"I think this world is perfect..."

No Such Thing

2009-11-07T10:50:00.006-05:00

Wandered down to the basement this morning with Ava to get in a little coloring time, and discovered this line Madison had written on our blackboard at some point, probably when she was leading one of her spontaneous classes, usually with a student of one, namely her little sister.

I loved the message, whether applied to crayons on a blank sheet of paper or even more broadly. And of course the missed (and subsequently inserted) word, alone, made this worthy of a post.

Still Life In Play-Doh

2009-10-17T12:07:00.001-04:00

Little creation Ava and I worked out this morning.

Is Work Like School?

2009-10-15T08:48:00.002-04:00

That's what Ava wanted to know this morning.

I was behind the shower curtain in our one functional upstairs bathroom and she came in to brush her teeth, called through the screen - "Dad, is work like school, just no teachers?"

I agreed it probably was. Reading, writing, talking, all the bases covered.

She's been coming out with these questions lately, over the weekend we had this exchange after she sneezed and I said God bless you - "Dad, why do people say 'God bless you' after you sneeze?"

I was stumped, said something like it's tradition, people have been saying that for a very long time, etc.

And then she said, "maybe it's because God invented tissues."

Why Apple Wins

2009-10-03T13:17:00.004-04:00

Ava, who is 6 and playing Webkinz games on our iMac, declares out of nowhere, "I use the computer like it's my friend, like it's my BFF."

"What does that mean," I ask.

"It means you care for it, you really, really like it. It has music, videos and games. It's like something's alive in there."

She's not a PC.

Pancakes At Home

2009-09-28T06:52:00.001-04:00

Breakfast staples in our house include eggs, cereal, fruit, the occasional morning bagel run and, of course, pancakes. For most of my life, pancakes at home meant Bisquick, but about a year ago we started searching for something better, a recipe we could put together with our own ingredients and - hopefully - some whole grain component.

Saw Alton Brown on Good Eats at one point hawking his ultimate pancake recipe and dutifully wrote it down, but I can't really decide anymore whether or not he's trying to be helpful or intentionally difficult. In any event we could never get his version to come out the way they looked on TV, even after we went out and bought the Bunsen burners and electron microscope.

Another problem with Brown's approach was that it called for buttermilk, which we rarely have at home unless we've planned for a pancake fiesta, and in our house the meal is typically a spontaneous Saturday or Sunday morning consensus. So we kept looking for that rock solid recipe, and I think we finally found it.

Madison's recitation of the ingredients is listed above, this will get four people about 2-3 medium-sized pancakes each, feel free to double if you need more. We've customized this a little bit by experimenting with different kinds of flour, from the Bisquick-esque white to 100 percent wheat, or even a combination - maybe one cup white, 1/2 wheat or the other way around. This morning we made these with something new Gwen recently picked up, King Arthur Organic White Whole Wheat flour, and it was just about perfect. We also usually dial back the 3 tablespoons of melted butter specified in the original version to one or two, just because.

The execution couldn't be simpler (sorry Alton), combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Then add the wet ingredients and try to bring it all together without over-mixing, shoot for 10 to 15 stirs before introducing the resulting batter (in whatever sizes you want) to a hot, buttered pan. Cast iron skillet if you have one, if not get in touch with these people and take care of that right away.

And don't forget the maple syrup, the real stuff, preferably from Vermont, all due respect to Mrs. Butterworth and her high fructose corn syrup and cellulose gum goodness. We've been enjoying this kind for the last few months, in both the Fancy and Dark Amber grades. Also goes extremely well drizzled sparingly on a bowl of steaming hot farina, which is quickly emerging as another favorite breakfast option in our house being passed down from one generation to another, with care.

100k

2009-09-17T07:57:00.005-04:00

At some point over the last few hours, this blog registered its 100,000th visitor. Now I realize this is nothing in the world of blogs, and I acknowledge that this little project, this little parenting journal, has been severely neglected of late, going a few weeks or (gasp) a full month between posts.

