Aussie Open wrap-up

First Slam of the year is over. Young'uns ruled the Aussie Open. A pair of 20 year olds won the singles title. No one over 23 was in the Singles finals as a matter of fact. Here are a few random thoughts.

- Novak Djokovic looked very impressive through the tournament. Only dropping one set in the final and dispatched King Federer in the semis with such precision, it is hard not to ask yourself if Federer's reign on men's tennis is starting to get shaky. I think R Fed will still rule the grass courts at Wimbledon. But Aussie Open and US Open are not so much of a sure thing anymore. French will be even harder to get now that Novak is added to the obstacle course along with Nadal and a whole slew of South Americans including Nalbandian and Canas who has given Federer trouble in the past.

- “Tsonga is Stronga” is obviously the story of the tournament. The young Mohammed Ali look-alike won the crowd’s heart by winning 6 matches in emphatic fashion, as an unseeded player, dispatching a few top 15 players along the way. He has tremendous talent, but I am not getting on his bandwagons yet. He could be a one slam wonder. Or he could be the next Safin, who also has immense talent, won 2 slams, but never gets mentioned in the same breath among the top echelon of players.

- Sharapova stormed through the women’s draw with a vengeance trying to repair her image due to her poor showing last year in the Finals against Serena. Her dad Yuri grabbed the attention yet again, causing a lot of negative press by showing up in an army fatigue print over-coat and doing a throat slashing motion after Sharapova beat Henin in straight sets. (2nd was a bagel set) Sharapova improved on her serve, the weakest part of her game, and looks to be back in to form again. Connie hates her guts, mainly due to her arrogance and the classless acts by her dad. I wonder if it is too late to salvage her image with some fans?

- Chinese girls failed to break through again at a Slam. Only bright spot was Tian Tian Sun winning the mix doubles title. Li Na, Peng Shuai, Yan Zi and Zheng Jie all fizzed out early in singles and Yan and Zheng made it to semis as the highest seed left, but lost in the semis.

- Ram/Erlich combo won the men’s doubles. First Slam for the Israeli pair who hovers around #7 or 8 in the world rankings. They became the hero for their country and kudos to them!

- Aussie Open was coined the “Happy Slam” this year by Federer. I hope USTA is taking notice and give it a good run by making US OPEN more fun and fan friendly.

Spring is coming and outdoor tennis is around the corner. I am psyched.

Gabrielle Hamilton's Prune

Ever since I watched Anthony Bourdain, Eric Ripert (Le Bernardin) and Scott Bryan (Formerly of Veritas) sucking on roasted marrow bones and eating heads on Shrimp with Anchovy butter @ Gabrielle Hamilton's Prune on "No Reservations", I knew I had to go there.

Called for a prime time Friday reservation for two about 4 days ahead. It is close to the "Nexus of the Universe" 1st Street and 1st Ave, on the same block as my past favorites like Elephant, and new ones like Tasting Room wine bar that I havent tried yet. First impression when I walked in was "Wow, this place is tiny!". It is advertised to seat 30, but those gotta be razor thin 30 people. The Host is busy pulling out the tables and letting people out from their banquette seats. You know everything your neighbouring table orders and many intimate details about their life, if you care to listen. But hey, I am here for the marrowed bones and sweet breads, a little crampedness wont bother me.

Generous pour from the bartender gets me a really nice glass of Syrah from Kunin vineyards in Central California. Connie got a glass of Godello from A Coroa, still not drinking Reds much, but at least she is deviating from the Rieslings and Gewurztraminers. She started with Fried oysters from the bar menu (It tasted nice and light, but nothing to write home about) and I went with the Marrow Bones with sea salt, parsley Salad and toasted baguette. My 3 months of diet seem well worth it when I scoop out the marrow, put it on a piece of toast, sprinkle on a little sea salt and parsley. It is out of this world! I guess it is no coincidence I booked Prune 2 days after the Biggest loser competition ended. Things only got better from there. Connie got the grilled whole Branzino. It is stuffed with Fennel, drizzled with fennel oil and served with sea salt and half lemon. Connie skillfully work around the head, fins and bones (us Asians are used to having fish served whole) while the lady next to us requested the wait staff to de-bone her fish for her and remove the head. Perhaps she should go back to Upper East side?! I had Stewed pork shoulder with Salsa Verde. It was so tasty, I had to ask the waitress for some bread to soak up all the wonderful sauce and scoop up the tender pork bits. The side of Stewed chestnut with fresh Ricotta is not to be missed. Dessert was less than stellar, but it was my own fault for not willing to walk a few blocks to Venieros. Check comes with a nice chunk of dark chocolate for each. Nice touch I thought.

All in all, a great repeatable neighborhood place with awesome homey food. 7.5/10 in my book!

P.S. Connie tasted my Syrah and liked it. There is hope yet:)

I am the "Biggest Loser"

I am the biggest loser, after 3 months of caring about everything that I eat and maintain my exercise level, I won the Biggest Loser competition, by losing 13.81% of my body weight. Back in Oct, a few coworkers, friends and I started this “Biggest Loser competition”. Each put in $200 into the pot and sees who can lose the most weight as a percentage to their starting body weight in three months, winner takes all. End result was nice, but this wasn't really about the money. Every one in the contest won. JS who came in last, lost 10+ lbs. There is no loser in this!

A few rules that I followed:
1. Eat less processed food and more food in its natural state.
2. Eat less refined grain products. No White rice, white bread etc.
3. Limit sugar and salt intake.
4. Eat food from every group, including fat and carb. (good fat like from fish and avocado, carb from wheat bread and brown rice)
5. Maintain excercise level.

This competition coincides with my reading of a book recommended by a coworker SL, ‘Omnivore’s Dilemma” written by Michael Pollan. It came with a disclaimer from him, “I am not responsible if you turn into a vegetarian after you read this.” The book took the approach of tracing four meals to the original source: Industrial meal, Organic Food, Alternative food and Food we forage ourselves. It changed my view of food forever and makes me think, every time I put food in my mouth, about where is had actually come from and what exactly is in it. It made me a more responsible eater and I highly recommend this life-changing book.

Professing my love for Anthony Bourdain, his job rather

Anthony Bourdain’s new season of “No reservations” started last week on Travel Channel. First episode was Singapore. The material wasn’t exactly new, since the ‘die die must try’ Singaporean Makan was already covered in his book “Nasty Bits”.

I absolutely dig Anthony Bourdain. He is raw, in-your-face and has no tolerance for BS. Other TV food personnel are often the butt of his jokes, Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse to name a few. I started watching Bourdain’s show when he was still with Food Network and doing an half hour show called “A Cook’s Tour”. I read some of his books (the non-fiction ones), Kitchen Confidential, A Cooks Tour and Nasty Bits. Some fascinating stories were told and it was an eye opening experience into the ‘underbelly’ of the culinary world and different cultures around the world. Bourdain is a CIA graduate and has bounced around NY restaurant scene for many years before he was made head chef, and later executive chef of Les Halles in Manhattan. Sometime after he realize his age and mental state is no longer fit for the daily grind in the kitchen, he started doing shows for Food Network and later for Discovery/Travel Channel. He travels around the world with a TV crew and make a show out of his travel log and him trying local delicacies as well as some not so appetizing stuff. Traveling, exploring different cuisines and get paid? Wow, where do I send my job application? I might just pull a Radical Sabbatical!

Note on the Singapore episode: Bourdain declared Singapore his favorite place to Makan, due to the nice mix of Indian, Chinese, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine. But how could he, a native Newyawker, say that when NYC is the biggest melting pot of all cuisines from all over the world, done by the people from those region???

Sampras vs Federer coming to MSG

I got a email from USTA about advance purchase of Sampras vs Federer match @ MSG on March 10th, 2008. When I first heard about the three exhibition match swing in Asia, I was upset that it is not anywhere close to home. As a tennis fan, I should be ecstatic that the game is happening in my city and be rushing to get tickets, right?

