seen and heard : freddie stevenson

In New York City, one often fails to be a regular.  With so many bars, restaurants, clubs, events, etc. to choose from, we often hop from place to place, bereft of the acknowledging nod of a familiar bouncer or bartender (let alone a fellow regular).

But as one ages in NY-years, there is a certain appeal to deciding upon a few worthy establishments to frequent, safeholds in the swirl of the city’s never-ending orgy of frenzied innovation.

For those who fear the commitment of becoming a “regular”, Rockwood Music Hall is a delightful solution.  Within the confines of a single locale, it serves up an ever-changing menu of worthy musical acts (on the hour, every hour).

It was there that I found myself on Sunday eve, to see singer-songwriters Rosi Golan & Ari Hest - a couple of Rockwood regulars themselves.  Having just enjoyed their intimate evening set, I was preparing to leave, and that’s when the floodgates opened.  Concertgoers of all shapes, sizes and ages filled the room (on a Sunday night!) so - with the enthusiastic orders of a photographer “No, you have to stay.  Freddie will change your life” – our curiosity peaked, we decided to linger (at least for one song).

“Freddie” Stevenson did, in fact, change our lives that night (or, at least, our mood and perspective) – from the moment he and his band, the “Midnight Crisis”, hit that first smooth groove.

“I’m in some kind of boutique clothing store/Nothing makes sense to me no more/I’m headed for the door/Everything is more than I can afford”

From there, a waxing & waning 1 to 10 man band (from guitar, to baby-grand, sax, electric mandolin…) filled the smallish Rockwood stage, as we sat mesmerized in the haze of a beautiful, mystical time warp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_qz5YbWuEI&feature=related

Yes, I said “time warp”.  We stayed glued to our seats for a good two hours, while Stevenson’s singer-songwriter/busker/camp rock wooed us.  Nothing short of entrancing, these are anachronistic - yet uncannily relevant - songs for the 20 or 30-something set that plays Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens on beat-up record players, seduced by the lyrics and the crackly sound.  Born in 1980 himself, Stevenson’s lyrics are marked with the profundity of a wise, well-worn sage :

“May I pay for my sins in installments?/Sell the keys but save the ring/In the end everything comes to depend/On a few inessential things”

And if Stevenson’s lyrics are of an eerie eloquence – the foot-stomping groove of the Midnight Crisis is nothing but a good ol’ time.

For those of us with a day-job, Stevenson’s repeated midnight Sunday set at Rockwood is nothing short of depressing.  Luckily, he can be found busking in Central Park or performing with The Dirty Urchins at the 11^th Street Bar or The Tippler.

You can catch The Dirty Urchins tomorrow (November 30^th) at The Tippler, a bar worthy of regular-status itself.

Links: Buy a full 58-song album of Freddie Steveson’s Songs Buy Stevenson’s new album, The City is King on iTunes Interview Magazine’s interview with Freddie Stevenson

recipe revisited: cranberry sauce

There are certain foods you grow up with that will forever evoke nostalgia and comfort.  And while we've all got our favorite from-scratch food memories, there's usually a few boxed, canned or processed guilty pleasures that delight us, despite our now "knowing better". For many Americans - my mother included - this includes jellied cranberry sauce.  Straight from the can, with the ridges of course, and perhaps best enjoyed smashed into a leftover-turkey sandwich.  Needless to say, it took some fighting on my part to impose the glory that is homemade cranberry sauce on our family Thanksgiving feast.

Last year's batch was a resounding success (I really do not like super-sweet anything, so I used about 1/3 the sugar suggested in the recipe I found, and just upped the OJ quotient).  However, being the ever-curious and instinctual cook that I am, I didn't write down the recipe.  So much the better! - because that means more experimenting this year.

Note : I don't usually measure when I cook - so I provide estimated measurements, which you should play around with!

