NYC 2012 Marathon Cancelled, but that didn't stop some people from running in Central Park

So amazing... Even after the NYC ING Marathon was cancelled, I am glad people decided to run their own marathon in central park.  I know there was a lot of controversy over the marathon -- but many of these runners had trained for months and flew here after Bloomberg initially said the marathon would continue.  So though I am glad the marathon was cancelled, I was happy and supportive of those people who decided to run.  Also, I was happy to hear some of these runners decided to volunteer with the NYC relief efforts, helping those impacted by Hurricane Sandy...

Building community - support one another!

4th day post Hurricane Sandy - What I see around NYC - 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Center, Times Square - Friday, Nov. 2

Photos from my walk from 57th and 5th Ave to Rockefeller Center to Times Square

 

NBC's Democracy Plaza - gearing up for Nov. 6 Election Day Coverage

 

Map of the United States on ice!

Fans eagerly camping out outside the SNL Rainbow room hoping to get tickets for tomorrow nights show. Some have been camping out since early this morning!

 

Who is hosting SNL tomorrow? A comedian named Louie C.K.

 

"The show must go on" @ NYC Times Square

Hurricane Sandy tv advertisement by BAC... Even though things may appear normal, NYCers will feel the effects of this for a long time... So please volunteer, or donate to help those who were impacted from the Hurricane!

Meet Hani the Sidewalk Street Artist

You can see more of Hani's sidewalk street work at his website.

What I see around NYC ...

Delivery bikes around NYC get motorized! Hopefully this means you get your food faster!

P.s. you gotta love the plastic bags around the bar and seat ... Bike is outside of Saigon grill on university place.

PHOTOGRAPHS - Steve McCurry, Irving Penn, Cindy Sherman, Robert Frank, Sebastiao Salgado

Phillips de Pury & Company is auctioning approximately 260 photographs taken by a few well-known photographers. After stumbling upon this exhibit, I realized just "how well known" some of these photographers were. Irving Penn, Diane Arbus, Cindy Sherman, Robert Frank, Edward Weston, and Steve McCurry to name a handful of them. Upon seeing the photographs, you could quickly figure out why it was theirs -- it was because of their style, because of what they chose to photograph, and because some of them are iconic images.

There were other photographer's work that I did not immediately recognize, however, when you walk up to the description, you may chuckle as I did as I realized "aha, yes, of course!"... And they were equally as well-known and famous as the others ... it was the works of Henri Cartier Bresson, Richard Avedon, and Sebastiao Salgado. Other photographers who I am not familiar with their works include Desiree Dolron, Peter Lindberg, Elger Esser, among others are present.

A few photographs that I enjoyed viewing included:

• Sebastiao Salgado - Chinstrap Penguins , with an opening price of $12,000-$15,000. I saw some of his works during my photography walking tour where he photographed a group of workers along a hillside and made it look like an ant-farm. This picture of the elephants was no different, he had the same style and, in my opinion, witty sense of photographing everyday people/objects to make it humorous. Another interesting one was An Elephant Ghost World.

• Henri Cartier Bresson's - Brie, with an opening price of $8,000-$12,000. The photograph is of Alberto Giacometti working. I thought this photo was intriguing, particularly since I have seen Bresson's work at the MoMa, and while his pieces were at the MoMA, Giacommetti's scultpure work was downstairs. So this photo, at least to me, reminds me of that exhibit and made me chuckle because of how decades later both their work were exhibited in one location.
  

• Irving Penn - Miles Davis, with an opening price of $25,000 - $35,000. The photo is of a "hand" holding a trumpet, with a few fingers extended. This photo may not say anything at first viewing, however, after reading who the hand belongs to, you'll understand the significance of this photo because it is Miles Davis' hand.
  

