Episode 25: The New Guy

We went to a Barak Obama rally a week ago. It was held in the Grand Hyatt on 42nd Street in Manhattan, and there were two parts. We were in the earlier 6:00 PM event, about 400 people drinking wine and nibbling noshes that were better than expected. The main attraction wasn't due until about 7:30, so we milled about and struck up conversations. It was telling that although everyone there had made substantial contributions to the Obama campaign, many were there to appraise, not anoint. With a more promising slate of Democratic candidates than we've seen in many years and months to go before a meaningful vote, we wanted to take his measure. It was a crowd of listeners, not necessarily convinced supporters. At one point, I found myself in line with a registered Republican who wanted to give an ear to a man who has always been against this horrendous war.
Ted Sorenson gave a long introduction, managing to accelerate from merely dutiful to the kind of stirring imagery we long ago heard from Jack Kennedy's best speechwriter. He was followed by Michelle Obama, who has a resume as impressive as her husband's and a ready wit refreshingly free of the bovine adoration that afflicted many political wives in the past. After pointing out that the Barack she knows can't make a bed or close the wrapper on a loaf of bread, she brought on her husband.
Probably we'd expected - hoped - for a stem-winder of a speech along the lines of his rousing showing at the last Democratic Convention. What we got was calm, measured remarks delivered with both gentle humor and a politician's caution. Perhaps the attendees at the second half of the rally - 2,000 younger urban professional types - got the barn-burner.
Barack doesn't quite have my vote yet, but I like what I've heard and what we know so far. At minimum, he seems to have the capacity to cross ethnic, racial, and social divides, as Bobby Kennedy once did, and he might be able to start refurbishing our national reputation faster simply because he's fresh.

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"I am not opposed to war. I'm opposed to dumb wars." - Barack Obama, 2002

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CLOTTED DICK
Our Vice-President went to the hospital after experiencing pain in his lower left leg, where a blood clot was discovered earlier in the month. But since the blockage was in a vein that normally carries blood to the human heart, Darth was sent home. No problem there.
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PRETENTIOUS TWADDLE CITATION
In a newspaper advertisement, Oxxford Clothes was delighted to announce its 2007 trunk show, whatever that is. It read, in part "With pride and confidence we request your inspection of our spring collections of suitings, jacketings, trousers, top coats, and dress shirtings."
That sent Geezer gaggings.
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CROOK OF THE MONTH CLUB
A burglar jimmied a lock in an apartment in Bettendorf, Iowa and made off with a jug containing about $400 in change. He left behind the Illinois Department of Corrections I.D. card he used to gain entry. Robert Fry had been released from prison in January.
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ELEANOR THE GARDENER
The distinguished wife of the only U.S. president elected to office four times had a rose named after her. Said Eleanor Roosevelt, "I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: 'No good in a bed, but fine against a wall'."
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APPLE FIE (3)
I requested a replacement for my first "corrupted" iPod Shuffle, after struggling with it for five days. It arrived two weeks later. Maybe you can guess: It, too, was "corrupted". Before I simply tossed it and forgot about the whole thing, I was called by someone at Apple. He said they'd sent me the wrong Shuffle.
See, Apple puts a teeny tiny little engraving on each Shuffle. Mine read "GeezerPod". This one said "Please Don't Sing Along". New one arrived in two more weeks. I sent back the last one. Haven't even tried to program it. Might not.
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SISTERHOOD UBER ALLES. OR NOT.
A female judge in Germany has turned down a Muslim's woman's request for a quick divorce from the husband who beat her repeatedly. In her written opinion, the judge noted that the couple was from Morocco, where it is common for husbands to beat their wives, and that the practice was sanctioned by the Koran. That made it okay, in her mind.
There go da judge.

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24 HOURS IN MANHATTAN
Here's a scenario: Get down to Irving Place, an appealingly antique short street leading south from Gramercy Park. Pete's Tavern, one of the oldest in New York, is on one corner, but go another block to Casa Mono (52 Irving Place, 212-253-2773). This is Mario Batali's evocation of a Spanish tapas bar, which needs only a pall of cigarette smoke to be truly authentic. Most of the small plates are straightforward and very tasty replications of Spanish original recipes, using imported ingredients when necessary. Pimientos de Padron are on the card, for example, and they are only grown in northwestern Spain. Jalapeno-sized green peppers grilled simply in oil and sea salt, most are mild in flavor, but about one in ten is a spicy little firecracker. Chefs prepare everything behind the bar, just as in Madrid. Even the tile floor looks like the real thing, but it was left over by the previous tenant, a Moroccan eatery. Arrive at noon to avoid the crowds that pack the place tighter and tighter as the day wears on. Figure about $100 for two, all included.
For an apt cultural tie-in, head uptown after lunch to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (5th Ave. at 82nd St., 212-535-7710) where the featured temporary exhibition is Barcelona and Modernity: Gaudi to Dali (until June 3). If it's Friday or Saturday, linger long enough among the galleries and you can have drinks and bar snacks on the balcony overlooking the palatial Great Hall. There is live classical music to underscore the ambiance. You will feel terribly civilized. Two martinis cost $20. The hours are from 4:00 to 8:30.
If you have tickets to a Broadway show (or even if you don't), consider dinner at Lidia Bastianich's Becco (355 W. 46th St; 212-397-7597). This isn't the star PBS chef's only restaurant, and she is involved with her son Joseph and Mario Batali in several other enterprises. This one is understandably popular with theater-goers, given its $21.95 fixed-price dinner that includes antipasti or a Caesar salad followed by all-you-can-eat servings of three different pastas. In addition, there's a long list of Italian wines that cost only $25 per bottle. Many of them are barely a few dollars above retail, and some appear to be loss-leaders, such as the excellent 2004 Valpolicella Classico Brigaldara. Lidia's 1993 baby is one of the best deals in the Times Square district. With three courses and entrees like the veal chops, figure about $150 for two.
Then to bed.
In the morning, get to ABC Carpet (888 Broadway, 212-473-3000), Geezer's candidate for the most fun department store in town. Far from mere floor coverings, it is several floors of marvelously quirky, off-kilter antiques and accessories, many of them Asian and from the Indian sub-continent. Wandering through will occupy at least an hour, and there's a cafe on premises. When sated, walk down two blocks to Union Square, where a highly successful farmer's market has been operating (and expanding) for years. The awninged booths are occupied by farmers and artisanal food craftspeople from the region, mostly the Hudson Valley. Find plants and flowers, fragrant cheeses, organic vegetables, jams and preserves, nubby breads and baked goods, wines and ciders, free-range meats and poultry - a foodie's wet dream.
That all gets the juices going, and you're only one long block east of Mesa Grill (102 5th Ave., 212-807-7400). You should make a prior reservation, because even though it's a vast space with several rooms on two levels and has been around for over 16 years, it's nearly always full to the walls, especially at Saturday and Sunday brunch. This is where Bobby Flay introduced himself to the gastronomic world and swiftly established his reputation for clever takes on Southwestern food. Sip a cactus-pear margarita while steadily changing your mind over a menu that includes sixteen-spice chicken, shrimp tamales, trout tacos, and the signature shredded barbecued duck wrapped in a blue corn pancake. It's open daily from midday until late. Figure about $130 for two, all in.