But the idea of 100,000 people having found their way to this spot, to read the words and look at the pictures and hopefully share the sense of humor and optimism that have dominated the space is incredible to me. That's basically the Beatles at Shea, with a second night added.

Granted, if you discount for repeat business the figure would be reduced considerably, but for right now we're going to focus on a big round number.

And we're going to say thank you.

New Year

2009-09-10T21:40:00.005-04:00

And a new line-up of bags cleared for take-off every morning. The Rickshaw has been joined.

Ava had serious opening-night jitters on the way to first grade, stemming from the fact that she didn't know anyone else in her class. What if she didn't make any new friends? What if no one wanted to sit with her in the cafeteria? All the standard apprehensions, to which we applied standard (but heartfelt) parental responses. It's going to be great, you're going to make friends, we promise.

Luckily enough we were right, and the forced nervous smiles that marked the morning bus stop were quickly exchanged for much more genuine and self-assured versions in the afternoon, to go along with tales of a nice teacher and three new friends. Madison's already a pro at this, and sailed into third grade without a hitch.

We're full-on into it now, packing lunches, polishing homework, perfecting the art of a farina breakfast. Funny how just a few days of a new routine (and some crisper weather) can provide such a clear line of demarcation.

Summer is gone. A new year stretches out before us. To go along with the row of bags leaned up against the wall, right off the kitchen.

Summer

2009-08-16T12:53:00.003-04:00

Still a few weeks left. Make the most of them.

DC Take Two

2009-08-10T06:04:00.001-04:00

We stopped off in Washington, DC on the way back from Tennessee, had a phenomenal dinner we really needed at Brasserie Beck early Thursday - after several days of forgettable BBQ and Dollywood concession stands cranking out nutritious and satisfying fare on par with the food at Disney.

After the meal we got a cab to the Lincoln Memorial and wandered around checking out the monuments after dark. We went by the White House and noticed a television screen flickering in one of the windows of the residence, in the area of the living room, so it would seem at least one Obama was getting some down time in front of the tube as we walked by. Nice little illusion of proximity and access to take along with us, at a very nice price point - namely zero.

Started off early Friday in hopes of taking in the tour at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which I had always heard was very good, but unfortunately when we arrived around 10 a.m. all of the days' passes had already been distributed. Word to the wise, we learned that passes (which are given out same day in limited quantities during summer months) are typically gone by 8:30 a.m., and visitors have been known to start lining up outside by 6 or 6:30. We were able to wander through the "Visitor Center" and buy uncut sheets of currency and other money-related trinkets. The tour would have been better. Maybe next time.

Went through a few museums on the walk to the Rayburn House Office Building - which was my "office" for a few years in the mid-90s and looked exactly as I remembered it, right down to the private phone booths where I long ago plotted my escape from politics as usual. The House chambers and gallery were unfortunately closed for renovations, but I leveraged old connections to get the girls a ride on the underground subway running across the street to the Capitol, threw another $20 in my account at the Wright Patman Congressional Federal Credit Union - just to keep it active - and then we headed up to the National Zoo to check out the Giant Pandas and assorted other wildlife.

Back to the hotel for a little break that looked like it was actually going to wind down the day, until Madison said she was hungry around 9 p.m. and we succeeded in dragging a reluctant Gwen back out for a late-night meal at Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown, which was every bit as good as I remembered it, and even better with our game little gang, munching on pizza after 10 p.m. on a Friday night after a half hour wait for a table.

It was a perfect end to the second half of this summer's vacation, and a great way to introduce our girls to one of my favorite cities in the world.

Rotund

2009-08-02T08:56:00.005-04:00

Brief one-day stop in Washington, D.C. on the drive down to visit Gwen's Mom in Tennessee, we arranged for a Capitol tour and when the cab pulled up outside Ava lit up and said, "HEY, I know that building, they made it on Ace of Cakes!"

