Art lives here

Walk along Washington Street in the West Village and you'll be struck by the beautiful old brownstone buildings nestled amongst some of the coolest coffee shops and little restaurants in the City.  It becomes very clear that this part of the West Village is a real residential neighbourhood - the traffic is quieter, the sidewalks are less congested, and everything seems more calm somehow.

But it wasn't always like this.

Westbeth Inner Courtyard
Image credit here

At the corner of Washington and Bethune Streets, you see a maze of 13 buildings that occupy an entire city block.  From the 1860s, this was the headquarters of Bell Laboratories, the largest industrial facility in the world.  They were responsible for innovations like televisions (black & white and colour), radar, vacuum tubes, and they also masterminded the first broadcast of a baseball game. But did you know they also hosted the headquarters of part of The Manhattan Project during WW2?  Atomic bomb research, you guys!  Serious stuff happened here.  No wonder NYC has preserved the building as a landmark and added it to the US National Reigster of Historic Places.

When Bell Laboratories relocated to New Jersey in the 1960s the buildings were renovated to become self-contained loft apartments.  At the time, the Greenwich Village/West Village neighbourhood was a haven for artists and musicians, so when the building was transformed (and federally-subsidized) into the Westbeth Artists Community, and they advertised affordable housing, tenants came running.  Before long, Westbeth became the world's largest artist residence and home to a creative community of visual, literary, and performing artists from across the country.

Forget about trying to get an apartment in the building these days, because the housing waiting list closed in 2007 (bummer).  Nevertheless the artists in residence are still producing some beautiful work that the building cleverly displays in its corridors and on its walls. 

I would also recommend you visit the Westbeth Gallery, the building's dedicated exhibition space.  The Gallery is a non-profit site that showcases the talent of its resident artists but also hosts independently-curated exhibitions.  The Gallery is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 1-6pm and admission is free.  

From now until 29 November, the Gallery is exhibiting the work of the Bowery Gallery Founding Members.  The Bowery Gallery was born on Halloween 1969, as a gallery of artists for artists.  The founding members argued that they didn't need to exhibit their work in fancy galleries or be represented by big-ticket agents with lots of money. The figured if the art was worthwhile, it would find its way to an audience.  It is a group exhibition featuring the work of 19 artists from the late 1960s to the present day.  I loved the mixed media, and the bright colours and diversity of the artwork in this exhibition - it was great to explore watercolours, sculpture, drawings, and oils all in one space.  You'll see the link to my photo album at the bottom of this page.

And if you're in the neighbourhood this coming Saturday (15 November), you must visit the Flea Market in the basement for their $5 bag & box sale.  For a $5 donation, you can take an empty box or garbage bag and fill it up with all manner of goods that the artists and their families have donated.  You'll find clothes, books, shoes, furniture, homewares - only jewellery and fine art are exempt from the bargains.  Get there early to avoid disappointment!  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Westbeth Housing Community and surrounding public areas.

Post by The ABCs of NYC.

A gem in the West Village

I don't get food cravings often but when I do, they are very specific.  Earlier this week I needed to eat a half-dozen natural oysters.  I was willing to be flexible on toppings - lemon juice or vinaigrette would be fine, but I just knew that oysters had to feature somewhere on my menu.

Now, I've been to a couple of good seafood restaurants in New York, but to satisfy this particular craving I was keen to try somewhere new.  Enter Pearl Oyster Bar on Cornelia Street in the West Village.  It's a vintage restaurant by New York standards - it has been going strong for 17 years already, but I had never been there until tonight.

I have to say from the outset, Pearl Oyster Bar suits its name from top to bottom - it is a real neighbourhood gem.  Walk by too fast and you'd probably miss the place, were it not for the crowds of people milling around and waiting for a table.  The bartenders that manage the beautiful marble bar at the front of the restaurant keep everyone well hydrated while they wait, so nobody seems to mind much.

Despite its obvious popularity, I didn't discover this restaurant by word of mouth; rather, I simply Googled "best seafood in New York", et voila!  The internet is full of diner reviews and articles singing the praises of Pearl's chef-owner Rebecca Charles, particularly for her lobster rolls which seem to be the restaurant's best-seller (and not just for lunch).  Rebecca spent some time in Maine and she's recreated the state's signature sandwich for hungry New Yorkers, but her repertoire also includes a number of other seaside-inspired recipes, including those in her fantastic cookbook, Lobster Rolls and Blueberry Pie.

