Gotta Make the Donuts

I won't mention which movie I'm on now because it's a girly movie, and I'm slightly offended by the themes and plot. But beggars can't be choosers and things are slow because of the season and the strike. The best part about the movie is the crew includes a lot of my favorite people, including my desk mate. We share a desk since I'm just a dayplayer, and she's running around Connecticut as the Production Designer's Assistant. Yep, we're in CT. It kinda sucks, but there are some perks. Namely these donuts that said PDA pick up from the Lakeside Diner in the morning if they come into the office. Because they are freshly fried, the donuts are often still warm. Since PDA is a VIP, she asks to get these delicious babies hot out of the fryer. When bitten into, the cake interior has a soft crumb that feels like sinking your tired and achey head into a memory foam pillow that magically relieves the fatigue of life. This sensation contrasts subtly with the gentle crunch of the golden exterior that reminds you that life isn't all that bad. Crunch because of the sugar and tiny bit of cinnamon, but mellowed by the heat of the freshly fried status. They are sublime and oh so addictive. The smaller size makes it feel guilt free and the wisp of oil on your lips not only moisturizes dry winter lips, but serves as a beautiful memory of a lovely donut experience.
The video was supposed to be about the experience of ordering the donuts (50 cents for 1 ; $6 per dozen) as she had just told me the story, but PDA was delirious from picking up the PD at the crack of dawn and I forgot to direct her. Plus we were supposed to be working.

Wontons at Deluxe Food Market

Dumpling houses are a dime a dozen in Chinatown, but these days Deluxe Food Market (79 Elizabeth St.) is my go to place for dumplings. I like Deluxe's dumplings because they use thin wonton wrappers, just like my mom does. Don't they look like flappy brains in the picture? They are filled with pork, green onion, and I suspect a bit of sugar in the mix. Though pork does indeed have its own natural sweetness, so maybe I'm wrong. Of course, I prefer my mom's mandoo because she uses a mix of meats and/or tofu, those tiny noodle threads, bean sprouts, green onions and sometimes carrot. And they're free for me, but in a pinch, Deluxe does the job. At five for five quarters, it's not literally a dime a dozen, but it's close.
Deluxe is a unique one stop shop that's all about choice and convenience. They should rename it Deluxe Food Center though. Sure, it's a grocery store where you can buy the wonton wrappers to make your own. But you can also buy dumplings freshly made in the store but not cooked; they also have them then frozen, either made by the staff, or a commercial brand. If you need to eat dumplings right there, you can just eat them hot off the dimsum counter. The dimsum counter isn't alone, it's part of a food court that includes sushi which is ridiculously cheap, and fresh because the grocery sells fish with high turn over. In the summer, I often buy fish here since it's in a building, the place is air conditioned. Deluxe also sells freshly roasted Peking ducks, soy sauce chicken and all your favorite Chinatown meats displayed in the window. There's so much great food here, I often run through the store because it's a shortcut from the middle of the block of Mott St. to mid block of Bowery between Grand and Hester, but then I'll get a pork bun for 70 cents if I'm in a hurry and the dumplings if I can stop. Eel roll if I need a bigger snack. I'll tell you about another snack from Deluxe Food Market the next time I post.

Old Mother Hubbard Cornbread

Doesn't this cornbread look pretty? Wish I could say it tasted as good as it looks, but it was tasted like cardboard. I made cranberry sauce with some cranberries and Trader Joes ginger spread and needed something to put it on. So, I thought cornbread. It will match my table and big mug. Of course, I didn't have any eggs. And not much milk. And no butter. No problem, I'll make it vegan! All the vegan recipes called for maple syrup, for some reason. I didn't have any of that or any soy milk for that matter. So I used honey, olive oil and milk mixed with yogurt as substitutions. Seriously, it didn't taste terrible if I dipped it into olive oil and sea salt. This little snack of farmer's cheese and cranberry sauce wasn't terrible either because the other elements turn the bread into just a vehicle for the cheese and sauce, though the texture was kind of rubbery and overly dense. The half loaf ended up in the freezer. Maybe I'll make cornbread stuffing someday. Or maybe I'll just pitch it when my frugal self isn't looking.

