I Hear It, You?

Created by Train Horn

All I Do Is Eat (Home Cookin' Edition)

Lest my stories of dining out give the wrong impression, I wanted to make sure that it was clear that most of my eating these days occurs at home. The occasional dining out splurge is balanced by weeks of meals at home. Here are a couple of successful recent home cooked meals.

I have tried in the past to successfully replicate Jamaican styled ox tails and I finally "nailed" it. I combined a couple of recipes I found online to give it "that" taste - in this case the key ingredients were thyme, ginger, soy sauce, a jalapeno (couldn't find scotch bonnet), and all spice (in addition to things like garlic, onion, pepper, scallion, tomato, carrots, and beef stock). After browning the ox tails, I added the stock and vegetables and started the slow process of reducing it all.


Four hours and a can of broad beans later and we're home. I served this with coco rice and peas and was a happy camper.


Inspired by the deep dish pizza stories of a friend, we decided to make some of our own this past weekend. Ours were thin crust (we let our dough rise for two hours) and cooked in cast iron cookware. The first was a vegetable pie featuring mushroom, jalapeno, tomato, garlic, onion, fresh mozzarella, and fresh grated Parmesan. The cast iron skillet I used for this pie is about 15" across so the crust was a little thinner than originally planned.


We cooked the second pie in a cast iron enamel dutch oven that has a diameter of about 12" so the crust came out slightly thicker than the first pie. This was our meat pie but aside from substituting pepperoni for mushroom and omitting the jalapenos, the toppings were otherwise the same. The cast iron cookware we used contributed to great crisp crusts on both pies. Though my sauce came out sweeter than I had planned, there were no complaints and nary a slice remaining when all was said and done.

All I Do Is Eat (But You Already Knew That)

I also saw a play!

Friday night at the Bam Harvey Theater we saw the Sam Mendes (American Beauty) directed production of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. Great cast, great direction, and utterly enjoyable. Also a great value at $35 a seat.

A brisk walk after the show led us to the always reliable and stylish Clinton Hill Latin restaurant, Luz. We shared the empanadas - I've been told that my baked turkey empanadas are just as good :-) - and ceviche appetizers, and the roasted pork and rotisserie chicken entrees. The pork was tasty but a touch dry, however, everything else was spot on and delicious. The only let down in my meal was the beer I ordered, a Kasteel Cru. A French beer brewed using champagne yeast for a fine, crisp lager with a sparkling finish. Not much flavor or sparkle if you ask me, however, considering this bottle often sells for $10-$12 in Manhattan restaurants, the $7 I paid was a bargain. Dinner as described above with two drinks (including the Cru) came to $62 before tip. Luz is located at 177 Vanderbilt between Myrtle and Willoughby.

Saturday we headed to Petite Crevette for dinner. This French inspired seafood restaurant is highly regarded and BYOB - a real bonus during these dark economic times. We brought an inexpensive unoaked New Zealand Chardonnay - kind of got what we paid for on that one. Petite Crevette doesn't normally take reservations so we were surprised when asked if we had one. Reservations, we learned, are accepted/required on holidays and special occasions. Fortunately, and I mean damn fortunately, there was an empty table when we arrived and we were immediately seated. Within minutes a swell of would be diners, all like us, unaware of the special occasion reservation rule, crowded the door of this tiny bistro. Though the full menu appeared to be available, we were directed to the price fix menu ($49), an acceptable trade off for having snagged the last free table we'd see for the next hour and a half or so. For the appetizer course we chose the crab cake, and the tomato and fresh mozzarella salad. For our entrees we choose the Bouillabaisse, and the roasted Cod. For desert we chose the apple tart, and the poached pear. The owner and chef is quite the character and because his tiny kitchen is in the tiny front dining room where we sat, you could say his "colorful" personality was the final ingredient in our meal. Not a bad bite all night. Dinner for two came to $98 before tip. Petite Crevette is located at 144 Hicks Street on the corner of Union Street in Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn. Cash only.

