Categories
asian concert/event

The Kills at Converse City Carnage Pier 63 NYC

Last night we saw Black Banana and The Kills at Pier 63, where Rusty takes care of the flowers. Drank too much and ate peanuts. I forgot to pay attention to the show.

We stumbled off to the train and bought a Lamb Doner Platter at Istanbul Grill on 14th St. I was thinking it would be better than a pita sandwich, because no bread. Todd and I are trying to cut the carbs. Took it on the train and we got so pissed when we found out they gave us pita bread on the side and the whole bottom of the platter was rice. I was about to go all the way back to complain. I was so pissed and drunk.

I’m not sure if the platter is worth $12.45. Seems expensive. Probably because most of it we didn’t eat because of the carbs. A halal cart would have been cheaper. It wasn’t bad tasting though.

Instanbul Grill – 310 W 14th St (btwn 8th & 9th Ave) New York, NY 10014

We headed off to Williamsburg to meet Elissa and co. I don’t remember what we were doing, but we ended up at Supercore on Bedford and drank sake. Elissa ordered the Beni-Tori with rice (simmered chicken in dark soy sauce, ginger, onion, sugar with soft boiled egg). It tasted pretty good.

Todd was trying to order food and I tried to stop him. We need to get serious with our bodies. I remember rambling on about Brad Pitt’s diet and workouts. There are actually websites about it –Bradpittdiet.com and Bradpittworkout.com. Okay, now that I got the carb cutting down, I need to work on cutting the drinking. I’d probably look like Brad Pitt by now.

Supercore – 305 Bedford Ave (btwn Grand St & S 1st) Brooklyn, NY 11211

Categories
concert/event pizza sandwich

Food Blogging @ Stephen Colbert’s StePhest Colbchella ‘012: RocktAugustFest

Last night, Stephen Colbert took his TV show to the Intrepid aircraft carrier on the Hudson for his music festival (StePhest Colbchella ‘012: RocktAugustFest) –w/ Fun, Grizzly Bear, Santigold and Flaming Lips. The show was taped for all four episodes of next week’s The Colbert Report. So check that out, because the bands were great. I’m not familiar with Fun and it’s not music I would normally listen to, but I was impressed how well they sounded live. They were fun. And Santigold was awesome. I’m a big fan of her now.

I bought a sandwich from the Au Bon Pain stand there –the Steakhouse ($9). It’s funny, I’ve never had Au Bon Pain before. This was my first time. I opened up the sandwich and took some pics. Then the food cart manager came over and asked if everything was alright, but not really in a friendly manner …more accusatory, like I was taking photos to show how disgusting they are. That happens occasionally. But shit, this is Au Bon Pain. Not some dingy hole in the wall beef jerky shop in Chinatown. The manager did look like he could have been my off-the-boat cousin though. Maybe it’s an Asian thing.

I liked the Steakhouse sandwich a lot. I was impressed. Add a packet of mayo to that. It’s quite delightful. Good chunks of steak that’s flavored well. Now I know –Au Bon Pain.

The Colbert show even gave us three free drink tickets and snacks. That was so nice of them to do that for a free show. However, I really wouldn’t have minded if I paid for the beer. Because once I was done with my three, I couldn’t buy anymore. I asked a couple of cute girls if they had any extra I could buy off them and one of them just gave them to me. Wow, that was easy. I wanted to thank her later, but I was too shy.

Todd and Elissa were also at the show. Dang, somehow Toddles drank nine beers. He said the rainbow kids in the crowd gave them to him. Those kids were really excited to see the Flaming Lips and were all dressed up like zombies, elephants, rabbits and hippies. But Todd did drink too much and he had to pee so bad during the Flaming Lips. He didn’t want to leave, so he was almost going to pee in an empty bottle. But when he looked on the ground for one, he already found a full bottle of pee. He did the smart thing and just went to the restroom. He only missed Stephen Colbert and Wayne Coyne get inside space bubbles and surf the crowd.

Dang, I had a good time at Colbchella ‘012. It was a perfect night for an outdoor show. It  never stormed like the forecast predicted, although parts of the Intrepid were drenched with big puddles –as if it did rain on the other side of the boat. I hope it wasn’t pee.

When we walked back to the train, we stopped for a slice at Patzeria Perfect Pizza. I went with the Margherita, when I knew I shouldn’t. I don’t think Margherita works on traditional New York style pizza. The crust just isn’t right. It wasn’t bad, just thick and dense. I wish I was more sober to pick the Grandma slice. It looked good there.

