01.11.09
Posted in Restaurants & Bars, Food, New York City at 13:47 pm by Josh
I have decided to pledge my support to the notion that Grimaldi’s produces some of the finest pizza in New York City. It’s not because of the coal ovens, though. It’s the ingredients they use. Their mozzarella is the thick, white variety as opposed to the shredded, string-cheese type so by the time it’s been all warmed up it literally all but melts in your mouth. Now I can’t speak for many of the toppings, but I can say that I was impressed with their use of whole, fancy black olives as opposed to the sliced-and-canned sort. Sure, there was the risk of chomping down on a pit. But really, what is life without a little risk?
I would also like to boast that I have now championed the Brooklyn Bridge at night in the snow, although I am not as hardcore as those brave enough to do it in Chuck Taylor Low-Tops. I do feel just the slightest bit guilty for the mild level of frostbite my companion endured, but I am pleased to report that by three in the morning, both movement and color returned to all of her toes. Thanks be to God.
Lastly, Veniero’s — whose desserts are never a bad idea, though there was a question of whether or not anything but gluttony and self-indulgent lust are present within its mirrored walls — really needs to kick their waitstaff up a notch. They aren’t big on communicating or serving once you’ve already been served. I asked for extra waters and I was looked at like I’d just requested the deed to the restaurant. That, and when I ordered a caffe correto, they brought me a double instead of a single which ended up being fine since I was out so late, but entirely not the point. You bring a single unless someone asks for a double. It’s just common courtesy. At least they put enough Anisette in it.
I’m going to eat my eggs now like a good zombie.
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10.27.08
Posted in Insomnia, Food at 03:43 am by Josh
I swear I can smell marijuana in my minestrone.
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11.25.07
Posted in Food, Life at 22:57 pm by Josh
I suppose I haven’t been blogging lately. I could say that I’m busy, and I’d be telling the truth. But that’s not why I’m not blogging. I’m not blogging because all I’ve got to say is the same thing I’ve been saying for the past two years. So, if you’d like to know what’s been going on, read the archives. Not much has changed. Still, I will tell you what happened this weekend.
I had Thanksgiving with Katie, her parents, Amanda, Amanda’s mother, Lauren, “Jessique” and Grayce Katherine. Oh, and Lucky and Daisy and Igby. But they have fur. Anyway, Katie and I spent Wednesday evening and Thursday during the day preparing a sizeable chunk of Thanksgiving dinner. I made my now-famous meatballs as an appetizer (which was served with Amanda’s pumpkin bread and selected cheeses). We following with Katie’s French Onion Soup and homemade croutons, followed closely by Lauren’s amazing walnut-cranberry-goat’s cheese-so much other goodness salad (I should get the actual name and recipe, no?). Here, we took a break, but later came back to a maple-glazed turkey, walnut-sauteed, green beans, sweet potatoes with apples, sausage stuffing, and Someone’s Amazing Cranberry Sauce. Another break ensued and we moved on to dessert: Joan’s cranberry tart with butter sauce, Katie’s pumpkin pie (eventually with butter sauce), and Jessique’s poached pears (also eventually with butter sauce). All in all, the meal took seven-and-a-half hours to finish. And yes, there was selected wine with every course.
Following Thanksgiving, I went to my parents’ house and then returned to New York. Today, Katie came over and helped me put up curtains and also helped me finish a rose and a white merlot. Matt was here, too, and we played music. That may sound rather objective; it is. I hope you liked it anyway.
How was your holiday weekend?
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11.17.07
Posted in Pictures, Food, Funnies at 14:52 pm by Josh
I got the following text message with picture attachment from Katie this morning. For context, she was at Gozzi’s Turkey Farm in Guilford, CT.
Just picked out dinner
P.S. I’ve been informed that this really is the turkey that we’re eating. I love that we got a pink turkey.
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11.05.07
Posted in Music, Restaurants & Bars, Announcements, Writing, Food, Work, Life, Wine at 23:05 pm by Josh
Okay, let’s recap.
Friday, I saw The Police with Kara and it was freakin’ awesome. I am still impressed with the ability of three men — in their later middle-age, no less — to rock an arena the size of Madison Square Garden with minimal help (lighting and a couple of TV screens). The crowd was a little weak; mostly old-timers who were disgruntled at Kara’s and my need to dance to every single song. Whatever. It’s Sting. You have to dance.