• Lastly, I truly enjoyed seeing Steve McCurry's "Afghan Girl", with an opening price of $10,000-$15,000 (image is not signed). I enjoyed seeing this piece because he came to speak at the David Alan Harvey "At Home" Workshop and spoke about this one image among his many other photographs taken in Asia. Additionally, the Afghan Girl was the cover on the National Geographic Magazine in 1985 and the photograph has been republished in numerous books and posters. In 2003, National Geographic found the Afghan girl, and to her surprise, she didn't realize her face was made so popular. For more info on that story, click here and for more info about the photo used as cover for national geographic, click here.
  

With that being said, you will have to go and see it for yourself, and hopefully, you'll find some works that you may know and enjoy. The auction viewing will be made available until April 8th, with opening hours Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and on Sunday from 12 - 6 p.m. The auction for the photographs will be held on April 9th. There is an "opening reception" held today from 4-7 p.m. where cocktails and hor d' oeuvres will be served.

Enjoy!

Phillips de Pury & Company
450 Park Avenue (cross street is 57th Street)

Auction will be held April 9 with the first session at 11 am and the second session at 2 pm
Online viewing of items to be auctioned.

Vegetarian Week: Whole Wheat Pasta with Asparagus and Homemade Tomato Sauce

At the beginning of the challenge, I was fearful that all I would eat this week would be Lentil Soup, and if not lentil soup, then some variation of "vegetable" soup -- but that would be boring - wouldn't it? Yes... So as I was feeling a bit "behind the bars" with this vegetarian food challenge, I realized I can make pasta. :D (note my behind the bar photo to the left -- haha, had a little too many bars, whoops)

Whole Wheat Pasta with Asparagus and Tomato sauce. That's vegetarian (and healthy)!

I didn't follow a recipe, I just "winged" it. Figured this couldn't be too difficult to do.

6 -8 servings; takes approximate 1 hour (includes preparation time)

Ingredients:

1 lb Delallo Organic Whole Wheat Penne Rigate
1 bunch of asparagus cut into thirds
olive oil

Tomato Sauce (approximate measurements)
- 1 can (28 oz) Muir Glen Whole Plum Tomatoes, cut or tear apart the tomatoes (then why not get the diced tomatoes? I prefer the whole, but you can get the diced if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 to 1/4 cups of starchy water (e.g. pasta water; or use cornstarch)
- 2 teaspoons Basil
- 2 teaspoons Oregano
- Diced Garlic - 5-6 cloves
- Olive oil
- sugar (if you like your sauce sweeter)

Tools
- a sauce pan
- a sautee pan
- a straining ladle
- a strainer
- cutting board, knife, bowls

Boil a pot of water for both the pasta and the asparagus. Put some salt into the boiling water and add in the cut asparagus. Boil for 2-3 minutes (or until the water starts bubbling again - I like my asparagus slightly crunchy). Take the asparagus out of the boiling water with the straining ladle (e.g. leave the water in the pot) and put the vegetables in the side. Continue to boil the water, add the pasta and cook the pasta per the package instructions. When done, pour the pasta into a strainer and mix in a little bit of olive oil (to prevent the pasta from sticking to one another).

As you're waiting for the pasta to cook, heat your sautee pan and put some olive oil in the pan. When the pan is hot, throw in the garlic and let it sizzle until fragrant (but not browned), then add in the tomatoes and 1 to 1/2 cups of water (use the starchy pasta water if the pasta is done). Throw in the tomato paste, the basil, the oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce cook for 10-15 minutes until you see the sauce sort of thicken to your consistency. Add sugar if you like your sauce to be slightly more al dente.

If you are not going to eat all of this today, I would suggest plating your own plate of pasta, then add some asparagus and pour the sauce on top.

However, if this is for a party, you can mix the pasta, asparagus and sauce in your large serving bowl (or the sautee pan if you want to avoid cleaning another bowl).

And that's it... this is your pasta (well this is it if you individually plated the items on a plate)

Yippee! I made it through another successful day of Vegetarian Eating!

