Gotham Gal

A Shout out to Frank Bruni

2009-11-07T07:31:11-05:00

Friday night we walked over to Joseph Leonard, sat at the bar and had dinner. Yes, we are one of a group of investors in JL but my favorite thing about it is the vibe and the bar. It is great going there, sitting at the bar, drinking, eating and chatting with Gabe. It is our local home away from home. BTW, JL opens for breakfast this week.

Frank Bruni sat down next to us at dinner last night. Of course, after a few glasses of wine, and Gabe introduced us, I couldn’t help but gush over his book and him. I asked him what he was doing now. He is still writing for the Times but not on a constant basis. Couldn’t help but put my 2 cents in and said he should write another book after all he is a brand.

The New York Times food column gave Bruni the platform to become a brand. As our world is evolving through social networking, I see Bruni, if he chooses to embrace it, as the first real generation of personal brands that are really not so much connected through where he came from, The New York Times. If he chooses, he could take himself and grow his brand without having to be connected to the Times, or he could do both ( if the Times lets him and they should).

Bruni can continue to write a food column on his own personal blog, he can continue to write another book about his experiences which based on the first book are not only interesting but he makes them fun to read about, he could use Four Square as a way for people to follow him through out his restaurant endeavors and Twitter to grow his audience. People trust his experience. Certainly there are many ad networks that will continue to figure out how to make money on all 3 of those platforms, they already have blogging down and Bruni could probably make a pretty good income on the ads on his blog alone. Where that takes him, who knows. Food books, travel books, political books ( which he had an interest in earlier in his career ), etc. Maybe first chapters released on his blog as the book industry is figuring out what they will look like in 5 years.

I saw Bruni in a question and answer forum with Ben Leventhal at the Food and Wine weekend and was impressed. He is a smart charismatic guy. So, here’s a shout out to Frank Bruni, take your brand, you, and show us what you can really do. Be a early adapter of the brands that are being built around people. You are a prime candidate.

Tiny Cupcakes on Spring Street

2009-11-05T13:24:33-05:00

On Spring Street between Mercer and Broadway, north side of the street, is a tiny store front that sells tiny cupcakes. They are almost like the cupcake tops without the bottoms about the size of a quarter. Baked by Melissa.

There are eight flavors. Mint chocolate chip, tie-dye, cookies 'n cream, cookie dough, peanut butter cup, peanut butter and jelly, cinnamon and sm'ores. I believe the cost was $1 for 3. You truly can't beat it.

We had the peanut butter cup, cinnamon and sm'ores. Each packs a powerful punch and are really rich. All you need is that one bite and your sweet craving is cured.

Clever idea, great product. You can buy them in bulk for parties too.

Last night wasn't my night

2009-11-05T11:21:55-05:00

Last night Fred did a meet and greet for all the people who gave to his Donors Choose Challenge. It was a really nice event. Last night just wasn't my night.

In general, I am quite the meet and greeter but for the first time in a very very long time I found myself sitting at a table just waiting out the event. Very un-me. It was a long time and an exhausting day on many levels. It happens.

So, to all those last night that I didn't get to speak to or I appeared to be disconnected from, sorry. It just wasn't my night. It happens.

As for Donors Choose, which is a great organization, I'd like to see it be stickier. What I mean by that is in the world that we live in, the world of instant gratification, it is so easy to press a button and donate. That works for many but not for all. Perhaps a good handful of the people there would have liked to take their donation to another level by getting involved. In the early days of MOUSE, we had barn raisers on Saturdays where people who wanted to literally climbed through ceilings and wired High Schools. Perhaps Donors Choose can figure out to have Meet-ups at actual schools on the weekends where people can plant a garden, set up the computers, go through the library books and organize them. I am just tossing out some ideas here but as the teachers ( the only people who really met last night ) are teaching the next generation of leaders, maybe we can do more than just send cash.

Throw the bums out

2009-11-04T14:22:16-05:00

Over the last decade or so, I have been involved in politics in one way or the other. We grew up discussing politics around the dinner table. Policies, elections, candidates, etc. It has always been part of my life. That is probably why when we started to have access to meet politicians at a very high level, I started to feel that we should support them financially and throw some muscle behind them. And, so we did.

Most of the time, our efforts were through fund raising. Locally and nationally. Perhaps stupid on our part but we really had these fund raisers not so much because we wanted to be part of the process as not once did we go to those access events we had invitations to because you gave so much money. We raised money because we wanted the world to be a better place.

Yesterdays election outcomes sends the signal, at least to me, of exactly how I have been feeling about Government in the past year. I have lost faith. I am a fan of Obama. I do believe he wants to make the changes he talks about but it is like turning around a cruise ship. Between the lobbyists, the corruption, the politicians who only vote in order to get money for the next election, to the layers and layers of political bullshit, it has to be impossible to say "the buck stops here and that's it". Is it the checks and balances? Perhaps.

