additonal photos....

To go along with previous post....

Closing ceremonies

Well almost,...

In 5 days the Che tour of NYC concludes and then it's back to Vancouver, B.C.. The last remaining days have been busily spent working on a Uranium deal back home, whilst attempting to reminis a little on the whole New York vibe. That being said, it's actually time to go, like now. Let's see,...well no 5 month trip is complete without a little Craig Watson time, and it was starting to look like he was never coming out here. So the phone rings yesterday, and it's Mr. Watson himself, declaring that he'll be out here late Monday night for meetings on Tuesday. So my response was, so I guess we'll let you rest Monday night then when u arrive for your meetings. To which he says, screw that, rest is for cowards,....we go out Monday evening and then do lunch Tuesday.

What's been going on as of late. Well,...about a week ago went to a restaurant called Hearth. This is a fine establishment and a place where I interned for one night. So upon my arrival, I was greeted by the chef de cuisine and he said should i just make dinner for you. Okie doke. Long story short,...and this is no joke,...he prepared so much,...of the nicest food, and in quantity that i just about burst. Gnocci with lobster,...and I mean big lumps of lobster,...towers, duck, sea bass, oysters....and it just kept coming like a convayer belt. Then dessert, two of them. I limped home, and the next day only ate at 4pm.

Let's see,...Oh,...the famous Peter Lugar's steakhouse was in order. My pal Roman and I went there with my 150 dollar gift cert. which was couriered to my shcool via my parents for my Bday. This place is in Brooklyn and about as old school as old school gets. Major steaks, big desserts,...and again, I limped home, ...really. We decided to walk home, over the Williamsburg Bridge to work off some dinner. Big event. Went through little Italy for the first time actually then lay on my bed like a retired Shamu for the San Diego Aquarium.

Next week, attending the U.S. open for a game,...then the following day the journey home begins.

Ah,...I suppose for the golden years a little tidbit on New York. I came to explore chefdom and I leave knowing a few tricks,...possessing a continued hobby, acknowledging a deep respect for the people that make up the kitchen and so on... The amount of wonderful moments had in this city have been astounding. From NY Rangers game, to Yankees games, to the Beastie Boys in Central Park,...to a random walk through Washington Sqr one summer evening to see a group of people chillin out and singing. Many walks through the city,...along the water, Batter Park,...and Wall St just as the sun goes down and the mystical darkness begins to bless the skyscrapers and tight streets. Dinners.....ahh,..well then. Mangiami,...the hip,...totally funky italian joint on lower east side near Roman's bar, Babbo- Mario Batali's flagship joint that makes absolutely perfect food, Katz's deli which has been around before the movie, 'Gangs of New York'.....oh, and who could forget the insanely upper class, upper eastside,....totally park ave set Bergdorf Goodmans' cafe. I've been I think 4 times now to eat these perfectly symetrical and skinny sandwiches that the richest ladies in the big apple manage to chew on whilst maintaining their makeup/botox. It's actually a cultural experience down in the basement of Bergdorf's chowing down. What else,...the subway rides- that heat underground and the smell of subway air will stay with anyone for life,...not exactly bad nor good,....just unique! Then there was the getting caught in the rain with thunder,....letting go of being caught and just enjoying the rain and getting totally soaked. This was fun. Trips to central park etc etc etc. Oh,...and then the purpose of all this, school! All in all,...and part of the whole ny thing,...and overall growth experience. There have been many boiyant moments, trying moments etc etc. And now, its time to come home. As a fellow traveller said in Brazil once: define home. Hah! Definitely ready to hit it though. Like 100%.

Bunch of pics,....including,....my Russian guy across the street kiddy corner who amused me with his boozing antics, cussing,...and the odd time,....just very rarely just a tad of human kindness. Another photo most amusing is the 'Chinese school for kids' poster advertised in Soho. Notice that every single tab has been torn off. China will be the next Super Power,...it is coming so do what the famous Jim Rogers is doing,...get a chinese nanny (no joke) and get them started as infants! Then a photo,...actually my favorite the day I recently toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The "Peno's" are here,...the Peno's are here!!!!

