Why do I mention these now?
Because we've been baked eggs crazy lately! I've found the best combo to be ham, cheese, and eggplant caponata. Also, it's easier and less wasteful to use ramekins instead of the baking cups the previously recommended recipe calls for.
Here's what I said back on 2/13/06:
Delicious with a pretty presentation – just keep your eye on the cook time – don't let the egg set too long.
From Allrecipes.com
Why do I mention it now?
Since recommending Heavy Metal Parking Lot, the beloved cult classic video has surprisingly been released on DVD! You can even add it to your Netflix cue.
Here's what I said back on 7/17/06:
When you are making a documentary sometimes the stars line up and you get nothing but gold. Heavy Metal Parking Lot has a basic premise, wait in the parking lot of a Dokken and Judas Priest concert and talk to the people, but John Heyn and Jeff Krulik had one of those golden days.
I have seen the same premise, even by the same filmmakers in a shortlived TV show on the shortlived Trio and countless times at film school, but all fail to live up to this 1986 cult classic.
It is available on DVD and can usually be rented at any local “cool” video store where the staff has tattoos and treat you like shit.
Also worth checking out is this amazing 20/20 expose about Heavy Metal (just to hear Barbara Walters say the words 'heavy metal music' is hilarity). (Part Two) .
Why do I mention it now?
Because I am still Still! looking for copies of this spectacular teen show.
Originally recommended 4/24/06:
I don't usually like to recommend things that can't be found, but this is more than a recommendation – it is a plea. If anyone knows how to get ahold of this amazing, dramatic, teen soap opera please let me know!! I used to know a guy that had every episode – and do you know what he did with them? He destroyed them before his obsession with Swan's destroyed his life. That moment is one of the only ones in my life I would go back and change – I would have saved those tapes from destruction.
Here are a few elements to this stupendous classic – a young Sarah Michelle Gellar, evil Russian scientists, forbidden love through a chink in a garden wall, and an ugly but supposed to be hot girl that lives in a submarine and so much more make this (drum roll) the BEST teen show ever.
Why do I mention it now?
Gridskipper was sold off by the Denton empire leaving its fate up in air. Fortunately the same people who run Curbed picked it up and it's as helpful as ever. It recently gave me lots of tips for spots to shop, eat, and drink at in London and Paris.
Here's what I said back on 10/22/07:
Even though the Denton empire has become a big ball of incestuous linking, it's hard to complain when the sister sites are as good as gridskipper. The maps, which feature top choices on a particular topic and concise reviews, are the site's best feature and they're not just limited to New York, you can find the best indie rock bars in Paris; where to get breakfast in Sydney or where to get lingerie in San Francisco.
For my friends who travel, this worldly approach makes it an indispensable tool. Even though it lacks the mean spiritedness of Gawker or Defamer, we assume it's still run and written by persnickety people who aren't going to just recommend the usual suspects. Of course, there are plenty of NYC guides too. I can't wait to try all the oyster spots and weirdest meats.
Why do I mention it now?
Because wouldn't you rather be sipping mango daiguiris on a beach under the Jamaican sun right now?
What I said back on 2/6/06:
Although getting home through customs and baggage claim almost made me forget I had ever known happiness, Jim and I just got back from the most relaxing and beautiful places – Negril, Jamaica. After landing prepare yourself for an hour long white knuckled bus ride on a two lane highway through bustling non-tourist towns and ever changing tropical landscapes.
When we reached Negril we never left (although there are some day trips I would explore next time). We stayed at the wonderful Seasplash Resort which hit the perfect note between intimate boutique and resort hotel. The hotel restaurant, Norma's, is the best one on the seven mile beach directly outside the hotel. A dude named King hangs out if there is anything you want to buy … wink.
In fact many people hang out on the beach pushing everything from sugar cane, to massage, to hash, to sex. Negril is not too built up yet as a tourist town, so it feels more serene than party time – although you do run into alot of vacationers from all over the world – half of which I always assume are pervy in some way from watching too many Real Sexes in the 90's.
The trip is affordable and sublime. The sand is soft, the water is clear, the sky is blue. I have never relaxed so much since I was in grade school.
Why do I mention it now?
Because I do it every year before the Oscars, and this is no different – except I'm going into the archives of Alexander McQueen to find this spectacular lace and plaid gown, which I have always adored. I imagine dark eyes against simple, bare makeup, my hair blown out and slightly wavy, my nails painted gray with these Miu Miu platform sandals.
Originally recommended 3/6/06:
With Paris Fashion Week wrapping up with a magnificent Balenciaga show and a back to theatrics McQueen (hooray), you can revisit all the shows and make your selection. This game has been a tradition of mine for years, people who know me actually ask me with a straight face, “Have you picked your Oscar dress?” And, yes, I have, this cute blue number is from Oscar de la Renta and it was one of the first shows I looked at but the dress stayed in my mind, sounds like a winner to me. Feel free to post your chosen dress as a comment.
