Therese and I said goodbye to Jake and Valentina at the pier in Miami, and then hopped back into the limo to head to South Beach. We were ready for a week of fun and hopefully warm weather to relax and let memories of cold dreary New York melt away...
The weather would turn out to be unseasonably cold for Miami to start out the week, but warm up nicely as the week went on.
And Therese and I had lots of fun. We went to see a couple of movies - Black Swan (disturbing!) and King's Speech (delightful!). We missed the Bass Museum of Art, but spent nice afternoons at two other area attractions, the Wolfsonian Museum (nice art deco media) and the Vizcaya Mansion (balmy day, nice gardens and amazing house!). And of course, we ate and drank well - had dinner twice at Alma de Cuba, a wonderful Latin fusion restaurant just down the street from our hotel, also had some good German food (and beer) on Lincoln Road, and sampled local fare at places like David's Cafe.
We also got out a bit and visited some friends and I got to smoke some cigars. First on Tuesday we bused it to Calle Ocho and I got a Padilla Cazadores, and we had our first taste of Cuban coffee. Then on Wednesday Maria Martin from Camacho picked us up and took us to lunch at Cuban Crafters with Berta Bravo, more Cuban coffee, and Berta and I smoked Medina 1959 Churchills. Then finally on Friday we taxied out to Hollywood to meet up with Ana Cuenca at Cuenca Cigars where we drank more Cuban coffee once again! and I smoked a Brickhouse Mighty Mighty.
After returning from Cuenca's, we spent New Year's Eve having dinner at Alma de Cuba and then watched the beach fireworks from our hotel room window. It was another balmy evening, and we heard people frollicking on the street until the wee hours of the new year.
Saturday the first of January we walked down toward the beach and made our way to News Cafe for a nice New Year brunch. Things had finally warmed up into the mid 70s, and everyone was out looking hung over but happy. We got the perfect table, on the porch facing the street, and happily gobbled up our delicious food washed down with more Cuban coffee. We didn't want to leave!
Flying back to New York first class helped a bit to soften the blow of the end of our vacation. Back to the snow, and the cold, and work. Oh well! Now it's time to plan the next vacation!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Xmas Vacation 2010-11, part one
I know I told a lot of folks that I was going away for the Holidays, so I thought it might be fun to tell you a little about where we went and what transpired.
So basically, Therese and I went to Naples, FL to spend Christmas with her parents, who live there, and then we spent a week vacationing in Miami, returning to New York City on January 1st.
We flew in Naples on Wednesday, December 22nd and Therese's parents, Sam and Eileen, picked us up at the airport and drove us to our hotel, which was very nice of them to do. But also, they were very eager to see us. Our hotel, the Naples Double Tree, turned out to be really nice. It didn't hurt that we had the nicest suite in the hotel. The back of the hotel faced onto a sort of game reserve, so there was a beautiful lake and a grove of trees. We had a balcony that wrapped around two sides of the suite, one of which faced the hotel's pool and the other the trees and wildlife. We were told when we checked in that there was a bald eagle sighted in the grove of trees, and sure enough the next morning we saw the eagle majestically flying in circles before landing on a tall dead paper tree.
So Therese and I settled in and then went out to dinner with Sam and Eileen at a local spot called EVOO. Nothing too extraordinary, but the fried calimari and red wine hit the spot. The next day, the 23rd, the four of us went to the Naples Museum of Art, a modest art museum by New York standards but filled with lots of wonderful art, especially some great glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly. One of the most extraordinary examples of Chihuly's art was next door in the lobby of the Naples Philharmonic Hall, where I also got to see a plaque acknowledging Sam and Eileen's contribution. They are justifiably proud of their community - they've lived in Naples for more than 10 years and love it.
Friday, Christmas Eve, Sam and I planned to visit one of Naples' cigar lounges. There are now two noteworthy ones that I know of: Vicente of London and the new Burn by Rocky Patel. Sam and I went to Vicente's - the ladies dropped us off so they could go do some shopping, and we set a time when they would pick us up. Vicente's is a very impressive place. All along the outer rim of the lounge are glass cases enclosing their vast and varied inventory. It took us a while to look at everything, but I settled on a Camacho Select robusto, and Sam decided he would smoke the same.
