Awkward Straight Guy Talk

Aruba Observation #2:

While my wife and I were at the beach, it was interesting to see a single straight guy try to strike up a conversation with another single straight guy in the water (without coming off gay). Single Straight Guy #1 (known as SSG #1) carried a football into the water and somehow started playing catch with Single Straight Guy #2 (known as SSG #2, whom I'm pretty sure had a wife somewhere).

It was sort of funny to hear the awkward small talk made between two straight guys in the water: things like "When did you arrive?", "Have you been downtown much?", "Ever go windsurfing?" They were straight to be sure, but the awkward banter (and fact that they were shirtless in the water while tossing a football to each other) seemed amusing to us in an ironic way.

Is Aruba Caught in an 80's/90's Time Warp?

We loved our time in Aruba. Couldn't get enough of it....but what's with the 80's/90's music? I don't think I heard one contemporary tune while we were there.

From the sounds of an island band covering Journey's "Open Arms" to the tunes played in Champions Sports Bar (like B-52's "Love Shack", Black Box's "Strike It Up", En Vogue's "What A Man", and Wrexx n Effect's "Rumpshaker"), we felt like we were caught up in a music time warp, although it did add to the fun of the place.

Now I can go back and be a 21st century indie rocker and listen to the new Thom Yorke album on iTunes...

Worst. Airline. Ever.

Before we headed to Aruba for sand, sun and fun, we had a less than enjoyable experience at JFK courtesy of American Airlines. We were all packed up, got to JFK early in time for our scheduled 11:45 am flight, and got into line to check in, excited about our getaway. The line was lengthy but we remained patient, knowing that it would be just a matter of hours before we were sipping pina coladas.

However, once we got to the front desk we were asked by the attendant if we knew that the flight was delayed. "No", we responded. Down but not out, we asked: "For how long?" She replied, "It's scheduled for 6pm." Are you kidding me??? 6 hours later?! Who could believe that our vacation would be spent for an additional 6 hours in the airport? No reason was given either. Actually, we received the lame reason of "equipment change" or something to that effect.

We weren't alone. Many other couples and families received the bad news that their hard-earned dollars and time off from work would be taken away from them from American Airlines for this so-called "equipment change". It certainly wasn't weather-related and they didn't pretend it was. Most likely, just poor management on the part of American, overbooking flights and not having enough supply to meet the demand they created.

For our inconvenience, we were graciously (sarcasm here) given $10 meal vouchers each! Whoa, can't spend the $20 fast enough, can we? It was like adding insult to injury. Is that how much American Airlines thinks our time is worth? We essentially lost a day due to their ineptitude and there was very little empathy shown.

Despite the bad news, we tried not to let it get to us or ruin our moods, so we read magazines, listened to our iPods, had a snack and drinks at the airport bar/restaurant, and damn, I even broke down and bought a Swatch watch. Hey, you get bored at the airport after several hours. But we all resigned ourselves to the fact that the plane was leaving at 6pm and we would be on our way.

Then came the announcement: The flight was now scheduled to take off at 7:30! And we had to go to another terminal, which meant that we had to go through security yet again! People we're absolutely pissed off. And justifiably so. Furthermore, it didn't help matters that the desk clerk showed little compassion. One guy yelled: "This is horseshit!" Finally, it took her forever to start giving out more $10 meal vouchers but it was too little too late (with an emphasis on too little).

The airlines have no incentive to treat their customers well and when problems do arise, they do not address them with any immediacy, concern or commensurate value to the time and money that consumers lose as a result of their fuck-ups. American Airlines demonstrated their severe lack of customer service by their inefficiencies and missteps.

As the weary travelers finally made it to Aruba at 1:00 am (instead of the scheduled 4:55 pm arrival time), we had the bittersweet knowledge that we could've been enjoying our vacations several hours earlier had it not been for the mismanagement and ineptitude of American Airlines.

Back From Vacation....

Even when I'm on a remote island...I still think about Brooklyn....

More to come about my trip and the random thoughts I had on the beach....

Going on Vacation Soon....will be back blogging in a week...

Saturday in the Slope

Spending a lazy Saturday today....had breakfast at Grand Canyon on 7th Avenue, returned some books at the Brooklyn Public Library, did some browsing at Barnes and Noble, some banking at Chase, and picked up a few items at Key Food....

Love the Sports Guy

I forgot how much I enjoy the Sports Guy's writing in the Page 2 Section of ESPN.com. His observations on sports and pop culture were always spot on. Did I just say "spot on"??? Anyhow, his latest pieces on The World Cup and his recent fondness for YouTube are no exception. Why did he ever leave to work for Jimmy Kimmel?

But I will be Rooting for Italy

Winded up the long three-day week with some after dinner drinks with co-workers and then dinner with my wife at a Hell's Kitchen establishment called Marseille. It was surprisingly good - I had the Marseille Burger while she had the gnocchi. Yes, it was a French restaurant, but I will be rooting for Italy in Sunday's World Cup.

Foul Play

Yesterday, we witnessed something foul on the Q train - a man rubbing himself on the train. Surely, it could be added to the list of offensive things NOT to do on a NYC subway train as recently described in a New York Magazine piece about urban etiquette. He cleared out the area with his vile behavior and had the nerve to reprimand a woman after she smacked his hand with a rolled-up magazine when he tried touching her with his other hand!

As the Q Train approached Union Square, my wife said: "Maybe he'll get off here." I replied: "I think that's what he's trying to do." Ha, ha...

Lower Circles of Hell

Can't help but think that's an appropriate analogy for NYC subway stations during the summertime. The oppressive heat and humidity, the body odors, and the ear-splitting screeching of trains - it's pure hell!

i-Tunes Binging

1. Jose Gonzalez Heartbeats

2. Zero 7 Today

3. M'Shell Ndegeocello Priorities 1-6

4. Juana Molina Salvese Quien Pueda (Juana's Epic Re-version)

Happy Fourth of July

Today we finally broke down and bought an air conditioner from the P.C. Richard & Son on Atlantic Ave.