Saturday was the move. I am now an official Astorian, thanks to the help of Katie, Tony, George, and Kim who were all so gracious as to give up their Saturday mornings and afternoons to truck my junk across the Triboro. There is no greater rush than attempting to maneuver a seventeen-foot box truck with more play in the wheel than a kindergarten sandbox across the West Side Highway and then the Triboro Bridge. That said, never rent from U-Haul. It’s not because they’re ghetto-tastic. It’s because they’re ghetto-tastic, unreliable, and inefficient. Oh, and did I mention apathetic. Yeah. Anyway, Katie stayed to help me put the place together, putting her mad interior design skills to good use. She earned her dinner — a fine Italian meal at a nearby place which was amazing (I can’t remember the name, but I’ll get it to you soon). She had veal-stuffed ravioli and I had some kind of broad pasta with a rabbit ragu. Absolutely to die for. And let me not forget the appetizer — arugula with goat cheese drizzled in the finest balsamic I’ve ever tasted. The wine was a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and had more than enough of a dry bite to counter all of the amazing sweetness of the meal. I think we didn’t talk for twenty minutes afterwards and I really wanted to have a cigarette to wash it down. We settled for a hookah instead (at home, of course).
Back to the decorating, Katie spent the night and was so lovely as to clean while I was in church. She even scoped out the local coffee joints to let me know where the best java is in my new neighborhood. I, in the meantime, was spoiled by one of the more pleasurable Sunday mornings of my life, followed by more cleaning, hanging of guitars, washing of dishes, and — you guessed it — drinking of wine. You can’t even tell that I just moved into this place. I’m already set for a housewarming (be warned).
And now I am NaNoing, trying desperately to catch up. I’ve made up one day so far, and if I ever finish this entry, I plan to make up another before bedtime. But I am seriously behind. And the new obstacle is that I just learned that the CEO of the company I work for sits in the cubicle next to me. (Don’t ask why I just figured this out.) Obviously, that means no writing while at work. No blogging either :-/. But my distance shall only make your heart grow fonder 
Stupidly, I’ve also volunteered to submit another brief manuscript in my writing class next week. I’m telling you all of this now because you may not hear from me for a while. But until then, adieu, be well, love each other, and eat good cheese. I’ll be back before you know it.
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10.22.07
Posted in Movies, Music, Church, Writing, Food, New York City, Life at 10:57 am by Josh
Happy Monday. Let’s run over the weekend, shall we?
Friday started as something of a nightmare as I tried to make it to Astoria in time to put the final monies down on the apartment. A manager at my job managed to royally f- something up and then pinned it on me to fix, even though he knew I had to get to my mailbox in Harlem and then the bank before it closed at six. So I did a hasty, rather careless job of fixing his mistake and then took off on a very slow 3 train for my uptown digs. I made it with fifteen minutes to spare, snatched the envelope and tore it open as I hauled @$$ to the bank across the street. Ten minutes to go. That’s when the teller told me she couldn’t release five-hundred of the dollars I needed. I protested. She repeated herself with that pristine, passive aggressive customer service apathy. I argued. She remained calm. That made me angry. I spoke to a manager, then a regional manager (who happened to be in the wrong bank on the wrong day). All to no avail. I was $500 short.
Outside, waiting for the M60 bus, I realized I was going to be late because no buses were coming. I had to call the broker and tell him that I would be late for our meeting with the landlord and I’d be short a chunk of money. Thank You, God, he was very accommodating. When the M60 finally showed up I had the most awesomest driver ever, steadfastly decreeing that, no matter the traffic (or the eventual accident on the Triboro Bridge), “Tonight, everyone gets to Queens”. I told him he was my favorite bus driver ever.
So I signed the lease and then went to Luke’s to unwind with a little Octoberfest and discussion about — you guessed it — God. (Does anyone ever talk to Luke about anything else?) His wife gave me half of her microwave pizza for dinner, which was very welcome after schlepping about in the rain and heat and all of that jive.
I got home at twelve-thirty or so and thought that I would go to bed because I was beat tired. That’s when my door burst open (I’m going to have to start locking that thing) and Ally came storming in, perky as always, wanting to watch a movie. Being weak, I acquiesced. I also fell asleep. So did she. We were awakened at three in the morning by another neighbor, Nick, who had apparently joined us at some point. I realize now what I missed in college.
Saturday I fought writer’s block all day and lost. Miserably. So I turned to music and proceeded to play guitar and sing for five straight hours. Matt joined for the last two hours. It’s a wonder I can talk even now.
Yesterday was church with a “baptism lab” (listen to the mp3; Sam should hit Christian stand-up or something), followed by brunch at a lousy pub across the street from what used to be the Hudson Corner Cafe (the original brunch destination). Such amazing conversation and good company called for an extended day, so we went to Rice to Riches for rice pudding. I had the french toast flavor which was delicious and my friend had chocolate chip which was equally enticing. We sat in Washington Square with our bowls, waiting for our movie to begin. At quarter-to-five, we went to the Angelica to watch Feast of Love which turned out to be an absolutely brilliant movie with Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear. (Note: I want Morgan Freeman to be my best friend and next-door neighbor.) Then, alas, the day had to end, and I went home to critique manuscripts and ended up answering some questions for a neighbor about God and Christianity.
