Wednesday, November 24, 2010

MVP, Gaga, Turkey Day

Congrats to Joey Votto and Josh Hamilton on winning MVP awards this year in MLB.
I find it such an American tale these two. 
Hamilton is a former drug addict and alcoholic.  Hamilton missed years of his career fighting his demons and almost lost his career.  Now he took the Rangers to the World Series for the first time and won his first MVP.
Votto missed time last year battling depression after the death of his father.  Apparently he has had bouts with the malady before.  At one point they did not know whether he would return to the game.
I find these 'comebacks' to be the new American Dream.  America loves a good comeback and these guys both earned their awards, as well as our praise for overcoming personal adversity of this magnitude to succeed in their chosen endeavors.

Do you believe this was, what is Lady Gaga?
Terrible transformation, eh?

Finally, a Happy Turkey Day to everyone.  Travel safely, eat well, unbutton that top button.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Blog is Back! Broken Bells, Great Mets Decisions, Anti-Semetic Toy and Restaurant.com revisit

I haven't posted on this in a while.  Since my last post
  • The Giants won the world series (congrats)
  • My son, Myles Bennett Birnbaum, arrived (congrats)
  • I've lost 10 lbs.
  • I've gained back said 10 lbs.
  • The Mets have dismissed their GM, and replaced him with four GM's (will explain)
  • It now gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon
  • I have cooked many a good meal (gonna start sharing tips and recipes on this)
  • I won a fantasy baseball league and came in second in another 
  • The republicans have taken back over
  • George Bush has become timely and of the moment
  • Lots of new and good tv has started
Not earth shattering events, but yeah, i have been avoiding this blog.  And now i am back!


Broken Bells is the band i cannot stop listening to these days.  Duet of Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse  (Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley, produced Beck and many others) and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Shins.  BB's music has universal appeal with poppy hooks and lyrics set to music that moves and isn't too artsy/serious for it's own well being (marketability).  The track "High Road" is the most commercial, but i'd recommend downloading "October" or "The Mall and Misery" to get a better sense of their style.

Mets hired Sandy Alderson.  Cliff notes on him.  Marine, Harvard Law grad, pioneer of sabermetrics, architect of the Oakland A's from the Canseco/Mcgwire years.  He is a brilliant and tough man and brings instant credibility to the team.  The most important aspect to this hiring is that he has the respect of those within the organization.  The owners are going to let him run the show and their will be unilateral decision making from his office.  He also has three ex GM's working for him, Paul Depodesta, Wayne Krivsky and J.P. Ricciardi.  Look for an enormous and immediate improvement in all levels of the entire organization.  Nice to know that the team is back on track.

Check out this toy.  Is it me or does it look like the "shoot the menorah game" or what?  Their has to be some anti-jewish, anti-hannukah undertone in its design, huh?

If you like to eat out and haven't yet checked out restaurant.com do so.  You get to buy certificates to use at restaurants at ridiculous prices.  Spend $10 and you get a $25 credit.  Once you buy one, you get emails offering these certificates discounted up to 80%.  Sooo, spend $2 and get $25!!!!  Just have a look at the site and see that 1/2 of the restaurants that you eat at ALREADY are on this crazy program.  It is nutty.

Look out for more posts, i'll be trying to do this a couple of times a week.
Hope everyone is well out there.

Monday, August 16, 2010

KROD out for year, Shutter Island, Weeds tonight, repost

Krod is out for the year.  He tore ligaments in his thumb punching his father in law in the Mets family room.  Krod was pitching great, but this is the type of offense that no class organization should stand, and if his contract is voidable, they should void it.  (Grab Parnell you FBB players)

Finally saw Shutter Island the other night.  Definetly in the Total Recall category in terms of amount of debate possible because of a lack of evidence on both sides of the argument.

Weeds on tonight!  Great show, will partially fill the void left by FNL ending.

Reposting a link to http://www.restaurant.com/ 
Crazy deals.  Buy a certificate for a restaurant worth $25 for $10.  Then they send emails for 50-80% off the certificates.  You end up with $25 for $2-$5.  No reason not to browse to see if places you already go to are on the program.

