The Rat Pack - Photograph Exhibition at the Milk Gallery (March 16-28); Photos by Sid Avery and Bob Willoughby

The Rat Pack images from LIFE.com

Never before seen photographs of The Rat Pack with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin will be on display at the Milk Gallery from March 16 to March 28. These photographs will include what the Reel Art Press calls "Frank Sinatra's legendary clique ... The never before seen images, discovered only last year, include work by famed photographers Sid Avery and Bob Willoughby. The exhibition captures the glamour and excess of life in the fast lane during the fifties and sixties - from Vegas to Hollywood, to the set of Oceans 11 and the stage of The Sands, it’s Frank, Dean, Sammy, Marilyn and JFK at their best."

The exhibit will feature vintage prints and limited edition prints, with the majority of the images previously unseen and have never before been available for purchase. The images are by photographers Sid Avery and Bob Willoughby. The opening will be on March 15 and is an RSVP only event; however, the exhibit will be available to the rest of the public from March 16 to March 28 (details below). It is an event not to be missed!

For a preview of some of the photographs at the Milk Gallery: The Rat Pack exhibition, click the link here.

Coincidentally, Channel Thirteen and WLIW (21) will be airing THE RAT PACK: LIVE AND SWINGIN' Sunday at 8 pm on WLIW and Monday at 1:30 am on Channel Thirteen and 2:30 pm on WLIW.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The name "the Rat Pack" was originally referred to as a group of actors that originated with Humphrey Bogart.
  

• How did the name "The Rat Pack" come to be and how did Sinatra become part of that group? According to Max Rudin, who wrote an article for PBS, he discovered that Sinatra had moved his family to LA's Toluca Lake to Holmby Hills, just blocks from Bogart's house, and Sinatra was inducted into Bogart's group of film star's drinking buddies. The story goes that when Bogart's wife, Lauren Bacall, saw the drunken crew all together in the casino, she told them, "You look like a goddamn rat pack."

• After Bogart died, Sinatra liked having people around him and then assembled his own group. Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, and Peter Lawford rounded out the five-buddy group that was known as the "summit or the clan", but referred by journalists as the Rat Pack. The group was an ensemble of an ethnically diverse group of singers - one black, one Jew, two Italians, and one feckless Hollywoodized Brit - with a varied background - three of them second-generation immigrants, four raised during the Depression in ethnic city neighborhoods. These group of entertainers went to Las Vegas to shoot a movie (Ocean's 11) and do two nightclub shows. Their stage act took off and their careers spring boarded from there to more movies, records and business deals.
  

• The Rat Pack, with its known leaders - Frank, Sammy and Dean - also had other followers known as the Rat Pack Mascots which included Marilyn Monroe, Angie Dickinson, Juliet Prowse, and Shirley MacLaine.

• According to wikipedia, Peter Lawford, member of the Rat Pack, was a brother-in-law of President JFK and the group played a role in campaigning for JFK and the Democrats, appearing at the July 11, 1960 Democratic National Convention in LA. However, Sinatra's relationship with Lawford suffered as a result of JFK staying at a rival's house - Bing Crosby.
  

• The Rat Pack Live and Swingin included Johnny Carson, who was an emcee and sub for Bishop who was out of the show due to a bad back. If you watch the episode on tv tonight (times mentioned above), you'll see the young Johnny Carson singing along with Frank, Dean and Sammy in the group's only televised concert at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis. The event was a closed-circuit broadcast done as a fundraiser for Dismas House (the first halfway house for ex-convicts).
  

Even though I was not born during The Rat Pack's time, I can still appreciate their music. In contrast to today's music with the electronics and voice altering machines, Frank Sinatra and his crew had a unique voice that stood on its own.

To see the exhibit, visit The Milk Gallery at the address below

Milk Gallery
450 W 15th Street
New York, NY 10011
Exhibit open everyday from 10 am - 6 pm

For a preview of images from the Reel Art Press/Milk Gallery Rat Pack exhibition, click here.
For more info on the PBS article regarding the Rat Pack, read here.
For Rat Pack images from LIFE.com click here.

City Bakery Hot Chocolate, Pretzel Croissant and Chocolate Chip Cookie was disappointing!

Sad to say, but my recent visit to City Bakery for hot chocolate during their Hot Chocolate Festival was disappointing. Maybe all the hype I heard raised my expectations? Possibly, but as I was sitting there tasting my Bourbon hot chocolate and sharing my pretzel croissant and chocolate chip cookie, I realized -- there is a reason why I rarely come here and why this place hardly comes to mind -- its not good. But I figured I would give you, the reader, the fair shake of the place.