Treats Truck

When I went to see Margot at the Wedding, I really wanted a home made Rice Krispie treat, but I wasn’t going to pay $4.75 for a not very marshmallowy looking one from the movie theater. I settled for a $3 fig bar. It sported a tasteless pie like crust and surprisingly tasty fig filling. Still, it didn’t fulfill my craving.
The next day as I was walking to the main library, I saw the Treats Truck. Have you seen Treats Truck Lady and her truck named Sugar? I’ve only seen her in at night in the Lower East Side, so I was excited to see her during the day at 5th ave and 38th St. on Tuesday. She’s really nice and gives out loads of samples. As I was perusing my choices, some guy came up in front of me and started babbling about something while eating all the samples of butterscotch and chocolate brownies. When he left (after dropping the napkins on the ground) she said to me. “I had no idea what that guy was saying; something about lunch?”
I replied, “Maybe he thought you were a hot dog vendor.”
She said, “I’ve actually had that happen!”
We laughed and I got the cran almond crispy for 2.75. It seems healthier than the classic crispy treat $2 with all its almonds and dried cranberries. The website says there were flax seeds and wheat cereal in that marshmallowy treat, too. I didn’t even notice the health because it tasted so good. No picture because I ate it despite it being cold outside. But I did get a picture of this baking related Christmas window at Lord and Taylor. That creepy doll is squeezing a pastry bag and the man is giving out samples!
To find out the daily locations for the Treats Truck call (212) 691-5226 or check their website. It's worth it.

Bangers & Mash

When the skies are misty and the air is chilly, New York could almost be London. When I went to London five years ago, one of my favorite meals was at Sausage and Mash in Knotting Hill. Simple, fattening, and oh so yummy. Since then, sausage and mashed potatoes has been a staple meal for me.
It's really easy to make, cheap and you'll have leftovers that you can reheat or turn into something else. All you have to do is buy some fat sausages, onions, potatoes and some kind of vegetable for health. Trader Joe's and Fairway have pre cooked sausages that are good if you're short on time. I also like the fat sausage you can get at the the farmer's market. They are pricier than the fresh sausage at the Whole Foods, but they're often a little bigger and the vendors often give out samples, so you can taste before you buy. So throw the bangers in a pan with some sliced onions. I like to get one side browned for looks before I dump water in to speed up the cooking and prevent burning. Cover the pan and put potatoes in a pot of water for mashed potatoes. If you have green beans for a green, you can steam them while the potatoes boil. Push on the sausage, if it feels like the cartilage on your nose, then it's done. If the onions are the color you like, and the pan's bottom is browning, and you're drinking a beer, pour some of the beer in the pan for a nice pan dripping sauce. Add butter if you want it to be richer. Mash potatoes, add butter, milk and salt and you should be good to go.
Tonight, I made sweet potato mash and then braised some red cabbage with onions and apples for the healthy part.

Stricha or Streecha

Saturday morning, Brian and I met up at noon for the comfort food of his people. Varenyky!
That's Ukrainian for boiled thing, but I kept on calling them pierogi before Brian schooled me on the pronunciation. This New York Times article alerted us that the ladies who make the dumplings were back in business after a summer off. There's also a fantastic video that interviews the feisty ladies that make varenyky to support the church.
We were confused momentarily about the new underground location, it had moved to the south side of East 7th St (bw 2nd&3rd Ave), but once we saw the handwritten sign we hit comfort food gold. Again, this is the best kind of a food — humble ingredients worked into something delicious by someone's mom and bought for a couple of bucks. We ordered every dish offered. Ten potato varenyky served with buttery onions (50 cents each); a cup of hot borscht ($1); a cabbage roll filled with rice and meat ($2). We had to try all the desserts, a beautiful powdered donut ($1.25) filled with berry jam that I swear had rose water in the filling. A piece of apple cake and a piece of honey cake. Yeah, we ate like pigs, but since we were eating for Jesus, I have a feeling our gluttony will be forgiven.