Enjoy your Monday evening.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Spoon, Charlie's Clam Bar, Mets, Bill vs. Betty

Been a while since i've posted.  Busy with nothing in a real nice way.  Hope everyone is well and that summer is treating y'all well.

Just ate at Charlie's Clam Bar in Port Washington (where i live).  It is a trailer in a parking lot at Inspiration Wharf and is exactly the type of place that i love.  Order reasonable priced raw bar, lobster rolls or fried seafood (clam strips, shrimp, etc...) sit at picnic benches, eat off paper plates and watch boats go by.  Food is good enough, but the whole package just feels right.  Great place to take kids for a quick affordable meal.

Been listening to a lot of Spoon.  Never really heard anything about them but was told that if you like the new Black Keys album, Brothers, then Spoon would probably be up your alley too.  Their music is extremely diverse, some being alternative, some rock, some pop.  All of it is good.  If you are new to them, download "Jonathan Fisk", "Sister Jack", "Waiting for the kid to come out" and "Everything hits at once" as a primer.

http://billvsbetty.tumblr.com/
Check out Steve Dressler's new site.  The tumblog is devoted to mashing up pictures of Betty White and Bill Murray.  Some are disturbing, some are hysterical, all are worth a look.  If you've never been to his other site, it is a great way to break monotony and get a laugh.  http://elsloganero.wordpress.com/


Trade deadline passed yesterday and the Mets were heavily criticized for not making any moves.  I disagree with this sentiment strongly.  They were criticized for not signing Jason Marquis, Joel Pineiro, Randy Wolf and Ben Sheets.  All are out for the year injured or stinking up their respective ballparks. 
The Mets could have improved themselves, that i acknowledge.  But i honestly feel as though their success or failure hinges on who they already have.  Their situation is perilously similar to the Zambrano/Kazmir situation of 6/7 years ago.  To refresh, Mets were 6 out of first (or so), traded the future for the present, and were then swept one series and were 9 out, and basically out of contention.
The current team happens to have one of the easiest 5 schedules in baseball going forward.  The team is loaded with people who CAN be great, but may or may not be.  If they catch breaks and gel, you never know.  More than likely they aren't as good as the teams they have to pass, and for better or worse, kept all of their future pieces in tact.   With the waiver deadline a month away, they'll be able to make moves if they gain ground, and if they fall out of contention, they can perhaps unload some payroll. 
Rather than last year, i am glad we can still talk about it.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Sports as a barometer for aging

I am sitting in my backyard watching my daughter sleeping in her stroller and i'm surfing the web.  I read a lot about sports in my spare time, particularly the teams i root for, namely the Mets, Islanders, 76ers, Colts and all things Michigan.
I just read that the Mets selected Corey Vaughn in the 4th round.  He is the son of Greg Vaughn, a former member of the Devil Rays, Rockies, etc...
On the University of Michigan Basketball team, we will have Tim Hardaway Jr., Joe Dumars' son, and Al Horford's little brother.
This all got me thinking that i am getting old.

As a kid, you watch these athletes, and they all seem like adults.
Then you're in college, watching your peers and people that are older than you but no longer intimidatingly older.
Now the guys we grew up with are entering the Hall of Fame and their kids are making the rosters.
It kind of frightens me in a way that also fulfills me. 
I just glanced back at my daughter sleeping and realized that i like getting older.

Have a good day.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Pinch closes, Mets Analysis, The Black Keys

I've figured out that it takes some good music to inspire me to post on this blog, despite the fact that this is clearly not a blog about music.

The new album by The Black Keys, entitled Brothers, is PHENOMENAL.  Blending Blues, Soul and Rock they have made an album with edge that can appeal mainstream.  The lyrics are well thought out to boot.  "my next girl, will be nothing like my ex girl.  I made mistakes back then, i'll never do it again", brilliant.  Highly recommend.

