Hunks »Nicholas Confessore

Times Reporter

Ok I’ll admit that there’s something distinctly Patrick Bateman, or at least Jay McInerney/Bret Easton Ellis privileged evil about the looks of Times reporter Nicholas Confessore and I’ll admit it’s probably unfair to judge a book by his cover, but here we are.

Besides, I find Cofessore’s insights somewhat, well, insightful when he one ups the other reporters during the reporter round up on our favorite early evening local show Inside City Hall (which is better than ever with the dismissal of shockingly terrible Dominick Carter because of the lovely and tough (Jim crush) Elizabeth Kaledin). Well, he one ups style wise at least – imagine Jordan Catalano in a designer suit with a quirky (but expensive) tie plopped down among men and women that look like, well, normal hard working, no sleep, lots of cigarette Albany reporters. His baby blues stand out a mile away in the crowd and no doubt the pretty boy looks have gained him as many haters as admirers.

Gawker calls him a party-ho, but of course can’t help but take a photo of him at every single party he attends – usually with equally cute long time girlfriend Noelle Hancock on his arm. She’s also a reporter of sorts. Though while he was part of the crack team that took down Eliot Spitzer, she helped launch Us Weekly’s entertainment blog (laugh if you want – but I bet I know whose articles you’d secretly read more often).

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Posted on June 13, 2010

Style Icons: Male »Malick Sidibe

Malian Photographer

I randomly cam across an image by Malick Sidibe the other day and was instantly taken and mesmerized by the vibrant portrait photographers work. From Mali, Sidibe is most famous for his 1960s photos of youth culture in Bamako, Mali’s largest city that was, at the time undergoing immense changes (Mali had gained independence in 1960 then became a socialist state which was later overthrown at the end of the decade.)

The images are not only historically interesting but, for lack of a better word, amazingly cool. Fashion inspiration abounds.

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Posted on June 13, 2010

Style Icons: Female »Rue McClanahan

Golden Girl

First Bea, now Rue McClanahan. The Golden era of girls is truly coming to an end. And while the hit show they shared fame on is considered a kitschy guilty pleasure, it’s a surprisingly funny and watchable one thanks in no small part to the cast. Rue as the man crazy Blanche Devereaux, who worked more than one man to his death in her Florida retirement home bedroom, was hilarious.

Other appearances included outside my old apartment on Bedford Avenue as the mistress of ceremonies for the Dog Parade, and the Film Crew narrated lost classic B movie Hollywood After Dark.

And if we didn’t already love her enough, the world just learned that her apartment features this:

“The door to her office is another conversation piece. It is sculptured to look as though a naked woman was walking through it. The woman’s head and one breast extend into the hallway; her hand is the doorknob. From inside the office, you see her backside.”

as well as a secret passageway.

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Posted on June 13, 2010

Restaurants »Little Pepper

133-43 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing

Whenever Shaun (Chinese food hater) is out of town, we all take advantage and have a big Chinese meal out in Flushing. Our latest outing to the beloved Sichuan spot, Little Pepper began more adventurous than most. As we were paying the muni meter we were told by a wobbly eyed crazy woman “This is a bad neighborhood. For real. Don’t be here after dark. The casinos. These people will chop you up and you’ll be eaten!'”. I’ve never been told I’d be eaten before, but as you can tell, we manged to survive the night just fine.

If anything was going to kill us it was the intensely wild heat that came with our meal. If you think spicy can’t touch you, if you scoff at the little red pepper on most menus that denote heat, head over to this tiny basement restaurant stat. The Diced Chicken with Chili Peppers, ChonQuin Style and the fragrant Lamb with Spicy Sauce (Cumin) made us all sweat and even at one point literally steamed up Jim’s glasses. Most importantly though, they were delicious, no flavor or complexity was covered or lost in the heat and the meal was impressively ungreasy. Even Jim, who jokes that salt is sometimes too spicy for him couldn’t stop eating because it was so good.

Accompanying the mains, we got the wonderful Spicy Sichuan Cold Noodles (much like a Dan Dan Noodle sans meat), the refreshing Cucumbers with Mashed Garlic, and the Steamed Pork Dumplings in spicy sauce. All excellent. And in addition to the great food, the place is extremely welcoming despite language barriers and we felt comfortable taking our time and making ourselves at home with the hospitable and kind staff. Just look for the smiling Red Pepper on a yellow awning for Sichuan food to rival close by favorite Spicy and Tasty. Just be sure to brace yourself for serious spice and make sure cannibals don’t get you on the walk back to the car.

