November 2011
1 post
October 2011
2 posts
Classic Specs at a Classic Price
My dear friend (and killer bass player), Richard Ray Ruiz, has at least two things going for him: Untouchable rock-star hair; and an absolutely kick-ass company right here in Gotham- CLASSIC SPECS. Check ‘em out online, and set yourself up with a pair of stylish frames, WITH prescription lenses, anti-reflective coating and free shipping…ALL for just $89! …EIGHTY-NINE DOLLARS.
...
September 2011
1 post
You want a good cup of coffee? Yeah, well, take my advice. Don’t use a French press. Just…don’t. You know why? ‘Cause they suck. They’ve always sucked, and they always will suck. And I don’t wanna hear, “You have to measure the grounds just right” or, “You have to remember to grind them coarse” or, “You have to use filtered...
August 2011
3 posts
Sautéed Cod Fillets, Lentils & a Night Off the...
This past February I was part of a weight-loss competition with some local (and very much younger) restaurant fellas. We acknowledged that we were all getting a little too “doughy” for our liking. So, with a $100 buy-in, we stripped down, weighed ourselves, and set the rules: no surgery and no bulimia. The bet was “who could lose the most weight in a month”. Winner take...
July 2011
3 posts
This Wasn't Supposed to Happen
(Yesterday at the grocery store)
“Alright, what the hell am I gonna make for dinner?….It’s butt-ass hot outside, so, maybe something light?…Like, fish?….Yeah, fish would be nice…Oooh, maybe with, like, an orzo salad, or a, like, a rice pilaf?…Wait, did you just say “rice pilaf”!? Jesus christ, why don’t you just whip up some...
Rotisserie Chicken Pasta with Cream Sauce and...
To honor the Japanese Women’s World Cup team’s victory over the U.S., I bought myself two big-ass cans of Sapporo, congratulated the staff of the izakaya in my building, and made a “spur-of-the-moment”, completely made-up, big-ass pot of pasta for dinner. The logic being that a big-ass pot of pasta is kind of like a big-ass bowl of Ramen…(insert grimace and shrug)....
June 2011
3 posts
Jambalaya (...I think)
Remember that week when you were sick with the flu (actual flu, not the “drinkers flu”), or you tried to get off Klonopin by going cold-turkey (“a YUGE mistake”), so that whatever you may have cooked and photographed you have absolutely no recollection of whatsoever…until you stumble upon some folder hidden in another folder in your iPhotos?
Well, this is that meal...
April 2011
1 post
In Praise of "The Sinatra Celebrity Cookbook"
A number of years ago, I was invited to a book party in SoHo for the Lee Brothers’ first cookbook. Typically, I blew all my cash on pre-party-beer that evening, so I couldn’t afford a copy of the boys’ brilliant book (yes, I did buy one eventually, as well as a copy for my mom). I felt bad for walking out of there empty-handed, so I counted my cash and was psyched to learn that...
January 2011
2 posts
Chicken Korma, Auchentoshan Classic Scotch & No...
Full confession: I am not Indian. Nor, do I have any expertise whatsoever in Mughlai cuisine. Having said that, I absolutely love Indian food, and for years have been coming up with completely bastardized versions of some of its more popular dishes….usually the ones involving a lot of cream. To be sure, I don’t want to offend anyone and imply that I know what I’m doing, but I...
The New Pinky Ring...Hand-Crafted, Personalized,...
This past holiday season, when I wasn’t guzzling HBR’s and scotch, my good friend Karrie A. surprised me with a simply kick-ass Hanukkah gift: a personalized pinky ring. I haven’t worn a ring in ages, but something about this one completely renewed my desire.
Made by the phenomenally talented and super bad-ass Brooklyn-based jewelry designer, Camille Hempel, it’s got all...
December 2010
4 posts
Best BLT Since the Battle of Britain (come on,...
So, yeah, you can buy yourself a package of “thick cut” bacon at your grocery store. But, what you’re gonna get is a shrink-wrapped, greasy, stack of bacon as thick as a poker chip. That’s not thick. And that’s not gonna work for this BLT. Why not find a local butcher and get yourself entire SLAB of bacon? I strolled over to Florence Prime Meat Market here in the...
November 2010
14 posts
Baked Salmon Fillet, Roasted Potatoes & Shallots,...
Every once in while, even a confirmed carnivore like myself craves a little seafood (wait, seafood’s meat?). It’s not surprising then, that the the fish I often choose is one loaded with rich, oily, fattiness. Like, Salmon. And the scotch? In this case, I went with something with a virtually unpronounceable name: Bruichladdich (Normally pronounced brook-lad-dee, or by some Gaelic...
Pilsner Beef Stew, Whatever Amount of Johnnie...
Over the late winter and early spring months of 2009 I set myself on a course to create a kick-ass beef stew from scratch. No recipe to guide me. No preconceived notion on how to construct a stew. And no boundaries for ingredients. The only stipulation was that it had to be photogenic and have its own soundtrack. Finally, on a slutty-hot, summer afternoon in August, and with a fantastic...
My Inhereted Navy Zippo Lighter
When I was a kid, about 6 years-old or so, I would often go through my dad’s keepsakes from his years in the Navy (mid-1950s). Among the lieutenant’s bars, dog tags, etc., there was something I kept coming back to. A hearty, solid, brushed-steel, Zippo lighter. On one side, it bore the image and name of his destroyer. On its flip-side, there was a color design of a mine in the...
Milk-Braised Pork Shoulder, Spaetzle and Scotch
The first time I braised a pork shoulder in milk, I stood in my kitchen thinking, “What could be better?”
The second time I braised a pork shoulder in milk I had my answer: Nothing.
This is an incredibly easy, very affordable recipe that, if you’ve never had pork braised in milk before, will have you telling everyone about its awesomeness. Buy yourself a 4 - 5 lb....
October 2010
20 posts
Anonymous asked: I wish people still dressed like that at casinos. Instead of illegible shirts...
"The Wheel Has No Memory" (or, Don't Ever Play...
Recently, I was in Washington, DC on business and enjoying a beer at the hotel bar. It’d been a long day of site-visits, walking around a lot, and dreaming about…a beer at the hotel bar. As I was sipping my tall-boy and watching some playoffs baseball, I couldn’t help over-hearing the conversation going on beside me. There were a couple of out-of-town fellas there on...
Simonon: Life Without a Bad Hair Day...Ever
Just Packing One Bag for that Weekend Getaway?
Consider making it two. Because if you appreciate room-service fees for hooch, you’ll be thankful you brought along one of these babies.
I purchased my travel bar from Williams-Sonoma back in 1996. Sadly, they no longer carry this item, but some quick research provided me with a number of both luggage and bar accesory companies that offer bars in a variety of sizes and features. I...
HBR Season Has Begun!
Hot. Buttered. Rum.
Are you kidding?? How amazing does that sound?!
When it comes to warm, boozy drinks to stave off the chill on a leather-weather fall day, nothing beats a well-made, generously poured HBR.
“Well, what about mulled wine?” Did you just ask that?
“What about a nice hot toddy” What about you getting the hell outa my house.
“OK, what a about some...
Occasionally, Even 'The Only Band That Matters'...
Oh, dear god.
Really, guys? The Boy Band pose? You guys could just STAND there and be the greatest looking band of all time!
My Ascot
I hate ties.
I do like the idea of ties, but just on other fellas. So, every once in a while, and at many, many Rehearsal Dinners I’ve attended over the years, I’ll go with an ascot. I like the blend of “no-tie” casual, and, “I think my grandfather used to wear one of those” formal. I bought my first ascot when I was 32. At the time, I, rightly, worried...
…’cause it’s all been said...
Homemade Mac & Cheese Last Night
..and by “homemade” I mean I MADE a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese AT HOME last night.
And yes, I ate the whole pot.
And yes, I have regrets.
Sunday Chicken Fricassee
“Newcastle Brown can sure smack you down
You take a greasy whore and a rollin’ dance floor
You know you’re jailhouse-bound” - Humble Pie
Say it. “Chicken Fricassée”. It’s got this groovy, percussive, Latin rhythm to it that gets you repeating it while you prowl the aisles of the grocery store....
A selection from The Faces.
At their...
When Your Grandpa's Sedan Was a Race Car
Once upon a time, before calling it NASCAR…and I still have no idea what that stands for…we called it “stock car racing” (and by “we”, I mean my idiot elementary school friends back in the 70s who only knew about it ‘cause older, cooler kids talked about it at recess). Of course, then I didn’t even realize that “stock” meant...
475 Degrees Roast Chicken, w Mashed Potatoes,...
“Come now, gentleman, your love is all I crave. You’ll still be in the circus when I’m laughing, laughing on my grave”
This is a very cool, very quick, and very photogenic way to roast a chicken. It helps if you have an oven that can reach 475 degrees (450 will do) and a copy of “Memo From Turner”,...