What We've Been Doing Other Than Not Having A Baby

No, no bean yet. Do people think we're gonna keep it a secret?
In our remaining days of "freedom", N. and I have gone to Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters, the Brooklyn Flea, watched the French "thriller" "Tell No One", David Gordon Green's "George Washington", and Werner Herzog's "Encounters at the End of the World". On DVD we watched "Chinatown".

I enjoyed The Cloisters a lot more than I did when I was a kid, which was probably the last time I was there. Remember how boring museums are as a kid? Fort Tryon Park is really neat, too. It has a very different, almost more mountainous feel than Central and Prospect Parks.

We went to the Brooklyn Flea on Sunday. We didn't buy anything since we're in no state to accumulate and nothing seemed really great. The most exciting thing was getting interviewed for The Brooklyn Paper. I love TBP because it's very local and the crime stats are very thinly veiled and funny.

We were interviewed because there's been some controversy since the flea occurs right across from a church and apparently is making parking a problem.

After our interview, we waited on the long line for taco, which turned out to be a bit of a bummer for me. Because of the bean induced heart burn, I couldn't stomach more than a few bites of the deliciousness. Of course N. was more than happy to eat my taco since they are so very tasty and authentic and probably will not exist in New Hampshire. I can't wait till I can eat spice!!

!!!!!Spoiler Alert!!! Do NOT READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU WANT TO SEE "Tell No One."

It seems that everyone with the exception of my parents loved "Tell No One". I'm happy to report that the critical movie viewing genes run deep because N. and I were disappointed with the movie. It's not bad exactly, but suffers from seemingly sloppy editing and, even more to its detriment, some serious plot flaws. The acting is good and there are parts of the movie that are well-done, but then there are some aspects of the plot that are unforgivable. N. and I didn't mind seeing the movie although at various points we both wondered when the movie would end. My more specific thought was actually: if I go into labor now, we'll leave. But it was more of a passing thought. And no, I didn't go into labor because no, we haven't had the bean.

One thing that made N. and I more critical of "Tell No One" is that we watched "Chinatown" the night before. "Chinatown" is such a perfect crime-thriller that most other movies in the genre would pale in comparison.

I love David Gordon Green. You should too. Put "George Washington" on your NetFlix queue. Now.

Werner Herzog is odd. The temperature today in Nico, Antarctica is -64 degrees Fahrenheit.

Best of Brooklyn: (More!) Pizza

It's hard to believe that I would have anything more to say about pizza considering the breath and depth of the previous pizza post, but I do.

Last Sunday, N. and I went with our friends to Lucali over in Carroll Gardens. The owner/pizzailio was influenced by Dom at DiFara. Well, the influence is in the pies. Three or four cheeses, thin crust, fresh herbs. In terms of the ambiance, Lucali couldn't be more different. It's low-key but charming and has waiter service, which is kind of nice considering getting a pie at DiFara's is a waiting game. We did get to Lucali about fifteen minutes before they opened, which is key, but once we got seated the wait wasn't bad at all. All they have are pies and calzones; the toppings change depending on the day. We got a plain pie with basil, which was very similar in its tastiness to DiFara's. If DiFara does anything better, it's probably only that the pies are a little hotter. But that's pretty minor. Four of us shared a pie and a calzone. The calzone was truly amazing. I know, calzones got gross back in 8th grade. I don't think I've eaten one since then but the one at Lucali is really good. Ours had mushrooms and basil. What's really good about the calzone is that it's light and airy--not like the heavy, oily ones that are just dough filled with processed mozzarella cheese. At Lucali there are several different cheeses and it doesn't make you feel sick or cheesed out afterwards. N. and I would definitely go back to Lucali for the calzone. It's the only place we'd ever eat one.

To top off our pizza eating, N. and I spontaneously shelpped out to Coney Island yesterday and made the pilgrimage to Totonno's. I think we got lucky because there wasn't a wait. In terms of ambiance Totonno's falls somewhere between DiFara's and Lucali. It's on a pretty dingy block, but the place is bright and clean and there are tables with waiter service. The order came very quickly too. N. and I shared a plain small pie. I think that's the way to try a pizza place. Toppings can make things weird. I do have to say that the pepperoni on the pie next to us did look pretty good and I don't even like pepperoni. At first I found the slice disappointing; I even put a little salt on it because marinara sauce tasted a little bland. But after another few slices (they were thin crust and small) I got into it and didn't salt again. Totonno's is good but different from Lucali and DiFara's because the sauce isn't all about the herbs and spices. I also think the slices got better as the cheese and sauce solidified. N. and I left happy and satisfied without feeling too sick or cheesed out.