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Posted on June 13, 2010

Desserts »Cherries

In Season

If you want to literally make your life (or at least a few moments) a bowl of cherries, there couldn’t be a better time. Cherry season is coming upon us, and nothing says summertime quite like the red stain on your fingertips and lips from the naturally sweet dessert which has been consumed since prehistoric time. Add some Cool Whip for dipping.

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Posted on June 13, 2010

Drinks »Maple Cream Soda

from Radish, 158 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn

Radish is a fairly new charming Neo-olde-timey food store that popped up pretty quickly in the old home of no good cupcakes, Pennylicks. The comforting space features a really nice staff, lots of local imported food specialities and home made take home foods like meatballs and pasta salads. However I was drawn in by a sign that read “Maple Cream Soda”. Just the idea was mesmerizing, and the reality is quite delicious. They use soda from their own tap and the cream is a handmade mixture that’s sweet and thick. It’s like a newfangled egg cream and worth a visit to try.

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Posted on June 13, 2010

Spend a Couple Hours »Big Apple BBQ

at Madison Square Park

We’ve braved the long lines (that actually go very quickly) and major crowds many times now to enjoy the outdoor Big Apple BBQ, which features pitmasters from around the country. We went in with a plan this year. We came when the festivities began to help ease some of the crowding and made for two specific places. First, 17th Street Bar and Grill, the Mike Mills Illinois based stand that featured baby back ribs and baked beans. I’d heard so many raves about the cue, that constantly, throughout the festival boasts incredibly long lines. There’s a reason – these are incredible! Slightly sweet, but mild, but flavorful and moist, I was thoroughly impressed. The baked beans that featured a variety of beans beyond the basic haricot beans.

Second, we made our way to the sandwich that we look forward to eating once every year – the whole hog from Ed Mitchell’s Pit. Perfectly, subtly vinegary and incredibly moist, like always it didn’t disappoint. I am psyched Van got to develop such good taste for BBQ so early in his life – I was hoping there’d be a baby onesie among the merchandise but no such luck.

There were less sweets than other years, only Blue Smoke offered them (we got the rootbeer float) and I was bummed to see there was no Brunswick Stew, but all in all, despite all the grumbling I heard and the crowds, I always love the Big Apple BBQ and look forward to it annually.

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Posted on June 13, 2010

Spend a Couple Minutes »Big Bambú: You Can’t, You Don’t, and You Won’t Stop

On the Met Roof

It’s always great to see the various ways artists transform the rooftop of the Met, but perhaps none have transformed it so completely as Doug and Mike Starn with their elaborate work in progress, Big Bambu. The maze like structure of bamboo walkways makes you feel like your stranded on a desert island with a group of innovative architect students and a lot of bamboo – an illusion helped by just having watched the end of Lost and the hippie kids building the structure as we stood by.

We saw a group going on a guided tour, which climbs the structure as high as 110 feet. We didn’t go on the tour ourselves (pregnant ladies not recommended) but I sure it’s pretty amazing if you can manage through the guidelines of getting a ticket.

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Posted on June 13, 2010

Recipes »Lemon Meringue Pie

from Local Lemons

My friend Jessica is a friend in deed. At my recent brunch party, she arrived with an incredibly delicious Lemon Meringue Pie made from scratch. She found the recipe online at Local Lemons via Tastespotting. As a huge merginue fanatic, and a lover of sugary crumble pie crust, there shouldn’t be a happier treat for me!

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Posted on June 13, 2010

Movies »Splice

directed by Vincenzo Natali (2010)

Not to diminish the role of director Vincenzo Natali (though “presenter” Guillermo Del Toro has already done so by prominently splashing his name all over the posters), but the surprise sci fi critical darling Splice is classic Cronenberg through and through (just to clarify: anything pre eXistenZ qualifies as classic) – and it’s not just the very Canadianness of it all (Sarah Polley, possibly the most Canadian actress of all time, stars), nor is it just the crazy-gross flesh-slugs and scalpel surgeries that remind me of the prime of the horror giant (whose films include The Brood, Rabid, and the truly incredible and mind bending Videodrome).

There’s a certain dignity to the movie making that is woefully absent in most like minded thrillers of late that do little more than make you squirm through some gross-out stuff. Unlike such movies that parade half naked actors and actresses who are barely fit for terrible CW teen dramas, everyone here does phenomenally with some pretty tough material.

And while I’m still not completely sure how I feel about Splice, it certainly requires a bit of thought and evokes some very, very disturbing ideas not only about scientific morality, but really creepy concepts of parenthood and human desires and motivations. For the record, it’s super creepy to watch while pregnant.

It’s in theaters now and definitely a more interesting way to spend a couple hours out of the heat than in front of Shrek Forever After, Killers (shockingly not based on the Hemingway short story), or Marmaduke.

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Posted on June 6, 2010