Pilot Report

Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

New York City is a place where one can find anything, and pretty much any time. It is about connections, surely, where someone somewhere is bound to know something that can help you, no matter how odd your requests might be. It’s also a city where the savvy survive. It used to be the strong, and the courageous, and sometimes that’s still true, but more often these days it comes down to a peculiarly learned street smarts.

There’s something very different about this new version of street smarts than previous generations might have known, and that old one is going the way of books on paper. Still, those who miss some of the best of the old, combined with the best of the new, can still find things to enjoy with relish and abandon here. From the amazing hotels that mix old school hospitality and the best of the contemporary, to brownies, there are plenty of adventures here.

In fact, with the Fat Witch , the brownies served here will probably bring about a kind of frenzy of nostalgia in the first bite, as you recall the happiest thing that ever happened to you while you were eating a brownie, and this will soon melt into a kind of heavenly trance where all there is, is chocolate.

It does have reputation as the best brownie in New York in some circles, and it’s well-deserved. What they do for brownies is something very akin to art, and there are touches that can be baroque, classical, and often even cubist, depending on your own personal inner flavor of the day.

Eating in New York is more than a past time for some, visitors and locals alike, and there are those who take it very seriously. That’s good for quality, but it’s also good to keep in mind that these brownies will take away some of the more severe discernment, and replace it with a furious joy for the moment, which is all we have in New York.

Some people believe the desert is the last place on Earth to find super fresh sushi. Some people would be wrong. The Phoenix metropolitan area is home to sushi showplaces as well as hidden gems serving spectacularly fresh Japanese cuisine.

However, not all people like sushi. I’ve converted many friends and family members into sushiholics and must admit it’s a fun transition to witness. Sushi bashers start off by insisting they’d never put a piece of raw fish into their mouths, so the trick is to start them on something cooked. Or make sure they drink enough sake to get them feeling adventurous. I’ve attempted starting sushi newbies on tame rolls such as cucumber or California, though to my surprise, I’ve often discovered what they like best is the sashimi. Meaning no rice involved. The same folks that begin their sushi journey by freaking out about eating raw fish end up loving it served straight up. Sushi irony.

For people that fall into this bracket, try a beginning a social evening with sushi or sashimi at Benihana Benihana before gathering round the teppanyaki table for entertainment and more food than will fit in your belly. For a quieter evening at a place with a neighborhood feel, check out Sakana. With four Valley locations, all serving lunch and dinner, there’s something on the menu to please everyone. Those who continue to turn up their noses at sushi, despite your best efforts, are bound to find something delectable among the pork, chicken and cooked fish offerings.

Swanky Scottsdale sushi venues include great date spots Roka Akor and Stingray Sushi. Roka Akor boasts a sexy Shochu Lounge, serving top notch cocktails featuring this Asian liquor. Stingray serves what some people comment are the best Lollipop rolls in town. A long, fresh strip of cucumber is wrapped around a selection of fish and then speared with a skinny wooden stick. Arranged artfully on a white plate, the colorful “lollipops” are presented for your enjoyment.

Learn more about where to dine on stellar Japanese cuisine at japaneserestaurants.com.sg .

The sudden appearance of all the music of life, revealing itself as a series of notes and variations on small tragedies and heartaches, is reason enough to find a way to escape from the relentless melodies.  It was this circumstance that lead me away from my home to find a little bit of distraction in Singapore, where no one could find me.  These are the vacations that no one sets out to take, based on a certain degree of loss and the desire to forget, but in the larger picture, they are the ones that can refill the soul and the senses with the things that give the quotidian new meaning.  It can always be infused with new scents and new flavors, so that the world we inhabit can come back to life.
I found myself in the middle of a moment where my life was returning to itself again, the wonder and mystery that I once knew as a child.  Along with those few fleeting moments where I was falling in love, these were the things that I would draw upon to make new beginnings.  For me, it begins in the restaurants, where smell is the distraction that turns out to be the necessary rabbit hole back into an examined life.  Sometimes the life we return to is utterly different that the one we knew before, and this contradiction suits me as the real consolation of philosophy.
Here, the things that I wanted for so many years, nicer cars, real estate, and numbers connected to my name, seem to wither like grapes on the vine.  Italy’s unique capability to restore according to the needs of the season is a refuge for me.  These are difficult times, and sometimes I need to know where the stones in the water are, so that I might be able to get across.  That ineffable loss that I felt when things started to dry up reveals itself as a sign of some other secret principle that only knows love, and the rules of love, and everything else seems like a lost imaginary friend, one who never really knew me.

