ultraclay dot com

IMG_5797 - Version 2, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_6405 - Version 2, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Long Island City, Queens. 2006.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_7372, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 2008.

Posted by ultraclay at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

Roof Collapse, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

First Roumanian American Synagogue, Rivington & Ludlow, Lower East Side, NYC.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

Mister Softee: snitch, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Columbus Circle, NYC. 2006.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_7203, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Last weekend, Tammi and I participated in our annual block party. It was a first for both of us. Every year, I've discovered the festivities the day of the party, as I'm leaving the house to do one thing or another.

This time we had a little advanced warning and I fired up the grill. Tammi and I took the grill and a couple of chairs out onto the street in front of the house and sat with our neighbors for hours, talking and getting to know each other.

It was a great time.

Update: Photos now posted on Flickr.

Posted by ultraclay at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_7348, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 2008.

Posted by ultraclay at 9:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_7713, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Work will take me out to the City of Angels again next weekend for a little over a week. Clearly, I'm already planning out my meals. Musha and Mozza are already in the plans. Hot dogs at Oki Dogs or maybe Pink's are a must as well.

I've been checking out Eater LA among other sites to hear about what's new and wonderful out there. Last week I discovered that Loteria Grill, whose Farmers Market location I visited in my first time in LA, has opened up a new location a few weeks ago. That's on the list.

Rummaging through my delicious bookmarks, I was reminded that there is apparently a branch of Santouka in Torrance. I'm so hoping they have the pork cheek ramen. I have to have that again.

Last summer I visited Santa Monica beer bar and restaurant Father's Office on my last day. It reminded me of the 'new' Blind Tiger with it's interesting and wide selection of beer and tasty bites.

It's also time to revisit the recommendations the TOJ gave me last year.

More to come...

Posted by ultraclay at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_6819, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

San Francisco, CA. 2003.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

Not that I have any appreciable number of readers, but I try to stick to a few principles in keeping this blog. One of them is that I want to avoid ever trashing the places I write about. I feel like there's plenty of negativity on the internet as it is, there's no reason to add to it.

I also know enough people in the hospitality industry that I understand that off-nights happen. I've put off writing anything at all about my experience at Jakewalk, because I don't want to be one of those irritating netizens who gets their jollies writing tirades tearing down someone else's hard work.

So, I post about my visit in as much of a matter-of-fact manner as possible, hopefully keeping my editorializing to a minimum...

When my party of 4 got to Jakewalk, half the tables were empty. We ended up sitting in the back, across from end of the bar with the waitstaff station and the kitchen. Even so, it took 15 minutes for our order to be taken. After another 15 minutes, one of my friends walked the 5 feet to the bar to ask for our drinks again. During that time our waitress passed by us going to the other tables without checking in on us once or even letting us know that our drinks were coming. One of the proprietors I believe, took over and tried to sooth us, but we were already irritated.

It was another 45 minutes before our food showed up. The guy we had been dealing with spoke to us a few times apologizing for the delay and letting us know that it was nearly ready. It wasn't until we got our food that the waitress came back. Instead of being apologetic that our food took so long to show up or that she never once followed up to see how we were going, she advised us that we should try to enjoy ourselves even though it took a long time.

The most frustrating part was that none of the food actually needed to be cooked, just cut up and dropped on a plate. We had an order of Rillettes and a plate of cookies both of which require no preparation at all. The fondue was the most complicated to prepare because it had bread, apples and sausages that had to be sliced up along with the cheese that had to melt in the bowl. This should not have taken an hour.

Really though, the worst part is that the food and wine were all good, but the overall experience was awful. On principle, I would never go back to a place that treated me so poorly. So, I won't be back either way.

Posted by ultraclay at 7:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_5540, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Red Hook, Brooklyn. 2006.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

Paris, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

After a year of hoping and wishing and just about giving up, Tammi and I have decided to go to Paris for the Honeymoon.

You'd think that the travel portion of the wedding would be something I'd be all over. It's certainly the area I'm the most comfortable with and knowledgeable about, much more so than paper and printing styles or what kind of suit I should wear.

Yet, I've been putting this off for a while. Mostly because, given the economy and the weak dollar, Paris has been out of reach for us.

Instead, we were going to go to Brazil. The tickets were on hold, awaiting the final click. Then my Aunt - my wonderful, fantastic Aunt - called me to let me know that she would be entering a large donation to the honeymoon fund. We were elated.

