A Night Out - Denver

To sum it all up - the best damn bar in Denver, Colorado is The Cruise Room in the Oxford Hotel. With its glowing red up-lit walls that make us weak in the knees, and it's extensive list of signature cocktails, it is impossible to go wrong.



The bar opened the day after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, a worthy cause for celebration if you as us, and was modeled after a bar on the Queen Mary. The interior is original - the leather banquets, the vertical orange murals on scalloped walls, and the most exquisite glossy black bar that makes us want to lie down on it and have someone feed us maraschino cherries. It is Art-Deco heaven. And then they went and added that pink and red neon over the door - ecstasy.


They brag about their vodka martinis, but we much prefer the Gin and Juice served with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice.


A side note about the Oxford Hotel: it was the first hotel in Denver, and was built in 1890 by local architect Frank E. Edbrooke, who also designed the Brown Palace Hotel.


"The classical simplicity of The Oxford's exterior belied an extravagant interior, as opening day guests discovered on October 3, 1891. This luxury downtown Denver hotel, according to the Rocky Mountain News, sported the latest in gadgets and technology as well as Gilded Age opulence. The hotel had its own power plant and the most perfect system of steam heating, electric and gas lighting, and on each floor bathrooms had separate water closets with the latest improved sanitary appliances. The kitchen, added the News, is located so that none of the odor can possibly permeate through the house, and is provided with a series of ranges, broilers and all the utensils known to the culinary art. Dining tables glistened with cut, engraved glassware and Haviland China and silverware inscribed "Oxford." In a separate dining room for gentlemen only, merchants and bankers, politicos and attorneys, could feast privately before getting down to cigars and business. Antique oak furniture, marble and carpet floors, frescoed walls, silver chandeliers and stained glass glistened inside. Every room had an abundance of light and air because Edbrooke wrapped the hotel around a light well. With its own dining rooms, barber shop, a library, a pharmacy, a Western Union office, stables and a splendid saloon serving Zang's "Fritz Imperial," The Oxford was and still is an authentic Denver hotel, a city within a city."

Bacon or Beer Can

You tell us.

Flakes

Maybe we aren't the biggest fans of cereal (we tend to agree with Miss Pussy Katz, played by the indie goddess Zooey Deschanel, that cereal is a non-food), but we stumbled upon the film Flakes from 2007 and are reconsidering the concept. We love the cereal bar idea - only if they also have wi-fi and maybe serve a martini or three. Maybe 'tis time to look into designing some sort of coco-puff Bailey's cocktail...hmmm....


Flakes also has us looking at more vintage cereal boxes, given that we are total suckers for packaging.

Cereal Connoisseurs

Gastronomista Gift Guide - Bubbletime

Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like sabering a bottle of pink Champagne.

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For an affordable, dry, minerally, rhubarby bottle of the pink bubbles, check out the Bugey Cerdon by Domaine Renardat-Fâche. This bottle, imported by Louis Dressner and available in many stores for under $20 including here online. We drank it last night alongside some runny, sheepy cheese and it really put us in a rather celebratory mood. Louis Dressner writes, "The Bugey, halfway between Lyons and Geneva, is one of the tiniest and most obscure wine areas in France. Although the altitude is modest, the terrain is very mountainous, the roads are steep and winding as in the Alps, and the villages are built for cold winters – the houses made of gray/white limestones all bunched together on narrow streets. The region's star wine is the Cerdon Méthode Ancestrale, a semi-dry, pink bubbly made by spontaneous, but incomplete, fermentation. Alain Renardat is a respected vigneron in Cerdon, and he has been a long-time supplier of Alain Chapel's restaurant, in the Dombes. Alain and his son Elie make their Cerdon from Gamay and Poulsard, and follow the technique called "ancestral method" (in wider use is Méthode Champenoise, or else plain carbonation, the preferred method used for supermarket wines). The grapes are picked by hand, pressed and fermented in cold vats until the alcohol reaches about 6 degrees. After a light filtration that leaves most of the active yeast in the unfinished wine, it is bottled and continues its fermentation in the bottle, reaching about 7.5 or 8 degrees of alcohol and retaining a fair quantity of its original sugar. It is more vinous (with grapey primary aromas) than most Champagne, since there is neither dosage nor addition of yeast before the second fermentation."

via Louis Dressner

We love the architectural lines of Riedel's "Vitis" lead crystal glassware, particularly their Champagne flutes, available for about $70 per pair on Amazon.

Learn more about Vitis at Riedel

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Because gastronomistas don't pop their bottles, they saber them, a Champagne saber by Laguiole (and while you're at it, you might as well have the blade engraved):

Beware of Laguiole imitations, as their trademark has long lapsed

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In the fascinating The Widow Cliquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It (Harper Collins, 2008), Colby College professor Tilar Mazzeo tells the story of the Veuve ("widow") Clicquot who built one of the leading Champagne houses in the early 19th century in an era when few women were internationally famous for anything other than marrying well or divorcing scandalously.

Buy it at Amazon

Gastronomista Gift Guide - For Your Belly

Sometimes all we need is chocolate. Truth be told, most of the time all we need is chocolate. This Neapolitan Bar by Chocolate Editions would be a perfect fix for any sweet tooth, and a perfect stocking stuffer: Dark, White, and Strawberry.

Gastronomista Gift Guide - For the Kitchen

Continuing the Gastronomista Gift Guide, this post's theme: The Kitchen.

We aren't going to be shy about this one: this is the most beautiful piece of equipment we have ever seen. The KitchenAid Professional 620 Stand Mixer made out of copper, yes copper. We learned how to cook with a KitchenAid, and have been lusting for one ever since moving to New York. We will not divulge the price (look here at your own risk), we are still in a recession after all, but we will continue to dream.



Measuring spoons are critical in every kitchen, and in our opinion, they should be lovely and enhance the experience of cooking for our loved ones. These measuring spoons already have us in the mood to build this year's gingerbread house (more to come in the next week or so). The best part is, these spoons would stay in someone's kitchen for life, and they are only $24 from Anthropologie.


Speaking of spoons, isn't it annoying when you are cooking and you are blast with a lightning bolt of inspiration, and you can't find a pen or a pencil anywhere? We sure do. But now there is this spoon/pencil that will not only keep your kitchen neat, but allow you to keep track of your ideas while in the thick of it. Designed by Sebastian Bergne (one of our favorite Industrial Designers), it is $35 at Moss.

Gastronomista Gift Guide - Meat

Continuing the Gastronomista Gift Guide, this post's theme: Meat.

One of the best gifts we've ever seen around is the Bacon of the Month Club by the Grateful Palate - for $315 your lucky loved one receives a package of artisan Bacon, and all the fixin's:



- A different artisan bacon delivered to your door each month for 12 months
- Informative notes on all bacon selections
- Discounts on The Grateful Palate bacon products and bacons
- Bacon of the Month Club Membership Card
- The bacon strip - our members only monthly bacon comic strip
- The Bacon of the Month Club Pig Ballpoint Pen
- A little Rubber Toy Pig
- One free Bacon Tee Shirt
- A recipe each month using the bacon selected
- Discounts on suggested wines and products in recipes
- And a pig nose!

um. someone? anyone? bacon? to my doorstep!!!

moving on. it's genius. just sayin.

Also check out their obscene collection of Bacon related paraphernalia.



Another great gift idea for the man of the house is a Monogrammed Steak Brand from Willams-Sonoma. Don't forget to include Houston's Goode Company Steak Rub for $3.95-$11.95 - guaranteed to make a spot-on steak, no matter your skill level.



Every foodie needs some food on their Christmas tree (we demand aluminum trees), and we are completely smitten with these felt breakfast items made by Feltalicious. They are $15 for a set that inlcudes one egg, one french toast, and one piece of felt bacon. We also love the idea of a tree covered in felt eggs. Also a hit: the felt chips and salsa.



And continuing the theme of non-meat-meats, there is the Meat Medley Plush Toy & Pillow for the meat loving youngsters in your life made by Sweet Meats. The whole Shebang for $179.99, and comes with Deli Wrapping for only 50¢ - what a deal.

Gastronomista Gift Guide - For the Table

Well, it's here. The holidays. And it's time to get shopping. Statistics prove that people who do last minute shopping spend 15% more, so start early, and here are some ideas for foodies and gourmands alike. All of these items are $100 or less - let the shopping begin!

We love these black textured glass tumblers - they would looks absolutely fabulous on a table for a dinner for 8. They would be especially fabulous with the silver champagne flutes grandma has promised us, on a table covered in dark red flowers and candles. Lucky for your wallet, these tumblers are $10 each.


This vintage penny candy jar is $98 - and would look stunning filled with papabubble candy, a few pounds of lemons, glass holiday ornaments, or a string of red Christmas lights. These are also a great vessel to put your daily essentials - sunglasses, keys, a collection of red lipsticks, or perhaps a collection of correspondence cards from nights out on the town.


Finally, every baker needs a proper place to present her achievements. These are the most glorious cake stands around; colorful, fun, and guaranteed to make any sugar deprived soul giddy in anticipation. Designed by Iacoli Mcallister out of Seattle, this red beauty is $90 of pure joy. They come in other equally delightful colors such as Aquamarine, Magenta, Orange, Yellow and Purple, for those of you who are not as red crazed as I.

Gingerbread Man, Dissected

Gingerbread: the perfect man... he's rich, sweet, and if he misbehaves, you can bite his head off. And now, see through him. Artist Jason Feeny's anatomical drawings expose the innards of myriad sources, including Legomen and balloon dogs. Signed, embossed prints are available here for $59.

Moist Production

Moist Production

The inner workings of a gummy bear:

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Moist Production

The Cure

Maybe last night was a fun one for us, two too many Pear and St. Germain Martinis. They just looked so lovely with the little gold flakes on top! So hard to resist!

Today, we suffer. Oh, how we suffer.

We need a cure, with the quickness. Forbes tells us to drink water, Gatorade, take B6 & B12, and to eat tripe soup. Forbes, we believe you, except for that last one.

But we know the real cure: Green Chile - on pretty much anything.

We present to you, dear readers, the 2009 Chile Verde Champion Recipe:

CHEF BOY-R-BOB CHILI VERDE



Ingredients:

2½ lbs of pork tenderloin cut into 3/8 to 1/2 inch cubes

2 tbs. bacon fat

1 cup of diced onion

4 cloves of garlic – pressed

4 jalapeño peppers seeded and chopped

2 green chilies seeded and chopped

4 serrano peppers thinly sliced

1 lb of green chilies (canned or frozen) – divided in half

1 14 oz. can of chicken broth

1 14 oz. can green enchilada sauce

1 7oz. can green salsa verde

1 tbs. cumin

1 tbs. powdered green jalapeño

2 tsp. powdered green chili

2 tsp. corn starch for thickening

Salt to taste

Tabasco green pepper sauce (as needed for heat)

Allow for 3 hours of cooking time*

the salt level drops each time you add the green chilies so be sure to add salt each time

Instructions:
In a 6 quart pot, brown the pork in the bacon fat. Add the remaining ingredients (using only half of the frozen or canned green chilies *) to the pot and simmer for 2 hours. You may need to add some water during the cooking time to keep the mixture covered.With 30-40 minutes of cooking time left add the remaining green chilies *10 minutes before the end of the cooking period adjust the thickness, salt and heat.

Every Person in New York

Artist Jason Polan is obsessed with chronicling things: everything visible to the public at the MoMa, gems and dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History, the passage of time. His quest to draw every person in New York takes us on a journey through the city and introduces us to many of its residents -- ordinary urbanites, children, people in fanny packs, and more than a bevvy of the art, film and music world gliterrati in their natural environments. We spend most of our time with Jason at the MoMa, Union Square, commuting around town on the subway, and in SoHo... and at Taco Bell. Boy loves himself a nacho. As of November 30th, a year-and-a-half into his quest, Jason had drawn 8,300 people - one tenth of one percent of his residents. And boy, do they know how to eat.

First up, our main man Mario. Love the Crocs.

Mario Batali on MacDougal Street
September 4, 2008

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Every Person in New York

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Order up: toasted sesame bagel, gaspe salmon, regular cream cheese, wasabi roe. And a side order of the oh-so-delicious Josh Russ Tupper.

Every Person in New York
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Sherlock Holmes here. They're filming "Clearing the Air", a short on SNL, Season 34, Episode 8 (no video available, sorry, but here's the transcript) at Bellavitae Restaurant at 24 Minetta Lane.

Every Person in New York

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Every Person in New York

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Every Person in New York
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Every Person in New York
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Every Person in New York
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Every Person in New York

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Every Person in New York

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Edible underwear?

Every Person in New York

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When's he going to catch a glimpse of Ira Glass? Ira, come to New York City so we can see you!

What Lies Beneath

In another coup for efficiency, next week sees the inevitable and praiseworthy pairing of booze and baked goods at the Red Velvet Lounge.

Don't be fooled. Those little bonbons might look innocent with their little frosted tufts, but inside they're filled with whiskey, espresso, rum, brandy - and God knows what other dangers.

Says the martini to the cupcake: Haven't I seen you somewhere, baby? Hop in, the vodka's cool.

As if it could get any better, Red Velvet Lounge is the newest venture for Jason Lawrence and Cole Bernard of The Eldridge and the little dangercakes are Baked By Melissa.

Just think of them as a nice little upgrade from these.

Red Velvet Lounge, opening in New York next week. Via CityStyle.

The Quickest Path from Point A to Point B...

... is a straight line. Efficiency is king. Or in this case, a very brave knight. We commend Alie and Georgia for their adventurous spirit and for their willingness to put their meat where their mouth is.

We would never hesitate to drink to ham - three cheers for ham! we love ham! - nor would we hesitate to put drinks on our ham... but a ham daquiri?



Well, it's like Alie says. If you're eating ham and drinking a daiquiri, it's going to become a ham daiquiri in your stomach.

McNuggetini, anyone?

Do You Gnomey?

Introducing ClinQs, resuable drink stickers, each sheet for $5.50, brought to you by the charming, resourceful (and apparently boozy) sisterly team of Jeila Gueramian and Jenn Khavari.

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This, they tell us, is how it all started: "The clinQs gang was just clinQing around, as they do, one dinner party eve. After losing one too many glasses, with one too many beverages and one too many people around, they decided to put stickers on glasses to keep some order. Well the next morning, those stickers were not so easy to get off as they were to put on, and an idea was born! Let's come up with a different smarter way to do this. Thus was born a crusade to provide the drinking public (from water to wine) with a smart and stylish way to identify their drinks in a reusable way. Resuable was important to us as well, especially when using a material like vinyl. They are sturdy enough to use all the time! They can even be washed on the glass and then reapplied to their holding card for storage, and used again, and again, and again. They have been used at our "lab" for two years now, and have held up perfectly to repeated usage."

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Of the very many styles to choose from, here's our favorite. Keep an eye out for these puppies in the upcoming Gastronomista Holiday Gift Guide.

Do You Gnomey?

They'll hold tight to nearly any surface - glass, aluminum, plastic - either hot or cold, so feel free to slap these suckers on your Champagne flute, hot toddy tumbler, PBR can, or red Solo. Bottoms up!

My So-Called Mustard

Remembering our youth and reveling in our relative adulthood, we’ve been watching back-to-back episodes of My So-Called Life. And in the process we have most certainly developed a major crush on Angela’s dad, Graham Chase, the 40-year-old hunk with aspirations to become a chef.

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via My So-Called Gallery

Of course, when deadbeat drunk French Chef Stefan Dieter fails to perform as culinary professor, Graham is tapped to teach the class. More than anything, though, our crush is solidified when Rayanne roots through the fridge to find out just how fetishistic about mustard our main man is.

"Who's into the mustard?"

"My dad."

"Well, you know what that's about. Sex. I mean, all you really need to survive is mild yellow. All this other stuff is purely recreational."

- Rayanne and Angela

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Many Mustards, proof that variety is the spice of life

And we think you'll agree that a house with no mustard is a house of heartbreak.

via The Mustard Museum

Food On the TV

Sometimes all we need is a little humor and a little perspective to get us through a blah Tuesday. We recommend the new single by Charlotte Gainsbourg featuring Beck, from her forthcoming album IRM due out January 26th. The video is directed by Keith Schofield and, well, it's delightful, and completely strange all at the same time.

A few of our favorite moments:

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait from Charlotte Gainsbourg on Vimeo.

Ice Ice Baby

The best thing about a good cocktail is the proper, well considered ice: hand chipped, cubed, or sphered. But we also like ice in sculpture form, especially ones carved by Edward Scissorhands. Kent Lyons of London created a time lapse of a 12 pointed Moravian Star over the 15 hours that it took for it to melt, and with it, our icy hearts.

Past/Present/Future from KentLyons on Vimeo.

A Lot of Cake (and Love)

Erin Jang gets it. She understands that sometimes we all need a little cake (ok, a lot). But sometimes what we need more is a little bit harder to come by, and worth making posters about. Miss Jang made this poster for a bride who wanted to give it to her husband on their wedding day, and hung it next to the cake during the reception. It is incredibly sweet, and reminds us of the good things in life.

Lucky for all of us, she plans to sell prints of the cake poster in 2010. We will make sure to let you know when they are available.

Erin Jang, Love You Like a Fat Kid Loves Cake

After going through Miss Jang's blog (yes, we went through all of it), we also love her witty theme of cinema for a 5 course culinary feast. In 2006 she created charming illustrations for a menu created in homage to the Oscar nominees.

Erin Jang, Oscar 5 course meal, 2006

Erin Jang, Oscar 5 course meal, 2006