ZARKANA: IT’S SURREAL THING

I love experiencing Cirque du Soleil for the “circus” of it as well as the humor and music.   Presently, the show Zarkana, created by Francois Girard, is being performed at Radio City Music Hall and for their final season in NYC.  After their limited engagement through September 2 they will take up permanent residency at ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.  

A permanent home lends for not thinking about limitations on height are other temporary aspects.  When I called Radio City to ask for the running time I was told that it would be 2 hours and 15 minutes with one 15 minute intermission.   Yet, it was about an hour and a half with no intermission.   I think that the information was about last year’s show.    

Back to the performance.  They describe it as “an acrobatic spectacle that blends circus arts with the surreal to create a world where physical virtuosity rubs shoulders with the bizarre.  Zarkana is a visual vortex set in a slightly twisted fantasy universe where in which a cast of more than 75 international artists transports the audience into a fantastical and suspenseful world, blurring the boundaries between the real and imaginary.”

Within Cirque du Soleil you will find that there are two “casts”.  One is the actual circus performers and the other is the “clowns” that first walk about the audience and do their thing in between the acts.   There are times that they will do “circus moves” and even a magic act as well. Zarkana’s “clowns” were dressed in some bizarre outfits. 

Now, aside from the acts, clowns and what appeared to be live music and singing throughout (I’m not sure about some of the times), there was the background digital (shows are going for digital these days…probably easier than painting backdrops).   One time there was a background of snakes and another, a background of eye balls. 

Onto the show.  The stars, or master and mistress of ceremony were Christian Goguen and Meetu Chilana.   I wish the songs were in English. As good as their singing was I had absolutely no idea what they were singing about.

  

Maria Choodu juggled her balls…lots of them.  Victoria Dvoretskaya and Dmitry Dvoretskiy did this thing was ladders…like a “look what I can do in balancing and strength”.  Flags followed…Frederico Pisapia Giuseppe Schiavo, Vincenzo Schiavo and Marco Senatore…tossing.  Russian Bar spotlighted Carole Demers’s acrobatics on a flexible bar held by Johnny Gasser and Yuri Kreer.   There’s always a high wire act and this one featured Pedro Carillo and Luis Acosta.   That was followed by Cyr Wheel and Aerial Hoops.  Hanging from the rafters.  One thing that was employed in the background were images of the acts as if there were more artists doing the same thing. 

Sand Painting by Erika Chen…now that was impressive with wonderful images.  Funny…I just saw someone on America’s Got Talent do that.   Trapeze was next…it’s all about timing!  Carlos Marin and Junior Delgado performed “The Wheel of Death”.   One of the two seemed to have some problems.

Anatoly Zalevskiy  did a bit of contorting hand balancing and the show ended with “Banquine” artists lifting one another on their shoulders and throwing the female acrobats into the air.

There was a writer sitting next to that had not seen a Cirque Du Soleil live performance.  He was totally impressed and one of the better ones if you’re a “virgin” at this.   I don’t feel that it’s a “must see” but if you can get half price tix then it’s fine.   Check it out on www.cirquedusoleil .com/zarkana. 

HER NAME IS "LOVIE"?

I saw the New York Sharks play today with a winning score of 72-14 against the New England Nightmare.  One player, who this year's name is "Lovette 'Lovie' Watson" but last year's name was "Lovie 'Lioness' Watson", should have had the number "666" instead of "66".  Did the devil make her do it?   Honestly, if she had a weapon in her hand, there would have been dead Sharks.  Instead, she would do things like place her hand under a Sharks player's face mask and pull her down or even when the player was down would slip in some type of personal foul hoping that the ref wouldn't see.   She got called out on it once and that didn't seem to be enough to reject her from the game.  It had to happen twice.  


Talk about poor sportsmanship...The game ends and the teams line up to congrat the players as they walk past each other.  It was a good game.   Watson gets in front of her line and rather than do the "pass each other" walk, she simply stands still while the Sharks pass the team.  Hell (pun intended), are they all afraid of her? 


I must say, the New York Sharks had great patience up until the second big one that finally ensued into a fight. Just some slight injuries that might have included a concussion.   


I can't help but question the coaches.  Do they encourage her to injure the opposing team because their season is so bad? I doubt if this is the first time that this has occurred. 

Interesting that the first two letters of her name is also the first two letters of the word, "loser".  Watson would do well with a visit or a lifetime stay on Grand Cayman Island where she could go to Hell.

Garden Party 29 – Monday, June 18, 2012, 6:00-10:00 PM

The only LGBT tasting festival in the country will feature nearly 40 restaurants at a new location!