It seemed to be a quiet afternoon at Vicente's, but the host, Mark, was very friendly and took good care of us. We found a comfortable couch opposite a tv broadcasting ESPN, and Mark brought us Diet Cokes to go with our cigars. Sam and I then passed a very relaxing 2 hours smoking, talking and watching sports news.
Eileen and Therese picked us up at the appointed time and we drove to Sam and Eileen's house, where Therese and I made dinner for the four of us. After dinner Therese's daughter Valentina and Valentina's boyfriend Jake arrived and the 6 of us opened our stockings as is the custom in Therese's family.
On Christmas morning, we all gathered again at Sam and Eileen's house for breakfast and then present-opening. I had made cookies for Valentina and a batch for Sam as well - their own personal batches that they need not share with anyone. And for Sam's main present from me, I gave him a Fuente Humidipak with 4 CRC Cigars, a Camacho Liberty 2010 and a couple other cigars. Sam was pretty excited - he likes cigars, but doesn't get to smoke them that often.
The gift giving went on most of the rest of the afternoon, and then it was time for Therese and I to start making dinner. For starters, I was making a pumpkin pie for dessert, and Therese put together a baked brie tart and some baked twists with ham. Then came the dinner: a beef filet with green beans, potatoes homemade mushroom gravy (my specialty). It turned out to be enough food to feed twice the number of people present, but that was no problem for Sam and Eileen since that meant they would have leftovers for many days to come.
Dinner was finished and Sam, Jake and I were going to sit out on the porch, when Therese suggested we smoke some of Sam's Xmas cigars. So that's just what we did. We had no cutter, but I took a paring knife and a cutting board and did my best to cut 3 cigars, and then we lit them using Sam's old trusty Bic. The purist in me shuddered, but most of me just thought, hey go with the flow, and the three of us passed a good hour plus chatting and enjoying our cigars. Dessert was eventually served to us by Therese, and it was just glorious.
The next morning we got all packed and met back at Sam and Eileen's where a limo picked us up to drive the four of us, Therese, Valentina, Jake and I, to Miami - Therese and I to have a vacation in Miami, Valentina and Jake to board a cruise ship to take off for the Caribbean.
So basically, Therese and I went to Naples, FL to spend Christmas with her parents, who live there, and then we spent a week vacationing in Miami, returning to New York City on January 1st.
We flew in Naples on Wednesday, December 22nd and Therese's parents, Sam and Eileen, picked us up at the airport and drove us to our hotel, which was very nice of them to do. But also, they were very eager to see us. Our hotel, the Naples Double Tree, turned out to be really nice. It didn't hurt that we had the nicest suite in the hotel. The back of the hotel faced onto a sort of game reserve, so there was a beautiful lake and a grove of trees. We had a balcony that wrapped around two sides of the suite, one of which faced the hotel's pool and the other the trees and wildlife. We were told when we checked in that there was a bald eagle sighted in the grove of trees, and sure enough the next morning we saw the eagle majestically flying in circles before landing on a tall dead paper tree.
So Therese and I settled in and then went out to dinner with Sam and Eileen at a local spot called EVOO. Nothing too extraordinary, but the fried calimari and red wine hit the spot. The next day, the 23rd, the four of us went to the Naples Museum of Art, a modest art museum by New York standards but filled with lots of wonderful art, especially some great glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly. One of the most extraordinary examples of Chihuly's art was next door in the lobby of the Naples Philharmonic Hall, where I also got to see a plaque acknowledging Sam and Eileen's contribution. They are justifiably proud of their community - they've lived in Naples for more than 10 years and love it.
Friday, Christmas Eve, Sam and I planned to visit one of Naples' cigar lounges. There are now two noteworthy ones that I know of: Vicente of London and the new Burn by Rocky Patel. Sam and I went to Vicente's - the ladies dropped us off so they could go do some shopping, and we set a time when they would pick us up. Vicente's is a very impressive place. All along the outer rim of the lounge are glass cases enclosing their vast and varied inventory. It took us a while to look at everything, but I settled on a Camacho Select robusto, and Sam decided he would smoke the same.
It seemed to be a quiet afternoon at Vicente's, but the host, Mark, was very friendly and took good care of us. We found a comfortable couch opposite a tv broadcasting ESPN, and Mark brought us Diet Cokes to go with our cigars. Sam and I then passed a very relaxing 2 hours smoking, talking and watching sports news.