Cheap tip # whatever

The best time to go to the Greenmarket is a little bit before it closes for the day, around 5:30, when the farmers pack up for the day. That's when you're gonna get the deals. Here we got a dollar off of the Ronnybrook rice pudding for 2 bucks.
The only problem is the Lower East Side Ecology people sometimes pack it in early and you're stuck throwing away bags of compost that you've collected in your freezer for weeks on end. That part sucks. The pudding helps the guilt of adding to landfill matter.

Shrimp Soup

So I've decided I must lay off the fried pastelitos. They are delish, but the left side of my face looks like a slice of pepperoni pizza.
Seriously. Ed and Erin take fish oil capsules for skin health, so I was thinking if I ate seafood that the guy on 135th St. and Broadway sells, then my skin would clear up. He and his mom have a shopping cart each filled with those orange drink coolers. She takes the corner on 145th and he's 10 blocks down on Broadway. They both sell the soup and ceviche that she makes in their kitchen everyday. Not sure about the times, but I caught up with the duo around 2pm.
I haven't had the ceviche yet, but if it's as good as her shrimp soup, then I won't be disappointed. Here is another delicious case of taking humble ingredients—shrimp (24 in my serving!), carrots, potatoes, spaghetti and making something wonderful. At only 5 bucks, this is comfort in a plastic tub. And it came with half a lime and a pack of crackers.

Empanada or Pastelito?

Ed told me a couple of months ago that he ate the most delicious chicken empanada from the man on the southwest corner of 136th St. and Broadway. The man started to give him the chicken and an additional beef empanada, but then Ed corrected him and only got one. Once he tasted it, he wished that he had gotten a beef, too. When I see this man, I try to walk to the other side of the street because I know that once I try one, it will become a habit. Since I ran around the track yesterday, I finally earned the right to eat a yummy fried meat treat.
I've tried his kipe, the Dominican version of kibbeh, those pointy fried balls of bulgar wheat dough stuffed with meat. The one I ate had seen fresher times, but those empanadas, man were they good! The crust isn't bready, it has a texture and yellow color, so maybe it was made with cornmeal or some other kind of masa. The man has a little fryer right in the cart, so they were still hot and the crust is crispy on the edges, but nicely chewy around the filling. The shredded chicken filling had bits of green olive adding a subtle bite of vinegar. I also spurged on the queso version which was less revelatory, it's filling was straight up white cheese. Empanada means to wrap or coat in bread, so these might be called pastelitos, little pies.
Whatever you call it, these babies are going on the list of best snacks for a dollar.
When I was taking the picture of the cart, there was a group of kids that started talking about me taking pictures, so I crossed the street without getting a clearer picture from behind the plexiglass that shows how the pastelitos are strung up on metal skewers which hang from a wooden dowel. The bubbly oil from the frying tray keeps the pies warm. As I was crossing the intersection, I saw a scene like this, so I went back to the middle of the street to the benches. Those benches in the middle of the street always remind me of "Panic in Needle Park" because that's essentially where the characters in Panic would hang out, although sixty blocks down and in the 1970s. The guy sitting a bench over looked like he could have been an extra in Panic, so I ate my snacks and took the snapshots quickly.
There was some trouble up here a couple of weeks ago, but bad stuff happens everywhere. Upper Manhattan gets such a bad rap. Someone has to make a really good movie set in over here that's a definate positive. If it were up to me, Breakin' 3, set in NYC! We need something to balance out the lack of moral center on stuff like American Gangster. Don't get me wrong, I worked on AG, it's a terrific looking movie—all the props look real; the sets look great; the womb to tomb montage is fantastic. We did a great job. The story basically shows how drugs make you rich and you'll kill along the way. You might go to jail, but get a good lawyer, you'll get out eventually and have a movie made about how you ruined many a life. Don't worry, though, those folks are probably long dead.
If you like French Connection and The Godfather or Scarface, AG tries to be like those movies. I know it's morally wrong, but I couldn't help it. I got a kick out of it. Just like I know eating fried meat pies is bad for my cholesteral and waistline. Is that so wrong?

