Eleni’s Bakery: Oscar countdown? Almost

by Jamie Rhein on

My dad, who is visiting from the Hudson Valley region of New York, was watching either the Food Channel or the Food Network a little earlier. I heard Johnny Depp’s name mentioned and my ears perked up. There’s a bakery in New York City that put Johnny Depp’s lovely face on a sugar cookie. Not just Johnny Depp either. Anyone who is Oscar worthy might find their faces on one of Eleni’s Bakery cookies. The photo is from the Oscar contenders of 2003. Although, here’s a post from Luxist that assures this Oscar cookie venture is a yearly happening.

I became mesmerized watching how this bakery makes these cookies. Did you know there are sheets of sugar that work like paper? Amazing. In the past, these tins of Oscar cookies have flown off the shelves to the tune of 100 tins a day. Last year, I think these tins cost up to $58 per tin. It’s not cheap to be fashionable and “in.”

I think this Food Channel segment was a repeat since when I looked up Eleni’s Web site I couldn’t find any Oscar cookies, which makes sense since no one has been nominated yet. The holiday movies have just started rolling in and some of the Oscar contenders have just begun to show up at the dollar movie theaters. If you haven’t seen “3:10 to Yuma,” see it. It’s great. I also just saw “American Gangster,” but that’s not what I’m writing about now. Perhaps, though, come to think of it, we’ll see a Russel Crowe, Christian Bale or Denzel Washington cookie show up when the nominations come out.

You can head to Eleni’s for some lovely holiday themed cookies–or if animals are your thing, check out the safari offerings. The butterflies are also gorgeous. Chelsea, where the bakery is located, is a fun place to poke around if you happen to be in Manhattan.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade: a balloon handler’s scoop

by Jamie Rhein on

Maybe watching the Macy’s Parade is one of your Thanksgiving traditions. Maybe you vaguely know what it is. The gigantic helium balloons manned by volunteers who keep them from whacking down tourists like they are prone to do in the stiff gusts of wind that whistle down the streets of Manhattan, are the most famous features. The idea is to have people enamored by a six-story high Sponge Bob, Mr. Potato Head and Dora the Explorer floating by, not scared to death. Then there’s the Broadway numbers, glitzy floats, rousing marching bands and the TV personalities who yuck it up, often commenting on the shitty weather–or like today, gushing about it’s perfection.

No matter how much commercialism is heaped into the parade, the balloons are amazing. Here’s a video of a woman from Alaska who had a dream of becoming a balloon handler, and she did. There’s tips for how you can become a handler yourself. Also, she explains what is involved in actually doing to the job.

For more parade insider scoop, this You Tube video goes into the background of the Macy’s parade. Watch for the section about a girl who learned to play the tuba in less than a year so she could march in it. It’s another heartwarming Thanksgiving tale.

And still there’s more. For another video that gives up close looks at several balloons, check out this You Tube offering. And, here’s a few more to get you in that parade mood: Seuussical the Musical, the Sesame Street Float, a high school marching band from 1987 and the All Star Drum and Bugle Corps.

Is that chocolate, or a $25,000 mouse dropping?

by Catherine Bodry on

It’s going to be difficult for New York’s Serendipity 3 to recover from a health inspector-mandated closing, which was due to rodents and roaches. The restaurant has already seen a lot of positive media attention, most recently from its Guinness-record breaking $25,000 dessert. If it were just any restaurant that had to close due to some infestations, we probably wouldn’t hear about it. But if you charge what amounts to many people’s yearly salary for a dessert, well, it’s going to be hard to live that whole rodent-and-cockroach-infestation thing down.

Naturally, owner Steve Bruce is scurrying to fix the problem as quickly as possible. But how do you feel about dropping several thou for a dessert in a restaurant that can’t keep its pests in check?

Are diamonds forever? a best friend? Best place to get them

by Jamie Rhein on

I’m not a diamond kind of gal. I don’t quite get the fuss, but when I saw the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History this summer I thought, now that is impressive. If you are a person who is into diamonds, heading to the Diamond District in New York is one way to save lots of money for a gem–more than 50 % if you hit the right dealer who is willing to bargain down.

That’s because almost all diamonds entering the U.S. have a New York City stopover where they are cut, polished and sold before they end up in jewelry stores elsewhere. Reading about the Diamond District in Si Liberman’s article in the Columbus Dispatch reminded me about going a mall of outlet stores, but the deals are better on the diamonds.

I did receive a diamond as a gift once. It came in a small plastic bag, with a zip-lock top. From what I recall my friend got it from his sister’s best friend’s father’s jewelery store. The store was out on Long Island, but the father made frequent trips to the Diamond District for his diamond goods. My friend explained how he picked it because it had the elements of an excellent diamond: cut, color and clarity. It wasn’t big (carat weight is the other value marker) because that would have knocked it out of his price rang. He bought the best he could afford and I had it made into an earring, but alas, it was stolen one of the few times someone broke into my apartment when I was living in Albuquerque. This was one of the only two pieces of jewelry taken. Someone knew what he was doing. (The photo diamonds are fake.)

If you do go to the Diamond District don’t just buy from anyone. Make sure you are at a reputable dealer and find out if the diamond has been altered to get rid of flaws. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy it, but the value isn’t as high.

Off the beaten foodie path in New York City: Studiofeast

by Grant Martin on

With so many good places to eat in Manhattan, chefs are continuously trying to outdo each other in complexity and presentation of dishes. To that effect, eventually one beings to pay for elegance and setting as much as for the food itself. Is it really worth two hundred dollars a person to eat at Morimoto? Really?

For a different type of dining experience, where you won’t have to worry about what shoulder your Y-3 sweater is hanging from or the appellation of your Côtes du Rhône, try Studiofeast.

Recently slated in the New York Post as a having “code names, mysterious meeting places, a cult following and the intoxicating whiff of illegality,” Studiofeast is one of the numerous underground eating clubs that have popped up in the city over the past few years. It brings a unique, intimate air to dinner, where you can mill about a random Williamsburg or Red Hook studio, converse with the other diners, bring your own bottle of wine and not worry about the pretense of a normal awkward dinner on the LES.

Read the Post’s stub about Studiofeast here or check out their website. I’ll be at the November 3rd feast with my Y-3 cable knit sweater zipped all the way up. I should note that I met the creators a few years ago and have been regularly impressed with their fare and general zeal. My opinion aside, it should still be an excellent meal.