the coop, I am thinking about my life then.  My friend gave me some great advice.  She started to color code her calendar which allowed her to really see where she was spending her time.  I am going to go through that exercise as anal as it is.  It allowed her to make choices that she might not have made if it wasn't so clear cut where her time was being spent.

At times I am quite busy but others I am extremely bored.  Sometimes the boredom kills me and other times it is a gift because this is probably the first time in my life where I have the luxury of downtime.  If I am spending 50% of my time doing things that will only need 10% of my time in six years, I need to really start thinking about what that means.

The Ten Year Nap is not a great novel but the content creates thought certainly for a woman who has made a conscious decision to stay home and raise the kids while putting her career on hold.  Maybe a career was never something of interest, maybe the desire to get back into the camaraderie of business and the swing of things is always calling or the in between years gives you an opportunity to make changes if and when you reenter the working world.  If anything, the book has provided me an opportunity to give thought to the "ten year nap" and other people in similar situations who will and have made very different choices.   Balancing motherhood is never easy and Wolitzer gives the reader some interesting insight.