Before I ordered anything, I asked a few regulars what they liked to have there. The consensus was the Pretzel Croissant (and to a less astounding response was the Chocolate Chip Cookies). I had asked about the Bourbon Hot chocolate, but a few didn't try it yet, and others said it was extremely rich. So before ordering anything, I went and had a sample of the Bourbon Hot Chocolate -- the patrons were right, way too rich to have a shot ($3.50) or an entire cup of it ($5.50) (Regular flavored hot chocolate is $0.50 less). So, I passed on the Bourbon Hot Chocolate and proceeded to order the Pretzel Croissant for $3.75 and a Chocolate Chip Cookie for $2.50.

The Pretzel Croissant - $3.75

In addition to positive patron reviews, someone noted that the pretzel croissant is listed in Japanese guidebooks (haven't validated that) as a "must-order"!

As you can see in the photo, the pretzel croissant is covered with sesame seeds as opposed to salt crystals that you would normally see on pretzels. I peeled away a piece of the croissant, the exterior was not as brittle as a plain croissant, but tougher; while the interior part of the croissant had the buttery, flaky consistency of a croissant, with a little bit of a cake-like texture. The taste of it? Butter and it tasted more like a sesame seed croissant versus the pretzel croissant it was named for. So why is this called a pretzel croissant? Perhaps the hard exterior reflects a pretzel? It remains a mystery to me. But the big question is -- was it worth the $3.75 ? Not for me. Why is this in the guidebooks? In all honesty, I'd rather buy a pretzel at the Farmers Market (>$2.00) and a croissant at Starbucks ($1.75).

Chocolate Chip Cookie -- $2.50

Do you want a gooey, soft chocolate chip cookie, with a bit of a crunch? Yes! and I want that too, but here comes the bait and switch -- it doesn't taste good! I was honestly surprised ... It looked great, but didn't taste great. What are people on Yelp raving about here? Perhaps the peanut butter cookie tastes better?

I feel like I need to make a note or a comment to redeem this place, but I'm not sure what I could write other than ... City Bakery is a convenient location to stop by for a coffee/tea and to rest your feet after shopping on the Avenue of the Americas, but just watch your wallets and your tastebuds cause both of them will be disappointed if you choose to eat anything here.

p.s. Note: Eataly has a shop called Venchi that sells shots of Hot Chocolate for $2 (but currently $1 for their Chocolate Month) and I would recommend Venchi's Hot Chocolate for $2 vs. the $3.00 at City Bakery!

City Bakery
3 W 18th St
(between 5th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
Mon-Fri 7:30 am - 7 pm
Sat 8 am - 8 pm
Sun 9 am - 6 pm

Jim Campbell - Scattered Light Exhibit at Madison Square Park - video

If you are walking by Madison Square Park at night, walk inside and you will see Jim Campbell's cool exhibit of scattered light that outlines people walking.

Tip: If you're there in person, make sure you are standing in front of the lawn fence, otherwise you won't see the outline of the people walking.

Jim Campbell's "Scattered Light" is presented by The Madison Square Park Conservancy and will be on display from October 21, 2010 to February 28, 2011.

UPDATED: After coming home and researching this project more, it becomes even more interesting.

Jim Campbell is an electrical engineer that created "Scattered Light" with 1,600 lightbulbs modified with LEDs and are programmed to display a low-resolution, moving image as individual pixels. The display is 50 ft long x 80 ft wide x 16 ft high x 16 ft deep, a 3-dimensional display.

From the website Switched, I found an interview with Campbell's interview talking about the exhibit and have included it below along with some excerpts from the article.

• Jim Campbell worked in Silicon Valley as an engineer and designed television chips that would convert "what's now called 'legacy' TV definition to high definition.
  
• He was intrigued by Leon Harmon's pixelated image of Abraham Lincoln in 1973 (which Salvador Dalí used as the basis for his 'Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea'), and thought about applying the same principles of low resolution to moving images. "The most interesting aspect of these works is the movement," he says. "It's the movement that's giving you the information."
  
• Note: I've seen the Dali painting of Abraham Lincoln in Figueres, Spain -- and its pretty amazing ... maybe that's why I love this installation so much!
• "I believe from what I've seen and the little bit that I've read that there are parts of our brain that only deal with movement, only deal with motion, and they kind of decode that," Campbell says. He asked himself, "What can I represent in really low resolution that has any kind of poetics to it?" and decided that moving figures are recognized by "a more primal part of the brain" that relates to peripheral vision. Up close, the image displayed on 'Scattered Light' looks like nothing more than a series of oscillating bulbs, but the image comes into focus as the viewer moves further back."

There are TWO OTHER EXHIBITS THERE (which I missed, slapping my hand!)

