drat fink references a Malcolm Gladwell New Yorker piece about McDonalds, which I had seen earlier today via Arts & Letters Daily. I couldn't quite believe what I was reading: Gladwell's proposals for "better junk food" include using Olestra (of "anal leakage" fame) to make McDonalds fries, and reviving the McLean burger (the processed meat was good, he says, all it needed was better promotion). The piece reads like an advertorial for scientifically-enhanced food: it made me wonder who's paying the New Yorker's bills these days.
According to AOL, you northeasterners are "hunkering down" for the big storm. Is that true, and could I have an example?
So what's going on with the film page? Did we decide on a name? Bill, are you actually going to start going to movies?
Anyone have any green tea brand recommendations? I'd be curious to hear the Wheels ultra high end picks (I know he has some,) but I'm looking for something I could find in the east village and wouldn't cost more than the ridiculously overpriced coffee I drink too much of now. My first try was something called tazo. It's O.K., I guess, but can I do better?
I always wondered about Dave's business model. This shocking photo reveals the truth. Who'd have thought?
Digital Imaging Forum is a website run by MANUAL (Ed Hill and Suzanne Bloom), who wrote for Artforum in the '80s and were early adopters of digital tools for making visual art. The site's current "feature presentation" is a nice piece of digital video by Michael Ensdorf. Windows Media Player may be necessary to run it; I'm not sure how flexible the site is re streaming.
jimlouis - the weather man says you are experiencing "severe weather" - hope all is well. take cover.
Here's a fun one from Evhead: this day in music, a site which will tell you the number one song (both in England and the US) for any given day in history. My birthday had the Beatles in top spot on the U.K. charts with Get Back, while Aquarius / Let the Sunshine in by 5th Dimension was number one in the US of A.
as napster is put to sleep, will that just mean more for the hibernating bearshare? heres iNother one.
I was just thinking that since the cinema topic is suddenly well represented by the many people here who actually care about film and write/speak well on the subject that you (we) might start a new page catagory (like the food and art ones). Perhaps we could even post short original films (w/ special guests ?) made for the internet or that just happen to be short and adaptable to this site anyway. Feel free to shoot this idea right down. Names ?
I'm taking it upon myself to take this back to the main trunk of the tree house tree. The length of the thread is boggin' my computer down terribly.
"Plus, Soderberg is arty as hell. I find his use of alternating film stocks irritating. Oliver Stone started this trend, and now everyone's doing it. Did anyone else find the use of the piss-yellow, grainy stock for the "Mexico" scenes to be subtly racist/colonial? Imagine if it was inverted--if the Mexico footage was shot clear and bright and then every time he cut to Washington DC you were suddenly in a blurry miasma. (Might be more interesting, actually.)"
That bothered me too. I think in the case of the Wizard Of Oz the switching of film stock was inspired. But in Stones case it seemed to be a sort of arty crutch. With Traffic I chalk it up to cinematic short hand of the laziest variety as well as a hackneed attempt to seem cutting edge.
"Also, I found it ridiculously coincidental that Catherine Zeta-Jones would call Frankie Flores to do the hit, and even more ridiculous that he would accept the job from her. The last time we saw him he was a broken, weeping wreck. "Another job? Sure, I don't know you, but I'm your man!"
LOL! Right, rediculous. I didn't catch the portrait but even so it just doesn't wash.
I hated Traffic. What a phony crock! "
Right on brother!
"Plus, Soderberg is arty as hell. I find his use of alternating film stocks irritating. Oliver Stone started this trend, and now everyone's doing it. Did anyone else find the use of the piss-yellow, grainy stock for the "Mexico" scenes to be subtly racist/colonial? Imagine if it was inverted--if the Mexico footage was shot clear and bright and then every time he cut to Washington DC you were suddenly in a blurry miasma. (Might be more interesting, actually.)"
That bothered me too. I think in the case of the Wizard Of Oz the switching of film stock was inspired. But in Stones case it seemed to be a sort of arty crutch. With Traffic I chalk it up to cinematic short hand of the laziest variety as well as a hackneed attempt to seem cutting edge.