It was a good tour that rolled into a walk around the Mall, a brief stop at the Air and Space Museum and dinner at my favorite restaurant in the city, Lebanese Taverna. Girls are screaming at me to close this out right now so we can go down to breakfast before today's planned 7-hour drive drive, so I will.

Saw Green Day last night...

2009-07-28T21:04:00.003-04:00

Knocked another band off the "really want to see them live" bucket list last night - Green Day at Madison Square Garden. I'd been looking forward to the show for months, and thankfully Billie Joe and the gang did not disappoint. Pre-game meal at Zarela, which is turning into our default and might just be the perfect start to any live performance that doesn't feature an oboe.

If Oasis was "watch us stand here and play our songs," Green Day was a frenetic, in-your-face, insanely entertaining tour de force (first time I've ever used that tired phrase in a sentence in my life and, yes, I do feel bad about it, but it's late and I'm trying to publish something here).

Band went full steam for nearly three hours, through old favorites and a good amount of American Idiot and the new one, 21st Century Breakdown. Could contend for the title of best show I've ever seen, although - as I've already noted on here - Radiohead in Radio City Music Hall on the OK Computer tour occupies a moment in time for me and a concert-going experience that may never be touched.

But as far as last night goes, let me just say that Green Day took the stage about 24 hours ago, and my ears are still ringing. And I'm not complaining.

Backyard Bounty

2009-07-22T06:46:00.004-04:00

Growing up, the woods around my house were filled with wild raspberries, enough that you could actually take a decent-sized bowl and go on a little picking expedition, returning with more than enough for the whole family.

Nothing against Mr. and Mrs. Driscoll, but to me there is nothing that compares to fresh picked raspberries, a little sharper and more tangy than store-bought, with a great and pure underlying sweetness, and of course consumed just a few minutes - sometimes a few seconds - after being liberated from their orange star-shaped launching pads.

I noticed early this spring an explosion of wild raspberry bushes in the greenery lining our yard, and the first few of the season were ready to be picked last weekend. An abbreviated harvest, to be sure, nothing like the bounty I remember from childhood, but more than enough for everyone to get a little taste. And, based on the look of the plants and the bud volume, we'll be happily eating on these welcome little treats for at least the next couple of weeks.

Perfect Food

2009-07-20T06:24:00.010-04:00

I've been thinking about pizza lately. Don't know if it's our recent trips to Mario's on Arthur Avenue, our vacation in Vermont - with the requisite stop at Pepe's in New Haven - the time I've spent reading what has quickly become one of my favorite blogs, Adam Kuban's extraordinary Slice, part of the Ed Levine Serious Eats gastrointestinal juggernaut, or the fact that when friends visited a couple of weeks ago, all the way from California, we made them pizza. Maybe it's just because I'm fat again.

Whatever the reason, I've been focused on the texture and taste of a perfectly-charred crust, the tang of good sauce, the silky indulgence that is the cheese in a pie made at the highest level - and decided to put together an informal ranking of my favorite pizza places of all time, both world class/celebrated and local favorites, and some that have (fortunately) been both.

Is there anything, really, like pizza? The simplicity of the ingredients, the potential of the toppings to take the experience anywhere you want to go. The arrival of the finished product - right out of the oven - in a place where they know what they are doing. Here are some places, based on my own extensive field testing, where they really know what they are doing.

1. Pepe's (New Haven) The first "famous" pizza place I ever went to and still my favorite, going on 25 years later, a sentiment that is shared by the entire family. Ask Madison or Ava (8 and 6) who makes their favorite pizza and, after a moment of careful consideration - which, in and of itself, makes me swell with pride - they will both say Pepe's. I had this exact dialogue with Madison last week and probed a little further by asking her why. "The crust," she said without hesitation. Yeah, the line is a pain, and how long it takes to get in or complete your meal is virtually impossible to predict. But there's nothing like a Pepe's pie, and walking out of the place - stuffed to the gills - through a throng of famished and wild-eyed aspirants out there on Wooster Street is an experience everyone should have at least once in their lifetime. Madison's default is red sauce with mozzarella cheese, Ava is partial to the white pie, Gwen and I love red sauce, spinach and onion and just grated cheese. Word to the wise - they also do take-out, although based on when you call and the current state of the backlog your pick-up time can stretch to 60-90 minutes after you place your order.

