TheFitzyreport

Germanic Hot Cross Buns

Posted on April 5, 2015 by TheFitzyreport

Just as well I ordered my hot cross buns in advance, because by 7.30am on Good Friday morning at Glaser’s Bake Shop on 87th and 1st, there were only 3 left. These buns are as delicious as they are scarce, being only baked for three days each year over Easter. I guess I could have made do with the kitchen sink cookies in the window ( made with pretzels, potatoes chips, white chocolate, dark chocolate and coconut ) but not only would this have been a serious break with tradition, but the cookies seemed more appropriate to the beginning of lent rather than the end.

Glaser’s is no ordinary bakery. It is a family business that opened 113 years ago when John and Justine Glaser were part of a wave of German immigrants that settled in the area and brought their baking skills with them. Lucky they bought the building, because ( along with the German butcher Schaller & Weber on 86th Street ) the shop is one of the few remaining from that time. The interior seems completely original with polished timber shelving and tiled floors, and the now in-charge third generation has left this intact – along with the string balls above the counter that feed the tying of boxed goodies by lightening fast seasoned hands.

Best of all is that the recipes have not changed. Delicious looking strudels and crumbles fill the cabinets, along with egg shaped chocolate cakes and cinnamon buns. There was no bread baked this week because of Easter, but I shall be sure to go back for their sour dough. It’s probably made from a century old starter yeast. Amazing. Yet the atmosphere is completely non-plussed. When I rang last week to confirm opening times, the lady strongly suggested I preorder my buns even though I intended to get there soon after opening time. When I walked in on Friday the place was empty and my anticipation of a typical New York bustling queue was anticlimactic. But this place is not typical. It turns out everyone preorders, and there were boxes of buns piled on the counter awaiting the arrival of parishioners from the church around the corner (where the grandparents were married). I guess after a century the Glaser’s know their customers pretty well…

Posted in bakeries, events, Food, Uncategorized | Tagged Glaser's Bake Shop NYC, Hot Cross Buns NYC | Leave a comment

Le District

Posted on April 2, 2015 by TheFitzyreport

The French are behind schedule. Le District, a grand marketplace on the scale of Eataly but with a french accent, was due to open this week in Brookfield Place on the lower west side of Manhattan. Fromagerie, charcuterie, boulangerie and all the things things we can’t pronounce but love to eat will soon be part of this stylish Gallic marketplace. Confectionerie was the only department open yesterday, and New Yorkers, with their enthusiastic ability to immediately patronize anything new, were buzzing around, tasting the nougats and caramel filled cookies. Unfortunately for me, the salad bar that turns into a chocolate mousse bar at 4pm every day was still under wraps. But there was other magic in store.

Brookfield Place, at a stretch, could be imagined as a Left Bank of Manhattan. Apart from Le District, luxury stores are vying for best position inside and out, the view is across the river to the historical Ellis Island, and art fits rather beautifully into the heart of the complex. Currently the atrium is filled with giant hibiscus shaped flowers that swirl around the open space, catching Spring sunshine with bold color and rippling to reveal gorgeous pods inside. While Sean and I rode along the bordering waterfront bike path for ages before realizing this was not just another massive office tower, the building’s proximity to the World Trade Center adds an interesting dimension. You can approach Brookfield Place through a futuristic underground tunnel that was constructed by circumventing the foundations of the World Trade Center. Brilliant white design takes you to the new PATH train system and then emerges above ground near Trinity Church. The contrast in walking from this historical church through the still boarded side of Ground Zero into the white space-age tunnel and then up the escalator to Brookfield Plaza, shows yet once again that while we dream about the destination, the surprise is usually in the journey…

Posted in art & inspiration, chocolate, Food, Uncategorized | Tagged Brookfield Place, Le District, Le District NYC, marketplace, World Trade Center | 8 Comments

Forget Macy’s!

Posted on April 1, 2015 by TheFitzyreport

There were more bird watchers than blossoms in Central Park on the weekend, but reports that crocuses had been spotted in the Conservatory Gardens brought just as much joy. With snowbells, these miniature marvels promise Spring. While the rest of the garden is rehearsing and wrangling for position, clusters of crocuses emerge out of the mulch, signaling the raising of the curtain. In the north east corner of the Park at 105th and 5th avenue, these gardens are a considerable distance from Broadway, but will soon have a full house with soaring wisteria vines, thousands of tulips, magnolia trees and cherry blossom. Monet himself would be jealous. The spectacle is only just starting, so whatever else you have on your list, if you are in NYC in April, don’t miss this show for the world…

Posted in gardens, Uncategorized | Tagged Conservatory Garden NYC | 6 Comments

Opera at the MET (museum)

Posted on March 26, 2015 by TheFitzyreport

Tragedy was inevitable this week, when a witches spell, jealous lovers and dastardly deeds brought true love undone. But this was not the latest opera from the MET on the West side, but rather a week long multi-media event at the MET Museum on the East side. Played out with the creative and unlikely combination of an operatic score and shadow puppets, the 1499 work La Celestina was enacted in the midst of a marble courtyard from the same era. Even though much of the audio was lost on me, the drama was unmistakable. What an extraordinary combination of art and artists. The music came from England, the puppets from Chicago and the MET provided everything else. This Medieval play could have been performed in that very space in its original European location five hundred or so years ago. The sculptures would have been freshly chiseled and the audience just as engaged, but oh woe, the ending would have been the same….

Posted in art & inspiration, Uncategorized | Tagged La Celestina, MET NYC | 1 Comment

Artful interventions

Posted on March 24, 2015 by TheFitzyreport

Snowmen fashioned out of marble by Vietnamese Buddhists under the direction of a Swiss artist who believes in ‘reality hacking’, terrariums where the fantastic properties of synthetic materials meet the phenomena of the natural world, and giant spools representing the 60 miles of footpaths through Central Park as well as the poetic, political and cultural significance of the simple act of walking, can only mean one thing. Art is back on the streets of NYC, publicists have not lost their verve, and Spring is on the way….!

Posted in art & inspiration, Uncategorized | Tagged Paula Hayes, Peter Regli, Tatiana Trouve | 5 Comments

Stick with Me

Posted on March 17, 2015 by TheFitzyreport

You won’t need to ask me twice! Stick With Me, a new destination in Nolita not much bigger than a chocolate box, offers hand-made delectables that defy the law of diminishing returns. Each one tastes as good as the last – the only problem is which one to choose first. The colours are as tempting as the flavors, and the perfection of row upon row of chocolate graduating from white through to dark makes it hard to believe these temptations could be so temperamental.

Susanna Yoon, the chef, chose to specialize in chocolate over pastry and bread for the sake of versatility, but also for the challenge. She works in a temperature controlled marble topped space, where the mere opening of a door, or sudden change in temperature can change the whole chemistry of a chocolate. Everything is handmade – the chocolate, the praline, custard, creams, biscuit – all the ingredients that are specific to the flavor and texture of the whole. Small batches are the key, taking time to set sometimes two or three layers separately. But the real secret is in Susanna’s enthusiasm, and for that Australia plays a role. A flag on the shoulder of her white jacket is displayed with pride, and she speaks with gusto about a recent trip Down Under where the smells and the air were as distinctive as the cafes.

The shelf life of Susanna’s chocolates is 7 to 10 days. They are made to be eaten fresh. The toffees may last longer, or not – the raspberry one I tasted was so natural I felt like I was suddenly in a berry patch in the middle of summer. You can’t bottle that. Although the packaging of book-like boxes and keepsake cylinders makes a colourful attempt. At the end of making and painting each piece, Susanna polishes the chocolates by hand, which she says is not that different from polishing diamonds. What a perfect parallel, for this young and talented woman, her devotion to quality is just as rare.

