The cool scene is still thriving at “Pastis”
Pastis is still going very strong. I was taken out to dinner last night at this cool spot, and was amazed at how crowded and buzzing it was on a Wednesday night!
The service was solicitous and the food was solidly good, if not outstanding. I started with oysters, which were fresh and had the braised beef as a main course, which was bursting with flavor. Others in my party had the hamburger with blue cheese and the branzino, both of which were apparently excellent. A side of fries disappeared, as they were “to die for”.
Be warned though - this place is still a scene, so expect a wait to get your table, even if you have a reservation.
Is this finally Meryl Streep’s year to win another Oscar?
With a record 14 Oscar nominations and only 2 Oscars awarded to Meryl Streep, the greatest living actress in the world, I feel optimistic that this could be the year that Meryl gets number 3.
Why? Because she has two great performances to be released this year.
The first is in the movie version of the hit Abba musical: Mamma Mia! Meryl looks phenomenal in the movie (see the pictures above), and this will be a wonder opportunity for her to showcase her beautiful voice. The movie will be released on July 18th.
The second is the film version of the award-winning play Doubt, to be released in October. The play is fantastic and provides a meaty role of strict nun for Meryl (the part was played to great acclaim by Cherry Jones on Broadway). My only hesitation about the movie is that the priest accused of child molestation is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is a good actor, but always appears a little slimy. This will change the dynamic of the movie, as the original play had a priest who looked innocent - somehow I don’t see Hoffman as looking innocent.
I look forward to seeing Meryl’s magic!
Palme d’Or goes to Cantet’s “Entre Les Murs”
The fantastically talented director Laurent Cantet has won Canne’s top prize for his film Entre Les Murs (literal translation is “Between the Walls” but it is marketed in English as “The Class”), about a teacher’s role in a high school in a tough, multicultural section of Paris. I was thrilled to hear of Cantet’s win, as I have been a big admirer of his since I saw his wonderful 2005 movie Vers Le Sud, or “Heading South”, about older women who went to Haiti for sex tourism in ’70s. That movie was lyrical, haunting and pregnant with image and meaning, like a classic novel. If Entre Les Murs is close to that, I am sure that it will be a wonderul film to watch.
Benico del Toro won best actor for Soderbergh’s marathon movie Che, and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan won the best director prize for Three Monkeys.
The link to all the prizes is below:
Excellent “Wildwood Barbecue”
The new Steve Hanson restaurant near Union Square, “Wildwood Barbecue” is casual, hip, moderately priced and feels comfortable. We managed to snag a booth, which was great. The wings as an appetizer were messy but succulent (go for Frank’s redhot sauce). I had a “best of the best” platter as an entree which included a HUGE breast of chicken piece (very tasty, and with a nice barbequed, crispy skin), slow smoked Texas brisket and pulled pork. It was quite outstanding, and came with two sides to be selected from an eclectic variety ranging from mac & cheese to grilled asparagus. The carrot cake for dessert was exceptionally moist and disappeared in record time. We are definitely going back soon!
The restaurant’s website can be reached at the link below:
http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/wildwood_bbq/index.php
The importance of loving and forgiveness in “The Edge of Heaven”
As the Cannes film festival draws to a close, it is appropriate to talk about one of my favourite movies from the 2007 official selection, “The Edge of Heaven” from the talented German-Turkish director, Fatih Akin, which has opened for a limited run at the Film Forum and won the prize for best screenplay at Cannes.
The movie, which starts off with melodrama (Turkish older male immigrant to Germany falls in love with a Turkish-German prostitute and then accidentally kills her), tells interveaving tales of multiple characters. The accidental killer is jailed while his nerdy, bookish son, Nejat, travels to Turkey to find the prostitute’s runaway daughter. The daughter, meanwhile enters Germany illegally and the movie shows them crossing paths without noticing each other. One of the points the movie wants to make is that we are each on our own journeys, and sometimes we are not supposed to meet as we fulfil our destinies.
[The following paragraphs reveal significant plot details]
The son settles in Turkey, buying and running a bookstore, while the prostitute’s daughter, Ayten, is seduced by a caring, blond German lesbian who falls in love with her. Ultimately, complications ensue as Ayten is deported from Germany, her girlfriend follows her and is killed accidentally by purse-snatchers. Ayten is shown to be a user, while the German girl, Lotte, is a giver, wanting to help Ayten.