In many cities, more people are grilling out year round.  This leads to exactly what to do during the holidays.  Do you stay inside for the warmth, or do you take it outside, with the protection from the elements provided by the installation of outdoor fireplaces?  I say, hands down…take it outside.  There is something about being in the fresh air, with the smell of the grill and the warmth of a fireplace.  When asked, more than half of the population of the United States, reply that they would prefer to eat and celebrate in the open air.

So now, with many options for the construction of outdoor kitchens, more people are celebrating in this manner.  Grilling food adds flavor, and by choosing to grill your holiday turkey or ham and other side dishes, you will add something special to the entire meal.  Conventional cooking becomes just a bit enhanced.  Spice up the turkey with and apple brine turkey, marinated all night and then slow cooked throughout the day.  The ambiance of the night will be enhanced by the fireplace, by gazebos strung with simple white Christmas lights, candles and the smells of the herbs and the dishes that are being prepared.

With an outdoor kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, a place for preparation and a comfortable place for guests to wait in eager anticipation, you will be participating in the creation of new experiences, and consequently, new memories and traditions.   Taken step by step, the creation of an outdoor dining room is not such a huge task, and the rewards are just too tempting.  In days past, my friends and I often held outdoor dinner parties, without the amenity of a fireplace.  We would drag out the kitchen table, light candles and play some music.  But now, the options are much more varied and dare I say, much more convenient.  So take it outside, the experience will be, oh–so rewarding.

It was my first trip last weekend to visit a friend from Holy Cross who was studying in Spain. She was not only studying in Spain, the land of siestas, but she was living on a tropical island Palma de Mallorca. It was so much fun visiting her. I left on a Thursday and stayed until Sunday. I returned in enough time to see the fireworks for Guy Fawkes Day.

Mallorca was amazing. It was exactly like I thought it would be, sunny lazy days, an well established cafe culture and plenty of sights to see. Thursday, I met up with Deb at the airport and she helped me find one of the five star hotels Mallorca offers its many visitors. The hotel was the nicest hotel I’ve ever been in. That evening we went out to dinner at a sushi buffet, I never ate so much sushi ever! Sushi buffer, who would have thought! All the sushi was severed on a conveyor belt and we could just pick what ever we wanted. Afterwards, we went to a club and Thursday turned into Friday morning, early morning, I didn’t get back to my hotel until 4am!

The next day, much later in the day, I slept in, well not really, I only got 5 hours of sleep, anyways, we went shopping. That evening we grabbed a quick bite to eat and went off to meet up with some of her new friends at this social club located in-front of the marina. It was cool listening to them communicated fluidly in Spanish. Apparently, the big buzz for the night was the grand opening of a Dunkin Donuts. So, the next morning, my friend and I went to see the newly opened Dunkin Donuts.

My trip to Mallorca was great. Unfortunately, it wasn’t beach weather, but being able to see my friend from Holy Cross was worth every penny.

Singapore was one of John and Phillip’s favorite places to travel. They had been there once a long time ago, probable fifteen years ago, on business and have tried to go back at least every four years since then. At the time of their first trip they both worked in the same car dealership and were just beginning their careers. John has remained with at the same place this entire time and is now the manager. Phillip, however, has experimented with different careers and now works for an IT company but is thinking about finally going to Law School, which is something he has always been interested in.

Meanwhile, it was getting to be that time again and John wanted to make plans for another trip. He called Phillip who was thinking the same thing and wanted to take a break from studying for the LSAT. John kidded him about getting ready to go to law school – again though this time Phillip did seem to be more serious about. However, whether he went or not, it was definitely time for some great Cantonese Opera and round of golf at Green Fairways.

They made reservations in one of the best hotels in Singapore that they had never stayed in before. Almost immediately after checking in and finding their rooms, they headed out to enjoy a fish kebab and masala prawns with garlic naan bread at Samy’s Curry, their favorite restaurant in Singapore. Later that night they headed down to check out the sights on the Esplanade and were amazed that it continues to grow and thrive. Once again Phillip and John had a great time in Singapore and spent their final evening watching a movie at the Starlight Cinema, which is an outdoor open air theater. The next time the two of them made plans to visit Singapore it was to celebrate Phillip’s graduation from law school.