The Passenger in Chelsea

Tree lighting week in Manhattan. A week we would avoid if we didn't have to visit there for work. Pierino has booked a nice hotel room down in Chelsea for four nights. Our flight is delayed by an hour and half. However our bag is wheeled out first with a thank you note from TSA inside. Then we are whisked into Manhattan by a driver from Coughingstan. Must be why we came home sick.

Midnight arrival at our corner, 8th Avenue and 22nd. The sign reads GEM Hotel except that it's anchored above a vacant retail space. Fortunately the hotel itself was actually one door away on 22nd. Boutique hotel room in the "Ascend" collection. You don't ascend very far because it's only five stories. Our small room with European style fittings has a view of the Empire State Building with the Hanukkah lights on.

Sunday we sleep. Meet a colleague for lunch at Katz's Deli for Matzoh Ball soup. By evening it's beginning to get really cold. So around 5:00 Pierino heads out the door toward a restaurant over on 7th Avenue. But on the chilly walk he notices a small restuarant at the corner of 8th and 20th, Le Trois Canards which sounds vaguely familiar. It was familiar because it had recently moved to this location from a few blocks away, one in which we had dropped in before way back when. We figured we'd check out the menu. Unfortunately the door was locked. But suddenly we were admitted by the lovely Samira who it turns out would be working all stations including the bar in the tiny dining room. As usual we order a glass of wine at the bar and see that the menu is perfect for a cold, winter night. Forget 7th Avenue!

First course, steaming garlicky escargots in their own natural shells so that you have to use those clamp thingies to pry them out. This was followed by a delicious tarte au cepes, spilling out good stuff including escarole. Pierino is a happy man especially after chatting with Samira, international woman of mystery. Before we leave Samira smuggles some extra biscotti out of the kitchen, which he sticks in his pockets along with the remaining half bottle of sparkling water. Unfortunately (not so really unfortunate, in the end), at about 2:00 a.m. Pierino wakes up realizing that he has left his bag hanging on the back of his chair. And he has an early train to White Plains in the morning.

So, after an 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. schedule of trains and meetings we go back to Le Trois Canards to retrieve our stuff. Once again greeted at the door by Samira. So we hang out for another glass of wine until they are ready to lock the doors. We discuss the films of Pontecorvo (The Battle of Algiers)and Fellini (La Dolce Vita)and then adieu.

And it's still stinking cold.

On our last night in Manhattan where else would we go? Doh! Back to Trois Canards. It's only two blocks away. This time we ordered their superb Onion Soup Gratinee. Now that will warm your bones when it's 18F outside. Au revoir Samira. Until the next visit.

I am the Passenger

"I am the Passenger I ride and I ride..." ...and I ride and I fly and I drive... "And everything looks good tonight, Everything was made for you and me..."And I ride and I fly and I drive "And everything looks good tonight..."

And I meet interesting people in train stations and airport lounges and most often restaurant bars where I arrive by my ownself with a book. Over four days in New York I met a choral student from Beijing, two antique dealers, and a beautiful restaurant server with a fascinating personal history: Moroccan/Algerian; grew up in Alsace. Her Moroccan father was recruited into the French Army and covertly assisted the Algerian rebels and had to sneak out of Algeria in 1962, escaped to France and raised his family. Meanwhile, observed in flight; a middle-aged Indian woman in an opposite seat playing a video game on an IPad which seemed to involve shooting down birds flying past, as well as blowing up buildings. I don't make this stuff up

AZ: The Good, The Very Bad, and the Horribly Ugly

I try to find something good everywhere I travel. Usually I succeed. In this case, I was bunkered in Chandler, AZ and with a little research turned up Anise, a Vietnamese restaurant on Dobson. Located in a strip mall (yeah, please name a Vietnamese restaurant in the western US that isn't), they ought to be a destination for anyone (like Pierino) stuck down there. The food is great. The charming Kim and Anne work the front of the house and will even order for you if you ask their advice. We went with that plan on our second visit. They make lovely, clear broths, which I think is the toughest to get right. Combined with crab meat, well...

Not everything in AZ is so charming right now. I happened to be there on the day that the district court blocked most of SB 1070. Now, could I just say that immigrant labor is the backbone of the restaurant and hotel industry in the state as well as most of North America with the exception of Guam and the Palin Territories. These people risk death walking through the desert just to wash dishes, cook and change the sheets in your hotel room. And you want to keep 'em out? Tell me why!

