Go Twins
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Monday, October 05, 2009
Atlantic Antic
It was a beautiful day for the Atlantic Antic, sunny and warm. As usual I had a bunch of people over to hook up and have a beer or two before heading out. Well, to be honest, most people just had coffee. But I wasn't the only one to have a beer or two, let me make that perfectly clear.
Heading Out
As usual, we only stuck together for a couple of blocks and then three of us kind of split off.
Together At Last, And The Last Time
The three of us, John, Bob and I, headed towards Pete's Waterfront Ale House to get a pulled pork sandwich and a beer. There was a band out front, but not Dmitri.
Playing The Blues
There was a long line for the food, as expected. Luckily, Barman knew the secret.
Lining Up For The Food
The trick is to just head inside where there was comfortable seating available.
Better Than Standing In Line
From here Bob and I headed toward's Montero's, a bit of a ritual. John somehow got separated from us when I went across the street to take a few pictures. He hooked up with the other group so it was just Bob and me.
Some sights along the way.
This is what I ran across the street to photograph. This, John, is where we lost you.
Montero's was pretty crowded even though it is, technically, not a part of the Atlantic Antic.
A Decent Crowd
Barman and Bob Settling A Bit
You can see Pilar in the back sitting at her usual place at the bar having her customary glass of white wine.
While not technically a part of the Atlantic Antic, a bit of the festival did manage to sneak into the bar.
Who Let That Hat In Here?
From Montero's Bob and I headed to another favorite haunt of mine, The Brazen Head.
And more sights on the way.
Dmitri Did Show Up
The Brazen Head
Nice Crowd In Here Too
Eventually everyone kind of hooked up and we started to go our separate ways as the fair began to wind down.
The Garbage Collects
Bob, his wife, The Lovely Loretta, The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I headed back to my place where we watched the Jets game up until half-time and then headed out for dinner. I will post about that tomorrow.
Oh yeah, both the Twins and the Tigers won their games so tomorrow will be the one-game playoff for all the marbles. That should be fun. Tonight I, along with millions of others, will be watching that Vikings and Packers matchup. Lot's of conflict there, being a Viking fan and naturally wanting to see them beat the hated Packers and then pretty much hating Favre. Oh well. My brother-in-law Jim is coming over, maybe he can help me sort it out. But then he is a Giants fan, so I probably won't listen to him.
Heading Out
As usual, we only stuck together for a couple of blocks and then three of us kind of split off.
Together At Last, And The Last Time
The three of us, John, Bob and I, headed towards Pete's Waterfront Ale House to get a pulled pork sandwich and a beer. There was a band out front, but not Dmitri.
Playing The Blues
There was a long line for the food, as expected. Luckily, Barman knew the secret.
Lining Up For The Food
The trick is to just head inside where there was comfortable seating available.
Better Than Standing In Line
From here Bob and I headed toward's Montero's, a bit of a ritual. John somehow got separated from us when I went across the street to take a few pictures. He hooked up with the other group so it was just Bob and me.
Some sights along the way.
This is what I ran across the street to photograph. This, John, is where we lost you.
Montero's was pretty crowded even though it is, technically, not a part of the Atlantic Antic.
A Decent Crowd
Barman and Bob Settling A Bit
You can see Pilar in the back sitting at her usual place at the bar having her customary glass of white wine.
While not technically a part of the Atlantic Antic, a bit of the festival did manage to sneak into the bar.
Who Let That Hat In Here?
From Montero's Bob and I headed to another favorite haunt of mine, The Brazen Head.
And more sights on the way.
Dmitri Did Show Up
The Brazen Head
Nice Crowd In Here Too
Eventually everyone kind of hooked up and we started to go our separate ways as the fair began to wind down.
The Garbage Collects
Bob, his wife, The Lovely Loretta, The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I headed back to my place where we watched the Jets game up until half-time and then headed out for dinner. I will post about that tomorrow.