Halloween Candy

Halloween is almost over, and I guess I should confess that I fell off of the health and fitness wagon. Last weekend, Brian and I found a Costco sized bag of peanut m&m's at his parent's house and we at them while watching All About My Mother. Peanut m&m's, make me think of my friend who couldn't stomach anything while in the hospital other than peanut m&m's. It seems like the perfect food. They have calcium from the chocolate, protein in the peanut and there's probably chlorophyll in the green dye.

While in Queens, we stopped into Candy Shop USA (38-03 Main St. There are more stores in Manhattan Chinatown, too) store for some of my favorite Chinese candies, White Rabbit. I first had a White Rabbit a couple years ago when I was visiting Britt in Paris. We were at a farmer's market, and there was a Chinese food vendor with a perm there. I just consulted my photo album and there are summer rolls on the counter, so maybe it was Vietnamese. Honestly, I don't remember what I ate there or why. Anyway, the guy gave me a White Rabbit, and I kept the wrapper because I just think it's lovely. Maybe I could wallpaper my bathroom with them. The White Rabbit is basically a vanilla tootsie roll, but what makes it stand out is the thin rice paper film that melts on your tongue when you pop the sweet. There are new fangled flavors like red bean, chocolate, strawberry and lots more fruity flavors, but I find the plain old vanilla the best.
Carol brought me the best caramels that I've ever tasted from her vacation in Portland. They're buttery, sweet, chewy and then spicy! These big soft pieces of caramel contain habanero chili and cayenne pepper. The little chocolate skeleton which she calls a milagro is also from Alma Chocolate. A nice dark chocolate with an iridescent coating this candy is very healthy with all those antioxidiants and it's perfect to eat tomorrow to the Day of the Dead.

Thank you for being my friend, Charles Fried Chicken

I got some really sad news today and needed some Fried Chicken therapy. Of course, I had no cash, so I had to go to the bank. A short walk from said bank, I became mesmerized by the ribs cooking at Sherman's BarBQ (2507 Frederick Douglas Blvd. bw 145th&146th St.). Can you see them in the window? I've always loved the looks of this storefront, but I like my bbq cooked in a smoker and Sherman's aren't smoked. So I've never eaten there. Eating In Translation has a much nicer picture of the exterior in case you're interested. But once I saw the lady behind the counter peek her head out at me, I felt obliged to go inside. Faced with a bulletproof plexiglass window in front and wood paneling on the walls behind me, I ordered the ribs with cole slaw and potato salad ($11.75). I loved the simple cole slaw. The light sweetness in the mayo dressing was offset by the slight heat of the ground black pepper. The potato salad was too sweet for my liking, and the ribs were just ok. The sauce was thin in flavor and body. The actual ribs were quite fatty, but there were a lot of them. So I took the meat off the bones and will add it to rice for a nice fried rice lunch tomorrow.
To hell with health and fitness! Like a Golden Girl drawn to cheesecake, in times of trouble, I need fried chicken, not ribs. In my opinion, Charles'(2841 Frederick Douglass Blvd. at W. 151st St) is the best Southern fried chicken in Manhattan. There weren't any drumsticks, so I ordered two thighs and a side of collard greens (less than 6 bux) I've learned that unless the pan of mac and cheese on the steam table is new, it's better to skip it because it's going to be greasy, not creamy. The chicken's crust and meat are perfectly seasoned. Look at the huge heap of collards. The juice from the greens reminds me of this great scene in the movie Hal Ashby directed before Harold and Maude, The Landlord. In it, rich white Lee Grant gets drunk with her son's black tenant Pearl Bailey while drinking regular liquor, then they switch to collard green pot likker in glasses. It's the kind of movie that my old friend Patrick would have loved. Full of color, music and the vibrant energy of New York in the Seventies. If only he was here in NYC to drink pot likker with me right now.