The lobster rolls will have to wait for next time though, because tonight I only had eyes for six plump oysters, laid out on the half-shell and spritzed with a bit of lemon.  Blissful.  Main course were delicious pan-fried scallops with asparagus, mushroom and creamy mashed potatoes on the side.  And for dessert?  A quinelle (oh yes, I know my cooking terms) of the most decadent and rich chocolate mousse, with the lightest of whipped cream perched on top.  A perfect combination.

I can never say where my next food craving will take me, but I can assure you that I will come back to Pearl to revisit the very affordable food and wine menu, and to enjoy the friendly service that greeted me tonight.

Go west, life is peaceful there

On Sunday afternoon I walked down through Chelsea, criss-crossed the Meatpacking District and spent a couple of hours wandering the beautiful West Village neighbourhood. 

The West Village is bordered by the Hudson River on the west, Sixth Avenue on the east, 14th Street to the north, and Houston Street to the south.  The neighbourhood has always had a distinctly bohemian, artistic vibe, and luminaries like Dylan Thomas, Jack Kerouac, Jim Morrison, and Bob Dylan were part of the neighbourhood furniture.  Against that backdrop, it just feels right that some of the city's best boutiques, vintage bars, top-class restaurants and hole-in-the-wall coffee shops can still be found in the West Village today.

It's very easy to get lost in the maze of crooked, narrow streets that characterise the West Village; but just gawking at all the beautiful architecture here will be worth the disorientation.  Everywhere you turn, you're treated to gorgeous brownstone townhouses, up against converted artist lofts, next to preserved historical architecture, alongside charming green spaces with impressive fountains and sculptures.

I just did a whistle-stop tour of the West Village on Sunday, but please take a look at my photos here.  You'll see I did my best to track down some of the historical sites along the walk, in between cups of strong, fair-trade coffee of course.  I even managed to resist a decadent cupcake at the iconic Magnolia Bakery too, but I did gaze longingly into the windows.

Where Westeros meets the West Village

Every Monday night, talented Chef David Santos at Louro in New York's West Village hosts a multi-course supper club dinner.  I first read about these supper club menus in a New York Times article and I was curious to find out more, so I joined the restaurant's mailing list.

It turns out that each week, the restaurant puts away its a la carte menu and replaces it with special dishes on a particular, topical theme.  Reservations are essential, and diners can BYO beer and wine.

I was fortunate enough to snag two seats to tonight's amazing feast, which had a "Game of Thrones" theme, to capitalise on the start of Season 4 last night.

Miss Fitz did not need any coaxing to join me for dinner, which was just wonderful.  And I also need to thank her for encouraging me to indulge in the beverage pairing for our menu (an extra $45), which tonight was the brand new local "Game of Thrones" beers from Cooperstown, New York.  I confess that originally I was going to wimp out on the beer pairing, just because I wanted to leave plenty of room in my belly for the food.  But Miss Fitz was feeling brave, and I was too, so we jumped right in.  Other than not wearing stretchy pants, I don't regret a single thing.

Here's what we enjoyed (and thanks to Miss Fitz for the photos):

Amuse
Suckling Pig Fritter

After the glass of sparkling wine that I'd had at the bar before Miss Fitz arrived, I was raring to get the night underway.  My stomach was grumbling and when the amuse came out, I confess I stabbed it with my fork and stuffed it in.

I've only ever eaten suckling pig in full medieval-feast format, but this was elaborately laid out on a bed of something creamy and spicy and I'm not really sure what it was.  Nevertheless, it was tasty and by the time we were finished chewing, Miss Fitz and I were ready for the night to begin.  The amuse had done its job and set the scene beautifully.

First Course: King Joffrey
Skewered Hamachi and Radishes, served with a piri vinaigrette
Pairing: Ommegang Fire and Blood

Well, who doesn't want to skewer that little punk Joffrey?  An excellent place to start.  The slices of yellow tail (hamachi) were thin, but not falling off the wooden skewer.  The piri vinaigrette was spicy, but also acidic enough to coat the fish and even cook it a bit, a play on ceviche, I guess.  Plus the slivers of radish were a spicy, crunchy complement.

At this point in the evening, the representative of Ommegang gave us an introduction to the beer pairings, and particularly talked about the "Fire & Blood" beer that we had been enjoying with our fish. He commented that the beer had accents of ancho chile, which of course I couldn't detect until he said it.

Now I don't want to draw parallels where there aren't any, but I think this was a really clever food, beer & character pairing.  Spicy, flavourful, and really sharp.