Posted in chocolate, Food | Tagged Stick with Me, Susanna Yoon, SWMSweets | 4 Comments

Les Poules

Posted on March 17, 2015 by TheFitzyreport

The snow has gone. After weeks and weeks of record breaking icy conditions, la neige disappeared overnight. New York rejoices, but feathered friends, Genevieve (L) and Simone (R), sub-leasers of our French neighbors, are particularly pleased. As the snow melted away layer upon layer of frozen dinners, their 12th floor penthouse loft has again become a familiar hunting ground, and at last the salad season can begin…

Posted in gardens, the view from here | Tagged chooks in nyc | 5 Comments

Bjork and the Arch Bishop

Posted on March 16, 2015 by TheFitzyreport

Bjork and Cardinal Egan do not have much in common – and not just because the latter died last week. But with the performer installed at MOMA and the holy man at St Patricks, the respective queues of their equally enthusiastic devotees came close while lining up for a personal viewing. MOMA offered timed tickets to see the new exhibition of the acclaimed musician, while around the corner St Patrick’s Cathedral opened their doors to public mourners before the official funeral mass began. Driven by curiosity to see the crypt, and with an hour on the clock, I queued for the chance to experience this rarely accessed resting place. Unfortunately, or not, this opportunity was reserved for those who may not have much say in the matter. So, MOMA it was…

Bjork’s presence in the gallery was as big, relatively, as her presence in the music world. Visions of her were beamed on a giant wall running through the core of the building which you could see from multiple vantage points. Separate screens in smaller rooms played her music videos, and in even smaller spaces were her iconic gowns – including the Alexander McQueen bell dress and the famous swan dress Bjork wore to the Emmys. Handwritten notebooks presented her writings and inspiration, but the exhibition was essentially an audio experience, all about the music. The headphones and iPhone given as you enter accompanies your viewing with music and voice-overs appropriate to where you are standing, and dedicated fans took full advantage.

There has been much criticism of MOMA’s retrospective exhibition of Bjork’s work saying it lacks pizzazz and is even boring, not doing justice to the artist. Fortunately there are many other amazing things to see at the gallery, not least the Kara Walker silhouette of characters depicting an alternative interpretation of Gone With the Wind. And there will be many opportunities to look again at the artistically prolific Bjork – I’m sure if Cardinal Egan could comment from behind closed doors, he would suggest it’s not the end of the world…

Posted in art & inspiration, Museums, Uncategorized | Tagged Arch Bishop Egan, Bjork, Bjork MOMA, Cardinal Egan, MOMA | Leave a comment

Designated Survivor

Posted on March 13, 2015 by TheFitzyreport

What a job description! The State of the Union address by the President requires the entire big brass of government to be in attendance in a joint session of the United States Congress. The Vice President, the Speaker, the Secretary of State, the Chief Justice, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are all part of the annual protocol. But just in case an unexpected catastrophe occurs and the whole gang is rubbed out, a non-attending designated survivor is pre-appointed so that individual can continue the line of government. No stress! When the minister for agriculture pulled the short straw last year, he apparently chose to spend the evening dining in a fast-food joint thinking his temporary status would not be suspected there. The volume of secret service agents may have suggested otherwise, but it does raise the question of where you might be when you get the call.

Dough on west 19th street has possibilities. The street cred of these Brooklyn born doughnuts means you could probably hang out all day without being noticed. And the sugar rush would be an excellent advantage for your next job assignment. When I asked the manager what was so special about the doughnuts he said they were artisanal…. they were made by artists. While this might be a stretch, the workers in the background were clearly having fun and their lightness of being translated to exactly that in these handmade treats. It is as though all the aromas of the baking kitchen have somehow been gently wrapped in chocolate, hibiscus, or mocha crunch to produced a feather light feast. Who would have thought donuts could be this good?

Until the next State of the Union I shall be on the lookout. I could scarcely be in line to the throne, but just in case I will know all the best places to be. We all have a job to do, and if it’s a designated – or even a voluntary survivor, the next four years are looking good…