February 28, 2011

NYC by Mouth

Did you ever spend an extended time with your grandparents as a kid? Like you were dropped off for a week or more during summer vacation? Well, I did. One of the things that struck me about "old poeple" at the time was how much they thought about food - planning, eating, discussing. Of course now-a-days, food is a huge topic in our lives, on TV, and in our cities. I also find myself thinking about trips and visits to places in terms of - "Which restaurant is the best for ____?" or "What should we do for dinner on the last night in town?"

It is with that in mind that I offer a list of foodstuffs that I had on a recent, two-night trip to NYC.
- 1 $17 dirty martini - I know, the price, but it's NYC... and it was good
- 1 hot-from-the-pan traditional English popover - this was pretty dang good and fun to try in "real-life" after seeing it on TV
- 1 wonderful, almost spring-like, Bib lettuce salad with a mustard vinagrette
- 1 hunk of NY strip steak - too crusty for my taste, but great sauces along with it
- 2 glasses of a very nice Malbec HERE
- 1/2 of a very simple and tasty Apple Tart with cinnamon ice cream
- 1 bite of a peanut-butter chocolate cake concoction that the table next to us insisted we try - no joke
- ~5 vodka-sodas (tonic has sugar you know)
- 1 egg, ham, potato & bagel breakfast delivered to the apartment - not a bad way to start the day
- 1 free, 2oz. Illy espresso HERE - who said NYC is expensive?
- 1 Gray's Papaya hot dog - well worth it and not too filling before actual dinner
- 1 not-so-good Moscow Mule - made with lemon. Bad juj-ju... visit Omaha for the real deal
- 3 nice tapas dishes - fresh, spicy sausage; smoked almonds; traditional Spanish tomato bread
- 1/2 of a Cornish game hen HERE - quite tasty, could have had crispier skin
- Mashed yaro root - alot like the most buttery mashed potatoes you ever had, but slightly stickier
- Oyster bread stuffing - not a fan of this fishy-ish flavored stuffing... and I like stuffing
- Really tasty fingerling potatoes at two different spots, and some french fries at one place too
- 2 glasses of a decent red wine
- 1 blueberry, pineapple juice, orange juice smoothie
- 2 glasses of fresh squeezed OJ, a great way to get your C
- 2 shots of unknown name, though we did see some flavored vodkas being poured in
- British breakfast HERE that included steamed eggs with herbs (very good!) and a scone with Devon ceam, also quite tasty
- 1 Vitamin Water at JFK - waaaay overpriced, but I needed the minerals & electrolytes

One thing surprises me - I had no beer during the whole trip. There are still some things I've not been able to sample in true NYC fashion, that I would love to try - pastrami or corned beef at a traditional deli (Carnigie or Katz'), the hearty grub at Vaselka's, Montreal BBQ from one place in NYC that serves it, and I'm sure the list could go on...

February 14, 2011

"No, Sir. The gutters are in great condition, ship-shape!"

I'm melting...

... here is the phone call I imagine from a little old lady, stuck in her apartment in the winter, to the cable/power/utility company. I can only guess these kinds of calls happens when the ice is this bad. (This isn't the only example either, I'll post some more from around here, "up north")

Caller: "Yes, hello. I am hoping you can help me with my service."
Company: "What seems to be the issue, Ma'am?"
Caller: "I'm not getting any cable signal - it's not working - I can't watch my shows."
Company: "I see. What's your account number, social security number, phone number, and address?"
Caller: "I'll get all that..."
[4 minutes later, after finally conceding she has an account]

Company: "Thanks for inquiring with us today about your signal issue. I'll check a few things right now... Everything looks fine on our end, Ma'am."
Caller: "No one else has called about problems in the building?"
Company: "No, Ma'am. It's ship-shape."
Caller: "You're sure everything in the building, inside and out looks good?"
Company: "Yes, Ma'am. Please check with your TV support center for issues that maybe causing this problem. and have a great day."
Caller: "Oh, alright. I'll ask my son to come over and look at it. Thanks [click]..."

February 1, 2011

It only took me a bit under 2 years to finish off this quart of farm-fresh maple syrup. This is the one I bought through my office. It was great mapley syrup, for sure.

transplanted.chicagoan

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