Oh yeah, both the Twins and the Tigers won their games so tomorrow will be the one-game playoff for all the marbles. That should be fun. Tonight I, along with millions of others, will be watching that Vikings and Packers matchup. Lot's of conflict there, being a Viking fan and naturally wanting to see them beat the hated Packers and then pretty much hating Favre. Oh well. My brother-in-law Jim is coming over, maybe he can help me sort it out. But then he is a Giants fan, so I probably won't listen to him.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Magic Number???
Be still my beating heart. The Twins and Tigers are all tied up for the American League Central Divison Title going into the final game of the season. How much closer can a race be? A win by one team and a loss by the other and it is all over for somebody. Otherwise it will be a one-game playoff for all the marbles.
At the risk of alienating any Tiger fans who may follow my blog:
And really, Kent Hrbek should be in the Hall Of Fame.
Hope to see you at the Atlantic Antic today. I will be popping in and out of bars all afternoon checking on the progress of both the Jets and the Twins as well as keeping my eye on the Tigers. Should be a fun-filled day with all kinds of posibilities for drama.
Oh, and the magic number for the Knicks? That would be 269 - the number of days until LeBron becomes a free agent. How embarassing that they even put this in the paper every day.
At the risk of alienating any Tiger fans who may follow my blog:
GO TWINS
And really, Kent Hrbek should be in the Hall Of Fame.
Hope to see you at the Atlantic Antic today. I will be popping in and out of bars all afternoon checking on the progress of both the Jets and the Twins as well as keeping my eye on the Tigers. Should be a fun-filled day with all kinds of posibilities for drama.
Oh, and the magic number for the Knicks? That would be 269 - the number of days until LeBron becomes a free agent. How embarassing that they even put this in the paper every day.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Atlantic Antic Tomorrow
Just a reminder, tomorrow is the 35th annual Atlantic Antic street fair in Brooklyn - the best street fair in all of New York.
Be sure to be there if you can. It should be a lovely day and great fun will be had by all.
Easy to get to as well. Just take about any subway that goes to Brooklyn (and that is most of them) then get off in the Borough Hall area. Or you can take the LIRR to the Atlantic Avenue Terminal and you will be right there.
Be sure to be there if you can. It should be a lovely day and great fun will be had by all.
Easy to get to as well. Just take about any subway that goes to Brooklyn (and that is most of them) then get off in the Borough Hall area. Or you can take the LIRR to the Atlantic Avenue Terminal and you will be right there.
Friday, October 02, 2009
At Last, Armando's
Armando's had their grand opening on Monday, but, because I went to the worst Yankee's game of the year, I missed it. I did finally got there though and, much to my surprise and delight, the old sign was back in its rightful place.
Up We Go
Like An Old Friend
I talked to another old friend, Peter, the owner. I apologized for missing the grand opening and he said it was just as well I did. He said the place was packed and kind of a madhouse. It packed up pretty well tonight, too. And most of the people were old-timers stopping in for the first time since its reopened. A lot of shaking of hands and hugging. Kind of touching.
I congratulated Peter on the sign being back up and he said he still might have trouble with the permit. He asked me if I would speak up if there was a public meeting on it. I said, of course. Seems kind of silly though, the sign isn't that big, and it isn't like that stretch of Montague is residential. It is all commercial with a lot of signage.
We got to Armando's fairly early and managed to score a table right under Marilyn.
Right At Home
Marilyn wasn't exactly in her old place. Armando's has been opened up a bit and the solid wall creating a couple of smaller nooks has been replaced by glass cases holding bottles of wine. The place looks real nice, but it was a bit disquieting. Just enough different but still similar to make you feel somewhat disoriented.
The service was very friendly but, again, it was an entirely new staff. And Armando's was a place where the staff stuck around long enough so that the old waiters were kind of like friends. Same with the bartenders.
Most upsetting was that the menu had changed. No longer the old Southern Italian comfort dishes, the good stuff, real country food. Now the menu was smaller, much more upscale and, of course, pricier. Most of the Mysterious Chinese Woman's and my favorite dishes were gone. In fact, they all were.
Oh well, you can't fight change and at least Armando's was back. Peter said that we could always ask for a dish not on the menu and if they could make it, they would. Hey, I will drink to that.
Cheers
We started out with a couple of appetizers, clams in a tomato sauce and grilled octopus.
The Clams
The Octopus
Both of these were very good. The clams were perfectly done and the sauce was really nice and spicy. The octopus was more like an octopus salad, pickled rather than grilled. I asked about that and the chef said they were grilled before they were pickled. Not sure if I believe that. Nobody ordering grilled octopus would expect to get this. But it was really, really good. The pieces were fairly large and had just the right chew. Kind of like pickled pig's feet, which I love, but with an octopus flavor, whatever that is.
I was going to order the salmon but the Mysterious Chinese Woman warned me I would be disappointed because it wouldn't be as good as her's. Maybe she was just afraid I would think it was better. I opted for the tuna.
Tuna With White Beans
I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. But then I seldom like tuna in restaurants. Usually it is too thin and too over-cooked. Even though this piece was red in the middle, the middle was kind of small.
I like my tuna just seared on each side. But, of course, to serve it that way you have to have top-of-the-line sushi quality tuna, and that costs a fortune. Most restaurants opt for a lesser cut so they can price it more reasonably. Then you need to cook it a bit more and then you get what I got. Decent, but just okay. The beans were very good though.
The Mysterious Chinese Woman opted for the sea bass and she was very happy with it. It was kind of bland for me, but it was very nicely prepared.
See Sea Bass
If I am going to have sea bass I would rather have it at the Thai place. But that is just me.
And, as tradition requires, I finished up the meal with a Strega.
It's A Witch, But Someone Has To Do It
For those of you who may have missed the pun, Strega means "witch" in Italian.
I am glad Armando's re-opened, and I will certainly be back. But I think that for the next couple of visits it will, more than anything else, evoke a feeling of nostalgia. The old Armando's was the first restaurant in this neighborhood I ever went to, even before I moved here. And I will miss the old waiters and bartenders. And the food.
Ah, snap out of it and move on.
Up We Go
Like An Old Friend
I talked to another old friend, Peter, the owner. I apologized for missing the grand opening and he said it was just as well I did. He said the place was packed and kind of a madhouse. It packed up pretty well tonight, too. And most of the people were old-timers stopping in for the first time since its reopened. A lot of shaking of hands and hugging. Kind of touching.
I congratulated Peter on the sign being back up and he said he still might have trouble with the permit. He asked me if I would speak up if there was a public meeting on it. I said, of course. Seems kind of silly though, the sign isn't that big, and it isn't like that stretch of Montague is residential. It is all commercial with a lot of signage.
We got to Armando's fairly early and managed to score a table right under Marilyn.
Right At Home
Marilyn wasn't exactly in her old place. Armando's has been opened up a bit and the solid wall creating a couple of smaller nooks has been replaced by glass cases holding bottles of wine. The place looks real nice, but it was a bit disquieting. Just enough different but still similar to make you feel somewhat disoriented.
The service was very friendly but, again, it was an entirely new staff. And Armando's was a place where the staff stuck around long enough so that the old waiters were kind of like friends. Same with the bartenders.
Most upsetting was that the menu had changed. No longer the old Southern Italian comfort dishes, the good stuff, real country food. Now the menu was smaller, much more upscale and, of course, pricier. Most of the Mysterious Chinese Woman's and my favorite dishes were gone. In fact, they all were.
Oh well, you can't fight change and at least Armando's was back. Peter said that we could always ask for a dish not on the menu and if they could make it, they would. Hey, I will drink to that.
Cheers
We started out with a couple of appetizers, clams in a tomato sauce and grilled octopus.
The Clams
The Octopus
Both of these were very good. The clams were perfectly done and the sauce was really nice and spicy. The octopus was more like an octopus salad, pickled rather than grilled. I asked about that and the chef said they were grilled before they were pickled. Not sure if I believe that. Nobody ordering grilled octopus would expect to get this. But it was really, really good. The pieces were fairly large and had just the right chew. Kind of like pickled pig's feet, which I love, but with an octopus flavor, whatever that is.