Pinch & S'MAC closed a few weeks ago.  Put simply, it wasn't performing up to expectations.  We were crazy busy 1/2 the week and 1/2 the week the place was a ghost town.  Thanks to all supporters of Pinch and P & S, and sorry to the fans.  Has been a great bunch of years, and it is bittersweet seeing it go.  That said, i remain employed with Ark Restaurants (as before) and am loving what i am doing, and am very happy.  New restaurant will be opening in the space in four weeks, and the new concept is exciting and the place is gonna look great.  Will update status.

Mets Stuff.
Firstly, this team is better than people are giving credit for.  The errors and base running blunders of the past have been eradicated.  Jerry Manuel may not be the best as juggling a bullpen, but his staff has taught fundamentals.  He deserves credit for that.
Luis Castillo has been performing well (getting on base), but Daniel Murphy, recently off the DL and assigned to Buffalo should take his spot ASAP.  He is a prototypical #2 hitter (contact) and has good power for the position.  He has played 2B before.  People forget how good he was when he came up two years ago.  Through 40 games, he had better stats than Ike Davis.  Castillo has no upside at all beyond a good on base percentage, whereas Murphy led the Mets in homers last year.
Finally, Roy Oswalt must be a priority.  His large salary will take most teams out of the running and also require less compensation.  Give up a few double A prospects and nab the guy! 


Will be posting more often after this hiatus.  Hope everyone is well out there.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Teaching a child to share, THE METS!, City Treehouse

My daughter Alexandra is almost 2 and a half.  She is delicious, but can be tough as most kids her age are.  She has trouble sharing.  We are trying to teach her and have found it difficult.  So i hit the net, searching for answers, and apart from the obvious i found some good kernels.
Firstly, the obvious is to reward good behavior and set good examples.
The not so obvious....  Before a playdate, ask your child if there are any toys they'd like to put away so that nobody can play with them, because it is ok for children to have their own private things.  Secondly, when inviting another child to play, ask them to bring a few of their own toys.  Your child will inherently want to play with these foreign, new things, and it will make it more acceptable to them to allow the other child to play with their stuff. 
Time to implement.  Let me know if you have other suggestions.

See my last blog post and i mentioned that i thought the Mets were going to go on a run.  Boy do i look smart.  They have exceeded my expectations and look like a disciplined, well coached team.  I am dampering expectations, but think that they can compete with the rest of the NL. 

City Treehouse is an amazing place in NYC for a rainy or winter day.  It is by appointment only and features a playroom, a water table and a slide/jungle gym.  Highly recommend checking it out. 
http://www.citytreehouse.com/

All this new music that i've been talking about is great and all, but lately it's back to the classics.  Lots of Doors, Zepp, Dead, and Reggae.  Comfort food for the ears...


Have a great day.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Free Stuff, Ya Mon, Ike D, Baby

http://www.freestuff.com/  Free samples, incentives and other funny stuff

Was just in Jamaica for a destination wedding.  Was an amazing party, affair and group of people assembled.  We were at Round Hill in Montego Bay.  If you or someone you know are considering an away wedding, i cannot more highly recommend a place.

We flew Delta.  Had TV on the way back.  I absolutely love having a TV while on an airplane.  I still read a great book, "The Last Child" by John Hart.  It is a bit disturbing, but the pages keep turning. 

The couple are stranded in Paris on their honeymoon, unable to fly to Morocco because of this volcano business.  Could be worse, but i hope they get south.

Ike Davis makes his debut for the Mets tonight.  Finally we get to be excited about something again!   I think this callup is timed very well and i think it will light a fire.  7-3 homestand puts them back to .500. 
I read that someone thought that they cut Mike Jacobs too early.  They obviously didn't see him pop up against a positional player in the 20 inning game. 

Finally, i am proud to announce that my wife Kimberly is pregnant again, and that baby #2 is on the way!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Q VS. A, The Temper Trap, The Mets are Banged up (again), Follow Please

I tend to not wax philosophical, especially in this space, but i beg the question of "what is more important, the questions people ask, or the answers they give?"  I am firmly in the camp of the "questions".  I think peoples questions tell so much more about motivation, intelligence, experience and interest, whereas "answers" are limited in scope.
I come upon this question because i am hiring for our busy summer season.  I am interviewing a lot of people, and i find that the good candidates have the questions and the bad ones, the answers.  Which camp are you in?

