MitchW

The bar he really loved closed...Pegu. In general, I don't think he was much of a bar person per se, though he sure loved cocktails and dining at the bars in various restaurants. One of his faves was, and this may surprise some, Donohue's Steak House, on Lexington Avenue.

This morning, over breakfast, Significant Eater and I were laughing and crying over some of the awesome times we'd had with Barry...one that came up was our mutual (mine and B's) hatred dislike of Joe Bastianich. The 3 of us went to a newly opened seafood restaurant, helmed by April Bloomfield. Called, I believe, The John Dory Oyster Bar. There the 3 of us were, standing at a high top, while Joe was spread out on a table, looking at his laptop. God forbid that bastard got up to offer the 3 of us the table. After all, we were only customers. Man, was Barry pissed off!

RIP, Sneak. We had dinner within the last two months, at Torrisi. He’d been sick for probably the last eight to ten months, or at least found out he was sick within that time frame. He’d only entered hospice (or palliative care) in the last week or so, and I, along with two other friends, were set to visit him tomorrow morning. Not happening now. His memory will certainly be a blessing.

He was one of Bruce’s major influences in terms of leading a band. He’s talked about it often.

Of the legendary duo, Sam & Dave, at 89. RIP. Incomparable.

Listening?

Often, if cheese is offered as one of the starters (and it's decent cheese), we'll order it and just set it aside for after our main courses. Nothing worse than ice old, too hard cheese!

Oh man, that sounds familiar!

When I was driving a cab back in the 70s, Tad's was top tier! Loved to watch the flames.

I hear it was really nice there back in the '60s.

Wilf, I imagine you've already spent a few hours dissecting this fascinating piece... Every Below Deck Crew Member, Ranked

Moving on, if you are in the least bit interested in photography, then get yourself to MoMA and see the Robert Frank exhibition. I've been twice so far, and will make one more visit before it closes. Exhaustive and exhilarating. You have about two weeks left to see it. Life Dances On Robert Frank in Dialogue James Baldwin - 1960

We drove down to Greensboro, NC for Thanksgiving, stopping for a few nights in Richmond, VA, both on the way down and on the way back. Who knew the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts was going to turn out to be a really great way to spend a day? State run, free admission except to special exhibits. And a special photography exhibition was the main draw (with comp tickets from our bed and breakfast, owned by the museum and right across the street). A Long Arc: Photography and the American South since 1845 An exhaustive survey - photographers you know and photographers you don't: Photos of photos: Allie Mae Burroughs, Hale County, Alabama, 1936, Walker Evans (American, 1903–1975), gelatin silver print, 9 5/8 x 7 7/8 in. Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, Gift of Norman Selby (PA 1970) and Melissa G. Vail, 2020.31 Just an amazing exhibition.

You definitely mentioned it previously.

It would be really nice if we knew exactly when this stuff was starting; and the UK actually has a variation on this coming into effect as well (the UK's will start immediately in the new year, I believe). https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-opens-pre-travel-requirement-to-non-europeans

I'm wondering if you (or anyone) has tried this product:

That menu looks pretty great, right?

Today, on his substack account "Out of the Oven," Jeremiah Tower was kind enough to share with us all a few of his classic New Year's Eve menus from the 80s and 90s. I'm not talking Chez Panisse; I'm talking Santa Fe Bar and Grill and Stars (perhaps my favorite restaurant in the US...like...ever). Just a great chef, who tapped into the food zeitgeist of the times better than anyone, in my opinion. But it wasn't just the food; it was the mood, the service, the sexiness of the places, that really proved his ability to look ahead and see what we'd really want from a fun night out at a cool restaurant. Keith McNally thanks Jeremiah for what he begat...literally. Enjoy the menus... Recipes and more on the substack (this post is a freebie)...https://jeremiahtower.substack.com/p/new-years-show-stoppers

Maybe the menu writer first stopped off at ConBud.

This was a "use everything you can in the fridge already" dinner. So that can turn into carbo laden stodge. Of the best kind: Soup. Ham, potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, celery, leeks, onions, shallots, tomatoes, green chili. Salad. Little gems, cucumbers, almost decent winter tiny tomatoes.. House-made blue cheese dressing. Jamón serrano (Formaggio Essex) on focaccia (Pain d'Avignon). Happy spouse.

Wow - maybe I can wait until mid-June. We ate at Torrisi recently; I was kind of surprised at the somewhat reasonableness of the check; the food mind you, not the drinks. And the food was very good.

Borgo is high on my list; I can wait until mid-January, however.

App: Braised big-ass artichokes. Sauce for dipping = mayo, yogurt, mustard, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, s&p. Chicken scarpariello, oven braised as opposed to finished on the stove top. Served over Anson Mills rustic polenta integrale.

Had I only known!

Show last night, at 503 Social Club, James Mastro's art/music collective in Hoboken. Partial Mekons, partial Waco Brothers, partial Men of Gwent, et al. Terrible pix all, but it's what I got... Jon Langford Sally Timms Jon Langford. Jean Cook.