I am hoping the installation of the A/C will make our bedroom feel like this photo I took from earlier this year.
Damn these humid nights!

Otherwise, I think we will lay low today since it's so damn hot out. Maybe watch Italy/Germany in the World Cup and have some Brooklyn Lager? And maybe tune into the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest? I'll be pulling for the Japanese dude to win it all again this year.

Break-Up and Bomb Threats

It was another scorcher of a day, but at least we didn't have to go to work.

Headed down Fifth Ave. and had a nice lunch at Press 195. Continued on our way to the Pavilion movie theater to see The Break-Up. Our expectations were low so it ended up surprising us and did have some funny moments, like this one from IMDB:

Brooke: I think you're just a little embarrassed that Richard kicked your ass. Gary: There's a really big gap between getting your ass kicked and having a dancing, singing sprite fool you with trickery and then strike your throat before you know that you're even *in* a fight.

There were some good Chicago references that made us long for our old home city:

• Tour Bus/Boat on Michigan Ave./Chicago River
• Water Tower
• Smith and Wolensky
• Fireside Bowl
• Skylark
• The Riviera (Old 97's playing there)
• Cubs/Sox
• Weiner Circle
• Notre Dame/Michigan football game
• Lakefront
• And of course, the real estate market (compared to NYC)

All in all, it wasn't a bad movie and not nearly as awful as the trailers we saw for Step Up.

Meanwhile we headed home walking down Prospect Park West and saw that 8th Ave had been blocked off due to a bomb threat! We ended up going to 7th Ave. to grab dinner at Santa Fe Grill, which was serviceable but nothing to write home about. Turned on NY1 and News 12 Brooklyn but no info! Of course, the only place to find out anything was the local Park Slope message boards! And I needed to pick up dry cleaning on 7th but couldn't because the street it was on had been blocked off by the police too. Will be interesting to see what the cops find out. Weird to think about all this commotion taking place in The Slope.

UPDATE: Still no coverage on this story in the local news! Was it a mere practice run?

Right Now I Am

Listening to KCRW's Metropolis show....

Reading The Google Story by David Vise....

Downloading Priorities 1-6 by M'Shell Ndegeocello....

Thinking about going to see The Break Up if only to see scenes of Chicago....

Deciding we are too American-centric since our news shows focus on pets and grillin' while BBC News covers the Palestinian crisis....

Looking forward to taking a vacation with my wife....

A Hot Fourth of July Weekend....

Hot and humid all weekend long, so we are just taking it easy during this 4-day weekend.

Apologies to anyone who has to work today.

Last night, we treated ourselves to a dinner at Melt - started off with the shrimp salad (fried shrimp with mango pieces) and had the Salmon (served with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus) for my entree. We topped things off with the creme brulee tasting - cinnamon, coffee, vanilla and ginger flavors.

Latest i-Tunes Downloads

Bummed that the free i-tunes promo cards I got a while back expired - so back to having to pay for these on my own...

1. Alexi Murdoch All of My Days
2. Loquat It's Yours To Keep
3. Built to Spill Liar

Celebrate Brooklyn

I was lame and did not go to Prospect Park last night to see Matt Pond PA, Voxtrot and TV On the Radio even thought the concert was free!

Thankfully, Brooklyn Vegan took pics (to the left) and documented it all on the Brooklyn Vegan blog.

McAsian

Last night we set out for Tao (around 58th and Park) for some after work dinner and drinks. We had received some gift cards for Tao so it was time to cash in.

I'll give it this much - it certainly is an interesting space but more akin to a restaurant that businessmen and tourists and wanna-be's would gravitate to and unfortunately mistakenly believe that it is a good dining experience in NYC. However, as my wife said, in a city where you can have the best of everything, why would anyone come here?

Indeed, why would they? Although we did not have a reservation, we were promptly seated at a large table under the stipulation that we would be done in an hour and a half, which was fine by us. We tried some of the fried dumplings which were adequate but were brought out disturbingly quickly (think simple re-heating of pre-made dumplings) and could have easily come out of the freezer section of Trader Joe's. My wife order a couple rolls of sushi but they too were quite ordinary and I had the Kung Pao Chicken which wasn't even as good as mid-tier Asian fare from Big Bowl.

The only saving grace was dessert - a giant Fortune Cookie filled with white and dark chocolate mousse. However, we waited nearly 15 minutes to place our dessert order. We held our end of the bargain up, but they didn't in terms of ensuring speedy service. Also, we noticed some of the hosts urging a couple men seated close by to take their entrees (they had held off because they were waiting for a friend). Again, restaurants should make their guests feel welcome, not seat them quickly and then try to rush them through their meal so that they can usher in the next round of guests.

Lastly, as we walked out of the loud and packed Tao, it was interesting to see how people had filled the place (from corporate outings to shady men in suits with dolled-up dames) and how it was a bit of a "scene" - but I was left with very ordinary food, high prices and bad service as my memories. Good thing it was a free meal thanks to those gift cards.

Contributing to the Local Economy

Pretty much what we've been doing, after dinners at Convivium Osteria, Blue Ribbon and brunch today at Miriam. It was quite good, nice atmosphere, service and great food - I had the Egg/Bacon/Cheese Croissant with potatoes and salad while my wife had the French Toast.

It's Like Watching A Car Crash

My wife told me about a show she saw on Fuse the other night called Pants Off, Dance Off.

The concept is simple: find NYC freaks who want to dance, get naked and have the chance to win some money. Once again proving that people will do anything to be on TV, it's an absolute trainwreck...and by that I mean, it's awesome television. Why didn't I think of this? People from all walks of life (young, old, fat, thin, pretty, ugly - alright they're mostly ugly here), pick their favorite videos and dance in front of the green screen. Meanwhile, they intersperse the dancing with comments from the "contestants" as well as the "host". Of course, they stop it before anyone really gets nude, but in a brilliant move to direct people to the Fuse website, say that you can view "everything" online.

