Dead Man's Chest

Unlike what appears to be the rest of the country, it took us until this weekend to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. This is chapter 2 in the Pirates Trilogy based on the ride in Disney World, The Pirates of the Caribbean (which is one of my favorite all-time Disney rides). For those of you who still haven't seen it, this movie has it all - great action, story, romantic undertones, fights, scenery, special effects and a touch of the fantastic. It has everything... except an ending. Basically, the end of this movie totally sets up for what is going to happen in part 3 of the trilogy, which is due out somewhere around Christmas. However, unlike other part 2's in trilogy history (Empire Strikes Back, for example), this one ends so damn abruptly that it's a shock to the system. There's no warning signs that the end is about to come, even after 2 plus hours of viewing. It just ends.
Therefore, I'm going to have to wait until I see part 3 to make any judgements about the story and the movie as a whole. It really doesn't seem fair to judge this movie, since it still hasn't finished. So.. it's a lot of fun, but leaves you feeling a little empty in the end. For now, I'm waiting for part 3.

NP: Jerry Was A Race Car Driver, Primus

Jim Caple Is A Hack

Jim Caple is a "writer" for ESPN.com. He is also an obvious New York / Yankees hater. I find it very interesting when a writer for a well know and respected organization such as ESPN spends most of his time bashing the Yankees, New Yorkers and most things that have to do with either. Sure, there are the occassional other topics addressed by this man, but more often than not, he's bashing something from NYC. He's even written a book on how he hates the Yankees.
You would think that something as nationally conscious as ESPN would want to focus on sports from around the country, but that doesn't ever appear to be Caple's agenda. Perhaps taking shots at New Yorkers helps him sleep at night. Or perhaps it helps him compensate for something else he is lacking. Who knows? I'm convinced that something very horrible must have happened to him on the streets of New York. Or perhaps he was dumped while watching a Yankees game on television. He has more bad things to say about this city than anyone I have ever seen before.
I've grown up in New York and I live in New York now. However, I spent a decade away from this city and have seen how other places treat their athletes and teams and how other city's media takes care of their teams. I've got to tell you, I'm not impressed. In New York, it's like a family. We can say whatever we want about it, but if an outsider does, it's just not right. Right now, I wish Jim Caple would just shut the hell up.

Jim Caple is a senior writer for ESPN.com. You can reach Jim at jimcaple.com. Sound off to Page 2 here.

NP: Yankees vs. Texas Rangers, Yes Network

T.M.N.T.

Okay. So, perhaps this is giving even more insight into my geek-dom, but back in the day, when I was around 12 years old, I enjoyed reading the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comic Book. This was way before they made their way onto the television screen and became all goofy and pizza-loving. Sure, any way you look at it, turtles that act like human beings and can go all ninja on your ass are inherantly goofy. However, they held a sense of cool to all of us comic-reading geeks at the time. The cartoon and the movies killed all of that.
Now, they (Warner Brothers) are making a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. This time, there will be no Corey Feldman in a turtle suit. It's all animation. And, I had heard that they were going to be more adherant to the original Eastman and Laird comic series. I had hopes. But now, the trailer is out. It looks pretty cool, until that goofy moment at the end. It killed it for me. Check it out for yourself and make your own judgements.

NP: I Want It All, Queen

Another Night Of Red

Continuing on my recent move back over to red wines, last night I decided to try a bottle of Ravenswood Napa Valley Zinfandel, 2003. This wine is made up of 97% Zinfandel, 3% Carignane and is aged 18 months in 100% French oak. The drinking recommendations are to drink between now and 7 years. I decided to open it now.
I have a love/hate relationship with Zinfandels. Some, I really enjoy, and others I just don't like at all. Most of the time, I enjoy the ones with a lower "spice-profile" than the more spicy ones. Luckily, this one was on the lower spectrum of spicy, so it was good for me. We had my father-in-law and his wife over for dinner, and we decided to make a beef roast which we got at Trader Joe's. It was spice-rubbed and marinaded and I thought the Zin would go well with the meat. The wine has a dark, ruby-red color in the glass with scents of spice and oak. The tastes envoke plums, vanilla, raspberries and cloves. It's got a nice acidity which cut throught the meat flavors. We all enjoyed it, easily finishing off the bottle.

