Gotham Gal

Jeff Matthews posted this...

Jeff Matthews posted this.  You just can't make this stuff up.

Nothing to Fear but Irresponsible Words

This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

—FDR Inaugural Address

We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…

—Winston Churchill

This sucker could go down.

—George Bush


It is widely reported that in the search for somebody to blame for the subprime crisis, some of the same Wall Street firms that foisted the subprime bubble on a willing world have pointed their fingers at rumors and the people who might spread them.

We do not argue one bit that the deliberate spreading of false rumors is potentially dangerous to real companies in a tight credit environment.

It most certainly is.

Yet we wonder how any spoken words could possibly have been more dangerous to the financial system than our own president’s comments to members of Congress, as reported in the weekend Wall Street Journal’s excellent inside view of the White House bailout negotiations:

Mr. Bush allowed everyone to vent their frustrations. Finally, he pointed out that both sides still agreed on the need to get the bill done. He added that "if we don't loosen up some money into the system, this sucker could go down," a repeat of the warning in his prime-time speech on Wednesday night that a financial panic is a real risk.

The President’s unfortunate choice of words—"this sucker could go down"—carry the same deer-in-headlights quality as his televised speech to the American people last week, in which he used the word “panic,” as we recall. At a minimum, it makes you nervous; at a maximum, it makes you want to throw up first and sell everything second.

What happened to the heroic, forward-looking rhetoric great leaders are supposed to provide in times of crisis?

FDR gave us “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Churchill gave us “We shall fight on the beaches.”

George Bush cruises in with “This sucker could go down.”

We wonder: has a more irresponsible sentence been uttered, by anyone, during this entire crisis?

Cider Carmelized Apple Pound Cake

 Many steps but worth it.  Perfect fall treat.

2 cups apple cider
3 cups sugar
3 sticks butter unsalted (plus 2 tbsp)
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream

Glaze

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a saucepan, boil down the apple cider until about 1/2 cup is left.  Takes about 15 minutes.  Setting a timer is a good option.  Add 1 cup of sugar, let cook over moderately high heat or until it becomes a dark caramel color.  This takes about 5 or so minutes.  Turn off the heat, put in 2 tbsp. butter until melted.  Add the apples and cook over moderate high heat until the apples have softened and absorbed the syrup. It might not absorb all the liquid but that is ok.  Pour the apple mixture into a bowl.

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a 12 cup bundt cake pan.  Sift the cake flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda together.  In an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy.  Add the 2 cups remaining sugar and vanilla, beat again until really fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Just let it go.  Add the eggs, one at a time while keeping the speed on medium. 

Add in the flour mixture and sour cream alternating between the both of them.  Take 1/2 cup of the mixture and add to the apple mixture.  I used a slotted spoon and put the apples into the rest of the cake mixture.  That way if you have too much liquid left, the batter won't get runny.

Pour into bundt pan.  Bake for about an hour and 10 minutes or until done.  After, let cool for about 20 minutes before taking out.  I got a little carried away and took it out a bit early but no harm done, luckily.

Glaze:

In a saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the brown sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring until smooth.  Gradually pour in the heavy cream and bring to a boil.  Let it get thick and bubble for about 3 minutes.  Let really cool and then mix in the confectioners sugar and vanilla.  I used a whisk to get the lumps out.

After the cake is out and on a platter, our the glaze into something that can pour and pour over the cake.  Few tricks that I should have done but didn't.  When the cake is cooled and you take it out.  Even off the top of the cake so it sits perfectly on the tray.  Mine is a bit higher on side than the other. 

Voila. 

L'Shana Tova

L'Shana Tova means for a good year.  Last night we went to Rosh Hashanah services and it couldn't have been more appropriate to wish everyone l'shana tova after yesterdays debacle in the markets and the lack of leadership our country is displaying right now.  Sort of defines the "me" generation at its best.  That would be regarding the majority of people in the house that could not put aside their staunch stick with the program politics and not be willing to concede one iota that this particular bill is not perfect but at least something.  Shame on them.  Shame on Bush for creating such smoke and mirrors and lies over the past 7 years that nobody believes him anymore.  I certainly don't believe him as he looks like a deer in the head lights right now.  Probably counting down his days with relief. 

