NY Mag has article on the founder of Stumptown, the Portland, Oregon–based coffee company that is sweeping NY. I am not a big coffee drinker but this stuff is delicious.
One of my favorite corners on Court Street is getting a makeover and a new owner. At Court and Kane, formerly Caffe Carciofo, --- will now be Watty & Meg. Rumors peg the menu as Scottish fare. I walk by here everyday and they seem to be moving quickly so we'll see sooner rather than later.
Eat It reports on a lovely meal at Prime Meats full of meat platters and spatzle.
Eater discusses the reason Calpurnia on Court Street has been so slow to open... delays on liquor license.
They also have update on Calexico's storefront- 3 more weeks!how i love bon iver? let me count the ways. well, here is just one more reason to add to the list. Bon Iver's Justin Vernon rejoined Eau Claire Memorial High School's jazz band last night to help fund their attendance to a music competition in NYC. he played some of his own stuff and standards like "Since I Fell For You" and "The Lady Is A Tramp." swooon.
more video here
so apparently, david simon (the wire) was on bill moyers this week. it is re airing throughout the week so i am determined to catch it. he is one of the most insanely intelligent and insightful writers out there. looking forward to his new hbo series, treme. you can read simon's 79 page pitch for the wire here (via kottke.org)
I watched HBO's Grey Gardens this weekend and was blown away by how good it was. Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore are fantastic. I am a big fan of the Maysles' documentary and after watching both the doc a few years ago and now the HBO film, I cant help but get drawn into the fascinating tale of the Beales'. Here are two interesting articles I recently read on the subject: the NY Mag cover story on the Beales' from 1972 and an article with Sally Quinn who owns Grey Gardens now (she bought it from Little Edie in 1979).
i just heard about this pretty neat art inspired public dinner night called FEAST. According to their website, "FEAST is a recurring public dinner designed to use community-driven financial support to democratically fund new and emerging artmakers. At each FEAST, participants will pay a sliding-scale entrance fee for which they will receive supper and a ballot. Diners will vote on a variety of proposed artist projects. At the end of dinner, the artist whose proposal receives the most votes will be awarded funds collected through the entrance fee to produce the project. The work will then be presented during the next FEAST." The next one is May 9th.
As the spring weather is finally rearing its head in NYC, here comes a Style story from the NYT about what to wear while biking. Apparently in the recession, a bike is the new status symbol. Go figure. Meanwhile, I want this (picture to the left). "This frame-mounted device would allow cyclists to make their mark on the street with faint lines of chalk. The rear wheel spins a smooth trail of color onto the pavement as the bike whizzes along." ooo pretty!
okay, i am the first to admit the hills is worse than ever yet somehow i am inexplicably still watching. i guess i really am a completest through and through. anyways, on the most recent episodes we have been introduced to spencer's friend, charlie, who is just completely outrageous and a stereotype of LA dudes. apparently, i am not the only one who wanted to know who the hell this guy is as the NYT blog digs in on the question... As they aptly describe "When we first encounter Charlie in 503, he and Spencer are tooling around in Pratt’s BMW M6. G. Block’s “Got It On” blares and Charlie rides shotgun, car-dancing. He’s a strange man — Charlie speaks in mercurial Los Angles haikus. The first words we hear are: “Night away from Heidi/Good man dude/ Thanks for coming out.” Not exactly Pinter or Basho, but not bad. Later he says enigmatically, “You don’t slip. You trip. You flip. Just like pancakes.” Really?
I have been meaning to post about Adventureland since it opened a couple weeks ago. I read the script a while back and was highly anticipating this movie. It turned out to live up to all my expectations. Don't get me wrong, there are some definite flaws but they are minor enough that overall, I completely fell in love with this movie and can't wait to see it again. The trailer wrongly sells it as a broad dude comedy and it is far from it. Instead viewers are treated to a charming coming of age story with an endearing first love angle that brings back all those wistful memories of those times. Definitely make a point of seeing this, if for no other reason than the soundtrack is outstanding as well!
I went to an awesome cake decorating class last night at The Brooklyn Kitchen. The instructor was fantastic (and had been on a couple of Food Network Challenges) and for the $50 fee they not only provided you with instructions but a cake and supplies for decorating. I had a great time and learned a lot, mainly that decorating cakes is much harder than it looks and takes far more precision than I currently have but practice makes perfect!
I just found out about this fantastic volunteer group in Greenpoint called Dessert Corps. If you enjoy baking like I do, here you go... As their website explains: "Although it is the goal at the Greenpoint Soup Kitchen to always provide a home cooked meal, it is not always quite possible; The physical kitchen is too small to provide a hearty meal AND homemade desserts. Since a healthy meal is the main concentration, desserts don’t always get the focus they deserve. Not surprisingly, dessert is one of the favorite parts of the weekly meal. People accept any sweet–be it a couple of cookies from the dollar store or a homemade treat– with a big smile. It is our goal with the dessert corps to ensure that every dessert served from the kitchen is a homemade treat made by someone from the community. To this end, we are searching out 10 weekly volunteers to cook up a sweet treat that serves 10. Each week there will be a theme/recipe. You can do it once, do it weekly, do it monthly, or do it whenever you feel like baking. Eventually we will have an online calendar system for sign ups. Until then, please email craigskitchen [at] gmail.com with the subject line Dessert Corps Volunteer in order to get involved."
- A tipster told me that Cafe Peddlar "Business is strong and they intend to extend their hours eventually and add a tasting and coffee pairing menu..."
- That same tipster told me "Lobo plans to reopen the last week of April. They basically tore down and rebuilt the deck outside and tore down some walls to give themselves more room inside and make it easier to get around -apparently the steps are not in the way as much. Although, they didnt do much redecoration."
- The Red Hook vendors will be returning to the Red Hook Ball Fields on Saturday, May 2. (via Brownstoner via Serious Eats)
- The Greene Grape, a Fulton Street wine shop was just named New York Wine and Spirit Retailer of the Year. (via BK Paper)
- The new BK outpost for the much beloved Kuma Inn is scheduled to open on May 1. (via Brownstoner via Gothamist)
