Red Is Life

Bursting Bacon Bubble Bombastic Blathering

The Wall Street Journal's recent article - The Bacon Backlash - proffers that the public's love of bacon is waning - that its incorporation in everything from mashed potatoes to bourbon - its spotlighted position in the 100% bacon burger - is coming to an end - 

Hogwash - 

UWS News

• Moving into old Garlic Bob space next to Gristides - Subway Sandwiches
• Moving into old Senor Swanky (Merchant's) space across from Subway - Zen Palate
• Just opened at 72nd & Broadway across from Gray's Papaya - Trader Joe's (no wine)

 

Black Cherry Tomatoes

Rich harvest of Cherry Tomatoes @ Sunday's 77th St. farmers' market - in particular - boxes of of Black Cherry Tomatoes - dark purple - some stridation - firm - sweeter than the reds - a bargain at $3.00 lbs -

A mixed bag - Black Cherry - Reds - Yellows - polished off in about 48 hours - preferred ice cold from the fridge -

Can't wait for next week to replenish -

El Nuevo Caridad

Crossing the Triboro - back from LI - heading down 2nd - wife was hungry - don't know why we picked El Nuevo Caridad - but for whatever reason - we luck'd out -

The food is great - Mofongo (a mashed mound of plantains into which a combination of seafood, meat, or vegetables is added) - Fried Plantains - Red Beans & Rice (prefer the yellow) - Shrimp in Garlic (rich creamy sauce) - literally a hundred items - seafood - pollo - pork - have to try the Butterfly Shrimp Wrapped In Bacon - maybe a grilled Red Snapper or the Carlos Beltran (Cuban Sandwich with Mango Shake) -

I've seen many sizzle plates - but the plume from the grilled Skirt Stak was a show stopper - kissing the ceiling on it way to the dining room -

Walls are covered in baseball memorabiliea - the hall of fame speciaites are named for Latino baseball stars - past and present -

We keep coming back - sometimes making a special trip from the UWS to the heart of Spanish Harlem for this understated culinary treat -

Its always been takeout - but if we can get the right crew - a sit-down dinner would be a blast -

NOLA Oyster Scene

Another heart wretching story of the BP oil spill's severe impact on New Orleans - its oysters - the people who depend on them for a living - who contribute so much to making NOLA the unique place that it is - 

Afloat - 080910 - The New Yorker - Raffi Khatchadourian - 

Man Creates & Eats All Bacon Burger

Bacon mania has returned with - The Great Bacon Odyssey:Bacon, The Other Crispy Brown Meat - 071310 - Wired - Matt Blum - in which the writer - details the his saga of making - and all bacon burger - and - eating the 1/3 pound creation - with bun - with beer -

Bottom line - it tastes good - but - you only want to eat half - worth the read -

Oyster Shucker Agony

Thomas "Uptown T" Stewart shucked oysters for me at Pascal's Manale in mid May - two days earlier - it was Mike Rogers at Casamentos - Storm'n Norman at Acme gave us a lesson in Oysters and New Orleans a few years back - along with this card as "Master Shucker" - and - the night - two years ago - when Julius was manning the Oyster bar at Pascal's - prompted memories from 30 years previous - along with a bounty of P&J Oysters that almost prompted me to pass on supper - (Pascal's Manale Oyster Redux) -

Gulf Oil Spill Puts Oyster Shuckers, Traditions On Ice - 071110 - Time-Picayune - Brett Anderson - brings the BP Spill to another personal level - these are "fisherman" or "oil rig workers" or "local residents" - these are stories of people I personally know - and - if you've ever been to NOLA - likely have been too -

A moving read -

Bayona Corp v. Transocean Ltd et al

Susan Spicer - owner of Bayona on Dauphine in New Orleans - has filed a suit against Transocean (the driller) and BP (for whom the drilling was being done) for damages being incurred due to the loss of local seafood supplies caused by what everyone refers to as the "BP Spill" - she wants class action status - she should get it - 

Red Is Life has eaten at Bayona - it was a treat - 

• Grilled Shrimp with Black Bean Cake and Coriander Sauve - the most perfectly cooked shrimp I have ever tasted or eaten - accompanied by the bean cake - almost a second app - I have always marveled at bean cake having failed to make it at home despite innumerable attempts
• Oysters Gratin with Spinach, Bacon and Fennel - succulent oysters covered with a cheese crumb - ordered for the table - devoured - 

Top New Orleans Chef Sues BP Over Seafood Losses - 062710 - Reuters - Jonathan Stempel

Debbie's Should Not Be Closing

• Prices doubled - for imports - Debbie's Cafe closed -
• Drago's - playing the power cards - remains open - for now - 
• Zydeco's Cajun Restaurant pulls shrimp from the menu - what's next - 

No Gulf Seafood, No Po-Boys; Owner Shuts LA Cafe - 062510 - AP - Jason Bronis

BP has to get this fixed - now - politicians must stop playing politics - now - 

Smaller Than A Split

Years ago - wrote about - How Big Is THAT Bottle - detailing - a Split (375 ml) and a Maximus (173 bottles or 130 liters) - 

Now we write of a glass - that's right - wine by the glass - pre-packaged at your local liquor store - 

Investors laughed - but James Nash sold his product to Marks & Spencer - and as they say - both Nash and M&S are laughing - a l l  t h e  w a y  t o  t h e  b a n k - 

Wine In A Glass Entrepreneur Ridicules In Dragon's Den Toasts M&S Success - 061410 - Daily Mail - Sean Poulter - 

