When you have a aching for Greek food, there's only one neighborhood to go to: Astoria but there's so many places to choose from once you're there. I've found a few great ones, like Zenon Taverna, and they're all very unique in their cooking. S'agapo is a new one for me and one I will be recommending to people for years to come. First, they take reservations, which is a god send if you've ever stood in line hungry at the wonderful nearby Taverna Kyclades.

We got a table for six but with a menu this enticing, we ate for about double that. The appetizers were especially hard to resist and we filled ourselves with grilled marinated octopus that was laugh out loud yummy and tender. Next were the cheese and mint dumplings with drizzled honey – that I expected to be like the Afghan version Mantu, but came out looking like plump empanadas only twice as light and fluffy.

The dip selection (get a large if you have more than a few people) was exceptional with my favorite – taramasalata, a decent hummus, a smoky babaganoush, and a few less typical ones like roasted red pepper spread, a parsley mixture, and an interesting dip made of chopped grape leaves. An equally unique half pear half cucumber hybrid accompanied.

Our entree, a huge seafood plate for two was good. Simple preparation (olive oil, lemon, salt pepper) and fresh fish (salmon, calamari, swordfish, scallops, shrimp) is always a great combo, but it wasn't quite as wow as the appetizers. My friends enjoyed their lamb chops and grilled octopus. Amazingly we still managed to stuff in a dessert, a warm custard with a phyllo dough crust that was enough for us to all share.

It has a definite grandma, grandpa feel to it, but cool grandparents that lived it up in the day more than you or I. In the bathroom my friend found a framed nude charcoal drawing of (possibly) one of the owners looking stunning. The service was friendly and helpful but not phony and the other owner, who sat quietly and dignified over the books even sent over a shot of vodka which was very, very kind of him. It's a place that takes deserved pride in their food, even their olive oil is home made.

We really splurged on all that food plus drinks and the bill came out to about 50 per person, but a lesser fatty with more self control than the bunch of us could walk away satisfied for a lot less.

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Posted on December 1, 2008

Few graphic novel series are as beloved by violent comic fans than Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's 100 Bullets. I have only gotten through four of the thirteen highly stylized and complex books. The first one sets up a fairly simple premise: One Agent Graves finds people with rightful grievances against someone and gives them a suitcase with irrefutable proof of who has done them wrong and 100 untraceable bullets that have no consequences with the police.

Soon, in later books, things become more and more convoluted and sometimes the art (which is not always my favorite) can make it more confusing, for a little bit I was mixing characters up, but it is a series that gets better with each twist and turn and added layer of plot.

Azzarello has had a classic comic book career. He's written for Spiderman, Batman and since 100 Bullets has authored other series like Loveless and Deathblow. While this is not particularly my graphic novel cup of tea I am more a fan of the less typical and gentle work of Daniel Clowes and Chris Ware, these books have expanded my horizons and fans of dark graphic novels should certainly not miss these.

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Posted on December 1, 2008

French Singer

How could the gorgeous Catherine Ribeiro not be anyone’s style icon, once you know about her. It’s the knowing about her that’s the tough part. Her albums, one of which (Ame Debout) you can read about above, are hard to find, rarely spoken of, and most information on the woman herself online is only in French.

Still, that old expression a picture is worth a thousand words rings true on her Site Officiel. This collection of photos is enough to inspire young women smokers to use cigarette holders again, to tuck their riding pants into boots and throw on a fur jacket, to possibly consider cheek bone implants (her’s are Faye Dunaway insane) and it will inspire a?thousand heavy black banged haircuts (her amazing bangs, by the way, remind me of an awesome Brix Picks reader I met at the Bad Art Auction — I was so psyched about getting recognized that I forgot to tell her she has great hair!).

She still performs today (her latter career is spent mainly performing Edith Piaf songs), looking as spectacular as she did when Godard was falling all over himself to cast her. She’s a poet, a political activist, an artist, and one of the most intriguing and beautiful women I’ve seen in a while.

See more: Style Icons: Female Musicians

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Posted on November 24, 2008

Tuna Noodle Casserole was such a quintessential unhealthy, home cooked meal of the depression era through the 1950s that any recipe combining canned tuna and pasta just screams bored housewife to me. While we all may envy Betty Draper's hairdos and riding pants, I wouldn't necessarily want to eat what she's cooking. However, I always trust Elise and her Brix Picks recommended recipe site, and since we're headed toward some very lean times ourselves, I gave this Pasta with Tuna Arugula and Red Pepper dish, which she got from the San Fransisco Chronicle, a try.

I've become a huge fan of arugula lately and its peppery bite is a nice addition. We used the fancy schmancy tuna but with the recession on, I wouldn't be above using plain old Starkist — but make sure it's packed in olive oil, not water.

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Posted on November 24, 2008

Sure, I thought I was pretty high fashion as a teen. I was more daring than most even in the face of older bullies like a guy named Nathan that was always giving me grief about my hats (junior high found me in a rasta skull cap – even though I had no idea what rasta was, later I'd occasionally don a straw cowboy hat but more often a purple 1930's vintage cloche or a leopard print pillbox).

But all the Salvation Army leather biker jackets (which, mom if you're reading this, I'd love to try and find buried in my closet on my next trip home), baby vintage ringer tees, and crinkled maxi skirts in the world were never any match for the forward fashions found on Sea of Shoes.

The blogger's name is Jane Aldridge and she is in high school, armed with a wardrobe full of Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, and Balenciaga AND, most importantly the creative sense to put it all together beautifully. It's almost enough to make you sick, except it doesn't at all.

Regardless of her age and privilege, you can't deny her wonderful taste, especially in shoes (obviously) and her inspiration collages are indeed, well, inspirational. She's also adorable like a half elf little sister and seems like a nice girl?though this Lillie Rubin dress does admittedly have me a little green with envy.

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Posted on November 24, 2008