And, in another brilliant move, they just signed former child star and Crystal-meth addict Jodie Sweetin to host this thing. In a word, awesome.

That Fried Chicken Is For Real

Last night a friend of ours visited us in the Slope and we headed to Blue Ribbon for a tasty dinner. The ladies started off with their own appetizers - warm goat cheese salad and steamed artichoke. For entrees, they had the Red Trout and the Skate (with Potatoes, Bacon and Shrimp), respectively. Meanwhile, I had the Fried Chicken, which was unbelievable, served with honey and mashed potatoes and gravy. The food was terrific, service adequate but not exceptional but Blue Ribbon was packed by the time we left so I'll excuse any lack of attention due to the busyness of it all.

Afterwards, we checked out O'Connors for some $3.50 beers! Good Jukebox there - they had CDs from some personal favorites - The Smiths, Elliott Smith, The Shins, and The New Pornographers...

June Nights

It was a long week, so we unwound with a nice dinner at Convivium Osteria in North Slope. My wife started out with the Chilled Asparagus with Shaved Parmesian in Lemon and Olive Oil sauce and had the Beet and Potato filled Ravioli as an entree.

I opted for Octopus as my appetizer and ended with the Duck filled Mezzulene. All the food was top notch and service was attentive but not overwhelming. All in all, a great place that will be sure to have us back.

The night before we had some drinks with friends and ended up catching dinner at Sushi Samba in Union Square. We had a couple rolls, shrimp tempura and an empanada. It all hit the spot but we did not opt for (and are craving for) a roll that we saw the chefs prepare for other patrons - one with tuna, caviar, and foie gras - can you say, decadent?

Wednesday night, we were unsuccessful in our attempt to find curtains for our living room, but did end up having a tasty dinner at Macy's Cellar Bar and Grill, which reminds us of InField's back in Chicago at Marshall Field's. Unfortunately, as we headed home, my wife became the victim of an attack - a PIGEON ATTACK! Yes, hair, shirt, pants, and hand were struck by the vile poop of a pigeon. How's that for a New York experience?

Sucker for T-Shirts

I saw this on Chicagoist.com - a site called HubWear that sells airport themed T-shirts.

I'm eyeing the "ORD/LGA" shirt - representing my last two home cities - Chicago and NYC...

Hot Fun In the Summer (stream of consciousness)

It's hot as heck today in The Slope but that didn't stop us from checking out "Heaven on Seven" - the 7th Avenue Street Fair that runs all the way from Flatbush Ave. to 16th Street. Learning from our past mistakes on the 5th Avenue Street Fair, we decided to stick to the establishments that we knew - so opted for the $5 Shrimp Pad Thai and Puff from Mango. Union Market was selling bottles of water for 50 cents, which was refreshing to see considering most stands mark up bottles of water to about $2 at these events.

Otherwise it was your standard NYC street fair fare - Mozzarepas - actually, come to think of it, I didn't see the Mozzarepas there today. Okay, but the rest was standard - amidst booths and tables filled with local businesses and organizations, there were the "sushi pillows", tables selling sweat socks and Bruce Ratner trying to win the hearts and minds of Brooklynites with a Nets table (situated closer to South Slope) that handed out Nets tchotchkes and Ratner propaganda - though I did get to meet former Net Albert King who apparently is in many of the Nets Top 10 all-time records.

Walking back up 5th it looked like there was a little Brazilian celebration going on at MeKong Restaurant - which is Vietnamese so that's odd. But hey, who doesn't like to celebrate a World Cup victory?

I Love This Game

With the NBA Finals going on (and yes I am rooting for Dallas to beat Miami in a pivotal Game 5 tomorrow night), couldn't help but be reminded of this great photo from back in the day when good ole Dirk Nowitzki had reigning NBA MVP Steve Nash as his wingman - and who is the frat boy in the picture with them?

Photo courtesy of DrunkAthlete.com

Saturday in The Slope

Had a good Saturday morning in the neighborhood....

Spent some time walking around The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, then finally checked out the Brooklyn Museum, which is right next door to BBG. It's a nice museum - some of my favorites included Georgia O' Keefe's Brooklyn Bridge and Stuart Davis's Mellow Pad.

What I didn't like was an Untitled piece by Ad Reinhardt which essentially looked like a black painting. Yet it took 6 years. It reminded me of Smell The Glove by Spinal Tap. I mean, how much more black could the painting be? And how is that considered art?

Another thought I had as we surveyed the extensive Egyptian artifacts was how amazing it was that these ancient peoples who were equipped with the most primitive tools could create such incredible and exquisite works of art that would stand the test of time. I mean, nowadays, people are too lazy to learn how to use PowerPoint on their own, which takes no painstaking chiseling or carving (point, click people, point and click).

Afterwards, we headed to The Brooklyn Public Library where I picked up some books that were waiting for me and then we made our way through the Green Market at Grand Army Plaza.

F.A.O. is D.O.A.

Had a nice visit with the nephews earlier in the week - had lunch at Rockefeller Center, took in some of the stores on Fifth Avenue like The NBA Store and The Disney Store but have to say we were incredibly disappointed with F.A.O. Schwarz.

One of my nephews had magical memories of the store when he was there years ago but it was nowhere near magical when we got there. First of all, it was completely overshadowed by the glistening new Apple Store. Next, there was one lone soldier standing guard. And once we entered - no music, not a lot of employees helping out, few products, sparse decoration, etc. It was a fascinating case study of how businesses can go awry but sort of depressing to see a once heralded children's toy store reduced to a mere shell of its once glorious self.

Another Bklyn Pic From Last Weekend

Taken last week from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade....

Goodbyes, Ice Cream and Perfect Weather in Bklyn

Today we headed to Bubby's in Dumbo to say goodbye to a friend who's heading back to the Midwest after a stint here in NYC.