Patzeria Perfect Pizza - 231 W 46th St (btwn 7th Ave & Broadway) New York, NY 10036

On my way home, I was listening to this audio-book “What Every Body is Saying” (ex-FBI agent talks about body language). I noticed these two young guys trying to talk to a girl down the subway platform. I was trying to observe their body language, especially the girl’s. Then I noticed that she was the same girl that gave me her drink tickets! I went over to say hi and to thank her. And then it got really awkward because we had 14 mins to wait for the next train and I had really nothing to talk about. So awkward. I think her body language was saying she wanted to walk away. And my body language was like I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

Categories
concert/event festival vegetarian

Bushwick Block Party 2012

Dang, they really worked on making this year’s Bushwick Block Party bigger than before –more space for food vendors and getting Andrew WK to headline. This time they even had a security check to just get into the block (21+ and no outside drinks). I would say it was more of a mini festival to sell stuff than an old fashion block party.

Getting in wasn’t bad at all. I was at the front of the line in about two minutes. It was funny watching a girl pout because security wouldn’t let her in the re-entry without a wristband. She stood there for so long pouting, when she could’ve just got in line …and it was only about ten people long.

The line to get into Roberta’s was insane though. I think there was a dance party. I didn’t try to touch it. Although, I did get into the beer line and that was crazy long too. There was only one beer tent in that area. I felt like it was a 30-40min wait. At least I made friends in the line.

There was barely a line for the Porta-Pottys, which is strange because where did everyone pee after they drank all those beers?

I bought a plate of Vegan Ethiopian food at the Bunna Cafe stand. They do pop-up events and venues around NY, but this is the first time I’ve seen them. It was really good. I was standing there a little drunk and wondering why my fingers were so messy, then realized, oh yeah I ate with my hands.

I saw the Wild Yaks and I always love them. Also got some Andrew WK action at the end, but he got cut off by the police in the middle of his hit song and pulled off stage by security …as you can see in this video.

Categories
bar/drinking concert/event partying pizza

Where to Get Beer at South Street Seaport

There are plenty of places to get beer and drink in the open outdoors at South Street Seaport, but the best deal has got to be Simply Seafood in the third floor food court (Pier 17 Pavilion –the big mall at the very end next to the water). Check out these prices.

And the large is in a huge styrofoam cup. $4.16 for giant Bud or $6 for giant Sierra Nevada/Blue Point. You can take it back outside and watch the bands perform, where they have $6 for a small cup of Bud. I believe the pizza booth in the food court is reasonably priced as well. I asked Nathan’s/Arthur Treacher’s last night about their prices and it was $6 for a tall cup of Coors Light, but not as large as Simply Seafood.

I took this large beer back out to hear Eleanor Friedberger. The band that opened, Ex Cops, was really good. I really dug their second to last song, “Spring Break (Birthday Song)”.

Coincidentally, I made some friends at the show and one of them, Duane, hosts the radio show where I was able to find this Ex Cops song streaming. We all went to Lisa’s Pizzeria down the street so I could use the restroom. The pizza did it’s job and reminded me of 80’s skating rink pizza, but in a good way.

Lisa’s Pizzeria - 76 Fulton St (btwn Gold St & Ryders Aly) New York, NY 10038

Then they took me to a keg party in Bed-Stuy, where a band called Nude Beach was playing. I’ve been looking at apartment listings lately in Bed-Stuy. Some pretty good deals. But as I was leaving the party heading over to the G train, I got really freaked out. Everyone was partying so hard. It was like the young white ghetto, Bedford/Williamsburg 1999 (probably earlier). I thought shit, no way am I moving here. It’s so freakin scary. Then I realized that everyone looked like Rusty and me.

Funny enough, in such a sketchy neighborhood, I saw Asian hipsters with what looked like Prada sneakers and Alexander McQueen High Tops. Maybe this is my kind of neighborhood.

Categories
bar/drinking concert/event taco

Habana Outpost Tacos & BAM Rooftop Films

The night started off when I was invited to BAM Rooftop Films to foodblog a car —Carpingo, a new rental service (similar to Zipcar) coming to New York later this month. The outdoor film was The Comedy, starring Tim Heidecker of Tim and Eric. Interestingly, the movie is so dark and sad.

I didn’t want to take anyone’s seat since I didn’t pay, so they ended up throwing me into the FIAT Carpingo car with sushi and wine. It was like a drive-thru, where I was the only car parked behind several hundred people. At one point the headlights flashed on and I didn’t know what to do. I panicked, but then it turned off. I kept imagining what if the car started to drift. It’s been so long since I’ve driven, I couldn’t remember which pedal was the brake. I figured I had a 50/50 chance of saving everyone’s lives or plowing them over. Luckily, it didn’t happen. But being behind the wheel really made me want to start driving again.