Homemade Tart & Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients: 1 bag of cranberries, maple syrup, OJ, 1 pomegranate, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp  allspice (optional : turmeric, orange zest, lemon juice)

1. Put a centimeter of water in the bottle of a medium-sized pot.  Start to heat the water, and add your bag of cranberries. 2. Add your OJ (about a cup) - almost enough to cover the cranberries, but not quite. 3. Swirl in some maple syrup (I used about 1/4-1/3 cup, but you can add more if you like it sweeter). 4. Stir the mixture and let it come to a simmer. 5. Meanwhile, wash your pomegranate and slice it in half.  Grab a large bowl and hold the cut pomegranate, seed-side-down, in your non-dominant hand (fingers spread, but gripping the pomegranate).  Use a large spoon to whack the seeds out of the pomegranate into the bowl.  Hint : Don't wear white. http://youtu.be/8lH47Oorrdk 6. Add your pomegranate seeds, cinnamon stick and allspice to the pot. 7. Once a good number of the berries have popped, taste the sauce.  Add fresh lemon juice for acidity, orange zest for savory "zing", and turmeric for a more robust spice palate (turmeric is strong, so start with a 1/4 tsp and taste before adding more) . 8. Let your sauce boil down a bit (the whole process should take no more than 20-30 minutes) to thicken. 9. Fish out and throw away the cinnamon stick.  Pour the sauce into mason jars or serving bowls to cool (it will thicken as it cools) 10. Impress your family and friends at holiday gatherings!

A second opinion: - Like your flavors more traditional?  Here's a great step-by-step cranberry sauce recipe by The Pioneer Woman.

eating your words: "sissy pizza"

“Is pizza a vegetable?”  The fact that anyone thought to ask this question is perhaps the most ridiculous food news in recent American history.  Even if tomato paste does have some nutritional value, the fact that anyone actually voted in favor of the "pizza as a vegetable" ruling is inconceivable.

But while the sane sit shaking their heads over this international PR gaffe (Um, can someone please start taking our country’s reputation abroad seriously?) – Herman Cain is out adding insult to injury, over a nice hot slice with GQ.

Now I understand Cain’s appeal.  Our lack of faith in politicians and the whole politic system has reached an unprecedented low, so we figure they might as well entertain us.  In fact, he’s given me something to write about today, so I guess I should be thanking him.

But “good stories” aside, no intelligent person can take Cain seriously.  Which is perhaps why he can say offensive things without anyone batting an eye.

I’m talking about “sissy pizza”:

Chris Heath: What can you tell about a man by the type of pizza that he likes?

Herman Cain: [repeats the question aloud, then pauses for a long moment] The more toppings a man has on his pizza, I believe the more manly he is.

Chris Heath: Why is that?

Herman Cain: Because the more manly man is not afraid of abundance. [laughs]

Devin Gordon: Is that purely a meat question?

Herman Cain: A manly man don't want it piled high with vegetables! He would call that a sissy pizza.

First of all, what adult professional uses the word “sissy”?  And are we really giving airtime to a man who believes that your “masculinity” is defined by pizza toppings?  Because the last time I checked, that extra-pepperoni is going to turn you into more of a dough-boy than an wood-chopping, game-killing Adonis.

But let me be clear – this isn’t a question of health.  This is about a public figure reinforcing a backwards – and, unfortunately, pervasive and widely accepted – message about masculinity in America.

In an age where Mario Batali (a public figure, yes, but not someone running for president) gets blasted for a well-intentioned, but poorly-chosen statement about the current financial system (“Hitler” just does not work as a casual, pop culture reference) – why are we not raising more of a stink over Cain’s macho pizza theory?  I mean, at this point, I’d rather elect someone who forgets the name of a government department than someone who is just downright narrow-minded.

Even worse, unlike Batali’s flub-up, Cain proudly returns to the “manly pizza” motif throughout the interview.  And though he does have a few redeemable moments where he references “taste” and the “quality of ingredients”, Cain’s outright celebration of his lack of qualifications for public office pretty much sums it up:

Chris Heath: What are they trying to put in people's minds when they call you the pizza guy?

Herman Cain: That I haven't had experience holding an elected office. That's how they're trying to paint me. And guess what, I give them the brush and the paint. Want to know why? The American people love the fact that I haven't held an elected office. They love it— [Another pie arrives, covered with meat.] NOW THAT'S A MANLY-LOOKING PIZZA!!

In an ironic twist of fate, it’s actually the arugula pizza that Cain prefers.  Perhaps his tongue should stick to eating and stop the talking.

Cheers to Chris Heath for turning a simple pizza story into a truly revealing interview.

11.28.11 - Update : Herman Cain's "sissy pizza" comment is only the tip of the food/gender issues iceberg.  Men's Health publishes a list of the Manliest Restaurants in America (note that none of them are "healthy").