Vegetarian Week: Mixed Fruit Smoothies

Yum. Mixed Fruit Smoothies. Why didn't I think about making this before? Probably because I haven't had to "think" about what to cook, but with this Vegetarian Week challenge, I have pushed myself to be more creative with my meals. And, if you think about it ... a fruit smoothie is a good healthy treat that can substitute dessert (well, almost substitute it) ... and best of all, a fruit smoothie is perfectly suitable for my vegetarian week challenge!

Smoothies. Funny thing is -- I've had fruit smoothies before, but, I haven't made it before. But, don't fret, making a smoothie is SUPER EASY and you don't even need to call your friends at Jamba Juice for help.

So here I am, without a recipe and I decided to "wing" it. There is nothing like experimenting -- you can be pleasantly surprised, or ... not pleasantly surprised... But at the end of it all - you'll be glad you tried.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen Dole Mixed Berries (or any type of fruit that you like)*
1 cup apple juice (or coconut/orange juice)
3-4 cubes of ice

* If you have fresh fruit, that will work just the same -- however, just make sure you have more frozen ice cubes.

I would recommend placing the cubes in the blender first, then adding in the frozen berries and apple juice. Pulse the blender under the "ice crush" option a few times and your smoothie will reach a frothy consistency that suits you.

Use a spoon and taste the smoothie before placing it into a cup. The above may not be as sweet as you would like, so feel free to add sugar (liquid sugar if you have it) or more apple juice to make it sweeter.

If you want it to taste like jamba juice, add in "sherbet" ... or you can add yogurt ...

Since making my first smoothie -- I've tried all sorts of different fruits... Strawberries with pineapple made with orange juice and suspect I will make other smoothie varieties.

Have fun making your smoothies!

Vegetarian Week Challenge: Lentil Soup by Alton Brown

Lentil Soup by Susan Lee

Recipe: Alton Brown

As I previously blogged, I decided I would try Vegetarian Eating for one week. I started this past Saturday with my first vegetarian meal -- Lentil Soup. I found a recipe by Alton Brown on the food network and have included it below. The recipe is extremely easy to follow with the hardest part being the vegetable preparation. I chose this recipe because of Alton Brown. If you have seen his show, Good Eats, you'll know that Alton does a phenomenal job educating his viewers on the history of food. Since this Vegetarian Week challenge started after watching Food educational documentaries (Food Matters/Food Inc) and Oprah's show, I thought it would be form fitting to start the week with an educationally focused chef!

Below are my comments and notes indicated in blue.

• Cutting the vegetables in this recipe is probably the most time consuming part of this recipe. I started cutting the carrots by hand, and then realized it may be easier with a blender (I don't have a food processor). So I tried that and the carrots came out extremely fine (just be careful not to puree it). I tried the celery, but decided it was easier to just cut it into mini cubes. The onions? I attempted the blender with this, but shortly realized it would be better to just finely chop the onions.
  

• I made a few substitutions to this recipe since I used what was readily available at home. I didn't have vegetable broth at home, so I decided to substitute it with Knorr vegetable cubes. The flavors from soup were very nice.

• There are two types of lentils -- red and regular. I selected the regular lentil.

• The recipe says you can puree the soup once its done. I chose not to do this and to keep the lentils in its small-dish like form.
  

• Get ready for leftovers! The recipe said it will yield 6-8 servings, which I think is a bit conservative. I can easily say I had at least two tubs full of lentil soup, with more left in the pot. If you don't want to have lentil soup for a month, ask some friends to come over and enjoy the soup with you! Otherwise, you can freeze the soup and store it for a month or so.

Overall, I really enjoyed cooking and eating this soup. Though it took a while to get the ingredients together, the results were worthwhile. The soup is extremely filling, healthy and great-tasting. I'm happy this was a successful first meal in my week challenge. It shows promise for the rest of the week!

Go Vegetarian and take the week challenge with me!