But at the end of the day, I want new new new. I am sick of the wealthy egotistical candidates that think just because they were successful in business they can be successful in politics. Certainly there are exceptions to the rule. I do believe Bloomberg has done a great job and in all honesty, regardless of the third term bullshit, nobody with a brain was running against him. Bill Thompson, who is a nice man that I have met numerous amount of times, is a serious lightweight. I'm sick of the extremists, on either side. I'm sick of the layers of micro-management from a person in office who never gets shit done.

The health care bill and the debacle of propping up Goldman Sachs and the banks, who have no interest in loaning money these days although they say they are, they are lying. CEO's who are negotiating for millions and millions of dollars with huge payouts if they are fired before they even show the public traded companies ( aka shareholders ) what they are made of. When did this happen?

How we can not pass a health care bill to take care of the uninsured and people who get screwed by their insurance companies when they get sick...or the kids who have no control over their parents ability to insure them. How did we give money out to large companies from our federal taxes and not get a huge pay off for it if they did great in the long run. Who the hell negotiated those contracts? People who were doing a wink wink behind all of our backs?

Am I ranting? Honestly, as much money as I have raised over the years, I am done. I have lost complete faith in the Government on so many levels. Yesterdays election, where barely anyone showed up in NYC to vote, didn't send out any anti-Democratic, pro-Republican message. It just sent out the message which will continue to repeat itself until somebody makes a real change. We want change, we want new and we will keep voting in new people until one of them actually does something.

Japanese Beef Stew

2009-11-03T18:57:30-05:00

This could go under the category of dinners made in less than 15/20 minutes. We like that. Tasty and easy. This is for 4 people.

1 1/2 lbs. sirloin cut into small bit size pieces ( don't use beef that is for stew here )
1 Vidalia onion, sliced into 1" pieces
4 Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and sliced into bite size chunks
4 Large Carrots, peeled and sliced into bit size chunks
3 cups beef stock
4 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. white wine or sake
1 tbsp. mirin
sliced scallions (optional)

In a pot, cover the bottom with vegetable oil, just cover. Once it is hot, toss in the sirloin and brown. Doesn't take long. Add onions, potatoes and carrots. Mix another couple of minutes until everything is completely mixed together. Add the liquid ingredients, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the carrots are soft. That's it.

I poured this over rice because everyone was so hungry I figured a little more starch wouldn't kill anyone.

Change of seasons

2009-11-03T08:59:04-05:00

Although I am not head over heels when the weather gets really cold, there is something to be said for the change of seasons. I enjoy each season for what it has to offer. It is so beautiful when the leaves change. You really don't get to fully take that in when you live in downtown NYC. We are getting out of the city this weekend and I do hope that the leaves are still hanging on in a myriad of colors.

This picture comes from a reader, and mother of a friend of ours, from her ranch in Northern Texas. She is an artist. The photo appeared in my email box yesterday and it was perfect timing as yesterday was starting to really feel like autumn.

So loving this website...

2009-11-02T20:21:15-05:00

Fred turned me on to nerdboyfriend this summer. I am so loving this website. I check in daily. It is brilliant. Old classic pictures that have current pictures of particular clothing items underneath the picture and then you can click on to the link and buy them. For Woody, it's his shoes. Genius and fun. Today's pic of Woody Allen was particularly nice.

A reality check

2009-11-02T19:32:55-05:00

Living in NYC, in many ways, is out of touch with what is happening in the rest of the universe. Restaurants are generally full, even hopping but again many people in NYC don't cook. They don't need to cook and they don't need to drive. NYC is a public place, a public community. Where other places around our country, people live in their homes, get in their cars and go to where they need to with seeing only a few people or without seeing anybody. In NYC, people want to get out of their small living spaces, be out in public and take it all in. A different way to living, one I love, but again, tends to be a little out of touch with what is happening around the country or the world.

I have been thinking, as many of us have, about the state of the union. Not so much of how we got here but how do we get out and how do make changes in the businesses that make this country tick. I drill down to how do we change the education system. Everyone has different interests, different ways that they process information. How can we figure out earlier on different avenues for students to take. How do we create life long thinkers vs rote memorization? How do we teach leadership?

Today, at lunch, I sat next to a couple and over heard their conversation which made me think about this post. She was telling him what she saw herself doing over time. She wanted to start a small boutique ad agency and that was her dream. She was probably in her mid-20's. All I could think about is how old school her thinking was but how it was nice to hear her dream big too. Advertising agencies might be a thing of the past as branding is taking on a completely different form. Agencies are getting killed, production companies that have fed agencies their talent and ideas are making ways into ad companies territories as the entire industry is going under a transformation. The industry is shrinking daily.

So, as the day progressed, I kept thinking about what this woman said. Perhaps living in NYC she was out of touch with the realities of her business, which I would guess to be advertising or she is just out of touch with where the world is going. I wanted her to tell her lunch companion how she wanted to start a new boutique advertising agency that was going to break all the rules because this was how agencies were going to look in 10 years. But, she didn't. She was thinking old school and she is not that old.