Motivated by last week's successful Jamaican style ox tail stew, we decided to try our hands at jerk chicken. We marinated our chicken overnight and were actually concerned that it might be too hot as a result. Wrong! Though flavorful in its own right, our chicken was as jerked as George Bush is scholarly. The jalapeños we used in lieu of scotch bonnets had no fire. None. I knew jalapeños weren't as hot as scotch bonnets, but I didn't realize how much milder they are; scotch bonnets are 15-40 times hotter than the average jalapeño. Oh well, dinner was still tasty. We finished with some incomparable Teuscher Champaign Truffles and a bottle of Lindemans Framboise.

We decided to finish the long weekend on a strong note so we headed into the city for what I was told - by someone who knows! - is the top Ramen Noodle in town, Ippudo. Unfortunately, the place was packed. Despite the temptation of the rarely sighted Yebisu beer, having not eaten since breakfast we couldn't justify the hour wait so we headed to the nearby Menkui Tei. We ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen and a miso based pork ramen, the Mabo Tofu, and washed it down with a 33.8 oz Asahi (which came with a spicy shrimp appetizer for a budget pleasing $12!!!). Filling, delicious, and the perfect way to finish a weekend full of great eats. Dinner came to $37 before tip. Menkui Tei is located at 63 Cooper Sq., between 7th St. and Astor. Cash only.

Iron Chef Brookyn - The Blog

As you may remember I participated in an Iron Chef Battle a couple of months ago - Battle Cheddar. Since then I've judged a couple more battles, Battle Cereal, and this past weekend, Battle Pasta. The host, and until this past weekend, reigning champ, has set up a blog chronicling the battles thus far. It's still under development but I can see it becoming a good resource - several of us will be adding our recipes to the site. This is timely stuff because my battle partner Cybele and I will be battling the new champs on March 21 in Battle Pork. Who can resist pork?

Buy And Hold? Not So Much

This snapshot shows the Dow's performance over the last 10 years or so (roughly the amount of time since my graduation from law school). Without even adjusting for inflation, the Dow is netting a big fat 0% return over that period. I don't think many people "buy and hold" these days but I remember when that was considered good advice. Or maybe it still is? I don't have much invested but what I have was saved by pure luck. Early last year I rolled over an old employer 401K into a new IRA but neglected to complete the instructions indicating how I wanted the rolled over funds allocated. Absent instruction, the funds were placed in a money market account. I forgot all about it until the current crisis started to really snowball. When I finally checked on my account, imagine my surprise to find out that instead of losing most of my money during the last year, I'm up a killer (in this market) 1%. Me, your new financial genius.

What Don't You Fuckin' Understand?

The remix. If you have no idea what this is about, check here.

Where's Urkel?

He probably told them he was busy ...

My (Foreign Policy) Man Crush Finally Shows Some Leg

Gregory Djerejian, author of the Belgravia Dispatch, has stopped playing hard to get long enough to pen another gem of a piece on foreign policy; in this case, his foreign policy prescriptions for the Obama Administration. It's a lengthy piece (10 pages when cut and pasted into MS Word - Tahoma size 10 - so you may want to print it), but worth the time and effort to read and digest.

On effectively resuscitating the Middle East peace process:

What is nonetheless clear, however, as much as some would like to wish it away, is that the Arab-Israeli conflict acts as a toxin materially hampering forward progress in the wider region—while radicalizing tens of thousands, such as Mohamed Atta, to take one prominent example. Meantime the outgoing Bush Administration’s obsession (born of insecurity) to follow ‘ABC’ (“Anything But [Bill] Clinton”, e.g. no robust peace-making), isolate Arafat, forsake more of an ‘honest-broker’ role—while simultaneously airily obsessing about ‘free’ elections—all helped usher in Hamas’ rise to greater power in Palestine, with such radicalization further fanned by the war in Iraq.

