Island Hopping In The City

Sometimes it is easy to forget that New York is mostly islands. Not tropical islands, although today we are having tropical heat, but not the cooling sea breezes. Over the last couple of days I did do a bit of island hopping, though.


The first expedition was to Staten Island to see the Staten Island Yankees play at a baseball game. So I started off from the island that I live on, took a subway to Manhattan, another island, and then took the ferry to Staten Island.

Here is one good reason to always carry a camera, you never know what you might see.

Snakes Alive


That big guy was a granite python and his markings did indeed resemble granite. This picture gives you more of an idea of his size.

He Is Indeed A Big Guy


Of course this guy wasn't just hanging out on his own, he had some buddies with him.

It Was An Infestation


I didn't get the whole story of why these snakes were here, but the gentlemen who were displaying them were associated with a zoo or a serpentarium so they knew what they were doing. They may have been from Staten Island because they have a zoo there with a fairly extensive collection of snakes. There were a bunch of kids who seemed pretty fascinated by them and one of the guys was telling them about the snakes and letting them touch the one he had draped around his neck.

Nothing To Be Afraid Of


I would have stuck around longer but we had a ferry to catch.

More Like A Cattle Car


Actually there was plenty of room and after grabbing a beer the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I made our way to the front where we could catch the breeze and a view. It always amazes me that there is so much traffic. But then a lot of freight still comes in by ship.

All Kinds Of Boats


And even when you are at the ball park, which is just a short walk from the ferry terminal, you are reminded that New York and New Jersey still have active ports.

A Ball Park With A View


And The Ferry We Came In On, Maybe


We had decent seats and I got to lord it over my niece who is big Yankees fan because my Coney Island Cyclones gave them a good whooping.

The Enemy At Bat


And, of course, you have the between innings entertainment, which is why these games last longer than most major league games.

The Real Entertainment


And nothing caps off a night of baseball like fireworks.

Bombs Bursting In Air, Rockets Red Glare


It is always a fun time and quite inexpensive, especially when compared to most sporting events. My brother-in-law buys an eight-game package that includes free hot dogs, hamburgers and surprisingly good chicken sandwiches. Plus potato chips, soda and bottled water. No beer, though, but they sell some decent stuff. They had an IPA and an Ale from Goose Island Brewery that were quite good.

Although it is fun, it can make for a late night. The ferries run every half hour and then there is a subway ride at the end. Never quite as much fun going home as it is going to the game. Maybe that is because I don't get a beer on the way back. The bar on the boat is closed at night. And the subway doesn't have bar cars even though everyone I know thinks they would be a wonderful idea.

Well, this post ran a bit longer than I expected so I will save the next session of island hopping for tomorrow. Until then, bon voyage.

Belly Button Update

Okay, I have a better post coming soon.  All about island hopping in New York. But for now I am going to keep all of you perverts updated on my belly button.

Not Beautiful, But Getting There

My surgeon says that by Labor Day it will be back to normal.

Stinky Brooklyn Part Two

As I walked up Smith Street I spoted the new location of Jolie, a fairly upscale French restaurant that used to be located on Atlantic Avenue. It relocated some time ago and although I knew it was someplace on Smith Street I wasn't sure exactly where. It has evolved a bit. Well, actually, quite a bit. It is now Jolie Cantina and serves a mix of French bistro fare as well as Mexican food. An electic combination, I must say.

Jolie Cantina

I chatted with the owners, one of who was tending bar and the other who was tending the door. Very pleasant people and I wished them well. I also had a nice cold Six Point IPA while I escaped the heat and the crowds.

Nothing Refreshes Like A Cold Beer Now it might go against the grain, but with all of the street fare available I actually didn't partake of any. Well, I did and I didn't. The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I ate at a litlle Cuban restaurant that did have tables and chairs outside.

A Little Bit Of Havana Right Here In Brooklyn

Being the sophisticates that we are we opted for the indoor seating and I settled into a session of caipirinhas. Now this is kind of the national drink of Brazil, but I guess they must like it in Cuba as well. It is pretty simple, just cachaça, a sugar cane rum, lime juice and sugar. It wasn't that long ago that you wouldn't see these in the United States because the cachaca in Brazil is pretty much moonshine. In fact the lime juice and sugar are added just to make it drinkable. Kind of like grappa, though, higher quality stuff is now available and so they have become more popular here. When I was in Manaus you could get shots of the cachaca for 25 cents.

A Civilized Caipirnha

A Second Less Civilized Caipirnha

The bartender was really working hard muddling the limes and stripping of leave of mint. Most people, and there was quite a crowd outside, were going for the mojitos.

A Hard-Working Woman

The food was quite good as well. I had a nice Cuban sandwich and the Mysterious Chinese Woman had a stuffed poblano pepper. I didn't care too much for the cerviche appetizer, but that was more due to the style. It was good, but the squid and shrimp had been pre-cooked and it didn't have that same sharp acidic taste that you get when you just use lime juice for the cooking. There were plenty of bands performing and they were pretty good playing a variety of musical styles

Bands, There Were Plenty









Interestingly, it was a couple of DJs who really got the crowd dancing, though.

Dancin' In The Street

And although I thought this marionette was a bit on the creepy side, the kids seemed to be enthralled.

He Must Be Related To Chucky

Well we had a fun day and made one last stop for a couple of cans of cold sake.

First Time For Everything

The waitress said it was new and it was on special, two cans for $12 - and Bar Man loves a deal. It is Funaguchi Kikusui Ichiban Shibori, unfiltered, unpasteurized and very good. Easy to quaff, way too easy. I drank one in the sushi bar and brought one home, although it didn't last long after I got it there.

