Going To Giando

I can pretty much guarantee you this isn't a place you are just going to happen to walk by, decide it looks inviting and drop in for lunch.

Giando


In the first place, it doesn't really look all that inviting. In the second place, the odds of you just walking by it are about zero. It is on Kent Avenue between Broadway and South 8th Street, within spitting distance of the Williamsburg bridge. You might drive by the place, but walk by, unlikely.

However, if you like to have a view while you dine, you might want to check it out. The views are quite spectacular.

The View Of The Williamsburg Bridge


The Mysterious Chinese Woman decided to have a glass of wine before our lunch and you can see the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges behind her. You have nice views all the way around.

Bridges A Bit Too Far


I had my usual Bombay Martini, up with a twist and you can see from the background that our little corner was kind of cozy and cute.

Cheers!!!


Looking the other way though you can kind of see that this is both a restaurant and a catering hall. It definitely has that look about it.

Nice Place For A Party


Nothing really off-putting though. If I ever, somehow, miraculously, found myself in the neighborhood again I might consider having a drink at the bar and watch the passing traffic.

River Traffic, That Is


We started out with Gamberi Alla Giando (Shrimp with Lemon, Garlic and Oil Sauce) and it was very good.

Gamberi Alla Giando


Sadly, it was far and away the best thing we had. Everything else was quite ordinary, and nothing tasted like it was made with fresh ingredients. Maybe that explained why it was relatively empty at prime lunch time. And at least a couple of tables were occupied by tourists. No telling how they found out about the place. They probably asked a cabbie.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman ordered the Linguine Alla Giando (Clams, Scallops, Shrimp) and the pasta was way over-done, like it had been soaking in hot water after being cooked. The clams, scallops and shrimp all had that flavorless pre-cooked taste as well. In fact it all tasted like it came out of cans. After the nice big shrimp we got in the appetizer it was disheartening to see the little shrimp in this dish. Given that this was their signature pasta dish, well, it was sad.

Linguine Alla Giando


And, I might add, that isn't even linquini.

I didn't fare any better with my Scaloppina di Vitello Piccata (Veal with Lemon Sauce). The veal was, well, pale and overdone and pretty much without flavor. The vegetables were overcooked and limp. The lemon sauce was way too thick and starting to congeal.

Scaloppina di Vitello Piccata


Maybe the food at night is better. It is pretty obvious that most of the money made here is from the catering hall side. The views are dynamite and there is a very nice outdoor area one floor down with an outside bar (not open) and great views. Anyway, I came here with high expectations and they were largely met all the way through the appetizer. My drink was well built and the service was friendly if not overly fast. The meal itself was the big let-down.



We didn't want to take a chance on having a bad desert so we headed back to the bus stop and, as luck would have it (not really, I knew it was there) passed by Peter Luger.

The Justifiably Famous Peter Luger


The views aren't as good from here, but the steaks are great. Next time I am in the neighborhood this is where I eat. Today I just popped in for a post-lunch beer at the bar. I see they have bar stools now. Maybe they just take them out at night because the last time I was here you had to stand up to drink.

My Desert


I really like Peter Luger's so I decided it would be fun to include a copy of a post I made way back in 2005 when I made it bar number 966 on my march towards 1000 bars in a single year.

966) Peter Luger’s



Later in the evening I met a bunch of friends at Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn, right across the Williamsburg Bridge. It is located at 178 Broadway, just a few blocks from the F Train subway stop. It is kind of fun to go there by subway too because the train goes across the Williamsburg Bridge and you get a nice view. A lot of people already know about Peter Luger’s reputation because it is possibly the best steakhouse in the world. At least many people think so and I can say that I have never been to a better one. There is also a pretty decent old bar in a separate room but it is standing only and no foot rest or rail. You have to be tough to drink in here. I don’t think it is really a neighborhood bar, more of a holding area for the people who are going to eat here. And, if you are going to eat here for anything but lunch you will need to make your reservations well in advance.

