Margin Call Review ****

    If you work in Finance, have any interest in the banking crisis or just need to take a break from your fellow OWS protesters go check out Margin Call. This is a great movie with a great script and cast. There are no Hollywood cliche's here nor mmoore like indictments on the free market economy. Margin Call is a fictional financial thriller that takes places in 24 hours starting with a mass layoff and ending with what this fictionalized bank(I believe Lehman was the model) will do in order to survive.

    Real quick synopsis, the Head of Risk who was just fired was working on some numbers that don't look too good...on his way out he gives them to his subordinate who after running the numbers and models starts calling people back into the firm late at night on a Thursday to discuss their ramifications to not only the firm...but the entire financial market. From here it keeps escalating to higher and higher levels of management.

    What really makes this such a good thriller...is what a great job they did catching what was really going on at the time and likely now. For someone who works(ed) for an Investment Bank I would be very curious to hear what they thought, for someone like me that has learned about their business as a business partner I found it fascinating and so dead on in many places that many if not familiar with this world will think as bull...but are really wholly accurate. For the OWS crowd and their supporters...this is porn. They will be foaming at the mouth watching this.

    There are quite a few lines and soliloquy's here that were really dead on and I will mention where to look for them and who spoke them along with their roles ...but will not provide them to keep this spoiler free.

• Penn Bagley the Jr Analyst's explanation of his job in the town car and his scene in the Men's room stall
• Paul Bettany the Head Trader getting dark on the roof and in belief the way the world works in his sports car
• Jeremy Irons the CEO John Tuld (Lehman ya think?!) in the board room and the executive dining room...Has he ever played a Vampire? If not...he needs to
• Kevin Spacy is a Managing Director and one of the few characters portrayed with a soul...yet still a company man...the scene with his dog, late night meetings and with Irons in the executive dining room
• Stanley Tucci as the Trading floors Head of Risk...getting let go at the beginning of the film and on the stairs of his home later in the film explaining his background
  
• Zach Quito...when he uses telekinesis to cut the top of Tuld's head off...oh wait sorry wrong show, I mean when he gives Bagley a Vulcan neck...oops wrong movie...Actually he was great in this...in the car with Bagley, when he explains his CV(resume...background...please note this is not Hollywood hype...it's actually more common then you would think) in the boardroom explaining the financial models
• Simon Baker as the 40 something Executive who is cold blooded and ruthless... in the elevator with Demi Moore and in the initial meeting to discuss the crisis
• Demi Moore I believe is the CRO... in the elevator with Baker and in the office with Tucci

    There are two things that really hit me at the end of this movie. The first is with so many people from other fields (ie sciences, engineering) getting into finance for the far batter pay...what are we losing? What is not getting invented, developed, built, discovered, changed, improved, etc...We need more Steve Jobs...not guys running equations to just make more money. The second is after attending pop-international-gallery-bermanotomlinson-event where people from many different fields got together for charitable causes...is it all really about the money...isn't it about making the world a better place?

    Now some final deep thoughts...first is the Financial Community is heavily involved in Charity work, more then most people think. So the "1%" are doing some good out there(it's the ruthless 1% of the 1% that cause all the trouble). The rub though is...things are the way they are because we all buy things we don't need and many buy things they cannot afford. Our economy is all based on debt and most of us contribute to it. So if you have a mortgage, credit card debt, live beyond your own means etc...don't be so fast to thrown stones in the glass house you help to create each and every day...

Mark Cuban's Soapbox Advice to the OWS Movement and then some

    I saw on Twitter a fairly thought provoking article from Mark Cuban's blog and his thoughts on the Financial Markets. soapbox-advice-to-the-ows-movement-and-then-some/ After you read his piece... my deep thoughts...

    My $.02 for what's it worth is this...the Frank/Dodd bill is a disaster because he doesn't tackle the real problems on Wall St and our Gov't...it attacks the easy to see profits...which is only resulting in not only less profits for banks but less tax revenues...guess where the money comes from that pays Union's, Unemployment benefits etc...???

    Where I think Mr Cuban nailed it is on these two points...

1) Holding Corporations responsible. Buying a share of stock and attending share holder meetings would likely do a bit more then getting high in a park while asking for hand-outs and using the very tools of Capitalism (iPhones, Twitter, Google, etc) while accepting gifts from American Apparel, etc...to attempt to...do what exactly...

2)The stock market was created to raise capital for companies so they can come out with better product/services and in turn become more profitable...that's not what's going on any longer...

    Where I don't agree is in regards to High Frequency Trading...I don't see it going away anytime soon...it's a matter of how it's used. Furthermore I don't think sending our trading markets overseas would benefit us whatsoever and really don't get why he does, unless he was just being provocative.

    Last but not least...while I believe there need to be major changes in Wall St regulation, the Gov't, the Tax code etc...I do not see the OWS as the vehicle to get us there. If anything they are doing more damage then good by diverting Police resources away from high crime areas where they are needed(yes...crime is up) and not only are they not affecting Big Banks profits... they are killing small business's in the Wall St vicinity!
 

