Thoughts on food: Fix me a plate, please

On “Fix Me a Plate,” world-renowned chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s weekly web series, the quintessential New Yorker shows us in delightful four-and-five-minute bites that she knows just where to go for a truly New York food experience.

Guarnaschelli, a Food Network star recognized for her work as a "Chopped" judge and an "Iron Chef," has selected old-school cafes and restaurants throughout New York’s five boroughs to highlight on “Fix Me a Plate.” These are places where one can still get fresh and authentic, quality-made dishes. Most of these are no-frills establishments – hangouts, if you will – that are filled with longtime traditions and plenty of charm.

In each episode, Guarnaschelli explores a different iconic New York eatery “that has built its success on a confidence and connection to doing things the way they’ve always been done.”

In the first six episodes of “Fix Me a Plate,” Guarnaschelli visits Lucali – think best pizza in Brooklyn – then, follows it with soulful chicken and waffles at Amy Ruth’s in Harlem. Need we say more? She also stops by Tanoreen in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, for traditional Middle Eastern cuisine, and Nom Wah Tea Parlor, a Chinatown delight that serves a variety of treats from egg rolls to almond cookies. Finally, there’s Indian samosas at Dhaka in Queens, and Russ and Daughters on the Lower East Side for bagels piled high with cream cheese and lox.

Recently, “Fix Me a Plate” returned with a new season of shows that so far has served up Polish pierogi at Krolewskie Jadlo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; tacos at Rockaway Beach Surf Club on Long Island, and doughnuts at the Donut Pub in Chelsea. Also, there’s been Thai at Brooklyn’s Pok Pok, the knock-out combo of Sicilian-style square pizza and Italian spumoni ice cream at Spumoni Garden in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn; and chopped liver at Sammy’ Roumanian in lower Manhattan. This week, “Fix Me a Plate” introduced viewers to the Original Crab Shanty in City Island by the Bronx for a family-style portion size of pasta with crabs and lobster.

Asked via Twitter if she has a favorite episode of “Fix Me a Plate,” Guarnaschelli tweeted, “Spumoni Garden obviously. Also love Sammy’s Roumanian and a couple of others that haven’t aired yet.”

New episodes of “Fix Me a Plate” debut weekly on the show’s Facebook page on Monday evenings.

Ambition with talent: Costello is back with “Look Now”

In a recent Q & A with the London-based Financial Times, Elvis Costello was asked: Which matters more to success, ambition or talent? The 64-year-old English troubadour answered matter-of-factly, “Once upon a time, I would have said ambition without talent was worthless. Now I’m not so sure.”

Earlier this month, the ambitious – and extraordinarily talented – Costello released his first new album with his band The Imposters in 10 years, the cohesive Look Now, on Concord Records. One critic mused that “it’s not just craft but touch, not just energy but sensitivity. On Look Now, Costello and The Imposters have both.”

After Costello revealed earlier this year he had survived a bout with a “small but very aggressive” cancer, word of a new album was very welcome news. Produced by Costello and Sebastian Krys, the songs comprising Look Now represent some of Costello’s best career work. His sophisticated and transforming songbook runneth over with simplicity and immediacy. 

Elvis Costello

Whether immersing himself in pop, rock and roll, country, Americana, soul or jazz, among the many genres that he’s mastered over many years, Costello shares many lessons learned and we’re rewarded with songs that are as literate as they are artful. The gifted storyteller has returned in fine form.

Costello, who paired with Burt Bacharach on 1998’s Painted From Memory, has reunited with the master songwriter on three impressionistic tunes, “Don’t Look Now,” “Photographs Can Lie,” and “He’s Given Me Things.” Bacharach’s piano lines are both poignant and beautiful – and reminded me of some of his brilliant late ‘60s pop collaborations with lyricist Hal David. Costello also penned “Burnt Sugar Is So Bitter” with another songwriting giant, Carole King, that is soulful with its female choir. Throughout the album, Costello can still be acerbic and witty, lamenting and sad in his lyrics. There's a fine balance between rock and balladry in Look Now.