Our synagogue, The New Shul, celebrated their 10th anniversary last night.  Our rabbi didn't speak to us of the many topics he could have chosen from such as economic woes, war, environment, gas dependency, etc.  Instead, he took the opportunity to talk about the sabbath.  How perhaps the majority of us sitting in his congregation are members of the tribe that only come out twice a year, we should think about taking one day, one night, the sabbath, to be a Jew.  I might have wished to hear a little more about the history of Jews and how through many ups and downs we have still been able to come to the place where we worship today regardless of the chaos in the world right now and generations before but that isn't what we heard.  So, I think about this today.

I spoke with Jessica about the rabbis speech this morning.  There is something about community that is comforting.  We see many new friends and old friends and daily friends come together for the holidays.  It is nice for us and it is nice for the kids.  We come together in times of happiness and in times of sadness.  Celebrating a bar or bat mitzvah to losing a loved one.  Although we are certainly a very reform family, I do feel committed and connected to seeing our synagogue grow and remain a place that represents the Jews of downtown Manhattan. 

As we are hoping to grow our membership, one of the original members got up and did a hilarious piece on why you wanted to join the New Shul.  There were 10 reasons but my favorite was number 7.  Reason is "I hate organized religion", Answer  "we are not that organized".  It got a good chuckle out of the audience and it was the perfect way to describe our Shul.  Liberal, not sure they believe in God but want to be Jews, believes in tradition but want to do it in their own way, wants to raise their kids Jews but in a different way than their parents did, wants a connection to the synagogue but not the main thing in their life.

I could go on and on but as I think about what the rabbi said, in essence, he was talking about the world at large.  He asked us to bring some type of constant into our lives vs the insanity that is going on around us.  To challenge yourself in these hard times to find a connection with who you are. 

The services ended and everyone kissed and hugged wishing everyone a good year.  I said to Fred, as I do every year but in some ways it was more relevant this year, l'shana tova.

I Sodi

Two groups of friends had been to I Sodi in the past few weeks and loved it.  As I am always looking for another good restaurant in the neighborhood, we went last night.  A total winner.

I Sodi is located on Christopher between Bleeker and Hudson.  This particular stretch of Christopher is undergoing change.  Rag and Bone, Lord Willy's, McNulty's Tea and Coffee Company (which has been there forever) and now I Soldi is a change from the racier shops on the street.  The diversity on the block is what I love about the village.

Walking into I Sodi made me feel as if I was entering a local restaurant somewhere in Rome.  A long wooden bar, banquettes of tables on the other side, wood beams, simple architecture with a feeling of old world.  Behind the bar are simple marble shelves chocked with any alcohol you can think of.  The menu changes every Monday so seasonal is the theme.  I like that. 

The portion was perfect.  Not too small and not too big.  Lots of different wines to choose from too.  I started with an artichoke Parmesan salad.  Classic Italian.  Thinly sliced artichokes served on a small round plate with a few shavings of cheese over the top dressed with a very light olive oil.  Just as Italian food is meant to be.  Simply bringing out the taste of the each individual ingredient and pairing tastes that are meant to highlight the senses.  Josh had a side dish to start of fried artichokes.  Tiny artichokes cut up and deep fried that melted in your mouth.  Crispy, browned and not greasy.  Delicious.

