Some remarkable illustrations at Feric Studio
Some remarkable illustrations at Feric Studio.
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Entries for September 2004
Dining at Daniel
Some people spend their money on cars, houses, tobacco, music, alcohol, shoes, clothes, electronic gadgets, or collectables. After taking care of my rent and savings account, I spend my money on very few things, one of which is food. Specifically, eating for experience. I developed this habit while living in San Francisco — one of the best cities in the world for food — and have continued it here in NYC, also, as it happens, one of the best cities in the world for food.
Eating for experience doesn’t necessarily require vast sums of money. I probably spend less on average per month than the typical twenty-something does on booze or clothes. I haven’t eaten at all of these cheap places in NYC, but I’ve been to more than a few of them and have had some very good experiences. Many professional food critics will tell you that their favorite spots to eat, places they wouldn’t dare to review or write about, aren’t particularly expensive. The soup dumplings at New Green Bo are 8 for ~$3 and I’d choose them over a $35 filet mignon most days of the week.
But every once in awhile, when you need to celebrate an occasion and have your tiny mind blown in the process, you get yourself a reservation at the type of place that requires reservations and perhaps a jacket and tie. For my birthday (as well as another special occasion I am quasi-legally bound not to reveal), Meg took me to Daniel, one of only five NY Times four-star restaurants in New York.
The vocabulary of a physics major can’t do justice to the meal we had at Daniel, so I’m not even going to try. The dining room, the service, the food…all great/excellent/fantastic or whatever superlative you want to supply. Two things stood out:
- The — and I’m quoting from the menu here — Duo of Cedar River Farm Beef: Braised Short Ribs in Red Wine with Scallion-Mashed Potatoes, Seared Dry-Aged Rib Eye with Watercress, Porcini, and Young Carrots. The short ribs were excellent and I don’t remember what I thought of any of the accompaniments, but the rib eye was a revelation. It literally floored me. Ok, not literally, but I would have been knocked to the actual floor if that kind of thing was acceptable behavior at Daniel. The first bite startled me it was so good. Beef, even really good beef, tastes like beef, but this was on some other level of flavor…it tasted like magic. The remaining few bites were as perplexing as the first as I struggled to comprehend how ordinary meat could taste like that. Best dish I’ve ever had in my life, ever. Ever!
- When the maitre ‘d comes up to your table in the middle of the meal and inquires if you’re there for a special occasion “or something”, he’s basically asking, “what the hell are you young people doing here?” in the really polite way of someone who has a lot of practice asking indirect questions. Because if there was a sore thumb sticking out in the restaurant that night, it was us. Young, not particularly fashionable (me only…Meg looked quite fine in her new dress), not rich, not there for the scene or to be seen, and genuinely interested in the meal rather than just eating on an expense account. I told him it was my birthday. Still trying to figure out precisely why we were there without asking outright, he tried the obvious follow-up question: “are you a chef?” I replied that I wasn’t but that Meg worked in the kitchen of a restaurant.
From there, it was easy. When Meg starts talking about something she’s enthusiastic about, the other participants in the conversation can’t help but be engaged. Soon they were talking about garde manger, covers, and who knows what else. A tour of the kitchen was offered and accepted. After we paid our check, he showed us all around the huge kitchen, if that’s even what you can call three stories of food prep area. Really nice guy and generous with his time…he spent 20 minutes showing us around when I’m sure, as the maitre d’ of the whole fricking place, that he had a much better class of flesh to press about the dining room. He even gave Meg a card for the women in charge of staffing and suggested she come in to do a stage in the kitchen.
Right before we left (5+ hours after we’d arrived at the restaurant), we got to watch Daniel Boulud direct plate traffic and then chatted with him for a few moments. I tried to relate to him my religious experience with the rib eye, but I’m sure I didn’t do it justice. What a wonderful experience all the way around.
Related:
- A visit to the French Laundry
- Rosecrans enjoys a night at Chez Daniel
The Mount St. Helens webcam is updated every five minutes
The Mount St. Helens webcam is updated every five minutes. Recent seismic activity points to a likely eruption soon.
84 reasons why 1984 was, like, the best year evar!