Eileen and Therese picked us up at the appointed time and we drove to Sam and Eileen's house, where Therese and I made dinner for the four of us. After dinner Therese's daughter Valentina and Valentina's boyfriend Jake arrived and the 6 of us opened our stockings as is the custom in Therese's family.
On Christmas morning, we all gathered again at Sam and Eileen's house for breakfast and then present-opening. I had made cookies for Valentina and a batch for Sam as well - their own personal batches that they need not share with anyone. And for Sam's main present from me, I gave him a Fuente Humidipak with 4 CRC Cigars, a Camacho Liberty 2010 and a couple other cigars. Sam was pretty excited - he likes cigars, but doesn't get to smoke them that often.
The gift giving went on most of the rest of the afternoon, and then it was time for Therese and I to start making dinner. For starters, I was making a pumpkin pie for dessert, and Therese put together a baked brie tart and some baked twists with ham. Then came the dinner: a beef filet with green beans, potatoes homemade mushroom gravy (my specialty). It turned out to be enough food to feed twice the number of people present, but that was no problem for Sam and Eileen since that meant they would have leftovers for many days to come.
Dinner was finished and Sam, Jake and I were going to sit out on the porch, when Therese suggested we smoke some of Sam's Xmas cigars. So that's just what we did. We had no cutter, but I took a paring knife and a cutting board and did my best to cut 3 cigars, and then we lit them using Sam's old trusty Bic. The purist in me shuddered, but most of me just thought, hey go with the flow, and the three of us passed a good hour plus chatting and enjoying our cigars. Dessert was eventually served to us by Therese, and it was just glorious.
The next morning we got all packed and met back at Sam and Eileen's where a limo picked us up to drive the four of us, Therese, Valentina, Jake and I, to Miami - Therese and I to have a vacation in Miami, Valentina and Jake to board a cruise ship to take off for the Caribbean.
Friday, January 21, 2011
My classical composer top ten list
OK, so first, definitions: by "classical" I mean Western composers from the beginning of recorded history to today.
Second, if you don't already know my tastes, let me just give you, um, a taste of that. I am an Early music enthusiast, which means that I primarily listen to music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. Further, that means that, just as someone who is into 19th century music will listen to composers other than Beethoven, Brahms and Bruckner (i.e., the mainstream guys everyone listens to), I listen to all kinds of music from those periods, not just the most famous people that you learn about in music history class (no, Palestrina is not going to be on my list...).
Without further ado, here is my list of 10 favorite composers (in no particular order of priority).
1) Henry Purcell. Just on the basis of his Fantasias for Viola da Gamba and his many incredible songs, Purcell makes my list. Add in all his theatrical works, and the guy was one of the most incredible musical geniuses ever. I heard three friends perform "In vain the amorous flute" years ago with all kinds of ornaments added, and it was one of the most memorable listening experiences I've ever had.
2) Johann Sebastian Bach. Yes, I know, this is pretty obvious, but Bach holds a special place in my heart, partly as a result of me being raised as a Lutheran (Bach wrote his sacred music for a Lutheran church community, the St. Thomas Kirche, in Germany). When I was singing in church choir as a young man, we always thought of him as "Uncle Bach," like his music was written for us. And then of course, Bach has been adapted and re-interpreted over the centuries in so many wonderful ways - take Glenn Gould, for example.
3) Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Charpentier had the misfortune to be writing theatrical works at a time when an egotist held the monopoly on operas in Paris. Nevertheless, the one chance he had to write an opera, he created one of the most amazing theatrical musical works of all time, "Medee." He also wrote tons of other oratorios and vocal pieces full of spirit, in his unique style which combines French and Italian Baroque styles.
4) Johannes Ockeghem. Only a handful of works survive which can be definitively connected to Ockeghem, and yet there is enough there to keep me listening for decades. His mass settings are extraordinary, and his chansons are delightful. And he even wrote a few motets that survive which are also incredible.
5) Josquin des Prez. I struggle with my love for Josquin's music, because he is for many people the one composer they know from the Renaissance period. I love the music enough to tattoo Josquin on my arm, and I recognize that he is one of the greatest. His music has been compared to Beethoven's in the way that Josquin took pieces of melody and used them to create big magnificent works.
6) Jacob Obrecht. Obrecht died just when his career was taking off, but nevertheless he managed to leave a huge body of work, including many masses whose variety is staggering. I spent a couple of years collecting any recording of his work I could find.