The Temper Trap is a band i have recently found.  They sound like a blend of old U2 and the Killers.  I cannot stop listening to this album.   If you want to give them a whirl, start by downloading the tracks, "Sweet Disposition" and "Love Lost".  HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Mets Opening Day, and we'll be missing our 1B, SS, CF and Closer.  Glad we had an offseason to get healthy.  And our pitchers have had a terrible spring.  My optimism is quickly turning to worry.

Finally, i have no agenda in writing this blog.  I simply use it to share cool things, links and ideas.  Many people are reading it, and letting me know that they are enjoying it.  I appreciate it very much!  I would appreciate anyone who clicks on the "FOLLOW" link.  This feature will send you the new blog posts automatically.  Thanks for reading, have a great weekend.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Coocoo, Cypress Hill, Big Papi, Cooking Tip

Great new service, Coocoo
Text 266266 the name of the LIRR station you want to leave from and your destination, and five seconds later you have all the train times.
I.E.  Port Wash to Penn
7:39 > 8:24
8:10 > 8:55

It'll give you five results instantly.  Even if you don't live there, it'll come in handy for visiting, and be on the lookout for this service in other municipalities.

Heard a new Cypress Hill song on the radio the other day, "Rise Up".  Great beat, little bit hard, but great.  It'll be huge.  Check it out.

Fantasy BBallers.  You heard it hear first, HUGE rebound year for Big Papi Ortiz.  He is going really late in drafts and auctions.

Finally, when you want chopped garlic, use the following technique, very fast and easy.

Peal garlic.
Hold a fork against your countertop or cutting board.
Drag the garlic against the tines of your fork, this will mince it.
It works incredibly well.

Enjoy

Monday, March 15, 2010

Benihana, NYC Schools Charity, March Madness

Starting soon, at Pinch & S'MAC, we are going to donate 15% of all in house receipts on Monday and Tuesday nights to a local public school.  The city school system is grossly underfunded and we feel that we may be able to motivate people to help out by hosting these events.  We are hoping that the Parents in these schools help motivate one another to come out and support the cause.  We are currently seeking teachers, administrators, principals, etc... who can help us make contact with schools interested in working with us.  If you know a city teacher or someone involved in the school system, please forward this on to them so that we may speak.  Thanks!!!
We will also be allowing "study time" in our side room every afternoon from 2:30 - 5:00.  Kids will be welcomed to come in and do their homework with no obligations or purchases.  It is important to make positive contributions to the communities in which we live, and businesses are not exempt.


On a less serious note:
If anyone doubted the paternity of my daughter, all you would have needed to see was her face last night at Benihana, and all doubt would have been removed.
Last time i went (Manhasset location), i said it would be my last, as everything was oversalted and not so fresh.  Last night was total redemption.  Food tasted great, place was clean, service was good, price was right.  And Alexandra loved it!!!  If going with a child, i cannot more highly suggest an order of edamame for the little one to kill time during the ordering/soup/salad phase.  Thereafter, the cooking will provide the distraction.  Enjoy!

Finally, March Madness is upon us.  I know a guy who runs a HUGE and great Madness pool.  If you'd like the details, email me and i'll send you the link. 

Have a great day,
TB

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Expired Gift Certificates, Fanfarlo, Mets Excitement (not a typo)

Most people know i work in the restaurant industry.  I am extremely critical of websites where anyone can post reviews.  With the exception of opentable.com, where customers must PROVE they ate at the restaurant, none of these sites require a customer to supply evidence of their experience.  This lends itself to shills (false positive reviews), false criticisms by competitors, and obviously the emotional reviewer review.  These sites have become a place to vent because there is less incentive to leave positive reviews then negative ones.  My favorite example of this behavior is evidenced in the following scenario.
Customer purchases gift certificate or promotional voucher to restaurant.  Said voucher is clearly labeled with an EXPIRATION DATE.  Exp date passes and customer calls to ask whether or not they can use it.  This customer has proven that they won't come to your restaurant through the course of a year for a FREE meal, i ask, is this a customer you should go out of your way for?  If you honor it, you are providing good service, generating good karma, but are probably running your business wrong.  If you don't honor it, this customer will go online and leave a bad review of your restaurant, despite the fact that they have not been to your place in over a year.  Don't believe me, i'll send you a link to multiple reviews showing this exact scenario.