84 reasons why 1984 was, like, the best year evar!.
fotolog.net needs some help
fotolog.net needs some help. 22 terabytes of data per month ain’t cheap.
iPac is a intellectual property policy PAC
iPac is a intellectual property policy PAC. “We support U.S. Congressional candidates who will be advocates for the public interest in debates over copyright and patent law, technology regulation, and other IP-related issues.”
A new web forum about cancer has
A new web forum about cancer has actual medical professionals hanging out to answer your questions about the disease. This could be a really good resource.
More on the Voters Information Guide
I’ve been away from the computer for a couple of days, but I’m back with an update about the Voters Information Guide. It’s been updated to include some alternate versions:
- 1-page PDF version by Trevor Filter
- HTML version suitable for printing by Ryan Brill
- text-only version by Chuck Welch
- an audio version by Ben Yates
In addition, John Zeratsky made a button that you can grab to link to the guide.
Of particular note is the 1-page PDF version…print that sucker out and hang it on the fridge at work, on the bulletin board in your dorm, in your barracks, at church, at school, at the mosque, at synagogue, at softball practice, etc. Throw it in the folder you use for P2P sharing. Email it to your folks. Whatever. Get it out there. (And also, Trevor worked on this PDF as part of a community service program for his high school. A politically engaged high school student! We can’t let him down!)
NYC photobloggers gather at the Soho Apple
NYC photobloggers gather at the Soho Apple Store once again on Sept 30 @ 6pm. Last time was standing room only, so get there early.
NYC’s Offical Rules Of Inclement Weather Umbrella Etiquette
NYC’s Offical Rules Of Inclement Weather Umbrella Etiquette.
For ordinary swimmers, swimming through goo is
For ordinary swimmers, swimming through goo is just as fast as swimming through water.
What the Bubble Got Right
What the Bubble Got Right. Paul Graham on the good things that happened during the dot com bubble.
Marc Horowitz put his name and phone
Marc Horowitz put his name and phone number in the 2004 Crate and Barrel Fall Catalog during the photo shoot and got hundreds of calls. He’s going on a National Dinner Tour to dine with some of the folks that called him.
Twigs, toothpicks, sardine cans, and trying to
Twigs, toothpicks, sardine cans, and trying to describe the aftermath of so many hurricanes. “Whether hackneyed or inspired, hurricanes beg for similes because most verbs just aren’t built to handle 130-mph gusts.”
Winners of the recently announced 2004 MacArthur genius grants
Winners of the recently announced 2004 MacArthur genius grants. It’s 2004 and no one has won this for doing anything on the Internet/Web.
The unfairness of the electoral college; “a
The unfairness of the electoral college; “a voter in Wyoming is worth 2.6 times ‘more’ than a voter in Pennsylvania”. I’m not a big fan of the electoral college either.
Crazy photorealistic illustrations done with Adobe Illustrator
Crazy photorealistic illustrations done with Adobe Illustrator. Outline views are available to see how it was done.
Voters Information Guide for the 2004 US Election
Voters Information Guide for the 2004 US Election.
Cosmic sugar may be source of life
Cosmic sugar may be source of life on earth and sweetness of Frosted Flakes.
Voters Information Guide
Several dozen people and I have produced this Voters Information Guide for the 2004 US Election, a quick resource for anyone who needs to know how, where, and when to vote or register to vote. It is free for you to distribute however you wish: online, in print, or otherwise. Spread it far and wide. Deadlines for registration are as early as October 2 in some states.
If you are willing and able to translate it into other formats or languages, please do so and send me a link. Particularly helpful would be a print version (with URLs written out in some fashion…as footnotes?) and/or a PDF version that fits on one page for easy distribution or hanging on the refrigerator at work got a PDF version, thanks (will be linked up soon).
Here’s some backstory on how this guide came about. Thanks to everyone who offered feedback, links, and information.
A journey into the prep kitchen at
A journey into the prep kitchen at Daniel with gatekeeper Erik Lopez.
Odd article on political weblogs from the NY Times Magazine
Odd article on political weblogs from the NY Times Magazine.
First draft of the Voters Information Guide
Update: The Voters Information Guide is finished. Thanks for all the help.
Ok, I spent most of Friday night knee deep in information on how to go about voting in the 2004 US election and have come up with a first draft of the Voters Information Guide (as initiated here). It’s unfinished with the barest of formatting, but I wanted to get feedback on it before I go any further. And keep in mind, this is more Voting for Dummies than it is an exhaustive FAQ.