7) Thomas Tallis. It's hard for me to choose among all the great 16th century English composers for one or two favorites, but Tallis stands head and shoulders above the rest for a couple of reasons. His career spanned all the upheavals that took place in England during that century (except the Spanish Armada, I guess), and he wrote music to suit whatever the situation was at any given time. His Lamentations settings are justifiably famous, and his masses and motets manage to sound both old-fashioned for their time and also radical.
8) Orlando di Lasso. Di Lasso's vast body of work includes secular music in Italian, French and German (and Latin) and I have so so many favorites from among both that and his sacred music as well. From the Penitential Psalms to the Lagrime di San Pietro to his Villanelli, he just created an astonishing amount of works of genius.
9) Heinrich Isaac. A northerner by birth, Isaac worked primarily in the south, especially in Florence. Like di Lasso, he created secular music in French and German as well as Italian, and captured different national styles for each. His work for the Medici court is extraordinary, especially his lament on the death of Lorenzo di Medici, Il Magnifico, "Quis dabit capiti meo aquam." Unfortunately, much of it was destroyed in the purges inspired by the monk Savonarola, but what survives is wonderful.
10) Claudio Monteverdi. Monteverdi spanned the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and created works in both styles of genius. His madrigals are absolutely astonishing, his three surviving operas are among the earliest examples of the genre and deserve to be part of the standard repertoire, his sacred music is sumptuously gorgeous.
Second, if you don't already know my tastes, let me just give you, um, a taste of that. I am an Early music enthusiast, which means that I primarily listen to music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. Further, that means that, just as someone who is into 19th century music will listen to composers other than Beethoven, Brahms and Bruckner (i.e., the mainstream guys everyone listens to), I listen to all kinds of music from those periods, not just the most famous people that you learn about in music history class (no, Palestrina is not going to be on my list...).
Without further ado, here is my list of 10 favorite composers (in no particular order of priority).
1) Henry Purcell. Just on the basis of his Fantasias for Viola da Gamba and his many incredible songs, Purcell makes my list. Add in all his theatrical works, and the guy was one of the most incredible musical geniuses ever. I heard three friends perform "In vain the amorous flute" years ago with all kinds of ornaments added, and it was one of the most memorable listening experiences I've ever had.
2) Johann Sebastian Bach. Yes, I know, this is pretty obvious, but Bach holds a special place in my heart, partly as a result of me being raised as a Lutheran (Bach wrote his sacred music for a Lutheran church community, the St. Thomas Kirche, in Germany). When I was singing in church choir as a young man, we always thought of him as "Uncle Bach," like his music was written for us. And then of course, Bach has been adapted and re-interpreted over the centuries in so many wonderful ways - take Glenn Gould, for example.
3) Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Charpentier had the misfortune to be writing theatrical works at a time when an egotist held the monopoly on operas in Paris. Nevertheless, the one chance he had to write an opera, he created one of the most amazing theatrical musical works of all time, "Medee." He also wrote tons of other oratorios and vocal pieces full of spirit, in his unique style which combines French and Italian Baroque styles.
4) Johannes Ockeghem. Only a handful of works survive which can be definitively connected to Ockeghem, and yet there is enough there to keep me listening for decades. His mass settings are extraordinary, and his chansons are delightful. And he even wrote a few motets that survive which are also incredible.
5) Josquin des Prez. I struggle with my love for Josquin's music, because he is for many people the one composer they know from the Renaissance period. I love the music enough to tattoo Josquin on my arm, and I recognize that he is one of the greatest. His music has been compared to Beethoven's in the way that Josquin took pieces of melody and used them to create big magnificent works.
6) Jacob Obrecht. Obrecht died just when his career was taking off, but nevertheless he managed to leave a huge body of work, including many masses whose variety is staggering. I spent a couple of years collecting any recording of his work I could find.
7) Thomas Tallis. It's hard for me to choose among all the great 16th century English composers for one or two favorites, but Tallis stands head and shoulders above the rest for a couple of reasons. His career spanned all the upheavals that took place in England during that century (except the Spanish Armada, I guess), and he wrote music to suit whatever the situation was at any given time. His Lamentations settings are justifiably famous, and his masses and motets manage to sound both old-fashioned for their time and also radical.
