Gotham Gal

stayinghomeandvacationing

I am basically letting my desk and email box just pile up for the next few days.  Fred and I have taken in three movies in two days, two delicious meals and one museum.  Today is another day.

We saw Hugo and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close on day one.  Hugo is amazing.  I read the book Extremely Loud and absolutely loved it.  They did a great job with the movie.  Both movies revolve around a key and hope for a message from each young boys lost parent although completely different films.  The young boys, Thomas Horn (ELIC) and Asa Butterfield (Hugo) were amazing.

We stopped into Gotham Bar and Grill for dinner and sat at the bar.  I love that the bartender has been there for fifteen years.  The decor could use a bit of a makeover but the food is always good.  I think of Gotham as one of those restaurants, like Union Square Cafe, that changed the way we eat food at restaurants.  The seafood salad is a classic and it is still piled high.

I also had the miso marinated cod which was delicious.  BTW, after all these years the restaurant was packed.

Day two began looking for a car.  We tried that on day one too with little success.  Day two was successful and by the time all our kids are driving we will need a serious parking lot.  After car shopping we had lunch at Via Quadronno.  I love this place for lunch.  Located on E 73rd between Madison and Fifth.  It is like going to Italy for a quick bite.  Always packed with locals.

We had made the "journey" uptown to see the Maurizio Cattelan exhibit.  A must.  The installation is brilliant and the Guggenheim was the perfect spot to show his work.  Amazing.

It was really nice out so we walked down to the Paris movie theater.  Have not been to the Paris in years but another classic institution on the UES.  We saw the Artist.  Very clever, another theme among the movies we have seen.  Washed up artist (Hugo and the Artist).  The entire movie is shot in black and white with no sound.  It is like watching an old film of the past.  Not so sure how much I loved it but certainly appreciated how clever it was. 

Last stop was Marea.  Yes, quite a journey being uptown and even eating up there too!  Marea is a gem.  Incredible customer service, beautiful decor, a feeling of elegance and everyone is dressed up.  We weren't but Marea is definitely a place to go and treat yourself. This is my second time back and certainly will not be my last. We began with a flight of crudo.

But the best thing, and the signature dish is the fusilli with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow.  It is insanely decadent and divine.  Still dreaming about this pasta this morning. We also split a whole branzino roasted in sea salt.  Perfect.  A worthy journey uptown.

Next couple days should we filled with more movies and an eventual clean up my desk before the new year begins. 

wrapping up some time in Utah

First of all after an epic year of snow last winter, this year is off to an absymal start...and there is not a lot of snow in the forecast.  So we are doing a snow dance up here.

The key to being up in the Canyons is cooking at home.  Bo ssam was a big hit one night.  Picture above. 

There are two places we ate at in the Canyons.  We had dinner one night at the Slopes which is located in the Waldorf Astoria.  Terrible.  One more dinner (in one of the shopping areas) was at Ghidottis.  Beyond bad. We also had dinner at the Farm.  I spoke to them 3 times.  Once to make the reservation, once to confirm and then another time when they called me to confirm again.  We got there and they had no record of our reservation.  10 people do not just show up for dinner.  They gave us free appetizers and truly tried to accomodate us.  Corn dog above filled with pulled pork.    

Small pastry pie filled with beef.  Unfortunately because of the laws here we could not all go eat in the bar which is what I would recommend to just order a few appetizers.  21 and older only.  After moving things around they finally seated us an hour later.  The food..not so good and insanely rich.  Alas.

Had lunch one day at Cafe Terigo.  Actually not bad.  Pizzas ( which came out later ), salads and sandwiches.  Our other lunch was at Highwest Distillery which was pretty good.  Our best lunch was at the bottom of the Tombstone Express where they do a great assortment of BBQ.  Another noteable is the Windy Ridge Bakery.  Amazing baked goods.  Get there early.  They also have savory salads and quiches. 

I know up in Deer Valley there are some good restaurants but honestly from where we are that could be a 40 minute drive which doesn't do it for us. It takes us just 15 minutes to get down to the main road. 

In conclusion, coming here will be relaxing, eating at home, lounging around after a day of skiing and perhaps if we are seriously motivated going down into town to pick up some chocolate covered gummy bears.  BTW, I knew all of that before we got there but I had to confirm what I already knew. 

Fave music of 2011

Compared to everyone else in my family, I am a total loser in terms of music.  They generally turn me on to what they are listening to.  Their brains are filled with singles and new artists.  The good news is that there is always amazing music being played in our house.  I pay attention but not like they do.  Maybe 2012?

Here is my fave music of 2011 in no particular order.  I have to say that the lists with singles make the most sense based on how we listen to music these days but I am still in complete album mode. 

Codes and Keys Death Cab for Cutie

The Head and the Heart

Beirut –The Rip Tide

Iron and Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean

Bon Iver - Perth

Cults

Smith Westerns - Weekend

Alexander

J. Mascis, Several Shades of Why

Dale Earnhardt Jr. It’s a Corporate World

Watch the Throne Jay Z and Kanye West

Wiz Khalifa – Rolling Papers (this year or last?)

Antlers Burst Apart

Pepper Rabbit

Destroyers

Generationalists

Florence and the Machine, Ceremonials

I also listened to a bunch of rap thanks to Josh.  Mac Miller, Blue Side Park, Peanut Butter and Swelly, Chitty Bang and Drake, Take Care. 

 

 

 

 

 

Highwest Distillery, Park City, Utah

Living in NYC you become incredibly spoiled when it comes to food.  There are few places in the world where you can pretty much be guaranteed a good meal at every turn and it doesn't take a lot of effort.  So when we find outselves in ski towns, we consistently find that the food is mediocre at best.  Even the finer restaurants are disappointing.  As Josh said, why don't you just cook at home every night where we know we will get a good meal. Good question but we are on vacation.

One day this week I spent the day with a few of us running errands and such.  We ventured into the Highwest Distillery for lunch as my niece was hankering for a french onion soup.  Did some quick research on my phone and the Highwest Distillery was the place to go. 

Loved how they put the place together.  Old and new.  This entire wall is devoted to Kerr bottles.  Underneath they have lit up the bottles filled with water for glow.

The beams of the ceiling has the warmth of the barn and the round ceiling lamps give you the feeling of new.

Three of us had the french onion soup which was super rich and not sure why they felt the need to put pieces of garlic in it.  Luckily I found them before consuming them. 

A sour dough pretzel to split.

Salty fries for the table.

Shisito peppers, two ways.  Nicely done.

One of us had the grilled Caesar salad with salmon on the side. 

The food was fine and the burgers that were coming out of the kitchen looked good.  Definitely a place to return.  What was amazing is that they are a distillery too. In Utah, that is shocking.  All the liquor is state controlled.  They use the spirits in basically every dish they make which is a nice touch. 

Here are the spirits we purchased.  One of them is what whiskey looks like before it is barreled and it almost tastes like a tequilla, the silver one.  There is a vodka, an aged whiskey and a barreled Manhattan which I need to bring back to a bartender to make something really good with this.

I love how more and more people are getting into the artisinal brewing business.  As people return to their roots particularly in the food business from ketchup to jellies to pickles, there are people all over the country getting licenses to distill liquor.  I know because I am an investor in one of those businesses located in Red Hook, Brooklyn called Cacao Prietro.  We are only selling our chocolates now. Still waiting for the approval of our label and recipe but looking forward to watch that business grow.  Truly one of the most amazing rums ever and I am not a rum drinker. 

 

Women Entrepreneurs

Up to this point I have written about 55 women entrepreneurs.  It has truly been an honor to meet so many women who are marking their own territory. Each of their individual stories is inspiring.  This week I decided not to write about a specific woman entrepreneur but about women entrepreneurs in general.

From my birds eye view, this has been a year of change for women.  When Nancy Hechinger and I put on the Womens Entrepreneur Festival a year ago we did so because we wanted to celebrate women.  Celebrating how many women are starting their own companies, making a difference in the world and are influencing the way we live our lives is much more empowering than conversations around topics such as there aren't enough women in a particular field or enough women sitting on public trading boards or enough women running companies.  All of that might be true but if one hundred women start a business next week that thrives then there are more women CEO's and more women running companies.  The game can be changed. We need to support those women.  I am seeing that game change every week.   

Positive change is taking place as women are champions and mentors of each other.  I see more women creating businesses that give them the independence that they are looking for.  Through networking, connections and sheer intelligence they are succeeding in a very different way than they were twenty years ago.  We are collaborating with our peers and that is not something we did so easily in the past.  We are looking to make changes from outside not from within and that is the only way change will take place.  

Women listen, analyze, communicate and perceive things contrary to their male counterparts.  The women that are succeeding at being entrepreneurs are focused on success and that success means a lot of different things.  Success in their own personal lives as well as their careers, success in being independent and being able to get it all done and particularly success in a work environment that works for them. 

2012 is going to be a big year for women.  There are a few things that I'd personally like to see happen.  I'd like women to stop apologizing and to never utter the word I am sorry for the decisions that they have made in their careers.  I'd like women to stop starting their sentences with I think.  Just get in there and speak your mind.  Truth is women have the ability to do it all.  We can decide to go to work, we can decide to stay home, we can decide to work part-time, we can decide to start our own companies, we have so many choices.  We need to stop judging each other for the choices each of us have made and instead start applauding each other for who we are.  We are all individuals with different sensibilities when it comes to our own priorities, our own sense of style and our own ways of living our individual lives.  We are all unique women who bring a tremendous amount to the table.

I am looking forward to the next year as I get the opportunity to talk to more women entrepreneurs who are creating companies, communities and their own identities as role models for every woman regardless of age.  All 55 of the women I spoke to this past year ( or so ) have shown all of us that being an entrepreneur is certainly hard work but the upside of owning who you are is empowering on so many levels that we should all think about no matter what career you have chosen, be it an entrepreneur or not, how do you make your career your own.  That kind of thinking is the key for more women to have ownership of the career paths that they take.  

As Rosie the Riveter, a symbol of womens economic power, said, "We can do it."

 

have yourself a merry little christmas

There is something about being Jewish and watching the entire world unfold into a Christmas wonderland during the month of December.  I always wanted a tree.  To me, it has absolutely nothing to do with religion but more of a celebration of the season. Then I married Fred who grew up in a home where Christmas was a big deal.  In our first apartment we had a tree and went ornament shopping.  The next year we threw an ornament party.  We still have those ornaments today.  Here is our tree this year. 

The last decade we have spent traveling during the Christmas season.  This year we took a break from that.  We recently bought a ski house in Utah and decided to spend the holidays at the house with family. 


We each picked a name at Thanksgiving so we each only had one person to get a gift for.  Just a ritual.  It was nice.  I got these three coffees from mine, aka Josh.

I made a traditional Christmas dinner, aka standing rib roast.

and popovers...and they rose!

I miss the big trip but there is always next year.  Sometimes a little change of pace is nice way to celebrate the season. 

To all of you out there...hope you enjoy the end of the year wrap up....how ever you choose to celebrate the season. 

Paprika Chicken (recipe from Tereza Nemessanyi)

I got this recipe from Tereza Nemessanyi.  Must give credit where credit is due.  A great dish for a cold winter night! For a big crew it is easy. 

Terezas rule of thumb is one onion = one pound of chicken = 1 tbsp. Hungarian paprika (sweet or hot or a combo)

Here was my interpretation:

2 split chicken breasts

6 legs and 6 thighs (separated)

8 wings

4 large Spanish onions - thinly sliced

Olive Oil

2 tbsp. white sugar

1/2 cup chicken broth

Salt

4 Tbsp. Hungarian Sweet Paprika

8 ounces Greek yogurt ( or heavy cream or sour cream - I used the greek yogurt )

In a really deep large frying pan cover the bottom with olive oil.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  I browned all of the chicken and set it aside. Once all the chicken is browned, add all the onions back into the pot.  Crank up the heat. 

Saute until the onions are really soft and translucent.  Then take 2 tbsp. of sugar and sprinkle over the top.  Now continue to saute until the onions just get a little more caramelized.  Once that is done, take the pot off the heat.  It is important for the next step not to have the heat on.

Add in the paprika and stir thoroughly.  The onions will be red and gooey.  Add in the chicken and toss.  Cover and turn the heat to medium low.  I was a little worried since there was no liquid in there that would be a problem so I put in about 1/2 cup chicken broth before closing the pot but I think it would be fine with out it. 

About 45 minutes or so the chicken will be done.  I took off the top and then boiled the liquid down a little and actually using a big spoon took lots of liquid out so it wasn't so watery.  Then I added in the yogurt for a little thickness and taste. 

Served this over some spaetzle or thin egg noodles.  Delicious. 

 

How often and when should we pivot?

Women 2.0 has been compiling questions for a book project called 101 Questions About Launching  Your Company.  Of course all the answers are by female investors, founders and CEOs.  Love that!

Here is the question that I chose to answer:  How often and when should we pivot? 

One of the definitions of pivot is; A person or thing on which something depends or turns; the central or crucial factor. 

Pivot is a word frequently used in the start-up world.  Companies pivot but another word to use here is evolve.  One of the definition of evolve is; to develop or achieve gradually. 

Let's say an entrepreneur raises money around an idea.  The idea forms, the company is built and all of a sudden there is a realization that the concept is not getting any traction, that revenue is impossible to capture, the company is just not cutting it and the runway of cash is getting shorter by the day.  After much conversation between the company and the investors there is a realization that if they pivot, in essence change the entire direction of the company, that there is a better outcome for success.  That is a pivot.  The original idea is no longer there but perhaps parts of it still are or perhaps none of it is. 

Most companies evolve.  Success does not happen over night.  It takes years and keep that in mind.  The few companies that just hit the high notes out of the box are few and far between.  As products start to get traction and the business becomes real as companies start to understand where their focus needs to be.  How the business needs to evolve in order to succeed.  Maybe a new product is part of the evolution of the business or a new direction to capture customers and eyeballs. 

Sometimes companies never need to pivot.  You would hope that they don't need to pivot but as an investor you invest in the entrepreneur first.  A good entrepreneur will know if something isn't working and will not stop at anything that is less than success.  They will know that the original plan must change.

What you really hope for is a solid evolution of the business.  So the answer is, you hope you have never to pivot but if you do, pivot quickly and make sure you are pivoting in the right direction because you don't get alot of chances to pivot your business model.  It costs money to pivot your business.  If you have a solid business, you get plenty of time to evolve.

 

 

chocolate chips cookies at 9000 feet

This is my first attempt at making chocolate chip cookies at 9000 feet.  I did futz with my usual recipe but the cookies still came out seriously flat.  They were super butttery too.  I think they look like chocolate chip latkes. 

Here is what I did.  Anyone have any suggestions for next time around?  Thinking less butter and more baking soda? 

2 sticks unsalted butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 ½ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp. vanilla

 

Alcohol, Marijuana and other drugs....

There was an article in the NYTimes recently that teenagers are smoking more pot than drinking alcohol.  Why should that come as such a surprise?  The simplicity of supply/demand economics always work. 

Alcohol is illegal until you are 21 in the USA.  For whatever reason our culture is not embracing of a glass of wine with dinner as they are in other countries.  Keep in mind that one of the reasons that one that prohibition came about in this country is because of alcohol abuse.  Certainly there are plenty of people who have a history of abuse in their family and that should be discussed early on but educating kids at a young age to enjoy alcohol is a completely different thing.  They see their parents enjoying alcohol and that is ok. Getting wasted beyond control is not. 

Scientifically marijuana in terms of a dangerous overdose is siginificantly safer than any other drug or alcohol.  Teens are stressed.  Turning to pills and alcohol to unwind is a lot worse than turning to weed.  Like anything, moderation is key.  Getting stoned every day as a teenager is not going to be a good thing for getting school work done but kicking back on the weekends with friends is going to happen so why not educate kids about it.  We are better off embracing the reality than turning a blind eye and just saying no. Doesn't mean you shouldn't still worry because every parent will but being honest about what your kids are doing I believe is key because then you can communicate openly about use.  

Our schools have sex education, as they should, but the ridiculous thread of adults writing about how kids should not smoke, drink or have sex is so utterly ridiculous because they are going to do it all.  I'd rather see a spike in marijuana use among teens than any other drug available....in reality it is the safest.  The key is teaching your kids to be safe and smart about all the decisions they make when it comes to any mind altering substances. 

If you are so inclined to read the debates over this on the NYTimes...click here.