2. Mario's (Arthur Avenue, Bronx) Wrote all about this welcome surprise in the Arthur Avenue post above. Here's another, with some photos, including one of owner Joseph Migliucci, making one of the pies that are so good they're not even on the menu.

3. Nick's (Forest Hills and Rockville Centre) Found the Forest Hills location in the mid-90s and more recently the Rockville Centre outpost, which is much larger and offers the same great pizza along with a full menu of salads, pasta dishes, fish, meat, etc. Phenomenal crust, almost delicate, with sauce and toppings to match. Also probably the best white pie we've ever had, with ample dollops of ricotta to go along with the mozzarella and fresh garlic. Try a pie with red sauce, onions (they use red onions) and olives, which at Nick's are tangy kalamata. Wonderful.

4. Una Pizza Napolentana (NYC) First exposure to this pizza purist was through the television, watching Ed Levine escort Todd English through the door and through a pie he described as "perfect food." It really is. OK, you want to poke fun at the "here's why what you're eating is so damned special, just in case you missed it" six-panel pamphlet available to diners as being maybe a little overwrought and self important, go right ahead. But proprietor/chef Anthony Mangieri knows what he's doing back there by that minimalist work station and wood-fired brick oven, and if he's going to turn out food of this quality I for one support his right to talk about it.

Earlier this month I saw this Slice post on the possible sale of Una Pizza Napoletana and knew the next time I was in the city I was going to have to get back there for another Anthony pie, just in case. So last week, after a late afternoon meeting way downtown, I took the subway up to 14th St. and walked across town in the direction of 1st Ave. Got there shortly before 6 p.m. and every table was filled, with the exception of the little two-spot by the door. I settled in, ordered my Margherita pie and glass of wine and weathered the "what's up with that socially-inept dude over there eating by himself?" glances from everyone else in the place. Could not have cared less - the experience was worth it.

Walked back after paying the check and congratulated Anthony on another fine effort, told him that when it comes to pizza it's his or Pepe's - both insane and totally different. He laughed and seemed to appreciate the reference. It's amazing to me that after the many, many thousands of pies he's made over the years, he still holds every one up in the oven, crouches down and peers up at the underside to get a good look at the char. Every single pie is a careful assessment, a meticulous creation. That's why this place is what it is. Tremendous. If he goes he will be missed, and followed. I left around 7 p.m. with a line of anxious and hungry customers standing out on the sidewalk. I could have been in New Haven.

5. Totonno's (NYC) When Gwen and I lived in Manhattan it was in an apartment at the corner of 79th Street and Second Avenue, and even more important than our second bathroom was the fact that Totonno's was right around the corner. And that they delivered. Never in my life do I expect to again have pizza this extraordinary literally a phone call away. When we were expecting Madison we basically lived on one thing: large round pie, with sauce, mozzarella and onions, well done. It always was.

6. Caioti (Los Angeles) Favorite place by far when I lived in California, back when Caioti was located in a small cavern-type room under the Canyon Country Store in Laurel Canyon. Wrote a little tribute in this space back when owner/chef Ed LaDou passed away, much too soon. I still remember him back in that little salt box of a kitchen, cranking out one masterpiece after another. Hopefully the legacy lives on.