If I had to give out grades I'd say Lucali gets an A and Totonno's gets an A-.

It's back to the leafy greens this week. Our arteries have been working overtime.

Things We're Doing List

This week N. and I were able to cross a few more things off our list of NYC things to do. One thing, which technically wasn't on the list, but N. added as an addendum, was going to Juniors. It had been a while since I ate there and the food was surprisingly good. My matzoh ball soup wasn't overly salty and the chicken salad sandwich we shared was actually quiet tasty and fresh. N. was happy with his egg cream, too.

The food was more disappointing at Peter Luger's. To be honest, eating there once was enough for me, but N. wanted to go again and since there were friends involved who am I to say no? The sides were all pretty standard--decent fries and onions rings, heart-attack ridden creamed spinach---it's what I expected. But the steak wasn't that great. I've had better. N. think it's because we got the steak for 4 (there were 6 of us but we had a lot of sides) and that if we went again, which we won't, he'd stick to the steak for one because you get a smaller and therefore better selection. The first couple of pieces I had were pretty much all fat.

Yesterday's outing was to Long Beach out on Long Island. N. and I took the LIRR from Atlantic Ave and even though we had to switch trains in Jamaica, Queens, we were beach side in less than an hour. I'd never been to LB before and it's great. I thought the water was a lot cleaner and nicer than at Brighton Beach. The ocean was the perfect temperature, too. Cool without being freezing and very refreshing. I'd get to Long Beach soon though. In another month the jelly fish babies, which can't sting now, will be full-grown and up for some human flesh.

The photo used for today's entry is property of N's. I believe it was the time he escaped a flesh-eating, cheesecake looking jelly fish attack.

Tacoroni with Cheese!

N. suggested I blog about Tacoroni with Cheese! because there's absolutely nothing else going on in our lives that is as exciting as Tacoroni with Cheese!

What is this Tacoroni with Cheese! that you speak of, Brooklyngirl, you ask. It's the perfect meal invented more or less by moi.

Tacoroni with Cheese! began one cold and dark Brooklyn evening many moons ago when N. and I realized that were feeling unfulfilled with Annie's Mac-N-Cheese. It needed something. Perhaps some protein,some veggies, and some salsa!

These days I don't even use Annie's--I just buy regular old macaroni noodles and cheddar cheese. It's cheaper and cuts out the middle man.

This is what you do:

Boil water.

Cut up some veggies. I like to use peppers, carrots, onions, tomatoes. Sometimes I add a little bit of spinach and zucchini and frozen corn. You can use whatever veggies are in your fridge although I tend not to use things like broccoli or kale.

Sautee veggies in a bit of olive oil. Add garlic if you like. Then you add the meat. But I don't use meat I use Smart Ground veggie soy stuff. The reason is that meat just isn't that good for you and since Tacoroni with Cheese! is often a spur of the moment thing, you can have Smart Ground Veggie stuff in your fridge for weeks at a time with worrying that it's going bad. Plus, it tastes really good in Tacoroni with Cheese!

Add macaroni to boiling water.

Mix all the meat/veggies stuff together with whatever kind of salsa you have. I recommend using the cheap stuff. You can also add some cheddar or pepperjack cheese. Stir it altogether, turn off the stove, and wait for the macaroni to be cooked.

When the pasta is drained, eyeball it and add it into the the meat/veggie/salsa concoction. Mix it altogether and dump a bunch in a bowl. Sprinkle with cheese; stick some tortilla chips on the side if you're feeling arty and wham! Tacoroni with Cheese! Filling, fast, and virtually fail proof. Too much pasta? Quickly add some more fake beef and that part of the pepper you were thinking of throwing away. Need more flavor? Add some more salsa or hot sauce or cheese. Tacoroni with Cheese! is also great because you can have it for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.

But don't take my word on it. N. says " Spicy noodles, fresh veggies, fake meat. A San Francisco treat!"

I think he means Brooklyn, but he's washing dishes so I'll let it go.

What are your last minute dinner recipes? And no, you can't suggest ordering in or taking out. I'm moving to the country, people, remember? Take out up there is probably hitting a moose and bringing it home on your fender.

Why Angelina Didn't Tip

This is from the NYT science section a few months back. Kind of interesting, the evolution stuff, right, Kansas?

This is more recent.

Shucks, now we're going to look like fools when we name our bean Knox.