NP: Come On, Come Over, Jaco Pastorius

3 Rings

It's been a while since I've had much to say about red wines. I guess it's because it is the summertime. Not that I think you can't have reds in the summer, but the food we've been eating has been lending itself over to the white side of wine more often. Last night, I cracked open a bottle of Three Rings Shiraz Barossa Valley, Australia, 2004. I had noticed it in the shop when I went to buy some wine to make Sangria (there's an earlier post about that). The store had a clipping of a review of the wine next to the display and I thought it sounded like a nice wine to try. (It also received a 91 from the Wine Advocate/Robert Parker if you care about such things.)
Last night we were having some pork and I was really in the mood to have this wine, so I gave it a go. Right away, I was enjoying this wine. It had a deep, dark, purple/red color and a nice scent of blackberries and oak. My initial thoughts on tasting it were more of the same, but there were also tastes of tobacco and black olives (this is a taste that I tend to get often in wines I like, but no one ever agrees with me that it's there). It's a very smooth wine that went terrific with my dinner. I also enjoyed the fact that it's closed with a screw cap. I know there are many purists out there who abhor the screw cap, but it is a very practical way to close the wine. And there's no chance of the wine getting "corked."

NP: Buzzard Song, Miles Davis

Going Back To Lupa

The other night, a good friend of ours was in town for business. Luckily, we were able to meet up with him for dinner. As usual, we had no idea where to bring him to eat - we always want to make sure we bring our friends somewhere good. In the end, we decided to go to Lupa, Mario Batali's take on a Roman Trattoria. My wife and I have been there a couple of times, and have loved everything we've gotten. The only complaint I have is that we've never been served by the waitress that looks like Alice from the Brady Bunch with a Brooklyn accent ("You want meat, get some meat. You want fish, get some fish. How about some verr-derr (verdure)? That's what we call vegetables.")
This night, we decided to split a couple of appetizers 3 ways and then move on to our own main courses. We wanted to get the ricotta stuffed and deep fried zucchini blossoms, but unfortunately they were out of them. Instead, we had the escarole, walnuts, red onion & pecorino salad and the artichokes in an olive oil, red onion, garlic and mint marinade. After this, we split a pasta dish three ways - the bavette with cacio e pepe. We actually had to send the first one back because it was way too salty. The second try was much better, but honestly, not as good as we've had it before. For our main courses, I had the roasted pork "Arista," my wife had the skate and our friend had the Ligurian fish stew (it had some other name on the menu, but I don't remember what it was). Unfortunately for our friend, almost every dish on the menu that night had pork in it, and he is Jewish, so it drastically cut down his dining options. We both felt a little bad about that. For wines, we had one white while waiting for the table and with the appetizers, which I have completely forgotten the name. It was very good, however. With our main courses, we split a bottle of Gavi Di Gavi Nicola Bergaglio Piemonte Italy, 2004. We both thought it was terrific. Finally, for dessert, we split the buttermilk panna cotta with cherries, and had some espresso. Great dinner. It was also a great evening spent with a friend we don't get to see that often.

Drinking From The Rabbit

Sometimes, you're not allowed to have glass with you. So... I've decided to check out some of the newer wines in a box. Back in the day, I was a little scared of boxed wine. It's something I got really drunk off of one night in college during a snowstorm and it's something my mom keeps in her refrigerator. However, I've noticed a lot of newer labels making boxed wine. I thought I would give some a chance to see if any of them were decent. Tonight, I cracked open my first box. It was French Rabbit Chardonnay Vin De Pays D'OC France, 2004. I was a little skeptic of this stuff at first, but I have to say, it's really not that bad. In fact, it was a nice, crisp white. There were some fruity scents, and the taste, although a little harsh at first, also had some fruity-ness to it... perhaps some peaches. There was no oakiness and a little minerality at the end. Overall, a pretty good wine in a box, which I would definately get again when the situation called for a boxed wine. It also is a convenient size and shape, making it easy to carry.
You can check out the French Rabbit website here.

NP: Not much...

Just Wrong

I found this on the web today doing a little surfing. It's the Peanuts gang re-enacting a scene from Clerks. It's not really SFW so, be careful if you must...

Love In An Elevator

For some reason, no one in NYC knows how to get on or off an elevator nicely. I find it to be especially noticable in the hospitals. After working in different NYC hospitals over the years and having to visit too many people in them as well, I've come to this conclusion. It's really sad when you see young people pushing past the elderly or the handicapped or the mothers with their babies to get on the elevator. Then, those people I just mentioned push everyone else out of their way to get on. It's kind of a free-for-all. And then, no one wants to move to the back of the elevator. I think that they feel it's the one place where they can make themselves have some kind of societal importance: I am superior to you! Look! I can get on the elevator first! Ha ha! It's just really sad. It's even worse than what happens on the subway.

