Grey's Papaya unites hot dog eaters in support of Obama

Totally CLASSIC!! As well as being fired up and ready to go, I'm also HUNGRY!!!!

Since we won't do it in the US of A

Leave it to the Brazilians to name buildings after some of our greatest jazz musicians.

Here's "Edificio Stan Getz," in Sumarézinho, São Paulo, Brazil.
Nearby, there's a building named after George Gershwin.

Enough said.

Obrigado, Rosa!

(Pictured: Chico Pinheiro, Rosa Passos, me, Paulo Paulelli)

In São Paulo recently, I had the opportunity to see the opening night of the new Rosa Passos show, which is a tribute to Elis Regina. To the intimate setting of Teatro FECAP, this subtle and engaging singer with a voice of velvet brought her interpretations of diverse songs associated with Elis, things like "Só Tinha De Ser Com Você," "Folhas Secas," "Bala Com Bala," and "O Trem Azul." The band was Fabio Torres, Paulo Paulelli, and Celso de Almeida, which means stellar, world-class musicianship, alongside a fine horn section that included Vinicius Dorin (who looks a lot like Bob Sheppard). Outstanding, imaginative arrangements by Fabinho and Paulelli. For those who are only accustomed to hearing Rosa sing softly, you'll be astonished when she really brings the volume! What a dynamic range she has. It was an unforgettable night, and a thrill to be able to visit with Rosa after the concert! This band had just finished recording a record of ballads for Telarc, which will be out soon. I'll be waiting in line!

DiFara is tops.

On a blisteringly cold night, Jesse, Bill, and I drove from Manhattan to Avenue J in Brooklyn. Jesse and Bill wanted to split when they saw the overflow crowd, and when we were advised of the wait of "over an hour." But they had never been there, so of course the whole thing seemed absurd. I knew better. We had two excellent bottles of wine with us, so we passed the time drinking, and observing the whole DiFara phenomenon as it unfolded. There were no complaints when our two beautiful pies arrived, one regular, the other (pictured) half pepperoni/half broccoli rabe & wild onions; and only sounds of total satisfaction as we devoured this holy food. Nothing like it. DiFara is as good as it gets!

Feeding time at Casa Mono

More Casa Mono

You can see the pig dish in front of Dave's hands.
The only thing about blogging this is that we really can't tell much about how the food tastes from a picture of it.
So why do we take pictures of the food?

A Saturday Lunch: Casa Mono, NYC

Images from Casa Mono in NYC. Images to follow from Di Fara pizza, Midwood, Brooklyn and Rai Rai Ken, NYC. Three stellar meals last week in New York.

At Casa Mono with Dave, Ian, and Meghan, there was a feast of grilled baby octopus with grapefruit, serrano ham, beets with aged goat's cheese, perfectly cooked Ribeye steak with salted peppers, and some part (I think we had part of the shoulder) of a very special free-range, antibiotic-free, everything-free pig which the restaurant is systematically cooking from nose-to-tail. This slow-cooked pig shoulder was served with polenta and kale. A treasure trove of incredible Spanish wines is available to be experienced there: we had A. Palacios "Finca Dofi" 2004, and Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rosado 1997. (Always a pleasure to drink this estate's 10-year-old rosé releases, this rosé can be appreciated by the most vigorous doubters: it IS a serious wine). Casa Mono delivers incredible quality in a cozy atmosphere totally conducive to really rolling up one's sleeves and eating some food; its Ribeye is one of the best available, and enough for two.