7. Colosseo (Long Island) Growing up, pizza meant only one thing - Colosseo. Located in an unassuming little strip mall shopping center, there was nothing like it. Nowhere near Frank Pepe's league, Anthony Mangieri would probably have to go off somewhere and purge if he was forced to eat a slice of the stuff, but when I was in high school ordering pizza on a Friday night meant enduring a throng five deep at the counter, waiting for pies both round and square, adorned with fresh and honest toppings. No canned and sickly briny button mushrooms in play at Colosseo, we're talking fresh sauteed and smoky. General consensus and a central truth of my formative years was that a Colosseo Sicilian pie was a piece of art, an achievement that could not be touched. I used to believe this as gospel. And whenever I go back, ordering up a slice that brings me all the way back to sweating college applications and the SAT, I still do.

8. Pizzeria Paradiso (Washington, D.C.) One of the first places I ever saw people stand in line for pizza (along with Pepe's), and one of the first places I'd ever seen pizza makers drizzle olive oil on finished pies before they landed in front of appreciative diners. Quickly became one of the standbys when I lived down there in the early 1990s, when I could bear the wait and hassle of actually getting a table. It was always worth it. Saw George Stephanopoulos wander in alone one night - at the height of the Clinton Administration - grab a seat at the bar and enjoy his pizza unharassed while reading a copy of the New Yorker. DC gets plenty of visitors, Pizzeria Paradiso was a place for regulars, for locals who lived in the city and knew where to go, like a crust-and-toppings version of City Lights of China or Lebanese Taverna.

9. John's (of Bleecker Street, NYC) Of all the picks on the list, this one feels the most obligatory, but there was a period of time when I was working in an office at the corner of 44th and 6th that I did appreciate John's Times Square location, which I think may actually be closed now, and the ability to wander in for what could only be considered a quality lunchtime pie. They were also there at the beginning, or at least before thin crust, brick oven became a mass-market expectation (hello, Bertucci's), as opposed to a nice surprise. John's makes the list on history alone.

10. Ours. Not up to the high professional standards of the pizza palaces listed above, to be sure, but with one distinct advantage. It's served - right out of the oven - at home.

[Postscript - turns out Slice was right, and Una Pizza Napoletana has closed. I got one of Anthony Mangieri's last NYC pies, on my little Thursday night mission last week, and consider myself even more fortunate. So I'm down one slot on my list, and open to suggestions.]

Weekend Art

2009-07-18T10:35:00.006-04:00

Still getting the hang of the new camera, a recent birthday present. Went outside this morning and got a few shots I was happy enough with to post. Hope the sun we are getting here in the Northeast is playing everywhere else. Good weekend, all.

Green '09

2009-07-15T06:02:00.003-04:00

Promised a little more on our recent trip to Vermont and here it is, still fresh in my mind but once again out of reach (beyond the photos and memories), five hours and a million miles from our typical day-to-day.

Time up there still revolves around our core activities, most importantly the Bromley Mountain Adventure Park, which Ava still calls "the carnival." Alpine slide, rock climbing wall, water ride, huge swing, various other captivating elements including a new "ZipRider" we unfortunately weren't able to experience. I bought a ticket at one point, but the ride was shut down during my designated time slot and even though it reopened later on you don't really want to fly down a mountain on a thin metal cord at 50 mph shortly after the attraction had been closed for several hours due to some undisclosed technical issue, so I took a refund on the ticket.

There were ice cream cones at the little Ben & Jerry's window in Manchester, phenomenal hand-crafted ravioli from Fior D'Italia, the Turley we brought with us, all the old standbys.

But I think the thing that made this trip really good and special is the fact that we continued a trend of getting out and around and experiencing new and different attractions and elements that have only increased our love and enjoyment of this beautiful state. We drove about 90 minutes north and east of our home base one day to visit the King Arthur Flour Baker's Store in Norwich, which was a real highlight for the adults but not so great for the kids - basically a large, bright and incredibly well-stocked store featuring every kind of flour and baking supply/ingredient/tool imaginable, but not much to see in terms of live activity.