Yes, yes,....Peno Sr., Mrs., and Jr., came to NYC bout 2.5 weeks ago. Wedding schtick. T-Do also did a little business for his new fund and so in between that hectic schedule I managed to meet up with them for a Soho tour, and for a bite to eat. For dinner we all went over to Mark and Emily's place,...had some chinese food, wine and actually an extraordinary night. So good to stay in once and awhile and chill with friends. After piling on the chinese we were all full. Then I pulled out the Ben' n Jerry's Ice cream and we were no longer full. Two massive scoops each of vanilla and cookie dough dynamo and it was on.

Ok...what else...well there's always central park and for I think the third time since being here Mark Em, the kids and I went for a little tour on a casual Sunday afternoon. There's some great pictures of Mom and Aggie looking on at the Merry-Go-Round at the park. And actually a great story goes along with this little version of playland. Goes like this: months and months went by as people organized then re-organized how to a). clear some land, b). buy some really big moving toys, and c). open the amusment park. Thennnn even more time went by and nothing was done. ENTER DONALD TRUMP. He walks in, says you guys are a bunch of mopes,...you give me 90 days and i'll have this all drafted up, approved and done! In return for,....Innnn rrrreeeeturnnnn for,....my tower across the street on 5th ave,....yes Trump Tower,....I want additional air space,...meaning another 10 floors. City says, "alright wiseguy,...you think you can do all this then you're on." Trump tower is 10 floors higher. The American dream prevails,...ooohrah!

Ok,...Master Chan was up for another Yanks game and so....we went. You ever want to see this guy get nervous,...just watch the expression on his face when I have to hit the street and corner off with some scalper guy to buy tickets. I think Mark thought we time-warped back about 10 years ago to the streets of Medellin or something. Nerrrrvous. Awesome! K, after thinking we were gonna get stiffed,...we all entered the yanks game to the bleacher section. This is where all the roudy Brooklyn hoodlums and drunks go. $6 tickets and actuallly best seats in the house.

Next,...in the west village where I live they have this fence dedicated to the victims of 9/11. Tiles for America its called and there's all kinds of wonderful messages from many kind people. So I walked up, very quickly (trying not to look like a tourist) and snapped a random picture. How coincidental that of all the tiles,...I capture one with a Canadian flag! Kinda neat.

Ah,...Coach is coming to Greenich Village,....this is for Patrick and Naoko. Their location is sweet, and as always their marketing and branding is top notch....have a look.

Ok,...and just one more shot. This is a ground view,...or ant's eye view from a lecture room at my cooking school. Every now and then I would retreat to this place,...often accompanied by one of the Mexican dishwashers (it seemed we both shared a philosophy of peace and quiet) to chill. The room was for the most part totally silent and a good battery recharge when class got hectic with 16 kids chasing the same spatula or just a room piled full of estrogen driving me nucking futs! So this was the view,....this is what I looked at to meditate: An exterior,...vertical view,....of our neighbours building. It was interesting and relaxing to stare at the bricks,...the little window ridges, and sometimes cracks,....and think. Sometimes wondering how old the building was,...or how many times it has endured really cold or harsh winters,....blah bee blah.....oops its been 20 minutes, probably best to get back to class.

Beastie Boys,...other randoms

Facebook moment part deux.... Little Peno Dowle (Ainsley) was in town for a few days with Mom,...suggested we go to the Beastie Boys concert. Ok. After a brief (but what seemed long) scalper 'back and forth' we picked up two tickets. The concert was boutique in style and set outdoors in Central Park, at 69th and 5th Ave. After we whacked back a couple of beers,...boom, it was on. A few pics are provided.

Hmm, what else,...basically a couple random ny shots. And,...a couple from a previous story of hoodlums: Sharon and Gargee that visited in late July. The pics of Sharon are what I called, 'The Versace Heroine Model Shoot' ....although in retrospect this seems kinda harsh or inappropriate,...but they do look like fashion from like 3 years ago where burnt out hot babe sold clothing to the Sunset Blvd crowd.

Ahh, then yesterday the famous Balthazar Restaurant was in order. This is where famous people like Jerry Seinfeld and the like have been spotted. Oh my Gahhhhd. Ennnghh, I suppose it was good! Eggs florentine, Panna water, and the Balthazar salad. Oh yeah,....but the point of writing all this is for the photo included,.... on the way to the restaurant there was this little wound-up and ambitious dog hangin his body outside of a taxi cab. It's the funniest thing.

K, what else....oh a couple shots cruising along Houston Street. You'll see the basketball court and open space. This is, like so many things NY, 'famous.' Bourdaine mentions it in his cooking books about how pros sometimes come down and play here, and overall it host tournaments for some of ny's finest leagues.

photos....some may follow in additional post.

Ciao

stars

So what's new,.... Well, we had Mrs. Sharon Pike and Gargee (her friend) in New York last week. They crashed at 45 Carmine,...and crash is a light word seeing their unruly behavior! By the time I got off work,...met these two gals for a couple drinks,...Sharon had already managed to ditch her underwear and tuck them neatly in Gargee's purse. Something about lines showing in the skirt. Either way,...big points for gong show. They were hilarious and clearly loving life. So we all had a nice chat,...shared a bottle of vino,...and then it was escort time,...first to 'Famous Joe's Pizza' at Carmine and 6th Ave,...then back to the apartment where my living space got hit by their hurricane antics.

Last night,...It was Miss Ali Cunningham's turn to visit the city,...one week later. What a treat,...(gosh this sounds dorky now,...like i'm a grandfather telling a story),...but it was fun. Very good to catch up,...and I love hugging this girl. Good connection I suppose. Hmm, so we met in the meatpacking disrict, with Brenner and her friend Molly. We lasted at this one bar for about 15seconds,...and then moved on to Fredericks,...a local hip restaurant on Hudson street for a couple more bevies,...and then we headed home. Really short and sweet.

Last night of course is another reason to celebrate,...it was our graduating 'Friday Night Dinner' at school. This was a really big deal for most of the students, especially a fellow classmate Molly who had the biggest outburst of joy for having reached her dream of attending culinary school and of course making it through this final night. Basically we did about 90 covers,...4 course meal. The starter was an antipasti plate consisting of a couple purees,...sauteed mushrooms and crisp crackers made of quinoa and millet,...with rosemary. Then came the salad. This was what me and my partner Rachel were responsible for. Seems like a non event but I'll tell you,...matchsticking carrots and beets for 100 guests is a major thing. We then perfected the dressing which was a thyme, garlic, lemon, olive oil program. All served on a bed of baby arugala with pea shoots,...and ontop,...insanely thin sliced Shitake mushrooms that get lightly oiled then dried in the oven for like 20 minutes....hint they taste like bacon a bit. Following this was our main which was a Ratatouillie. Totally random too considering their is a major motion picture out right now called 'Ratatoullie" Anyhooo,....it was done with a zucchini and pasta mix with a tomatoe sauce,..with onion garlic herbs etc. Dessert was a chocolate cake with berries and flambayed peaches. Crowd loved it.