On why the "good" war in Afghanistan should be re-evaluated:

Here’s why it’s not such a no-brainer to march tens of thousands of reinforcements into the wilds of Afghanistan ... Why? First off, it’s a losing battle. The presence of foreign troops (like it or not, they are widely viewed as occupiers) only serves to further radicalize local Afghans (have the experiences of the Soviets, and before them, the British—thought us nothing?). Second, al-Qaeda is mostly scattered in parts Pakistan, rather than portions of Afghanistan where Marines are operating. And, even if not, or they move too freely back and forth, query: what was it about the 9/11 hijackers, say, that made it so critical that they’d enjoyed a safe-haven in Afghanistan? Was this safe haven needed to allow some of the hijackers to attend flight school in Florida, say, as former UK diplomat Rory Stewart has quipped? Can one only learn the finer usages of box-cutters—or more ambitious chemical and biological schemes for that matter—in far-away Afghanistan (to the contrary, one might argue it’s much harder in such parts, rather than in more advanced societies with easier access to the relevant technologies etc.)?

The full article can be found here.

I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me

Satellite pic of the inauguration. Dem is people, not ants. Click here for larger version.

Sneak Preview

The new Wii Fit Ad:

Vote Or Just Browse

The 2008 weblog awards are now being voted for. If you have a favorite and want to show love, now's the time. If you're looking for new blogs, the list of nominees is a great resource. Check it out.

Daunting

I'm Rooting For Ya!

I have been remiss in finalizing my list of goals for 2009. How are you all doing on yours?

The big ones for me this year are:

Fluency in Spanish - It's so overdue!
Expanding my business - I made this year's goal for my business before the real estate bubble burst, I'm hoping an uptick is around the corner ...
Elevating my cooking game - I talk a big game but I have miles to go
Staying fully employed - A good one for us all I think

Of last years goals, I'm proudest of the fact that I've been "tobacco" free for a whole year. :-) It was a lot easier to do than I imagined.

Have an awesome and safe time tonight. I'm rooting for all of you to do big things in the coming year.

The Take All Guns Away From White People Program

Andrew Sullivan is asking folks to vote for the year's "best" examples of various types of political discourse. For example, you can vote for the Hewitt Award:

The Hewitt Award - named after the absurd partisan fanatic, Hugh Hewitt, is given for the most egregious attempts to label Barack Obama as un-American, alien, treasonous, and far out of the mainstream of American life and politics.

One of the nominees for the Hewitt Award is Steven Calabresi, Law Professor at the Northwestern School of Law, who published this in the Wall Street Journal:

"If Mr. Obama wins we could possibly see any or all of the following: a federal constitutional right to welfare; a federal constitutional mandate of affirmative action wherever there are racial disparities, without regard to proof of discriminatory intent; a right for government-financed abortions through the third trimester of pregnancy; the abolition of capital punishment and the mass freeing of criminal defendants; ruinous shareholder suits against corporate officers and directors; and approval of huge punitive damage awards, like those imposed against tobacco companies, against many legitimate businesses such as those selling fattening food,"

Another award being voted on is the Malkin Award:

The Malkin Award - named after blogger, Michelle Malkin - is for shrill, hyperbolic, divisive and intemperate right-wing rhetoric. Ann Coulter is ineligible - to give others a chance.

In contention for the Malkin Award is Michael Barone, a political commentator and regular contributor to US News & World Report, and Fox News. His gem of an entry below:

"The liberal media attacked Sarah Palin because she did not abort her Down syndrome baby. They wanted her to kill that child ... I'm talking about my media colleagues with whom I've worked for 35 years,"

Vote and reminisce. And because parody and satire do it best, after voting, re-watch this gem:

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

One Day Batteries Will Rule The World

This weatherproof, solar powered battery charger by Energizer is so logical it's a wonder it's even being built. Perfect for camping and sunny locales. If you live in Seattle, you can juice it up the old fashion way. Not sure when these will be available.