Main courses.  Fred went with the Branzino which they told us would take 25 minutes.  At one point, our waiter said it would be another 8 minutes.  Loved that.  Not 6 minutes, not 7 minutes but 8 minutes.  A large filleted piece of Branzino topped with tiny roasted tomatoes and potatoes on the side.  Flavorful, juicy and perfectly cooked.   Josh had the spaghetti with a meat sauce.  Rich, tasty and just good.  I had the lamb chops.  5 rib lamb chops that were not that thick and fanned over the plate.  Full of taste over a small portion of sauteed spinach.  The portion was perfect.  If I really wanted to have a heyday, we could have each had an appetizer, half a portion of pasta and then a main but not necessary.  Although going back with a group and trying more of the sides and splitting a few pastas could be worth feeling full.

I walked out perfectly content.  We just added I Sodi to our neighborhood restaurants.  I can truly hardly wait to go back. 

Paul Newman

My sister wrote a post on the passing of Paul Newman.  Definitely worth reading particularly the picture she put up....classic stuff.   I pulled the picture.  She is wearing her Paul Newman shirt while she is attempting to fix my hair. 

Art from India

We have been collecting emerging art for years.  We not only enjoy the arts but am intrigued with the whole business of it.  Our friend, who grew up in Southern India is a collector of emerging Indian art as was her parents.  We spent Saturday going to 3 different galleries, meeting the owners, and hearing about the art world from India.  Very informative and interesting. 

First of all, Europeans have jumped on the Indian art band before anyone has really caught on in the US.  The art market in India has soared in prices over the past 10 years.  For instance, pieces that cost $60K ten years ago could now be selling for over a million dollars.  There are investment groups with capital speculating on art with hopes to turn around and sell the pieces a year later with profits generally around 20%.  In essence, the India art world has gone wild.  As always, there are some artists that have been pushed to prices that push them at a very young age into a market that is really high, then the gallery decides not to help nurture the artist and the price goes plummeting.  That is the bad news.  The good news is the galleries we saw were nurturing the artists a long the way and generally had galleries not only in NYC but also in India.  We are going to India at Xmas and thought we should educate ourselves before we went.

 We began at Bodhi Art.  Keep in mind that I forgot my camera and all these pictures are from my blackberry.  Alas.  The artist featured was N.S. Harsha.  On the floor was an installation which represented the meals served at the 3 day weddings that take place in India.  Each place setting had a banana leaf with food on it (plastic of course) with a piece of paper with the markings of a pair of feet.  Very clever.  The other piece which I have shown was a huge painting of people sitting in chairs from super hero characters to pregnant women to people doing yoga to people shoving each other and so forth.  The piece was called "come give us a speech".  In essence, all of these people were just waiting for the speech to begin.  The work was beautiful.  Waiting for a museum to buy this.  I can see why.  We had the opportunity to talk with the owner and see other artists in the back room. 

Next stop was the Talwar Gallery.  I was particularly impressed with the owner.  He really is involved with each of the artists that he carries.  Also, if you buy something from him, you sign a contract that if you resell the piece in 5 years, that you give him first right of refusal.  He is truly making sure the art he involved with  is priced in the market where it should be. I like that.  Up now is a set of drawing from the 1970's from the estate of Nasreen Mohamedi.  But it is what was in the back that I really enjoyed.  Allan deSouza who has captured photographs being on a plane from the run way to take off to flying over the area between LA and SF.  When he was sitting on a plane taking pictures, the passenger next to him got quite angry and said "as an American, I think you should stop taking these pictures".  Meanwhile, deSouza might be of Indian descent but he is an American.  Then the guy said to him "I don't care what you say, those are not tourist pictures".  Hence, that was what the exhibit was called.  He also took old family photos and blew them up and let them hang around in his house for an extended period of time while they collected dust, hair, dirt etc.  Very interesting conceptual work.  The last artist was A. Balasubramaniam who goes by Bala.  All sculptures that literally appear to be coming out of the wall.  Thought provoking.  From a hand pulling away the wall to hands holding up the corners to a face in the wall.  Loved it. 