NY Dosas Revisited

Thiru of NY Dosas won the first place award for best street food vendor for 2007. The awards are a fund raiser for The Street Vendor Project which helps defend and preserve the rights of street vendors. If you saw the first episode of I EAT NY on MNN, we interviewed Thiru back in 2004. I thought it would be fun to revisit that footage and shortened it by a few minutes. I know I could have shortened the new video by at least a minute by removing the part with the lady looking for orange juice, but I just love that moment. I especially love how she's wearing a Dennis Kucinich button. I can't help but wonder if she's wearing it now three years later.
These days, Thiru's dosas are just a buck more ($6) and he has an assistant who helps with the money and ordering. The food is still terrific. Brian got the rava dosa and I got the special pondicherry dosa. Both come with the coconut chutney and the lentil and tomato soup, sambhar.
Even though things change so quickly here in the big city, it's nice to know that some things don't.

The trouble with organics

What's that saying about stuff happening in threes?
This worm was in the cauliflower I bought from the farmer's market on Monday. I felt bad about smooshing him, so I stuck him in with my used coffee filters in the freezer. I'll dump him out at the composting stall at the market tomorrow. The lettuce I've had for two weeks is miraculously still good and when I made a salad for lunch today, it had a couple of bugs in there, too. Oh, and that stupid yellow mushroom is back in my mint plant with the addition of annoying aphids. Where do those things come from? Aphids, not mushrooms. They are eating up my basil and the eucalyptus plant is suffering now, too. The aloe is fine. In fact, it's growing out of its pot. Does anyone want some aloe?

Greek Yogurt craving

I like it when people reuse items for purposes other than their original design. For example, as I left Fairway today, I saw a lady put an extra grocery bag on her head as a hat to protect her hair. My mom always uses newspaper to clean a mirror. Yesterday when I was at the Bronx Zoo, there was a little squirrel monkey that used an old sock as a toy. You get the idea.

I like to use my one cup coffee filter holder as a Greek yogurt maker, but you could also use a coffee filter in a sieve. Just fill up the filter with some yogurt and stick it in the fridge overnight and voila! Greek yogurt. Well, sort of.

Remember, I'm dedicating my life to health and fitness, so instead of yogurt with some fat which I love, I've been eating the no fat stuff, but I've been craving the richness of Greek yogurt. I'm never going to calculate it, but I think this process is cheaper than just buying no fat Total Greek yogurt. On the FreshDirect website, they have 17.6 oz priced at $4.89 and the little 5 oz at $1.89. Meanwhile, I got some stuff at Fairway called Axelrod. It's 32 oz for $2.29. Granted, there's some shrinkage in the product as the whey drains out, but whatever. I've been drizzling honey and nuts on the yogurt but I've also added cucumber and green onion to make a raita or tzatziki type of spread for bread. Like I said, it's not delicious like the Greek yogurt dessert from Kefi that's pictured, but it does the trick. Now if I could just figure out some kind new use for all these darn yogurt tubs.

Diet & Budget Tip #1 — Kiddie Cones!

Okay, seriously. I'm dedicating my life to health and fitness, but it's really hot outside. I don't want to use my AC because it costs too much, and I'm on a budget. So I need ice cream. I've read that when it comes to eating ice cream, if you want health and fitness, you shouldn't buy it from the grocery store. If you buy that pint, then you might eat the entire thing in one sitting (I'm talking to you, Brian!). That's why it's better to buy ice cream at places that offer a kid sized scoop. It's smaller and cheaper. And in this case, that's better! Two places that provide this virtuous size are the Cupcake Cafe at Books of Wonder(18 W 18th St bw 5th/6th Ave.) and Ronnybrook Milk Bar (75 9th Ave bw 15th/16th St.).
Don't be tempted by the cupcakes at Cupcake Cafe housed at the children's bookstore, Books of Wonder. They are beautiful, but ultimately, it's just butter flavored flowers on top of dry cupcakes. Really. You don't need them. Instead, opt for the Nelson's ice cream. I did an internet search, though I should have just asked the woman at the counter where Nelson's is from. The first google entry said it's an ice cream parlor in Pennsylvania. So it's almost local. No matter, the taste is quite good. Creamy, sweet, cold. Everything you want ice cream to be. And the price? A yummy $1.50. I got the flavor of the day, blackberry and the cream mellows the tanginess of blackberry quite nicely.
The kids cone at Ronnybrook Milk Bar is listed at a $1.75, a quarter more, but Ronnybrook has more flavors and the stuff is made in house. Plus, they just renovated their space at the Chelsea Market and something has to pay the bills. If you haven't been to the new Milk Bar, check it out. It's a really nice example of new retro design. The walls are covered with wooden milkcrates and the menu is written on a long chalkboard. There's a round shaped bar complete with 1950's stools. I haven't had any of their food yet, but it's at the top of my list. I can't wait to try their eggs in a hole with Applewood Smoked Bacon and melted Grafton Cheddar on Rye. Check out the rest of their menu, and let me know when you want to meet up there for lunch. Pictured is the ginger creme brulee. The first taste is an almost egg nog flavored cream, then tiny flecks of ginger heat up the back of your throat as you swallow. I can't wait to try all of their flavors!

