GREAT AMERICAN HEALTH BAR

Food regiments doesn't necessarily pair well with restaurant reviews unless I can find a few that work with the concept.  The Great American Health Bar peaked my attention billing themselves as "A Restaurant for Healthy Eating".  With a kosher and feature of Mediterranean cuisine, the enhancement is having items such as a Create Your Own Salad.

In case you are not familiar with kosher restaurants, keep in mind that they are either "dairy" or "meat" and never a combination.  This one is "dairy", allowing fish such as salmon and tuna.  So it's eggs but no chicken, milk and no beef.  Soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, pasta, pizza, quesadillas, platters, beverages and desserts. 

I would have loved to have ventured in a more fresh juice selection or combination since they are equipped with a juicer.  A large glass of carrot juice went fine with my meal. 

In the mood to check out the Mediterranean, I went for the Mediterranean Combo of: Hummus, BaBa-Ganoush, Tabullie, 3 Falafel Balls, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Feta Cheese, Israeli Salad, Green Olives and Pita (cut up in triangles for dipping).

Hummus is a puree of cooked garbanzo beans and tahini, a paste made from sesame seeds.  Garlic, lemon, salt and olive oil tend to be added.  At home I add salt and olive oil, topped with sumac (not the poison plant).  BaBa-Ganoush is a puree of eggplant, sometimes smoked, garlic, tahini and lemon juice.  I didn't ask for their exact ingredients.  Garbanzo beans (aka chick peas) is the basic ingredient of Falafel, sort of equivalent to having a fried meatball.  Tabullie centers on fine cracked wheat with the basic addition of diced tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley.  Grape leaves are stuffed with rice.  Israeli salads tend to have the same ingredients as the Tabullie without the cracked wheat (with a few additions).

I missed out on their veggie burger prepared with chopped vegetables and garbanzo beans, topped with muenster cheese, tomato and served on a whole wheat bun. Next time.

One other feature of The Great American Health Bar is the  Low-Fat Frozen Yogurt with a wide variety of toppings to add to it.  They are located at the lower level of 35 West 57th Street. It's full service with a decent amount of tables.   FYI.  Cafe Classico is upstairs...kosher as well, but no dairy. 

PETER GALLAGHER AT FEINSTEIN'S

I can always count on a great cabaret performance at the Loews Regency Hotel's nightclub, Feinstein's (who I have yet to see perform).  The intimacy of a room with just enough tables to sit anywhere and still be close enough to the entertainer is what makes it works.  This hotel will be up for some renovation as Feinstein's will soon be having a new venue, although I won't know until a few weeks (when it's announced) as to where nor whether it will be temporary.  In the meantime, we have the month of December to look forward to.

I had the pleasure of seeing Peter Gallagher do his thing, calling his act, "How'd All You People Get In My Room".  On this particular evening Gallagher had some friends and family as he sang and told heartwarming stories about his career while imitating many of those he met (such as Jimmy Cagney).

Back in 1977, for instance, while auditioning for the Broadway show, Hair, he sang Paul Anka's hit "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" and whereas performers are halted after eight bars, they allowed him to finish the song. "My knees buckled, and my eyes filled with tears". 

Gallagher had a story for each of the songs including a duet with his 19-year-old daughter Kathryn singing "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)".  He then took a break to allow her to perform her original "rock-ballad" song, "Damaged".

A quartet, led by pianist Jeff Collela, accompanied the evening's performance as Gallagher strolled through the audience a few times singing to the ladies.  We got to hear, "Luck Be A Lady" from when he was in Guys And Dolls.

Gallagher certainly has a whole bunch of talent, with a career that spans Broadway, movies and television (including "The O.C.").  He's a mere 57-years-old.  Expect to see and hear a lot more of him.

SHAKE OR WIND THAT FLASHLIGHT

Although my particular area did not experience a loss of electricity during the hurricane, I wanted to make sure I was geared up for the NorEaster that followed.  Flashlights. Did I have any or enough?  I guess a lot of other folks had the same idea as a large local supermarket was out of them.  They had batteries, but I doubt that they were ones that worked with flashlights. 

I decided that I don't want to risk another storm hearing about flashlights that you either shake or wind up.  I googled and found a company called Applied Innovative Technology.  Their newest flashlight was called NightStar JP, no battery flashlight that you shake for about 30 seconds or so and it produces the energy to light LED "bulbs".  It has a waterproof housing, can withstand being dropped a whole lot, and lasts long enough to will it to someone. Oh yeah. Point and you can see over 100 feet ahead.

Another product, Vortex Dynamo Underwater Crank Flashlight, contains a NIMH rechargeable battery.  You crank it up and get three lights.   The two side ones are smaller "bulbs" and emit a good amount of light.  Click it again and the middle one lights up even brighter.  In fact, when I tested it out in the dark, I placed the unit on top of my dining room table pointing it toward the ceiling as the whole room lit up as if a moon were shining.  Click it a third time and the light goes back and forth from the two to the one for when you're outside in an emergency.   To add to it, there is an adapter to plug into your cellphone to recharge it. 