1. Broken Window - is a facade of glass cubes, behind a series of LED that display footage of pedestrians walking through the city as cabs and cars drive past. There are 7 cubes scattered around the main panel act as pixels that have fallen out of the main display, giving abstract glimpses of the visual information coming through the facade.
2. Voices in the Subway Station - 20 glass panels embedded in the lawn that light up in synchrony with audio recorded inside the NYC subway system; they flicker in accordance with people's conversations, sometimes turning into a running stream of light as a train passes. No sound is played with the piece.

For the full article from Switched, visit Switched's Website.

For more information on Jim Campbell and about the exhibit, look at Madison Square Park's Conservancy website.

February Annual Hot Chocolate Festival at City Bakery

The City Bakery Annual Hot Chocolate Festival is going on now - pick a day and try the hot chocolate flavor of the day. A perfect place to grab something hot during these cold winter days!
Check City Bakery's website for updated drinks of the day!

From City Bakery's Website ... "City Bakery hot chocolate changed the hot chocolate landscape when the bakery first opened in 1990. Made from pure melted chocolate bars, this drink made the word "cocoa" forever obsolete when talking about hot chocolate. The City Bakery Annual Hot Chocolate Festival, held every February, is a celebration of a menu of hot chocolate flavors such as Banana Peel Hot Chocolate, Vanilla Bean Hot Chocolate, Malted Milk Hot Chocolate, Bourbon Hot Chocolate and Sunken Treasure Hot Chocolate. Twenty years after the first cup was poured, City Bakery hot chocolate is now available for your home in a package that's perfect, pure, liquid hot chocolate. This is not a powder or concentrate or mix of any kind. This is the exact hot chocolate poured at City Bakery in New York everyday of the year."

The Green Table Food Review - Chelsea Market, New York

The Green Table
(click photo for a larger version)

The Green Table is a little eatery located in the heart of Chelsea Market and is devoted to serving organic foods and beverages. The menu boasts some of the freshest ingredients delivered from local farms and green markets. Some of the most popular dishes ordered here include the Pot Pies (Chicken, Beef, and Vegetarian), Macaroni and Cheese and the Green Table Burger. I will be reviewing two of the three, and perhaps make another visit to taste the last. The eatery seats about 20 people, with a mini-bar seating area in the front and an additional seating area outside.

If you're curious about the decor and the atmosphere, I can easily say that once you walk-in, you will feel the hustle and bustle of New York and Chelsea Market slowing down by a few notches. I immediately felt calm here as I was surrounded by green farmhouse windows, rustic looking tables and the serenity of the restaurant environment. The friendly wait staff also added to comfort of this cafe -- and after the meal that I had, I wished they had pull-up beds that allowed me to take a nap. :D

Here are my food reviews, with color coded items -- GREEN (I enjoyed it) or RED (I would pass on it)

Macaroni and Cheese ($9 side; $15 entree w/ fresh greens)

Coach Farm Goat Cheese, Neighborly Farms organic Colby & Cheddar, Parmesean & Hudson Valley Milk combined with Organic pasta and topped with herbed breadcrumbs

After growing up on Kraft's Mac N' Cheese (which I still love), its difficult to fathom how tasty homemade "real" mac n' cheese really is. And though this wasn't my absolute favorite mac n' cheese that I ever tasted (Cafeteria has my favorite mac n' cheese), this was still pretty darn good! Its not over-the-top cheesy or gooey, just the perfect cheese and the perfect mini-crunch with the herbed breadcrumbs.

Side note: I would recommend ordering this as a side dish because there's no sense paying $6 for the mini-salad (no matter how great tasting it is).

Classic Chicken Pot Pie ($15)

Free-range chicken and an assortment of organic vegetables topped with a flaky pate brisee crust, served with market greens

Ok, I grew up eating Swanson's Chicken Pot Pie (gosh, are you wondering where all the home-cooking was when I was growing up?!?! Non-existent since my parents were working 24/7 at our noodle shop, but that's another story) -- and again, its amazing tasting the real thing. The real thing has less lard, which I'm sure is slightly healthier than those Swanson's frozen pies. :D Inside the classic chicken pot pie was a good blend of vegetables, hearty combination of white and dark meat and the consistency within the pie was thick and not soupy. I have to admit I added some salt and pepper to my liking, but overall, it was a great fresh potpie -- and how can you not love the "chicken" branding on the top of the crust?