Luckily enough Norwich is very close to the Woodstock/Quechee area, which had plenty to offer in the way of family fun. We wandered down a long country road to arrive at Sugarbush Farm , where we fed the animals and tasted four different grades of maple syrup (including the rare "fancy" designation) and more than a dozen varieties of locally-produced cheeses. Also bought a bunch. We went to the Simon Pearce store and watched them blow some glass (noted in the previous post) and also stopped off at Taylor Farm in Londonderry, where we bought more cheese and talked to farmer/owner Jon Wright about raw milk, before he comped us on a $1 sample cup. It was good, if a little unsettling. Ava tried a sip, Madison declined.

We spent a few hours one day at the Emerald Lake State Park, the girls are pictured above in one of the pedal boats they rent there, along with canoes and kayaks. It's not the beach at Four Seasons Nevis, but it's not meant to be, and for a picnic lunch or a few hours floating or paddling around a mountain lake, it's pretty good.

We hit the Bromley Village pool several times, walked around quite a bit, had a terrific dinner at Bistro Henry, which has emerged as a consistently good and surprisingly kid-friendly option. Finally got around to taking Madison and Ava through Hildene, and the gorgeous mountain-lined gardens where their parents almost got married.

Most of all, we reconnected with each other and really dug in for a great vacation together. Before the trip I wondered how we were going to fill the time up there, before long I was wondering where it went. Our girls are 6 and 8 and full of opinions and insights and preferences and their own ideas. We're full on into the transition from kids to people, and luckily enough we've created a couple of people it is really a treat, privilege and pleasure (most of the time) to hang out with.

Last week was one of those times.

Flowers By Madison

2009-07-13T08:10:00.000-04:00

I need to write up a post on last week's visit to Vermont, probably the best family time we've ever had up there, and not for lack of competition. Many fun and interesting activities, old and new, I'll get something up on the site soon with links and details.

We drove around and explored more than usual, including a visit to the Woodstock area and a visit to the Simon Pearce store/restaurant in Quechee, where we watched some glass blowing and bought the small flower vase shown above.

On our first morning back "home," Madison came up with the idea of wandering around outside and cutting some of the flowers currently in bloom around our house, which she carefully arranged in our new purchase.

Two Bees

2009-07-05T09:57:00.004-04:00

As I quickly write these words, the house is alive with the sounds and movements of a family packing up and getting ready to head up to Vermont for the first installment of this year's summer vacation. I'll try to post some photos and observations from up there in the coming week.

In the meantime, here are two shots I got yesterday of bees on respective pollen-gathering missions, the top one right outside our house in the morning and the bottom at my parents' place, where we spent the day.

The bee photos offer a welcome opportunity to let people know, particularly as the mercury rises, that Haagen-Dazs is still making the best ice cream in the history of the planet, a limited-edition return engagement that was supposed to be discontinued at the end of last year but, happily, lives on. Maybe we all had something to do with that. I'd like to think so.

Betsy Ross Would Be Proud

2009-06-29T06:24:00.007-04:00

One morning a few weeks ago I was walking by the girls' bathroom when Ava called out to me and asked me to come in. She was getting ready to brush her teeth.

"Look Dad," she said. "See what I do with the toothpaste? I use the different colors to make an American flag. Isn't that cool?"

I have no idea what compelled her to do this, it happened well before any talk of Independence Day or Old Glory occurred in our house, although she has been enjoying the new season of Army Wives.

Whatever the motivation, it seemed like a perfect image to kick off a week that ends with July 4 and a long weekend that has always been my favorite of the year, because it falls right around my birthday.

Unfortunately that day is seeming less and less a motivation to celebrate, although I have to admit having the opportunity clearly beats the alternative.

Saturday

2009-06-27T09:30:00.004-04:00

This Week's Big Development

2009-06-26T07:34:00.002-04:00

Today is Madison's last day in her K-2 school, she's "graduating" and next year will be in a building that is grades 3-5. At some point over the last month or so (and after a few hundred heartfelt requests) she and Gwen worked out a plan to pierce her ears as an element of this passage, so that by the time she gets to her "big" school next year she'll be through the process with these initial earrings and able to appropriately accessorize.