"Also, I found it ridiculously coincidental that Catherine Zeta-Jones would call Frankie Flores to do the hit, and even more ridiculous that he would accept the job from her. The last time we saw him he was a broken, weeping wreck. "Another job? Sure, I don't know you, but I'm your man!"
LOL! Right, rediculous. I didn't catch the portrait but even so it just doesn't wash.
I hated Traffic. What a phony crock! "
Right on brother!
"There are
hopeful signs about, not just Woodcocks,
but buds forming, catkins and days
lengthening, and maybe a mild spell has
you thinking we’ll cruise on in from here,
but no, it’s still Winter.
That’s Lent." Amen. Not sure I have the clearence to post this here, but amen.
I just saw "You Can Count On Me" again. For me It stood up to a second viewing.
February 28, 2001
- $25 AND UNDER
Locanda Vini & Olii: In an Old Apothecary, a Cure for the Common Trattoria
By ERIC ASIMOV
WHEN I visit a restaurant for the first time, I almost always enter believing I'm going to enjoy my meal. But once in a while I sense that a place is going to be special, and that's how I felt about Locanda Vini & Olii, a mom- and-pop trattoria that opened a month ago in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
The beautiful space, which had been a pharmacy for 130 years, certainly contributed to this feeling. The woodwork has been lovingly restored, and many old features have been left intact, like small wooden apothecary drawers, set sideways into the wall for holding supplies, and rolling wood ladders and old counters used for a small bar and to display desserts.
Care seems to have been given to every detail, including the overhead lights, dim enough to create a moody ambience yet illuminating each table perfectly. The wine lists are glued to bottles, one for white, one for red, as if they were labels.
Even so, if it were one more trattoria with the same old food, no matter how attractive, it would provoke yawns. But Locanda's menu is full of dishes perhaps unsettling to those expecting the standard issue. Clearly, it is the personal expression of the owners, François Louy, from Milan, who was a manager for the Cipriani restaurants, and his wife, Catherine de Zagon Louy, from Florence, who was a manager at Balthazar.
Starting with the fragrant Tuscan bread, made without salt, the Louys do things their own way. Instead of a dish of olive oil, they set out arugula blended with pine nuts and oil like a pesto, nicely bitter and just right with the bread.
Appetizers may be as unexpected as tongue marinated in white wine and herbs, boiled, thinly sliced and sautéed until mellow and nutty and served with a parsley sauce ($7). Or bresaola with pears ($7.75), a play on prosciutto with melon using fine air- dried beef and an unsweetened pear sauce. Shrimp are served with wonderful chickpeas flavored with rosemary ($8).
Some appetizers are meant to be shared, like the seafood charcuterie ($12), which includes thick rounds of soft tuna sausage and tender, paper- thin slices of octopus, or slices of venison cacciatorino ($10), an intense hard salami served with earthy chicken liver crostini.
Superb choices abound among the pastas, which are almost all made by Luigi Ghidetti, who shares chef duties with Michele Baldacci. I love the maltagliati ($8), fat strands of carrot-colored pasta in a light ricotta sauce with soft fava beans, diced prosciutto and plenty of sage. Little lasagna noodles made with chestnut flour go beautifully with a chickpea and sausage sauce ($9), as does penne with a creamy walnut sauce ($8.50) and guitar-string pasta with a Sicilian sauce of mashed sardine, dill and raisins ($9.50).
Not quite as exciting but still delicious are fat ropes of pici, an eggless pasta, with porcini mushroom sauce ($8), and pappardelle with a robust duck ragù ($9).
Beyond pasta, Locanda offers a small, changing selection of main courses like tender braised pork ribs ($14), with roasted potatoes, or excellent braised lamb ($16), baked in a small round bread.
The small list of wines includes some excellent choices from little- known producers, including Barbera del Monferrato from Accornero ($22) and a light but flavorful red from Ercole Velenosi ($26) in the Marches. Mr. Louy eagerly makes recommendations.