There is a T shaped beer station on the bar with five spigots and it is surrounded by little bottles of Pellegrino. Three are old wooden shelves, cabinets, and sagging wine racks behind the bar with tiered shelves of liquor sitting on top and glass shelves holding glasses. Behind these are three large mirrors festooned with fir tree boughs and wreaths with red bows and gold pine cones. Hanging over the bar are old fashioned chandeliers that look like they could have once held candles but now hold candle-like light bulbs.

The wall opposite the bar has dark wainscoting going up about halfway and vanilla colored painted patterned tin above. The wall is plastered with Zagat’s Survey awards rating Peter Luger’s Top Steakhouse and various other articles proclaiming its virtues. Apparently the late Johnny Carson once said “The best meal of my entire life was at Peter Luger’s.” Well, as I said earlier, they have the best steak I have ever had in a restaurant and I am about to have part of one tonight (they serve huge porterhouse steaks big enough for several people) once I finish my beer and the rest of my group arrives.

Eat your heart out, this is me and my friends tucking in to our meal. In addition to the steak, which was great we also had shrimp and bacon appetizers and creamed spinach and fried potatoes with the meal. It was finished off with a great slice of pecan pie.

Bar Man And Friends Tucking In (posing, actually)


My friend Ben was pouting because a tuft of my hair covered up his nose in the group photo. Sheesh, the things I have to put up with.

Ben And His Nose Pouting


At least Ben didn't send me back a retouched picture that toned down a shiny forehead like the Mysterious Black Woman did.

I had a draft Brooklyn Lager at the bar and a couple of Maker's Mark Manhattans with the meal along with a wee bit of red wine.



After my beer at the bar today (back to real-time) we hopped a bus for a fun ride home.

Should Have Been The Short Bus


I would like to tell you that we went right home after this, but of course that would have been much too easy. Next post, the quick last stop.

Makes You Wonder

Now I don't want this to become a political blog, but sometimes there are things that you just cannot let slip by. The other day Senator McCain said that the problems with the collapse of our large investment banks are primarily due to the fact that the regulations governing them were put in place in the 1930's and are now outdated.

Pardon me? He must have forgotten the Financial Modernization Act of 1999 that specifically undid many of the regulations put into place in 1933 after the Great Depression. That act basically broke down the barriers between banks, investment companies and other financial institutions.

Regardless of which political party may or may not be primarily responsible for our current mess, you should at least know the facts about what has contributed to it.

Soggy Sex In The City At Lumi

Before we went to the Gotham Girls Roller Derby last Friday we decided to go out for dinner. I am not too familiar with this Upper East Side neighborhood, but I figured there would have to be plenty of restaurants to choose from. Unfortunately, it was raining when we got off the subway so we didn't feel like walking very far to see what was available. Luckily, we didn't have to.

Lumi Loomed Up


I have to admit, however, that the postings in the window indicating that Lumni was used in either the Sex And The City TV show or the movie (I should have read it more closely) gave me a bit of a pause. I still remembered the bar I was in where the bartender started to furiously make Cosmopolitans for the Sex And The City bus tour that pulled up.

A Possible Red Flag


I probably would have opted to eat at Bella Blu just down the street. But, they didn't open until 5:00 PM and it was only 4:40 PM. Now this is one of the things that makes you scratch your head. The doors were open, there were waiters and a bartender and even a few people sitting at tables. If it was my restaurant I would say the kitchen wasn't open yet but you could come in and have a drink while you waited. But they didn't so back to Lumi we went. And it turned out just fine.

Lumi is a very nicely appointed restaurant. Windows looking out onto the street up front, warm and cozy which was really nice on a damp day.

A Very Pleasant Place


We started out with an appetizer of calamari and zuchini, just very lightly dusted with flour and fried to a nice golden crispness. It was served with a tasty nice chunky red sauce as well.

Calamarie E Zucchini Fritti


Given that the appetizer was so good we had no hesitation at all about eating our dinner here. This was not a place that was just capitalizing on whatever their connection was with Sex And The City.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman ordered the Capesante Dorate All'olio d'oliva, Carciofi Stufati, sea scallops sauteed in olive oil and lemon, with braised artichokes. Not only were they huge, the were both succulent and sweet. Easily some of the best I have ever had.

