To Push or to Pull...That is the Question...

I am still somewhat dumbfounded by what I witnessed at Balthazar bakery today...I stopped by on my way home from work after the gym to pick up a baguette (torn currently between Balthazar's baguette & Parisi's Italian hero's for favorite breads) to make a sandwich for dinner (see recipe below). While waiting for the cashier to double-bag my baguette a guy comes to the door & cannot open the door...because he keeps pushing it...you need to pull the door open...I'm trying to show him what to do saying PULL...the bakeries counter staff is waving him in...he gives up frustrated & walks away...this wasn't some bum...he looked in his 50-s-60-s & professional...who can't figure out if the door doesn't push open to try & pull it?!? I asked the girls behind the counter if they have ever seen that happen before...they replied YES! They said it happens every so often...seriously if you can't open a door one way & you don't try the other how do you get thru the day? If you ever found yourself outside a city what are your chances of survival? So next time you try pushing a door open if it doesn't you may want to consider pulling it...you may want t apply this lesson to other aspects of your life...or ignore this advice & risk starving to death in front of a bakery & die knowing that a rat in a cage has more brains then you do...

Greek"MF"Chick sandwich

Chicken Breast (I used ground Aleppo peppers to season the chicken but use what you like)
Combine chopped fresh mint, feta cheese, olive oil,squeeze of fresh lemon, & ground pepper in a bowl & mash together
Take MF spread (Mint-Feta...what did you think the MF stood for...oh...what is wrong with you?!?) & spread it on bread of choice(I used Balthazar baguette) layer on chicken...add tomato, roasted peppers, spinach...etc..or nothing & enjoy! For the record mint is way to under used in this country & we really need to use it more often then just mint ice cream & mojito's...

Angels & Monsters

Sorry Dan Brown fans this isn't a sequel to Angels & Demons but one of my favorite "under-the-radar" stories that has popped up recently. It turns out that the head of one of the world's largest drug syndicates is on the run & happens to be...get this...a former Colombian model. She was using models to traffic drugs from South America to Mexico & Europe... since no one would suspect a beautiful young girl of doing such a thing. Of course not...like when do beautiful young girls do anything wrong or immoral?!? Regardless it was working out great until one of the models was caught in an airport in Argentina. Most likely beautiful...but with a bad girl thang going on which was picked up by Argentina's elite airport security forces. She sang like an emaciated canary(too thin to spill her guts).

Now how exactly did young Angie go from modeling to a life of crime you ask...? She learned the trade from her ex-boyfriend a notorious drug-lord known as "The Monster". Broke-up with him(most likely by text from another country if not continent)) & started her business to rival his. I'm sure he handled it well & felt proud that he encouraged her to find a more fulfilling calling in life then just being shallow & posing for pictures. What exactly is in the water down there that produces such drop dead gorgeous stunningly beautiful women & such vicious blood-thirty men that when they are not wiping out each others families they run family businesses...selling drugs. And how does a girl who becomes a top model...become a drug dealer...and who takes care of the hits...the models?!? The La Chica's de las Machette squad(Tarantino or Roth if you're reading this & make the movie I better get a cut & opening night passes or I will go Vlad the Impaler medieval on you!!!) ?!? I have no idea...so call me old fashioned but I prefer my beautiful model hot woman modelling, acting, hostessing, waitressing, bartending(looking to be discovered for modelling & /or acting) working reception at financial firms, etc & not running drug empires & ruining the lives of young girls...that's what boyfriends & husbands are for...

P.S. Angie if you read this...call me...

Mmmm...Mmmm...Balls...

Delicious meatballs...I went to the new The Meatball Shop on Stanton btwn Allen & Orchid www.meatballshop.com over the weekend. I thought it was more of a storefront with primarily take-out but it's actually a mid sized restaurant with a very long bar, They have a choice of 6 different types of balls...meat, spicy pork, chicken, Salmon, Veggie & Special of the week(Lamb w/mint & walnuts when I went)...4 different sauces, a handful of carb sides & handful of veggies that can come underneath the balls or on the side. You can get your balls naked(in a bowl) as a slider or on a hero. I went naked meat with spicy sauce & sauteed spinach on the side for a test run & they were mouth-watering and awesome. Nice wine selection, a few beers on tap & full selection of coffee's. My Americano was really good. For desert they have ice cream(numerous flavors) sandwiched between 2 cookies...they looked great...but I'll wait till it gets warmer. This is just another case of why did'nt this place open years ago?!? Great food, moderate to cheap depending on what you order in a cool atmosphere. Again...I'm really hoping more & more of these places keep opening & stay open when we finally get out of this recession. I'm not looking forward to the re-emergence of essense of foamed pigs feet over a sea-urchin ragout with beet cabbage broth for $42.00. Of note...the place gets busy...even at 2:30pm I had a 15-20 minute wait so keep that in mind...but it's more then worth the wait...& it has a very friendly staff...that includes a pretty red-headed bar-tendress with some rather interesting body-art...