My brother went to a conference last week, with all the players in the Advertising arena and even the leaders were screaming gloom and doom. Nobody was talking about how can we transform this industry. How can we be leaders. Let's throw a few ideas on the wall and see what sticks. No, they were just hoping that they could continue to do the same thing as they have done over past decades and hope for a different outcome instead of the one they are in. Not happening. Depressing.

I guess I am going back to how do we move this country forward in to new businesses, new ideas and new revenue generated opportunities that infuse our economy with cash. How do we teach our kids to be the thought leaders of tomorrow? How do we teach our kids that if an industry is dying, how to think creatively about making changes? Can that be taught or is it just innate?

I don't know the answer, all I know that after hearing the young woman dream the same thing that somebody else dreamed about 25 years ago knowing that everything has changed and the people with the new ideas are going to be the ones to transform industries, not the ones who just continue down the same path, kind of depressed me.

Care Bears on Fire

2009-11-02T15:17:29-05:00

In all transparency, we have an investment in S-Curve Records. One of the bands is Care Bears on Fire. Catchy pop teen tunes. This particular song is hilarious and actually says something about the culture of where girls are heading....in a very good way.

Pizza Party

2009-11-01T08:26:09-05:00

Our friend was coming over last night so the night before he was coming we decided to make pizza. The dough process needs to begin the night before. I have never made pizza dough before and it is surprisingly easy. The key is using the kneading piece for the mix master. If I had to do it by hand, I am positive I would not have had the same results.

Take 1 1/2 cups really warm, almost hot water and sprinkle 1/4 tsp. of yeast on top. Let that sit for about 10 minutes and the water should turn foggy and feel a little thicker. If it doesn't do this, the yeast isn't active. Then add 2 tsp. olive oil and 2 tsp. kosher salt. In the mix master, put in 4 cups all-purpose flour and pour the water mixture over the top. Mix with the kneader for 10 minutes at medium low speed. The dough will form a ball and completely pull away from the bowl. After 10 minutes, take the bowl off the mix master and put a damp towel over the top and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, put the bowl back and knead again for 10 more minutes. Once this process is over, take out the dough, fold it over to make a ball, cover with olive oil, put into a new bowl, cover with plastic wrap ( tightly ) and put in the refrigerator over night. In the morning, pull the dough out, fold it in half and put back in the refrigerator for 4 hours to 24 hours. About 2 hours before you are ready to use the dough, roll the dough out, just a little, and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Make each piece into a ball and set on a floured surface ( put it on a cutting board ), each piece far away from each other to grow. Put a damp cloth over the four balls and let sit until you are ready to use. At least 2 hours in advance so the dough can rise. If anything, it is just a time consuming project but it isn't that hard.

I decided on making 3 different types of pizzas. I made all the toppings before. To make a pizza in your oven, you really do need a pizza stone. Make sure when you pull the dough, I just move it in circles with my hands and pull a little as it grows until a circle, cover the dough with ground yellow cornmeal. Put the toppings on right after as the dough starts to shrink back.

I have a wooden pizza piece ( see picture ) that allows me to put in and take out the pizza. I make sure it is really covered with cornmeal so when I place the pizza on the stone by sliding it off the wood piece, it comes off easily. Also makes for getting it back on the wooden piece easier when it is done. Nothing worse than having half of the dough stick and melting slowly into a hot oven. Serious mess. The oven should be set at 500 about an hour before you make the pizza so the stone is super hot.

First pizza was a roasted cauliflower, toasted pine nuts mixed with pecorino and mozzarella cheese and a tiny bit of Parmesan. I pan roasted the cauliflower with olive oil and panko before and the pine nut in a little olive oil to get crisp in a separate pan.

Second pizza was more of a twist on a classic. I used turkey sausage ( because it was being sold at the local Greenmarket on Saturday ) and pan fried it out of the sausage casing to get crumbly. Thinly sliced tomatoes. Ricotta and mozzarella cheese. I put dollops of ricotta around the pizza, layered with the tomato slices, tossed the sausage over the entire top and then sprinkled more mozzarella over that.

Last pizza, which might have been the fave. Pan fried pieces of butternut squash, pecorino and Parmesan cheese, crispy turkey bacon ( which I had roasted in the oven - less greasy ), and fresh pea shoots on top. I forgot about the pea shoots until afterward but I did sneak one piece in with the pea shoots on top. Nice combo.

I served all this with an arugula salad mixed with spanish almonds and pieces of orange tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Really fun, interactive and yummy. Definitely doing this again.

Last night was Halloween. As Fred put it this morning when emailing our friend about the evening... Joanne makes pizza from scratch, we get egged, and the basement floods, and andy petite gets an RBI single and a win.

Just another night at the wilson home ;)

It really was quite fun!