I mentioned my salad partner earlier named Rachel. The next part of the blog is a series of people or events,...that have recently really reminded me of what life is all about. So starting with Rachel,....just a story about peaking with a wicked good,...and emotionally high encounter in new york. Again,...I guess these stories are all here for when i'm old,...or have my next Memento moment and forget. Anyhoo,...Rachel is a gal that is in the same class. An extraordinary gal in many ways and here's the kicker. Basically for the longest time I figured this girl totally hated me. Not disliked,...but hated me. Turns out I was partially right cause I asked a few of my 'Sperm Wars' type questions early in our semester and she thought I was wierd and robot like. Annnnyyyyyhoo,...the point of all of this is that after class on thursday we shared a drink and had really interesting conversation, shared laughs and stories dah dee dahhhh. Oh yeah, my point to all of this. How interesting to have the guts to leave Vancouver,...leave a lame'o life/career and pursue something you've been thinking about for a long time. Think of all the cool people you meet, the experiences, the bonds made etc. Oh yeah when the conversation got interesting or just deep (emotionally perhaps) she shivers. Really. Quite hilarious, actually i know the feeling.

Ok, ...next: my pal Roman. About a month ago I we had dinner at Mangiami,...the place we've been to many times,...Crystie and Stanton Streets,..right near his bar called 212,...which I get into easy all the time cause he's the bartender n'shit. awesome. Anyhow,...this one particular night,...we had dinner,....great conversation about life, career, travel....and at the end of it all,...we did one of those hugs between bros....kinda like bouncers do,...half hug with a 'what up brother' hand shake,...basically its when two guys wanna say, 'hey man...wicked to see you,...and i love you and all but,...lets just not look wierd in the process of saying goodbye' Anyhow, that joke and explanation aside,...it dawned on me as i walked away,...on a wonderful new york evening that 'this is the rub.' that's it. that's what so much of life is all about. Good people,...those moments,...friendship, trust,...all that.

Ok,....there was definitely a 'rub' moment last night when in the middle of our school Friday Night Dinner,...I looked around the kitchen as everything was hectic and thought,...here i am man,...new york city, getting it done. And then...tonight,...working at Mas (where i'm interning) I had another one of these. The kitchen crew at Mas is just as good, and perhaps better at times than some of the Anthony Bourdain stories of Kitchen Confidential. The language,....the jokes,...the grind,.....the wit,....the toil,...the everything. Like take for example,...the bartender walks into the kitchen,...kinda like friendly of course,....but kindof a dork trying to be hip. This is dynamite, bait,...or an excuse or whatever one calls it for a highly wittly sous chef and kitchen alpha male to tear into.

I still don't know if this is all for me,...but one thing i can say is that the moments, particularly like tonight at Mas will always be remembered. Class new york tales of fast hot kitchens,...oh yeah,...hot fcuking servers,...the best cuisine,...and the leadership coming from our head chef named Galen Zamarra- a guy who won the James Beard award for best chef. Basically this means he's the fcuking shhit. The kicker here is that Galen is 'yes' committed to a-1 product and presentation, though he pulls it off with a mellow demeanor complimented once and awhile with wit,...laughter amongst the group, jokes,... He's a classic serious, but funny, mellow guy who has some dale carnegie intelligence about him. Like at the end of the night for example,...he hollars to the bar to come bring us all some beers. So looking around this small kitchen you see a whole slew of characers,...guys, and a couple gals from all walks of life,...wound up, but tired at the same time, sweaty, hot,....proud but also tired and ready to fcuk off back home so they can sleep. The closest thing I can imagine is this is what people in the army feel out on duty. These people become your family and your side,....the people you all must work with and rely on during the intensity. Orders are hollered out,...food is timed,...pans are hot,...the whole thing. So oh yeah, back to the point of all of this,.....this is the rub. Looking around the kitchen,...I just thought to myself,...here we are in life,...doing this thing,...it was pretty cool. I think if more people could taste this that maybe we'd be happier. Oh god, now we're pushing things and getting a little hippy and esoteric etc. You know why? I just though about the hard work i did tonight- romance or toil,...or both? Hey, one last tidbit,...and something that Anthony Bourdain spoke of to a Tee! On mexican and ecuadorian workers- Yes, truly the best. Best work ethic,...content. Fast,...yeah i'll say again, fast mothers and they gett'r done bigtime. Pictures to follow soon...