Not so fast. I am starting to see it as more of a marketing scheme rather than a true gem of a match. March is a vacuum month for tennis. Aussie Open is wrapped up by the end of Jan. French Open doesn't start till late May. It definitely make sense for Federer to schedule a match in to play with Sampras who still has a lot of game left. But what about the quality of the match? Federer is in his prime, Sampras is past his. I love Petey, rooted for his low profile image, superb game since I moved to this country in the early 90s. Federer came to form in the early 21st century and has been dominant since. It is never fair to compare player from different eras. Let alone have them compete against each other. Pete is 36, it is a dinosaur age in tennis. Would any one pay to see Nolan Ryan pitch against Barry Bonds? or Kobe posting up against Magic? These type of exhibition are unthinkable in other sports, so why in tennis?

Lets leave the athletes be in their eras and lets remember how dominant they are in their prime, shall we?

With that off my chest, here are my pick for the Aussie Open. ( I haven't seen the draw yet though). Federer, Djokovic, Murray and F Gonzo in men. Henin, William sisters and Li Na in women. Yes, i said it. Li Na from China, baby!

1st Degree of Encounter with Cesare Casella - Maremma

Bitter cold day in December. Connie had just got back from an overseas business trip and I was exhausted from Xmas shopping on line without spousal help. Authentic Tuscan fare feels like a distant memory from our trip back in Oct to Italy. We were in need of some good comfort food and decided to try out Maremma. I had not been big on Italian, the Italy trip changed me. Pasta cooked to perfection and divine but simple Ragu that are to die for and many other simple & slow food totally changed my view on real Italian food.

Chef Cesare Casella is the dean of Italian studies at the FCI. He is the Italian version of Andre Soltner or Jacques Pepin as they are to French. After a successful Beppe, he started Maremma in Greenwich village, paying homage to his town in Tuscany. With today's celebrity chef craze, I was surprised to find Chef Casella, who was dressed in an ironchef-esque outfit with a big batch of fresh rosemary sticking out of his chest pocket, greet us by the front desk and seated us to a cozy table in the back corner. Apparently he still cooks in his own kitchen and deals with day to day business.
While sipping a nice bottle of 04' Morellino di Scansano, we started with Pontormo and Sloppy Giuseppe. Pontormo was a house specialty, a warm mixed green salad tossed with pancetta and scrambled eggs. It was tasty, but probably not a repeat item for us. Sloppy Giuseppe, on the other hand, was out of this world. Braised oxtail off the bone, served on toasted crusty Italian bread. We then split a Pappardelle with chocolate Cinghiale (wild boar) ragu. It definitely reminded us of the same dish we had in Florence, except the pasta is not as 'al dente' as the Italian one. Wild Boar Ragu was to die for in the winter time. These Tuscans just know how to do their meat right! Connie had the short rib afterwards and my Tuscan Steak is no Biscetta ala Fiorentina, but it was quite good. We finished with a light Panna Cotta that really hit the spot.

Reliable Italian, but nothing spectacular. One thing worth noting was that Chef Casella came out of the kitchen and check on us between the pasta course and the main courses. I thought that was nice touch. (he didn't check on other tables near us)



6.5/10 in my book.

2nd Degree of Encounter with Molto Mario - Casa Mono

So I heard about this Spanish place that Andrew Nusser (former sous chef at Babbo) opened with Mario Batali’s partnership for a while. Mario apparently never cooks there, but rumor has it he would be sitting at a corner table with a (or nth) bottle of wine and devouring stuff from the kitchen. That’s enough of an endorsement for me! But it wasn’t until the week after this Thanksgiving, a few wine heads and foodies from work gathered at Casa Mono for, what turned out to be, a great night.

The place was tiny, or cozy depending on who you ask. It is a little square room with an open kitchen, bar and dining room all folded into this corner space on Irving place and 17th. Well stocked wine lined the back of the bar, while a young female sommelier roam around the room and helps the patrons. A one page menu is not overwhelming but seems to menu indicates reds would pair better than most whites.