Ingredients: (Makes 6-8 servings)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (try a food processor)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
  
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  
• 1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
  
• 1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes (I used a can of whole plum tomatoes)
  
• 2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth (I substituted with Knorr Vegetable Cubes)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground toasted cumin
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise (I substituted this with ground pepper)
  

Directions:
Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven (I used a pot) and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and grains of paradise and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency (I didn't puree, I left it as is). Serve immediately.

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.

Simple Home Cooked Roast Chicken, Recipe by Thomas Keller

Roast Chicken by Susan Lee
Can you guess which one is taken w/ my Canon 7D and iphone?

I recently rediscovered cooking to be therapeutic and rewarding, especially when you cook something that seems too difficult to do, but somehow, you manage to cook it well on your first try. Roasting a chicken was just that -- it seems daunting because you're cooking a whole bird, but on my first try - I got it right! And, I can't tell you how "great" of a feeling that was! (think of the "dance of joy" from the tv show, Perfect Strangers).

I can understand someone's fears of roasting a chicken - believe me, I had my own. So, understandably so, roasting a chicken seems difficult because you have to cook the whole bird and as you know, or as you are finding out, chicken is one of those meats that you have to cook thoroughly, similar to pork, otherwise -- well, lets just say, otherwise, you'll find yourself in the bathroom as your body rejects the food. Yes, salmonella. But, putting salmonella aside, I think the hardest part about roasting a chicken is the "trussing" part, i.e. tying the legs and wings close to the body so the bird can cook evenly in the oven. After you have that down, the rest is easy - trust me.

Here are some of my general comments about the recipe and how I went about my roasting my chicken (along with some tips and errors that can save you time):

• Chicken selection. Do you choose a roaster or a regular bird? Since this was my first time, I selected a roaster since I was "roasting" a chicken -- however, I don't think it truly matters and in retrospect, would probably have chosen a regular bird. A roaster is generally a little older than normal birds (lives 14 weeks vs. the average bird at 7 weeks) and is a bigger bird (5-8 lbs vs. 5 lbs or less). My guess also is a roaster will be fattier than a regular chicken.
  

• Salt and pepper only? Yes, salt and pepper does wonders for this bird. I believe this is true even with pork and beef! As a tip, I placed salt and pepper in a separate bowl, so that once I touch the chicken, I know I'm not touching anything else but that bowl (yes, lets not spread salmonella). As the recipe states, place salt and pepper inside the cavity, truss it and then, salt the rest of the chicken. Instead of just "salting" the chicken, I also placed the mixture of salt and pepper all around the chicken. If you're wondering what the salt does? It actually makes the skin "crispier" and keeps the moisture in ... The thinking is similar to when you bake salt encrusted fish -- it comes out extremely moist (as least the food cooking channels say so!) - or at least that is my common sense justification.

• The notes for this recipe mention not to cook anything else with it (i.e. vegetables; and even notes to make sure the bird is completely dry). This is to avoid a "steam" chicken that makes the skin and meat soggy... However, some reviewer notes said they had issues with smoke coming out from the oven. As a precaution, I made sure all my windows were open while I was cooking the chicken to prevent any smoke detectors from going off. From my experience, there wasn't a lot of smoke, though I did hear the "crackling" and the "juices of the bird" as it was roasting ...
  

• I did not know how to truss a chicken, so I watched this video and just found this one that is simpler and more direct. Watch it a few times, and you'll figure out how to tie the legs and wings to the body.

photo to the left: my first trussed chicken. photo taken w/ my iphone

• Place the chicken on a roasting pan. I didn't spray my pan, so when the chicken was cooked, I had to scrap off the bottom. To remedy this, you can either 1) cook the chicken on a roasting rack - thus, the bird will cook more evenly; and if you don't have a roasting rack, spray the roasting pan with non-stick spray, or place aluminum foil on the bottom of the chicken (that way its easier for clean-up)
  

• General rule of thumb for cooking chicken is -- it should cook for 15-20 minutes per pound of chicken (depends on temperature in the oven). I had a 5 lb chicken, so I cooked it for 1. hour and 15 minutes (probably could have kept it another 5-10 minutes). Or, if you have an instant read thermometer, my research says that if the breast register 160 degrees and the thigh registers 165-170 degrees then its ready. For more info, I found this site that gives you a chart of roasting times based on temperatures.
  