Needless to say it was a pretty big moment, and something she was looking forward to and talking about for weeks. It also gave us the chance to apply some extremely powerful non-seasonal Shock And Awe, in the form of threats to cancel the piercing appointment, and of course we like to use every option currently available in our parenting arsenal.

This was not a development I particularly relished, and I actually felt a little bit sad about it as we ticked down the days to last Saturday, when Gwen and my sister went with Madison - who by all accounts was extremely brave and smiled through the whole event at a local jewelry store. Perfect little ears getting a hole punched in them, for the purposes of adornment, was not high on my agenda.

But it was something she wanted, many others in her world had already blazed the relatively harmless trail, and even though it caused my mind to fast-forward for a minute to boys, and cars, college graduation, getting married and moving out, I somehow got through it, and with the exception of these colorful little chips now hanging from our 8-year-old's ears, our world is pretty much the same.

For the moment.

Arthur Avenue Redux

2009-06-21T16:40:00.013-04:00

We marked Father's Day this year with a family excursion to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. Managed to hit all the personal favorites, Ravioli and fresh pasta stock-up at Borgatti's (yes, we brought coolers), Madonia Brother's for bread, another extraordinary lunch of pizza and salad at Mario's. Unfortunately we discovered that Teitel Brothers is closed on Sunday, so no Fulvi Pecorino Romano, but it was still a great day. And, this time, I brought my camera.

[Mario's exterior, close-up of the menu that does not include any mention of what can only be considered one of the best pizzas you will ever have in your life, and owner Joseph Migliucci (through a glass window) making one of the aforementioned pizzas. Shhhh...]

[The boxes of Borgatti's insane ravioli that are now safely ensconced in our fridge and freezer, alone, were worth the trip. Bought enough to share with a few fortunate friends and neighbors, and also some of the homemade pasta, which starts off as large sheets that are then custom cut to five designated thicknesses. Here we see our personal semolina concierge standing over a mound of #5.]

[Ridiculous bread. Ridiculous.]

[Stopped off, again, to light a candle and say a prayer at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.]

[Only negative of the day was discovering that Teitel Brothers isn't open on Sunday. Oh well, just another excuse to get back there soon. And we will.]

Hosta La Vista

2009-06-07T08:11:00.013-04:00

At least a half dozen different kinds of Hostas growing outside at the moment, and we're not complaining. It's like someone detonated a green bomb, and we're partial to green around here.

Shades Of June

2009-06-02T08:04:00.002-04:00

Same flower/bud combo, separated by about 10 hours. I asked Gwen to pick her favorite but she liked them both, so here they are.

Don't Want To Live On The Moon

2009-05-31T21:13:00.003-04:00

Sang this song to Ava tonight at bedtime, by request, and it reminded me of the best version I've ever heard, performed by Ernie and Aaron Neville on Sesame Street, years ago. Enjoy.

An Afternoon On Arthur Avenue

2009-05-31T12:18:00.016-04:00

A few months ago, I got a call from my Dad. He said a friend of his was headed into the Bronx, Arthur Avenue, to buy some kind of imported grating cheese he'd been eating since he was a kid. He asked if we wanted any, and even before I knew the details I was on board. I loved the idea - in a world of $5-foot-longs, Domino's Bread Bowl Pasta and Olive Garden marketer/chefs hard at work on the next ludicrous concoction able to be drizzled on a plate in slow motion, accompanied by breathless voiceover ("16-cheese frozen shrimp and truffle-dusted manicotti, with anchovy essence and imported Tuscan soil") - of an artisanal product retrieved from a childhood store, on a street that is more or less frozen in time.

The source was a little shop that has been in operation on the same corner since 1915, a packed-to-the-rafters deli-type place called Teitel Brothers, and the cheese was Fulvi Pecorino Romano, which they sell for $6.99 a pound. We got our allocation, and loved it. If the pasta-eating world is divided into Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano in its highest form, green shake can of Kraft pre-grated sand in its lowest) and Romano camps, we're Romano people. Before we tried the Fulvi, the high-water mark was without a doubt imported Locatelli. The Fulvi had that great sharp tang, but with a little fuller flavor, a little richer, buttery hints that took that distinctive and welcome bite on top of pasta and red sauce to a new and slightly more intoxicating place.