We started off with a plate of delightful Jamon Serrano, Iberico ham that was cured to perfection. A good start to a slew of tasty tapas yet to come. Bacalao Croquettes, pumpkin and goat cheese croquettes, razor clams a la plancha. And then, came the highlight of the evening: Duck egg with Mojama. Duck Egg, you ask? yes, it is a duck egg sunny side up, over a bed of steak fry potato wedges mixed with pieces of black truffle and cured tuna (Mojama), drizzled generously with truffle oil. We went through not one, not two, but four orders of it before we moved on!


You know you are dining with foodies when likes of Cock's Comb and Fried Sweetbread started showing up on the table. Cock's comb has interesting texture and that's all i gotta say about it, but the sweetbread was very flavorful and 'light' tasting. Pork cheek was very tender and the quince paste that accompanies it works very well. Huge advantage of doing tapas with half a dozen guys is you get to try more dishes. Lamb chops, Skirt steaks and Venison shanks were all great. Waitress was friendly, Sommelier was a little unsure of herself, but the wine choices were very solid.

Overall, it is a great place for meat dishes, tasty tapas, Spanish wine and spend time with friends. I would definitely come back. A four top would be a perfect size to sample diff dishes and share 2 bottle of wine. Our group though, went thru 5 bottles and they are listed below.

8/10 in my book.



Guitian Godello Valdeorras, 2004
Bodegas La Tapada, has applied the latest technology in order to introduce a unique white wine that reflects the seductive and impressive character of the Godello grape. It is 100% Godello. Bright golden yellow color. Scented with floral and herbaceous fragrances. Tangy with lively acidity. A crisp and refreshing wine with an abundance of fruit

Abadia Retuerta Viño de la Tierra de Castilla y León Selección Especial 2003 WS 88
This generous red shows ripe plum and currant fruit, with accents of toast, light earth and licorice. Well-integrated tannins provide good structure, and the finish is spicy and clean. Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot. Drink now through 2011. 2,100 cases imported. –TM

Pardevalles Carroleon Prieto Picudo 2004
I’ve found very little info on this one but if you liked it there is 2005 available from different vineyard ( Gamonal) though

Pardevalles Gamonal Prieto Picudo 2005 WA 90
The Pardevalles winery, located in the new D.O. of Tierras de Leon (created in 2005), works exclusively with the indigenous Prieto Picudo grape. The 2005 Gamonal, which was aged for 6 months in a mixture of new and used French and American oak, is purple-colored with an excellent nose of vanilla, blueberry and blackberry. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied, elegant wine with ripe, sweet fruit and enough structure for 2-3 years of further evolution. Should you see the 2004, don't hesitate; it is nearly as good as the 2005."

Comenge Ribera Del Duero 2004
Wine has a the rich network of aromas, including Bing cherries, violets and sandalwood. On the palate the wine is very well structured with mature tannins and elegant notes of forest fruit, dark chocolate and a dash of nutmeg, followed by a very long and and expressive finish.

Alvear Pedro Ximenez Solera 1927 WA 96
"The impressive 1927 Pedro Ximenez Solera, from a Solera begun nearly 80 years ago, boasts a dark amber color as well as an extraordinary nose of creme brulee, liquefied nuts, marmalade, and maple syrup. Huge and viscous, yet neither cloyingly sweet nor heavy, it is a profound effort priced unbelievably low. It is meant to be drunk alone at the end of a meal...

Pilot episode

I read it in a magazine somewhere a while back that if you don't have a blog or a web page, you don't belong in this era. I like to think of myself as a tech savvy guy. I am into gadgets, works in IT/software and 'should' be in the top tier of "People most likely to have a personal web page or blog". But I do not. Never had one and never had the urge.

So why now all of a sudden? I wouldn't attempt to look for an exact reason. Wifey thinks I have an early stage of mid-life crisis and wanted to catch up with the times. I never win any argument with her anyway, so let this be my desperate attempt to feel 'I belong to the era'.