    I also had the pleasure of walking through them in USQ when it first started. It was not comprised of intelligent people articulating their thoughts... it was a mass of unwashed idiots screaming and shaking their fists while carrying signs about one thing and yelling about another. The fact that its comprised of anarchists looking to bring down Capitalism, Anti-Semites spewing their rants(yes a minority...but I have 0 tolerance for it) and the clueless looking for something to do...they quite simply do not get my support and I think it's time for them to pack up for the next protest they know nothing about.

    Maybe they can camp out at the Universities that charge the crazy exorbitant fee's that have lead to a TRILLION dollar bubble in unpaid student loans getting ready to burst...or possibly on Barney Frank's lawn. He can come out and explain Fannie and Freddie to them and tell them why he said he supports them while he was at a fundraiser meeting with Investment Banks while in New York recently...

Peter Lik's Sunset Dreams...yet I yearn for Endless Summer

  

    This past Friday world renowned Photographer Peter Lik released his newest piece Sunset Dreams. It's a new variation on a theme he has done before, a jetty extending out into calm waters. The picture entices you to reach out...take that special someones hand and step right into the picture to stroll along the jetty to enjoy that magnificent sunset together. In his last piece like this the picture was all about cool blues during the day. This one is about a sunset bursting with a multitude of purples, pinks, reds, oranges, and blues. If like me as a kid you had the big box of Crayola's see how many colors you can name.
   
    In addition to Sunset Dreams Peter decided to surprise the crowd and sent over Endless Summer...which I believe turned out to be the star of the show. Endless Summer is a Trestle extending out high over lapping waves with highlights of light throughout the piece. It's primarily cool blues and grays yet like many of his photographs packs an emotional punch. The incredible blue color towards the end of the tunnel like trestle is incredible.
    
    For those not familiar with Peter Lik's works...they are not as many suspect back-lit. It is a combination of very high end film, the camera he is using and the quality of the printing process they employ. While there are those who are skeptical, for any of you that have seen the incredible colors of a sunset for yourself, the blues of distant oceans, the colors of life under the sea and the colors of flowers on land you realize that these colors exist in nature...whether they be of divine intent or simple scientific light refraction I will leave to you to decide.

An 'Affaire' to Remember on Avenue B

    Affaire is one of those transporting destination restaurants where you find yourself walking down Avenue B in the East Village and the next thing you know you're out through the looking glass and in a bistro in Paris oozing with sex appeal. The menu is primarily French bistro classics with a few updated takes on classics. Favorites include their Mussels with frites, Steak Au Poivre, Frites with chevre (goat cheese) sauce, and for something with a twist, "Buffalo" Frog Legs.Lobster Risotto is high on the top of my list to try on my next visit. 

    I was lucky enough to attend an event hosted by Affaire's affable Andrew Krauss and the sweet Sasha Cox (the entire staff was great). We had a good crew comprised of NearSay staff, bloggers, a sports photographer and a mixologist extraordinaire and had the pleasure of watching Affaire's Executive Chef Edgar Navarrete work his magic making mussels over the fire.It's always a pleasure watching a pro, be it an athlete, artist or chef in action doing their craft while making it look effortless. And watching him cook the mussels was a lot of fun, almost as much as eating them – almost. We were also sopping up the chevre cheese and pesto atop the frites.

    Affaire has a nice, roomy L-shaped bar when you enter; it's well stocked with a nice selection of wines. Their specialty drink menu is geared towards the ladies (fruity, topped with Champagne etc) yet they equally make a nice solid classic stiff drink. If you're lucky, the lovely Nicole will be shaking and mixing them for you. The dining room has wooden tables, one very large lampshade and chandeliers to set the mood. To continue your evening Affaire has multiple subterranean lounges which if I had to pick one word to describe them would be sultry. They are done up with brick walls, dark wood, gold ceilings, banquettes, couches (a raised chaise that got all our imaginations going), and plenty of nooks and cranies for quiet conversation and if things go well some canoodling. Affaire is definitely a place to, at the very least, fall in love with, if not ending up falling head over heels with your date.

    For you "cunning linguists" out there, the word affaire is often maligned as an illicit relationship of a sexual nature when in fact the actual definition of the word is "a matter to attend to, an event or happening" which comes from the Anglo-French a faire "to do"

    To make the mussels, if I remember correctly, heat up some oil, add chopped shallots, then the mussels followed by chopped garlic (add in after the shallots and on top of the mussels so you do not burn the garlic), add white wine, a bit of butter (butchers thumb) salt, pepper and top with chopped parsley. Once the mussels start opening turn down the flame so they don't overcook. Add bacon, beer and some cream to make Grand Mere style or add cream and curry if that's your thing.
Affaire: 50 Ave. B, at E. 4th St.

Garlic Pizza Bar: Do We Have a New Sherrif in Town?