And also on 2/19/07:
Yes, it's that time of year again. Oscar night! And while every year I've grown less and less interested in the actual event (I have only seen one of the nominated best pictures and don't think it deserved the acclaim–my apologies to the Little Miss Sunshine fans).
Still, I will never stop the tradition of choosing my Oscar dress from the runway fashions. I do it every year and last year I asked readers to post their Oscar dresses, and no one did, but you are welcome to join my tradition this year and post away.
As for me, I could hardly have been so privileged to see the Marc Jacobs show in person and not choose from his sublime wears. I have selected the ruby cocktail number, but would ditch the black tights, opting for bare legs with the brown leopard print calf pigalle pumps from Christian Louboutin, a long, straight, high, dark pony tail and these earrings.
Why do I mention it now?
In the online world of World of Warcraft (which, don't get me wrong, I love) I miss the face to face antics of good old fashioned pen & paper D&D; so we're planning on a playing a mini-campaign in the near future.
Here's what I said back 12/5/05
This week Dan's character, Nab Dabney, who's made a break with the main land in an attempt to find the bad news roofer who ripped off his mom (according to a nude sketch Nab Dabney's mom made of the roofer, the guy is the spitting image of actor Dennis Farina) fell under the sway of a powerful Genie that had been kept in a plain looking sugar bowl for weeks on end. Then Nab tried to seduce Mike's character, Fucshia Bloodmir, but she cast a charm spell on him and then magically put him to sleep. Oh, and the players all visited a steak house called Mikey's Pump and Rump where the Genie possessed a waitress and laid out its plan for vengeance. There wasn't any fighting, but sometimes those are the best games.
You can learn how here
Why I mention it now?
I really feel terrible about the accuracy of my prophetic write up of the Holiday Cocktail Lounge back in 2006. Just recently, at the age of 89, the proprietor has in fact passed away and now the fate of the classic dive hangs in the balance. It was closed for some time, then re-opened, but for how long no one knows. Stop by for a vodka and cranberry and toast the memory of Stefan Lutak.
Here's what I said back on 12/18/06:
Holiday Cocktail Lounge is one of the few places in the city that when the old bartender is not present, it would not be unreasonable for you peek over the bar to make sure he hasn't died. If he mixes his own drinks (which he mixes a lot) as stiff as the ones he serves, he is lucky to still be alive and if not kicking, at least grumbling and shuffling.
The lights are dim, the booths held together by duct tape, the glasses are often kind of dirty, and while the jukebox can take an awful turn if the wrong NYU student is present with a bunch of coins burning a hole in his pocket, the music is usually pleasantly depressing. In other words, a perfect dive bar with the aforementioned perfect dive bartender.
Why do I mention them now?
Because it's that time of the year again. I already have my order in with a lady at my office. You better find a Girl Scout soon.
Here's what I said back on 3/17/08:
The tagalong is a Girl Scout cookie classic, though one I had not tried until recently due to a focused passion for thin mints and samoas, but now that I have broadened my horizons I have a new favorite. And they're even better after sitting in the freezer.
Moms have been known to devour these peanut butter, short bread, chocolate yum yums by the box full and other moms are peeved when they're called “peanut butter patties” but everyone should be happy now that they contain less trans fat. They are the third rated top seller.
You need to have an office mom selling or a family member with kids to buy these. Whatever you do, do not venture into a creepy house for cookies. There is a gray apartment building down the street from me. All the windows are covered in dirty sheets and a Girl Scouts sign hangs in the window. We've witnesses an alluring jar of candy sitting on the front steps and old faded little vanity sets on the street taken out with the trash. Yeah, don't go there no matter how badly you want a cookie.
Why do I mention it now?
Remember the Sandwich Day 30 Rock episode? I'm fairly positive the secret sandwich shop is Defonte's.
Here's what I said back on 1/21/08:
The lone standing building that houses Defonte's was easy to spot with its garish mint green paint job that doesn't at all hint at the deliciousness stored inside. The place is old-school (“decades” old as far as I've been able to learn, but I'm not sure exactly when it opened) and looks like it still has the original signage and possibly staff, who are friendly and extremely talented at making big, overstuffed sandwiches.
For me, it's hard to find a sub shop (especially in a remote area near the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in Red Hook) that is worth mentioning when there are so many fancy schmancy places in New York, but Defonte's is worth the trek and the dense, squishy, cheesy, warm eggplant Parmesan I split with Jim was possibly the most comforting thing I have eaten all winter. Lots of people online also praise the potato and egg sandwich, which sounds as tasty as it does filling. Another enticing option I hope to try is the signature roast beef, mozzarella and fried eggplant.
Worth noting: they are not open on Sunday and they close at 4pm!