 All in all it was a great day and we finished it off by watching a couple of depressing movies followed up by Charlie Chaplin's 'The Circus'. I forgot the name of the first depressing movie, but it was baseed on a stage play and all the action pretty much took place on the stoop of a brownstone in 1930's New York. The second one was 'The Last Picture Show'.

Stinky Brooklyn

I thought Stinky Brooklyn, a cheese shop on Smith Street and their affiliated Smith & Vine were having a little affair with sandwiches, cheese, and a cheese-eating contest. I misunderstood what was going on. It was a full blown

Street Fair


In fact Stinky Brooklyn didn't have anything going on at their place. In fact they were closing up because of the cheese eating contest down the street somewhere.

But, I Wanted To Buy Some Cheese


But no big deal, there was plenty going on. I think the street fairs here in my neighborhood are some of the best in all of New York because they feature food from local restaurants and local artisans presenting their wares. I didn't see a single Italian Sausage stand and at some street fairs you will see a dozen or more.

I Love Grills And Smokers


There were some pretty interesting things for sale as well. If I had a bit more room one of these would have been nice, whatever they were.

Every Home Should Have One


I Guess They Are Clocks


And the guy who makes these things proudly showed them off and seemed pleased that I liked them. A bit disappointed that I didn't buy anything, but he didn't seem too eager to get rid of anything either.

Proudly Displaying His Wares


And then there was a bit of a Mexican feel about the fair as well. This is the kind of stuff you see in Puerto Vallarta.

Hats Anyone?


Or A Basket, Perhaps?


Well, you just know there would have to be something that I would like enough to buy, and this place had some uniquely New York and Brooklyn stuff.

Bags



And Purses 

Now don't get excited, I only bought a mouse pad.

There was a lot more going on and I promise I will post about the rest of it tomorrow, so be sure to stay tuned.

Just A Test Post

I am trying out a new extension for Google Chrome, ScribeFire, that let's you do more stuff with your blog. I actually have some new content to post about but I will do that later, or perhaps tomorrow. Right now I just want to see if this works.

Stitches Out

Like a train wreck, you just can't look away. Got my stitches and staple out today and as of Monday I am cleared to start going to the gym again. My surgeon told me that by Labor Day it will look like a normal belly button again.

Stitch And Staple Free Of course I will keep you updated on its progress.

Greek Grilled Octopus

Every year, and maybe more than once a year, the Greek Orthodox church down the block from me has a bit of a block party with great good, beer and wine, music, dancing, just a fun time. And the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I always go at least a couple of time (it lasts a whole week). And we aren't the only ones.

Lining Up For The Food

Not sure what kind of clout the church has because normally you wouldn't be able to block of a street for a whole week, but nobody seems to mind too much. I don't mind at all.

Hey, Just Having A Good Time

The other day we went and I wanted to get the grilled octopus but it wasn't ready yet so we settled for gyros, but they were really good and with plenty of meat. I had a pork gyro and the Mysterious Chinese Woman had a chicken gyro. But this time I was bound and determined to get the octopus. They put it on the grill when you order so it takes awhile.

Patience, My Dear

Well Worth The Wait

Grilling octopus can be a bit tricky, easy to over-cook it which makes it really tough. This was just perfect with a nice outer crunch and really tender inside.

But Not Everyone, Or Everything, Was Happy

That guy will haunt my dreams for weeks to come.

My New Belly Button

For those of you who are keeping track of my progress with my new belly button, and I know there must be thousands of you based upon all the cards and letters I have received, here is the latest picture. Almost Back To Normal And no, that shiny object is not a piercing, it is a staple holding everything together.

It's Official

I Am Now A BROOKLYN NETS Fan

Memorial Day Barbecue

Ah, another Memorial Day, and the weather couldn't have been better. Went to the Mysterious Sister-In-Law's house in New Jersey and, after a long winter's layoff, got to use my new smoker for only the second time. But it got a workout. Grilled cheeseburgers and a rack of ribs on Saturday and then did two more racks of ribs, two chickens, a pork butt, a boneless leg of lamb and a duck on Memorial Day.

No not everyone agrees with me and Alton Brown on this, but I prefer to remove the membrane from the ribs before I smoke them. Two reasons for this: First, it lets the spices penetrate the meat better and second, those membranes are just too chewy for me and no matter how long you cook the ribs it never breaks down. And removing the membrane is really quite easy.

Insert Butter Knife Under Membrane


Grab With Paper Towel And Pull


Then I rubbed them down with my special Small Fattie's spice mixture and put them on the smoker.

Ready To Smoke


And Smoking


One thing that I really like about this smoker, other than the fact that it is bigger than my old one, is that it is easy to control the temperature. It has adjustable vents top and bottom.

Perfect Temperature For Smoking


And They Came Out Perfectly


You can see the two chickens underneath the ribs. I used my Small Fattie's rub on one and brined the other one in orange juice. Two of my nieces don't care for spicy chicken.

When the chickens were done (you can see my remote thermometer at the bottom of the smoker) the ribs were  done as well. We had the chickens and ribs for lunch and then I put on the pork butt and boneless leg of lamb for dinner. I once again used a Small Fattie's spice rib on the pork and another variation that is heavy on rosemary for the lamb.

Pre-Smoked


Post-Smoked


So there you go. At this point I had drunk enough beer and dinner was ready so that was the end of the pictures.

By the way, I assumed the nom de plume of Small Fattie just because I felt like it.