Carpingo is giving out free memberships with driving credit if you Text “Carpingo” to 90210.

I didn’t know about this Rooftop Film screening until that day and it sounded interesting, so I ran solo. But it turned out a lot of my friends were there. It was good running into them. I even ran into my ex in the bathroom line …so it was a little embarrassing how long I took in the Porta-Potty. I could hear two people go in and out in the one next to me. I swear I was just peeing.

Then I went with my friends around the corner to Cafe Habana Outpost for tacos and drinks. This place is awesome. It has a large outdoor patio. Perfect night for that. Draft beer is only $2.75!

Tory and I got four tacos to split. Our order was called up with another girl’s. The whole time I thought she was part of our group of friends. Dang, she must have been really confused why some weirdo wanted to take a photo with her and her food.

We really liked the catfish and pork tacos vs the chicken and steak. Maybe only because the latter ones were cold. I had a good time at Habana Outpost. I even ran into more friends there. It was crazy.

Habana Outpost - 757 Fulton St (btwn Oxford St & Portland Ave) Brooklyn, NY 1121

Categories
concert/event

Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America 2012

Last night, Dessert Professional honored the Top 10  Pastry Chefs in America across the street from my office.

Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America – 2012

Nathaniel Reid - Norman Love Confections, Naples FL
Jean-Marie Auboine –
 Jean-Marie Auboine Chocolatier, Las Vegas, NV
Chris Hanmer - 
The School of Pastry Design, Las Vegas, NV
Sally Camacho - 
WP24, Los Angeles, CA  
Craig Harzewski - 
Naha, Chicago, IL 
Sandro Micheli –
 Daniel, NYC
Marc Aumont - 
The Modern, NYC
Christina Tosi – Momofuku Milk Bar, NYC
Damien Herrgott – Bos ie Tea Parlor, NYC
Angela Pinkerton – Eleven Madison Park, NYC

2012 Hall of Fame Honoree: Marcel Desaulniers, Mad About Chocolate.

Some really good stuff. My favorites were the Chocolate Beignets and the Pork Buns. I ate too many sweets. I think I got diabetes last night.

Categories
concert/event

GoogaMooga offering 100% Refunds for Extra Mooga

Wow. I just got an email that GoogaMooga was offering 100% refunds for $250 Extra Mooga tickets…

An Important Message for Extra Mooga Ticket Buyers
Dear Friend:
We promised you a terrific Extra Mooga experience this past weekend and we didn’t deliver, particularly in providing an adequate amount of food and beverage on Saturday. We’re very sorry if we disappointed you.
To officially extend our apology, we’re offering you a 100% refund of your Extra Mooga ticket price, including handling fees.
  • If you’d like a refund, please email your request within 30 days to refunds@googamooga.com. Make sure to include the email address you used to make your initial purchase. You’ll receive a refund to the credit card you used for your purchase within approximately 10-14 days of the date of your request. We’ll inform you by email when your refund has been processed.
  • If you paid in cash, please email us from the address you gave us when you purchased your ticket and give us a mailing address for your refund check.
When developing The Great GoogaMooga, we envisioned Extra Mooga as an outstanding all-inclusive, premium experience, with top-tier programming and lots of great food and drink. We were also excited to shine the spotlight on this magical part of Prospect Park, one of the City’s great treasures.
Our intentions were good, but our execution came up short in several areas. As we continue to evaluate what went wrong, your feedback is important to us. We’ve set up a special address for your comments—ExtraMoogaFeedback@googamooga.com
At Superfly Presents and GoogaMooga, we pride ourselves in creating great experiences—and exceeding expectations—and we sincerely hate to disappoint and under-deliver. We’re in this for the long haul and are committed to building a great, iconic food festival for New York. We hope you’ll look past this year’s mistakes and join us at next year’s Great GoogaMooga festival.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Mayers, Rick Farman, Rich Goodstone & Kerry Black
Co-Founders, Superfly Presents & GoogaMooga
—————————————————————————–
That’s super classy. They really didn’t have to do that. I know there wasn’t much food (which is odd for a food festival), but I still had a great time and probably got my money’s worth in drinks (uhh maybe). Anyway, a great PR save here. They could’ve just sent me a coupon for a pizza slice and I would’ve been happy. Hope they do it again next year. Just more food please for Extra Mooga.
Categories
concert/event video

GoogaMooga 2012 in Moving Pictures

Music by Kokomo.