Tony’s wagon

Posted on October 22, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

According to Forbes magazine, the sixties on the east side of Manhattan is the most expensive zip code in America. From east 60th to 69th on Madison Avenue, there is wall-to-wall luxury. Armani, Cartier, and Hermes rub shoulders with J Mendel and Jimmy Choo. Wealth takes on a whole new meaning. But in the midst of this billionaire neighbourhood, the most coveted gem is Tony’s wagon.

Tony started business on 62nd and Madison twenty five years ago, serving premium Greek specialties from his mobile wagon. This is not ordinary street food. He marinates whole chicken breasts before setting them on the grill, his burgers are 100% beef and they are served with whole portabello mushrooms and cheese. He has charred peppers, onions and kebabs, wrapped in fresh pita with tzatziki. The rice is saffron, the salad is made with rocket and everything is freshly made and very reasonably priced. All the doorman on the upper east side know him, private drivers and cabbies leave their cars idling in no-standing zones to grab their lunch – not that a ticket will ensue because the local constabulary are also in line. Tony opens at about 11.30 and by 1pm the line goes way down the street. He is immaculately groomed, extremely well organised, and chirpy. Why open a restaurant and have all the hassle of tables and chairs when you can just as well invite everyone straight into your kitchen?

A few years ago the city decided that it wanted to remove all food vendors from Madison Avenue and apparently the local luxury stores said if  Tony goes, we go – our workers need fresh healthy food and we want him to stay. So stay he did. Business is so good Tony takes three months off each year to return to Greece and have a holiday. In his absence his lookalike brother takes over and the legend continues.

Ronald Perelman, owner of Revlon & Sunbeam amongst other things and America’s 26th richest person, pushed past me as we waited for our lunch. He is known more for his money than his manners, but I was in line for Tony’s special and he wasn’t, so I guess I fixed his little wagon…

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Colour in Connecticut

Posted on October 16, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

Leaf peepers are the scourge of the North East at this time of the year when the countryside turns from green to gold and red. Cars crawl along the scenic routes of New England on weekends oohing and aahing, and then stopping unpredictably as new and more spectacular vistas suddenly appear. So to avoid other peepers and peruse at our own pace, Sean and I set off on a weekday when Connecticut was calm and the changing colors were at a peak. It was magnificent, I’ve only ever seen colours like that in pictures, and of course now we have our own.

Traveling north on a parkway rather than a highway meant we were given a taste of the Fall foliage to come. Picturesque little bridges crossed overhead and our first coffee stop put us at the gateway of Connecticut. We zipped through the country club enclave, where the profusion of luxury cars was equalled only by the number of Mitt and Paul endorsements on immaculate lawns, and then found what we had been hoping for. Kaleidoscopic colours covering hills and surrounding rivers, leaves everywhere, pumpkin patches, hints of halloween, farms – it was good for the soul just to be there and breathe the air. Even though it has been said a thousand times before, you just can’t believe that the earth can put on such a spectacular show, every year, completely naturally.

I was intent on finding some fresh eggs, and by luck we encountered the Stietzel farm where we not only found eggs, but delicious local honey and a fairytale looking pumpkin. The place is over a hundred years old and the farmer talked with much pride about it’s history, along with the joys of being a farmer ( you get to do all the work yourself! ). I was curious about how the chooks survived the winter – he said the white Italian variety sometimes had a problem with their large combs freezing, in which case you rub a little vaseline into them, but the real problem was not the cold but the creatures. Bears, bobcats and even a wolf was recently spotted in the area. Raccoons are the worst, they will kill every hen in the house to mark their territory, rather than a fox which will just take the one. Fishing cats have become a big problem more recently and deer will eat anything they can find. About that time we secured our farm produce in the car – suddenly those eggs seemed a lot more precious than before.

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Australian Women in NY

Posted on October 16, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

I had the great pleasure this week to talk at the Australian Consulate about my experience of life in both Australia and New York City. It was a lot of fun to bring conversation about Port Lincoln and beyond into a room of interesting and interested women, the occasion being the AWNY meeting which attracts patriots from both sides of the Pacific. There were artists, public relations people, bloggers, singers, swimmers, professionals and psychotherapists. There were veterans of NYC and those that had just arrived. There were also a lot of good listeners, and many stories to share. The last time I was at the Consulate was to hear Anna Funder speak about her Booker Prize-winning novel, and the next, I hope, will be to attend the opening of an art exhibition on Friday. In the meanwhile I shall investigate the source of the TimTams counted onto a plate at morning tea. I imagine they are smuggled in between election forms and licence renewals in the diplomatic bag, but where there is one packet, there has to be two…

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Jazz at the Kitano

Posted on October 11, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

The jazz club at the Kitano Hotel on Park Avenue has a schedule of fine performers and this week featured child prodigy Gadi Lehavi on the piano. It was a remarkable scenario. Gadi is only 16 years old, and to see his bag and jacket thrown on the floor next to the Steinway, was as though he had just rushed in from school and couldn’t wait to get to the keyboard. He plays jazz, complicated pieces, music that requires crossing his hands from treble to bass and delicate pedal work. And yet he played without sheet music. Between each piece he would reference an ipad for the next, but apart from that he played perfectly naturally, as though he were the music. It was quite extraordinary. At times it seemed as though he didn’t even have to think, he looked at the audience and around the room while his hands played on. Then he would get into the groove, rocking and tapping with a calm familiarity, as though he had been playing for years. Well, he has been playing for years, but Gadi is still only 16 years old!

