Recently, while visiting Chris in Philly, we went to a brunch establishment called Day by Day that offered a wholewheat cornmeal waffle. Chris ordered it, I had a bite and enjoyed the texture and flavor that the cornmeal brought to the dish. So I decided to attempt my own recipe this morning.
After looking round the interwebs for a recipe, I decided to wing it. Here's what I came up with:
Pancakes:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
4 strips bacon
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
Syrup:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
Start off by cooking the bacon to whatever your preferred level of crispness is. While the bacon is cooking, mix the other ingredients for the pancakes, incorporating the bacon after its been cooked and broken up. While your pan is heating up for the pancakes, get your blueberry syrup going. Put all the ingredients in a small pan, cooking on medium heat, and mashing up the blueberries as you go. I'm not going to instruct anyone on how to cook pancakes, as I believe its fairly self evident. Once you're done, top with the warm blueberry syrup and enjoy. Should serve 1-2 people.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Irish Soda Bread French Toast
Or how I took one step closer to world unity.
I was trying to figure out what to make for breakfast Sunday morning, and was about to make some scrambled eggs. I asked my wife, Chrystal, if she would like some too, but she said "No, I'm just going to toast some Irish soda bread."
"We have Irish Soda Bread?"
"Yeah, I got it from work. I told them you'd probably want to make something like Irish soda bread French toast."
That is exactly what I wanted to do and I did it.
The recipe was simple enough. I started out with your basic egg batter, threw a bunch of pieces of soda bread into the batter and then heated up a pan with some butter in it. The key difference between soda bread and normal bread is that its very very dense. It doesn't absorb too much of the egg and it will crumble a bit if you're not careful.
Finally, once browned on both sides, I topped this first step* at a culinary United Nations with powdered sugar, as we were out of syrup, and it needed a bit more sweetness to complete. It was a delicious breakfast, one that I'll make again whenever we have Irish soda bread in the house.
* Afterwards, I considered the possibilities of making a breakfast with a few more nations represented. I'm open to suggestions. Canadian bacon is an obvious choice, though I think it would be really interesting with some shredded pork in an Asian BBQ sauce on top and a poached egg.
I was trying to figure out what to make for breakfast Sunday morning, and was about to make some scrambled eggs. I asked my wife, Chrystal, if she would like some too, but she said "No, I'm just going to toast some Irish soda bread."
"We have Irish Soda Bread?"
"Yeah, I got it from work. I told them you'd probably want to make something like Irish soda bread French toast."
That is exactly what I wanted to do and I did it.
The recipe was simple enough. I started out with your basic egg batter, threw a bunch of pieces of soda bread into the batter and then heated up a pan with some butter in it. The key difference between soda bread and normal bread is that its very very dense. It doesn't absorb too much of the egg and it will crumble a bit if you're not careful.
Finally, once browned on both sides, I topped this first step* at a culinary United Nations with powdered sugar, as we were out of syrup, and it needed a bit more sweetness to complete. It was a delicious breakfast, one that I'll make again whenever we have Irish soda bread in the house.
* Afterwards, I considered the possibilities of making a breakfast with a few more nations represented. I'm open to suggestions. Canadian bacon is an obvious choice, though I think it would be really interesting with some shredded pork in an Asian BBQ sauce on top and a poached egg.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Film Review: A SINGLE MAN (dir. Tom Ford)
This film looks like an ad in Italian Vogue for homoerotic suicide fantasies. I don't mean that in a snide way (although, obviously: it is snide) but rather in a descriptive way.
Fashion advertisements, after all, do everything possible to glorify their subject. Tom Ford, a designer rather than photographer, nonetheless manages to imitate a style with which he is quite familiar. It also presents a melodramatic glorification of suicide: that is, the romanticism surrounding the act of suicide as envisioned by an individual with only the faintest intent of carrying it through. I do not get the sense from Colin Firth's performance, despite all assurances to the contrary, that (spoiler alert!) that he would have gone through with it himself in the end. What I get from the character is pathos, a wish to perfect one's death (possibly/probably in reaction to the sudden and unthinkable death of one's lover) in one's mind, and the film as that mental effort playing out on the screen. In short, I find the main character a bit solipsistic and I'm not exactly sure whether that adds to or detracts from the narrative.