Fanfarlo is a band to follow and take seriously.  Their debut album, "Reservoir" is great from start to finish.   They sound like Talking Heads with traces of REM and Coldplay.  I think they make it if they work hard, and i urge you to check em out.

Opening Day approaches.  Mets fans have a lot to worry about with a daunting beginning to the schedule, including series' against the Marlins, Rockies, Cardinals, Braves and Dodgers.  Couple that with injuries to Reyes and Beltran, and uncertainty in the rotation, and many are counting on the Mets to stumble and fall.
This year aside, the long term view of the Mets has improved this spring.  The state of their farm system is vastly better than they have been given credit for.  Ike Davis will take over at first base next year (if not this) and he is being compared to John Olerud.  Jenry Mejia has been lights out pitching and his cutter is being prematurely compared to Mo Rivera.  Fernando Martinez is hitting again.  We have a future catcher in Josh Thole.  We have a couple of interesting imports from Japan that should be in the bullpen.  The organizational depth seems to be drastically improved.
The Mets will have money at the deadline because they had a prudent offseason, and i can see them making a run at some help if they should remain relevant.  Even if this doesn't occur, the possibility exists right now, and that is exciting.

Have a great weekend.
TB

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Our Farmers Markets are Broken, Vampire Weekend, Baseball and Sharks

Just got back from visiting bro, sis in law and nephews x 2 in California.  Great to see them, i love them and miss them dearly.  We hung and ate our way through Cali.
Went to the San Rafael Farmers Market on Saturday morning.  A wide array of fruits, veggies, breads, cheeses, meats, fishes, flowers and other natural products were all super impressive.  But what made this place were the available HOT and Prepared foods.  Incredible waffles, thai food, rotisserie chickens and porchetta, grilled oysters, mediteranean food, artisinal pizzas and much much more.  You don't have to be a cook or a foodie to appreciate this greenmarket.  It is approachable and delicious no matter your level of food knowledge or environmental awareness.  Our greenmarket strikes me as somewhat exclusive to the masses because it is not approachable in the same way, and i find it unfortunate.  I know the local restaurants may oppose the presence of competitors of this type in the area, but perhaps they should get an opportunity to participate?  Just my two cents.

Been listening to a band named "Vampire Weekend", the album is Contra.
It is very very good.  Mixture of many genres, kind of like Paul Simon goes Indy with a beat.  Highly recommend checking it out.

Can't believe we are less than 6 weeks from Opening Day!!!  There is hope as a Met fan if we can keep our pitchers healthy.  Hope is good!!!   Then there is Fantasy Baseball, which is the greatest invention since the Frozen Drink machine. 

Watched a special on Discovery the other day which was UNREAL.  "Air Jaws" about the sharks off of South Africa that go airborne while hunting seals.  You need to DVR this thing, it is absurd.
And rewatched Jaws the other night.  It may be the most perfect film every made.  If you haven't seen it lately you need to rewatch this film, it is Spielberg at his best.

Enjoy the local weather (if you aren't here)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

VDAY should always be the Sunday after the Superbowl!

Some holidays are on a date (xmas = dec 25), some are on a specific day of the week (thxsgiving = last Thur in Nov) .  I hereby motion to make Valentine's Day the Sunday after Superbowl Sunday every year.