• Once the chicken is cooked, DO NOT into the chicken until after it has rested for 15 minutes - this allows the juices to redistribute throughout the bird, making for a moister chicken. And as an added bonus, the chicken will continue to cook a little longer (i.e. carryover cooking)

• The recipe calls for unsalted butter, thyme and dijon mustard. Since the recipe didn't state to melt the butter (just to spread it)... I decided to melt the butter in a pan, then added the thyme and mustard, and brushed the mixture onto the bird as it was resting. It gives it a nice "refreshed" golden brown color. Yum. I also served the chicken with mustard on the side.
  

• Drippings. Surprisingly, there was a lot of oil at the bottom of the pan, which makes me the believe that the roaster was quite fatty (and thankfully it melted away into the pan). You can use these drippings to make a gravy.
  

Overall, the roast chicken was extremely moist and tasty -- and I would highly recommend this recipe for someone who wants to make their first roast chicken. The recipe was relatively easy, with trussing as the hardest part of the process - but once mastered, this really is a simple recipe. Two of my friends came over for my "trial run" and they loved it! and I of course, continued to do the "Dance of Joy" with a sigh of relief! Phew!

There are a whole bunch of other recipes out there that include roasting a chicken with rosemary, or lemon, or garlic or anything else you can think of ; and there are recipes that say to brine the chicken first (vs. this method of just salting the chicken and then baking)... so the type and the way you roast your chicken is truly up to you. however, we know this recipe works!

Thank you Thomas Keller for sharing your recipe on Epicurious!


ROAST CHICKEN RECIPE FROM EPICURIOUS

by Chef Thomas Keller of Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery, French Laundry, Per Se, Ad Hoc

Photo is Thomas Keller from The South In My Mouth Blog

One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

Unsalted butter
Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken. I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone. I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant.

Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

Bouchon
October 2004
by Thomas Keller


ANSWER TO THE PHOTO QUESTION ABOVE:
Left photo is with my Canon and the Right is with my iphone!

A Self Created Photo Tour in New York City - Works by Bresson, Stieglitz, Steichen and Paul Strand to name a few

I was uninterested in doing any photography work, so instead, I decided to visit a few photo exhibits throughout New York City. My first stop was at the Early Photojournalism exhibit at the L. Parker Stephenson Gallery, followed by Anton Corbjin Portraits at the Stellan Holm Gallery, and ended the day looking at Stieglitz, Steichen and Strand photographs at The Met.

I don't want to ruin anyone's aspirations of visiting any of these places, but to the unknown gallery visitor, expect a small collection of photographs (20 or less) at the galleries aforementioned. The total time for these galleries were approximately two hours, with the most time spent at The Met. Here are a few highlights from my self-proclaimed photo tour:

L. Parker Stephenson - Early Photojournalism 1855-1945 on display until Dec. 10, 2010

• Robert Capa photographed a French collaborator being paraded through town, with a shaved head and a child in her arms

• Henri Cartier-Bresson photographed Children playing in Ruins in Seville ($75,000) -- its a typical photograph of kids playing... but I found the photograph to be interesting because of the "layering" of people (i counted 8) which creates a visual depth of field that takes your eyes from the forefront of the photograph to the back

• and, one piece was my absolute favorite! It was a photograph by Sebastiao Salgado who photographed a group of workers along a hillside that so-closely resembled an art farm (i wish i could find a picture of it online, but I can't)... But it may have been related to the Serra Perada Gold Mine series which I found some photographs on Flickr... The photograph was selling for $5,500.

Anton Corbjin - Inwards and Outwards is displayed at the Stellan Holm Gallery - on display until December 15, 2010

• 10 photographs were exhibited here and all were being sold for $21,000. The one that was probably the most interesting to me, if any, was one of Lucian Freud. There are other photographs there of Alexander McQueen, Bruce Springsteen and Kate Moss.
  

