101 Stanton St

French macaroons are having their day in the sun. With all the new spots specializing in them, one might even say the kind of obnoxious phrase “they’re the new cupcakes”.

After sampling Little Oven I stumbled across Bisous Ciao in the lower east side, a formal affair with gallery lighting, black gift boxes and gloved cookie servers who were surely slash models.

It seemed set up to really appeal to the Soho visitor, but I was compelled by the promise of exotic macaroon flavors, most notably Violet, a candy flavor I adore (but is certainly an acquired taste).

In my recent Little Oven review I said it’s what’s inside that counts and Bisous Ciao boasts creamy yumminess.

But I have to say, they fall a little short on the cookie that was too soft and lacked that macaroon flaky crunch.

See more: Desserts Cookies Lower East Side

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Posted on October 12, 2011

directed by Joseph Losey (1963)

The quietly strange film The Servant grabbed my attention with subtle and indefinable tension. For an hour or so, I couldn’t quite tell why I was so intrigued.

This complex take on class struggle based on the novel by Robin Maugham, written by Harold Pinter, concerns an oblivious upper class young man named tony who has vague plans to make lots of money clearing Brazilian rain forests but can’t pour his own brandy.

Enter Hugo Barrett, a seemingly devoted manservant who slowly becomes integral to Tony’s existence. Bogarde’s performance is key to the movies success. he plays a soft spoken servant hiding the cruelty of a master manipulator. He’s both creepy in his surprising viciousness and alluring in his brazenness. Even naked in silhouette he’s fascinating to watch.

Inventive Cinematography, great use of music (“All Gone”, sung by Cleo Laine), and constant visual and palpable tension make this movie more than a mere social class allegory. It’s also quite beautiful, quietly homoerotic (though this might only be my interpretation) and one of those films that really gets under your skin.

On Netflix instant.

See more: Movies 1960s Drama

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Posted on October 12, 2011

by Wicked Witch (1978-86)

Hands down Chaos 1978-86 is the weirdest album I’ve discovered.

You know how they can record your thoughts as those grainy distorted images? This is kind of the music version of that. So lo fi it feels like it’s inside this awesome basement musicians own mind and his mind is filled with spooky sounds, avant-garde takes on cop movie soundtracks and strange interpretations of Parliament and Rick James.

I feel like this oddity will only grow on me more and more as it seems to offer new sensations every time we listen to it. So I was almost hesitant to write about it until it had totally washed over me, but it’s really too cool, bizarre, and unique to keep a secret from you all any longer.

I really want to thank the blog Music to Flip You Around for introducing this to me (during a random image search). You can get a down-loadable zip of the album from them too.

We have a new creative hero in our house, and his name is Wicked Witch.

See more: Albums 1970s 1980s Funk Pop

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Posted on October 9, 2011

on Flickr

These photos of people getting scared in Nightmare’s Fear Factory are stupendous!

We won’t be making it to the old haunted house this year, but these photos are filling the void nicely.

I love Halloween time!

Thanks Steve for bringing these to my attention.

See more: Laughs Found Photos Halloween

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Posted on October 7, 2011

by Wells Tower (2010)

All Wells Tower’s characters: a bullied kid with a crappy stepfather, an old men left with nothing to do, a newly divorced man stranded in Florida and even a Viking who’s lost his thirst for pillaging are all living unsatisfied lives.

It could make Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned a depressing read. Yet! Tower’s writing possesses humor (without being quaint), pathos (without being hokey) and crystal vivid description (without getting in its own way).

This, his debut book of short stories has made him a bit of a hyped darling -but just because he’s praised doesn’t mean he’s not worthy.

I can’t wait to read more from him and pass this along to my avid reader friends.

See more: Books 2010s Short Stories

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Posted on October 6, 2011