Bubby's is a huge place and by a huge I mean, ginormous. Afterwards, we spent some time at nearby Brooklyn Bridge Park where I snapped the picture to the right.

We said our goodbyes and then set off to check out a little bit of Brooklyn Heights, stopping at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory for a scoop of Peach flavored ice cream and some people watching, including lots of wedding photo opps being taken with the scenic skyline in the background.

We then checked out the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, which had terrific views of the skyline but wasn't quite what I expected. For some reason, I pictured it being closer to the water and having more grass than pavement.

Then it was back to the Slope, taking in the perfect weather, walking by the stoop sales and heading home after a long but fun afternoon.

Latest i-Tunes Downloads

Here's what I'm listening to lately courtesy of some recent downloads:

1. Lost in the Plot The Dears
2. Throw It All Away Zero 7
3. Catastrophe Rainer Maria
4. Anesthesia Luna

A Shout Out...but Not Really

Noticed that Smartmom (aka Louise Crawford) of Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn mentioned my site where I link to the Daily Slope message boards that, uh, had a few things to say about her.

Another side of New York

Yesterday, we headed to Beacon, NY for a friend's house party. No, not that kind of house party. We took the Metro North train and had a real scenic journey to our destination, getting a chance to take in the views along the Hudson River and some of the towns of Westchester County. I think one of the stops on the Hudson Line was Peekskill. Wasn't that where The Facts of Life was fictitiously set? Anyhow, who knew New York had some pretty parts to the state? It was good to get away and be part of a nice gathering of friends and family but good to get back to Brooklyn.

Lord of the Rolls: A Quest for Decent Sushi

We used to have a place that we loved back in Chicago (See November 2005 Archive) called Nohana.

It's been about 4 months that we've been Brooklynites but no sushi place has captured our hearts quite like Nohana did.

Last weekend, we tried Geido on Flatbush Ave. It seemed promising at first, but the miso soup was too salty, the tempura string beans so-so, the gyoza alright and the sushi subpar.

Midweek, I found myself in the West Village for a co-workers' going away party at Sushi Samba. Sure, the food was tasty but there was too much going on and too much family style dining with our group that it wasn't the sushi experience I was necessarily seeking.

Last night, we tried Oshima on 7th Ave in Park Slope. The ambience was nice, service attentive, and the food quality - from the miso soup to the coconut shrimp tempura to the rolls - California, Tuna, and Papaya. Did we just find a new favorite mid-tier sushi place to call home?

Who's Pissing Me Off This Week

1. WalMart - We finally got around to watching our Netflix sent flick, WalMart: The High Price of Low Cost - a documentary film about how they are f#cking many individuals over. I know many corporations are evil, but damn, after watching this film I am pretty sure they are the most evil or Evilest in all of Evilville. You name the transgression and they've been there, done that - put family-owned businesses out of business, overworked and underpaid their employees, exploited foreign factory workers, polluted the environment, turned a deaf ear to racist acts taking place in their stores, failed to protect their employees and patrons from violent crimes taking place in their parking lots, destroyed the quality of life of local communities by redirecting local funds to the development of their stores as opposed to funding human services, etc.

2. Kirk Cameron - Thank God I get my information from the Internet and "fake news" shows like The Daily Show and Best Week Ever because how else would I know that this self-righteous S.O.B. has a new reality show where he tells us how evil we all are and how we should be Christian like him. Screw you, Mike Seaver!

An Afternoon at Yankee Stadium

We took the 4 train to Yankee Stadium to catch the Yanks/Royals play a sun-drenched afternoon game (picture to right found on Google as I did not bring my camera and good thing because it would have melted under the sun). It seemed like it didn't take that long to get from Brooklyn to the Bronx via the 4 as we hit all the trains at the right time (transferring from the Q to the 4). After having recently been to a Mets game at Shea, one could not help but compare the two experiences. Shea seemed a bit nicer but more sterile while Yankee stadium, although cramped and not as comfortable as Shea, held the ghosts of tradition that Shea does not possess. Having moved here from Chicago, I suppose it is akin to comparing Wrigley to U.S. Cellular Field - tradition vs. modern conveniences, etc.

The Yanks got off to a hot start, including a lead-off homerun from Johnny Damon. We ended up bailing during the Sixth Inning as it was unbelievably hot out and we were completely baking under the sun and constantly reapplying suntan lotion to avoid serious burning. We did get to see the Bronx Bombers put up 6 runs and had a couple tasty Nathans' hot dogs though.

Favorite Food Vendor Sales Pitch I heard:
"Buy your first drink, get the second one for the same price."

Song I Currently Can't Get Out of My Friggin' Head

Publish My Love by Rogue Wave. No thanks to Fuse TV's The Dive, an indie-rock video show conveniently scheduled to air at 4:30 am on Sundays. Thank God for DVRs. And no thanks to my finding our dubbed copy of The O.C. Music - Vol. 5 which I discovered had this song on it.

Lazy Saturday

Saturday brought lots of sunshine and some lazy, long-weekend activities around the city - like hanging out at the Sixth Ave. Street Fair in Union Square, getting a tasty lunch at New York Burger Company (voted Best Burger in NYC by AOL CityGuide), and catching a showing of Mission Impossible 3. The film was entertaining enough but pretty mindless as each scenario served as just another platform to showcase cool special effects/stunts but provided very little in terms of story. Ah, the summer blockbuster season is here.

A Night of NY Theatre

On Thursday night we saw a friend perform in The Ives Six Pack, a series of six plays by David Ives. Held at the Arclight Theatre (71st between B'way and Columbus), the Bang Theatre Collective entertained the 100 or so audience members with a unique of brand of comedy - favorites included: Words, Words, Words where the actors play monkeys who are locked in a room full of typewriters with the premise that they will eventually type out the script to Hamlet; Time Flies where two courting mayflies come to grips with their mortality; and The Mystery at Twicknam Vicarage - a spoof on British murder mysteries.

