Peter and the Starcatcher, Broadway bound?

Last night, I saw an entertaining new musical at the New York Theatre Workshop, "Peter and the Starcatcher, based on the Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson novel of the same name.  It was fun, clever and a delight.  It is a bit bawdy, a play for grown ups.  Should it live beyond its limited run downtown?  Most definitely, but should it make the broad jump to Broadway?  Less sure.  Aspects of the production that seemed clever, fun, and sweet might get lost on a gargantuan Broadway stage.  Perhaps an off-Broadway house would be a better venue to let this production maintain its air of intimacy and fun, while giving more theatregoers the opportunity to enjoy it.

It reminded me of "Spamalot" with its primarily no-name cast performing multiple roles; its occasional anarchy, broad acting style, and adult humor.  However, "Spamalot" came to Broadway with legions of Monte Python fans that would and did fill its Broadway house.  This production of "Peter and the Starcatchers" does not seem appropriate for the younger readers among the novel's fans.  One of this play's delights is that it is decidedly for adult fans of that iconic childhood hero, Peter Pan.

Eataly, Observed

Yes, Eataly is one of my favorite places in NYC.  If you must go on a Saturday, the best time to go is in the morning.  It opens at 10 a.m. and you can have an espresso, browse, or even shop without being trampled.  Did you know that there are even chairs near Manzo that are available just for sitting?  Every time I have been there, 9 times and counting, I have observed an employee going out of his or her way to  be helpful to a customer.  Why is it such a shock to be in a retail establishment where you are welcomed?

Parenting in the 21st Century

What has happened to parenting, that a pizza parlor has to post a sign that parents/adults should not leave young children unattended while in the restaurant?  I guess some people have not seen those faces on milk cartons, OR believe their children are so "smart" that they know how to handle themselves when alone in a restaurant.  I even have to remind myself to use my "restaurant voice," and I am well past childhood.

Cafe La Fortuna--random thoughts

While waiting for my lukewarm Starbucks coffee, my thoughts wandered to the past when there was a real cafe in my life.  Cafe La Fortuna.  Vincent and Alice.  Alice's sister who waited tables, and went to Italy for a visit and never came back.  Opera music.  Exposed brick walls full of opera memorabilia.  The first decaffinated espresso I ever drank that tasted like espresso.  When it opened it was half a store front, two steps down from the sidewalk with a garden in the back.  The regulars who sat at the first table inside the door, when Vincent wasn't sitting there himself, included Joe who always had something to sell.  My first taste of Veniero's Italian Cheesecake.  It put the cream cheese type to shame and out of my life forever.  I never baked another one again.  Walking to La Fortuna from the West 80's taught my boys how to walk.  A half mile or more was nothing.  Summertime, iced cappucinos with homemade coffee flavored Italian ice.  An uncomfortable afternoon in the garden bearing witness to a couple breaking up.  Sideways glances at the occasional celebrity who lived in the neighborhood.  The two Gregorys, waiters, one an aspiring poet and the other a caterer to be.

It was not Starbucks or fame that claimed the life of Cafe La Fortuna.  It was love.  The love a parent has for a child, that would trust the child to be able to take over a business the parent had built.  Unfortunately, we are sometimes blinded by this love, and do not realize that our children are not capable enough.

It was heartbreaking to see Vincent come out of retirement to sit at the cash register once again.  Even sadder when he was there after his beloved Alice had passed away.  A place that love built had to end when those two lovers died.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best crispy chocolate chip cookie--Jacques Torres', ask them to warm it up, a bargain at $2.75.

Best soft chocolate chip cookie--Levain Bakery, ask for a fresh one from the oven.  Connie and her staff could not be nicer.  If you do not like chocolate chip cookies, try a hot oatmeal raisin scone, better than mine.

Food Trucks

Why are The Treats Truck and the Super Tacos Truck the only decent food trucks on the Upper West Side, south of 96th Street? 

Did our indifference drive away Rickshaw Dumplings and Dinges and Wafels?

Street Sweets truck--baked goods not any better than what you would find at the Gourmet Garage.

Do not patronize the food cart in front of Trader Joe's.  Lo Mein is not spaghetti!  Prefried dumplings are an insult. 

Do you wear a fragrance?

Do not wear so much fragrance that it arrives in the room before you do.  If you must call attention to yourself, do everyone a favor and do not go to a restaurant where the food is the focus.  Your scent should not be competing with the aroma of the food.