I was listening to KJZZ (an NPR affiliate) at the time that the decision came down. This was a local show with AZ callers (please remember that these people don't know that you are supposed to stop for red lights). Of course they were all offended and predicted that this will lead to a Republican sweep in November. They could be right. But what these morons won't accept is that the most conservative Supreme Court in 40 years will uphold the distict and circuit court decisions. Including Chief Justice Roberts? And then, what's your come back?

I heard one woman caller on KJZZ say, "when was the last time you saw an American [aka white] teenager working at a McDonald's?" How about they're too effing lazy to apply! Do you really think that Effing Ronald McDonald discriminates against white American teens? Shit, they grew up on Happy Meals, but it doesn't mean they want to work there. But these same idiots are also opposed to raising the minimum wage. You can't have it both ways.

And now for the decidedly ugly. I checked out of my hotel and was en route to the airport thinking that I had missed, for once, what is an all too familiar sight on Arizona roadways. That would be the ghastly car crash. Well, I didn't have to travel very far on 10 North to see the signs that access to I17 was closed. When I got there I could see why: in the connector lane a pickup was flipped over with the cab crushed. This happened to be a rainy morning. There are worse things than missing your off ramp. But hey, people in AZ will risk death to do that. And their thing about red lights? It means "Stop" not "speed up!"

One Buck Shuck

I spent one night in "Sideways" country this past week on my way up the road to my new home further up the coast. During that stay I paid my third visit to "Root 246", Bradley Ogden's restaurant in the Hotel Corque in Solvang. And Chef Bradley, as widely rumoured, was in fact in the house. They offer a great deal on oysters. $1.00 for one Kumamoto. After that a caesar salad with a perfectly poached egg. That's spelled, MIGHTY FINE.

Chicago, Doh!

Do you remember when there were only six teams in the NHL? I do. Pierino stopped being a Kings' fan when they changed their sweaters which then became gang colors. But going back to the old time days, we are a serious fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, so part of one day was used up just grabbing Hawks' swag.

I could be wrong but was this relief on the Michigan Avenue bridge sculpted to commemorate the B'hawks victory over Vancouver to advance to the conference finals?

Chicago, Oink!

Could I just say again that I love Chicago. The City of Big Shoulders, Broad Bellies and Hog Butcher to the Nation. Pierino had scarcely two nights in town but departed well fed and happy.
After escaping from the boondocks of Naperville we hit the city and Michigan Avenue. Listening to bar chat at the Inn of Chicago (hotel)we heard about The Purple Pig, just two blocks away, almost opposite the Tribune Building. Some fast in room research and we were on our way. Anyplace that promotes "Cheese, Swine & Wine" is fine with Pierino. Preaching to the choir here.

The first night we supped on marinated olives, fava beans with an egg salad, and pig tails braised in balsamic. Could we have more pig please?

This was so good that we had to return the next day for lunch. Pierino really wanted to sample the "smears", and in our case this turned out to be the pork neck rillettes with mostarda. The rillette was absurdly good with burnt, crusty bruschetta slices of bread (is that redundant?). The mostarda though, was sort of wimpola. It was almost like a compote of fig and raisin with little of the curried kick that the real thing should deliver. Nevertheless, we loved that rillette.

One of Pierino's friends keeps bugging him to go to Avec, which he seriously wanted to try. It might help if you came along, Kim. No time on this trip, though. But I'll be back. You can bet on it.

Oh, hi!

Recently I had the pleasure of cooking for some good friends up in Ojai, CA at "Piazza dell' Thatcher". The principal course turned out to be a paella made with fresh sea scallops from Alaska (thank you, Michael), fresh asparagus, and smoked Italian peppers along with the mandatory bomba rice, saffron and pimenton. As an appetizer, equaliser, I stole an idea from a chef friend. I bought some cerignola olives (big fat ones)and tossed them some maracona almonds and olive oil, along with some slivers of garlic. See the video clip. I plated this with some white "boquerones" around the platter. The boquerones are white anchovies in vinegar and oil and are guaranteed to convert to convert anchovy haters. Let's just say that there weren't any left on the serving platter when I returned from the kitchen. Chef Amber, I owe you one.