Roasted Chicken Breast ($18)

Roasted Amish Country Red Cockerel with Tuscan Kale, cheesy potatoes & thyme jus

Personally, I thought the chicken was a bit chewy and not tender as I would have expected it to be -- but afterall, it was chicken breast (white meat) and not chicken leg (dark meat). The potatoes had a consistency of grits and was quite tasty; initially I thought the kale would be bitter, but it wasn't and I'm not sure how I can describe its distinct taste but I enjoyed it. (btw, did you know KALE is a highly nutrious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is considered to be an anti-inflammatory? yes!) Sad to say, but the only good thing I can say about this dish is that the potatoes and the kale made this dish, rather than the chicken.

Housemade Sauerkraut with Dickson's Pork Belly ($6)

With the craze of pork belly in a lot of new creative dishes around Manhattan, I'm not surprised that a pork belly dish would appear here. Though, I'm not sure if I would have paired these two together because the pork belly truly lost its flavor in this dish as it was over-powered by the tangy-ness of the sauerkraut (no, there was no balance of the two ingredients). So, I will definitely pass on this dish. But before you walk-away disappointed -- I will openly admit, I'm not a big fan of sauerkraut (even though I do put it on an occasional hot dog), this sauerkraut was just overly-tangy for my tastebuds!

Roasted Butternut Squash w/ aleppo pepper and olive oil ($4)

A simple, yet delicious dish that when roasted gives you more of the sweetness from the butternut squash. Did you know that butternut squash is a type of winter squash and is considered a FRUIT? Yup.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience sitting and eating at one of the green tables inside this organic eatery in Chelsea Market. Its a great spot for lunch, brunch and dinner; or if you're on the run, they do take-out too!

Location: Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue, NY, NY 10011, 212.741.9174, Open Mon thru Saturday 12 to 10 pm ; Sunday 11 am to 5 pm (across the way the water fall and Amy's Bread)


Did you know? The Green Table originated from a catering company, The Cleaver Co., which has been around for more than 30 years! Mary Cleaver believed that the best foods are grown, tended and harvested within a day's drive of your table. Her catering company has produced meals for the Dalai Lama and Martin Scorcese, large-scale parties for Microsoft and even for Harvard's Center for Health and the Global Environment.

El Carrito Taco Truck (Chelsea)

Welcome to El Carrito Taco Truck on 19th Street and 6th Avenue -- where they serve up a variety of Mexican delicacies such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more. If you're hungry for an afternoon snack (like I was) this may suit your needs.

Although the orange tamale sign on the front windshield attracted me to the truck, I ordered a Carnita taco, which was just enough to satisfy my growling stomach before dinner. As I was eating the taco, I realized there wasn't anything special about it - a little on the salty side perhaps - but nothing that truly made it stand out. I would note that the meat was not the typical shredded pork that I'm used to in a carnita taco (it was cubed and fried).

Menu prices range from $2.00 (tacos, tamales) to $10.00 (churrasco). For detailed information on their menu, click on menu photo on the left.

Here are my quick and dirty pro and cons for the truck:

Pros. A good quick bite for those in need of an afternoon snack, convenient counter-top that allows you to eat there, an assortment of meat for your entree (Carnita, Carne Asada, Al Pastor, Lengua, Bistec, Cesia, Enchilada, etc), offers Jarritos soda pop

Cons. Employees English was limited; Carnita meat was not the traditional shredded pork I am used to

Overall, the El Carrito Taco Truck proved to serve its purpose of a quick bite to eat. However, I prefer Calexico's food cart (moves around, so I will have to find its new location and repost)

If you're curious about New York Food Trucks and licensing info, refer to my prior posting on NYC Street Fight - The Battle Between Food Trucks and Brick & Mortar Stores.

Bare Naked Ladies - its only Body Paint!

Being at the Right Place at the Right Time

Photos taken with my camera phone

The things I see in New York City never cease to amaze me -- I do admit that the craziness is what distinguishes NYC from other cities!. Funny thing is -- I tend to gravitate to the epicenter of these type of outlandish like scenes. I mean, look at the photos above -- you would be running to see this too! The models were good sports, especially to do it in today's weather conditions. Below is the context of the photos:

Artist: Andy Colub (www.andycolub.com)
Location: On 13th and Greenwich Street in the Meat Packing District
Day & Time: Saturday (well technically Sunday morning) at approx. 12:15 a.m.
Temperature: High 60's to Low 70's with mild "dew drops" here and there (but not at the time)
Surroundings: Clubs, Bars, Diners, Hotel Roof Bars, closed clothing stores, Restaurants, Residential Buildings
People: Models? or I'd like to call them the Bare Naked Ladies with some body paint
Reason why this is happening? - No idea, but what a great idea in terms of attracting a wide and large audience by publicly displaying their own artistic portfolio.
Photographers on Site: MANY, and likely to be paparazzi photographers
Price: priceless. A free public viewing

Welcome to New York!