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last weekend was my first exploration of the catskills. we want to buy a getaway spot and this was our initial trip to get the lay of the land. first impressions: stunning scenery (often reminiscent of california), kind people, tremendous food (more on that later) and good vibes all around. we stayed at a wonderful b&b called breathe inn. from the impecable design to the delicious breakfast to the owner’s adorable kids, it was welcoming and inspirational.
when we first arrived in phoenicia, we ate at sweet sue’s. i had the “carrot cake” pancakes and made the mistake of ordering 2 cakes (1 was plenty). while waiting for my meal, i flipped through edible hudson valley and noticed a feature on the owner of peekamoose, a restaurant in big indian. i didn’t think much of it until a shopkeeper on main street recommended it – and later the owner of breathe inn just assumed we would eat there. nevertheless, i have already claimed peekamoose my favorite restaurant. we dined in the tap room, soaking in the cozy atmosphere, with the rain gently falling outside. we were unable to enjoy the best feature, however: the rain prohibited us from roasting marshmallows on the pit in front. you can bet i will be back to do that.
the teepee at breathe inn:
breathe inn decor:
pancake menu at sweet sue’s:
the perfect house (with a red door):
the bar at peekamoose:
i’m currently reading waiter rant, by steve dublanica. waiter rant began as a blog, where dublanica aka “the waiter” chronicled his interactions with restaurant patrons – the good, the bad and the ugly (mostly ugly). it’s a fun read, especially for a new yorker, and i can’t help but have a different perspective when i eat in restaurants now. mostly what i find inspiring, is what started as something casual, fun and an outlet for frustration evolved into a book on the ny times best seller list. compare his original blogspot blog to his current wordpress blog, and you’ll see how far he’s come. no wonder my husband encouraged me to use wordpress for late blooms. below is an excerpt from his site.
The phone rings.
“The Bistro,” I answer, “How can I help you?”
“What kind of cuisine do you serve?” a female voice asks.
“Northern Italian madam.”
“And what’s your sushi special tonight?”
I pause a moment.
“We don’t serve sushi madam.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re not a Japanese restaurant?”
The caller thinks about that for a sec.
“Do you serve tuna?” she asks.
“We do.”
“Can’t you make sushi out of that?”
“No.”
“Why not?” she asks incredulously.
“Because.”
“Oh.”
There’s a long pause. I can visualize this woman sucking her thumb.
“Would you like to make a reservation?” I ask
“No, I really wanted sushi tonight.”
“Sorry,” I verbally shrug.
“Could you suggest a place?” she asks testily.
I give her the name and number of a very expensive sushi house and hang up. I look at the clock and sigh. So far I’ve put in eighty hours at the Bistro. When Fluvio comes back this Sunday it’ll be 110 hours without a break. Phone calls like this threaten to destroy whatever sanity I have left. It’s time to self medicate.
bet you can’t wait.
absolut stud
September 13, 2009 in commentary, food + wine, media, nostalgia | 1 comment
growing up, my bedroom’s pastel wallpaper was covered in magazine tears – kate moss and marky mark interwined in a calvin klein ad, cute boys from details magazine and a slew of absolut vodka ads. i love the graphic wit of the ads, such as absolut marilyn, featured on a grate with its “skirt” blowing up, or absolut manhattan, with central park shaped like the bottle. i even used to try to come up with ideas for ads, which hadn’t been produced. i recently stumbled across the iconic bottle, wrapped in leather and studs (by designer natalia brilli) for their special rock edition. naturally, vodka and rock and roll make quite a nice pair. after all these years, the product and campaign remains creative, current and cool.
image from luxuo.com