As one critic noted, "Look Now is much more than an exercise in nostalgia and pastiche. As the title implies, it’s very much of the present, and the work of a master storyteller who’s learned more than a few things from the past.”

In a recent Pitchfork review, its critic concluded, “As a collection of tunes, Look Now is a triumph for Costello, a showcase for how he can enliven a mastery of form with a dramatist’s eye. But as an album, Look Now is a success because of the Imposters. ... They are a sharp, supple outfit that can swing and sigh, sometimes within the same number, as when they effortlessly pivot between boss’s nova verses and a radiant chorus during 'Why Won’t Heaven Help Me?' This subtle sophistication and palpable flair make Look Now more than a mere set of songs – it’s a record worth getting lost within.”

Thoughts on tennis: Nadal, Djokovic must break silence

Are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
being used as sporting pawns?

The boldfaced headline in Thursday’s Times of London newspaper spoke loudly: “Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal warned over Saudi Arabia event.” In a story by tennis correspondent Stuart Fraser, he wrote that the two tennis superstars “have been warned that their participation in a lucrative exhibition in Saudi Arabia in December could be used used by the country’s controversial regime as ‘a form of sportswashing.’”

While Saudi Arabia has always been viewed as a prominent destination for conducting global big business, tennis – I have learned – is part of a growing Saudi sports propaganda program. Mind you, Saudi Arabia has little or no history when it comes to professional sports. Besides tennis, it has shown recent interest in bringing motor racing, boxing, football – even pro wrestling – to the Arab empire.

Now is the time for Nadal and Djokovic, currently ranked No.1 and No. 2 in the world, to use their global popularity to bring attention to the “truly appalling” human rights record of Saudi Arabia, warns Amnesty International. The world human rights organization made its plea in the aftermath of the disappearance and murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who for the past year had been writing global op-ed pieces for the Washington Post while living in exile in the United States. Many of Khashoggi’s writings were critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi royal family.

A day after news about Khashoggi’s disappearance surfaced, a tennis exhibition match billed as the King Salman Tennis Championship in Jeddah, between Nadal and Djokovic, was announced. The financially attractive, end-of-the-year exhibition scheduled for December 22, would see each participant make at least $1 million. Under the present circumstances, it would seem to fly in the face of their humanitarian outlook.

Since the news about Khashoggi emerged, dozens of global business and media conglomerates have withdrawn from attending an upcoming international conference in Riyadh, billed as the Future Investment Initiative – among them: Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, the Financial Times, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Viacom and the World Bank president, Jim Yong Kim.

In a recent sports blog for The Guardian of London, sports writer Kevin Mitchell notes “the two players appear to have remained deaf to growing clamor over seeming endorsement of Saudi Arabia.” He calls both Nadal and Djokovic “men of conscience and integrity,” but warms they “continue to risk their good name by accepting an invitation to play in a meaningless exhibition in Saudi Arabia, a regime under critical scrutiny for the disappearance of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”

(Since the publication of Mitchell’s blog, early Saturday Saudi Arabia confirmed that Khashoggi was dead. He was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.)

Indeed, I agree with Mitchell. Perhaps, it’s as if both players are waiting for the international embarrassment to pass. Yet, I have to wonder if either is oblivious to the growing criticism that’s gathering around them. Or, simply, are they ignorant of the seriousnous of the greater issue?

“Neither is a good look for athletes who have always been aware of their wider responsibilities,” writes Mitchell. After all, both have foundations that help disadvantaged youth through tennis. Plus, Nadal was widely seen – thanks to social media – helping clear debris in his native Majorca after recent floods hit the Spanish island, and Djokovic has been active in campaigning for flood relief in his home country of Serbia. Bottom line: both Nadal and Djokovic are decent gentlemen.

In hindsight, one wonders whatever possessed Nadal and Djokovic to agree to play in the Saudi exhibition in the first place? Certainly, they don’t need the money. Although December exhibitions in various corners of the world are common and bring the sport to cities not already on the ATP World Tour schedule, the tennis season is already much too long. Pulling out now would make a statement about how the world should view Saudi Arabia’s behavior and pattern of state-sanctioned killing.