This morning I went to Astoria again to pay the balance that the bank wouldn’t release on Friday, and now I’m at work. It feels like a blissful, surreal whirlwind recently swept me off my feet and is only now gently planting them not so firmly on the ground again. Oh, sweet rapture. Don’t wake me up just yet.
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10.18.07
Posted in Restaurants & Bars, Food, Wine at 09:03 am by Josh
I’ve been getting home quite late recently, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, though I’m starting to miss the quiet home time where I can write and drink wine for less than $8 a glass. On the contrary, though, I have enjoyed the company. Last night I had the privilege of sampling two new places and I will review them here now.
We started at Vol de Nuit, a Belgian beer bar on W4 just before Sixth Avenue. The beer selection was excellent, which was no surprise, and the fries were tasty as well. But I’m going to have to speak against the general atmosphere of the place. The lighting was too dim — even for a bar. The front courtyard looked like a red-light district and by the time I got inside, I actually found it difficult to focus my vision and walk around. (Note: I had not had a single alcoholic beverage at that point.) Most of all, the waitstaff, particularly behind the bar, was a little on the rude side. Brandon wanted to pay a $12 tab with a credit card but was very haughtily told that he could do no such thing as the minimum was $20. Who the hell ever heard of a $20 card minimum at a bar? $10, okay. $15, maybe if it’s high class and pricey. But $6 beers and fries? Come on. Bottom line: There are better places in the city to enjoy a plentiful beer selection.
Next was Volare, an Italian restaurant directly across the street. This was a real treat. The decor is entirely old school, New York Italian restaurant with wines stacked all aroudn the place, cheap white tableclothes, olive oil in a decanter on the table and authentic Italian waitstaff! (Note: Order your food with an accent. It totally helps the service .) I had the fusilli alla vodka and I must say, it is the best vodka sauce I’ve ever had in a restaurant. The Chianti was strong and full-bodied with that thick Italian aroma spilling over the large, bulbous glass and I have tremendous respect for a glass of wine which contains a third of a bottle. Makes paying eight bucks hurt a little less. Bottom line: Go. And call me so I can go with you.
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10.15.07
Posted in Movies, Music, Today, Restaurants & Bars, Writing, Food, New York City, Wine at 09:09 am by Josh
Another weekend gone. I suppose you’d like to know what I did.
Friday I ended up at Katie’s where we shared a fine Spanish-style rice with chicken and green beans, washed down with a deep red Bordeaux (completely ignoring any regulations for pairing wine with food). We’d hoped to follow up with some ice cream, but alas, the pint we got from the grocery store was skunked. Nothing but ice. Eventually, Matt came over and we jammed something awful for a while. I wish we had that one on file.
Saturday The Rents showed up and we went to the Ulysses S. Grant tomb & memorial, which I never knew existed. I wasn’t too excited about it, but it turned out to be pretty interesting. It was epic, if nothing else. You walk into one of those old marble buildings that looks like a miniature version of the Capital and directly in front of you is a large ring where you can overlook the basement floor. As you peer over, the light reflects just perfectly to see the names “Ulysses S. Grant” and “Julia D. Grant” engraved on matching polished tombs. Kinda creepy, kinda cool.
We later ate at Cafe Figaro which I absolutely do not recommend to anyone who is looking for good Italian food with good service. This place, apparently, chooses to provide only one or the other, but never both in the same visit. Because the waiter screwed up, I had to eat linguini with seafood. The problem is, I don’t like most seafood. So I swallowed the linguini, ate the shrimp and the mussels and finished off with a bite or two of calamari. Forget the squid. That’s just gross.
Sunday was church, followed by coming home to write…anything. I felt a bit of the writing bug, so I went to town on it, but got distracted by making marinara sauce (I used port wine this time and it was an excellent idea ) and talking on the phone. Then Matt came over for a jam since we’ll be busy this week, and then my tres cool upstairs neighbor Ally came down and we watched The Nightmare Before Christmas.
And now I’m sitting at home, late for work, waiting for one of the lazy (expletive) who works in the building management office to get into work so I can drop off the check they told me four weeks ago I didn’t have to pay. Apparently, they forgot that agreement. I wish I could exercise selective memory for the sake of convenience.
Have a nice week.
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10.08.07
Posted in Restaurants & Bars, Writing, Food, New York City, Life at 14:52 pm by Josh
The weekend was insane, to say the least. Thursday night (yes, my weekend started on Thursday!) I went to Katie’s for a lovely dinner party, complete with authentic Victorian decor, a swanky record player with a built in whiskey bar, homemade cavatelli, a delicious salad with cranberries and cheese, and apple pie for dessert. And, of course, no dinner party thrown by Katie is ever complete without copious amounts of wine. Cheers.