Every Sunday all fall and winter, most wives, girlfriends and lovers lose their husbands, boyfriends and men to America's real pasttime, the NFL.  While there are plenty of female fans out there, please accept my generalizations as generally true.  The Super Bowl is a dream for these ladies, as it signifies that they get their guys back on Sundays, at least for a few weeks (NCAA tourney, baseball, NBA/NHL playoffs, Golfing season!).  How fitting is it to follow up the Superbowl with Valentine's Day?  It is a huge thank you for the freedom, or a sorry for the inattention.
Sunday is also the right day for the holiday.  It's easier to get reservations because half of the people go out Saturday night.  Brunch is in play as a more affordable option.  Getting last minute gifts and cards is easier as you have Saturday.  It just works.


Other stuff:
http://www.restaurant.com/

This site has $25 vouchers for local restaurants, you pay $10.
The real value comes once you've bought one.  You will start to receive emails offering 50% - 80% off of these vouchers, allowing you to purchase $25 for $2, legitamately.  Log on to see if anywhere you are already eating is on there.  It is found money.

Cooking tip (i found on the net)
Ever have a block of sugar?  Put it into a ziplock with a piece of bread.  Two hours later you will again have crumbly sugar. 

Happy Valentine's Day to Everyone.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Charles Barkley threatens 14 year old (me)

May 7, 1990
I was a camper at JKST (Julian Krinsky school of tennis) based at Haverford college.  I was playing golf in the mornings, squash or tennis in the afternoons.  As part of the golf program, we volunteered at the Tylenol Kids Classic, a golf tournament held in the Philly Area.  In the morning time, i held the sign behind Bill Glasson, showing his score.  In the afternoon, we worked the ropes for a celebrity skins game  between Michael Jordan, Frank Gifford, Joe Morgan and Mike Schmidt.  Great field, but making it even better was the emergence of Charles Barkley caddying for MJ.  Dressed to the nines with pom pom on head, socks raised, looking like Payne Stewart with no NFL affiliation, Barkley was reduced to a side show.
I have been a lifelong sixers fan and modeled my game after Sir Charles himself.  So obviously i took a few pictures.  Barkley sees this and turns to me, "kid, if you take another FBOMB'in picture of me, i'm gonna shove that FBOMB'in camera down your FBOMB'in throat".   I WAS TRAUMATIZED.  I can understand the frustration of not being able to participate (Barkley supposedly didn't have the game to play) , but if he was gonna be so touchy, he shouldn't have taken the gig.  Guarantee you he'd remember this incident.
The real shame of this story is that i have no idea whatsoever what became of this roll of film.  Barkley was traded the following year for Hornacek in a really bad deal, and i was probably the only Sixers fan happy about it.

Next Blog is going to be about a good celebrity encounter from my past.
Have a great weekend.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Robert, Landmarc, AT+T Wireless, Garage Sale Gold

The company i work for, Ark Restaurants http://www.arkrestaurants.com/ recently opened a new restaurant, Robert.  It is located at Columbus circle on the top floor of the Museum of Art and Design.  Kim (my incredible wife) and I went the other night for a cocktail and were both blown away by the sophistication of the view, the room and the service.  We are excited to go back and try the food, the menu was great.  This is a non-trendy, old NY kind of place.   It is going to be a tough tough ticket.  (this review would not have changed an iota if i were not affiliated with the company)
We then crossed the street to go to Landmarc at the TWC, a goto for us when we have no reservation.  LOVE this place, as it is informal, the food is a solid B+ and the value on the wine list has no equal.  Their whole concept is to mark up their wine less, and because of this they get product from vineyards that normally don't supply New York restaurants.  We got a half bottle of Merry Edwards Sauv Blanc and it was unbelievable.  Normally we go here with a group and share lots of stuff.  Their risotto is pretty good, as are the marrow bones.  They are known for their mussels and steaks though.  This time, I ordered a burger and it absolutely blew me away.  It was steaky, charred on the out and bloody on the in.  It was served on an Onion Foccacia Roll that held everything in place perfectly.  It was aged steaky meat and I can't wait to go back and have another!