I would hate to see Nadal and Djokovic continue to be used as sporting pawns – displayed before a world-wide audience – flaunted by the Saudi government to distract us from their murderous regime. They need to break their silence now.

Thoughts on TV: NBA's LeBron James is unfiltered on HBO’s The Shop – In the barbershop you can’t lie.

Imagine watching an unfiltered conversation and debate featuring four-time NBA most valuable player LeBron James and other big names from sports and entertainment.

It’s all happening down at The Shop, which debuted as a periodic series this summer on HBO. James’s latest off-the-court vehicle gives viewers a “one-of-a-kind barbershop experience, which for many provides a sanctuary for free-flowing and spirited discussions.” It’s really good TV, folks. What’s not to like about seeing James and his friends sipping on some wine and dropping a few swear words while offering viewers a side of themselves that we rarely get to see?

The idea behind this open-forum series, a collaboration between James and Maverick Carter’s digital media company, Uninterrupted, is to visit barbershops around the country and gather groups of distinguished individuals – athletes who want to be entertainers and entertainers who envy athletes – who are free to speak honestly on sports, music, pop culture, race, current events, business and other “culturally relevant” topics. The half-hour program is unscripted and features a no holds barred attitude. Sure, there's the upfront adult language disclaimer at the start of each episode. Yet, it’s not as if we’ve never heard an occasional F-bomb dropped in the course of mature and frank conversation between mature adults.

Episode 2 of The Shop premiered last Friday night on HBO, and among those joining James were the hip-hop artist Drake, who opened up about the struggle to retire gracefully, the rules of hip-hop, and his on-going feud with Kanye West.

“I think maybe one of my biggest concerns in my career is just to figure out how to exit gracefully,” Drake admits during the broadcast. “I’ve watched people overstay their welcome, and I just don’t ever want to be that guy that’s addicted to the feeling of victory, addicted to the emotion of people digesting something that they love, and get to the point I’m just feeding them something and they’re just like, ‘Yeah.’”

Says James: “I’d rather fail being who I am than fail being somebody they want me to be.”

At The Shop / 
(L-R) Maverick Carter, LeBron James, Drake.

Both Drake and James shared thoughts about their evolving approaches to fatherhood and how each were influenced by their relationships with their parents. Joining in the conversation were pro basketball stars Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers, WNBA All-Star Elena Della Donne of the Washington Mystics, Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo and NBA rookie Mo Bamba of the Orlando Magic, who spoke about their “rapidly evolving” careers.

The current episode follows up on last month’s candidly raw Episode 1, which established the show’s parameters, and featured former Daily Show host and Emmy and Peabody Award-winner Jon Stewart, rap icon Snoop Dogg, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green and WNBA most valuable player Candace Parker "deconstructing their success," as one critic wrote.

“Anyone who has been in a real barbershop, like the ones where I grew up, knows why this show can be so incredible,” said James, 33, a native of Akron, Ohio. “The Shop is exactly why we created Uninterrupted. I’m really excited HBO believed our idea and is helping us create something special.”

Photos: Courtesy of HBO Sports.

Videos: Courtesy of YouTube.com.

Thoughts on David Hockney’s “The Queen’s Window” – A country scene to honor a lover of the countryside

Last week, Westminster Abbey commemorated the 65th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s reign with a dedication ceremony of “The Queen’s Window,” created by British pop art icon David Hockney. Measuring 28 feet by 12 feet, “The Queen’s Window” represents what the New York Times described as “a hawthorn, a thorny floral shrub, blooming in a joyous profusion of reds, blues, greens and yellows.”

In a video interview posted by the Abbey, Hockney said of the newly revealed window, “It’s celebratory.” He revealed that he crafted the trees to look as though “Champagne had been poured over bushes.”

What is remarkable is that Hockney reworked the design for the Abbey window from an earlier painting using a iPad, which has become one of his favorite tools for creating art in recent years. At age 81, he’s been known to use new technology quite extensively – such as cameras, photo copiers and fax machines – throughout his remarkable and colorful career. It has liberated Hockney as an artist and set him apart from others who rely solely on the use of traditional materials.