Things (We Want) to Do List

Have I mentioned that N. and I have a Things We Want To Do Before The Bean And Before We Move List? This week we were able to cross a few things off.

On Monday, we took the Staten Island Ferry. It's a very nice view/ride. Did you know it's free? Other than the Staten Island Yankee's Stadium, there's nothing walking distance from the ferry so we didn't do anything while we were in SI. My feet were starting to hurt so I didn't feel that bad about it.

From the ferry we saw two of the Olafur Eliasson waterfalls. We found them underwhelming and crossed that off The List.

On Wednesday we went to the hell that is Buy Buy Baby to return things. That was not on the Things We Want To Do List, but rather Things You Really Don't Want To Do But Really Should Because You Really Don't Need Six Baby Bjorns And Eight Tubes Of Nipple Cream List. Once that mission was deemed a success, we went to the heaven that is Shake Shack, which was most certainly on The List. We had single Shake Shack burgers, shared fries and a shake. It was as good as they say. I wish my stomach had been feeling a little more normal and that the hip, new self-cleaning .$25 toilet wasn't stuck in some self-imposed self cleaning mode. Having to pee makes a burger just a little less delicious. The city owes me $.50 cents, too.

We went for a medicinal stroll on the Coney Island boardwalk Wednesday evening because I was going stir and humidity crazy. Since we neither ate Nathan's, played an arcade game, swam in the ocean, or ate greasy Russian food in Brighton Beach, we're going to keep it on The List.

Not on the list, but other things we did include: watching many episodes of Arrested Development on the genius that is Hulu, watching the first two episodes of Season 1 of Prime Suspect with the genius of that is Helen Mirren, seeing the maybe he's a genius but we don't get it Murkami show at the Brooklyn Museum, and eating too much ice cream (it's organic!) at the genius that is Blue Marble because the new location is only 2! blocks from our apartment. Mmmmm...ice cream. Almost as good as pizza.

Best of Brooklyn: Pizza

During our years here in the Borough of Kings, N. and I have eaten a lot of pizza. I've probably had around 2,300 slices, while N. tops with me 453,211.

The best Brooklyn pizza, as of this writing, is DiFara's out on Ave J in Midwood. Dom uses makes each pizza very slowly. You have to go when you're hungry but not starving. If you're starving when you get there, you'll have a breakdown since there's always a wait. Even if there are only three people ahead of you, you'll have to wait an hour. In addition to really working slowly (as artist should, of course), it's never clear that Dom has heard you place an order. If you've even gotten to the placing an order stage. Sometimes you just wait, which can be good for working on your zen goals. We were there in the spring and Dom's kids sort of helped keep their dad current with the orders but sometimes it's just him. When the kids are there, they might take an order or your money but they never touch the pies. Dom does it all--from making it, to putting it in and taking it out of the oven with his bare hands, to adding clippings of fresh basil on the just-out-of -the-oven pie.

Everyone should eat at DiFara's at least once. Get a plain pie--those are the best. Even if you just want a slice, get a pie, wait for it to cool off, eat what you want there, and then take the rest home. It won't be nearly as delicious but it's more time effective to get the whole thing. And you really do have to wait a few minutes to take your first bite It's so hot, olive oily, and three cheesy that it needs to solidify. Plus, you'll scald your mouth if you eat it too soon.

While DiFara's is this fairly dingy, non-descript hole in the wall, Franny's in our neighborhood on Flatbush Ave is just the opposite. It's pretty hip with menus, an impressive and expensive wine list, and actual servers. The critics went wild for Franny's when it opened a few years ago because it's brick oven and there's a list on the menu of where each product comes from. While N. and I think Franny's is tasty, we agree that the pizza never really fills you up and that there can be a lack of variety. Once N. and I got two different marinara style pies and they tasted pretty much the same. Plus, Franny's is expensive. I don't think going out for pizza should be expensive.

Although I'm not sure why, N. likes Antonio's at 318 Flatbush Ave. I've always put it in the barely mediocre category since I find it too greasy, too cheesy and the sauce non-descript. I should mention that N. would eat pizza 3-5 times a week if he could, which probably explains why he is the undisputed, undefeated pizza champion in our household. I like pizza too, but since it's fattening and not exactly good for you, I don't like to have these vices on mediocre pizza. And that's what Antonio's is. Very mediocre. At least the delivered stuff is. In the pizzeria itself, the slices are just slightly better. But I'm not sure why you'd be eating in Antonio's when your apartment is 4 blocks away.

Gino's further down on Flatbush, I think, is much better than Antonio's. It's not overly cheesy and the sauce has more character. It's exactly what you want on a Sunday night when you're too involved with Battle Star Galatica to make dinner.