NP: Yankees Pregame Show, YES Network

Outsource, MD

Today, the New York Daily News has an article about how some US based businesses are trying to outsource the medical care of their employees overseas. Basically, it's like this: You call your computer Help Desk (IT) number, and it rings over in India somewhere. They give you advice over the phone and you're all set (yeah, right). Now, you want your open heart surgery done, get on the phone, call your "help desk" and then get on a flight to India for your surgery. Why? It's cheaper for your company.
This whole article is based on another article in Business Insurance Magazine. My favorite part of the article is this quote from some dude in Hawaii:

Chuck Kelley, medical director at Outrigger Enterprises Inc. in Honolulu, told the magazine it will be hard to persuade employees to travel abroad for medical care.
"Health care treatment is a very personal issue for Americans, and when they are sick, they want to be close to their family and in the care of providers they know and trust - even if they are not the best," Kelley said. "They will settle for inferior and more expensive treatment to be home."
Companies like Blue Ridge plan to give their employees a financial incentive to go abroad by offering to cover them and their dependents for any out-of-pocket costs.

Yes. We (Americans) settle for inferior health care in this country. Riiiiiight. I like how this guy is trying to be all sneaky here. He's implying that by going abroad you'll get better healthcare than in the U.S. I have to tell you that I don't really believe that to be true. And even if it was, what is so wrong about wanting to be close to your family when you're sick. What I want to know is if these higher-ups in these companies who are making these decisions are on their way to Mumbai for their colonoscopy or not. Because if they're still heading over to their local mecca of medicine, why the double standard? All I know is that this just sounds like a bad idea to me.

Pearl

One of my favorite restaurants in all of New York City is the Pearl Oyster Bar on Cornelia Street in the West Village. We hadn't been there since the end of last summer or early fall, and my wife and I have been getting the craving for some fried oysters over the past couple of weeks. We had made tentative plans to go there this past Saturday night, but all of the errands we had to do Saturday took us much later into the evening than we had anticipated. Initially, we were going to scrap the idea of heading down to the Village for dinner because it was getting late and I needed to wake up at 6:00 this morning to go to work. However, we couldn't think of anywhere else to go, so we jumped in a cab and headed downtown. Although the wait was probably around an hour to sit down, it was well worth it (as always). We started off with some fried oysters, which were as fantastic as they always are, then we moved onto our main courses. My wife had the lobster roll, which I thought was much better than the first time we tried it (we both thought it was too mayonaise-y at the time). I had the whole grilled red snapper, which was awesome. I almost went with the grilled dorade, because I loved that the last time we were there, but the bartender told me the red snapper looked really good last night. She was right. I also went through a couple of glasses of a 2005 Sancerre (but I can't remember the name). It was a great dinner, well worth the wait, and a fine reason to go down to the village on a beautiful Saturday night.

NP: Falling To Pieces, Faith No More

Remembering VH

Today I was fixing up the apartment, getting ready for the arrival of the new family member, and I put the TV on to keep me company. That movie, Twister, was on Cinemax, so I left it on in the background. This is the movie that Van Halen contributed the songs Humans Being and Respect The Wind to the soundtrack. While the credits were going by, Respect The Wind was playing, and although it's not the best music ever, it got me thinking about what a great band Van Halen used to be.
Of course I'm talking about the David Lee Roth Era Van Halen, and not the Sammy Hagar years or the Gary Cherone blip on the radar. (Personally, it seems to me that Sammy is probably a much cooler human being than Dave, but the band was clearly better with Dave) After Dave left, we had the slow decline with Sammy, to that crap with Gary, to whatever Eddie has morphed into now. Just take a look at him. Scary, eh?
At this point, it appears that the band, Van Halen is dead... So here's a look back at the video for Hot For Teacher for old time's sake.



NP: Hot For Teacher, Van Halen

Making The Sangria

We had a few of our friends from my fellowship over tonight to enjoy a night where none of us had to work. In order to shake things up a bit from the usual beer and wine, I decided to make a batch of red sangria for us. I was able to find a nice Spanish red wine that turned out great for making sangria: Casa Solar Tempranillo, Spain, 2003 (aged 3 months in American Oak). The basic recipe I used was: 2 bottles (750mL each) of the wine, 1/2 cup of brandy, 1/2 cup of Grand Marnier, 4 tablespoons of orange juice, 4 tablespoons of lime juice, 2 apples diced, 1 orange sliced, 1 lemon sliced, 3/4 cup of extra-fine sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, and finally 2 bottles (750mL) of sparkling water. This made a really nice sangria that we all enjoyed. I think the key is to mix everything except the sparkling water together (make sure you stir it a lot to get the sugar dissolved) and let it sit for a couple of hours to get all the flavors nice and happy together. Then, before you're going to drink it, add the sparkling water.
Overall, we had a really good time. We even got a break in the rain and thunderstorms to enjoy about an hour out on the deck. Nice.