Garden Party started in 1984 as a backyard barbeque in the Center’s garden. This year, more than 1,500 friends and supporters will flock to Hudson River Park’s Pier 46 to celebrate Pride Week with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center and enjoy food and drink from a variety of restaurants, caterers and food trucks. The event includes a VIP SECTION from 6:00-7:00 PM that will be attended by Center supporters and elected officials.

Guests will dine “al fresco” on the pier and watch the sun set over the Hudson River while enjoying an open vodka bar and bidding on delicious dining packages at the fabulous "Foodies” Silent Auction, a popular activity at this culinary event. This year’s auction is an epicurean’s paradise, full of tasty treats from New York’s finest restaurants. Guests will bid on wine pairings, champagne brunches, three-course dinners and more. But it’s not all food – there are more delightful items to bid on from John Barrett Salon, Gilt City and David Barton Gym, to name a few. Garden Party will also feature an exciting Raffle with items curated by THEATERMANIA.

The Center is proud to welcome back longtime supporter PRUDENTIAL as our Platinum Sponsor. Thanks to Friend Sponsors BLOOMBERG, CAPITAL ONE, CITI, CONTINUUM HEALTH PARTNERS, NEW YORK LIFE and WELLS FARGO ADVISORS; Social Media Sponsors SEAMLESS, DOT429 and TASTING TABLE; Exclusive Airline Sponsor AMERICAN AIRLINES; Media Sponsor GO MAGAZINE, GAY CITY NEWS, METROSOURCE and THEATERMANIA; and DIAGEO has returned as the event’s Beverage Sponsor, featuring BV Wines and Ketel One Vodka. The Center is also grateful for the support of the following participating Corporate Volunteer Teams: AIG-LGBT Employee Resource Group, Citi PRIDE Network-NYC, Credit Suisse OPEN Network, dbPride Americas, Gap Inc., GLOBE – Deloitte, New York Life – NYLPride, PepsiCo EQUAL, Thomson Reuters Pride at Work and VIACOM/Emerge.

As the only LGBT tasting festival in the country, Garden Party is a delicious start to Pride Week in NYC with nearly 40 participating restaurants and food companies, which include: 16 Handles,  508 Restaurant & Bar,  Amy's Bread,  Anejo Tequileria,  Aria,  Benny's Burritos,  Brick Lane Curry House,  Corner Shop Café,  Dell' anima,  Donatella,  Dos Caminos,  En Japanese Brasserie,  Esca,  Fonda,  Good Restaurant,  Grandaisy Bakery,  L'Artusi,  La Cremeria,  Li-Lac Chocolates, Mappamondo,  Mitchmallows,  Murray's Cheese,  North Square,  Oceana, Peanut Butter & Co.,  Poco,  Presidential Caterers,  Redwood Kitchenette & Bar,  Rickshaw Dumplings,  Ron Ben-Israel Cakes, Smörgås Chef,  Sonnier & Castle,  The Taco Shop,  The Treats Truck,  Tiffin and Thali,  Uncle Paul's Pizza and Café and Zampa Winebar & Kitchen.

For a full listing of restaurants and food companies, auction participants and to purchase tickets, visit gaycenter.org/gardenparty29.

***

Garden Party kicks off Pride Week in New York City and is the Center’s largest annual fundraiser. Proceeds from Garden Party 29 will benefit the Center’s life-affirming and life-changing programs and services, and allows the Center to keep its doors open 365 days a year.

WHAT              The only LGBT culinary festival in the country, benefiting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

WHO                Visit gaycenter.org/gardenparty29 for a full listing of food participants

WHEN              Monday, June 18, 2012

                        6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE           Hudson River Park’s Pier 46

West Side Highway and Christopher Street

New York City

HOW                Tickets begin at $85 and will be $100 day of event

Tickets are on sale exclusively through gaycenter.org/gardenparty29.

About the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center:
A beacon of hope for 29 years, the Center builds and supports our community through arts and culture, wellness and recovery, HIV/AIDS related services, family services and life-saving youth programs designed to foster healthy development in a safe, affirming environment. The Center envisions a world where LGBT people will no longer face discrimination or isolation because of who we are or who we love. We offer a welcoming home to 300,000 visitors each year and we are committed to serving all LGBT people through a variety of programs, services and activities that are designed to meet existing and emerging needs. The Center is many things to many people. We invite you to experience our home at 208 West 13th Street in person and online at gaycenter.org.

LA SCUOLA GRANDE AT EATALY

New York's Little Italy has gotten tinier, yet a new Italian market place has opened in Manhattan on 23rd Street and 5th Avenue.  An entrance on 23rd Street leads to a cooking school.  The sign reads, "La Scuola Grande. Dean: Lidia Bastianich. Eat to Learn, Learn to Eat.  This particular class encompassed the Sicilian region with both food and wines.

La Scuola offers the opportunity to highlight the regions as the classes focus on one each month.  Lidia first introduced the staff for the evening to include Executive Chef Alex Pilas and Sous Chef Alicia Walter as well as the dignitaries from Sicily, Piergiorgio Sabatini, region of Sicily communications officer, and Dario Cartabellotta Director of Food and Agriculture. 


The menu began with an aperitivo of Tasca d'Almerita - Brut 2008.  I'm certainly happy that there was some bread and Italian imported olive oil as each course was paired with a wine. As each wine was served, an explanation was offered.

The first course was Antipasto was a Duo di Pane Cunzato of Acciughe con Peperonata & Caponata di Melanzane, of which the ingredients consisted of:   

Agostino Recca capers in salt

Geraci Nocellara extra virgin olive oil

Agostino Recca fillets of anchovy in olive oil

Ponti red wine vinegar

Sugar

Eggplant

Fennel

Red peppers

Red onion

Plum tomatoes

Pine nuts

Currants

House rustico bread

This was paired with white wine of Valle dell' Acate - "Zagra" 2011. 

On to the Secondo of Tonno Fresco al Forno con Capperi, Pomodorini e Origano of which the ingredients consisted of:

Tuna

Heirloom multicolor cherry tomatoes

Villa Reale dried oregano

A red wine, Girolamo Russo - Etna Rosso "A Rina" 2010 was paired with this delicious delicacy.

Lastly was the Dolce of  Cannoli Sicilian. Pastry Chef Katia Delogu spoke about the two cannolis that were being prepared as well as a bit of history on the dessert.  "Why cannoli? Because we like", said Delogu.  She recommended the use of sheep's milk ricotta and to you a sieve for the best texture. Add  sugar and Candied orange peel to one, chocolate to the other.

 A dessert wine of Caravaglio Antonino - Malvaia dell Lipari 2008 was the delightfully sweet ending.

I was treated to a souvenir book called, Sicily Notes on the grape harvest...with the women of the island, by Andrea Zanfi. Lots of photos and stories. 

Left to right: Piergiorgio Sabatini (region of Sicily communications officer), Alex Pilas (Executive Chef of Eataly), Dario Cartabellotta (Director of Food and Agriculture – Sicily), Lidia Bastianich (Eataly principal, chef, author, TV personality, restaurateur), Dino Borri (Eataly Head Buyer), Luca Baffigo (Eataly partner)

STOP & CHECK

Stop & Shop recently came up with a new double your money back policy.  Frankly, I'm thrilled and will have them keep their promise.  Milk has been as issue a few times.  It doesn't matter what the sale date has if it doesn't taste fresh when you first open it.  Blame the doors opening and closing or whatever.  It's not as if I can taste the milk before I buy it and yes I did get double my money back as it was an organic milk. 

You can't expect the guarantee for marked down fruits and veggies.  What's good about this is when you buy meat that has a sticker for a dollar or whatever off for being the final sale date.  It should still taste fresh if you either eat it that day or freeze it for later.

It's about what you can't see...packaged meats...the ones that are hidden. The top one looks perfect and you can see parts of the rest.  Here's what I encountered.  T-bone steaks were on sale for the same price as New York Strip steaks.  I asked the butcher to tell me the difference.  He said that it is like getting two steaks and one side of the bone has the "filet mignon".   Perfect.  I bought two "family" packages.  However, when I broke it up to freeze each as a portion, I found that about half had the filet part practically cut off.  Needless to say I wasn't able to see that as they were tucked under the really good ones.  Yes, they are going back and I expect to get double my money.  From now on I will take photos of my hidden foods as I unwrap them.

A GRAETER BROWNIE

I decided to combine my favorite Fairytale brownies with my favored Greater's ice cream.  I don't have to tell you why I love Fairytale Brownies.  I tried Graeter's Ice Cream about six years ago when I was in Cincinnati, Ohio.  That's where this small batch French style ice cream is produced.  I not only loved the consistency and flavor of the ice cream itself, but it was all about the chocolate chips.

Of the name brands, Ben & Jerry's is certainly not on the top of my list.  Each time that I had a flavor that contained some from of chocolate chips, all I seemed to taste was the palm oil.  Hey, if I wanted coconut...you know.  Ben & Jerry's isn't the only brand that does this.  The explanation is that you can't have "real chocolate" in ice cream because the chocolate would be much too hard to bite into.  Graeter's uses a small amount of soy oil which doesn't take away the chocolate taste. 

Air goes into ice cream, so if you think you are getting a pint or quart it's just the size of the container and not the weight of 16 oz. etc.  Graeter's actually weighs 16 oz.  I'm not sure about the weight of Ben & Jerry's if you were to get a simple flavor without all of the added "candy" which basically boils down to a lot of added sugar.

The way that Graeter's batches are made is that they are stirring the chocolate "liquid" into the ice cream and the paddles break it up.  That is why the chips are not all the same size.  If fact, you get a little surprise of what is like eating a small chocolate candy bar inside the pint.  Mmmmmm.....chocolate.

If you were to go to Ohio, you can most likely go to one of the Graeter's ice cream store.  That was my problem...go online and get it delivered or sulk about the chips in ice cream.  It was about a month ago when I was in Stop & Shop and saw Graeter's.  Had to do a double take and read the label.  There was my favorite flavor of Greater's, too.  Black Raspberry Chip!  Price wise it was about the same as Ben & Jerry's or Haagen Daz when they are not on sale.  I called the company and eventually had Rich Graeter on my radio show! I also talked about the additives of guar gum and locust bean that is in more ice creams.  It turns out that they are simply stabilizers that prevent the ice cream from forming ice.

That brings me to the brownies!  Chocolate Chip brownie covered with Graeter's vanilla ice cream and topped with slices of fresh strawberries.  I soaked a Chocolate Chip brownie in Chambord and then topped it with vanilla ice cream.  Graeter's Mocha Chip with strawberries and broken up plain Fairytale brownie.

I took a chocolate chip brownie, cut it in half and placed vanilla ice cream in the middle and froze it.  Another dessert idea.

I think of coffee ice cream (Graeter's has real coffee in it) and a version of iced coffee with sugar and cream.  Let me think...Original brownie covered with Black Raspberry Chip and topped with fresh raspberries.  My next venture is to a plain brownie topped with Cherry Chip ice cream and fresh cherries or chocolate chip brownie topped with cherry ice cream and fresh cherries. Please refrain from drooling on your computer.

MURDER MYSTERY VISITED

Murder Mysteries can get you involved in various ways with my favorite as a weekend at a hotel where you can choose to even dress up and allow others to think that you just might be the culprit.  There I was able to visit a dead bloodies body in a tub and the actress didn't even more a muscle.

My second favorite was one where each of the guests were given a name, character and scenario to fill, along with the actors doing their thing as well. 

There was one that took place on the streets of New York where we started at the South Street Seaport and broke into groups.  It was part walking tour as we learned about each destination spot that would give us a clue to the next spot of which one was a bar where a drink was thrown in.  

What's in common with each murder mystery is a killing (or perhaps two) and a cop or detective coming into the scene with information and then sending you off to seek the culprit or culprits.  Many even involved a prize for guessing and in some cases one for getting the most votes that you were the culprit. 

This last murder mystery took place at Fonana's, a bar located at the lower East Side of Manhattan.  We had broken into groups (or you come as a group), took a seat downstairs while the police sergeant (with Irish accent) informed us of the murders.  Each group was given a bag containing a hat (for one of your group to where as the team color...with badge), a map to where each of the spots would have someone to question, pads and pencil, and a few photos.  

We approached the suspects knowing that we could ask many questions.  Each of these suspects was in period clothing and doing their thing.  It made for passerby's wanting to stop and listen...both residents and tourists alike. That made for more fun.  Clues gathered we were back at Fonana's to ask further questions of the suspects and then decide who did it and the motives.

Here is what is says about the event called The Ryan Case -1873. In the wee hours of the night, siblings are found dead in their tenement, the air reeking of foul play. During this two-hour interactive adventure, participants act as teams of detectives, prowling New York City neighborhoods and interviewing various characters to uncover the truth behind a real-life unsolved murder from the 1870s. This Drama Desk Award-nominated Live IN Theater production, created by actor and director Carlo D'Amore, combines history, mystery and theater -- resulting in an exciting two hours of one-of-a-kind entertainment. Pay attention as you encounter many unsavory characters and discover clues along your beat. You'll confront the suspects in the hope of finally bringing the perpetrators to justice.

Murder mystery dinner theatre is another venue and although may be fun doesn't lend for as much involvement or exercise