What do you think? Too much information? Too little? Is it clear? Can someone find me a list of absentee ballot deadlines as good as the one on Michael Moore’s site but not on MM’s site? English majors and copy editors, help me smooth out the rough edges (with a focus on clarity, concision, and readability by someone who may not know what “absentee” means). Does anyone see any incorrect or misleading information? Leave your feedback in the thread or email me.
Eventually, translations and other versions (print, PDF, audio?, etc.) would be helpful to have, but wait on that until we’re nearing the final draft.
Wonkette is on the cover of the
Wonkette is on the cover of the NY Times magazine this weekend. Maybe I should get a sex change and write about politics?
A recipe for lemon pie
A recipe for lemon pie. This is an excellent use for Flickr’s photo annotations.
Why does taco sauce clean pennies?
Why does taco sauce clean pennies?. Weblogs aren’t journalism, they’re science!
Sometimes you’ve just got to stop and smell the flowers
Sometimes you’ve just got to stop and smell the flowers.
Dennis Rodman, looking very Demolition Man, seeks
Dennis Rodman, looking very Demolition Man, seeks a return to the NBA at 43.
Bill Gates still atop the Forbes list of 400 richest Americans
Bill Gates still atop the Forbes list of 400 richest Americans.
Serial john opposes legalizing prostitution because it’ll
Serial john opposes legalizing prostitution because it’ll remove the illicit thrill.
Sales of presidential candidate Halloween masks have
Sales of presidential candidate Halloween masks have correctly predicted the outcome of every election since 1980. Bush is currently leading Kerry 56% to 44%.
Ok, this is the first wiki interface
Ok, this is the first wiki interface I’ve seen that has real potential. Dunno quite why exactly, but this blows my mind.
I need your help getting the word out regarding the US presidential elections
Update: The Voters Information Guide is finished. Thanks for all the help.
Alright folks, we’re going to do some of that collaborative citizen journalism you’ve heard so much about. I want to compile a short list of essential resources for people who need to register to vote, vote via absentee ballot, and, you know, vote normally. I’ve looked around at a few voter information sites and they are confusing, often too marketing-based, aren’t focused on presenting information clearly, or are too partisan/biased. I’m looking for the opposite: information, links, and resources that are clear, concise, nonpartisan, and above all, practical. The information is out there…it just needs to be presented properly.
Here are some areas I’d like to focus on:
- Deadlines and procedures for registering to vote. Is this list accurate? Is there a better source?
- Information for people voting via absentee ballots. How do they register? What are the registration deadlines? How do they get ballots? What are the procedures/deadlines for sending their ballots in?
- Information for overseas voters that may be affected by the Pentagon’s decision to restrict access to the “official Web site intended to help overseas absentee voters cast ballots”.
- Regular voters…how do they find out where they should vote? Is there a easy-to-use polling place locator?
- Information about groups of people being discouraged to vote. I’m thinking specifically of recent reports of minorities being discouraged to vote by threatening them with arrest at the polls for unpaid parking tickets and the like (it’s a partisan example, but this issue affects all involved parties and is damaging to the whole system). Is there practical information for educating people about these tactics and their rights? The article says “many people were wrongly turned away when they could not produce identification”…do you need ID when you vote?
- Electronic voting - Is there anything people need to know beyond that it’s gonna suck? Are there Flash interfaces online where people can practice their vote? Do people have the option to vote on paper in some states? (Practical voter info only…I don’t care about Diebold lawsuits or anything like that.)
- Any other important issues?
So send me your links and information (or leave it in the comments) and I will compile everything, distill it down to the essentials, and write up an article which will be released into the public domain so anyone can distribute it however they wish. There will also be a compilation of all the relevent information I’m sent for people who want to dig deeper.
I don’t really have the time to do this and neither do you probably, but this is important and if you’ve got the knowledge, please consider helping out. Thanks.
DUMPED! the Musical is raising money to
DUMPED! the Musical is raising money to finish editing by selling Associate Producer credits on eBay.
Jimmy Swaggart: “I’ve never seen a man
I’ve never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I’m gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I’m gonna kill him and tell God he died.
How Christian of him.
A pair of helicopters land in Iraq
A pair of helicopters land in Iraq. Or are they landing in Las Vegas? (Or is Las Vegas some sort of code word for a landing zone in Iraq?)
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