August 11, 2010

1LOVE: Brooklyn

Not sure why there’s so much Williamsburg because he lives in Fort Greene…

August 2, 2010

Fort Tilden

July 29, 2010

Beyond the Pyramid

Also: What America Spends on Food and Drink & The 20 Most Caffeinated Cities in the U.S.

July 25, 2010

Periodic Update

I’ve recently come across several periodic table-style infographics lately, though none of them seem to do justice to the Periodic Table of Elements, which is organized, well, scientifically—by nuclear protons and valence electrons. Thus, the biggest problem with arranging curses, typefaces and Mad Men trivia in the iconic castle-shaped schematic is simply the fact that Mendeleev’s original diagram is organized by the realities of the physical world—where the empirical properties of the elements dictate their atomic numbers and layout—while none of the data tabulated in the following infographics has a similar logic flow.

One more for good measure (I guess this trend dates back to this March): The Periodic Table to End All Periodic Tables

July 14, 2010

Dinner: Captain Lawrence St. Vincent’s Dubbel Edition

Despite the ever-impending thunderstorms lurking in the troposphere of late, I decided that I needed to at least get out of the house with a short ride to Brooklyn Beer & Soda (as well as a stop at Greene Grape Provisions). I’d already settled on dinner based on leftover pork belly from the 4th: a hearty bacon mushroom orzo with a bit of smoky earthiness.

The beer pairing was a gametime decision: it was between a summer-y hefeweizen (Weihenstephaner or Ayinger’s Bräu-Weisse) and Captain Lawrence St. Vincent’s Dubbel, which called my name from BBS’s ample, well-stocked shelving.

Suffice it to say that I was very pleased with the darker brew: St. Vincent’s slight tartness, opened up with a brilliant, fruity (in a good way) maltiness that complemented the sweet richness of the meal perfectly.

At risk of sounding too proud, the photo probably doesn’t do the dish justice—I was going for overarching porkiness, so I caramelized the shallots and garlic (always!) in bacon and the last of my pork fat, not to mention drippings in the orzo. Mushrooms and reserved pork belly went in later as the pasta neared al dente completion. I seasoned the sautée and the orzo with a little S&P, plus a bit of basil, nutmeg, garlic powder and red pepper flakes in the latter.

Naturally, I topped it off with parmesan romano. Sans other courses—a simple Caesar to start would have sealed the deal—I ended up with a slightly oversized portion, though I was rather pleased with the meal on the whole. In fact, a cigarette (alongside the final delicious glass of St. Vincent’s) made for a curiously fitting dessert.

Most of this was consumed on the 4th, but I saved a good bit for myself...

July 13, 2010

Idle Eyes

See also (meta)

July 7, 2010

What They Eat Where

About damn time: Very Small Array is back with another instant classic.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the boroughs…

July 2, 2010

Orange (The Hiatus Continues…)

Busy busy…

June 22, 2010

Non Sequitur

June 15, 2010

The Creators Projection

Intel × Vice’s recently-launched Creators Project feels a bit contrived on premise—i.e., a tech titan’s attempt to co-opt the cool—but the production value and content is really quite good. In fact, it’s just as well that Vice/VBS.tv gets a shit-ton money from a corpulent corporation with cash to spare; hence, the (free) star-studded NYC launch party. (It’s already sold out, but I’m going out of town that weekend anyway… speaking of which, I’m going to be out of town this weekend as well, so let’s just say that June’s editorial calendar will be a little leaner than usual.)

James Powderly (above) may be an engineering whiz, but Brock Davis is pure pop fun: