June 28, 2008

Byron Walden's NYT Saturday crossword reminded me of the best Onion Rolls ever. Ratner's on the Lower East Side, 138 Delancey Street. They are no longer available because Ratner's closed. I did a drive-by today. The old location is now a Sleepy's mattress store.

The puzzle also clues "not Kosher": TREF. The clue has been used six times before. Ratner's was strict Kosher. It was also a favorite of the gangster Meyer Lansky. I once ordered Bacon and Eggs and the waiter wanted to take away my basket of Onion Rolls.



Then , I remembered this book by Don Delillo. I have tried reading it about five times. I'll give it another go. Delillo also wrote Great Jones Street, which happens to be a small side street in NOHO.




Restaurant Week Summer 2008 is coming July 21 -25 and July 28 - August 1. A great tradition continues and a chance to have a three course lunch for $24.07.




Greenmarket Update:
I spoke with the staff at Sycamore Farms, Middletown. Corn should be there next weekend. Terhune Orchards advises that Peaches should also be available for the Fourth.

June 21, 2008

Summer Solstice was yesterday. Weekend adventures are:

Haven't been to the movies in ages.



Ok. Have to rate it as fourth best in the series. 1) Temple of Doom,
2) Raiders, 3) Crusade, 4) Crystal Skull.

Cate Blanchett is a hoot. But, for Faux Russian, I'll take Lotta Lenya any day of the week.



The companion piece to Alan Turing's Biography.

Father's Day June 15, 2008

One of my presents. It is smooooooooth ! Maybe I'll crack it open if the Yankees, Tiger and the Lakers win. Going to get some brews for the Yankee game.



Yankees way ahead of the Astros. Hope Chien-Ming Wang is OK. Note: he is out for an extended period.



The drink for Father's Day is Draught Leffe Brown via a Growler. The fact sheet states: Brewed according to the Leffe Abbey Fathers’ ancient recipe, Leffe Brown uses only the finest ingredients. The grains, hops and yeast that made up the ancient Leffe recipe are still the natural ingredients used today. Leffe Brown is 6.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV).

The Leffe is excellent. It will accompany a spicy refried Bean Burrito.




Half-way through the Biography of Alan Turing, famous for the "Turing Test." ENIAC developed by others but using Turing's insights, was used by two NYT Crosswords in 2008.

Greenmarket - June, 14, 2008

Sugar Snap Peas - A sure sign that Summer is coming. $6.00 a pound at all stalls.
A quick recipe:
1/4 pound sugar snap peas
1/4 cup of water
1 teaspoon butter
Zest from a lemon
Pepper

Wash the peas and snip off the stem ends.
Cook for 1 minute in microwave, stir , zap for one more minute.
Enjoy !




This guy has been at the Union Square market forever. Today , I enjoyed the funky new hat.




Because of construction, the place is crowded. Still great, but less room to move.

Big Apple BBQ Part two

Still had $48 on a fast-pass, so it was back to Madison Square Park.


Big Bob Gibson BBQ / Dinosaur BBQ

Brews today were Rogue Dead Guy Ale from Oregon and Abita Turbo Dog from Louisiana. The Dead Guy was like a Sam Adams but with more flavor. The Turbo Dog was rich and strong.


Big Ed chopping cracklings

Went back to Ed Mitchell's whole Hog and was greeted with "cracklings" - what a treat. Stopped in for the Crawfish/Okra Hush Puppies, and Big Bob Gibson Pulled Pork from Decatur, Alabama. Also tried Blue Smoke's Kansas City Ribs.


The Band playing was Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves. A Boston Group and they were smoking. Lots of channeling Otis Redding.

June 7, 2008

A trifecta of a day. BBQ, Beer and Hamlet.


Big Ed Mitchell and Hogs

Big Apple BBQ festival in the hot, hot sun. Thankfully, they had an expansive selection of micro-brews. Tröegs Rugged Trail Nut Brown was my pick for the day.

BBQ started with Big Ed Mitchell and his whole hog sandwich. Also, on the menu was 17th Street Bar and Grill Ribs from Las Vegas, Brisket and Sausage from The Salt Lick BBQ of Driftwood Texas and more ribs from New York‘s Rack and Soul. The Crawfish from Oxford Mississippi was sold out . It wasn’t too crowded because of the heat.



Shakespeare in Central Park. Hamlet played by Michael Stuhlbarg. A Bi-polar Hamlet with a lot of manic and not too much depression. Played with a lot of humor. Sort of like Robin Williams on prozac. The supporting cast is wonderful especially Jay O. Sanders as Ghost, Gravedigger, and Player King.

The Play within a play is done with puppets and it is quite good. Something happens that I’ve never seen in any other Hamlet. All in all a great evening.