Best Let's Finish this Week Off With Some Art

Like I was trying to tell you on Monday, my folks were in town last week and we went to the Met.  Today I'm going to show you things from the MoMA that weren't Sum of Days.

We paid $75 for the three of us to get in, but we left with $5 in our pockets and an annual membership.  It was the most loophole thing I've ever seen my parents do.

When I meet people at the Met I often say "Let's meet under the helicopter" and they say "Huh?" and then I say "You'll see."

And here's Mom and Dad on my roof!  That's where I take all my guests.

Forthcoming: What we ate.

Best Whatever, Dudes.

A month or two ago I got an email from this fellow saying he was writing an article for the New York Times style section on Mormon Hipsters and that he had a few questions for me.  For a while I really meant to write him back, but in the end I never did.

His hard-hitting, ground-breaking look at Hipster Mormons has just been published.

It is a so-so and skin-deep as one could expect, perfect for New Yorkers who don't realize that there are Mormons in this city and that the Mormons in the city might not fit whatever uninformed stereotypes they may have of them.   I read some of the emails Francesco sent the writer,  they were good.  There was a lot more to his input than hiding his hair at BYU and riding his bicycle around Brooklyn.

Really what I'm doing is biting my tongue here.  Remember when the NY Observer ran its article on Mormon youngsters in Manhattan?

Best Visitor, Two Weekend Ago

Remember how I told you Andrew was here and showed you lots of pictures of food?  Now I'm going to tell you that Andrew was here and show you no pictures of food.

Or almost no pictures of food.

Panera is coming to the Upper East Side.  We don't have Panera here.

My roof.

We were trying to get the attention of the people on the balcony of that hotel.  We couldn't.  Snobs.

Best Let's Start The Week Off With Some Art

So my folks were in town and we went to the MoMA.  They've got this installation called "Sum of Days" that fills the main atrium (and all the space above the main atrium).  It's a giant gauze sheet (or two?) that form a corkscrew path you walk through.  

Also there are microphones.

And speakers.

Strangers, lost in the mists.

I know these two.

More parents visiting pics and MoMA pics throughout the week!

Best Maybe Consider Watching This?

A few weeks ago I found out that there is this TV show called Happy Endings.  At that it is so good.  Because it is so funny.  Last week's episode was great and I think a fine introduction to the show.  So I'm posting it here because maybe one of my readers, or even two, deserves a 21 minute break.

Maybe you need more info before you click that?  To make you want to click it?  Happy Endings is a show about six friends who live in Chicago.  The first episode started with two of them about to be married before the bride left the groom at the altar.  So sometimes the show is kind of about the fallout from that, but usually it is about funny situations or storylines. (You know, like TV shows always are.)  This week's episode is mostly about vision boards.

Best This is Just a Little Post Instead of a Big Post

Monday night Andrew and I went to Momofuku Ko.  Do you have any idea how much work it is to write a blog post about Ko?  So much work.  Days and days of work

In the meantime, Mom came to town today (yesterday).  We had dinner at Freeman's with Jeff and Emily.  That restaurant is a lot bigger than the last time I was there (uhh, five years ago?) and its blossomed into a real rustic wonderland.  Best looking restaurant I've been in in a longtime.

But the food?  Totally outshined by the transporting nature of the establishment.  Why don't they have super-popular dinnertime burger?  A more Bloomfieldy menu?  Some sort of whole-animal creation for parties of friends to share?

Dad comes tomorrow (today).

Best the Tourists Won't Be Stopped

The Wall Street Bull has been fenced off as it is an obvious target of the Occupy Wallstreet protestors (I'm serious) but this inconvenience won't stop the Italian tourists from getting the keepsake photographs they came to New York to get, no matter how many tour busses nearly run them over.

This chucklehead on the left was desperate to get his picture with the bull's rear.  He breached the perimeter and paced nervously while his friend scouted the cop situation in front (the situation: lots of cops) before retreating to a more legally sanctioned position.

I would have loved to have seen that guy tackled and billy clubbed for trying to get his picture with the bull's balls.

Best World Exclusive!

Sure, you may have seen the cover of Lucky Peach Issue #2 over at Eater . . .

But the first place on the internet with a picture of the interior cover art (by this dude) would be my humble blog right here:



Issue #2 is available November 15th at good bookstores, Momofuku restaurants and, word is, many a Whole Foods throughout the country?

World domination in full effect here.

Best Eating Rampage

Our buddy Andrew came to town last week (and he's still here).  We've done a lot of stuff, including eating.  For now, let's talk about this eating.

(Took that photo while trying out a Leica 50mm Summilux at f/1.4.  Now I've got a brain full of lenses)

Wednesday night we had dinner at the Noodle Bar.  Some of the new things we tried were this Heirloom Tomato, Shiso, Ricotta and Avocado salad--very good.  An all star.  Let's go get it again.

Brussels Sprouts with Spatzle, Sausage, and Mustard.  Very nice.  A lot more sausage than I had expected.

And Hanger Steak with Grits, Gruyere, and Cipollini Onions.

Thursday night we ate at Great New York Noodle Town.  Ginger scallion noodles and roast pork.

Oh and chicken and vegetables and pan-fried noodles.

Then ice cream cones.

Friday night we had pizza.  No pictures.  Too much fun.

Saturday morning: Homemade made at home sourdough French toast.

Saturday night: Ssam Bar!

Plate of Benton's Smoky Mountain Ham.

Pork Buns.

Unexpected superstar of the meal: Swiss Chard in XO Sauce.  When the vegetables were gone I felt quite desperate to find something else to eat the sauce with.  They wouldn't give me any rice.  They used to do that.  Ssam Bar, you've changed.

Pork Jowl Terrine with pears and beans and stuff.  I liked it but I did not understand it.

And Pork Shoulder Steak with like, cauliflower and some other stuff?  This meat is always so good, I don't know where they get it, but it is nice nice nice.  And salty.

So yes.  It has been good eating.  And a lot of Momofuku, wouldn't you say? (there might have been a second trip to the Noodle Bar in there, maybe) I hear Andrew might have lunch at Ma Peche on Monday . . . that would be three out of four in under a week . . . could we possibly be going for a Momofuku full house on this visit?  Is that even possible?  Is that what could be happening?

Stay tuned.

Best So This is What We'll Be Watching Next May

A mysterious force is blowing up the world's cars and only the Avengers can stop it!

Nice touch being all sneaky about what the Hulk looks like there at the end of the trailer.   You know, the Hulk?  The guy who already had two movies made about him?