quackers

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Here's to the new quackers' 3Rs

~ February 6, 2007 at 18:53 (Views: 16 )

Yep. I've succumbing to the commercial success and demand of my insatiable readers. From here on, I've decided to solely concentrate on gastronomic delights and despairs: recommendations, reviews and recipes after this hiatus of silence (translate to writer's block and disenchantment with good eats).

But after a splendid experience with the NYC Winter Restaurant Week 2007, I've decided to pick up the writer's quill again and make myself and my stomach heard. It's an amazing thing this NYC Restaurant Week thing. Exclusive restaurants around the city get packed all week and all day for two weeks while the gourmand masses gorge on 25$ and 35$ prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus, respectively. Coming up...how I got into a cat fight with a snooty-nosed lush at the $$$$$ the Mercer Kitchen in Soho. Read more here

So here's to the new quackers 3Rs column: Recommendations, Review and Recipes...Momma, I'm gonna write about food.

restaurants reviews food recommendations recipes gastronomy nyc

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Les Philosophes, 28 rue Vielle du Temple, Paris

~ January 10, 2007 at 1:33 (Views: 70 )

You must have the tarte tatin au tomate which is their house speciality as well as the duck and then top it off with the creme brulee. It's the BEST I've ever had and I'm sorry to say that in this case it wins hands down over crema catalana.

Go to Paris and go to this restaurant, during the week and find yourself a nice little table against the wall and take it all in.

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An apple phone?

~ January 9, 2007 at 16:38 (Views: 12 )

The handset was just a question of time.

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A flock of sheep

~ January 9, 2007 at 4:51 (Views: 16 )

I have another rant just so I can get a good night's rest.

Today I was on the subway fully immersed in this week's economist pg 37 and this foul man started saying these inappropriate things to a girl and her mom who were minding their own business. He appeared to be interested in the girl and offered her a lollipop and then proceeded to say even more inappropriate things to the girl and then to her mom who was politely trying to ignore him. I felt bad for her and it made steaming mad that this man (in his right mind or not) was able to get away with what qualifies as harassment. No one said a word and I said to myself "stop being such a chicken shit and say something". So I blurted out in an angry voice, "hey why don't you leave her alone?!?" and I asked the woman if she was okay.

That did it. The guy lost his focus on the girl and mom and glared at me (and of course I'm like, yeah, I know why people on the subway mind their own business because it's full of crazies, but that's expected in a city of 8.1 million people crammed into 321 square miles). He started yelling at me and got off the train as I did. After he had insulted me, I guess because I was in the wrongdoing, he walked away. A younger guy then came up to me and told me that I was right to speak up.

I guess what really bothered me was that I almost didn't speak up because I was afraid of the consequences. I almost didn't stand up for my ideals or defend somebody who getting bullied on...you know justify it by saying it's their problem. Me and the 50 other people on that packed train were probably all thinking the same thing about this jerk and wondered if we should do something...

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What's for dinner...again?

~ January 8, 2007 at 23:31 (Views: 14 )

As Micheal Pollan points out, humans are unique to the proverbial question of what we have for dinner. "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A natural history of 4 meals" by Michael Pollan is my latest before bed book. It's not the most relaxing read but it is quite compelling and fascinating. He basically breaks down the development of food from the industrial to the organic to alternative food to actually foraging it in the days of the hunter-gatherer. Quite an interesting spin and the first section on how corn or Zea Mays is the most common constituent to what we eat makes you think twice...are we 99% corn? It's a commentary of many thoughts, social, political, historical. Your dinner will never look the same.

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NYer's rant

~ January 8, 2007 at 23:25 (Views: 6 )

God some cab drivers are so MEAN. I've met my share of nice one, polite ones and then some really big jerks. No wonder people think New Yorkers are so high-strung. They have to be on the defense all the time.

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What's wrong with my Amaryllis?

~ January 6, 2007 at 6:12 (Views: 13 )

It's not even an Amaryllis. It's mistakenly called so but it's actually a Hippeastrum according to Wikipedia.

That's not the full complaint though. After blossoming into 8 beautiful orange flowers over two weeks, it's plunged into the depths of despair. I watered it, I talked to it, I put it by the morning sun, I pruned it (it fell on me several times), I drilled more holes into the ceramic pot so that it would drain properly and everything I could think of. Ok, I don't know much about plants. But now my Hippeastrum is propped up on two chopsticks bound by duct tape and it shrivels up a little more each day.

Tell me, have I failed you as a parent?

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My favorite canape

~ January 5, 2007 at 16:43 (Views: 24 )

There's this small tapas bar restaurant on the Cava Baja in the La Latina neighborhood in Madrid. It's hard to get a table on the weekends but apart from a good wine selection, the food is amAZing. And remember to look at their 3-D photo print as you head downstairs to the bathroom.

Casa Lucas, cava baja, 30. Don't forget it.

Some of my all time favorites: the porchini mushroom risotto with foie gras and poached egg, the soy sauce tuna tataki and finally the monkfish canape with creamed corn and candied onions.

I tried making it at home for some friends that I had over. It's pretty damn good and quick.

-Rustic bread sliced about 3/4" thick
-canned or fresh boiled corn, blended into a creme and sweetened.
-candied red onions (slice onions into rings, fry in olive oil and add some honey to sweeten)
-lightly pan fry monkfish or flakey white fish (I used tilapia) with some olive oil and some flaky salt like Maldon (first cut fish into pieces that can fit bread slices).

Then toast bread and layer from bottom up: some creamed corn, the fried fish and top with candied onions. Use your intuition...it should be served warm and promptly.

Next time remind me about the best place to have creme brulee in Paris.

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Exercise your music muscle: 72 rock groups

~ January 4, 2007 at 21:29 (Views: 205 )

These are Virgin record label artists that are hidden in the following image that I found online a long time ago if you haven't already suffered at the hands of this trivia. Immediately addictive.

I'll start you off. In the center of it all, Queen is pointing her Sex Pistols at Prince.

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72 rock groups

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Just look at yourself

~ January 4, 2007 at 21:24 (Views: 24 )

Can anyone answer this for me? How can you know what you really look like if you've only seen yourself through a mirror and nature so cleverly makes us asymmetrical? TVs and cameras we know all lie. And mirrors are imperfect.

Just like that wretched answering machine recording you never recognize your recorded voice the way it resonates in your own head so what of your face. All I can say sometimes is ick.

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random thoughts

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