• Anton is a Dutch photographer, film and music director who through photography established himself with portraits of artists such as David Bowie, Miles Davis, Bono, Clint Eastwood, and Tom Waits.; and is known for directing music videos for the likes of Depeche Mode, U2, and Nirvana to name a few.

• A brief Q&A with Anton Corbjin was written in The New York Times blog section, you can view by clicking here

The Metropolitan Museum of Art -- Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand on display till April 10, 2011

The exhibit opened today (Nov. 10) and exhibits a collection of approximately 115 photographs by Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen and Paul Strand.

Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz's collection included a large number of photographs of a painter, Georgia O'Keefe (who he later married), and a few selected works from the publication "Camera Work". The photos I found to be the most interesting of Georgia O'Keefe was titled "Torso" and "Hand". The Torso image reminded me of a Roman sculpture, while the Hand image made me think of a elegance (now, do we all unbutton our jackets like so?)... After coming home and reading more about Stieglitz, I read this on The Met's website pertaining to the images of his wife, Georgia O'Keefe:

"His refusal to encapsulate her personality into a single image was consistent with several modernist ideas: the idea of the fragmented sense of self, brought about by the rapid pace of modern life; the idea that a personality, like the outside world, is constantly changing, and may be interrupted but not halted by the intervention of the camera; and, finally, the realization that truth in the modern world is relative and that photographs are as much an expression of the photographer's feelings for the subject as they are a reflection of the subject depicted"

images from The Met online library

Edward Steichen

• J. Pierpont Morgan Portrait, January 1903 -- this is one of the most famous photographs that Steichen took during his career. Steichen was asked to photograph J.P. Morgan by the German painter Fedor Encke whose request was to minimize the sitting time required by the busy subject, Morgan. Within two-three minutes, he took two photos and the image you see below is the second photo that Steichen took for himself... I remember seeing this image a LONG time ago, and after hearing the story behind it -- it just made me chuckle. If you did not know, JP Morgan was a financier, owned the railroads and also known as a "Robber Barron" during his time. In an article at the Smithsonian, he was called a "Cutthroat Capitalist" ... and if you see the photo below -- do you see an "illusion of a dagger?" -- Its not really a dagger, rather the arm of the chair that JP Morgan had his hands around. For more of the story, you can read the article at the Smithsonian, by clicking here.
  

(L) Description of J.P. Morgan Photo, (R) J.P. Morgan
photo taken with the iphone

• Autochromes - Autochrome is a one-of-a-kind color transparency composed of minute grains of potato starch dyed red, blue and green. Due to the sensitivity of the autochromes, only fascimiles were available for viewing, the originals will be available for viewing from Jan. 25 to Jan. 30, 2011. These autochromes were created by Steichen (but owned by the Stieglitz collection).

(L) Autochromes description, (R) Autochrome of Stieglitz
photo taken with the iphone

(L) Autochromes description of Mrs. Selma Schubert, (R) Autochrome of Stieglitz's Younger Sister
photo taken with the iphone

Paul Strand

Many of Paul Strand's photographs were of people, buildings and the streets. Sad to say, but after walking away from this exhibit, I remember very little of his photographic works. So to be fair, I revisited The Met website and have included a photo that Paul Strand was known for.

image from The Met online library

If you're unable to visit The Met, click the link here to view the collection online (not as nice as physically seeing it in person, but gives you an idea).

On a side note, as you leave the exhibit (if your facing the museum gift store), turn right -- walk down the ramp, and on your left you will see a daguerreotype print that is in very good condition. It was produced by Robert Vance.

Ken's Asian Taste Restaurant - Lobster with Noodles - WOW!

Photo taken w/ the iPhone 3Gs

Ken's Asian Taste Restaurant is an unsuspecting joint that has certainly made my tastebuds tingle, my stomach growl and my mouth crave for more Lobster with noodles ...