I wasn't familiar with Ives' material prior to seeing this show but it proved to be intelligent, humorous and emotional and was well conveyed by the Bang Theatre Collective's talented group of actors.

Empanada Mama

On Friday, we took advantage of the shortened work day and start of Memorial Day Weekend 2006 by taking a trip to Empanada Mama on 51st and 9th.

We went with two other friends so shared a pitcher of Sangria, but there was no sharing of empanadas as we each had to try them for ourselves. Standouts included: beef and cuban (wheat flour) empanadas but the crowd favorite was clearly the dessert empanada - one filled with figs, caramel and cheese.

After stuffing ourselves full of empanadas and sangria, we then topped off the afternoon of indulgences with one more round of drinks at Zanzibar (45th and 9th). It looked like it could be a fun place but had typical waitstaff who appeared more interested in socializing than doing their jobs and servicing our table.

Celeb Sighting Update

The Celeb: Mo Rocca

Why Mo Be Famous: The Daily Show, Animal Planet's Whoa Sunday

The Sighting: Thursday, May 25th, My office building - 8th Floor

The Scenario: I was heading up to a meeting on the 14th floor, the elevator doors opened up and Rocca says: "Is this elevator going down? My co-worker and I say: "No. Up."

Patio Lounge, Sakura and the 5th Ave. Street Fair

Care to guess what this posting is going to be about?

Last night we tried Sakura, on 5th Avenue. It was a pleasant night so we sat outside in their garden and chowed down on the homemade gyoza and a selection of sushi rolls - the best being the "M&M" roll which had pieces of mango in it. Everything was great 'til we got to the end of the meal and it took forever to get our bill. Was our waitress too preoccupied with lighting the tiki torches outside in the garden? Possibly. Nevertheless, it was a decent dinner and the private garden in the back of the restaurant is sure to bring us back.

Afterwards, we decided to check out Patio Lounge for a drink (pictured above - courtesy of its website). It had a pretty nice vibe and beer garden but what was with the music and the fact that they did not serve cider?

Today, meanwhile, we headed to the 5th Avenue Street Festival. Running from Sterling to about 14th, it was your typical street fare - booths, beer, and fried foods galore. Why did we think the food would be good? We sampled the hot dog, kabob, sweet potato fries, paella and empanada but they were all pretty bland and of course, overpriced. The place was packed despite the intermittent showers which unfortunately did put a damper on some of the event, but it was good to get the summer festival season underway.

Guest Blogger - My Wife Rants About Her Fellow Subway Riders

Here's my tirade, if I was actually posting on a blog these days maybe I'd post it. It is kind of cathartic to write it down though.

Let me start by saying that I love the New York City subway system. It's convenient, gets me to where I need to be, and is generally on time and fast. I don't need to own a car and therefore save money on car payments, car insurance and gas. However, it's some of the people who ride the NYC subway that I take great issue with, and this past week has been particularly bad. This goes out to all those who have annoyed me to the fullest this week.

Jesus Preacher Guy #1: No one wants to hear you first thing in the morning, least of all me. I know you think the Lord Jesus died for our sins, and will give us eternal life....I get it - you only said it about a billion times during our 35 minute trip from Brooklyn to Times Square. But believe me when I say I prayed to your Lord Jesus last night and asked him to please make sure I wouldn't have to listen to you or anyone else preach to me on the subway ever again. Hopefully you can help answer my prayers by shutting the fuck up next time.

Jesus Preacher Guy #2: Please see above. But you are truly a special case. After getting in a woman's face and preaching about god and Jesus, you pull out a horoscope book and start ranting about that. So let me get this straight, you believe in some wizard in the sky who controls the world AND you believe we can read our future in the stars. You made me laugh out loud, and for that you hold a special place in my heart (but still annoyed the fuck out me).

Dirty Boot Lady: Don't think I don't notice that muddy, dirty boot you keep swinging in my direction. Is it too much to ask that you keep both feet firmly on the ground during ride? Hello, it's been raining all day and your boots are full of mud, just as are mine and everyone else's on this train. How would you like it if I crossed my legs and swung my shoe in your direction? Damn, now you had to go and rest your dirty boot on that pole, the pole that you know people are going to lean up against as this train gets more and more crowded during rush hour. Have you no decency?

Make-up Girl: You sat down next to me on the crowded train yesterday and proceeded to apply your make-up - not just a little touch-up, but your whole damn face. Foundation, eye shadow, lipstick, you even curled your eyelashes! I was hoping the train would lurch and you would poke yourself in the eye with your mascara wand, but no such luck. Do you not own a mirror that you could use in the privacy of your own home? Seeing as you were using MAC make-up which is not exactly cheap, I'm assuming you have the funds to purchase a mirror to use at home. Does your point of destination not have a restroom? Why, oh why, must you subject us all to your personal grooming habits?

Toenail Clipper Woman: I think the name says it all. Gross. I can not believe I witnessed this behavior on the subway. You were actually on my train a few weeks ago, but regardless you belong on this week's list because just thinking about you still makes my blood boil.

That's it for this week. Who knows what kind of characters I will encounter next week. Peace out.

A Night of Truthiness

Wednesday night we headed to 54th (between 10th and 11th) for a taping of one of my favorite programs, The Colbert Report.

It was a somewhat surprisingly small studio - there were approximately 100 of us there. After a pretty lame warm-up comedian, Stephen came out to greet the crowd and offered us the opportunity to ask him questions that would "humanize" him before he went into character. The questions ranged from corny ("Did Daily Show jump the shark now that it has a spin-off?") to bizarre ("Which White House character would be the best dominatrix?"). Colbert handled it all with wit and aplomb.

The taping moved briskly - going from the signature opening segment "The Word" to the premiere of his new 43-part Series "Better Know a President" featuring someone playing Teddy Roosevelt and ended with his sit-down interview of Jonathan Alter of Newsweek. Colbert only made one mistake during the opening segment prior to the show's theme song beginning, where he flubbed a line and said "Fuck it, I'm starting over" but all in all, it was a great look at a very funny show and a comedian who is arguably at the top of his game.

AnnoyingLady

Apparently I am not the only one who finds Smartmom (local Park Slope columnist and blogger) incredibly annoying...

Egg Cream City

I finally had an Egg Cream yesterday from Uncle Louie G's. It was tasty and made me wonder what the origins of egg creams are. Here's what I found from Wikipedia:

An egg cream is a classic New York City beverage consisting of chocolate syrup (Almost always Fox's U-bet chocolate syrup in New York), milk, and seltzer (soda water), probably dating from the late 19th century, and is especially associated with Brooklyn, home of its inventor, Jewish candy shop owner Louis Auster. It contains neither eggs nor cream.

The essential components of a New York Egg Cream: Fox's U-Bet, Seltzer and Whole Milk. The origin of the name "egg cream" is constantly debated. Stanley Auster, the grandson of the inventor, has been quoted as saying that the origins of the name are lost in time. One commonly accepted origin is that Egg is a corruption of the Yiddish word 'ekt' meaning good or pure, and this was a "good cream". It may also have been called an "Egg Cream" because in the late 1800s there were already many chocolate fountain/dessert drinks using actual eggs (e.g. 'Egg Brin'), and Auster wanted to capitalize on the name. Though almost universally made with chocolate syrup, they were sometimes requested with other flavors, especially vanilla or strawberry.

The egg cream is almost exclusively a fountain drink; although there have been several attempts to bottle it none have been wholly successful, as its fresh taste and characteristic head requires mixing of the ingredients just before drinking. The drink could be described as a "poor man's ice cream soda," as it has a similar overall flavor, but traditionally sold for only a slight premium over an ordinary fountain soda.

According to the Fox's U-bet chocolate syrup website, the recipe for "the original Brooklyn Egg-Cream" is:

Take a tall, chilled, straight-sided, 8oz. glass
Spoon 1 inch of U-bet Chocolate syrup into glass
Add 1 inch whole milk
Tilt the glass and spray seltzer (from a pressurized cylinder only) off a spoon, to make a big chocolate head
Stir, Drink, Enjoy.

Latest i-Tunes Downloads

1. Rise Up With Fists!! Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

2. Misread Kings of Convenience

3. It's a Hit We are Scientists

4. Bright as Yellow Innocence Mission

5. Another Sunny Day Belle and Sebastian

The Good, The Bad and The Mediocre

It's been a mixed bag of culinary experiences as we tried three different restaurants in the Slope for the first time this past week.

Earlier in the week, we headed to Scotta Ditto, between 6th and 7th on Union, and had a very bland, mediocre dinner. The food was not exceptional and the entrees were a bit pricey. Definitely not a place we would return to.

Then, on Saturday, we finally did brunch at 2nd Street Cafe on 7th Avenue. After waiting for 10 minutes (5 at the door, waiting to be seated, and 5 at our table, waiting for someone to take our order), we finally got our meal - French Toast for my wife and Eggs Benedict for me. The food was adequate but service so poor that it really turned me off and I would think twice about returning.

Last night we finally got back on the upswing in our dining experiences with a nice, low-key and overall enjoyable dinner at Blue Ribbon Sushi. We had the Maki Platter and Spider Roll with Shumai to start. All the ingredients were of outstanding quality and tasted really fresh. We ended the meal with Green Tea Creme Brulee, which too was very good. It was nice to finally have a good meal out in the Slope this week....

Living in Da BK

Here's a cool pic a friend of ours took last weekend while she was visiting us....

Celebrity Sighting Update

We've lived in NYC for a little over three months at this point and I can't say that I've seen a lot of celebs.

Living in The Slope, apparently we've got Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly but I haven't seen either of them since I moved here. I did see Steve Buscemi back in September '05 when my wife and I were scouting out potential neighborhoods to live in.

Since we moved to NYC, I've seen Serj Tankian (lead singer of System of a Down) around the Union Square area and more recently, figure skating legend Brian Boitano at Metrazur in Grand Central Station.

Needless to say, pretty weak celeb sightings until today....all around Hudson and 11th, we saw three in a span of a couple hours - first, Philip Seymour Hoffman; next, as we had afternoon drinks at Dublin, we saw Michelle Rodriguez (of Lost fame) walking down Hudson and SuChin Pak (of MTV News). Clearly, Hoffman is the biggest star we've seen for those keeping score at home. Maybe I should post these sightings on Gawker Stalker?

Lazy Weekend

Have a friend visiting from Chicago this weekend, so we're getting a chance to see some sights as well as relax a bit. Caught the Mets game at Shea on Friday night. Chilled on Saturday in The Slope. Had a low-key dinner at Olive Vine and then drinks at The Lighthouse Tavern to catch the Suns/Lakers game.

Today, grabbed some bagels from La Bagel Delight and then eventually headed to the West Village in Manhattan for yes, cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery. Took in some light appetizers and a beer at Dublin, while we people watched. Somehow I was still hungry, so got some hot dogs and Papaya drink at The Papaya King.

Portland Redux

One more shot I took from our recent trip to Portland....

We had a great time but it was a whirlwind of a trip. Next time, we definitely ought to splurge for the direct flight because the stop-over in Dallas, TX was a bitch. Plus, the 3.5 hours from NYC to Dallas and additional 3.5 from Dallas to Portland just wasn't cutting it. On top of it all, American Airlines has got to be one of the cheapest airlines around (and I don't mean they've got low fares). They didn't provide any snack on either leg of our journey from the East Coast to the West Coast. They are gracious enough to sell passengers a four dollar snack pack complete with cheese spread, mixed nuts and a magical beef stick. Wait, say what?! Yes, the stewardess said "magical beef stick" and yes, like a complete juvenile, I couldn't help but chuckle at that. I have to admit, I don't think it's called a "magical beef stick", at least according to the official American Airlines website. Perhaps, the stewardess had something else in mind. Yowsers.

We had great weather and enjoyed catching up with family as we attended the wedding - good food, music and vibe as we went down the Willamette River. All in all, Portland is nice - clean, good restaurants, shops, and laid back. Too bad I heard that they have high levels of unemployment. Seems like a nice to play to live....

The City of Self-Promotion

So, a few weeks back I was out with a friend who struck up a conversation with someone at a bar we were hanging out at. This guy was a trader for some investment bank- probably a dime a dozen in NYC. The point, however, is that this guy somehow works into the conversation that he was high school valedictorian and when I asked how he enjoyed living in NYC, he amazingly turned that into an opportunity to draw a diagram of what he did for a living, illustrating the "buy" side and "sell" side of investment banking.

Unbelievable. Perhaps it's a stereotype, but this douchebag was perpetuating the concept of the self-obsessed, arrogant, self-promoting New Yorker. What is it about this town that breeds this type of antisocial behavior? I've always felt that success is relative and there will always be someone better-looking, richer, smarter, etc. (or some combination thereof) than you. It's pointless to get too wrapped up in that and instead you should simply try to be the best person you can be, corny as it sounds. Who is this annoying breed of New Yorker trying to impress?

I was talking about this with another friend of mine and he said that in New York, it's "all about winning". But who the hell are you competing against? Everyone? In everything? This seems like a ludicrous and ultimately fruitless endeavor. I've never been impressed by people who have to brag about themselves in order to make themselves feel better in a city full of accomplished individuals. If you've got it, you don't need to flaunt it. And I think the bravado and arrogance speak volumes about someone's own insecurities and neuroses.

And trader asshole guy, you don't have it, by the way....I was high school valedictorian too, and went to a more prestigious undergraduate and graduate school than you (but of course, I don't want to brag - don't transform me into one of them, NYC!)

Overheard in Shea Stadium

Ice Cream Vendor in Section 31

"Ice Cream. I got your sexy ice cream here. Sexy ice cream...."

We left the stadium when the score was 6-2 and got home around 11pm. Turned on the TV and saw that the game was in extra innings and tied at 7-7. The game's still going on after more than four hours of play...

M.I.A.

It's been a while since I posted....

Lots to catch up on....

In the meantime, here's a photo I took in the Japanese Garden during our recent trip to Portland, OR....

Like McAdams Loves Gosling

Yesterday, we opted not to stay in all day despite the inclement weather and instead headed to Manhattan to check out Chelsea Market.

I've got to admit that it was not as impressive or sprawling as I had imagined it to be, but there are some stores that I think we will return to, like The Lobster Place and Frank's. It was also interesting to find out that The Food Network tapes some of their shows in the same building.

Afterwards, we decided to treat ourselves to a couple cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker St. The place is actually pretty small and a bit disorganized, especially when a ton of people are trying to get their orders in and/or pay for cupcakes from their "self-serve" system. My wife braved the line and emerged successfully with a couple (one for each of us). Sonofabitch, those cupcakes are for real.

Blow Out 3

Guilty pleasure #4,753 - Season #3 of Blow Out on Bravo...

Overbearing? Self-centered? Delusional? Yes to all three counts. No, I'm not talking about myself. I'm referring to Jonathan Antin, hairstylist extraordinaire and star of the show.

I've been catching up on all the episodes I've been DVR'ing (has that been recognized by Webster's as a verb yet, by the way?).

Yes, the scenarios now seem contrived - like his manufactured tension between Scott of Zorbit (the guy who designs the packaging for Jonathan Products) - and the product placement scenes are blatant and offensive - see Jonathan saying out loud "I just downloaded the new Pussycat Dolls' song on my Sprint phone" - but the verbal gems keep coming from this overpaid Cali boy....

Most recently, he's said things like (and I'm paraphrasing here):
-"For those of you keeping score at home, it's bad hair zero and Jonathan one million"
-To his therapist - "I'm so over ME"
-"When I see a good hair opportunity, it's like seeing the bat signal in the sky"

Grups?

A couple weeks back, Adam Sternbergh got the cover story for New York Magazine with a piece titled "Up With Grups".

On one hand, I understand his argument that there exists a certain subsegment of society that is counter to traditional notions of "adulthood" - white picket fence, suburbs, sensible slacks, etc. But hasn't a counter-culture always existed? The kids that listened to The Cure as teens don't always grow up to be the adults who listen to Phil Collins. Maybe they've moved on to Ivy or Interpol instead. My point is - there were always urban hipsters, so what's the big deal?

That being said, I do like many of the bands that he listed, shop at some of the stores he mentioned, and live in Park Slope - so does that make me the biggest Grup of all?

Take Me Out

Not an original title, I know....

Last night, we went to our second concert in NYC since we've been here. Dual headliners Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand at the Hammerstein Ballroom...

We hung out a friend's place since we didn't want to waste time with the opening act, The Cribs. Unfortunately, we mistimed our arrival as Death Cab's set was already underway when we got there.

Maybe it was the fact that the place was hot, packed, and we were standing the whole time, but Death Cab's set was not nearly as inspiring or entertaining as it was when we saw them in Chicago. Add to that some rude tween/teen/post-collegiate attitude from a couple fans in the crowd (see obnoxious pushing) and it wasn't the greatest experience.

I had never been a huge Franz Ferdinand fan but their set was energetic and gay dudes, frat boys and little kids (yes, there were a bunch of little kids in the balcony) all came together when they belted out their anthem Take Me Out.

Quite a Bit of Catching Up to Do

Went through a quite a week so there's some catching up to do....

Last weekend we finally made our way to Al Di La with some friends and it did not disappoint. No wonder New York Magazine named it one of the best restaurants in New York City. Although they don't take reservations, they do have a bar next door which you can sit at while you wait. However, last Friday evening the weather was so nice we stayed outside while we chatted with a friend on 5th Avenue.

The food was top notch - from the appetizers to the entrees (I went with the duck) to the selection of sorbettis and gelattis. Service was attentive and the atmosphere was nice. Best part of all, for the quality of service and food, the prices were not ostentatious. A very affordable and enjoyable meal.

Meanwhile, we wrapped up our participation of "Dine-In Brooklyn Week" with a swan song at Tempo. We brought a couple friends this time - one from Manhattan and one from Brooklyn (the Heights) - and they both thoroughly enjoyed the experience, as did we. I had the Duck Pastilla Roll which is on their regular menu. It tasted a bit like a Filipino dish called lumpia but with duck meat inside. It was good. As for the entree, I went with the Pan-Roasted Organic Chicken which did not disappoint. Finally, I finished off with the "Nutella" flavored gelato which was awesome. Tempo, like Rose Water, did things right by offering selections from the regular menu as part of the "Restaurant Week" promotional menu.

As for the final tally of the week - Tempo receives 4 stars **** tying Rose Water for best experience all week. Next is Sette Enoteca with 3 stars *** and bringing up the rear with a "lower" 3 is Applewood with three stars *** simply because it fell short of lofty expectations.

What do we look like?

We've been in NYC for about 2 months, but somehow my wife and I have been asked for directions many times. Do we look like true New Yorkers already? Perhaps it's the fact that we often dress in black and have a haggard, forlorn look on our faces as we head to the subway station after a long day at work....

ACCENTuate the negative

I don't want to hate...but I've got to.

Besides reading the Police Blotter in the local Park Slope papers, one of the local things I get a kick out of is the local newscasts - particularly News 12 Brooklyn.

Sportscaster (whose name rhymes with Madam Habits) is quite possibly the worst broadcaster I have ever heard in my life. Cliched as it sounds, it is like watching a car accident - you don't want to watch but yet you can't look away. Each time he files a report - he continually stresses the wrong syllables. It's unbelievably bad. Surely, someone must've told him how bad it is when he speaks, right? Ugh.

What A Week

Restaurant Week, that is.

Being the good newcomers to Brooklyn that we are, we indulged, some would say overindulged, in Brooklyn's Restaurant Week, titled "Dine-In Brooklyn."

Offering three-course meals for $20.06, who could resist? Monday, we headed to Rose Water on Union and 6th. It's a tiny place, so tiny we were almost standing in the kitchen as we waited for our table. It was the first of many places we would go to that week, so we weren't sure what to expect. The wait was a little annoying but we got there early since they said they weren't holding the table for us if we showed up late. Reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Jerry asks: "Isn't the most important part of the reservation - the holding of that reservation?" But looking back, the wait wasn't that long at all. Rose Water serves Contemporary American, focusing on organic ingredients that are in season. This week was such a blur, I don't remember my wife's meal, but I remember what I had: Salad to start, chicken for the entree, and an orange dreamsicle dessert. Everything tasted fresh and was of high quality. The service was adequate but not outstanding. I had to remind the waiter to bring out the dessert wine for my wife who ordered the wine pairing to go with the three-course meal. All in all, though, we were impressed.

Tuesday night, we ventured to Applewood, and believe me, expectations were high. After all, New York Magazine rated it among the top 50 restaurants in all of New York City. Like Rose Water, Applewood prides itself on purchasing ingredients from local farms and using seasonal items. But here's where Rose Water and Applewood differed: whereas Rose Water served items from their regular menu at the discounted price, Applewood offered a special menu listing created just for Dine-In Brooklyn. Translation: they cheaped out and instead of putting its best foot forward and offering first-time guests an unbelievable experience at a discount price, we left disappointed over a mediocre meal. I started off with a salad, duck for the entree, and finished off with what amounted to no more than a couple pineapple slices served with a scoop of ice cream. Not impressive at all but I have to believe that on any other night, had we experienced items on their regular menu, the experience would be outstanding. Instead, Applewood de-valued its brand by serving up a so-so meal. They should not have participated in Dine-In Brooklyn if they weren't going to make an all out effort.

Last up was Sette Enoteca on 7th Ave. The ambience was nice and the food solid, though expectations were not nearly as high as they had been with Applewood, so they could only go up for Sette. I had the salad, pasta dish, and I can't remember what I had for dessert - obviously it was pretty memorable. The service was subpar but not horrible. Again, like Applewood, Sette's Dine-In menu was different from its regular menu, so I have to believe we did not get the best it had to offer, but the Italian fare was satisfying.

We've still got Tempo left, but the tally so far goes as follows (out of five stars):
1. Rose Water - Four Stars ****

2. Sette Enoteca - Three Stars ***

3. Applewood - Three Stars ***(a low three)

Spring Has Sprung

I took this picture today during our visit to The Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It's an impressive place (and an impressive picture that I took, I know). Ha, ha.

We also had an awesome brunch at Two Boots in Park Slope. I had the Salmon Benny while my wife had the Bananas Foster French Toast. An awesome meal.

And yes, you know I am tired when the blog postings are relegated to me listing what I ate.....

Settling into NYC

What a week it was...

On Monday, we headed to Vice Versa to unwind after work. The decor was fancy, the food was decent but all in all, we found it a little lacking and certainly wouldn't go out of our way to go there again. The potato gnocchi was solid though and my wife had the pumpkin ravioli which satisfied the Monday blues we were suffering.

Fast forwarding to Saturday - we headed to Union Square for the Union Square Greenmarket. We then took in some lunch at Cafe Medina on 5th and B'way. I had the Cuban sandwich, while my wife had the chicken quesadilla sandwich. They were both tasty but way too big to finish in one sitting.

Did some shopping on Fifth Avenue and then saw Dave Chappelle's Block Party, a film about the free block party Dave threw in Brooklyn back in 2004. It was a feel-good documentary/concert/comedy film. Dave, of course, steals the show with his humor but the musical performances were good too (The Roots, Kanye West, Common, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, The Fugees, etc.).

Later, we did some damage at The Container Store as we attempt to get our place together finally...