Well Developed Mussels, Er, I Mean Scallops


I ordered the Merluzzo al naturale, Salsa di Porri, cod fish filet broiled in its own juices, topped with asparagus, radish and fennel shavings, over a sweet red tomato sauce. I guess I was expecting a spicier sauce, more like a pasta sauce, over the cod. But, then, I should have read the menu a bit more closely. The cod was, indeed, served over a "sauce" of freshly chopped tomatoes. I now know that merluzzo means cod so I guess this dish is a naked cod.

Naked Cod


This dish was initially a bit bland for my taste, but there was no mistaking that the cod was fresh. Once I got my mind around the fact that this was a dish of fresh tastes, the cod, the peppers, the fennel, asparagus, and radish, it was quite delicious and the more of it I ate the more I appreciated it. By the time I was done I had already decided that I wouldn't mind coming back here to have it again.

Even though we were both kind of full we still had time to kill and it was raining outside, and it was warm and cozy in here, and the staff was pleasant, and, well, they had a desert menu.

More Than Enough For Two


This is their version of tiramusu, and it was delicious and unctuously rich. The ladyfingers soaked in espresso and a bit of brandy were buried deeply under the thick layer of marcapone cheese. It went perfectly with an espresso and a chilled glass of moscato, slightly sparkly and sweet enough to hold up to the tiramusu.

We took a quick peek at the upstairs dining area and decided that next time we come back it will be later in the evening and we will specifically request a table up there.

Quite Elegant




I am glad the Sex And The City sign didn't prevent me from having dinner here. I was very happy with not only the food but the service. There was nothing touristy going on here, just a nice neighborhood restaurant. Granted, it is an expensive neighborhood and this restaurant isn't cheap, but I also didn't think it was overly expensive for what you got.

Quick Work By Bank Of America

Jeez, these guys work fast. I just heard this morning on the news that Bank Of America was buying out Merrill Lynch. Then, in the mail I receive a returned deposit that I had mailed last Tuesday because Bank Of America is closing the Merrill Lynch lock boxes.

I mailed my deposit in the envelope on top. It is a windowed envelope that I was provided by Merrill Lynch and the mailing address is pre-printed on the deposit slip.

You can see by the bottom envelope that Bank Of America pasted over the mailing window with a return to sender sticker.

Quick Work


May I humbly suggest that this might not have been the best public relations move in the world, returning a deposit with no real explanation of why or what to do with it.

I ended up calling my Merrill Lynch broker who also couldn't initially explain what had happened and wanted me to send him a copy of what I received. I did get called back in a few minutes though with the explanation that Bank Of America was closing the Merrill Lynch lock boxes and he gave me an alternative address to mail in my deposit.

Don't know why, but this whole thing didn't give me a real warm and cozy feeling about this takeover.

Some time ago Bank Of America merged or took over Quick And Reilly, where I had an account. Again, there was no advance notification and all of a sudden the cost of doing business escalated dramatically when they raised their brokerage fees. I guess we shall see what happens this time around.

Queens Of The Roller Derby

I grew up watching roller derby on television. You have to be of a certain, ahem, age to appreciate how big it was. First televised in the late 1940's it exploded in the 1960's when the Bay City Bombers were televised live in San Francisco and the shows were syndicated and broadcast in another 120 cities. Luckily, Minneapolis was one of them.

I hadn't really thought that much about Roller Derby for years. It has pretty much faded into history, but for awhile it was the professional wrestling of its day. Scripted mayhem, long simmering feuds, full-out fist fights, thrilling come-from-behind victories with the Bay City Bombers usually prevailing, often over their arch-rivals the New York Chiefs. Ah, those were the days, my friends.

Babe Bomber Joanie Weston In Action


Much has changed since those halcyon days of yore. Although there has been a resurgence in Roller Derby, it is now a different animal altogether. First and foremost, the track is now flat and lightly padded, not banked and hard. This slows things down considerably. Secondly, the railings are gone. This would be like wrestling without the ropes. And that leads to the last difference, it is now largely amateur, not professional. Thinks amateur wrestling (no ropes) compared to professional wrestling. Amateur wrestling is, without a doubt, more authentic, but decidedly less entertaining.