Virtual Calling Card - Cool!

Needing to call a friend in Paris but not having a land line, I figured I'd buy a calling card and dial them that way. A little googling, however, led me to a much cooler and easier solution. Instead of buying a calling card at my corner bodega, an Acapulco perhaps, and going through the hassle of dialing an 800 number, entering a long PIN, then placing the call, I found a calling service called Rebtel that operates by converting long distance numbers into local numbers. The idea is that with a local number you'll be able to dial from your mobile phone (or any phone for that matter) without getting socked with huge long distance fees.

It works like this. Once you create an account at Rebtel, you enter the foreign number you wish to call - which can be a landline or mobile number - and give it a name, "friend in Paris, for example. Rebtel then supplies you with a local number, in my case, a "646" area code, that is linked behind the scenes to the foreign number you provided. Once the local number is created for you, you add a few bucks to your account with Rebtel - I added $10 - and you can start making calls. There are no long pin numbers or 800 numbers to dial, and there are no connection fees or monthly service fees; just dial the local number and you are connected to your party abroad at extremely low rates. A 32 minute call to France cost me $.31 - about a penny a minute. As soon as you complete a call your account page on their website is updated to show the length of the call and the amount deducted from your balance.

The local number that has been created for you does not expire unless you delete it from your account or it becomes inactive for a lengthy period of time; if you call the number with any frequency (once a month?), it becomes, in essence, a permanent number. Call quality is excellent and calls are placed instantly. With bargain rates to countries across the world, this strikes me as a killer retooling of an old idea; the calling card made virtual and better.

Highly recommended.

So Fresh And So Clean

You know, if you can't afford the yellow and purple Hyperdunks all cash, you shouldn't get them!!!!! Layaway, now offered by Foot Locker. Sigh.

Skillz, He Has Them

Run Fat Boy Run

12 years ago today I ran in my first Turkey Trot in Buffalo, NY. The Buffalo - Niagara Turkey Trot is an 8k race down Delaware Ave ending in downtown Buffalo. Though I've lost most of my cold weather cred over the years I figured it was time for another go - so here we go:

The oldest continuously run road race in North America; this year was the 113th running.

A pre-race pose - no smiling, I'm in race mode. Cold weather running required compression pants, two dry fit tops, gloves, hat, and a fleece vest. I think the crosses on the wall were giving me that ethereal glow :-)

A quick stop at the loo before the run

Raring to go

And we're off - note that the clock already shows 4:11 (more on that below).

Through the Delaware Ave s-turns

Fast forward a bit. Getting close to the end now. Buffalo City Hall - one of Buffalo's (many) architectural gems.

Crossing the finish line - if you got sick from the handheld camera action in the movie Cloverfield, you might want to skip this.

How'd I do? Unfortunately, and I mean infuriatingly, my race chip did not register my time. Major bummer. Each runner is given a chip which is supposed to automatically register your time starting when you cross the start line and ending when you cross the finish line. A website posts the results automatically but for some reason my name isn't posted. I wasn't wearing a watch to time myself so I have to approximate. My starting time as noted above was 4:11, and my finishing time (barely visible in the video) was 48:30 resulting in an approximate net time of 44:19. Per mapmyrun.com, my average pace was 8:29/mile, my average speed was 7.07 mph, and I burned 784 calories. Not enough to offset the damage I'm about to do to the Thanksgiving Feast my mom has prepared but it should cover the first half hour or so!

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Weekends; All I Do Is Eat

I also saw two movies :-)

Friday: Two pints into our Friday night and wanting a burger, we chose Rare over Keens. Both make great burgers and are similarly priced but Rare won out for variety. Rare's burger menu features between 7-10 burgers. From the Classic burger for a very reasonable $9, to the luxurious Kobe burger for $22, to every variety in between including the Mexican, a Bison burger, a Chicken burger, and the Murray's cheese of the month burger, I've tried most and have always been satisfied. A shared order of shoe string fries and we left pretty happy. The biggest drawback to Rare is its pedestrian, bottle only, beer offering. I chose a Newcastle. Rare is located in the Shelburne Hotel at 37th and Lex. Keens, located on 36th Street between 5th and 6th, is also highly recommended.