I was going to order the salmon but the Mysterious Chinese Woman warned me I would be disappointed because it wouldn't be as good as her's. Maybe she was just afraid I would think it was better. I opted for the tuna.
Tuna With White Beans
I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. But then I seldom like tuna in restaurants. Usually it is too thin and too over-cooked. Even though this piece was red in the middle, the middle was kind of small.
I like my tuna just seared on each side. But, of course, to serve it that way you have to have top-of-the-line sushi quality tuna, and that costs a fortune. Most restaurants opt for a lesser cut so they can price it more reasonably. Then you need to cook it a bit more and then you get what I got. Decent, but just okay. The beans were very good though.
The Mysterious Chinese Woman opted for the sea bass and she was very happy with it. It was kind of bland for me, but it was very nicely prepared.
See Sea Bass
If I am going to have sea bass I would rather have it at the Thai place. But that is just me.
And, as tradition requires, I finished up the meal with a Strega.
It's A Witch, But Someone Has To Do It
For those of you who may have missed the pun, Strega means "witch" in Italian.
I am glad Armando's re-opened, and I will certainly be back. But I think that for the next couple of visits it will, more than anything else, evoke a feeling of nostalgia. The old Armando's was the first restaurant in this neighborhood I ever went to, even before I moved here. And I will miss the old waiters and bartenders. And the food.
Ah, snap out of it and move on.
Knockin' The Knicks
You kind of know it is going to be another horrible year for the Knicks when the sports pages run a countdown to the number of days until LeBron James becomes a free agent. I mean, really, that is all we have to look forward to this year?
Oh, and after the Knicks have another terrible year, do you think we will get a good draft pick out of it? Oh no, that's right, we traded our number one draft pick in 2010 away as part of the deal to get Starbury. Even after Isiah Thomas is gone we are still paying for his bad decisions.
Maybe if the Knicks had that number one draft pick LeBron might be a little more willing to join them.
Personally, I think LeBron would be crazy to come to the Knicks. In my opinion, it is more likely that he would want to go to the Nets, who might be playing in a new arena in Downtown Brooklyn.
Oh, and after the Knicks have another terrible year, do you think we will get a good draft pick out of it? Oh no, that's right, we traded our number one draft pick in 2010 away as part of the deal to get Starbury. Even after Isiah Thomas is gone we are still paying for his bad decisions.
Maybe if the Knicks had that number one draft pick LeBron might be a little more willing to join them.
Personally, I think LeBron would be crazy to come to the Knicks. In my opinion, it is more likely that he would want to go to the Nets, who might be playing in a new arena in Downtown Brooklyn.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
An Attempt At Culture
Last Friday was a delightful day, warm and sunny, much too nice to stay inside. The Mysterious Chinese Woman decided it would be a perfect day to visit an outdoor art fair down in the DUMBO neighborhood. You already know my feelings about contrived names for neighborhoods (BOCOCA) so I won't go into my normal DUMB OH BOY rant.
We made it to within a few blocks of the art fair, but then I decided that I needed to stop in for a wee bit of a cocktail. We had been in here before when it was a different restaurant. In fact I think we have been in here when it was at least two different restaurants.
No. 1 Front Street
This current incarnation has only been open a couple of months. I chatted with the lovely bartender, Anita, a bit. She seemed quite knowledgeable so I was surprised when she said she had only been bartending a few months. Guess this must be her first job. She must be a quick learner.
The Lovely Anita
I asked her how she made a margarita and she said tequila, triple sec, fresh lime juice and some sour mix. I asked her if she could just add a bit more lime juice and leave out the sour mix and she said "No problem." That, for me, is always a good sign and means I will probably return.
Barman And His Custom Margarita
The Mysterious Chinese Woman had a strawberry something or another. Anita said it was like a mojito but instead of rum you use strawberry vodka. And let me tell you, the Mysterious Chinese Woman reeeeeely reeeeeely liked it.
Simply Delicious
They had an eclectic decor, but there was obviously a bit of an Asian slant to it.