Still, it is a lot of fun and you get plenty of bang for your buck. Thirty bucks for VIP tickets that put you, literally, inches from the action. You need quick reflexes to sit in this section. And the event was a sell-out with turn-away crowds at the door. Granted, it was in the basement of Hunter College on their basketball court, capacity 1,250. Still though...

Playing To A Packed House


Tonight's match was between the Manhattan Mayhem, in the orange, and the Brooklyn Bombshells, in the blue.

Go Blue


Trash Talking, Or Making Dinner Plans?


My Girls Cruising By


I liked the names the girls had selected for themselves.

Getting Creative


My favorite was probably Surly Temple.

Ah, but how does this thing work? Well, you have two teams and each can have a maximum of five skaters on the rink at one time. Each team has a pivot, who skates at the front of the pack and controls the speed. They also are the last line of defense against the opposing jammer and, in certain circumstances can become the jammer.

The jammer is the one who scores the points. They start 20 feet behind the rear of the pack at a dead start. The jammer has to skate through the entire pack one time and then lap the pack before she can begin to score points. She receives one point for each skater on the opposite team that she passes.

The blockers work with the pivot to help their jammer move through the pack and, at the same time, prevent the opposing jammer from doing so.

The jammer is identified by a cloth helmet cover with a star on each side. The pivot wears a striped helmet cover. A jammer can pass her helmet cover to her pivot if she gets stuck in the pack and the pivot then becomes the jammer.

Each match lasts 60 minutes, either three 20 minute periods or two 30 minute periods. Each period is made up of as many two minute jams as you can get in. Each team has just 30 seconds to line up for the next jam once a jam ends. A jam ends after two minutes or when the lead jammer calls it off.

The lead jammer is the first jammer to get through the pack. A referee will identify the lead jammer with one short whistle blast and by pointing to the jammer.

Simple, huh? Well it is entertaining and the action is certainly fast. There are more subtleties involving penalties, whether or not the lead jammer can pass their helmet cover to the pivot, and who knows what else. I basically had no clue as to what was going on though, and the scoring was always a mystery to me.

I do know that my beloved Brooklyn Bombshells got hammered, 146 to 91. I had the dubious pleasure of watching the Mayhem set two records, though. Team Captain Sweet Sherry Pie (got to love the names) scored a league record 20 points in one jam and Em Dash set a new team record by scoring 56 points in the match.

Halftime entertainment was also a blast of the past. Hula Hoops. Ah, the memories those bring back.


The 1960's Revisited


And, of course, you had the dance team.

Shake Your Booty


And cheerleaders, you got to have cheerleaders.

Not Exactly The Dallas Cheerleaders


All and all it was a fun night in a 1960's kind of way. I will have to say though, there were a lot of real fans in the stands. They seemed to know the players and obviously followed the teams. The crowd seemed to be split between Mayhem and Bombshells fans but it was kind of hard to tell which were which. There isn't much, if any, team specific sports gear available. Just generic Gotham Girls Roller Derby stuff. I see a real business opportunity here.

GoGo BaiBai

Got a lot on my plate today: shopping for ribs for tomorrow's indoor tailgate party, mixing up a batch of my dry rub, and a street fair down by where I saw Spider John Koerner a few weeks ago. I thought I would give you a quick sneak peek at my next post about my night at the Gotham Girls Roller Derby, though.

Jammer GoGo BaiBai Going Bye Bye


And what is a jammer, you might ask? Well, more on that next time when you will learn all about jams, jammers, pivots and blockers and how a pivot can become a jammer during a jam.

Queen Is King

Tucked away on busy Court Street in Downtown Brooklyn is a truly great Italian restaurant, one of the best in Brooklyn, and in all of New York City, in my humble opinion.

Unexpected Quality In An Unexpected Place


If you didn't know better you might easily walk right by this place, but it is well worth a closer look.