The Place in Guilford, CT

My mom saw a commercial for Red Lobster and decided she wanted to go there for her birthday because the ad made the food look so good. My sister warned her it wasn't going to be good, but for some reason, mom really wanted to go. So they went, and it wasn't that good. What are you going to do? There aren't that many lobster places in McKinney, TX.
Anyway, I felt bad that my mom ate lame seafood for her birthday, when I recently feasted on lobster out in Guilford, CT. My pal Carol live in Connecticut and she's part mermaid. She swims laps in the ocean, has long blonde hair and loves to eat clams. I find this very interesting not because she uses the shells to make bikini tops, but because she doesn't like fresh tomatoes. They are squishy and what's squishier than a clam? No matter, The Place doesn't serve tomatoes, but you're welcome to bring your own sides if you like. We saw that people brought cole slaws and potato salads.
This is a good idea because the only sides are corn on the cob and veggie kabobs. We both ordered the roasted lobster, roasted clams, and corn. We debated getting the house special clams, but we realized they were just the roasted clams with some kind of ketchup sauce squirted on them. We wanted the unhindered flavor of the sea. And that's what we got. Delivered to us on a hot wire grill, the clams were briny and fresh. Perfection. The corn was dunked in butter by a cute teenaged boy and brought to us on a soaked paper plate. I believe the the way you eat corn indicates the kind of person you are. Here's my ear. I'm tidy.
We should have ordered one roasted and one boiled, but the sight of the lobsters roasting on the rickety concrete block spit is pretty exciting. See video for excitement.
The boilers bubble in big black pots set to the side of the grill. We should have ordered one because as the roasted lobster cools, the juices dry up, especially in the meaty claws where you want it to be really moist. We had a bit of trouble opening the claws because there were no nut crackers. Then we saw the waitress give another table a foil covered rock. This helped, but also hindered because the shell shards smashed into the meat and they were hard to pick out. At that point, you are kind of annoyed because there's so much labor involved with dwindling returns. I whined to Carol that I missed my mom because she would have picked out the meat for me. Yep, I'm a baby when it comes to crab and lobster picking. My mom is a pro and must be a mermaid, too. She eats shellfish like Daryl Hannah in "Splash." It's a sight both embarrassing and impressive.
But the dry claws didn't matter because the setting was beautiful. You sit on old wood stumps under a trees and the sky. The staff is almost all teenagers with the boys manning the grills and the girls waiting the tables. It was fun to try to figure out who was dating who and to make up stories about the other diners. We didn't order dessert because we didn't have enough cash and at that point the smoke was starting to get in my eyes and give me a headache. Carol said that it was the suburbs that gave me the headache, but I can't wait to go back.

The Place (901 Boston Post Rd) is located in Guilford, CT on Rte. 1 right across from a Walmart. It's about 2 hours from NYC. Cash only and they are only open from June to October.

News for the Day

Alright, alright I'll blog already. I've had some interesting meals, but there was a week when I was traveling bag free so I didn't have my camera. It's a liberating feeling, this bag free lifestyle. Ultimately, it's limiting, so I don't recommend it.
Anyway, this little mushroom popped up in my mint plant. Poor minty, I left it at the office on a weekend and it dried out. Since then, it's been struggling to grow. It probably doesn't help that it has to share the pot with a robust basil plant. Greedy basil must take all the soil's nutrients. And now this little parasite rears its ugly head. I have a window fan that must have blown some crazy mushroom spore and it planted itself right next to my little mint.
Last night Greg had his birthday at the soon to be crowded hipster bowling alley The Gutter. As we were walking to the next venue, I came upon this truck with LED screens behind plexiglass on the sides and back. Also bungy corded to the back were big coolers filled with ice and this new energy drink, Howling Monkey. We helped ourselves to the Red Bull like liquid. One was Red Bull flavored, I don't know what the flavor was really supposed to be and the one I had was Cola flavored. It tasted like Coke and Red Bull mixed together. I thought it was kind of gross, but if you're having a party and you don't have much money, look around for that truck because the company is trying to get you hooked for free. The cans are really big and it would be a good mixer with vodka or rum. Personally, I think it gave me nightmares. I dreamt last night that I was driving into a huge pot hole that engulfed our car. Then I was in a huge bathroom line at a museum.
What does it all mean?!!

Indian Food in Jackson Heights

I know this video actually has very little video in it;it's mostly photos that have the iMovie Ken Burns effect on them. It's messy, but I wanted to get something up quickly with the photos I took yesterday at lunch with Carol and Melissa in Queens. I'll add more to this entry and explain a little more what you're seeing some day, just not today!

The Beginning and the End of the Road

Today is the last day of work for me on Revolutionary Road. It's been rocky, but not terrible, especially when I've been in charge of the craft service for the Art Department. Back on the Departed, we were spoiled and got egg sandwiches for breakfast every Friday, so I've tried to keep that tradition alive. Luckily, our office is near Trio Bakery. All the breads are freshly baked right at the store on 476 9th Ave. between West 36th and 37th St. The guys that work there are really nice, if a little hasty, but their egg and cheese sandwiches are tops! This one has ham.
I'd write more later, but I've got to wrap it up!

The Gleaners & I

You know that column in Us Weekly, "Celebrities, They're Just Like Us." It's pretty much an ad for whatever the celeb is holding because it's almost always some picture of drinking Starbucks or Red Bull. Well, here's my version!
Someone had to go to the movie star's apartment that was rented for him here in New York to clear out the stuff he left behind. When you and your girlfriend are jet set, you just buy stuff and leave it. So here's what they left. Can you see the stuff in the boxes? By the time I took the picture, it was a bit picked over. Shower to Shower, Listerine, hotel samples, baby wipes. There was some other scandalous stuff, but I'm selling that on ebay for when I'm really broke. Just kidding! I took the Shiseido sunscreen and a bottle of minty conditioner, though I could really use some new toothpaste. I couldn't help myself; it's expensive stuff that would have been tossed otherwise! I swear I'm not turning into one of those freegans, scoring stuff off the street.

In addition to the beauty products in his pad was a beautiful flourless chocolate cake from one of the best bakeries in New York, Bouchon Bakery located in the Time Warner mall. I took my visiting sister there recently at the end of a long Saturday and she thought there wasn't enough selection. I kept my mouth shut and didn't say anything, especially when we ended up going downstairs to the Whole Foods to get some boring dessert bar that she said wasn't that great. Anyway, I had a piece of the cake yesterday and it was like eating a piece of fudgy butter. I only felt a little dirty that I was basically eating the movie star's trash. So what's worse? Consuming junk, or letting good junk go to waste?

Cupcakes are so 2002

I've been toying with turning I EAT NY into a celebrity blog because of the fun gossip I hear from my jobs, but I post so infrequently it wouldn't be worth it. The director of the film I'm currently on has the same birth date as me, and his wife and I are the same age. Originally, I thought this was a good sign to take the job, but it's been a rocky production. Oh, well.
Today the production staff sent a PA to Magnolia Bakery in the West Village to pick up 150 cupcakes and drive them up to Connecticut for the shooting crew. That's 2 bucks a cupcake, plus at least a half a tank of gas. What? There's no bakery in Connecticut that makes cupcakes? Don't get me started on carbon footprints! The director and his wife are on diets, so who knows if they even eat the cupcakes. If anything, I hope it helped the morale of the crew after such long hot days of shooting.
Back in New York, I requested root beer floats for my birthday. Nothing says fun like the creamy head created by getting vanilla ice cream and root beer together! But who knew that it would be nearly impossible to find the two ingredients with real food ingredients? I told my boss to try to get get vanilla ice cream without any corn syrup. He came back with Bryers in the black carton. Tasty stuff, no corn syrup, but strangely, in the ingredients list, there's no vanilla. Just natural flavors. On the front side of the carton it touts real vanilla bean specks. Is it just for show or are those specks flavoring? As for the root beer, I told Erik to get something in a glass bottle. We agreed Boylans would be good because they use real sugar, not corn syrup, but the overpriced Gristede's closest to our office only had Stewarts in a bottle. Didn't matter, they still tasted good.
When's the last time you treated yourself to an ice cream float?

Buttery Biscuits and Radish

I promised Suzanne that I would post something, but it's almost midnight and I have to get to work by 7:30 tomorrow. So it's not going to be my thesis on Korean Fried Chicken as planned. Instead, here's a photo of yesterday's breakfast. I love the color of radishes more than the tasted of the root itself, but I keep buying them at the Farmer's market. Usually I just eat them on salads and on top of buttered bread with salt. But ever since Suzanne's daughter taught me to make biscuits back in March, I've been making biscuits instead of buying bread for weekend breakfast. I half her recipe to make 2 big fat biscuits and I use the toaster oven to bake them because it's too hot to use the real oven. I added chives in this batch. The sausage I baked in the toaster isn't pictured because it just wasn't pretty.

Back from the BCN

"In Spain nothing, from a meal to a battle, ever happens at the appointed time."

from Homage To Catalonia, George Orwell

I'll blog about the food adventures in Barcelona soon. Really. Just as soon as I dedicate myself to health and fitness. And get over this annoying cold.

Hearst Magazines Cafeteria

A couple weeks ago, I had lunch in the future while visiting my past. I had visited my friends Bob and Kevin at the shiny new Hearst Tower. When I worked at Esquire Magazine in 1999, our offices were on W. 55th St right across from the soup Nazi (from Seinfeld) storefront. We had the coolest office that used to be a parking garage. There were two floors with high industrial ceilings and tons of space. Bob’s office in the research department was in the library that held stacks and stacks of amazing vintage Esquires filled with those famous Vargas illustrations and the writing of legends like Hemingway and Fitzgerald. The magazine stacks were the best place to take a nap, especially once that red bean bag chair was sent to the office. But like all good things, my time there came to an end in 2001 for another magazine for more money and better hours. Esquire moved offices first to 57th St. and now to the Tower where all the Hearst rags are published.









Like most new architecture in NYC, the skyscraper is at first hideous, then you just get used to the damn thing. The sun’s glare on the beehive looking building was blinding, so I didn’t snap a picture, but you get the idea. It’s a bright vision of the future. Part mall, part campus, part torture chamber. Just kidding, it’s nice. To visit. Esquire’s floor is nice. Lots of glass, lots of light, very tidy. I missed the funk of the old place, but I’m trying to get over nostalgia.
As for the cafeteria, well, it was crowded. Once we got our food, we stood around with our trays like junior high nerds looking for a table. At least there were a lot of food choices — sandwich bar, sushi bar, stir fry station, burger area. But the shortest lines were at the main steam table where a huge salad bar is laid out with a couple of hot entrees. There was some sort of creamy mushroom casserole and chicken breast. We all got the chicken. The chicken was only a little dry. I liked the nutty wheatberry salad and how can you go wrong with bagged greens? All in all, it was pretty good for 40 cents a pound. The novelty would wear off if I worked at Hearst, but the food was much better than at CondeNast where there’s no garlic allowed because the CEO hates garlic.