Last stop was Aicon Gallery who is in the midst of moving down to Great Jones Street.  2 exhibits were up.  One from a Pakistani artist, Amjad ali talpur, that were all 3 dimensional.  Very whimsical and I thought over-priced, for what its worth.  What was really interesting is that they are having an opening of Sakti Burman in January.  He is a well known Indian artist, one of the original modern painters.  His work is colorful with obvious inspirations from Chagal.  Lots of religious references.  We basically got to see the majority of the show.  Oil and water colors.  It will definitely be a show worth seeing. 

All and all a really wonderful afternoon.  New, different, intriguing and interesting.  Looking forward to checking out more of the art scene in India and perhaps picking up a fantastic piece during our travels.

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Getting out of town..

I spent Thursday and Friday driving around with Jessica looking at colleges.  Always fun to hang out with her one on one and certainly interesting seeing all the colleges/universities.  A first time to many of them for me too. 

Both of us have been in sync with our thoughts and comfort level at each place.  Bottom line is you want to see other kids around that from afar look like you can connect with them.  Each school will provide a good and broad education but it is more about how you will fit into the place.  For instance, we were at one place where a very hipster guy was walking across the lawn.  He had on straight jeans, a frumpy sport coat, longish hair and a cool hat with a guitar in hand.  Jessica turned to me and said, you don't see guys like that at a different place she decided wasn't for her.  I got it immediately. 

The other thing that is interesting is just getting out of town.  As the elections become the background noise daily, getting out of our own private Idaho (NYC) is just eye opening.  Not that we drove that far but the island of Manhattan might be my reality but it isn't the majority of this countries reality.

Between the hotels, the breakfast places and walking through Shoprite for something to eat before getting back on the road, all I could think of was "who are these people going to vote for".  How is the melt down of our country affecting these people.  What are they looking for in leadership in the candidates of choice.  Are they voting on one issue or a broader picture?  Are they conservative or liberal?  I could go on and on.

I guess I could think the same thoughts walking through the streets of Manhattan but the vibe, the look the whole picture is very different.  As I have had the opportunity years ago to spend time in every state in this country, except Alaska, each state takes on a completely different tone.  It is great that each candidate has spent time everywhere.  It has got to be eye opening. 

Glad we went, glad we saw.  It's good to get out of town once in awhile. 

Hundred Acres

On the corner of MacDougal and Prince lived the restaurant Provence for many years.  The place was looking tired and change was bound to happen.   The owners from Five Points and Cookshop took over the lease and the space.  The space has good flow.  They made a few changes and reopened quickly under a different name.  It was open for such a brief time that I can't even remember the name.  But, I do remember that the food was bad and it wasn't worth returning too.  The owners realized their mistake and quickly got involved, rolled up their sleeves, closed the place down and reopened with a new name and a new look.  It is now called Hundred Acres.

They changed the decor, the door you walk in, the menu and the furniture.  All good changes.  I particularly like how the door is on the left and not the right.  Instead of walking smack into the bar, you walk in and get to visually see the room and the bar.  Much better.  The new decor is minimalist.  Sleek dark brown bar and brown tables with simple leather and silver based chairs.  Everything is angular.  The back yard doesn't really work with the rest of the restaurant.  The chairs are incredibly uncomfortable and the tables are a bit old and backyard like.  That could easily be remedied as it is also very loud back there too.

The menu is simple and based on the looks of it, it will probably be changing seasonally or more often.  I began with the sliced heirloom tomatoes.  Simply cut into chunks with shaved fennel and a light dash of olive oil.  3 of us had the tomatoes.  One person had the roasted cut beets, cabbage and something else.  Very tasty and different. 

For a main course, I went with the cobi fish.  It is like a swordfish.  Never heard of it before.  Served alongside a delicious succotash of corn, lima beans and shallots.  Very creamy and tasty.  The fish was not that well cooked and very salty.  I finished the succotash and left the fish.  2 other people had the bass which was pan-fried and served over a wilted cabbage.  Interesting, simple and well done.  One of us had the special of dark meat fried chicken, corn bread and cole slaw.  The chicken looked delicious.  I tasted the slaw - very vinegary and the corn bread was dry and not that interesting.  This was all served with a very thin honey that was incredibly sweet.