NP: What A Wonderful World, Joey Ramone

Vittorie Dell'Italia!!!

Oggi, battimento Francia dell'Italia per il titolo 2006 della World Cup. Il segno è stato legato 1-1 e l'Italia vinti in uno
shootout 5-3. Va L'Italia!

So, Italy won the World Cup. Congratulations! I've got to admit that I am very happy that the Azzurri won. It's the homeland of my people, so of course I wanted them to win. In fact, I probably wanted them to win more than the U.S.A. It's too bad the match had to be spoiled by the whole head-butting incident, but perhaps we would have lost if Zidane remained in the match. So, in the end, all's well that ends well.

GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!

Bubbly

This evening I went to another class at the Insitute of Culinary Education. This time it was in their wine department. The class itself was called Sparkling Wines for Summer. This was another part of the multi-part birthday gift from my wife. Here's a list of what we had (in order - and in the way they are written on our sheet):
1. Prosecco di Conegliano Brut, Zardetto, Treviso, Italy
2. Cremant de Loire, Sauvion, Loire Valley, France
3. Cremant de Bourgogne Grand Reserve Brut, Louis Bouillot, Burgundy, France
4. Cremant de Bourgogne Rose "Perle d'Aurore", Louis Bouillot, Burgundy, France
5. Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs, Napa Valley, California, 2001
6. Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut, Champagne, France
7. Blanc de Noirs, Mumm Napa, Napa California
8. Louis Roederer Rose, Reims, Champagne, France, 1999
9. Asti Spumante, Martini and Rossi, Piedmont, Italy
10. Rosa Regale, Brachetto D'Acqui, Castello Banfi, Piedmont Italy, 2001
It was a very fun class - well run and the instructor was very well informed. They also supplied us with some nice cheese, bread and nuts as snacks. Overall, I liked just about everything except for the Asti Spumante, which was just too syrupy sweet for me. My favorite may have had to be the Louis Roederer Rose. I just really enjoyed it (although the instructor said it really should have been aged a little longer in the bottle). I also thought the Bollinger was terrific (which is good since we have a bottle of it), the Zardetto Prosecco was great, and surprisingly, I really liked the Rosa Regale.

NP: Epistrophy (Take 1), Thelonious Monk

Riding The 6

Today I took a trip downtown to take a look at some things in lower Manhattan. It's a gorgeous day and I thought I would get out and enjoy it. I took the 6 Train downtown to start my journey. Unfortunately, on the same car as me - actually standing next to me - was this dude eating a container of soup from The Soup Man. Now, I've never eaten a single thing from this place, and everyone seems to love their soup, but I've got to tell you it smelled like crap. Actually, it smelled like the wet Alpo dog food we used to give to our dog when I was a kid. I think I and everyone else around this guy wanted to vomit. No offense to the Soup Man people - I loved that episode of Seinfeld, and again - I've never eaten there and cannot comment on how good the food is - but it smelled horrible.
Then, after that guy finally got off the train and it emptied out a bit, some other dude decided it was time for a workout. He kept using the handlebar on the subway car to do his chin-ups. Normally, I wouldn't care so much, but after each rep, he felt the need to clap his hands and cheer himself on. Then he would look around the car, seeing how many people were impressed with his ability. Unfortunately, that number was probably zero. However, how many people were impressed with his stupidity? I can tell you that number was at least one.

NP: Fire, Jimi Hendrix

The Hoff

For some odd reason, David Hasselhoff has been in the news a lot lately. First, he needed emergency surgery to repair a tendon in his arm after a "shaving accident." Then, he was reportedly kicked out of Wimbledon for his drunken behavior. Now, he's in the news for a new "song" of his. It's a cover of the 1975 classic Jump In My Car. The video was reportedly filmed in Australia, but who are they kidding? We all know KITT's driver's seat was on the left. Watch the video below (be afraid... be very afraid):


As for his drunken behavior at Wimbledon - it appears that the All England Lawn Tennis Club (who are in charge of Wimbledon) are denying that this ever took place. They say that he was turned away from the Press Center because he did not have the proper accredidation and that he was actually looking for a particular tennis court at the time. My favorite quote from this whole thing is from the London Sun, which states that when Hasselhoff was being escorted out he said, "You should let me in. Do you know who I am? I'm the Hoff!"