Nothing against Brazil, but before I had even figured out how to propose, the idea of a honeymoon in Paris was nearly fully formed. It would be a change from our standard expeditions, something familiar and relaxed. I wanted to defy my habit of spending my vacations on my feet trying to see every single thing possible before leaving. Instead of exploring all the time, we'd live there if only for a couple weeks. We'd go to the markets, I'd cook, we'd wander the streets leisurely instead of intently seeking out the next place on the list.

There is a visible difference in our attitudes toward just about everything wedding-related since deciding on Paris. This morning I gathered up my Hemingway and Orwell along with various other books about or set in Paris and started looking at vacation rental sites.

We're so excited!

Posted by ultraclay at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_6500, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 2008

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

Bars (Windows, not Booze), originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Harlem, NYC. 2006.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_6485, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 2008.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

Water on the Brain, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. 2006.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_1509, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

UWS, NYC. 2008.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

New York Public Library, Midtown, NYC. 2006.

Note: I posted the photo above among others and the description below to Flickr when I first signed up. I hadn't planned on blogging, so I just editorialized in the set description. I just came across it and thought a repost was in order.

This troupe performs on Fifth Avenue in front of the Main Branch of the New York Public Library. The most obvious member in the group is Q, a Japanese woman who was highlighted in a NY Times article last year. She's not just there as a gimmick though. Her moves are daring and playful. The rest of the group did their thing as well. I particularly liked the popper who strutted and bounced back and forth, posing the whole time.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

Gimmie Shelter, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Downtown Hartford. 2006.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_4949-51, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Passing through the Bronx on Amtrak. Bronx, NY. 2008.

Posted by ultraclay at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_1561, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Found at Buon Italia, an Italian import shop at Chelsea Market, NYC. 2008

Posted by ultraclay at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_8458, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Seattle & Vancouver: This is the most vague, as I don't have as many specific recommendations as much as wild ravings about how wonderful the area is for food folks. Hell, I want to go to Seattle solely on the idea of visiting Salumi and going to the fish market. As far as I've heard, the whole region is awash with fantastic food, shellfish and microbrewed beer. What's not to love?

Posted by ultraclay at 1:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_7339.JPG, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

This is pretty self-evident, given all my complaining about how little I got to see San Francisco last month. Guy lived there for a few years and would be into going back for a couple days as well. I think I'd want to stay some place with a kitchen and really take advantage of the farmers market for once. Also, the tacos would be plentiful.

I'd have to make several expeditions into the various graffiti havens and explore some of the neighborhoods I haven't seen. There are also a bunch of college friends who live out there that I didn't have time to see at all last month.

While there, I'd also like to see more of Oakland, I got a few recommendations for places out there to visit last month, but there was no time to go.

Posted by ultraclay at 1:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_3536.JPG, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

For something completely different, we could always head north. This is the time of year to go, before the whole country is buried in snow.

Quebec City:
I've have read interesting things about the 'Europeaness' of the city and this year they are celebrating a huge anniversary, so there are events happening all summer.

Montreal:
I already have a trip to Montreal planned later this year, but another couple days just means more smoked meat for me. Also a ton of great local brewed, european-style beer that's never exported down here. I have been wanting to go back to Montreal for years, two trips would be fine by me.

Toronto:
TO as the locals call it, has a hip-hop scene that hosts graffiti festivals regularly, cool hang out spots, great local brews that I have never seen south of the border and a local food scene that was strong before I'd ever heard the term locavore. Additionally, it's got huge international communities, which means great West Indian and Asian food just about everywhere.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

Streetcars, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

This is clearly more of a Barbecue trip. I'd probably just fly down to DC to meet Guy and we'd head out from there.

North Carolina:
Again, we'd see my aunt and hunt down some pork.

South Carolina:
Guy mentioned a cool vibe in Charleston and perhaps a visit to some of the coastal islands. I'm less familiar with the region, but it sounds interesting to me. Particularly those island populated by the Gulla.

Memphis:
I've heard so much about Tennessee's barbecue that this is a must as far as I'm concerned. Barbecue and blues, no question.

New Orleans:
As I've mentioned, I've been wanting to return to New Orleans for a while now and this would be a good opportunity. Unfortunately, I wouldn't want to make plans to go there at the end of august until the exact last minute, so that would have to be decided on the fly.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

Roll 3 - 96, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

This would be a relatively leisurely itinerary. We'd be able to meander down the seaboard to sampling some regional specialties along the way.