The curator of the jazz schedule obviously has a skill in compiling the Kitano’s lineup of artists, because I am sure the next time I see Gadi’s name he will be headlining at Carnegie Hall. He has played at the Village Vanguard with Ravi Coltrane and this week will also be playing at the Blue Note downtown. He very proudly told me about his trip to Australia last year. But the real bragging rights were with his father, there almost didn’t need to be anyone else in the room such was the measure of his pride.

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Pardon my french…

Posted on October 9, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

We love Paris, but if you are tossing up between that fabulous place and this fabulous place, choose New York and have the best of both worlds. The reason is Maison Kayser, a French patisserie of culinary superiority even by Parisian standards, has just arrived on the upper east side. Half boulanger and half cafe, it is a dangerously welcoming destination where you won’t have to worry about your pour pronunciation…

Everything is baked on the premises, there are classic pastries and exquisite tarts, and a fabulous variety of bread. This is what Eric Kayser is most famous for, with his signature baguette translated into many colorful alternatives. The pink praline brioche looked fanciful, but when offered the whole candied almonds to taste and told they were folded through the loaf, I just had to take one home. The brioche is gossamer light and with delicate ribbons of almond praline, it is delightfully different. Perfect lightly toasted the next day if by some miracle there is any left. Next time I’ll try the pistachio eclair, or the fig bread, or perhaps the apple tart. Certainly I won’t be content to just eat cake….

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Cheese in the Big Apple

Posted on October 9, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

Beecher’s on Broadway and east 20th is well placed as a stopover for decent coffee and one of their delicious cheese and fig grilled sandwiches. But on Saturday there was another bonus, Sean & I were loitering over a second coffee so we could watch the cheese operation through the glass walls, when a tour group gathered around our pole position to be talked through the curds and whey.

I find it fascinating that a sophisticated cheese operation can exist in the middle of Manhattan. It’s not like the cows can cruise down Park Avenue at milking time, everything needs to be brought in, or transported out in huge volume. A tanker delivers around 50,000 gallons of milk at 3am each weekday and this produces about 5,000 pounds of cheese. Some of this is the curds you see pictured, the rest is taken to New Jersey to be aged and become Beecher’s signature cheddar.

The philosophy of Beecher’s is based on a healthy lifestyle and knowing where your food comes from. That’s why they position themselves next to the Farmer’s markets, and that’s why they use milk from specific cows, no hormones, and nothing artificial. The educational accessibility of the whole process is fantastic for children – and for adults – and somehow the cheese tastes extra good because you know it was handmade right there on the spot…

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Farmer’s markets in Union Square

Posted on October 9, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

You know it’s Autumn when the quinces appear at the markets and the sudden drop in temperature makes the thought of a sweet pink quince crumble a most delicious prospect. Not only was my imagination making plans on Saturday in Union Square, but all my senses were on full alert. Vivid colours splashed across pumpkins and gourds each with it’s own quirky shape, there was multi-coloured corn and husky sculptures, and the distinct smell of eucalyptus drifted through the stalls. The blue bunches only appear at this time of the year. You can always spot the Australians at the market, they’re the ones running their hands through the familiar flora with a curious smile and a momentary wistfulness…

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James Cotton

Posted on October 2, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

Attending a jazz performance at The Allen Room in the Lincoln Center is a treat even before the artists take the stage. When you are swanning around the foyer, the grandeur of the space, those massive glass windows overlooking Central Park in one direction and Columbus Circle in another, alludes to the loftiness of the occasion. It’s a kind of jazz heaven and that’s where we were on Saturday night, when I had the extraordinary privilege of attending a performance by James Cotton, the greatest living blues harmonica player in the world.

James has been a professional musician for 68 years. As a 9 year old child he was orphaned and became a student and a shadow of Sonny Boy Williamson, ‘opening’ for him outside juke joints in the south when he was too young to go inside. He inherited Sonny’s band, toured the country, recorded with Sun Records and later spent 12 years performing with Muddy Waters. From there he formed his own band and travelled the world, playing at concerts and festivals, and earning his reputation.  James is big man, and recent throat cancer only seems to have made his playing more powerful. When I saw him on Saturday night I was completely blown away.

Backing James Cotton was Tom Holland on guitar, Noel Neal on bass, Jerry Porter on drums and Darrell Nulisch on vocals. I mention their names, because on stage they constantly deferred to ‘Mr Superharp’, putting him in the spotlight. There was no shyness of course, he had about 15 or so harmonicas which he interchanged according to the song. The sound that he wrangled and wrought out of those small flutes was rich and raucous. He really enjoyed himself and the feeling with the audience was mutual. Most of the time I felt I was on a set of the muppets, as everyone gleefully bopped and bounced in all directions. In fact I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling yet.