She dies for a reason, in this movie all about forgiveness, love and serendipity in life. Her mother, an unforgiving German in the beginning of the move, who disapproves of her daughter’s lifestyle choices, has a vision of her daughter’s spirit in Turkey and is suddenly transformed by the love in her daughter’s smile. She begins to understand about love and forgiveness, and continues on Lotte’s struggle and mission to help Ayten. Ayten is herself reformed by all the kindness she receives.
Ultimately, Nejat and Lotte’s mother spend time together, and we begin to understand that they are at a similar point in their lives and can help each other.
The movie’s last scene shows Nejat staring out at the horizon at the shore of a beach. To me, this scene is symbolic of “The Other Side” which is the literal translation of the German title of this fabulous movie: Auf der anderen seite. A spirituality pervades the movie - we are being guided by our life’s experiences to learn and should approach unexpected events and misfortunes as a way to move forward, a little wiser, and, hopefullly, better, loving human beings.
“Catch De Fish” in Gramercy has a great lunch deal
Catch De Fish, a cosy Thai restaurant on 3rd Avenue near 15th street offers excellent food and a great lunch deal. For $10 you get a soup (coconut or tom kha gai), salad and an entree, which could be salmon with green curry and asparagus (1st picture above), or steak. Other options include soft shell crab and grouper with a mango salad (2nd picture above). The food quality is very good and it is all very tasty. A real bargain for Manhattan.
A beautiful East Meadow in Central Park
Not venturing often to the Upper East Side, I was astounded to see Central Park above 96th street - it is so wide, open, green, dewy and unpopulated! I could hardly believe I was in Manhattan. Even on a blah, rainy day like today, the park was shimmering emerald green.
“The First Emperor” is sealed like a stubborn oyster
I saw the Met Opera “The First Emperor”, about the first emperor of China, Qin, over the weekend - and, with the disclaimer that I am no opera expert, I must say the the overall feeling was one of disappointment. Not at the sets, which were fantastic, but at the singers themselves. Placido Domingo, the famous opera star’s voice seemed strained and low-key. He was not helped by lyrics that were full of strange similes and metaphors. The emperor’s daughter complains that the lips of her future lover, Jianli, are sealed like a stubborn oyster. And so it goes.
The daughter, played by soprano, Sarah Coburn, however, had a wonderful, soaring voice. The moment in the opera when she exclaims “I can walk”, after she is miraculously healed, pierces one, as her voice trembles with excitement and breathlessness.
The other aspect of the opera I liked was a large bell on the side which was bonged periodically in an Asian style to cue off the other instruments, each bong reverberating through the audience and registering the uniquely Asian and eternal aspects of spiritual percussion.
“Gotham Bar and Grill” is still outstanding
We went for dinner last night to Gotham Bar and Grill with the parents, who are visiting - it was their first time to the restaurant, and P. and I were returning after several years!
We were pleasantly surprised that the food was excellent, the service solicitous and the room has a buzzing energy that was pervaded our meal. The room is handsome and large, and we were lucky to have a table with a panoramic view.
I started with a delicious black bass ceviche with lemongrass and jalapenoes (1st picture above) that was absolutely bursting with flavor. For a main course I had an exceptional New Zealand pink snapper dish with artichokes, and haricort verts (2nd picture above). Mom had mushroom soup and miso cod which she said were both excellent.
Highly recommended for special occasions.
Best of bookers vote
The Man Booker prize has announced a one-off celebratory Best of Bookers award to mark the 40th anniversary of the prize. The goal is to choose the best winning novel from the last 40 years. A shortlist of six winners was released recently (see link below), and the public can vote till July 8th to register their favorites.
http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/stories/1021
The six books short-listed are:
1. The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
2. Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey
3. Disgrace by JM Coetzee
4. The Siege of Krishnapur by JG Farrell
5. The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer
6. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
I have read Coetzee’s and Rushdie’s novels, and am planning to try and read at least one or two of the others prior to the vote deadline.
Read some of these novels and vote for your favourite! How often do we get to determine the winner in a prestigious literary award? Discuss the books with your friends.