It was incredible, and we quickly ran out of our supply. We discovered that Teitel Brothers is more than happy to ship its wares, which include very good and very reasonably priced unfiltered and first cold pressed olive oils, and went in on a few mail order deliveries. Then my Dad suggested we all drive in one weekend and get the full Arthur Avenue experience, and the invitation turned into a great and memorable Saturday afternoon.

My first impression was that Arthur Avenue was what you hoped Little Italy in Manhattan would be, but isn't. Whatever the history, Little Italy - to me - has turned into a fairly limited string of tourist trap restaurants. Sure, there's an enduring presence or two thrown into the mix, but the place today is like a theme park version of an old working Italian enclave, like when they stopped letting visitors tour the actual Hershey factory in Pennsylvania and instead shifted the interest and the masses to a theme-park ride along the lines of "It's A Small World," with piped in cocoa aroma.

Arthur Avenue is real, a street buzzing with activity and, more importantly, authenticity. We started off with lunch at Mario's Restaurant, which has been cranking out memorable meals since 1919. Every old school Italian joint within 50 miles of Times Square has its own version of the "Sinatra used to eat here" story, but sitting in a place like this you can actually believe it. We had terrific house salads and the pizza, which doesn't even appear on the menu (legendary foodie Ed Levine has the backstory on that), was right up there with Pepe's and Totonno's on our short list of best pies ever. A crust that can only be described as perfect, nice chunks of crushed tomatoes in the sauce, high-quality cheese. It really doesn't get much better, and another Mario's pie is, in itself, worthy justification for a return trip.

But there is so much more to see, experience and eat on Arthur Avenue. We wandered into at least three busy and seemingly thriving bread bakeries located within about a block of each other. One of them had a sign in the window seeking a part-time baker, and the romantic notion of temporarily shelving the day job in favor of a couple of months getting up at the crack of dawn and driving to Arthur Avenue to make bread lived until roughly the moment when I mentioned it to Gwen. The girls had some homemade lemon ice that passed the sweet/tart balance test with flying colors. I grabbed a very respectable espresso at a one of the many pastry shops.

We went into Teitel Brothers and stocked up on Fulvi cheese and big tins of olive oil, the place was a swirl of crowds and activity and pleasant aromas that obviously didn't come through when placing mail orders over the phone. Unbelievable value, the price of every single item we'd seen elsewhere was significantly discounted within the walls of this special little vortex.

We were told in advance not to miss the chance to stop off at Borgatti's and pick up some of their fresh pastas, particularly the ravioli. We did, bought a box of small cheese ravioli and fired them up when we got home that night. And even though we were already stuffed they were without a doubt the best ravioli we had ever had, insane little pillows of semolina and cheese, ready for whatever kind of dressing you had in mind or even eaten right out of the colander.

I have no doubt that we merely scratched the surface on our little Saturday afternoon excursion, but I know for certain that we "got" the place, succeeded in hitting a number of its high points and - especially with the summer months ahead - will absolutely be back. Back for more pizza and salads at Mario's, more olive oil/cheese stock-ups at Teitel Brothers, more ravioli and fresh pasta from Borgatti's, more bread, light a candle or two at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, maybe even take in a Mass on a street that takes you back in time, and treats you very well when you're there.

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[New visitors arriving by virtue of a very gracious link from the good people over at Serious Eats might enjoy a few previous posts, including our Sunday Sauce recipe and nod to Rao's, or tribute to the late California pizza pioneer Ed LaDou, or strategy for creating ridiculously good, ridiculously slow-roasted tomatoes. Feel free to wander around and make yourself at home. And thanks Ed.]