We did go for the desserts.  A apple tartin with a good crust and lots of tasty apples that been caramelized, and 2 others that as I am writing I can't recall.  Hmmm. 

All and all my take away is this.  The food was a tad uneven and nothing omg, they should redo the back room after having done a nice job redoing the restaurant.  I will go again and see if they get better as things become more seamless.  My guess is like Cookshop and Five Points (although not 2 of my favorite spots) the restaurants are well done and have a loyal following and the food is not great but solid.  You really can't go wrong with that.  There is a place for restaurants like Hundred Acres in any neighborhood in the city.  I am not sure I see people flocking from areas outside the local neighborhood.

Lure

Lure opened in Soho in the fall of 1999.  We were living at the Mercer Hotel for six weeks when we returned to the city with 3 kids in tow.  Let's say it was probably one of the more stressful yet exhilarating times of our life.  We ate out nightly except on the weekend when we would return to our house in the suburbs where we had spent the last 5 years of our life.  It was a strange time.

We watched the doors open at Lure Fishbar.  We were thrilled.  Another place to have dinner and Lure was located across the street from the Mercer.  Perfect.  At this point, Lure had a bit of a different menu.  It might not have been called Lure now that I recall.  Ha.  But, I do remember the sushi and the fish and for some reason a side order of macaroni and cheese that Josh was loving.  The place just opened and there are always the kinks.  Fred and I returned a few times for something to eat at the bar but were never blown away.

Then came the fire.  The restaurant closed down after a fire.  I had not return until some friends raved about the restaurant.  Last night, we went back.  They were right. 

Generally after we go to an event at the High School such as last night's curriculum evening, we generally attempt to get a seat at Aquagrill.  I might have to walk just a tad farther over to Lure going forward.

It was late so we didn't eat a lot but what we did have was tasty.  First off, I began with a martini.  Perfect glasses.  They almost turn in at the top which makes it nice for no spilling.  For the food, I began with the grilled octopus salad.  Small pieces of large octopus mixed with some arugula, roasted cherry tomatoes and a simple vinaigrette.  Really nice.  I also had the yellow tail carpaccio.  Delicious fresh pieces of yellow sliced and layered over each other with a sauce.  Could have done with out the sauce but the pieces of yellow tail were perfect.   Had a piece of uni, my dessert. Yum. My friend went with the whole cooked branzino which was served already boned yet appeared not to be which is a nice way to serve it.  A whole fish with no bones.  What a concept.  Very tasty.  Fred loved the oysters and his sushi.  There was also a tempura shrimp with a spicy sauce that I had a taste of.  Everything was good and looking around at the other diners, their plates looked beautiful too.  I liked the menu mixed in with the option of just sushi if you want.

Although Lure has been around for many years and through a transition or two, I feel like I found a new spot.

Bday gift?

A good gift is hard to find.  What do you get someone when you aren't sure what to get them and they appear to be able to get what they want.  There are the wine lovers, the beer lovers, the chefs, the cigar smokers, etc. 

Always nice to bring a bottle of wine to a party, not nice to bring store bought dessert when the person cooks.  But, how about a birthday party?

My latest find of the moment is Gourmet Chocolate of the Month.  This particular site also links to their other sites such as Beer, Wine, Cigars, Cheese and Flowers of the month.  So you can pick a different option depending on the person.  I like the chocolate.  Everyone loves chocolate....well at least I think everyone loves chocolate.  This particular gift can be given in different ways.  One month, 3 months, 6 months, one year, etc.  Also, the chocolate comes from renown boutique chocolatiers from all over the world. 

I go in stages.  Right now, I'm into the chocolate.  Hey, next year, I might be sending something completely different.  But I'm digging the chocolate.