Birthday Party In Chinatown

Last Saturday we celebrated my Uncle's (kind of) 80th birthday party down in Chinatown. I guess he isn't really my Uncle, he is my Mother-In-Law's brother. But, in true Chinese tradition, if you marry into the family you are family. And who could complain.

It was going to be a somewhat classy affair and my Mother-In-Law said jacket and tie was required. I am not sure if this is what she had in mind, but she seemed happy enough when I showed up. I think I look kind of like Jack Nicholson, only when he was a bit younger and not quite as well-jowled as he is now.

Ready For My Close-Up


My Uncle seemed quite pleased with his party and, in my opinion, looked great for his age. I can only hope that I hold up as well.

Mother-In-Law, Uncle, and Auntie


The Mysterious Chinese Woman was there, of course, and she was looking might spiffy herself.

Spiffy Mysterious Chinese Woman


Of course my brother-in-law Jim was there as well, and you can pretty much tell that he, as usual, is up to no good.

About To Work The Crowd


Well, if you know anything about the Chinese, they love a good party. And a good party means good food. And plenty of it. Needless to say this would be no exception.

The first serving was crispy pork, and you can see that you need to be fast.

Delicious Crispy Pork


This was followed up by shark-fin soup.

The Soup


Of course crispy chicken is a must, and this was served with those puffy rice potato chip things that always show up. Some people seem to like them but I think they would be more suitable for packing material. The chicken was excellent though.

Chicken And Packing Material


Lobster is a requirement for any Chinese birthday. No matter what else you have, you must have lobster.

Red Lobster, But Not At Red Lobster


In true Chinese tradition, all fowl and, of course, the lobster is served with the head. This also is considered good luck and a must do.

Here's Looking At You


Next up was a crispy fish, well presented and most tasty.

Crispy Fish


And, of course, no Chinese feast would be complete without rice. Also, noodles are traditionally served at birthdays because they are long and therefore portend a long life.

Rice And Noodles


Finally, as the feast began to draw to an end we had little cakes and oranges for dessert. The oranges are also traditional and few meals end without them.

Cakes And Oranges


But those weren't Uncle's cakes. He got a special one which he generously shared with one and all.

Uncle's Cake


Everyone had a great time and, I believe, plenty to eat. If they didn't get plenty to eat it was only because they weren't quick enough.

ATLANTIC ANTIC - Part Two

And on to the rest of the day, and it was a full and fun-filled day.

Right across the street from Pete's Waterfront Ale House is Last Exit. In fact, once this was the long-time home of Pete's. I remember one night, long ago, that I was in there with a couple of friends and the Jagermeister Girls showed up. A night almost too horrible to think about capped off by an early morning subway ride out to Coney Island for a greasy breakfast and a ride on the Cyclone. The fact that none of us actually threw up was a minor miracle. But I digress.

Last Exit seemed to fixate on, well, I am not sure of the genre. Schoolboy erotic fantasy bands, I guess. I am assuming that schoolboys fantasize about erotic schoolgirls.





Now I did say that the Atlantic Avenue had a somewhat eclectic selection of foods, and this offering by Jolie, a mighty fine French restaurant, kind of proved the point.

Hmm, Yummy


I am sure they didn't let that head go to waste, it was obvious that nothing else did.

Picked Clean


Brazen Head was going strong and although they didn't serve any food, their mini-beer garden certainly drew a crowd.

Brazen Head's Beer Garden


They also had a stage set up and a dynamite group, the Dysfunctional Family Jazz Band, was putting on one heck of a show. And, they really were all family members. Whether they were truly dysfunctional, I do not know. One thing for sure, you don't have to polish your saxophone for it to sound good.

DFJB


Hank's Saloon was packed but I am not sure if these two guys out front were actually a scheduled part of the entertainment. They were the only ones who were soliciting tips from the crowd. They didn't sound bad though.

Street Musicians At A Street Fair


Of course no New York street fair is complete without roasted corn on the cob and jerk chicken.

Roasting The Corn


But not every street fair has Halal jerk chicken. Now that is what makes the Atlantic Antic so special.

Not Your Everyday Jerk Chicken


And, gasp, Bar Man discovered a bar that he has passed by numerous times without even realizing it was there. Downtown Atlantic looks, from the street, like a bakery. And it is. Supposedly their cheesecake rivals that of the more famous Juniors. If it hadn't been for the large sign, put up for the day, advertising Tommy Bahama Rum I would have passed it by again.