First stop, Philadelphia:
Obviously, I know more than a few places to go in Philly. I imagine I'd want to spend most of the time there in Northern Liberties. I keep hearing about more and more places popping up there. If we're driving, it would be the perfect opportunity for me to finally check out a few South Philly gems that I've only read about, including John's Roast Pork and the Italian Market. Osteria, which I never managed to post about last year, is a must.

Pit stop, Baltimore:
Crabs are key. I don't know where to go, but if we were heading towards DC, I'd want to sample some of the famous crustaceans.

Washington DC:
This is Guy's turf these days, so I'd leave it to him to figure out particulars. I'd probably want to check out the Smithsonian, while I'm there and probably Brickskellers a beer bar I visited many years ago.

North Carolina:
My Aunt is in Chapel Hill, so I'd stop in an visit her for a few days. There is also a huge amount of barbecued pork that needs to be eaten. My aunt is a vegetarian, so I rarely get to seek out the legendary pork shacks while down there. This would be the time.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_6019, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

Gowanus, Brooklyn. 2006.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

The powers that be have unexpectedly blessed me with an extra week of vacation this year. Given that I've been hoarding my time for the honeymoon (more on that to come), I was a little shocked to find myself suddenly have more time than I know what to do with. It will definitely be the last week of August, but other than that I'm not so sure.

I just spoke to Guyvera, who has some time as well and we've come up with a few options. Clearly food is a priority, but I'm hoping to do a 'road trip' without spending 90% of the time on the road. Maybe that's antithetical to the concept, but as a non-driver, I really want to see more than the inside of a car.

Here's what we've got so far...

•Mid-Atlantic: Philly-Baltimore-DC-NC
•The South: DC-NC-SC-Memphis-New Orleans
•Canadia: Quebec City-Montreal-Toronto
•San Francisco
•Pac NW: Seattle-Vancouver

Keep reading for the run down on each option.

Posted by ultraclay at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

IMG_7867, originally uploaded by ultraclay!.

The Mission, San Francisco. 2006.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

It's been a month since our room at the Atlanta Marriott Downtown was robbed.

When we discovered it, security came to our room, took our statement and directed us to discuss the issue with management. The manager on site told us not to bother filing a police report and that we should check with the general manager when we got back home. The general manager directed us to their risk management department. The risk management department returned my call once, didn't have the file on hand and said they'd call back. They never did.

Finally, after calling again three or four times, Tom Sislo from Columbia Sussex, the franchise owner told me that, even though he hadn't even seen the report yet, the Innkeeper's Statute absolved them of all responsibility of the theft.

Literally a month after the theft, after speaking to 7 different people on this subject and a number of unreturned calls, I was told that no matter what, the hotel would not accept fault and that apparently it's not in the hotel's interest to investigate this case significantly.

So, there you go. Apparently we should all expect that anything we don't leave in a safe (which isn't provided in the room) will be rummaged through and potentially stolen. Good luck!

Posted by ultraclay at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |

One of the best benefits of bike-riding for me has been the exposure to areas I would otherwise never see. This has inspired me to explore beyond my standard MTA-mandated locales and find places that aren't so convenient to the train travelers among us. Which is how I came across Rustik Tavern.

I had gone to the Home Depot on Nostrand to pick up a few things and planned on riding down to Fort Greene to get some food. After a few blocks of riding with half a ton of stuff on my back, I saw Rustik and decided that closer was going to be the better bet.

I like Rustik. It's very rough and I have to say the food I had the first time was not so great. The waitress later told me that no one from the kitchen showed up that day and the rest of them were improvising. This explained the shriveled, overcooked chicken that came with my waffles.

They opened up last year and are still experimenting on their format. Posters hang advertising comedy shows and jazz performances, on a recent brunch visit a band played Mediterranean music for fewer than a dozen customers.

But going there reminds me of being at Moe's in 1999/2000. The crowd there is communal and fun and the neighborhood, just on the Bed-Stuy side of the Pratt area, reminds me of Fort Greene when I just got out of school. Before the crowds overran places like Habana Outpost and Stonehome, there was no trouble finding place to chill over a beer and meet your neighbors.

I look forward to spending more time at Rustik. At some point I'll need to figure out a convenient way to get there without the benefit of my bicycle one day so I can see what it's like in the evening. I'll be sure to report in when I do.

Posted by ultraclay at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | |