KATIALLO

On a different day, my friend Nancy and I took in lunch at a Greek restaurant in Queens called Katiallo. Small and home style Greek cuisine located at 29-06 172nd Street off of Francis Lewis Blvd., just blocks from M&S Italian grocery. It’s an open kitchen. You can watch them cook behind the counter.

We shared (It’s easier that way) starting with a cold appetizer, Pikilia. It was a combination of Taramosalata (carp roe spread), Melitzanosalata (eggplant spread), Tzatziki (yogurt sauce with cucumber and garlic) and Skordalia (whipped potato dip with garlic). For some reason, the Melitzanosalata was substituted for Hummus (whipped chickpeas with sesame tahini, lemon and garlic). Nothing was said and I couldn’t figure out why the texture of the eggplant was so different until I asked about it. Oh well.

We then chose two entrees. Doner was a marinated rotisserie pork loin with herbs and served with Tzatziki, pita bread and lemon potatoes (you could opt for French fries). Loukaniko was a Greek style pork and lamb sausage spiced with oregano, orange, and wine and served with the same as the Doner.

We both agreed that the marinated pork was better than the sausage due to the sausage being quite dry. The sausage was served sliced up and lacked any juice. On the positive side, you could see those gyros rather than some places that buy frozen slices and heat them up.

I’m told that all food is made on the premises and from scratch, except for the desserts which are brought in. With the usual Baklava, I opted for one called Galactobouriko, a custard filled phyllo topped with a light honey syrup. Loved it. FYI. They have a backyard area for whenever Spring actually arrives.

There was a table of people that appeared to be celebrating. It was Lena Goren’s 81st birthday. She is a Greek Holocaust survivor, a former Miss Senior America contestant and a Rego Park resident. I understand that she also has a bit of show biz in her blood.

LOMBARDI

Coach Vince Lombari. If the name does not tweet your brain, then “sports” does not serve your interest. The Broadway show, entitled Lombardi, may still perk your attention as the biographic plot, based on David Maraniss’ 1999 book “When Pride Still Mattered,” would apply to anyone who teaches or simply wants to take in an enjoyable Broadway performance.

The play is mostly set around November of 1965, just before the Green Bay Packers began their NFL championship winning streak and mainly revolves around Lombardi’s (Dan Lauria) exchanges with a magazine reporter (Keith Nobbs) writing a feature story about him.

As the reporter moves into the Lombari home, it creates the opportunity to interact with this volatile coach and his ever so loyal wife Marie (Judith Light). Lombardi is frustrated by his team’s failure over the prior two seasons with the Green Bay Packers coming in second. In the meantime, hard-drinking Marie offers some humorously stabbing comments about life in Wisconsin.

Much of the action also takes places in the locker room where Lombardi interacts with three of his players. There’s the black linebacker Dave Robinson (Robert Christopher Riley), partying halfback Paul Hornung (Bill Dawes) and a fullback Jim Taylor (Chris Sullivan) who has a brain for finance.

So now that you have gist of what the show is about…this hour and a half performance, with no intermission, is staged at the Circle In The Square theatre on W. 50th between Broadway and 8th Avenue. There is no bad seat in the house! There are also a few high screens that bring in some of that football flavor.
The lobby is done well to suite the show. You will find a replica of Lombardi’s trophy on a glass enclosed stand, a set up seats from the game (I believe that they are replicas as well) and a cut out of Vince Lombardi with his arm around a player…however, the face is cut out so that you can place yours and have someone take a photo.

Back to the performance or rather the performers. Did Dan Lauria capture Vince Lombardi? I am one to admit that sports, other than having worked with the New York Sharks women’s pro football team, has little interest to me. That means that I am not familiar enough with Lombardi’s character, or any of the others. With that I did feel that all of the actors gave an outstanding performance.

I have to applaud both the producers and marketing staff for their website. They have not only set up a fan zone, facebook, and twitter but also a partnership page. I understand that the New York Sharks should be up on there by the time this article is viewed where you can get discounted tickets to their upcoming season home games. And… if you go to www.nysharksfootball.com and click onto the Lombardi banner, you will be able to get discount tickets for the show.

Let’s add one extra to this. You can download a study guide that’s perfect for teachers or parents bringing kids. I’m also getting that if you bring your ticket stub across the street to Palm restaurant, you can get a free drink at their bar until the middle of June…I’m sure that they will card the kids if you bring them.

DR. KRACKER, NATURE'S PATH, LINDA EDER AND ELVIS PRESLEY

It has been awhile since I've blogged. I got a new computer which has Windows 7 on it. Okay, you're probably saying, "Oy, what went wrong with yours or what doesn't work with Windows 7". What doesn't work with Windows 7 is the program for my digital camera which was purchase a few years ago. I called Fujifilm and they tell me that there is no updated version. This computer has this Fish thing. Yes, I can upload the photos but then I have to go to some other thing so I can resize or whatever to send them out or get on my blog, etc. I have a netbook that has the Window thing before Vista so the program will work, but then I have to correct the photos, put it on a memory stick and then put them on my PC. Good grief!!! I decided to blog and will later add photos and video.

Dr. Kracker Crisps. Dr. Kracker is a great flatbread treat. Very healthy with seeds and made with other than wheat. Different types with different seeds. Haven't tried them in soup as yet but best part is that I can make scrambled eggs without any salt or seasoning and the flatbread serves that purpose. They also have Crisps...small flatbreads with things like apple, cherries, hummus, and a spicy one. Great idea!

Have you ever had the pleasure if eating Nature's Path cereals? I'm hooked on them. To begin with, it's all organic. I know that just because the cereal is organic doesn't mean that they taste good but these rock! I'm not one for dry cereal in the morning. The assortment is enormous! Lots of them are gluten free. Aside from cereals they have cereal bars, so to speak. Either rice or granola. Great for a snack. Many of the bars and cereals even have fruit. I find that when I want something to nosh, I go for a small bowl with milk. I love milk and am willing to go for the 2 percent. Lots of fiber....really...no shit! Not a cheap cereal but worth the price for what you get.

I saw Linda Eder in concert at Colden Auditorium on the campus of Queens College in Flushing, New York. She certainly gives a great concert. I think she was supposed to have an opening act, but he canceled and it was all her. Eder came out with a new CD entitled, "Now", featuring the music of her former husband Frank Wildhorn. They got together to create the CD.

Elvis Presley. Or rather Gregg Peters. I was about to enter the doors of a neighborhood diner and saw a flier about Gregg Peters making an appearance. Gee. I remember Gregg Peters from at least 20 years ago when, as a comedian, I opened two shows for him. "He's still doing Elvis Presley?", I said to a friend. She looked at the flier and said, "Yes, as a matter of fact, he's here tonight". I walked over to him and he was so surprised to see me. My first impression was, "Gee, he got so old". Then the second thought was, "Gee, I got so old".

Not only was he doing his Elvis thing but now he has his two sons involved, one of which is doing a young Elvis. A show in a diner...oh well.