Pizza on the Grill


Pizza on the grill is my new thing. It is surprisingly easy, with only a flip of the dough and then application of sauce and cheese after half the time has elapsed. It seems to work better with a thicker crust pizza, though, and less so with a New Haven style thin crust. Alas!

The Station Agent


The Station Agent starring Peter Dinklage is one of my wife's favorite films, and so after a little bit of research I found where the most important locations from the movie were. We took a little day trip to New Jersey and I surprised her.


The train station in which Finn lives is just off Route 23 in Newfoundland, on Green Pond Road, where it crosses the railroad tracks. A really nice couple is restoring and renting it out. Help them out if you can!


The other two locations are in Rockaway. If you continue south on Green Pond Road (Route 513) you will reach Rockaway in about 10 miles. You'll cross under Route 80 (this is exit 37), and then go straight on Halsey Avenue where 513 splits to the right. This will take you right up to the beautiful spot above, where Joe and Finn watch for trains to pass, along Jackson Avenue by the river.


The Mill Lane Tavern, their watering hole, is right around the corner at 8 Mill Lane. Continue west on Jackson Avenue (Right), and then left on Main Street. Cross the train tracks and take a quick left onto Mill Lane (you'll see the tavern right there.)

I hope you enjoy it as much as my wife did!

Fette Sau


 
While in Brooklyn, I stood in line for two hours to eat the fantastic barbecue of Fette Sau.

 



 
The sausage was good, the brisket was amazing, and the pork cheek was fantastic.


Also tried their duck, which was very good, though I still think the one my wife and I make is better.


 
Would I spend two hours again? I don't think so. There are other barbecue/smokehouse places in Connecticut that are nearly as good, and with certain items are just as good. I mean, Uncle Willie's comes to mind immediately. Maybe the brisket at Fette Sau was better, but the ribs at Willie's are unearthly, and I don't have to wait two hours. So, I'm glad I went, but let me tell you New Yorkers, you don't know what you are missing as far as barbecue. And I'm very sure there are better ones around the United States, but Fette Sau's location in the center of the universe (according to some) gives it an advantage that put it higher on the list than it should be.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn


Had a great time hanging out in Williamsburg the other day. Especially the oysters and Chablis and visiting the local biergarten.


 
We enjoyed the hipsters, especially since I had just read Joe Mande's  Look at that F@#$$% Hipster.

 
I thought that the mannequin with the horse head was a particularly nice touch.


Takashi

 

 
Roger, Subhash, and I got reservations for Takashi in Manhattan, which I had seen on the Anthony Bourdain show, and was very excited to try out.


I'm not usually a fan of sea urchin eggs, but in this case they were delicious!


Beef tartare with quail egg...


This was obscene...foie gras stuffed kobe burger drowned in bubbling hot chocolate sauce.
 

Steamed beef shank buns...



Cow's testicles in escargot sauce (garlic butter and pesto).

Squid ink rice and miso-marinated sweetbreads on a magnolia leaf, with spicy yuzu aioli.

Bone marrow and crawfish dumplings...


Pieces of beef heart that we grilled ourselves and dipped in delightful sauces.


Freshly made sausage - kobe beef inside an intestine, grilled in front of us.


Achilles tendon...


The most vanilla ice cream I've ever had. Keep up the great work, Takashi.

Reclaiming Old Warehouses


One of the encouraging signs of preservation in our state is the reclamation of old warehouses. They make such fantastic studio apartments! Here is one of these along the Yantic River in Norwich...a lovely location, lovely brick buildings, and as long as heating is included, move right in.

Sarah's Wine Bar


Sarah's Wine Bar in Ridgefield. Awesome.


Soft shell crab appetizer above. Smoked salmon hot and cold below.



Crispy pig's knuckles - amazing. Quail with a really really rich risotto.


Sarah's is attached to Bernard's (her husband's). Definitely in the top ten restaurants in the state.

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum


Stopped in at the Aldrich in Ridgefield the other day...since it is "non-collecting," every time we visit it is new.


This sign was encouraging. But both Amy and I hated that exhibit.


So, why go to a contemporary art museum? Especially if some of the stuff will be annoying or lame?


For the discussions we have about them afterwards, of course. WHY do certain exhibits fail? What is art? What is good art? Is there a difference between aesthetics and taste? Et cetera. A good or bad collection of contemporary art never fails to get Amy and I talking. Try it out!

Jonah Crab Claws


Tried some Jonah Crab Claws ala Momofuku the other day. Good, but a lot of work. I think cold is better than hot...the meat comes out more easily. I still prefer lobster to crab, I think, except that I love those summertime soft shells...