PIER 76

photo courtesy of whereyoueat.com

★★☆☆
I went to Pier 76 tonight with a good friend of mine.
Ordered the calamari.  Good - not great.
Ordered a pepperoni pizza - delicious!
The bartender commented on how she loved how the pepperoni curled up on the sides.
I would have to agree.
Happy hour at Pier 76 is great!
$2 Bud or Bud Lite bottles.
2 for 1 drinks!
Our bartender, Danielle, was so cool... she gave us a free shot of green label Jack Daniels...
very gracious...
I will be back.
You should go.
Great food.
Friendly vibe.
Nice bartenders.
Welcome to Pier 76.

How NOT to host a dinner party.

A friend of mine was kind enough to ask me over for an early birthday dinner.

Not just for me, mind you, but for another friend of his who was also having a birthday close to Christmas.

Now, to begin with, this blog is anonymous...  Not outing anybody...

When I arrived I was surprised to see my friend, the cook, wasted out of his mind.

"How in the hell is he gonna make a dinner" I thought.

We were supposed to be watching the Jets game but somehow in his drunken stooper we ended up watching almost 2 hrs of MTV's "Jersey Shore"....

:(

???

He attempted to grill a marinated flank steak on the outdoor grill in the pouring rain.

Not only was it almost completely raw but he sliced it with the grain as opposed to against it.
The steak was almost rock-hard.  Nobody there could chew it.

The only side was canned creamed corn.

I've been to his house many times and was blown away by his cooking.

Tonight, on the other hand, was very... very sad...

Never, ever, invite a friend over for dinner and get trashed on tequila that afternoon.

THE FOOD WILL NOT TURN OUT OKAY!

Needless to say, he was embarrassed that he had to throw all the food away.

I felt bad.

But, the dude is 40 years old!!!

His girlfriend saved him with making her rendition of Red Lobster's cheesy-buttery buiscuits.

(And they were truly amazing :)

Live and learn.

Lesson learned... my friend needs AA... seriously

:(

Cate Blanchett in "A Streetcar Named Desire" at BAM

The best play I've ever seen.

photo courtsey of NY Times

St. George Parish Grill

photo courtesy of www.silive.com

A few friends and I stopped by the St. George Parish Grill this afternoon for brunch.
This Cajun/Creole themed restaurant, located at 100 Stuyvesant Place, has been opened for several months now.  A stripped down, diner style restaurant adorned with southern license plates and jazz gently playing in the background.
Our waitress was very pleasant and attended to all of our needs.
The brunch on Saturdays are served from 11am - 4pm and costs $11 for 4 courses.
We started with coffee and OJ served with delicious beignets, spicy cornbread and crunchy biscuits.
The Crawdaddy Cigars dipped in a fiery orange BBQ sauce were scrumptious.
Pea Soup was tasty but the Gumbo was less than perfect.  Did not have the classic Gumbo flavors I am used to.  
Cajun Scramble (eggs, Andouille sausage, peppers and onions) were a little runny.  They were served alongside crispy home fries.
The Short Rib Po Boy was okay but did not have the classic mayo, lettuce, tomato and pickles that are traditionally topped on the sandwich.
Mac and Cheese with tomato slices was delicious.
The Pulled Pork Po Boy was cooked to perfection.
The brunch ended with a bowl of fresh fruit.  
Overall it was a good experience.  The food was unbelievably inexpensive!
Well worth the price!
Check it out!
St. George Parish Grill

silverlakesunset

Alice Austin House

DOG&KITTEN

Michael Douglas taping "Wall Street 2" in front of 25 Broadway.

Why I love... St. George, Staten Island

I found this in the Real Estate section of Time Out New York:
Why I Love... St. George, Staten Island

59th Annual Snug Harbor Fence Show

The 59th Annual Snug Harbor Fence Show was held today.  What a beautiful sunny day to walk around and check out some of the city's best artists!


I was surprised to see so many people selling jewelry at the show.  But, that is a form of art as well so I guess it makes sense.


Most of the art there was good.  There were a few that were AMAZING!  And, there were also a few that were subpar.  


Next year I will be sure to bring a few hundred dollars with me so I can add a new piece of local art to my collection!

Sri Lankan Sunday Buffet

photo courtsey of the NY Times

Today I visited the Sri Lankan restaurant San Rasa (226 Bay Street, Tompkinsville, 718.420.0027) for their Sunday, all-you-can-eat $11 buffet.  The restaurant is a short walk from the ferry so it is easily accessible to visitors from the other boroughs.  

The buffet is filled with traditional Sri Lankan cuisine: curry chicken, oxtail, curried kingfish, eggplant, sweet green beans, rice noodles, yellow rice with cinnamon, hot onion-chili potatoes, and much much more.

A delicious mango lassa and mango mousse rounded out the meal and helped to cut the hot spices.

I was inspired to check out this place after reading an article in the NY Times last week highlighting the new ethnic restaurants on the Island.

You can find the original NY Times article HERE.

Burek

I finally tried Burek.
After reading an article about new Staten Island restaurants in the NY Times last week I decided to visit Rey's Pizza on Victory & Cebra to try their Burek.
It was a delicious flaky phyllo dough filled with ricotta cheese.
Burek is also available with a meat filling.
I highly recommend it!
Go HERE for the original NY Times article.

Bridge The Gap II

photo courtesy of Bridge the Gap

Bridge The Gap II is the second annual music, art and food "be-in" hosted by the Staten Island arts community organization, SICOLAB
A great turnout on a beautiful sunny day at the Alice Austin House.
Music performers included:
Les Vinyl & the Cl-Cl-Clones
The Delay
The Higher Concept
Vessels
Trish & Christophe
There were lots of dogs and kids running around and having a great time.
Plenty of food on had with a ridiculous amount of cupcakes for sale.
Delicious vegetarian food was provided by Charlie Gonzalez.  I ate some of the best hummus I've ever eaten from him.
Practice Consciousness

6 New Stores Coming To The Staten Island Ferry Terminal

There are 6 new storefronts opening at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal (St. George) by the end of 2009.


The planned stores are:
The Statue of Liberty Deli
The Shoe Cobbler
Barber Shop
Island Soft Pretzels
Fresh Juice
Ice Cream Shop


They will join an already bustling Coffee and Candy shop and the US Post Office.


Is this the best we can do???


What about a:
Pizzeria
24 Hour Bagel Store
A dry cleaner so that you can drop off in the morning and pick up on your way home.
Starbucks (or a local Mom-N-Pop version of GOOD coffee)
A bar/lounge for when you're waiting for the next ferry
Florist
Fruit, vegetables & fresh baked bread market
A wine/liquor store

Why Aren't You Naked?

I went to the 3 Legged Dog Gallery downtown on Greenwich near Rector St.
There is a red-hot media art exhibition there until October 3rd.
Very cool trippy video's.
A must see if you are in FiDi.
Open Tues-Sat noon-10pm.
3LD

THIS IS IT

What does a single, social, thirtysomething man do on Staten Island?
More than you think.
Most of my time is spent on Staten Island, downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Here's a new blog documenting my life around NYC.
Look forward to
RESTAURANT REVIEWS
ART OPENINGS
LIVE MUSIC POSTS
MOVIE EDITORIALS
SOCIAL EVENTS