Saturday: I've been lucky a few times to eat at great restaurants where friends worked or cooked. Friends of the house really are treated better. From off menu dishes to free and off priced offerings, the experience usually is gut busting and utterly enjoyable. So it was Saturday night at Hibino, a Japanese restaurant in Cobble Hill that a Japanese friend advised me was where the Japanese ate in Brooklyn. With her as my guide and inside connection, we enjoyed the unique offerings of the house. Hibino is known for its Obanzai, Kyoto style Japanese tapas that change daily. Saturday night's offerings included Soy Marinated Grilled Pork Spare Rib, Rice Croquette with Salmon and Shiso Leaf served with QP Mayo, Simmered Atsuage (Fried Thick Tofu) and Nanohana Broccoli Rabe, and Grilled Zucchini served with Special Miso Sauce. These tasty dishes cost a mere $4 each. Depending on how late you dine, some or all of these might be sold out - being insiders, however, a full set was saved for us. Un-ordered but welcomed by us was Beef Kakuni, a slow braised beef entree marinated in soy broth with Daikon and Scallion. Though we were both pretty full, the food kept coming, next a crispy oyster roll followed by pressed Spanish Mackerel sushi. Hibini's Sake list is apparently quite good - we let the chef guide us and did not have any problems polishing off the off-menu bottle he chose for us. Our bill wasn't really reflective of everything we enjoyed that night but because the Obanzai are so reasonably priced (and not that small), I think a very satisfying meal for two with liquor could be had for $75 or so, tip included. Hibino is located on Henry Street between Atlantic and Pacific streets. Go, enjoy!

Sunday: Trab's review on my mind and finding myself in Fort Greene Sunday morning, I happily snagged a pre-rush brunch table at Olea. I make a decent brunch at home most weekends but I don't make homemade chocolate croissants, perfectly warm and gooey, which is what we started with Sunday - Olea 1, Big D 0. For my main I chose the aptly named Green eggs and lamb, cilantro infused eggs served with lamb sausage, mixed green salad, home fries, and warm pita triangles. From omelets to french toast, I can't imagine not enjoying any of the dozen or so offerings in this rustic and charming gem. Brunch for two came to $35 including tip and was worth every penny.

Basic Rules

I'm often asked for advice on buying computers. This was a recent response by me to such a request and it sums up my philosophy pretty succinctly (applicable for most folks who don't have special computing needs):

Basic rules.

Computers are "disposable." By limiting yourself to $500-$600, you can replace them every three years or so and get a new much better one each time (as opposed to spending $1500 and realizing it's outdated in a year or two).

With laptops, bigger is usually cheaper. 15 inch is cheaper than 14 inch which are cheaper than 13 inch. I'd shoot for a 15 incher to get the best deal unless you'll be travelling a lot and need more portability.

Stick to Intel Pentium processors (vs AMD). There's an entry level Intel processor called "Celeron" but avoid that. It's old and slow.

In the Pentium hierarchy, the one to shoot for is "Core 2 Duo" - don't be confused by the "Dual Core" which is one step below the Core 2 Duo. The speed will range from 2ghz to 2.5 ghz. As long as its a Core 2 Duo, you can go for the cheapest one (ie, the slowest ghz).

You should have at least 2 gigs of ram, and 250 gig hard drive.

I personally would upgrade to N speed wireless. Most cheap laptops come with G speed wireless cards but since you live in a multi story house the N will give you much better performance. This is about a $30-$50 upgrade. Well worth it. To use the wireless in your laptop you'll need a wireless router. N routers are now on sale for between $50 and $75. The router is a one time purchase that should last you through your next several computers.