And now, just because I need to... here's the video for his cover of Hooked on a Feeling:

Why The Insanity?

So Korea is now threatening the entire world with a more definitive response if anyone has a problem with their test missile launches.

"Our military will continue missile launch drills as part of measures to bolster self-defense capabilities," said the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. North Korea "will have no option but to take stronger physical actions of other forms, should any other country dare take issue with the exercises and put pressure on it."

Great. China has "serious concerns." Russia appears to be concerned but doesn't want to do anything to provoke N. Korea. Japan is obviously upset and wants something done. The U.S. wants to try and solve this mess via diplomatic means.
What's the best way to handle this? It's very hard to know. I just know I don't like it.

NP: Holiday, Green Day

Italy vs. France

Okay. I've got to say that I am really not the world's biggest soccer fan. In fact, I really didn't care if the USA did well in the World Cup. It's not a sport that I follow and it's not a sport that the elite athletes in the U.S. are encouraged to play (which is partly why it hasn't gained a following in the US). However, now that the country of my people (Italy) is in the finals, I've got to pay a little more attention. Also, the fact that I have somehow amassed a bunch of friends who are either French citizens or have strong ties to France I need Italy to win.
Here's the link to the Italian National Soccer Page and their Team: The Azzurri

They're excited about The Azzurri in Brooklyn:




NP: River of Deceit, Mad Season

Travelogue: Barcelona Eats

A few months ago we had the great fortune to be able to spend a week in Barcelona, Spain. We had been to Spain once before (other parts - Madrid, Sevilla, Costa del Sol) and we loved it there, so we were very excited to get a chance to go back. Overall, we loved Barcelona. The weather was terrific, the people were friendly and there were a million things to do. During the time we were there, there was an International Food and Beverages Convention - so I figure I might as well start writing about Barcelona with food.
We had been told by friends and other people we know that Barcelona was more about "sit-down" restaurants and less about tapas. So, we started our dining adventures in the restaurant Agut (Gignas 16, Barri Gotic). Our travel guides listed this as a great place to get lunch and a very good place to get dinner. We opted to go for dinner. Overall, it was good. Not great, but good. I remember having the fried artichokes and duck with a strawberry sauce. The next night we went to have some paella on the recommendation of our concierge. Unfortunately we didn't stick to the guidebooks on this one. It down-right sucked. Sadly, it put me off of paella for the rest of the trip.
After these 2 failed ventures, we decided to try some tapas instead. Cal Pep (Placa de les Olles 8, Born-Ribera) was terrific. This is the place to go if you're looking for some fresh seafood tapas. We had the fried fish place, some garlic shrimp and a couple other dishes I can't quite remember. This is probably because they don't serve wine by the glass here - only by the bottle. And their house white went down rather easily (my wife, being pregnant at the time could not help me finish it either). We also tried Taller de Tapas (Placa de Sant Josep Oriol 9, Barri Gotic). There are two locations for this place in Barcelona. The one we went to was great. We went here the night after going to Cal Pep, so we decided to avoid the seafood tapas only because we had so much the night before. Here we had more traditional tapas - chorizo, spinach with chick peas, probably a tortilla. One last tapas place we tried was Els Quatre Gats (Montsio 3, Barri Gotic). This place we went more for the history of the place than the food (Picasso, Casas, Opisso and more used to spend a lot of their time there). Here we had more traditional tapas, but I remember it being very good too.
One last place that I can remember going to was Caelum (Carrer de la Palla 8, Barri Gotic). This is a tea and coffee shop where you can also buy treats, cakes, wine, coffee, jams, honey, jellies, etc from all over Spain. We stopped here on more than one occassion to have a snack and a caffeine pick-me-up.