Striking A Pose
We next split a Negroni and then I noticed the bottles above the bar. I recognized what they were from seeing similar ones in a Russian bar in Manhattan. I commented upon that and the owner came over and said he went to that bar. That is where he got the idea. The ones here he makes himself. I ordered a chipotle infused tequila and then the owner gave me a sample of a couple of blueberry vodka infusions he was making.
The Lure
Well, you can probably see where this is going. By this time neither of us were in any shape to be heading to a street fair. We did get as far as the place nextdoor, though.
Five Front
I consoled the Mysterious Chinese Woman, who was a bit upset that we didn't get to the art fair, by telling her that some of the art from the fair was on the walls in here.
An Artful Deception
Feeling much better, she proceeded to order bubbly for everyone.
Just Small Bottles, Though
As you might imagine, we were a bit peckish by this time and they had a nice looking menu. We started out with the mussels and they were delicious. Great flavor and done just right, just a bit of a puff to them.
Puffy Mussels
The Mysterious Chinese ordered those little potato dumpling things, gnocihi. Gnochi means little lumps of boiled potato dough. They suck up flavor though. She thought they were tasty, but were over-cooked and a bit doughy.
A Bit Flaccid
My short ribs were, on the other hand, simply delicious. Falling apart tender without being a bit dry. Something I would come here and order again.
Repeatable Ribs
After eating and drinking our fill we hailed a taxi and headed home. A very nice day that didn't turn out as planned, but was a lot of fun.
We made it to within a few blocks of the art fair, but then I decided that I needed to stop in for a wee bit of a cocktail. We had been in here before when it was a different restaurant. In fact I think we have been in here when it was at least two different restaurants.
No. 1 Front Street
This current incarnation has only been open a couple of months. I chatted with the lovely bartender, Anita, a bit. She seemed quite knowledgeable so I was surprised when she said she had only been bartending a few months. Guess this must be her first job. She must be a quick learner.
The Lovely Anita
I asked her how she made a margarita and she said tequila, triple sec, fresh lime juice and some sour mix. I asked her if she could just add a bit more lime juice and leave out the sour mix and she said "No problem." That, for me, is always a good sign and means I will probably return.
Barman And His Custom Margarita
The Mysterious Chinese Woman had a strawberry something or another. Anita said it was like a mojito but instead of rum you use strawberry vodka. And let me tell you, the Mysterious Chinese Woman reeeeeely reeeeeely liked it.
Simply Delicious
They had an eclectic decor, but there was obviously a bit of an Asian slant to it.
Striking A Pose
We next split a Negroni and then I noticed the bottles above the bar. I recognized what they were from seeing similar ones in a Russian bar in Manhattan. I commented upon that and the owner came over and said he went to that bar. That is where he got the idea. The ones here he makes himself. I ordered a chipotle infused tequila and then the owner gave me a sample of a couple of blueberry vodka infusions he was making.
The Lure
Well, you can probably see where this is going. By this time neither of us were in any shape to be heading to a street fair. We did get as far as the place nextdoor, though.
Five Front
I consoled the Mysterious Chinese Woman, who was a bit upset that we didn't get to the art fair, by telling her that some of the art from the fair was on the walls in here.
An Artful Deception
Feeling much better, she proceeded to order bubbly for everyone.
Just Small Bottles, Though
As you might imagine, we were a bit peckish by this time and they had a nice looking menu. We started out with the mussels and they were delicious. Great flavor and done just right, just a bit of a puff to them.
Puffy Mussels
The Mysterious Chinese ordered those little potato dumpling things, gnocihi. Gnochi means little lumps of boiled potato dough. They suck up flavor though. She thought they were tasty, but were over-cooked and a bit doughy.
A Bit Flaccid
My short ribs were, on the other hand, simply delicious. Falling apart tender without being a bit dry. Something I would come here and order again.
Repeatable Ribs
After eating and drinking our fill we hailed a taxi and headed home. A very nice day that didn't turn out as planned, but was a lot of fun.
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