I'm sure there are some things that I, as a straight male, may be missing in the subtext. Despite the dismissive way I treat the film above, I really did enjoy it, probably more as a tone poem than anything else.
Fashion advertisements, after all, do everything possible to glorify their subject. Tom Ford, a designer rather than photographer, nonetheless manages to imitate a style with which he is quite familiar. It also presents a melodramatic glorification of suicide: that is, the romanticism surrounding the act of suicide as envisioned by an individual with only the faintest intent of carrying it through. I do not get the sense from Colin Firth's performance, despite all assurances to the contrary, that (spoiler alert!) that he would have gone through with it himself in the end. What I get from the character is pathos, a wish to perfect one's death (possibly/probably in reaction to the sudden and unthinkable death of one's lover) in one's mind, and the film as that mental effort playing out on the screen. In short, I find the main character a bit solipsistic and I'm not exactly sure whether that adds to or detracts from the narrative.
I'm sure there are some things that I, as a straight male, may be missing in the subtext. Despite the dismissive way I treat the film above, I really did enjoy it, probably more as a tone poem than anything else.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Pauly's Favorite Yuletide Entertainment
It's time for me to teach y'all about the Christmas spirit. Here's my syllabus of Christmas movies, television specials and episodes that will help you to learn the true meaning of Christmas. You might say, "Pauly, it's December 22nd! How can I possibly absorb all of this in such a short period of time and learn about Baby Jesus?" To that I say, Santa gets around the world in one night, so you can watch all this shit in 3 days.
Film:
Its a Wonderful Life
NBC used to play this right after the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then they stopped for some reason. Bastards. Luckily I have this on DVD so I can watch this anytime, but I miss the structure. Don't let anyone say this film is outdated or too sappy. It's got some hilarious one liners and goddamn if it doesn't make me cry every time.
Television:
"Chuck Versus Santa"
From Season 2 of Chuck. Worth viewing for the return of Sgt. Al Powell, Reginald Vel Johnson's character from Die Hard. Also, Chuck saves Christmas or something of the sort.
30 Rock
"Ludachristmas" Everyone tries to learn the true meaning of Christmas, then gets trashed. Also, Andy Richter guest stars. That's a reason to watch on its own.
A Very Sunny Christmas
While some may balk at paying $15 to $20 for what is essentially two episodes of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, its well worth it. You get "The Gang" at their most shameless, Charlie's mom getting gang banged, an appearance by Mac's dad, and a naked Danny DeVito.
Also, any sitcom produced by Miller-Boyet in the 1980s-90s or aired on TGIF has dozens of Christmas episodes worth watching. Like the Full House where the Tanner family gets stuck in an airport on Christmas, but luckily the real Santa shows up. (In fact, almost every show in the history of television has an episode where Santa shows up but he's believed to be a main character in a Santa suit until that character shows up after the real Santa has already left)
Anyway, just watch all these shows and movies in the next three days if you need a quick lesson about Yuletide cheer and goodwill towards men.
Film:
Its a Wonderful Life
NBC used to play this right after the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then they stopped for some reason. Bastards. Luckily I have this on DVD so I can watch this anytime, but I miss the structure. Don't let anyone say this film is outdated or too sappy. It's got some hilarious one liners and goddamn if it doesn't make me cry every time.
Die Hard
The later Die Hard films forgot what Die Hard was all about: Christmas. Who else has wished that their office holiday party would be taken over by a group of international terrorists that are actually pulling off an elaborate heist because of this film? This also features my second favorite Christmas song, "Christmas in Hollis." (First favorite: "Holly Jolly Christmas" by Snowman Burl Ives...only the Snowman puppet version, no live action Burl allowed!)
The later Die Hard films forgot what Die Hard was all about: Christmas. Who else has wished that their office holiday party would be taken over by a group of international terrorists that are actually pulling off an elaborate heist because of this film? This also features my second favorite Christmas song, "Christmas in Hollis." (First favorite: "Holly Jolly Christmas" by Snowman Burl Ives...only the Snowman puppet version, no live action Burl allowed!)
Bad Santa
So much credit is given to Billy Bob Thornton in this film, but not enough to Brett Kelly as "The Kid." The scene of him dutifully opening his advent calendar that has been filled with pills and candy corn? Amazing.
Scrooged
"What is it, Frank? It's a toaster!" WHACK! Tied with A Muppet Christmas Carol for best version of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.
The Home Alone Series (1&2)
Kevin McCallister is a strategical genius, prepared for every possible outcome to every situation. And he's a little kid who loves Christmas. His family also apparently is part of some offshoot of Christianity that worships the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.(See Home Alone 2)
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Technically this film should be watched once at Halloween, once at Christmas, and once inbetween on Thanksgiving.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Technically this film should be watched once at Halloween, once at Christmas, and once inbetween on Thanksgiving.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Michael Caine is amazing as Scrooge. Probably the last great Muppet movie, and my favorite Christmas movie ever for a multitude of reasons.
Television:
"Chuck Versus Santa"
From Season 2 of Chuck. Worth viewing for the return of Sgt. Al Powell, Reginald Vel Johnson's character from Die Hard. Also, Chuck saves Christmas or something of the sort.
30 Rock
"Ludachristmas" Everyone tries to learn the true meaning of Christmas, then gets trashed. Also, Andy Richter guest stars. That's a reason to watch on its own.
A Very Sunny Christmas
While some may balk at paying $15 to $20 for what is essentially two episodes of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia, its well worth it. You get "The Gang" at their most shameless, Charlie's mom getting gang banged, an appearance by Mac's dad, and a naked Danny DeVito.
Also, any sitcom produced by Miller-Boyet in the 1980s-90s or aired on TGIF has dozens of Christmas episodes worth watching. Like the Full House where the Tanner family gets stuck in an airport on Christmas, but luckily the real Santa shows up. (In fact, almost every show in the history of television has an episode where Santa shows up but he's believed to be a main character in a Santa suit until that character shows up after the real Santa has already left)
Anyway, just watch all these shows and movies in the next three days if you need a quick lesson about Yuletide cheer and goodwill towards men.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Looking to look like you're worth a million bucks for under a thousand?
I recently set off in search of a bespoke suit. Here is what I initially sought: a three-piece, two button suit good for three out of the four seasons, custom lining, in gray or navy wool herringbone; a classic cut, suit for the office or the evening, but with some subtle flourishes. With a few samples ripped from magazines and catalogs in hand (as well as some advice from the Esquire black book of style), I researched appropriate tailors in Philadelphia.
Royal Custom Tailors: The gentleman here discussed what I was looking for and showed me some samples. He gave me a quote of $1,350. An online search for reviews turned up nothing on his suit-making.
Dress Right/David Chae: Without discussion of specifics, I was quoted a price of $1,500 to $2,000. An online search for reviews turned up nothing except a Best of Philly 2009 award, which does not mention the suit-making.
Mr. Rock: His website is useless and the pricing scheme (only $999 for two suits and three shirts) left me skeptical. I am also not comfortable with the fact that he is a transient, travelling from city to city and shipping work orders back to Hong Kong (supposedly). I wouldn't imagine that results in a great suit or a trust-building relationship with your tailor. I do appreciate his supposed strategy of building his customer base with MBA students and establishing a relationship with them throughout their business careers. Nonetheless this whole scheme appears dubious to me.
Nieman Marcus: An online search does not specify whether custom suit-making is offered.
Boyd's: I suspect they do custom suits here. I also suspect they will start somewhere north of $2,000.
Phillip E. Leon Haberdashery: I was referred to Chris Phillips by a friend. We discussed what I was looking for and he quoted me a recession special price starting at $600. I've scheduled a fitting, so we'll see.
The above-referenced Esquire guide suggests one should expect to pay at least $3,000 for a bespoke suit. Is the ethic at work in Esquire is always highly aspirational, I assume that means its reasonable to spend, what, $1,500? $1,000? The first two on my list would therefore be in that range. Phillip E. Leon's non-recession prices start at $900, which also roughly squares with the suggested price range. (Seth has purchased bespoke suits in China, so the information is not applicable to this evaluation.) About $1,000 sounds reasonable to me and that is what I would like to pay.
Again, I think the target demographic of Esquire is basically the aged 30 to 40 years young professional dandy, oft single, with money to spend and with the habit of admiring nice things just outside what is reasonable for them to spend. And I think that nearly encompasses my situation. Really, its unnecessary for me to purchase a bespoke suit; I own several nice ones I have bought off the rack and had tailored to fit. Its just that I think I should own at least one made to fit. Or several.
To be continued...
Royal Custom Tailors: The gentleman here discussed what I was looking for and showed me some samples. He gave me a quote of $1,350. An online search for reviews turned up nothing on his suit-making.
Dress Right/David Chae: Without discussion of specifics, I was quoted a price of $1,500 to $2,000. An online search for reviews turned up nothing except a Best of Philly 2009 award, which does not mention the suit-making.
Mr. Rock: His website is useless and the pricing scheme (only $999 for two suits and three shirts) left me skeptical. I am also not comfortable with the fact that he is a transient, travelling from city to city and shipping work orders back to Hong Kong (supposedly). I wouldn't imagine that results in a great suit or a trust-building relationship with your tailor. I do appreciate his supposed strategy of building his customer base with MBA students and establishing a relationship with them throughout their business careers. Nonetheless this whole scheme appears dubious to me.
Nieman Marcus: An online search does not specify whether custom suit-making is offered.
Boyd's: I suspect they do custom suits here. I also suspect they will start somewhere north of $2,000.
Phillip E. Leon Haberdashery: I was referred to Chris Phillips by a friend. We discussed what I was looking for and he quoted me a recession special price starting at $600. I've scheduled a fitting, so we'll see.
The above-referenced Esquire guide suggests one should expect to pay at least $3,000 for a bespoke suit. Is the ethic at work in Esquire is always highly aspirational, I assume that means its reasonable to spend, what, $1,500? $1,000? The first two on my list would therefore be in that range. Phillip E. Leon's non-recession prices start at $900, which also roughly squares with the suggested price range. (Seth has purchased bespoke suits in China, so the information is not applicable to this evaluation.) About $1,000 sounds reasonable to me and that is what I would like to pay.
Again, I think the target demographic of Esquire is basically the aged 30 to 40 years young professional dandy, oft single, with money to spend and with the habit of admiring nice things just outside what is reasonable for them to spend. And I think that nearly encompasses my situation. Really, its unnecessary for me to purchase a bespoke suit; I own several nice ones I have bought off the rack and had tailored to fit. Its just that I think I should own at least one made to fit. Or several.
To be continued...
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
List o’ Top Ten Crap
I’m trying to decide if I’ve failed miserably, or succeeded beyond any expectations anyone’s ever had of me. On the one hand I haven’t consumed as much media as I a) usually do, b) claim to or c) technically should do based on my participation on this blog (despite how rarely it is updated), whereas on the other hand, I’ve dedicated time to other worthwhile projects. Suffice to say, I haven’t seen/read/heard/participated in/consumed 10 of any medium that I would list as top. I might have top 10 films I planned on seeing, but never did, but for most of those, you can just see my colleague’s lists because I’ve missed most of those movies.
So, as a result, what follows is a list of 10 things that I would put at number one, or at least in the top five, of a list devoted to each topic. You’ll get it.
10. Film: “UP.” I was reluctant to go see “Up” because I’m so loyal. My favorite movie of 2008 (and yet to be supplanted) was “Wall-E,” and after hearing about how great “Up” is, I was scared I’d like it more than “Wall-E.” Having seen it, I can confirm that I don’t love it as much as “Wall-E,” but I do love it more than anything I can remember seeing this year. It’s beautiful both visually and in its story which is often a balance that a lot of films lack. Runner up: “Zombieland”: Saw it twice in theaters, so that’s got to count for something.
9. Music: Rancid, “Let the Dominoes Fall.” Despite the fact that I try to support the music industry as much as possible, a lot of new releases slipped through my fingertips this year. However, Rancid’s been my favorite band since 5th grade, so I wasn’t going to let this one go. With this album, they dropped the poppy crap from the previous album, and wrote my new favorite Rancid-styled ska tune, and in my opinion wrote a song that actually sounds like they’re from California. Runners up: I actually didn’t love too much that came out this year, but in 2009 I did discover a lot of bands I haven’t listened to previously such as The Loved Ones, The Postal Service, Alkaline Trio, The Ting Tings, and Dead To Me. Also, One Man Army re-emerged as my favorite band. Finally, my band’s first CD came out in 2009….available in stores everywhere!
8. Books: “Harry and Horsie,” Written by Kate van Camp; Illustrated by Lincoln Agnew. This seems like a huge cop out, but my favorite book of 2009 was this children’s picture book. It’s got a very typical “use your imagination and you’re not alone” type of story, which is sweet and all, but the art absolutely blows me away. I’m no art critic, but if I could have a print of every page from this book spread out among the walls on my apartment, I absolutely would. I had a few email exchanges with Mr. Agnew, and he’s a really nice guy. I’m bringing this book with me when I get my next tattoo so that my artist knows what to draw. Runners Up: Both my favorite non-fiction and favorite YA authors, Chuck Klosterman and Barry Lyga respectively, released new books within a week of each other, and I loved them both.
7. Comic: “Blankets” by Craig Thompson. Full disclosure: I don’t really read a lot of comics. I don’t keep up with any of the popular series, and only occasionally read a “lit comic,” all of which would surprise my employer because I’ve been deemed the go to graphic novel guy. This is ok with me because most people that work in the graphic novel field are a lot cooler than those in the general publishing field. Suffice to say, I’m not necessarily behind the times in comics—ok, yeah I am. I was at a conference in Chicago and went to a panel featuring Neil Gaiman, Craig Thompson and…I can’t remember who else. Anyway, Thompson talked about “Blankets” and it totally peaked my interest, so I borrowed it from Pauly to give it a go. If you don’t know, a large part of the story is about a long distance relationship, and I read it on an airplane to China, where I would be arriving and not talking to my girlfriend for two weeks. That sucked. Loved the book though.
6. TV Show: “Chuck.” This is another case where it’s new to me in 2009, but not new to the world. I’m pretty bad at keeping up with new TV. I loved the first three episodes of “Flash Forward” a show that would have been my TV Show pick, but then I went away for a few weeks, and never caught up despite the fact that every episode is still saved on my DVR. However, with “Chuck” I was able to watch the entire first season on Blu-Ray and stay committed through the second season. I even dedicated a few minutes to the “Save Chuck” campaign, and am psyched that it starts back up January 10. “Chuck” is funny, “action-packed,” geeky, and features a really super hot chick that’s often in just her underwear. I’m sold. Runner Up: “30 Rock.”
5. Concert: The Casket Architects at Snapper McGees, Kingston, NY. This was a case of “I don’t love this band’s CDs, but I can probably get in for free and I have nothing else to do, so why the hell not?” Glad I went. The opening bands were fantastic—I particularly recommend Long Island’s own Love Panther—but when the three piece Casket Architects set up their gear and hit their set at 1000 miles per hour, I was blown away. One of the best, tightest and most exciting live bands I’ve ever seen. Runner Up: Flogging Molly with The Aggrolites at Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC. I’ve seen Flogging Molly over 30 times and they’re starting to lose their specialness with me, but the Aggrolites kicked ass.
4. Burger: The Primehouse in NYC. This might be getting away from the pop-culture aspect of the blog and list, but most of us are “foodies” on some level, and I for one have been searching for the best burger of my life for most, if not all of 2009. I think I found it. At The Primhouse, I ordered the “Blue Cheese Burger” which featured a thick, juicy beef patty, melted blue cheese, and the most amazing bacon I’ve ever had (I would actually liken it more to fried sliced pork belly than bacon). Coupled with fries, it might have been the best burger-related dining experience I’ve ever had. Sure, it’s more money than I would spend on a burger if I was paying (this was a business lunch), and because they stop serving burgers after lunch (which ends at 4PM), it’s likely I’ll never have it again, and that adds to the mystique, but as of now, this is the burger to which all others are measured. Runner Up: The Tavern, Croton-on-Hudson, NY. I didn’t discover the Tavern in 2009, but every burger I have there is the best burger I’ve had (besides the Primehouse).
3. Restaurant: Cezari in Bologna, Italy. I’m a Jew from New York, so I’m inherently and Italian food snob. To think my trip to Italy this past March wasn't made 9/10th for food and 1/10th for work would just be wrong, stupid, and frankly irresponsible. In my 9 day trip, three dinners were at Cesari, where I had everything from the typical (ravioli) to the new (artichoke flan). The meals were multi-coursed and each course was top notch. Leaving no detail out, the house wine was amazing, and the after-dinner drink, homemade blueberry grappa had none of the turpentine like quality of other grappas and left me and my bosses literally stumbling back to the hotel. It’s weird to say, but this might be my favorite restaurant in the entire world. Runner Up: Blue Smoke. This, yet again, isn’t a new 2009 discovery, but it might be my favorite restaurant in New York City, and I ate there at least twice this year. I need to make that happen more often.
2. Beer: In a year that featured Seth in Germany, Seth in London and Seth discovering new places to drink loads of different beers in New York City, my favorite new beer of 2009—to probably no one’s surprise—comes from the always reliable Samuel Adams Brewery. Featured in the 2009 Harvest Brews pack, the Sam Adam’s Dunkleweisen is a not too dark fall beer with a gamut of flavors including my favorite: pumpkin. Sadly I couldn’t find this beer available outside the pack, so we’re looking at 16-18 bucks for two bottles, but I’ll be damned if it’s not awesome. Runner Up: Hefeweisen in Germany. Seriously, you order by the type of beer, not the brand. Every time I ordered Hefeweisen or Wheat Beer, it was a good night.
1. I Hate Humanity: Mtv’s “Jersey Shore.” I’ve never seen this show, but having gone to Hofstra University, and with the understanding that the douche bags on this show are those douche bags taken to the next extreme, I don’t feel this is an accident that I need to rubberneck for. And thanks to Chris’s pointing out of this, I feel like I know everything that has happened or will happen in this show. Runners Up: The father in question in this article. A large proportion of the people who commented on this article. Anyone offended by the Oxford American Dictionary’s inclusion of the word “Teabagger.”
So, as a result, what follows is a list of 10 things that I would put at number one, or at least in the top five, of a list devoted to each topic. You’ll get it.
10. Film: “UP.” I was reluctant to go see “Up” because I’m so loyal. My favorite movie of 2008 (and yet to be supplanted) was “Wall-E,” and after hearing about how great “Up” is, I was scared I’d like it more than “Wall-E.” Having seen it, I can confirm that I don’t love it as much as “Wall-E,” but I do love it more than anything I can remember seeing this year. It’s beautiful both visually and in its story which is often a balance that a lot of films lack. Runner up: “Zombieland”: Saw it twice in theaters, so that’s got to count for something.
9. Music: Rancid, “Let the Dominoes Fall.” Despite the fact that I try to support the music industry as much as possible, a lot of new releases slipped through my fingertips this year. However, Rancid’s been my favorite band since 5th grade, so I wasn’t going to let this one go. With this album, they dropped the poppy crap from the previous album, and wrote my new favorite Rancid-styled ska tune, and in my opinion wrote a song that actually sounds like they’re from California. Runners up: I actually didn’t love too much that came out this year, but in 2009 I did discover a lot of bands I haven’t listened to previously such as The Loved Ones, The Postal Service, Alkaline Trio, The Ting Tings, and Dead To Me. Also, One Man Army re-emerged as my favorite band. Finally, my band’s first CD came out in 2009….available in stores everywhere!
8. Books: “Harry and Horsie,” Written by Kate van Camp; Illustrated by Lincoln Agnew. This seems like a huge cop out, but my favorite book of 2009 was this children’s picture book. It’s got a very typical “use your imagination and you’re not alone” type of story, which is sweet and all, but the art absolutely blows me away. I’m no art critic, but if I could have a print of every page from this book spread out among the walls on my apartment, I absolutely would. I had a few email exchanges with Mr. Agnew, and he’s a really nice guy. I’m bringing this book with me when I get my next tattoo so that my artist knows what to draw. Runners Up: Both my favorite non-fiction and favorite YA authors, Chuck Klosterman and Barry Lyga respectively, released new books within a week of each other, and I loved them both.
7. Comic: “Blankets” by Craig Thompson. Full disclosure: I don’t really read a lot of comics. I don’t keep up with any of the popular series, and only occasionally read a “lit comic,” all of which would surprise my employer because I’ve been deemed the go to graphic novel guy. This is ok with me because most people that work in the graphic novel field are a lot cooler than those in the general publishing field. Suffice to say, I’m not necessarily behind the times in comics—ok, yeah I am. I was at a conference in Chicago and went to a panel featuring Neil Gaiman, Craig Thompson and…I can’t remember who else. Anyway, Thompson talked about “Blankets” and it totally peaked my interest, so I borrowed it from Pauly to give it a go. If you don’t know, a large part of the story is about a long distance relationship, and I read it on an airplane to China, where I would be arriving and not talking to my girlfriend for two weeks. That sucked. Loved the book though.
6. TV Show: “Chuck.” This is another case where it’s new to me in 2009, but not new to the world. I’m pretty bad at keeping up with new TV. I loved the first three episodes of “Flash Forward” a show that would have been my TV Show pick, but then I went away for a few weeks, and never caught up despite the fact that every episode is still saved on my DVR. However, with “Chuck” I was able to watch the entire first season on Blu-Ray and stay committed through the second season. I even dedicated a few minutes to the “Save Chuck” campaign, and am psyched that it starts back up January 10. “Chuck” is funny, “action-packed,” geeky, and features a really super hot chick that’s often in just her underwear. I’m sold. Runner Up: “30 Rock.”
5. Concert: The Casket Architects at Snapper McGees, Kingston, NY. This was a case of “I don’t love this band’s CDs, but I can probably get in for free and I have nothing else to do, so why the hell not?” Glad I went. The opening bands were fantastic—I particularly recommend Long Island’s own Love Panther—but when the three piece Casket Architects set up their gear and hit their set at 1000 miles per hour, I was blown away. One of the best, tightest and most exciting live bands I’ve ever seen. Runner Up: Flogging Molly with The Aggrolites at Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC. I’ve seen Flogging Molly over 30 times and they’re starting to lose their specialness with me, but the Aggrolites kicked ass.
4. Burger: The Primehouse in NYC. This might be getting away from the pop-culture aspect of the blog and list, but most of us are “foodies” on some level, and I for one have been searching for the best burger of my life for most, if not all of 2009. I think I found it. At The Primhouse, I ordered the “Blue Cheese Burger” which featured a thick, juicy beef patty, melted blue cheese, and the most amazing bacon I’ve ever had (I would actually liken it more to fried sliced pork belly than bacon). Coupled with fries, it might have been the best burger-related dining experience I’ve ever had. Sure, it’s more money than I would spend on a burger if I was paying (this was a business lunch), and because they stop serving burgers after lunch (which ends at 4PM), it’s likely I’ll never have it again, and that adds to the mystique, but as of now, this is the burger to which all others are measured. Runner Up: The Tavern, Croton-on-Hudson, NY. I didn’t discover the Tavern in 2009, but every burger I have there is the best burger I’ve had (besides the Primehouse).
3. Restaurant: Cezari in Bologna, Italy. I’m a Jew from New York, so I’m inherently and Italian food snob. To think my trip to Italy this past March wasn't made 9/10th for food and 1/10th for work would just be wrong, stupid, and frankly irresponsible. In my 9 day trip, three dinners were at Cesari, where I had everything from the typical (ravioli) to the new (artichoke flan). The meals were multi-coursed and each course was top notch. Leaving no detail out, the house wine was amazing, and the after-dinner drink, homemade blueberry grappa had none of the turpentine like quality of other grappas and left me and my bosses literally stumbling back to the hotel. It’s weird to say, but this might be my favorite restaurant in the entire world. Runner Up: Blue Smoke. This, yet again, isn’t a new 2009 discovery, but it might be my favorite restaurant in New York City, and I ate there at least twice this year. I need to make that happen more often.
2. Beer: In a year that featured Seth in Germany, Seth in London and Seth discovering new places to drink loads of different beers in New York City, my favorite new beer of 2009—to probably no one’s surprise—comes from the always reliable Samuel Adams Brewery. Featured in the 2009 Harvest Brews pack, the Sam Adam’s Dunkleweisen is a not too dark fall beer with a gamut of flavors including my favorite: pumpkin. Sadly I couldn’t find this beer available outside the pack, so we’re looking at 16-18 bucks for two bottles, but I’ll be damned if it’s not awesome. Runner Up: Hefeweisen in Germany. Seriously, you order by the type of beer, not the brand. Every time I ordered Hefeweisen or Wheat Beer, it was a good night.
1. I Hate Humanity: Mtv’s “Jersey Shore.” I’ve never seen this show, but having gone to Hofstra University, and with the understanding that the douche bags on this show are those douche bags taken to the next extreme, I don’t feel this is an accident that I need to rubberneck for. And thanks to Chris’s pointing out of this, I feel like I know everything that has happened or will happen in this show. Runners Up: The father in question in this article. A large proportion of the people who commented on this article. Anyone offended by the Oxford American Dictionary’s inclusion of the word “Teabagger.”
Pauly's Best Films of 2009
Divided into my Top 9(take that Top 10 and Top 5 lists!) and some other films I though were great, but not worthy of "Top" status. No list is in any particular order.
Top 9:
Big Fan - This film reminds us that sad, obsessed fans existed before the interwebs. Great film in the tradition of Scorsese's King of Comedy and Taxi Driver.
The Box - This film stirred up a lot of deep, meaning of life, questioning everything thoughts in me. A film that will benefit from many repeat viewings.
The Box - This film stirred up a lot of deep, meaning of life, questioning everything thoughts in me. A film that will benefit from many repeat viewings.
A Serious Man - The Book of Job via the Coen Brothers. My jaw dropped after the last two scenes.
Up - Holy crap. Beautiful, beautiful film. Anyone who doesn't love this should expect a punch in the face from me.
Moon - Sam Rockwell, acting opposite Sam Rockwell. Kevin Spacey doing non-shitty work! Multiplicity on the moon.(Not really, but that's how I picture a quote from some TV film critic on the poster if this film was released wider...and if it was a comedy.)
Inglourious Basterds - For years, Hollywood has entertained audiences by killing Nazis on screen. But never like this. Every scene that Colonel Landa is in is simply amazing.
The House of the Devil - Wonderfully tense film. You will never have more fun waiting for something to happen.
Zombieland - I saw this 3 times in the theaters. That is a personal first. Not the greatest zombie movie ever, nor the most faithful to zombiology, yet one of the most fun. Plus, Bill Murray kills in his cameo. (If you haven't seen it yet, fuck you)
Star Trek - A fun popcorn version of Star Trek. Good move on filling the cast with character actors and semi-unknowns.
Other films of note:
Observe and Report - A great riff on Taxi Driver.
Coraline - Beautifully animated, though it dragged a little.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox - This close to making the top 9 into a top ten...this close.
Drag Me To Hell - A slapstick fight with an old woman that also manages to be a little scary. It is strange to see a Sam Raimi horror comedy without Bruce Campbell, though.
The Road - Definitely worth seeing, but not a "great" film.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - Nic Cage. Bat. Shit. Crazy. Also, a fairly subdued and chubby Val Kilmer.
District 9 - The allusions to Apartheid kinda fall apart when the aliens are fucking disgusting and fairly violent right? But an enjoyable sci-fi flick nonetheless.
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