Red Rooster

Red Rooster, originally uploaded by Red Fox..


Prior to this hurricane business I had a pre-hurricane dinner at Red Rooster in Harlem.  Mmmmmmmmm that corn bread is tasty.  
Before summer began they added outside seating to their establishment at Red Rooster which they really had to do, with Sylvia's right next door and all (and Sylvia's has outdoor seating).  As a new restaurant Red Rooster is doing exceptionally well.  The food is good, the ambiance pleasant, and a very eclectic crowd.  Now when I say the food is good let me elaborate.  Lets first say Marcus Samuelsson, the celebrity chef behind Red Rooster, clearly has quite the resume.  I mean he has had the training, has been a guest chef at the White House, and has judged various cooking shows such as Top Chef and Iron Chef.  I have no doubts or arguments with his vision of Red Rooster, I actually think he has a great vision for his restaurant and the convergence of food and community. I just think that at times the dishes at Red Rooster are over seasoned.  For example I had a gazpacho a few months back that was very tasty but the dish was too large and half way through I was overwhelmed by the flavor.  It would have best been served in a smaller portion.  I also had the Red Caesar salad with a smoked vinaigrette, but the vinaigrette had far too much smoke.  Not to mention to much dressing overall.  But the corn bread is spot on.  It's amazing.  And the Red Rooster is worth a visit.  I think there is just some fine tuning to the recipes that needs to be done and the problem will be solved. 

In the bunker

I was called into work for the weekend.  Specifically because there is a hurricane out there folks, it just started raining about 10 minutes ago.  

So it begins....

In about 45 minutes the MTA is suspending all services.  No subway, no bus, nothin.  So I'm staying at work all weekend.  "Zone A" of the hurricane zones was giving orders of a mandatory evacuation.  The boundry of Zone A is a block away from my work I might add....hmmmm.......

Honesty I think all will be well.  But I did have to leave the Kitties alone.  Luckly they have plenty of food and water.  

Charlie is probably going to OD on the food by the end of the night and go into a food coma for the rest of the time I'm gone.  

I can see it now.....

Silly Charlie. 

So I'm pretty much all settled in here.  I don't have to work for three hours so I think I'll go out and get some rations.  I brought bored games to play after work and I even got some fresh flowers for my room.  All is well so far people.

Irene

Apparently there is a hurricane a blowin' in to New York City.  Now at first I was like meh, not gonna happen, Irene will lose her intensity by the time she gets so far north.  But everyone is really freaking out.  They're talking about suspending all public transportation starting tomorrow.  This means I might have to go to work and stay over for the night just in case people can't come in.  Grrrrr.

But in the mean time I need to get some rations for me and the kitties!

Peaches HotHouse

This past weekend on a blustery, rainy evening I ventured to BedStuy to visit Peaches HotHouse.  Actually blustery is an understatement.  It was a torrential downpour. 

Upon arriving I was drenched and initially had to use to ladies room to wring out my sopping wet clothing.  But once I got settled in I was much happier.  Especially after I got appitizer which was the watermelon salad, with arugula, farmers cheese, lime & ginger. Mmmmm mmmm and my hot date had the fried green tomato's with bacon and barbecue aioli.  Also Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmm.

Then along came my drink that was served in a mason jar.  You really can't go wrong with a beverage served in a mason jar.  But what was inside the mason jar was even better! First.....Bulleit Bourbon.  My favorite bourbon of all bourbons.

Second....peach schnapps

Third.....Sweet tea. 

Sooooooooooooo delicious. I love Bulleit Bourbon. It is amazing.  And this beverage ladies and gentleman was so refreshing I wanted to be on a porch swinging or something. Alas I was in the hood on a rainy night.  But it was a good thing I had this drink to wash down the fried chicken I ordered.  Because it was hot.  And I mean HOT. 

Under most circumstances I love hot food.  I  always drench my food in hot sauce so while I'm browsing the menu my fried chicken options are regular, hot, or extra hot.  I choose extra hot without even thinking twice.  When the waitress asked me if I was sure, I got a little hesitant but I went for it anyways. I should have taken this warning to heart because my mouth was on fire! I had to remove the skin it was so hot. But inside the flesh was warm, juicy, and tasty.

So the rainy night turned out to be warm and filling.  And there more than just Chinese restaurants in BedStuy now.  Who  knew.

I have recently been reading up on exercise, trends, and diet to better my heath as I'm clearly getting old.  What I've noticed in my research is that many health enthusiasts these days are frowning upon excessive, long intervals of aerobic activity.  Specifically long distance running.  Now I do enjoy aerobic activity so I'm not going to knock it, I think its important to have that increased heart rate and get all sweaty however I also think that it is hard on your body so I'm not the biggest supporter of long distance running. So quite a few fitness articles I've been reading have highly suggest just plain ol' walking to get your heart rate up.  Now I'm in no way a nutritionist or doctor but I like the idea of this, I like to walk. 
Yesterday, after 40 minutes of cardio at the gym, I was dying of boredom but was still wanting a little more exercise. So I decided I would walk home.  From the Financial District of Manhattan, to SoHo, across Canal to the Westside Highway, up the Hudson (a brief stop at Magnolia Bakery in the West Village to get some, oh so delicious, banana pudding), through Riverside Park, across a bridge that rose over the wafting aroma of Dinosaur BBQ, right on 135th st, through St. Nicholas Park, and 11 miles later I was at my door.

It took awhile I'm not gonna lie (about 4 hours with my break), but it was a fantastic day yesterday so it was worth the time AND I made some new discoveries along the way. Namely the south end of Riverside Park is amazing.  I had never ventured so far south in this particular park that begins at 58th st. and goes all the way to 156th st.  But at the beginning it's really quite beautiful; sculptures are placed through out the greenery and a boardwalk right along the rivers edge.  I'm glad I made the trek otherwise I would have never gone there in a million years.   
I don't know if the pizza I ate in my bed when I got home canceled out my walking extravaganza but oh well. If my stomach says pizza, pizza it is. 

I really love Maru.

I mean he is wearing a freaking raincoat here people!!!!!!!!!!!

This REALLY made my day.

This is just.....

This is just hilarious.....oooh my gosh how it brings me so much joy.....