NP: Mike and the Mad Dog, 660 WFAN

Superman III, Part 2

I got around to seeing Superman Returns this week. After reading a bunch of luke-warm reviews, I wasn't really sure what to expect of this film. All I knew was that I was going to be a sheep and go see this thing in the theater. As someone who remembers standing in line to see the first couple of movies with his parents way back when, I was actually pretty excited to see this movie. It all started when I saw the first trailer for Superman Returns on the internet. I dug the use of the original Superman Theme and Marlon Brando's voice. Maybe it was nostalgia for my youth or the hope that this new movie might actually kick some ass.
Unfortunately, it didn't kick ass, but I did really enjoy it. I appreciated Bryan Singer's loyalty to the original franchise (the movie begins and ends just like the first couple of Superman films). Also, the special effects were awesome. This movie has some of the best flying effects I've ever seen. Kevin Spacey is terrific. Brandon Routh also does a nice job of playing Superman (and his voice sounds just like Christopher Reeve's). I wasn't crazy about Lois Lane, and there are definately some plot holes (more when considering this movie is a sequel to Superman I & II). All in all, however, I think this was a very good movie. A very good comic book movie and an amazing improvement over Superman III and IV.
Of course, I could have done without the two girls sitting next to me discussing how they couldn't believe the movie people screwed up so bad as putting in the credits that Superman was from DC Comics when he obviously was from Marvel Comics (it's from DC).


NP: You Saved My Life, Joe Satriani

Happy 4th of July!

Today is the birthday of our country. Go and watch fireworks, drink beer and enjoy the great foods of the grand ol' U.S.A. Eat hot dogs, burgers, potato salad, cole slaw, corn on the cob and have a few cones from Mr. Softee. Hope everyone has a great one!

NP: American Idiot, Green Day

Pies

For my birthday this year, my wife signed me up for a baking class at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in NYC. More specifically, it was the Fabulous Fruit Pies for Summer class. At first my wife only signed me up, but after some convincing she signed up with me. It was a 5 hour class on one of the last days of our vacation together. I thought it would be better together.
The class was a whole lot of fun. After failing time after time trying to make pie crusts together for various holiday pies, we finally learned how to do it. I made a cherry pie, while she made a peach pie. Together (mainly my wife), we made an apple pie too.
The school seems like a lot of fun - you get to meet random people from the area, learn how to cook and then eat all the food together. It's a good time.

NP: Yankees vs. Mets (currently Yanks 7, Mets 4), ESPN

The Cloisters

This weekend, we decided to head uptown to visit The Cloisters. This is part of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it houses their collection of Medieval European Art. It sits inside Fort Tyron Park, which is on the very northern tip of Manhattan (I think it starts around 191st street).
The building itself is composed of 5 different French Cloisters put together to form the museum. It's really pretty amazing the job they did making a seamless structure. It reminded us a lot of the places we visited in Europe. Also, it was a beautiful day, so just sitting and relaxing in the courtyards or on the terraces looking over the Hudson River was a nice way to pass the afternoon.
The museum itself is probably best known for its collection of the "Unicorn Tapestries". However, there are a lot of other great pieces there and they even have some collections of horticulture (they tried to recreate the gardens of the varies French Cloisters).

NP: Now Is The Time, Damone

Eating The Pasta

It was a beautiful day in the city yesterday, so we decided to head down to Greenwich Village last night for dinner. We thought we would chance it and see how long the wait for a table at Lupa was going to be. Although we were told 45 minutes to an hour, we decided to stick it out and wait. After a 25 minute stroll in SoHo, we gave them a call and found out our table would be ready in a couple of minutes. We hurried back and were seated within a few minutes.
Last time we were here, we had made a reservation and were seated in the back room, which is quieter and more relaxed. Last night we were seated in the front room, which is definately a more lively and active part of the restaurant. Our waitress was very nice, and answered all of our questions with no problems.
To start, we shared the artichokes marinated in olive oil, chili flakes, mint leaves, red onions and garlic. These were terrific. For our main courses, we had pastas - I had the special, which was home-made orchiette with peas, prosciutto and parmesian cheese. My wife had the ricotta gnocchi with sausage and fennel. I paired my dinner with a mini carafe of Vespa Bianco Bastianich 2002, Friuli. For dessert we split the Lupa Tartufo, which is hazelnut ice cream with pieces of biscotti in it, covered in chocolate with pieces of hazelnut on top, sitting in a chocolate sauce (not for the faint-of-chocolate). The whole meal was terrific. We love this place.

NP: The sound of the coffee machine percolating

More Than Meets The Eye

Hey. There's a teaser trailer for the new Transformers Movie by Michael Bay. You really don't get to see much of from this clip. There's only the slightest inclincation of one of the Transformers on there. As a kid, I always wanted there to be a movie made of these guys (and not the cartoon movie that was already done - a live action one) so I guess I've gotten my wish. I have reservations about it now. But, of course, I'll go see it.

NP: (You Can Still) Rock in America, Night Ranger