Shopping for the holidays and looking for a present that someone will truly appreciate?  Check out their website as you won't find them in the stores.  Keep in mind that if you come across these type of items in the store that they may not be the best value.  If you're shaking, is there a battery inside?  If so, you don't want that.  Waterproof? Shockproof?  What I like about the NightStar is that you can see the inside. 

CAROLEE CARMELLO IS SCANDALOUS

An elderly woman is interviewed about her reaction to the new Broadway show Scandalous with a remark about being on her bucket list. I saw the show this past Saturday afternoon.

Writer Kathie Lee Gifford (we are all familiar with her television personality) and star Carolee Carmello certainly have something to give praise to.  Aimee Semple McPherson, the world’s first Hollywood Superstar Evangelist, is the controversial subject that may make a few bucks for them.

Kathie Lee wrote the book, lyrics and some additional music while the rest of it is credited to David Pomeranz and David Friedman.  Scandalous has a tremendous amount of songs some of which were pretty good and I’ll give credit for Lee’s writing.

Here’s the story.  Aimee’s mom, Minnie Kennedy (Candy Buckley) is totally big on the bible and her daughter’s position in life.  Aimee is interested in acting.  Mom’s against it. Amiee’s dad, James (George Hearn) is okay with whatever his daughter calls to her.  Amiee marries young to Robert Semple and has a kid (we never seem to see her offspring, even from her second marriage).

Preaching somehow comes out of acting and she meets up with Emma Jo Schaefler (Roz Ryan), a madam, who gets convinced to join her cause.   Thank goodness because we need that one African-American female comic character.  

The show opens with Aimee being on trial for her scandalous life.  I never did get how much scandal was worth a trial except that after her divorce she met Harold McPherson on her way to Hollywood fame and married what I think was a man who promised himself to another.   I guess that being an Evangelist and going Hollywood might create a scandal back in the 1920’s, especially for a woman.

Scandalous has some pretty decent choreography but don’t expect some big numbers.   A few that stood out for me. The first number, “Stand Up” is a great opener for both many of the cast and Carolee.  In fact, just about anything that Carolee sang was outstanding. 

Roz Ryan had her feature in the song, “A Girl’s Gotta Do What a Girl’s Gotta Do” along with the ensemble of girls.  It’s Roz and Carolee’s performance that truly makes the show. 

When it came to Aimee’s Hollywood career, “Moses and Pharaoh” threw in a few side splits of humor, although the characters were portrayed as being more “Jewish” than “Hebrew”…like it was taken from a Fiddler on the Roof song.

The show runs about two and half hours with a 15-minute intermission.  A printout of songs was placed in the Playbill. Two songs were eliminated but still too long!  I recommend the show to Church groups although I did not get that any sect of Christianity was emphasized, nor the mention of Christ.  Scandalous is entertaining, but please don’t put this one on your bucket list! 

MORGANTOWN'S STEFANO'S

There is a long Italian heritage in Morgantown due to immigrants making their way from Italy.  Clarksburg is just Southwest of Morgantown and the home to the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival, which I missed by about a month.  Needless to say I needed to partake in some great Italian food and found Stefano's (www.stefanosmorgantown.com) on Chestnut Ridge Rd. located below a bowling alley (although it's not obvious while you're eating).

A tasting was my request that began with a amuse bouche of a stuffed cherry tomato.  Whatever it was stuffed with certainly tasted great.  Out comes the bread which I would not have necessarily eaten if it weren't for the olive tapenade.

Two Antipasti dishes.  Stefano's Meatball is a large meatball stuffed with fresh mozzarella cheese, topped with Stefano's Meat Sauce.  What a meatball!  Here's a take on mac and cheese called Aragosta e Formaggio.  Broiled lobster served over lobster and mascarpone ditalini pasta, baked with herbed bread crumbs.

Where up to the Zuppa e Insalata.  Nuovo Nicoise has tomato, applewood bacon, boiled eggs, olives and Taleggio cheese over spinach and Bibb lettuce finished with a tomato vinaigrette and potato chips (made on the premises).  Another salad of endive cups filled with arugula, golden apple, apricots and walnuts finished with maytag (not the washing machine) cream and apple cider Vinaigrette.

I choose a pesce vs a carne, Spigola.  Pan roasted Seabass over lobster and asparagus risotto finished with lobster conssume and parsnip crisps.

There's always room for dessert.  I'll have to get back on this as I don't remember what it was.  All was delicious! 

PONTOONING ON CHEAT LAKE

Just on the other side of the entrance to Lakeview Resort Gold & Spa is the Sunset Beach Marina the perfect spot to begin a boat ride along the 13-mile Cheat Lake.  A Pontoon boat was rented.  I love piloting a pontoon boat.  With minimal  instructions it's pretty easy. I just had to get a hang of how quick the boat turned when turning the wheel.  I took it up at different speeds but not the highest as I was more interested in viewing the lake for about an hour or so.

Barry Frey is the owner of the rental boats.  It was the last weekend that the boats were going out on the lake.  We waited for a sunny day as the weather, although great in temperature, was cloudy.  The exact address of the marina is 177 Sunset Beach Rd.  (304-594-0050) www.sunsetbeach-marina.com

MORGANTOWN BREWING COMPANY