8) Orlando di Lasso. Di Lasso's vast body of work includes secular music in Italian, French and German (and Latin) and I have so so many favorites from among both that and his sacred music as well. From the Penitential Psalms to the Lagrime di San Pietro to his Villanelli, he just created an astonishing amount of works of genius.
9) Heinrich Isaac. A northerner by birth, Isaac worked primarily in the south, especially in Florence. Like di Lasso, he created secular music in French and German as well as Italian, and captured different national styles for each. His work for the Medici court is extraordinary, especially his lament on the death of Lorenzo di Medici, Il Magnifico, "Quis dabit capiti meo aquam." Unfortunately, much of it was destroyed in the purges inspired by the monk Savonarola, but what survives is wonderful.
10) Claudio Monteverdi. Monteverdi spanned the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and created works in both styles of genius. His madrigals are absolutely astonishing, his three surviving operas are among the earliest examples of the genre and deserve to be part of the standard repertoire, his sacred music is sumptuously gorgeous.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Milk in Dark Chocolate? What is the world coming to?
A couple of years ago, in reaction to the growing market for dark chocolate, Hersheys, famous for its milk chocolate making method, starting producing artisanal chocolates similar in appearance to those made by European chocolate makers like Gold & Black. The main difference was that, while Hershey called these chocolates "dark," they all have milk in them!
Of course, this was nothing new for Hersheys. Their Special Dark chocolate bars have always had milk in them. But what made this noteworthy to me was the fact that Hersheys was trying to compete with European makers while not letting people know that what they are selling is a different product because it has milk in it!
In Europe, something called "chocolate" is NOT ALLOWED to contain milk products. If it does, it has to be called MILK chocolate.
Now, unfortunately, all the other chocolate makers, including the major European ones who are commonly found in the US, like Lindt and Gold & Black, have begun copying Hersheys. Virtually ALL of their products including those labelled as being dark have milk in them.
This is a big problem for me. I am allergic to dairy. A little bit of milk in a candy bar may not be enough to give me headcold-like symptoms or send me into apoplectic shock. But I would like to think that I can choose to avoid dairy to avoid any possible allergic symptoms, and still have lots of choices to enjoy food like everyone else.
True, with desserts finding non-dairy options is always challenging. Cakes are usually made with butter, milk or both. Pie crust is usually made with dairy. Custards and puddings - milk or cream. Etc. But at least I used to be safe with dark chocolate. Now that safe haven for my sweet tooth is gone.
To now find safe dark chocolate, I will have to go to health food stores and look for chocolate labelled vegan. Which honestly makes me feel slightly abnormal, one of these picky eaters, a sickly person who needs to avoid food allergies. Well, maybe if I order Gold & Black directly from England, Lindt directly from Switzerland, I can find the good stuff that has not been poisoned for the American market, for the American palette. American imperialism has destroyed one more haven of decency in the world...
Of course, this was nothing new for Hersheys. Their Special Dark chocolate bars have always had milk in them. But what made this noteworthy to me was the fact that Hersheys was trying to compete with European makers while not letting people know that what they are selling is a different product because it has milk in it!
In Europe, something called "chocolate" is NOT ALLOWED to contain milk products. If it does, it has to be called MILK chocolate.
Now, unfortunately, all the other chocolate makers, including the major European ones who are commonly found in the US, like Lindt and Gold & Black, have begun copying Hersheys. Virtually ALL of their products including those labelled as being dark have milk in them.
This is a big problem for me. I am allergic to dairy. A little bit of milk in a candy bar may not be enough to give me headcold-like symptoms or send me into apoplectic shock. But I would like to think that I can choose to avoid dairy to avoid any possible allergic symptoms, and still have lots of choices to enjoy food like everyone else.
True, with desserts finding non-dairy options is always challenging. Cakes are usually made with butter, milk or both. Pie crust is usually made with dairy. Custards and puddings - milk or cream. Etc. But at least I used to be safe with dark chocolate. Now that safe haven for my sweet tooth is gone.
To now find safe dark chocolate, I will have to go to health food stores and look for chocolate labelled vegan. Which honestly makes me feel slightly abnormal, one of these picky eaters, a sickly person who needs to avoid food allergies. Well, maybe if I order Gold & Black directly from England, Lindt directly from Switzerland, I can find the good stuff that has not been poisoned for the American market, for the American palette. American imperialism has destroyed one more haven of decency in the world...
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