When I bought the tickets for the show many weeks ago, the cool dude behind the glass suggested I go to the later rather than the earlier show, as if anything special is going to happen, it will happen at the end. What a prophecy this turned out to be. We had jived through ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ and ‘Got my Mojo working’ when James Cotton announced he wanted to bring someone new on stage. It was his 12 year old grandson, a small blonde white boy who stood eye to eye with his seated black musical-giant grandfather. The contrast was extraordinary, as was the gasp from the audience when the boy started to play, and then to sing. He was on fire. Child and Grandfather played a version of duelling harps, teasing each other with notes and counter-cords and then swinging together into the blues. What a sound! Unfortunately photographs inside the space were not permitted, but when you’re in jazz heaven harps have a way of being heard….

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Bavarian bakery

Posted on October 2, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

Diners are a classic American institution that have been gradually disappearing in NYC. The all day menus of everything meant you could have burgers at 10am or bacon & eggs at 3pm, reflecting the non-stop, around the clock activity of the city that never sleeps. But even though I like the idea of diners and their Happy Days aspect, since the demise of the Empire Diner, I have not indulged in one. That turkey roast dinner I so enjoyed mid afternoon at Christmas-time in 1995 is but a memory. Compared to other options, diner food now tends to be ordinary – especially when you look at superb new German imports like the Bavarian bakery in Greenwich Village.

We found Landbrot by accident last weekend. Actually it was no accident. Sean & I were on the prowl for a good coffee, and the hunger pangs from a brisk Autumn afternoon bike ride drew us directly to the yeasty smells of bakery and beer. As we walked in a waiter was serving a black forest ham & emmental ciabatta sandwich with potato salad – which we ordered without further ado. It was delicious, but if I’d paused, we may have ordered the Flaming Pie instead. It’s not what the name suggests (I visualized a German bombe alaska), instead it’s a crispy thin crust with creme fraiche, bacon and onion. Next time. Unless it’s raining, then the Farmers Bratwurst with sauerkraut & German mustard will do the trick. Of course a tapped wheat beer was the perfect accompaniment, as was coffee with Sean’s apple strudel. The menu said the phyllo pastry for the strudel was hand rolled. This seemed a stretch in an inexpensive casual cafe in the Village. But not so, the dessert was finely made to perfection, a tribute to German culinary engineering…

Craig the baker, let me know when you have perfected the pretzel croissant from The Bakery – I have a new challenge for you!

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Yankee Ferry

Posted on September 26, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

Many people traveling to NYC for the first time are not too fussed about their accommodation – so long as it is adequate, they’d rather spend their time and money exploring the city. But since venturing this week over to Hoboken on the Jersey Shore, I have found a place that is so unique, you may not want to step foot outside the door. The Yankee Ferry is a 100 year old historic vessel that has been transformed into a Bed and Breakfast and is docked near the 14th street pier. The view back to Manhattan is spectacular! If you stand at the ship’s bow without looking behind to New Jersey, and don’t pre-visualize the sometimes dull connotations of the words ‘historic’ and ‘bed and breakfast’, you could easily imagine yourself in a dream.

The Yankee Ferry is the work of 2 colorful artists and a small dedicated team who are committed to the vessel as a living work of art. Having survived two world wars as an armed troop carrier, worked transporting immigrants from their arriving ships to Ellis Island, and then for years tripped around the harbour with tourists, the ferry has most recently been massaged and moulded into a modern salon. From the moment you cross the drawbridge, you are in a world of rich curiosities. Lampshades are sculpted, bed linens are hand sewn, old aquatic features are given new functionality, and fresh flowers are everywhere.

Not surprising, the accommodation is not typical. The crew quarters, originally built for 16 men, can work for a family or for a group of friends. You can have a single nook upstairs, or a cabin with fold out trunks and expanding hammocks that will sleep more or less, and so you pay for the space you want ( usually $147 per couple + $50 for each person after that). There is an enviable kitchen, an elegant dining room, and a fabulous communal living area that is perfect for reading, or writing, or just looking at all the pieces that together create a Monet mood.

There are basically 3 levels on the ferry, with original outward looking wooden benches wrapped around the terraces. A well organized workshop sits in the heart of the ship, and at the stern 6 chickens live happily in customized coops and a view of the dock. On the pier alongside the ferry is a tire garden – the corn was finished, but there were still bountiful tomatoes and artichokes. In the same organic vein, to get back to the shoreline and travel on to Manhattan, you have to walk through a small dog run. Renovations to the pier may eventually change this, but for now this provides a ‘gateway’ to the private space of the B&B.

The most striking thing about the Yankee is the feeling of life. Many old things find their way to museums or preservation halls, but by then their spirit is gone. With this ferry you get the sense of something that is worn but winsome. So if you are coming to New York and want to experience your accommodation as well as the city, think about this floating arthouse on the Jersey shore…

ahoy@ssyankee.com

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