Grimaldi'sunder the Brooklyn Bridge has been famous for years. Why? N. and I have eaten there a few times and while it's good, it's not the be all end all. Nothing about the pizza itself really stood out to me. The only thing that really stands out was the long line we waited on to get inside one Friday night only to remember that it's cash only. Of course, we had no cash and there are no ATM's in that part of Brooklyn so we had to grate 1,000 pounds of mozarella before they let us leave.

Back in his swinging bachelor days, N. lived in Williamsburg where Fornino's was. That was good pizza--more gourmet than DiFara's, but less pretentious than Franny's. Plus, the menu is a lot bigger than Franny's. I've always thought the options at Franny's were somewhat limiting. I've always regretted that N. and I always got Fornino's to go. Eating there, I'm sure the very good pizza would have been closer to great.

A few years ago, I took N. on a surprise trip to L&B Spumoni Gardens out in Bensonhurst. I feel like this is what the hardcore Italian Brooklynites think of when they think of pizza. L&B is known for Scillian slices, which were good, but N. and I prefer triangle pizza. Scillian slices tend to be too dough heavy for us. If you're going to take an out of towner on a schelp for pizza, we'd recommend schelping to DiFara rather than L&B. I'm sure we had the spumoni, but I can't remember it at all.

N. and I don't like the name The Brooklyn Pizza Factory that recently opened up on Vanderbilt Ave, very close to our house. We don't think factory just shouldn't be used in restaurant names. Or baby names, either. Nonetheless, the pizza, at BPF, is quite good and we're happy it's so close. They have very tasty regular slices and also some more intriguing gourmet pie options that I'm sure we will sample once the Bean comes and we're not cooking. The other day, the heat and 36 weeks of pregnancy nearly did me in on our walk in Prospect Park, but I'm happy to save I was revived with a Sprite and BPF slice. I guess the real test will be to get a pie delivered, but since it's so close I'm optimistic.

Across the street from BPF is Amorina. This is a family-friendly, more of a sit-down kind of place. The pies are a little more gourmet than BPF. N. and I are fans of the Tricolore pie, but when you're in the mood for pizza I think you want the standard NYC style like BPF. Amorina is more like you're too lazy to cook and too lazy to walk more than three blocks to go out to dinner. It's the kind of place where you might get the Puttanesca pie or, just as easily, the spaghetti with meatballs. It's not a bad place, but for being so close and calling themselves a pizzeria, N. and I have gone there surprisingly few times.

On our list of NYC things to do before moving to NH is eating at Totonno's out on Neptune Ave near Coney Island. This place always gets mentioned in lists that include DiFara's and Franny's so we're excited to check it out. I've heard, and this could be a rumor, that they make 100 pies a day and then they close no matter what time it is.

Whew. Posting about pizza has made me hungry. Where do you get your slices?

Muchos Gracias, Mi Hermano

Since I've last posted we've: unloaded 8,000 boxes, made 12 trips to Kmart, 21 trips to Pier 1, 11 trips to the the town dump, ate, slept, showered, and used the dishwasher in our new home, saw Wall-E, drank 124 Heinkens, eaten 16 bags of potato chips, and got a Lebanon library card! It's yellow! Do you know which was most exciting for me?

Most of the above would not have been possible without the generous time and effort of my brother, who despite his ugly-ass "moving" pants was a total rock star. On his own accord, Jacob, offered to come up to help us, which meant a 10! hour train trip on Sunday, and a myriad of boxes to lift and unpack and multiple trips up to the attic and random places in town on Monday and Tuesday.

Not only did N. and I wake the dude up at unreasonable AM hours, we forget to get him whole milk so he couldn't even imbibe Kiks with us. He even put up with us referring to him as our "man-servant"! So many thanks, little bro. And sorry for my back seat driving comments---2 nights on an aero bed when pregnant is okay, 3 makes you a tired little bitch.

I don't have a review of the new David Sedaris since I slept through most of what N. played on the way up and Jacob didn't let us listen to anything but Lil Wayne on the way back. For reals.

"Bet I'm gonna reap this when I'm gone defeat this while I'm here
Gonna keep beatin this street shit in ya ear
Gonna speak in every single street this year
My shit beat in every jeep on every street this year"


P.S. Lest we scare visitors away, N. wanted me to clarify that normally the train ride from NYC to our house is 7 hours. There were some delays on Jacob's train. (I've heard there are always delays but not usually 3 hours worth.)