All other specs are pretty much irrelevant (meaning the minimum ones are fine).

Iron Chef Brooklyn - Battle Cheddar

Vaporware is a term used to describe software or technology that has been announced or rumored, but which does not actually exist, or which skeptics doubt could deliver what is promised even if it existed. My cooking has been something like vaporware; rumored to exist but with few eye - or taste bud - witnesses.

These doubts are perhaps what prompted me to accept a challenge to participate in a game of Iron Chef with some friends in Brooklyn. A few weeks ago I was asked to be a judge in the first battle - Battle Shrimp - and a fun time was had by all. When asked to participate more directly as a competitor I figured it was time lift the veil and put myself to the test. My partner in this battle was Cybele, a writer, and kitchen wizard who I once represented in a real estate transaction. Our competitors were Sherri and Becky, winners of Battle Shrimp. The preselected theme of this battle was Cheddar cheese (not ideal for someone lactose intolerant like me, but no one promised war would be easy). Since the battle takes place in an apartment with only one kitchen both teams cannot cook simultaneously. Our competitors spent one hour of their two hour time limit prepping and planning. My team followed but used our entire two hour allotment to prep, cook, and serve our dishes. Once we finished serving and cleaning, the second team used their final hour to complete and serve their dishes. Like the television show, dishes are judged on presentation, originality, and taste with a maximum score of 20 points per dish. The non-cooking team takes notes on the comments made by the judges, but cannot comment or judge.

Each team had the option of preparing three or four dishes, we chose to make three. There is a budget though its probably more of a guideline than an absolute limitation. After sharing ideas Cybele and I realized our dishes would have an international flare so we made "internationalism" our theme.

Our first dish was Käsespätzle with Buttermilk-dressed Salad - what I describe as a German take on mac and cheese (and a new favorite of mine):


Our second dish was a Cheddar Apple "Danish" with Powdered Confectioners Sugar (though more like a desert, cooking logistics led us to serve this second, a decision which baffled the judges but which they told us also worked to our favor - more on that in a bit)(btw, this photo does the dish no justice):


Our final dish was Papas Rellenas with a Black Bean Salsa and Cheddar Jalapeño Sauce. The papas were filled with a Panchetta and Shitake mushroom. The judges told us that ending with this dish served us well (with all modesty I must report that this dish was judged the day's best):


Despite the success of our dishes, we lost to Becky and Sherri by one tenth of a point!! The closest battle in Iron Chef Brooklyn history (and hard to imagine how it could ever be closer). Truthfully, as the photos that follow will attest, Cybele and I were surprised to have mounted such a close challenge. Becky and Sherri are no joke!

Their first dish was a New York State Cheddar-Bacon-Chive Soufflé - that's right, a soufflé!!!


Their second dish, a Welsh Rarebit made with Irish Cheddar and Stout. I didn't know what a Rarebit was but it was good!


Third was Grafton Cheddar Truffled Cheeseburgers on Brioche with Green-Chile Mac and Cheese. Are you getting the picture yet? Sherri and Becky's dishes were mutli-faceted, well thought out, and looked and tasted great.



Finally, for desert, they served Carmar Cheddar Profiteroles served with an Apple Cider Reduction.


Despite all the hard work, it was a fun day for everyone. Great food, plenty of drink, and the judge's contemporaneous comments, read after the battle is finished, provide loads of laughs. Since Cybele and I lost we'll be judges in the third battle, date and secret ingredient to be determined. Until then I think I'll be taking a hiatus from Cheddar - I've had my quota for 2008.

Reach Out And Touch ...

I saw photographer Richard Renaldi's work highlighted on Andrew Sullivan's blog. In this project, he asked strangers to pose while "touching." Some people apparently felt more comfortable with this than others. I love it. On his site you can find other standout work.

A Young Rakim Movin' The Crowd

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