I don't even know the name of this dish, and not sure how YOU can order it, other than say Lobster with rice noodles to the waiter, or you can do what we did, which was show them a photo of it! Yes, we, or I should say, my good friend/mentor, who moonlights as a foodie for his second profession -- Ken -- showed the manager/waiter a picture of the dish and he instantly knew what it was (ha ha, thanks Ken!). I love it! Sometimes when I'm traveling, I have to play a game of charades for them to understand (yes imagine me gesturing and jumping up and down), but lucky for my friends, I saved them from the embarassment as Ken had a picture of it on his iPhone.

So what is this dish? 2 Lobsters with rice noodles (you can order it with vermicelli noodles as well). The dish is marvelously flavored with a lot of garlic, five spice, green onions and who knows what else ... but all I have to say is that this was a delightful dish (and the highlight of my day). Other than the fabulous flavors spewing from this dish, another highlight was the soupy-ness, or the broth that accompanied the noodles. If the noodles were dry, this dish would have been less appealing, but because there was a broth base that made the noodles sort of -- slurpy and wet -- it worked! As for the lobsters, "they are fresh", as one eater proclaimed as he pointed out the pinkish juice that emerged from a claw that he picked up. But, that wasn't our only good fortune, one of the lobsters was pregnant and we had lobster roe on our plate as well... My dad used to say, you are lucky if there are "roe" in your dish -- we usually had it in crab -- but nonetheless, I felt lucky for having been introduced to this dish! SO thank you ken!

And now, I am sharing this dish with you (sharing is caring)! If you find yourself in Chinatown with a few friends, I would highly recommend visiting Ken's Asian Taste Restaurant for an order of Lobster with Noodles for $29.95! Its a fun and plentiful dish to order with friends and you won't be disappointed.

As for the other items at this restaurant -- I can only vouch for the items I ate, which also include:

• Clams with black bean sauce - ok, not fabulous (forgot which type of clams we ordered, but the razor clams were not available until nightime)
  
  
• Dim Sum Entrees included: Chicken Feet (tasty and flavorful); Turnip Cake (a bit cold, but had good chunks of chinese sausage - definitely ask for the Oyster Sauce to accompany this dish); Shrimp Dumpling (aka Ha Gao -- think it was steamed for too long since the texture of the skin was spongy); Shrimp and Pork Dumpling (aka Siu Mai -- had good clumps of shrimp, flavoring decent; and again, think it may have been steamed for too long).

One last thing I would like to note is the space... They have two floors, though, I would prefer to sit on the top floor as there are more people and food options (i.e. waiters showcasing dim sum options) there. In my opinion, the ambiance is less important in Asian restaurants, so long as the food is good; however, I will note that restaurant had a sense of "cleanliness" to it. In addition, this restaurant was packed for lunch with a lot of locals on a weekday -- so that's always a good sign to me.

Before I sign off -- I know this is repetitive, but I would highly recommend the Lobster with Noodles dish to everyone. Download a copy of my picture and show it to the manager and he'll know what to do next. If you have more than three people, the dish is enough, however, I would suggest ordering a few other dishes just to get a good sampling of the food at the restaurant.

Happy eating in Chinatown!


Ken's Asian Taste Restaurant

40 Bowery
(between Bayard St & Canal St)
New York, NY 10013
Neighborhood: Chinatown

(212) 608-0806

Photos from NYC Comic Con 2010 Event at Javitz Center

Here are some of my photos from NYC Comic Con 2010!

For more, check my FLICKR photostream

Photo of the Day: A House in New Paltz

This photo was taken in New Paltz, New York.

I love how the fog spread over the entire scenery. :)

I am surprised at how well the iPhone captured this photo ...

Photo of the Day: Shadow of a ...

Is he a ....

A. Photographer?
B. Rap Artist?
C. Dancer?
D. Kung Fu fighter?

Answer is: C. Dancer. "Danny the Russian" ... He was sitting on an apple box, next to a camera, waiting for the next dance performance.

