Saturday, July 30, 2011

July 30. 2011



Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival at World Financial Center Plaza (sponsored by WFUV.)
Saturday, July 30, 1-5pm: Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra, Hazmat Modine, Danny Kalb, Ryan Shaw, Citigrass. Taj Mahal played Thursday night but I couldn't make it.



Danny Kalb of the Blues project was the best of the sets.



The NYT Book Review is always interesting. The review of A BILLION WICKED THOUGHTS What the World’s Largest Experiment Reveals About Human Desire, By Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam included the word Farrago ("But there is no sense in scrutinizing for consistency a farrago like this book.") and a reference to the Web Site PornHub.



Corona was on sale again and I wanted to try the below trick.



Put inside a freezer for three hours, then tap on counter. Results later.



Black-eyed Susans at Hudson River Park.



First White corn of the season at Sycamore Farms. Fantastic !

Saturday, July 23, 2011

July 23, 2011



Greenmarket crowded at 8:45, everyone early to beat the heat. Fish, Corn , Peaches, Tomatoes and Blueberries were purchased. Bluefish and Weakfish will be cooked early.



Guy was playing a mean Bach.



Golf trip. Over 100° on the course. Thank God for a pool to jump in after the round. Only played 10 the next day.



Don't you just love covered bridges ?



New gadget on the carts gave you GPS yardage to the hole. Terrific add-on.



Beers for the hot weekend are Brooklyn Brown and Brooklyn Summer Ale.

Monday, July 18, 2011

July 18, 2011



Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

July 17, 2011



USA, USA, USA !
Yikes ! Lost in a shoot-out, in a game dominated by USA. Too many missed opportunities.



Great interview of Phil Jackson on Bill Simmons' website.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

July 16, 2011



Brunch at City Crab.



Post-Brunch drinks at Bierhaus , a new Indoor Beer Garden, on Third Avenue between 44th and 45th Streets.



Nice spacious place.



Only Hofbräu Beer on tap, had the Dunkel.



This time I will finish it.

Friday, July 15, 2011

July 15, 2011



A new Baboon Study on Stress. Of course, Robert Sapolsky is quoted.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

July 12, 2011



Time for the best of Restaurant Week:
RW Summer 2011 Smith & Wollensky - $24.07
LUNCH
Appetizers
Mixed Green Salad
Caesar Salad
Soup du Jour
Split Pea Soup
Fried Calamari
Entrees
Filet Mignon (10 oz.)
Surf ‘n Turf – Filet Mignon w/5oz. Lobster Tail – ($10 supplement)
Roast Beef Hash
Chicken Cobb Salad
Grilled Salmon
Colossal Lump Crab Cakes
14 oz. Dry-Aged Sirloin ($10 supplement)
Dessert
Cheesecake
Bourbon Pecan Pie
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Coconut Layer Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream



As always, a wonderful time. The $40 wine list included Roaring Meg Pinot Noir , a terrific New Zealand Wine from the Mt. Difficulty Winery.



Quick trip to the Greenmarket for Peaches and Corn. Above "White Lady" or "Lady in White" brought back childhood Ghost stories.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

July 10, 2011



Yes, We Want Beer !



Local deli, a half block away, finally received their Beer license. My first purchase: Rebel ,a Czech Beer.



Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm starts tonight, the best thing on TV this Summer.



Big Brother 13 is a guilty pleasure. I equate it to watching Lab Rats.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

July 9, 2011



Greenmarket was active and crowded.



Peaches have arrived at Terhune Orchards.



Sycamore Farms has corn, a little small, 5 for $3 but the price will go down and they will get bigger.



Because of a family medical issue, I think whatever trips are taken this year will be short ones. Staycation !



My local store now has a new item: The Bialy-Bagel. Not bad, I still prefer the regular Bialy but this is an interesting combo.



A little extra money became available, time to go out! It's a chain but a good one. Also, walking distance from my house so I can have a few drinks. Next week starts NYC Restaurant Week.



I guess I will be visiting most of the Beer Gardens this Summer. Today, was BeerParc on Sixth Avenue and 29th Street.



Nice pleasant setting.



Good beer selection. Magic Hat #9 on tap was quite tasty.



Food was good. $3 Shrimp Cocktail hit the spot.



Big Screen TV to watch Derek Jeter get his 2,999th hit. He later homered for 3,000. For the day he was 5 for 5 , including the game-winning RBI single in the eighth inning, as the Yankees beat the Rays 5-4.



Quiet and shady.



The Queens Library had the book. Amazon and Barnes and Noble Web Sites were selling it for over $100. Amazing.



While looking for the above book, I came across this one.



Heard about this one a while ago and came across it in the Library.

Friday, July 8, 2011

July 8, 2011



Dori, Nori and Ori from “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

July 7, 2011


Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

The Twitter Zone by Maureen Dowd the other day was a great read. All about Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone.



Mentioned in the article: I will pick this book up from the library.

Monday, July 4, 2011

July 4, 2011



Happy July 4th !



The Lot, a new Food Truck Beer Garden under The Highline.



Nice outdoors setting at 10th Avenue and 30th Street.



Brooklyn Brewery is featured. They made a beer just for The Lot:Brooklyn High Line Elevated Wheat. It was decent but the Pennant Ale on tap was much better.



Today they only had Three Trucks. I was looking forward to getting dumplings and they were not there. I then went to 14th Street and Vanessa's was closed.



No problem, in Elmhurst Lao Kuo Wei has the world's best dumplings. $7 for twenty.



Summer Streets takes place on consecutive Saturdays in the summer on August 6th, 13th and 20th, 2011 from 7am – 1pm.



Mr. Mojo Risin died forty years ago on July 2, 1971. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger recently lit candles at his grave. Drummer John Densmore prefers to be the Keeper of the Flame.



Donald Pleasence in The Twilight Zone's The Changing of the Guard .

A. E. Housman (1859–1936). A Shropshire Lad. 1896

“When I was one-and-twenty”
I heard a wise man say,
"Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free."

But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
"The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
'Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue."

And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.




The Hot Dog eating contest is a garish event. Joey Chestnut takes his Fifth straight Mustard Belt. My event: grilled Dogs with Budweiser BBQ Sauce, doctored-up a little.

John Milton : Hide me from day's garish eye, While the bee with honied thigh, That at her flowery work doth sing, And the waters murmuring With such consort as they keep, Entice the dewy-feathered sleep.