Not sure about all this change

For someone who ironically is on the move all the time really don’t like too much change. In Stockholm always get breakfast from same place if have to do work and get some coffee always go to one of two places (String being one, of course and Helgulundens Korta Varor being the other – both in ‘sofo’). In London always hang out (again because I can work) at Hoxton Bar & Grill, Smiths for breakfast and the Eagle for Sunday Lunch. And in Los Angeles always stay at same place in Long Beach and drink at Clancy’s and have breakfast at Americana. Anyway, you get the idea.

In New York, I have in recent years worked at Workman Publishing who have (had, sorry!) a huge rabbit warren of an office at 708 Broadway. And we always used to go to lunch at the Bowery Bar just down the street on East 4th Street. I know this is one of those places that gets castigated for being too trendy (or at least ten years ago I think) etc etc. Although, I do remember a year or two back (in popbitch) that apparently Bob Dylan was seen hanging around after hours as he was seeing one of the waitresses. And a friend of mine just IM’d me and said he was there last week and Ed Harris was sat next to him drinking Guinness so I guess there may be something to all that it just isn’t too evident on a Tuesday lunchtime. But, anyway we mostly just went for lunch and beer after work and I always liked it. Good drinks, impossibly tall waitresses with cowboy hats, great service and good food. It also has great outside bit so you can circumnavigate the New York smoking laws for part of the year anyway. It is also right on the edge of the East Village so is an excellent staging post for a night of nonsense.
Anyway, Workman have now moved almost cross town to Varick Street – so will have to find another lunch time hang out and just try and cope with all the change.

Filed under: Food

Pears and roquefort

The phrase ‘classic combination’ is oft overused but this is one combination befitting of such a status. And as always perfectly executed by my stepmother:

Filed under: Food

Peppers

Not a recipe at all just a little thing for Sara’s grandmother who apparently liked roasted peppers I sent on to her.

Simply get some peppers and cut them in half, deseed and take that slightly bitter white stuff out and place cut side up in a suitably sized roasting dish.

Next you can take tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms or anything else for that matter or of course any combination thereof and mix with some garlic (roughly half a clove finely chopped per pepper seems about right), a good slug of olive oil, mountains of cracked black pepper and salt and whatever herbs you have lying around (with the exception of basil which I always think is such a waste to cook!) – if you only have dried herbs then I would stick to thyme or oregano as they seem to work best (but that is just me). And sometimes I put a drop of vinegar (red wine, balsamic or whatever is to hand) or alternatively a slug of wine and even sometimes whole grain mustard (with mushrooms seems to work best for some reason) or even sundried tomatoe paste – only a little (say half a tablespoon for half a dozen peppers). Anyway, you get the idea – i.e whatever works for you.

Mix together in suitable bowl:

And place in oven on medium to low heat for 40 minutes or so or until the peppers are nice and collapsing and lots of nice juice. Serve with good bread.

Filed under: Food

The Eagle, Farringdon Road – 14th May 2006

Newspapers, red wine and food with big bolshy flavours – exactly how Sunday should be.

Filed under: Daily Life, Food

A marvelous thing

Got a great spice grinder for my birthday – not seen one quite like this before. But makes perfect sense and is very efficient and much less work than a traditional pestle and mortar. Is from Swedish cookware company Skeppshult. To learn more about them and their cast iron stuff click the title of this entry to visit their website.

Filed under: Food, Swedish Life