Photo of the Day: Downtown, Tribeca on a Georgeous Day!

Downtown, Tribeca
on a beautiful Thursday morning

In front of us is a paramedic van and beyond that is a church.
I liked this photo because of the beam of light hitting the camera, as the sun sits right above the church, and then touches the buildings and everything in my view.

and yes, I posted this a few days later from it being taken. :D

Photo of the Day: Underpass going towards George Washington Bridge!

Photos with the iPhone camera continues this month... These were taken yesterday as we were driving to Wyckoff, New Jersey to prepare for our music video. It was such a gorgeous day!

Photo of the Day: Outside Looking In at Thai Market in Harlem

Thai Market
960 Amsterdam Avenue
Between 107th and 108th Street
(212) 280-4575

Open from 12:00 to 10:30/10:45 pm

What Should I Cook? Mapo Tofu and Chinese Long String Beans

Mapo Tofu with Ground Pork

Long String Beans with Shrimp Paste

I decided to cook Mapo Tofu from scratch and recreate a string bean dish I had previously had at a restaurant. For those that do not want make the mapo tofu sauce from scratch, there is a House and Lee Kum Kee package that is less involved (i.e. just add water, tofu and meat). :D But if you care to experiment and make everything from scratch, you can follow what I did below.

Mapo Tofu - 15 minutes

- 1 Medium Firm Tofu (12 oz), cut into pieces
- 3/4 lb of ground pork
- 2 pieces of green onion stalks, chopped
- 2 tablespoon of Sunchang Gochujang Hot pepper paste (korean brand, red box)
- 1 tablespoon of cooking rice wine (michiu brand)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- a dab of vegetable oil (pork already has some fat)
- 1 teaspoon of corn starch
- water
- Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your pan and drizzle a little bit of vegetable oil (the pork will have some oil already). Throw in the ground pork, season it with salt and pepper and cook on medium-high heat... Let it cook for a few minutes on one side until its getting light brown ... mix and flip it ... season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking rice wine, hot pepper paste... let it brown for another minute, throw in the sliced up tofu and then mix the ingredients together. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Mix the corn starch with some water and pour it into the pan. Reduce to medium heat. The corn starch is used to thicken the sauce. Throw in the chopped green onions and let the ingredients come to a bubble. Cook for a few more minutes and then taste and add more soy/oyster/salt/pepper to your desired taste.

Chinese Long String Beans with Shrimp Paste (10 minutes)
photo courtesy of: The Passionfruit Blogger

This was a bit of an experiment, as I tried to recreate something I tried at a restaurant. I would say its not for everyone, especially if you do not like the flavor of shrimp, but I liked it nonetheless.

- 1 bundled package of Chinese long string beans (found at Chinese supermarket), chop into 3.5 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons of Lee Kum Kee Shrimp Paste (the paste is a grayish/pink tint)
- 1 tspn of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of cooking rice wine (Michiu)
- 1 teaspoon of corn starch
- Water
- Kosher Salt (or whatever salt that you have)

Heat the frying pan/saute pan, put in the vegetable oil. Let the pan heat up. Throw in the Chinese long string beans, salt, shrimp paste, and cooking rice wine into the pan. Saute the beans on both sides for a few minutes on high heat. Mix the corn starch and water and then add to the pan and reduce fire to medium heat. Let the mixture bubble and cook for 1-2 more minutes and then remove. Add more salt to your desired taste.

If you like garlic, you can include 1-2 cloves, chopped. Cook the garlic prior to putting in the string beans and then just cook it until its a light golden brown (1 minute).

Supermarkets/Shopping Area in Chinatown:
- Hong Kong Supermarket on Hester and Mott (you can get everything there)
- Deluxe Meat Market - two entrances on Mott or Elizabeth, between Hester and Grand Street
-- Vegetable stands on Mott Street near the Deluxe Meat Market