OMG Burger

Friendly's - 1500 calorie - Grilled Cheese Burger Melt - Big Beef Burger between 2 (two) Grilled Cheese Sandwiches - plus lettuce - plus tomato - plus mayo - 

Click on the image - 

¥380 Chuck (via Wal-Mart)

WSJ writes - Japan's $4 Wine, Courtesy of Wal-Mart - WSJ - 06.16.10 - Mariko Sanchanta -  of inexpensive Oak Leaf - red & white - imported to Japan from California- to satisfy market demand for "cheap" - 

• Care to speculate on actual "cost" of the base product ?? -
• More or less than water ?? - 

This Is Not Good

After 134 years ...P&J Oyster Company doesn't have enough oysters to shuck ... has shut down its operations .... - 

Read the whole story - Oysters, A New Orleans Staple, Are Latest Victim - 061910 - WSJ - Perry Stein

Lob$ter $alad Price$ Plunge$

Hitting the market scales at $100 - dropping a year later to $98 - the price of Lob$ter $alad at - Loaves and Fishes - Sagaponic - has -  p l u n g e d ... 2 3 % - leveling off at a mere - $ 7 5 - per pound -

• Does this foretell a similar shift in Hampton's Real Estate -
• Is the lobster supply so great as to bring down the market so significantly -
• Will Clam Bakes follow -

Stay tuned - as we track 2010's price for the ubiquitous Vodka & Tonic - from its 2008 peak of $27 per - through its 2009 rumored correction at $22 ... with ice -

Don't Let This Happen

You're supposed to "link" or "reference" articles from one source to another blog - but we cannot take the chance - our readers won't click through - to read - The Day The Shucking Stopped - NYTimes - 10/13/10 -  Mireya Navarro - so here's the whole thing - 

JUNE 13, 2010, 8:31 AM 
THE DAY THE SHUCKING STOPPED
 By Mireya Navarro

Last weekend, Sal Sunseri, co-owner and vice president of P&J Oyster Company, the oldest oyster processor and distributor in New Orleans, presided over the city’s inaugural Oyster Festival. Throughout, he refused to entertain the notion that, given the closing of many gulf oyster beds because of the oil spill, the first such festival could be the last.

“I’m optimistic,” he told me. “I believe in God and in miracles.”

But the disaster that has already robbed thousands of fishermen of their livelihood led Mr. Sunseri to announce on Thursday that his 134-year-old business has ceased shucking oysters for the time being. He told The Times-Picayune newspaper that he will not shut down his operation entirely because some oysters are still coming in.

But regular production has been halted and he is not sure what will become of P&J and its employees in the long run.

Similar businesses are also having a hard time and are relying on suppliers from out of state. (New Orleans restaurants are still serving oysters; some report that demand for them is even up because customers sense that the end of an era is coming.)

At the oyster festival in the French Quarter last weekend, Mr. Sunseri, one of the organizers, effusively told the audience: “We feel very blessed to be able to do this and hopefully we’ll be doing it for the next 134 years.”

But there are no miracles yet.

St. Patrick's Day 2010

Sun is out - temperature is going to hit 64 - magnificent day in New York - millions are celebrating St Partick's Day - green beer - green line down Fifth Avenue - one day of the year when West Siders are - strongly advised - not to go to the East Side - 

Interesting piece on Alton Brown's Food Network Good Eats - 

• How to make Corned Beef - 
• How to make Corned Beef & Cabbage - 
• How to make Corned Beef Hash - 
• How Corned Beef & Cabbage has nothing to do with Ireland -  (middle of video)

Oh well -

Enjoy - 

NOPD Katrina Follow Up

Two amazing articles on actions by the New Orleans Police Department during the disaster we know as - Katrina - 

The first - In New Orleans - Chaos In the Streets - And In The Police Ranks Too - A.C.Thompson - ProPublica - Brenda McCarthy & Laura Magggi - Times-Picayune - 121209 - a look at "post Katrina" and "actions of police who shot civilians" - 

The second - Shot Or Not - Dead Or Alive - Two Men's Fate Lost In Chaos - Gordon Russell - Times-Picayune - 121209 - a first person account - "Sept 1,2005 - in my limited view, the day things completely fell apart in New Orleans" - 

Karina was a disgrace that prompted the question - was this actually happening in America ? - were the people forced to evacuate New Orleans after the levees broke "refuges" ?

We cannot erase what happened - we can look "hard" at what people did - and - make sure the "wrongs" do not occur a second time - if - God forbid - a similar event ever takes place - 

White House Beer

Obama's is Bud - 

Crowley's is Blue Moon - 

Gates is as yet unresolved - it appears he likes Beck's and Red Stripe - banned from the White House by LBJ - which is strange given LBJ's love of his Omega watch - so lets all keep cool heads (no pun intended) - avoiding national debate on the significance and possible impact on foreign trade of substituting an American brew for the preferred foreign bottle - 

$98 Per Pound

Its good news for lovers of Lobster Salad - Loaves and Fishes - "a gourmet take-out located in the Hampton" -  has dropped the price from $100 per pound (RedIsLife - 07) - to - $98 per pound (POTS - 061809) - 

In a similar vein - Nello Sumertimes - who last summer charged $27 - for - Ketle One with a splash - is - reported to have answered the call - knocking $6 off the tab for this essential libation - i.e. $21 -  

• Is the Lobster Salad that good - 
• Are these merchants and barkeeps feeling the pain of their clientele - responding in kind -   
• Are these reports pure fiction - along with reports that there ever was a recession - 
• Are the Hamptons really a code name for the "fourth dimension" - 

Bottom line - read it & love it - 

by the by - POTS is Plain Old Telephone Service -