A Pleasant Surprise


Taking a closer look at their sign, I did see that it announces itself as a restaurant and bar, but in very small print.

Keeping It A Secret


The current New Jersey Nets will be moving to Brooklyn one day if they ever resolve all of the disputes about building the new arena in my neighborhood. I used to be an avid Knicks fan for a number of years. Season ticket holder, in fact. My interest started to falter when they brought in Isiah Thomas as the General Manager. Although I liked him as a player he almost single-handedly ruined the Continental Basketball Association when he was its owner. And I never did forgive him for saying that Larry Bird, one of my favorite players of all time, would have been considered just average if he had been black.

When he brought in Stephon Marbury I just gave up all together and haven't been back after that initial season. Anytime a now only above average point guard refers to himself as "Starbury" and proclaims himself as the best point guard in the NBA you know you are dealing with someone delusional. Plus, I never forgave him for bolting from the Timberwolves because he knew he could never be the star of the team. That role belonged to Kevin Garnett. And you will notice how well all of the teams he has been a star on have done. They always seem to get better when he leaves.

Oh, and if you think I might be a bit harsh on Isiah and Stephon, just look at the Knicks record of the past few years. And watch Dolan and Thomas lose that sexual harassment suit too. Remember, I am posting this before the verdict is out but I will eat this blog if they are not found guilty. Of course if I am wrong I will just delete this paragraph.

Ah, but I went off on another tangent there. Anyway, when the Nets do move to Brooklyn I may once again become a basketball fan. And I will be able to walk to the games.

Holding Out Hope


But, back to the Atlantic Antic. There truly was just about every kind of music on just about every corner.

Steel Drums


You Be The Judge


Some things, however, didn't attract too much of a crowd. Jeez, I wonder why. I mean who wouldn't want a patch of hair removed from their back in the middle of a crowd?

But, It Is Free


As the day began to wind down I headed back towards Pete's and stopped to listen to the band on the stage across from Magnetic Field, another great bar in the neighborhood.

Magnetic Field's Stage


I noticed that Pete's chef was taking a break and enjoying a cold one with the owner of Magnetic Field.

Taking A Break


Four of my friends had decided to call it quits but the four of us who were left decided to finish off the day by stopping into Pete's Waterfront Bar for some barbecued ribs and beef brisket. Award winning stuff, for sure.

Some Of The Awards


Thoroughly stuffed we toddled off home and I vowed to live a life of moderation. Well, at least until Saturday when the Mysterious Chinese Woman's uncle is throwing an 80th birthday party for himself in Chinatown. You better believe there will be a lack of moderation that night.

ATLANTIC ANTIC - Part One

It was a beautiful day yesterday, unless you were a Jets or a Mets fan. Well, anyway, the weather was beautiful and the Atlantic Antic once again lived up to expectations.

As usual, Atlantic Avenue was jammed with people from Fourth Avenue to, almost, but not quite, Monetero.

Curb To Curb People




I headed a bit west of the end of Atlantic Antic to take a peek at a Russian Navy training vessel that was moored there.

Russian Training Vessel


I guess we don't have to worry too much about the Russian Navy if this is what they are using to train their sailors. I suspect their Army uses wooden rifles.

As long as I was this close to the waterfront I decided, surprise, to stop in to Montero for a quick one.

Montero


My pal Pilar was there in her usual spot having a glass of white wine and before the Mets game even started she proclaimed that their season was over. I shall now call her Pilar the Prophet. She also proudly told me that she was a great-great-grandmother for the fifth time and had spent yesterday visiting the newest addition to her family. Good for Pilar.

As you can see, Montero is indeed just across the street from the end of Atlantic Antic.

So Close, Yet So Far


Heading back into the morass, La Mancha was doling out a dynamite Sangria and a nice selection of Spanish delicacies including one of my favorite, grilled sardines.

Making The Sangria


And Sardines Too


The music was already cranking up at The Chip Shop, a British themed bar that has very good fish and chips, as you might imagine.

British Rock


Just down the street is a very good Mexican restaurant, Mezcal, and they were already drawing a good crowd as well.

Mexican Street Food Right Here In Brooklyn


Right next door to Mezcal is my favorite, Pete's Waterfront Ale House. Their specialties today were pulled pork and pulled beef sandwiches. As you can see, they are serious about their food, everything was definitely being made fresh.

Pork Butts Ready For Pulling


And the crowds, knowing a good thing when they smell it, were queued up to get their barbecue fix.

Worth The Wait


Sam, the owner, as always, was keeping a close eye on things. The only complaint I have about Sam is that he takes himself well to0 seriously. He really needs to lighten up a bit.

Somber Sam


Not really somber though. Anyone who advertises his bar as having warm beer, lousy food, and an ugly owner isn't taking himself too seriously. As evidenced by the crowd, nobody else takes Sam seriously either.

And, to make things even better, one of my favorite bands, The Black Coffee Blues Band was playing out front.

The Black Coffee Blues Band








There was a lot more to see and hear and eat so I will post about the rest of the Atlantic Antic tomorrow. Stay tuned for more, this might give you an incentive to check back.

Preview Of Coming Attractions

ATLANTIC ANTIC

It is that time of the year again, time for my favorite street fair in all New York. That would, of course, be the Atlantic Antic. Just a few more days, Sunday, September 30th is the date.

Not only is it in my neighborhood, it also features food, drink, and sometimes entertainment from the many fine establishments that line Atlantic Avenue. Too many too even mention but certainly Pete's Waterfront Ale House, Brazen Head, Magnetic Field, Floyd, and many, many more. When you get to the end of the fair towards the East River, walk one more block and stop into Montero's. It doesn't really participate in the Atlantic Antic, but you really should see it. One of the last of the old-time waterfront bars.

I will be visiting a number of the establishments along the way but at 2:00 P.M. I will almost certainly be at Pete's Waterfront Ale House to listen to the Black Coffee Blues Band.



I will be looking for you.

The 3 Penny Opera

I was having a few beers at Pete's Waterfront Ale House last night and I ended up in a conversation with Maureen Vidal who had to leave for a rehearsal. She has a role in The 3 Penny Opera that is being presented by the Heights Players, a group in my neighborhood.

I have always liked "Mack The Knife" so I will more than likely attend. Reasonable prices and it sounds like fun. It opens on October 5th with an 8:00 P.M. performance and runs through October 21st with 2:00 P.M. matinée performances on Sundays.

Maureen was very pleasant and quite excited about the production so I thought I would give it a plug. If you want to see more or book a ticket just click below.

Game Day

Another beautiful day for a Jets game. And we are playing our favorite enemy, the hated, at least in New York, fish.

Our next door neighbors whose space we usurped last week got up extra early and managed to beat us to the park this week. Curses.

Our Neighbors


No big deal, we simply put up our tent a few spaces away. A couple of our neighbors even came over to help and we then celebrated with a few beers.

Bonding Over Beer


You will notice that this week we cracked the Heineken Light that I was given and I can tell you for sure that it does taste better out of the "keg" than out of the bottle. We also didn't have any foam problems.

If the mark of good neighbors is their enthusiasm, than our new friends meet that criteria.

Enthusiastic Fans


And it is always gratifying to see the little fans being introduced to the game.

Now if I won the lottery this is the kind of a rig that I would like to be able to take to the game.

Dream Rig


Maybe I could pay it off by selling hot dogs out of of the trailer.

Jets Dogs, Hot Dogs That Is


For those of you who are interested, this is why we cannot park where we have in years past.

Last Year's Parking Spot


I would have gone in for a closer look, but I wasn't dressed properly.

Not Exactly Jets Attire


And yes, I actually do go to the game. In fact I even have pretty good seats, especially when there is action in the red zone on our end of the field.

A View From My Seat


And, of course, we always get a good view of the celebration after the occasional score. I wish they wore skimpier outfits though.

Go Jets


And, as they almost always do, the Jets made the Dolphins look like fish out of water. Disregard the meaningless 15 points we gave up at the end of the game and it wasn't even close. Of course if you took the Jets and gave up 3 1/2 points (the spread last I looked) you probably were counting your money when the Jets went up by 18.

I really think that professional athletes should be encouraged to bet on games. The only caveat is that they cannot bet against themselves. If a few of the defensive linesmen had money on the game maybe they wouldn't have given up that two point conversion and last touchdown that lost the bet.

Of course I also think that betting should be encouraged in professional wrestling so most of my ideas on this subject aren't met with much enthusiasm. An amazing amount of ridicule though.