Whodunnit?

My favorite new story which was under the radar a few weeks ago but is now starting to show up all over is the is the assassination of a Mr. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai. Mahmoud was an arms dealer for a fine organization that goes by Hamas. Kind of like ACORN...just not nearly as big, well funded, well connected, or corrupt...but far more vicious, insane, & cold blooded. While on "business" in Dubai to discuss & negotiate the importing of "goods" from well established "vendors" in the tools of mass, mini, & medium destruction. Now while his employers are claiming the hit was done by Israel's Mosad...which in all fairness is quite possible. They do have the means, the motive, & most definitely the capability to execute such a hit on foreign soil...did they really do it? It seems that 11 "people of suspicion" have been identified in photo's & it has recently come to light that the Dubai police are now saying that there were up to 18 operatives involved. Of the 11 they all had European passports primarily from the UK...but it's turning out "shockingly" that the passports, the names, & photo's are not matching up & are frauds. 4 names have come up as Israeli's...but when contacted these 4 do not exactly seem to be Mosad Ops & were not in Dubai at the time. Now...while facts are still coming in I was originally going to hold off writing anything...until I read in numerous sources that the authorities in Dubai have detained 2 Palestinian men...which now makes this story really interesting. Was this indeed a Mosad hit? Was it done by Rogue elements of the former org known as the IRA over a bad business deal? Was it carried out by an International crime org over a bad arms deal...SPECTRE...QUANTUM??? Was the hit carried out by the Palestinian organization Fatah? Did Fatah advise on the hit & give info to Israel's Mosad or to Arms Dealers out for payback? Any way this one turns out...it's as if Agatha Christie wrote a James Bond short story...

Yes YOU can!

Yesterday Lindsey Vonn won a gold medal in the Downhill Ski event. Today she fell down while racing for gold. Tomorrow she's going for another gold. Two weeks she injured her shin & could barely walk...now not only is she skiing when most would would just be walking again...but she is outracing the best in the world in the Olympics to win gold! Two important points here...when you think you just can't do it or keep pushing on...just think about Lindsey Vonn...who said screw it & won an Olympic gold medal. The other point is she believed in herself & said..."Yes I can" & she did. While she has a team behind her...it was her drive that got her through it. Too many of us depend others too much of the time & not on ourselves. Maybe if more of us thought like Lindsey & relied on ourselves & pushed ourselves instead of replying on others & "hoping" for things to come our way we would all be better off. Now while I am all for teamwork & believe in the importance of it I do believe we all need to rely on ourselves more. Mr. "Yes we can!!!" so far...has not...nor does it look like he's going to in the near future. So stop relying on others to fix things & make things happen...stop hoping for things & like Lindsey say "Yes I can"!!!

Right on Target: Archer/Human Target

TV Review time...if you are into the whole action spy genre & have a good risque sense of humour if you are not already watching these two shows check them out...

Human Target - This is part of the "white knight" with a "dark past" genre. What makes this show so good is a combo of the lead Mark Valley & his team (Jackie Earle Haley-Rorschach from Watchmen & Chi McBridge ) & the movie quality action & fight scenes. The premise is that Chris Chance is for hire to protect you & he does so by insinuating himself into your life so he is always right there. There seems to be a back story about Mr. Chance's past...but so far not much has been made of that. I'm expecting that to change as the season progresses. So far all the stories have been good & nice job on casting a good looking female pro &/or antagonists in each episode that are strong characters as well. No damsel's in distress here, the women on this show hold there own. The fighting scenes are superb & they have come up with some really original ones including close quarters combat in a air vent on a super-train. Kudos to Mark Valley for making them look so real. He is a West Pointer...so he may have some real fighting experience under his belt. So give Mr. Chance a go...you will not be disappointed.

Archer - What can I say but this is hysterical. You need a good sense of humour & please note this cartoon is not for the kids. The premise is Archer is a James Bond type Super-Spy working for ISIS...which is run by his ...Mom. His ex-girlfriend is the other lead super-spy...a multi-racial female fantasy come to life with curves like a roller coaster & an attitude to match. She is now dating Figgis the agency's Comptroller at work which of course drives Archer nuts. Other main characters include the Russian head of a competing firm, HR, Tech, & a crazed secretary that has strangulation fantasies. It's more about inter-office politics & relationships then anything else...it simply takes place in a spy agency & they go on missions. It is not too politically correct so keep that in mind if you are easily offended. I would love to see them do a live action episode. I would cast John Hamm(MadMen) as the lead, Glenn Close as his mother & Halle Berry as Lana. If you are an Austin Powers fan & was bummed out that they never came out with the promised animated series this more then makes up for it...