Coverage Coming soon!

The American Stories exhibit at the Met, Brandon Wilde show at Bar 4, and Deth Killers.

Fragole

On Saturday night I wanted to get dinner after a haircut (At Boy Luv Girl on Atlantic Avenue) ...and naturally the first thing that came to mind was Buttermilk Channel. It was about 7pm, and the wait was 1.5 hours, and there was no room at the bar. I put my name on the list and headed over to Prime Meats (great cheese, salads, and brunch!) and their wait was 2 hours, and they had kids (I know I know they exist)...so, next was a less fancy spot but apparently the best and most reliable choice - Fragole. An oldie, but a goodie. They still have their huge wine list at $27/bottle for ANY bottle, a full list of beautiful specials, and we had the good fortune of Europeans on the left and teenagers with their parents on the right. [I'll take a teen over a toddler any day - rawr]

Down to the food. The wine was a delicate but interesting Pinot Noir. The STAR was a grilled polenta with wild mushroom and Fontina cheese sauce. AMAZING. The salad was a bit stale like it had been pre-assembled, but still a tasty goat cheese, beat salad. The menu said marinated goat cheese, but I didn't really detect any signs of marination. The Italian sitting next to us said the bread dipping sauce was just like what his mother made.

Anywho, moral of the story, is, when it comes to a Yuppie hood, stick to the (no reservation) foodie places for brunch or early dinner (6?) and the homestyle places for dinner on the weekend. Or better yet, go shopping on Friday night and make your own, invite some friends.

> Fragoles

> Buttermilk Channel (notable mention: they advertise a vegetarian menu)

> Prime Meats

> Sahadi's

General Greene

The General Greene gets a lot of bad reviews, but since I'm a long-time (decade plus) Clinton Hill resident, and a foodie, I pay it particular attention. Here's why:

The menu is designed to be eaten family-style, like 4 people. The dishes are seasoned very difffently so they do best paired as 3-4 different items. Somewhat similar to Thankgsiving. Or Chinese food.

My first dinner there consisted of a salty leafy green saute (salty), vegetable chilie, (bland), and quinoa salad-heavenly balanced and garnished with toasted walnuts [imagine at home with pecans], and I understood that either people had failed to understand the concept of the place, or the owners/waiters failed to convey the critical information.

As a solo or double (as in date) diner, the selection is a bit shorter. I lovvved the fresh ricotta and pea shoot toasts. For Brunch the spot's specialty, pastries, really shined (I took 2.5 quickbreads home with me and ate them over the next 2 days - delightful all 3!). However, I still love my scrambled tofu and my companion's French Toast was a bit TOO much like dessert. Speaking of dessert, OMG the ice cream is heavenly. The Salted Caramel is a bit much, so I suggest mixing it with vanilla or coffee and sharing with a friend :D

PS: Best summer drink ever: Vodka, Iced Tea, Lemonade, Simple Syrup, mint, shake/stir, splash of soda. Kelso Brewing company - local Clinton Hill beer! Interesting, until someone told me it was probably brewed in a bathtub : /

Not recommended: the beet salad is blah, and same with the lentil. The mac n cheese will fill you up, but it's not cheesy or interesting enough. The wine is sub-par. I wish I had've had an opportunity to try the Rhubarb Crisp. Looking forward to the fall menu and knocking-off the Quinoa recipe. They should approach Cooking Light for a feature

>New York magazine review
>Random Flickr Ice Cream Fan

Vicki Christina Barcelona

I avoided this film like the plague. Even though it was about threesomes and steemy intellecutal artist three-way sex. Yes, I know, that does not sound like me. But Midsummer Night's Sex Farce never really left me completely whole as a woman and I have not forgiven Woody ever since. Neither do I trust his infatuation with Scarlet. HOWEVER. This film is not typical woody. I think it is in fact a love note to Scarlet. But one that fits around her perfectly. The way that Lost in Translation fit around Bill Murray. Not to insinuate that the lovely Sofia Coppola has a hidden Ghost Busters fetish or anything...

ps. don't ever lend me a knife or a pistol, even if I beg you really realistically :P

X=

Faerwear

Faerwear is jewelry, creative knitting, and other assorted interesting things created by my good friend Dori, who is always a source of inspiration and entertainment for me. She quit her .com job and moved to Mexico for 2 years! She stopped working full time because it was keeping her from being happy. Anyway, I'm really impressed with her squash blossom pattern currently offered on Etsy!

>Dori's Etsy Profile
>Faerwear Products
>Dori's Blog