A Closer Look


Originally opened in 1958 by the late Chef Anthony Vitiello, it is now run by his son's Pasquino and Vincent. When I first moved to Brooklyn about 25 years ago it was located about a block away sandwiched between a real dive bar, Juilio's II (think bartender behind Plexiglas) and an abandoned porno theater. It was a classic Italian restaurant, dark wood, low lights, the real deal. When the block was redeveloped with a Barnes and Noble bookstore and a multiplex movie theater they relocated and redecorated with a more modern, fern-bar look.

No More Dark Wood


At first I was not overly impressed. However, the food remained the same, outstanding.

There is a small bar with only four chairs, mostly a service bar but before the place gets too crowded in the evening it is a pleasant enough spot to sit and have a drink.

Small, But Nice


The dining area opens up in the back so it is larger than it looks in the picture above. We got there early so we pretty much had our choice of seats and opted to sit up front by the windows.

A Window Seat


From here we could just sit and watch the world walk by.

Watching The World Walk By


If you squinted you could even imagine that you could see the Manhattan skyline.

You Have To Squint Really Hard Though


The squinting works much better after several cocktails. And they do turn out really good cocktails here. I like to start off with either a Bombay Martini, up with a twist or a Manhattan. They never fail to deliver a well-built one, icy cold.

My Pre-Dinner Libation


They are quick to bring you a bread plate that has a nice selection of freshly made bread and bread sticks. The bread sticks are sprinkled with fennel and they always make me think of my days living in the North End of Boston.

Bringing Back The Memories


You may remember me raving about the grilled octopus appetizer that they serve here. Simply delicious and one of my favorites. They also serve a dynamite steak, easily as good as you get at most steak houses and for about half the price. This trip though, because we got there early, we opted for the $24.99 prix fixe dinner. Truly a bargain, and not just something they throw together as some kind of an early-bird special.

Well Worth An Occasional Early Dinner


I started with the green beans and beets served with little dollops of Gorgonzola cheese and a couple of olives. It was nicely plated and looked even better before I ate a couple of the beets.

Crisp And Fresh


The Mysterious Chinese Woman started out with the arugula salad, her usual first course. She then followed that up with the Filet of Sole, lightly crusted with bread crumbs and grilled with fresh herbs.

Looking Good And Tasting Just As Good


I opted for the Scallopine Of Pork sauteed with rosemary and served with homemade sausage.

Simply Delicious


As you can see, the portions are more than adequate and everything is very flavorful. Even the potato croquettes that come with them are delicious here and not just something thrown on the plate for filler. I will sometimes eat them the next day if we take home a doggy bag

Potato On A Stick, Er, Fork


Okay, that was just for the camera. I put it back on my plate and used good table manners to actually eat it.

We both finished our meal with the Ricotta Cheesecake served with two fresh fruit sauces. Again, it was beautifully plated and delicious. Kiwi fruit and strawberry sauces were a perfect complement to the not overly sweet cheesecake.

Looks Good Enough To Eat


I always like to finish off my meal with an espresso and a Strega or two. A lot of places do not carry Strega, a traditional Italian after dinner drink that is somewhat like Sambuca, but not nearly as sweet. Strega is Italian for Witch

Bar Man And The Witch


Strega is an herbal liquor with over 70 different herbs including fennel that gives it the licorice flavor and safron that gives it the yellowish color. It has been around since 1860 weighs in at 80 proof, the same as most whiskys these days. Somehow it goes down much easier though, so you might want to take it easy. Something Bar Man often fails to do.

If you are ever in the neighborhood you owe it to yourself to stop in at Queen for a truly delicious Italian meal. The service is also very attentive and friendly and, as mentioned, the drinks are well-built. They have a decent wine list as well, but I am always satisfied with their house Chianti and The Mysterious Chinese Woman is more than happy with one of their house whites.

Even if you are not in the neighborhood, this restaurant is well worth seeking out. It is easily reached by subway, just being a couple blocks away from more lines then you can shake a stick at.

Although Queen wasn't very crowded when we first got there because it was quite early, by the time we left it had packed up pretty well.

The Crowd Rolled In


They also do a real nice lunch business, especially on Monday through Friday.

Smith Street is considered to be Brooklyn's restaurant row these days, but Queen alone puts Court Street in close competition.