Second Course: John Snow
Grain and wild greens salad, served with house cured venison lomo
Pairing:  Ommegang Hop House

Next up we had a more rustic, simple dish of salad greens atop some delicious and crunchy grains.  There were strips of what I thought was prosciutto but it turned out to be salty venison, served up in a way that resembled jerky (to me).  It was salty and crunchy and really tasty.

The Ommergang Hop House beer was very hoppy - and it made me appreciate the ancho chile flavour of the earlier beer a bit more.  I thought the beer was a really good contrast to the fresh salad and I really liked the crunch of the grains and saltiness of the venison.  Definitely something simple and tasty that John Snow would eat atop the desolate Wall.

Third Course: Arya and the Hound
Bacon-wrapped monkfish with clam chowder and herbs
Pairing:  Ommegang Wild at Heart

Befitting these two adventurers, this course was a delicate piece of monkfish encased in a firm, crispy piece of bacon - and all of it was sitting in about an inch or so of meaty clam chowder.  The sweetness of the monkfish and the beer complemented one another really well.

The flavours were pretty rich by this stage of the evening, and while I wasn't 100% struggling yet, I don't think I could have eaten too much more of the fish, bacon, and cream combination.  Fortunately Miss Fitz and I didn't shut up for the whole dinner, so we were burning calories with conversation.  I think that helped.

Fourth Course: Dragon Lady
Dragon's egg with wild mushroom, asparagus & shaved truffles
Pairing: Ommegang Wild At Heart

When the restaurant tried this dish it last year's supper club it was so popular, they had to bring it back this year - and I'm so glad they did.

While we were eating the John Snow salad greens and grains, the waiter circulated an emu egg around to each of the tables.  Of course I've seen emu eggs before - even beautifully carved ones in Australian souvenir shops, but I've certainly never eaten one.

Did you know that one emu egg weighs about the same as one dozen chicken eggs, and they feed about the same number of people? It was certainly heavy and cool to the touch, but I also thought it looked like it was coated in dark green glitter.  Gorgeous.

When the emu egg had finally been scrambled, it was served up in a tiny bowl with some mushrooms, truffles, and crunchy asparagus.  It was like the most heavenly brunch meal you have ever enjoyed.  But again, it was so rich that the tiniest amount made me very happy.

The beers were getting sweeter with each course too, and I really liked this pairing.  It was definitely an easy-drinking beer and cut through the richness of the scrambled emu egg and the beautiful, smoky flavour of the truffles.

Fifth Course:  Jamie
Beef Two Ways - first, a classic steak tartare a la crostini; and second, as braised beef shanks with toasted wheat cavatelli and arugula
Pairing: Ommegang Wild At Heart

To my mind, every good evening would start and end with Jamie Lanister, am I right?  Notwithstanding he's an incestuous murderer, he's pretty yummy.  And I have to say, the two beef offerings we had for this course were equally delicious.

First up, we had a small mound of steak tartare with a big crostini sticking out.  The steak had been ground finely, but not too finely, and I really liked the texture and the peppery taste.  I could have had a second helping of that one.

Then we had the most delicious braised beef shank that was swimming in a small bit of broth with some nutty whole-wheat pasta - it was like a miniature pot roast.  The meat was super tender and just flaked with the fork - so delicious and really flavourful.  If I thought the steak tartare was enjoyable, I hadn't seen anything yet.


Sixth Course:  Tyrion
Lemon Cake, served with lemon curd and oat ice cream
Pairing:  Ommegang Three Philosophers

A tart finish, packed with loads of attitude. Appropriate, no? And pairing a dessert with beer seemed really weird to me at first, but it totally worked.  Despite my love of all things Jamie, in my view Chef Santos really did save the best (Lannister and dish) till last.

The oat ice cream was pretty savoury and kind of bland, but against the tartness of the lemon curd and the sweetness of the cake, it all really worked.  A very simple and uncomplicated end to a rather fancy (and very filling) menu.

I was actually really pleased that I could go along to tonight's supper club dinner.  Far from being kitsch, it was a clever and delicious opportunity to pair food and beer together.  You didn't need to be a fan of "Game of Thrones" in any sense, but you definitely needed to have a healthy appetite and the courage to try new taste sensations.

I'm not sure I'd go out and buy the "Game of Thrones" beers myself; however, I am glad that I can now say I've tried them, and I also got to have a fantastic evening and catch up with a good friend I haven't seen for a really long time.  And that's what nights out in New York are all about.