Desserts ($5) may be the weak link, yet they too are enticing. A dense chocolate tart was too dry, but I loved ricotta-and-almond cheesecake flavored with rose water, and the best dessert may have been the simplest: small circular biscotti, flavored with anise and barely sweet.
It's a thrill to find a restaurant like Locanda Vini & Olii, where decisions are not made according to formula and marketing concerns. Passion rules here, and it is evident in almost every bite.
Locanda Vini & Olii
129 Gates Avenue at Cambridge Place, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; (718) 622-9202.
BEST DISHES: Tongue with parsley sauce, bresaola with pears, shrimp with chickpeas, seafood charcuterie, venison cacciatorino, carrot maltagliata, chestnut lasagnette, penne with walnut sauce, pasta con le sarde, pappardelle with duck ragù, pici with porcinis, braised pork ribs, braised lamb, ricotta cheesecake with rose water, biscotti.
PRICE RANGE: Appetizers, $5 to $8; main courses, $6 to $16.
CREDIT CARDS: Cash only.
HOURS: Tuesday through Thursday, 6 to 10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, to 11:30; Sunday, to 10. Closed Monday.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Two steps at entrance; restroom is narrow.
Locanda Vini & Olii: In an Old Apothecary, a Cure for the Common Trattoria
By ERIC ASIMOV
WHEN I visit a restaurant for the first time, I almost always enter believing I'm going to enjoy my meal. But once in a while I sense that a place is going to be special, and that's how I felt about Locanda Vini & Olii, a mom- and-pop trattoria that opened a month ago in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
The beautiful space, which had been a pharmacy for 130 years, certainly contributed to this feeling. The woodwork has been lovingly restored, and many old features have been left intact, like small wooden apothecary drawers, set sideways into the wall for holding supplies, and rolling wood ladders and old counters used for a small bar and to display desserts.
Care seems to have been given to every detail, including the overhead lights, dim enough to create a moody ambience yet illuminating each table perfectly. The wine lists are glued to bottles, one for white, one for red, as if they were labels.
Even so, if it were one more trattoria with the same old food, no matter how attractive, it would provoke yawns. But Locanda's menu is full of dishes perhaps unsettling to those expecting the standard issue. Clearly, it is the personal expression of the owners, François Louy, from Milan, who was a manager for the Cipriani restaurants, and his wife, Catherine de Zagon Louy, from Florence, who was a manager at Balthazar.
Starting with the fragrant Tuscan bread, made without salt, the Louys do things their own way. Instead of a dish of olive oil, they set out arugula blended with pine nuts and oil like a pesto, nicely bitter and just right with the bread.
Appetizers may be as unexpected as tongue marinated in white wine and herbs, boiled, thinly sliced and sautéed until mellow and nutty and served with a parsley sauce ($7). Or bresaola with pears ($7.75), a play on prosciutto with melon using fine air- dried beef and an unsweetened pear sauce. Shrimp are served with wonderful chickpeas flavored with rosemary ($8).
Some appetizers are meant to be shared, like the seafood charcuterie ($12), which includes thick rounds of soft tuna sausage and tender, paper- thin slices of octopus, or slices of venison cacciatorino ($10), an intense hard salami served with earthy chicken liver crostini.
Superb choices abound among the pastas, which are almost all made by Luigi Ghidetti, who shares chef duties with Michele Baldacci. I love the maltagliati ($8), fat strands of carrot-colored pasta in a light ricotta sauce with soft fava beans, diced prosciutto and plenty of sage. Little lasagna noodles made with chestnut flour go beautifully with a chickpea and sausage sauce ($9), as does penne with a creamy walnut sauce ($8.50) and guitar-string pasta with a Sicilian sauce of mashed sardine, dill and raisins ($9.50).
Not quite as exciting but still delicious are fat ropes of pici, an eggless pasta, with porcini mushroom sauce ($8), and pappardelle with a robust duck ragù ($9).