It took me two hours to get home that night because of train problems, meaning I didn’t get to sleep until three a.m. I woke up soon after, still a little tipsy, to go and meet my “new roommate”. We viewed some apartments, but my gut said something wasn’t right. File away for later, I then went to an impromptu job interview which ended something like, “You are definitely not the right person for this job, but we have another we’d like you to interview for next week.” The question I have is, why wait until next week? I’m already here, I’m already wearing a suit, I’m already feeding you BS on-the-spot. Let’s just get on with it! So wish me luck in all of that.
Friday night I cleaned and…um…what did I do on Friday night? No lie, I can’t remember.
Saturday, Niya and Janine rolled in from Rhode Island and we had a nice time catching up. Then we toured The Village (nothing official, just me wandering aimlessly and them oooing and ahhhing). Then we went to the french fry place on Second Avenue with the mayonnaise sauces (a few doors down from Paul’s, anyone know the name?) before meeting up with Katie to go down and see the Statue of Liberty. We didn’t go to the island, but it was nice to look at it from far away. Afterwards, Katie nosed out drinks at an Irish Pub in the municipal district and then we returned home for dinner. I made my becoming-famous spaghetti alla vongole and we drank champagne and pinot grigio. Then we put our walking shoes back on and headed out to The Slaughtered Lamb for rivers of Blue Moon and very mean waitresses (just one, really).
Yesterday we went to Eros for the best breakfast I’ve ever had in my life. I had an omlet with ham, cheese, and peppers and it was exactly the way diner breakfast ought to be, complete with free coffee refills. Afterwards, we went to Central Park and then to Times Square so Niya could find a touristy shot glass. At last, my guests returned to the train and I proceeded to make phone calls before throwing in the towel and going upstairs to watch family guy with Brian, Ali, and Sorrell.
And today, I’m still not at work, but instead I’ve been compiling all sorts of information for grad school which is a pain in the butt. I’ve just determined it will cost me $585 just to apply for an M.F.A. program. Not cool. Not cool at all.
Onward.
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09.25.07
Posted in Pictures, Restaurants & Bars, Writing, Food, New York City, Life at 11:03 am by Josh
I had my first writing class last night at NYU. It was a worthwhile experience and I think that I’m actually going to learn more than I’d originally assumed. It’s not that I’m learning brain surgery or anything. It’s just that I’ve never taken a class and, consequently, my writing suffers from a lack of organization and structure. It’s like I’ve been buildling one of those towers out of marshmallows and toothpicks rather than a glistening city skyscraper. I know how to build; I just don’t know how to make it stable. However, I think that by the time these ten weeks are over I’m going to find myself much happier with my works of fiction. Hell, I think I’m even going to get Dark Island publishable (is that a word?).
After writing was an impromptu Thai event with Kara at galanga. (They insist on lowercase; I’m not that lazy.) It was excellent Thai, especially for the convenience of location. I had the drunken noodle which was the only dish on the menu which had three “spice cups” next to it. They weren’t lying. My nose started to run and I even had to cough twice. A little embarrassing, but it was easily washed down with the lychee martini which had a purple flower floating in it. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first, but I’ve decided that since it was pretty, it was okay. (I obviously have a weakness for pretty things.) Kara had a ginger chicken dish which was classified under “The Wok” so I don’t know if it was curry or just a sauce or what. There was no spice to her dish whatsoever, and though my palate was a bit tainted, I must say that it was a very refreshing dish; almost soothing. Of course, that might be an illusion since anything would have soothed the burn I felt. Anyway, the food was top notch and the price was reasonable. The space was acceptable, considering a Greenwich Village restaurant, but the service could have been much better. The waitress came to us and stood next to me but didn’t say a word. I eventually coerced her into stating her purpose, at which time I told her we were not ready. She came back twice before sending another waiter over to check on us (who we also turned away because we needed more time). Later, she came to ask if we were done and Kara told her we were still working on it. Not thirty seconds later, a hand came around my left side and snatched my plate away too quickly for me to say, “Hey, stop there!” Fortunately, I wasn’t going to eat anymore, but this is about principle, not hunger. Overall, I give it three stars for the general public, four for me because I was in good company and they have rocks in the bathroom sink.
Afterwards, we wandered through the West Village to the beautiful view of Jersey City at the piers on the west side. The breeze was amazing, the people were non-existant, and the water was damn near mesmerizing. We stayed until it got too cold and then to Starbucks for tea and a free marshmallow square which we didn’t want but had to take because hey, it was a free marshmallow square.
And this is all that I can show you, compliments of my cell phone. All in all, a fantastic night:
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