    While making my way in the pouring rain in my neighborhood to pick up some provisions for the week, I needed some sustenance (fridge was a bit bare). I had a few of my usual places in mind till I remembered seeing a new pizza place on Second Avenue and decided to give it a whirl. While Murray Hill may not be lacking in places that provide pizza, Garlic Pizza Bar turned out to be a very welcome edition.

    I scanned up and down their long pizza bar trying to decide from among all the tasty looking choices on display before me. I decided to go healthy with a Grandma slice topped with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil followed by an almost, but not quite as healthy meat slice covered with pepperoni and very tasty ground sausage on a pie slice. What makes and breaks a good slice (in New York I take it for granted they get the crust right) is the use of good quality ingredients (fresh mozzarella and veggies, good quality meats, etc.) and their sauce. Garlic nailed their sauce. It was the first thing that hit me when I tasted the Grandma slice. It was the quality of the ground sausage versus what you usually get that really stood out on the meat slice.

    Garlic Pizza Bar has a full menu including regular, Sicilian, and Grandma (cut square, but thin and usually without cheese) pies, with 18 choices in toppings, appetizers, entrees, pastas and salads. They do have broccoli rabe on the menu (i.e. with sausage or chicken under appetizers) but it's not on the pizza toppings list. Here's hoping they will do a broccoli rabe and sausage pie.

    Garlic has a nice and immaculately clean Indoor dining area and even a little backyard/outdoor space that will work whether you go with your gal or guy, friends or family. They also have plasma screens playing sports against the back wall to check the games while grabbing a bite. This is an old school place with all your red sauce joint favorites. It tastes like it belongs in the SoHo area on the outskirts of Little Italy or in Brooklyn. Luckily for my neighbors and I it's in Murray Hill.
Garlic Pizza Bar: 629 34th St., at 2nd Ave.

Night-Out: Dances with Vice/Aquagrill

    In the immortal words of Monty Python: "and now for something completely different."
I recently attended Dances with Vice: Shanghai Foxtrot at Le Poisson Rouge. The space is a fairly good size with plenty of tables and bar space. The drinks were well made even though the size of the glasses varied during the show. They do have a full menu but only one item was ordered at our table. It was a spicy tuna roll and I don't believe it was quite the best they ever had. Again, not fair to judge by one item and if you're starving at least food is an

    The show's theme was a nightclub in 1930's Shanghai, which at the time was known as the "Paris of the East." I expected it to be primarily a Burlesque act with some song and dance but it turned out to be the opposite. Most of the show was a "Torch-Singer" singing Chinese hits from the '30s backed up by a jazz band. In addition to that, two couples came out to tango. There was an old school Burlesque feather dance (lots of feathers, not much else aside from some covering of the naughties – that is what they called lady-parts back then right?) and also a very good tap-dancer. The show was entertaining. Just my group all expected something a bit more risque.

    From there we strolled on over to Aquagrill for some tasty seafood. Aquagrill has been a mainstay in SoHo for many years now and is one of the cities top seafood restaurants. If you've been here before, it's still great. If you have yet to dine here, put it on your list if your idea of a diet is a seafood diet.

    Aquagrill has a spectacular selection of oysters from both coasts to choose from and the staff is well versed in what distinguishes one from the other. I really wish I could remember the name of the half-dozen to started with, but I can't. It was from the West coast, thin lipped, decent sized and delicious (please note we were told it could take up to 50 minutes to get them...they came within 20 and worst comes to worst they would have made a great desert).

    The other starters our table enjoyed included a sea bass roll special that was pretty tasty, a nice version of Manhattan clam chowder (remember that's the tomato based version vs the cream based from New England) and one of the better tuna tartares I've had in awhile. It was spicy, topped with fish roe I believe was from the belly.

    For main courses, a couple of us went with the branzino, the whole fish. Being a fish from the Mediterranean, I've usually had it in Italian restaurants served with flavors from the region. At Aquagrill, they did it with Asian flavors via a sesame vinaigrette, bok choy and a cucumber salad. I love branzino and this tasty version was a nice change of pace. A little known fact: great seafood restaurants always have great steaks to keep carnivores in the party happy. Our carnivore was rather happy with his steak. The star of the show went to the Truffle Crusted Cod (which made the truffle loving lady quite happy) that came with wild mushroom ravioli along with roasted hen of the wood mushrooms and spinach in a – drum roll please – truffle mushroom sauce. It was earthy, rich and oh so yummy.

    On Saturday nights for dessert, Aquagrill offers aside from the usual suspects, souffles. We gave the chocolate and the lemon a whirl. I'm not a big souffle kinda guy, but they were light, airy, and quite good. To go with the meal, Aquagrill has a nice wine selection and some interesting cocktails, for example the Jalapeno Quencher – chilled Kettle One vodka, pomegranate liquor, jalapeno, lime and cranberry juice, shaken not stirred of course. Fellow heat-seekers please note: they left some seeds in the pepper. If you were looking for hot, you got it.

Le Poisson Rouge: 158 Bleecker St., bet. Thompson & Sullivan Sts.
Aquagrill: 210 Spring St., at 6th Ave.