Beyond pasta, Locanda offers a small, changing selection of main courses like tender braised pork ribs ($14), with roasted potatoes, or excellent braised lamb ($16), baked in a small round bread.
The small list of wines includes some excellent choices from little- known producers, including Barbera del Monferrato from Accornero ($22) and a light but flavorful red from Ercole Velenosi ($26) in the Marches. Mr. Louy eagerly makes recommendations.
Desserts ($5) may be the weak link, yet they too are enticing. A dense chocolate tart was too dry, but I loved ricotta-and-almond cheesecake flavored with rose water, and the best dessert may have been the simplest: small circular biscotti, flavored with anise and barely sweet.
It's a thrill to find a restaurant like Locanda Vini & Olii, where decisions are not made according to formula and marketing concerns. Passion rules here, and it is evident in almost every bite.
Locanda Vini & Olii
129 Gates Avenue at Cambridge Place, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; (718) 622-9202.
BEST DISHES: Tongue with parsley sauce, bresaola with pears, shrimp with chickpeas, seafood charcuterie, venison cacciatorino, carrot maltagliata, chestnut lasagnette, penne with walnut sauce, pasta con le sarde, pappardelle with duck ragù, pici with porcinis, braised pork ribs, braised lamb, ricotta cheesecake with rose water, biscotti.
PRICE RANGE: Appetizers, $5 to $8; main courses, $6 to $16.
CREDIT CARDS: Cash only.
HOURS: Tuesday through Thursday, 6 to 10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, to 11:30; Sunday, to 10. Closed Monday.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Two steps at entrance; restroom is narrow.
There'd been some talk of a Thursday get-together. Where we at with that?
Catherine and Francois Louy are friends of mine who just opened a trattoria called Locanda Vini & Olii in Clinton Place, Bklyn. Any body know what train gets you there ?
Here's one I think goes here, or it could go into that thread about the bomber guy who Jim was wondering about. I think I saw him today and the reason I say that is because I think I remember a picture of that abortion bomber guy or I could be thinking about a guy from Florida (who is maybe in jail or just not hiding in NC?). I'm not sure but the thing is this guy I saw today was a masterpiece of malevolent geekiness, right out of central casting, even down to the tape on the bridge of his black rimmed glasses. Its Mardi Gras here in New Orleans so there's a lot of freaks in town.
Quiet Sunday morning on Rocheblave. I'm unloading tools. A block and a half a way scavengers are searching the Canal Blvd. neutral ground for lost treasures ( drugs, money, beads, and aluminum). Last night was the big Endymion parade. Frankie Muniz (?) was Grand Marshall. A half block the other way, on Bienville, The Baptist church is serenading the neighborhood with electronic hymns, nothing too inspiring but it lets you know you are in a God fearing vicinity, which can be a helpful reference point.
Across the street Muddy is tidying up in front of his very small sagging house. His mom is back in the hospital. The house is reminiscent of those "cribs" that were to be found in the neighborhoods surrounding the infamous Storyville district a hundred years ago. Muddy is pulling weeds from the small flower bed which is occupied by one large bush, and the diminishing weeds. He and I are working leisurely at similar, what could be called Sunday morning, speed.
The first time the late model panel truck with California plates passed, Muddy and I just shook our heads and went on working. After the fourth time, and without conferring, we are both pretty much done with this character, and find ourselves meeting in the middle of the street for his fifth pass. "What's up with this guy," I wondered out loud, and Muddy said, "I know, I was gonna stop him this time."
So we do, we stop him, we the protesters against protest. I asked him for some of his literature so I could refer to the correct group when I wrote George Bush to thank him for unleashing this version of conservatism on America. The man was fronting for a right to life organization that was making its point of how awful is abortion by showing on the side of this panel van a six by eight foot photograph of a red bloody late term aborted fetus. See how awful this is?, this is what your tax dollars pay for was the basic message of the pamphlets he retrieved from the back of the van, inside which he appeared to be camping.