I beat up my phones.  So after a year and a half with the current one, i went to Fusion Wireless in Port Washington.  The guy who helped me, Sandy Blane, knows how to serve a customer.  In ten minutes i walked out with a new blackberry with my entire memory reprogrammed.  I asked virtually no questions, he just let me know the best deal going on.  I laid out $64 for the new phone and i have a $100 gift card on the way.  But we all know how big a pain in the @ss getting all the paperwork together for a rebate is.  Cut this, paste this, copy this and mail.  He did it all for me, put it in a pre-addressed envelope and all i had to do was stamp and mail it.  Very satisfying.

A house a few doors down from us was recently sold.  They were having a garage sale this past weekend and i decided to check if they were selling some stuff we have been searching for.  Lo and behold, the gentleman was selling his CD's!!!  For $40 i picked up every Pearl Jam, STP, and Nirvana disc, as well as various Foo Fighters, Live, Alice in Chains, Journey discs.  There were also like 10 soundtracks, some Richard marx (yippee, j/k) discs.  All in all about 85 discs.  Think i am going to start looking for more garage sales.   Shame the couple is moving, they were very nice.

Til Next Time

And yes, i am avoiding any Mets discussions at the moment.

http://www.robertatmad.com/
http://www.landmarc-restaurant.com/
http://www.merryedwards.com/
Fusion wireless is at 65 Main St. in Port

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Haitian Reality, Texting for charity, Our Country, Feeding America

What happenned in Haiti was TERRIBLE.  My heart goes out to each and every person personally affected by this tragedy.

What was going on before the earthquake was equally tragic.  Home of poverty, illiteracy, political instability, Haiti has been a bastion of all of the problems typical of a third world nation.  They have been virtually ignored, despite the humanitarian atrocities taking place there on a daily basis.
The enormous death toll was exacerbated by shoddy building materials, overcrowding and a host of existing problems that have been virtually ignored by the world.
It is great that everyone is opening their wallets, texting relief and feeling genuine compassion for their plight.

That said, we have our own problems in this country.  Why can't we all motivate to donate locally.  There are millions of Americans living meal to meal.   They call this food insecurity.  http://www.feedingamerica.org/ is an organization focused on making sure our own residents are fed.  You can donate $5 on your cell phone bill by texting FEED to 90999.

I am not saying that you should not donate money to Haiti, just while you are feeling generous, don't forget about our own people.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Them Crooked Vultures, Cooking Tips, Parking Links and More

Many have asked me why i am not writing about food.
Simple answer is that is what i do for a living, and that wouldn't be much of an escape. 
Complicated answer is that i think that there are way too many people critiquing food and not enough enjoying it.  Lots of work goes into cooking and serving meals, i'd rather not be the critical one.

Had a few meals recently though worth checking in on.
Sriprithai (number 1 rated Thai in NY) opened a branch in East Williston (next to Roslyn) and it is by FAR the best Thai I have had.  HOT HOT HOT, if you are sensitive order mild.  Delicious, can't wait to go back.

Trata of Hamptons and City fame opened in the old Buongusto space in the old town of Roslyn.  Beautiful space, good vibe, great food.  Expensive place, happy to have had a gift card (thanks Larry)

Cooking Tips in response to recent queries
Use chicken stock instead of water next time you make rice, you won't believe the difference.
If it was refrigerated when you bought it, put it in the fridge.  If it wasn't, then don't.  If you cut it open, put it in the fridge regardless of where it came from.

Mets got their man in Bay.  Hope he comes through.  Doug Davis and Benji Molina will hopefully be next.

If you are a rock fan and aren't listening to Them Crooked Vultures, time to get on board.
John Paul Jones (Zepplin), Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stoneage) comprise the group.  The hit single, "Newfang" has a great beat and the other tracks are the kind that grow on you quickly.

Also, this video of Weezer covering MGMT and GAGA has to be watched.  I am not really a weezer fan, but a fan of this song, it is really ON.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_8GNaEVCPU

Few helpful links before ending this edition
http://www.centralparking.com/ for discounted NYC parking vouchers
http://www.bestparking.com/ to find cheapest parking at time and place of your travel

Hope you had great vacations or got a lot done while everyone else was away.
Happy  New Year