“For many years, I pondered how we should celebrate The Queen’s reign in the Abbey,” the Very Rev. Dr. John Hall, dean of the church, said, during the dedication of “The Queen’s Window” on Oct. 2, inside London’s Westminster Abbey. “A statue seemed wrong, though there are many from earlier centuries. We already have a portrait of Her Majesty in the Diamond Jubilee Galleries. A stained glass window seemed the obvious thing, and a great window was available, a double lancet surmounted by a circular oculus containing sexfoil tracery, on the west side of the North Transept, the only window there without stained glass.”

Hockney, whom I learned had never before designed stained glass, came to see the window and the next day sent Hall a draft design. The dean responded to Hockney in kind: “As I wished not herald or representational, but a country scene to honor someone we know to be a lover of the countryside, a design evocative of his work in East Yorkshire.”

As the “most celebrated living artist,” in the words of Hall, Hockney seemed a natural fit for creating “The Queen’s Window.” After all, his fame coincided with the queen’s reign. The dean has called Hockney’s work, “absolutely vibrant.” He was quoted by the New York Times as saying: “It’s very legible, so in that sense it’s very accessible, and I think people will be very excited by it.”

Hockney collaborated on “The Queen’s Window” with stained glass experts at Barley Studio in northern England. He’s happy with the final outcome.

Said Hockney: “I think it’s looking marvelous!”

Photograph: Courtesy of Google Images. 
Videos: Courtesy of Westminster Abbey.

Thoughts on music: Cécile McLorin Salvant

When I recently listened to Cécile McLorin Salvant sing the hard-hitting “Okie Wise,” during an NPR “Tiny Desk Concert,” I was awed by the way in which she embraced the discomforting theme of this acapella American folk song with both calmness and ease. “Okie Wise,” which tells a tragic story of a murder victim, Naomi Wise and her husband and killer, John Lewis, addresses gender-based violence head on and McLorin Savant places it in a historical context, too.

Then pushed her in deep waters
Where he knew that she would drown
He jumped on his pony and away he did ride
The screams of little Okie went down by his side.

I’ve always been impressed by the powerful sound and range of the Miami-native McLorin Salvant’s voice and her choice of songs. She can at times sing spiritually, and other times jazzy, but always – always – it’s her voice that’s both superb and exquisite in its sound and in its presentation. Little did I realize that as a teen, McLorin Salvant, 29, the son of a Haitian father and French mother, once sported a Mohawk hairdo and was into bands like Alice In Chains and other “radical feminist punk stuff,” she recently was quoted as saying in an NPR interview. “Sometimes I still really like Bikini Hill, and I still have my little Pearl Jam grunge moments.”

I first became acquainted with McLorin Salvant a few years ago when she was a featured guest vocalist during a Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra holiday concert, and have always thought of her first and foremost as a jazz vocalist – think of her as a young Sarah Vaughan. I still remember how much expressiveness came across in her voice – not to mention that she exuded such a wonderful vocal foundation thanks to a classical music upbringing.

McLorin Salvant’s set list for her recent “Tiny Desk Concert,” which featured, “Fog,” “Look At Me,” “Monday” and “Okie Wise,” showed off the depth and breadth of her vocal range. Her just released fifth album, The Window, is a series of duets with pianist Sullivan Fortner that “explores and extends the tradition of the piano-vocal duo and its expressive possibilities.” Throughout, we see how “the two are free to improvise and rhapsodize, to play freely with time, harmony, melody and phrasing.”

On The Window, McLorin Salvant covers Leonard Bernstein’s “Somewhere” from West Side Story and “Were Thine That Special Face” by Cole Porter. Plus, she sings in French on two songs, her own composition “A Clef” and “J’ai L’Cafard.”

McLorin Salvant isn't interested in the idea of relevance – although being a Grammy Award-winning artist has given her credibility and drawn much attention toward her music. Instead, as she noted in a press release for The Window, she’s interested in the idea of presence. Nothing wrong at all with that kind of attitude.