Also in the back of the van were these three foot square canvasses stacked side by side, six or eight deep, each, if it is fair to judge from the one that was visible, being representations of aborted babies. The canvasses had an aged patina, and I came to think of them as art while standing there behind this guy's van, telling him in effect not to pass this way again. And then there came to me the conflict which perhaps is required of "good" art and I thought what would someone like NY's Guilliani make of these pictures. Would they be good things, or bad things? If there was a seminar I would attend so that I could move away from this nonplussed state from which I suffer and into that glare of enlightenment. The seminar would be called "When Conservatives become too Liberal." There would be free food.
Quiet Sunday morning on Rocheblave. I'm unloading tools. A block and a half a way scavengers are searching the Canal Blvd. neutral ground for lost treasures ( drugs, money, beads, and aluminum). Last night was the big Endymion parade. Frankie Muniz (?) was Grand Marshall. A half block the other way, on Bienville, The Baptist church is serenading the neighborhood with electronic hymns, nothing too inspiring but it lets you know you are in a God fearing vicinity, which can be a helpful reference point.
Across the street Muddy is tidying up in front of his very small sagging house. His mom is back in the hospital. The house is reminiscent of those "cribs" that were to be found in the neighborhoods surrounding the infamous Storyville district a hundred years ago. Muddy is pulling weeds from the small flower bed which is occupied by one large bush, and the diminishing weeds. He and I are working leisurely at similar, what could be called Sunday morning, speed.
The first time the late model panel truck with California plates passed, Muddy and I just shook our heads and went on working. After the fourth time, and without conferring, we are both pretty much done with this character, and find ourselves meeting in the middle of the street for his fifth pass. "What's up with this guy," I wondered out loud, and Muddy said, "I know, I was gonna stop him this time."
So we do, we stop him, we the protesters against protest. I asked him for some of his literature so I could refer to the correct group when I wrote George Bush to thank him for unleashing this version of conservatism on America. The man was fronting for a right to life organization that was making its point of how awful is abortion by showing on the side of this panel van a six by eight foot photograph of a red bloody late term aborted fetus. See how awful this is?, this is what your tax dollars pay for was the basic message of the pamphlets he retrieved from the back of the van, inside which he appeared to be camping.
Also in the back of the van were these three foot square canvasses stacked side by side, six or eight deep, each, if it is fair to judge from the one that was visible, being representations of aborted babies. The canvasses had an aged patina, and I came to think of them as art while standing there behind this guy's van, telling him in effect not to pass this way again. And then there came to me the conflict which perhaps is required of "good" art and I thought what would someone like NY's Guilliani make of these pictures. Would they be good things, or bad things? If there was a seminar I would attend so that I could move away from this nonplussed state from which I suffer and into that glare of enlightenment. The seminar would be called "When Conservatives become too Liberal." There would be free food.
Just in time for spring training. Baseblog.
"Afghanistan's ancient and imposing Buddhist relics are seen as 'idols.' "
.....now out of favor with the Taliban rulers, their destruction has been ordered.
.....now out of favor with the Taliban rulers, their destruction has been ordered.
insomnia at 3:45 am and excited to discover that nice red UPDATED notice next to Rachael's page, only to find that the contents have been jumbled but not added to. Maybe it's just me, that is, my computer.....
Day 2 of jury duty begins in 7 hrs. I missed being called for a murder case today. Instead, I got a run of the mill burglery.
I may have misunderstood the judge as he addressed the panel, I thought I heard him say that the defence has to absolutely prove innocence for an acquittal but that the people only need to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to get a conviction. I raised my hand thinking I would ask him to repeat the statement and was excused and ushered back into the jurers waiting room.
Day 2 of jury duty begins in 7 hrs. I missed being called for a murder case today. Instead, I got a run of the mill burglery.
I may have misunderstood the judge as he addressed the panel, I thought I heard him say that the defence has to absolutely prove innocence for an acquittal but that the people only need to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to get a conviction. I raised my hand thinking I would ask him to repeat the statement and was excused and ushered back into the jurers waiting room.
