Thursday afternoon blues..........feeling romantic and remembering.....remembeing Matt Monroe

He’s known as a “Singer’s Singer”, a man who influenced generations of performers, from Karen Carpenter and Cass Elliot to Michael Bublé. Even Frank Sinatra, to whom Matt Monro was frequently compared, acknowledged his gifts. Yet, his success in the United States was modest, never coming close to his popularity in his native England. and yet, There are a few singers I go to, to feel romantic -Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Jack Jones ( in his prime) and Matt Monroe. How lucky I was, to see them while they were alive and if they only knew what an impression they made on me and my life...incalculable... One great song and two great singers..

The Importance of Self-Indulgence

Today I learned of a client/friend losing his battle with cancer and it made me once again, sit back and reflect on my life (it’s been great! I can tell you that) and what the future holds out for me. Dealing with the sad news, I once again, embraced the value of self-indulgence. The good life is good and one should always take the time and resource to treat oneself, not every once and awhile, but regularly. My late Edwardian grandfather taught me the value of enjoyment in savoring what ever you did, even the little things. Drinking fine whiskey, smoking a great cigar, sampling smoked salmon, or having a table set properly and laden with all the things you enjoy and above all, all of this should be an experience, in and for itself; one does not hurry and expect to enjoy the same results if one is rushed – you should embrace the mediation, the introspection of the products themselves. That’s the joy…….. Oscar Hammerstein once penned the classic, “A Few of my Favorite things”……….. Well mine are in part:
 ~ Hot Dogs in lamb casing
 ~ Ice cold Martini (gin, of course) along with a American club sandwich (the chicken must be poached) 
~ A huge bowl of Bearnaise sauce to dip crusty bread in while watching the movie 'Charade"
 ~ Hearing the most important 4 words in the world “Your table is Ready” 
 ~ Sole Meuniere at Le Dome in Paris 
 ~ Glass of crusted port and a Ramon Allones Lonsdale cigar 
 ~ A 6 button double-breasted Blazer and polka dot blue bow tie from Turnbull and Asher 
~ Dinner in a Pullman booth at Wiltons’ (London) during Grouse season 
~ Paris – anytime (except summer) 
~ The music of Tom Jobim and Frank Sinatra (together and apart)
~ Soft scrambled eggs with heavy cream and scallions ( lots and lots of scallions) 
~ smoked salmon and Gravlox and buckets of marinated, creamed and smoked herring
~ Kippers - drowning in butter
 ~ Lunch at the Thermes Marins Spa café L’Hirondelle in Monaco (ensconced in nothing but your robe) overlooking the Mediterranean while drinking a vintage Graves wine and feasting on curried pheasant. You have not lived until you have done this.
 ~…………..and so much more…………………..

My thought for today.............as the world has gone mad..my thoughts turn to pleasant things.

Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle.”

Gosh..........Grace Kelly..........Today's stars have nothing, are nothing compared to her....

A cup of Coffee and a cigarette enjoyed by two Martians - a return to TV Happy days in the 1960's

I was never, even to this day, a fan of science fiction in either TV, movies nor books, but on the 13th of January, 1964, My friend Frank, wanted to watch the science fiction TV program, the Outer Limits and so, I said yes and that night, I watch it and on that program, was a story ( the only comedy, I understand, in the entire series) called Controlled Experiment, starring the late Carroll O Conner and Barry Morse, it was about two Martians ( coming to earth), equipped with a device for controlling time, try to understand the human phenomena of murder. They choose a crime of passion in the lobby of a shabby hotel. But what seems like a simple assignment rapidly runs out of control.  Well I was captivated, I must say. 
My favorite scene takes place when O'Connor introduces Morse to the Earth habits of coffee and cigarettes. Morse's delighted response is like a small child sampling cake and ice cream for the first time. I still laugh about it to this day, some 50 years later. 

Closing narration( I love it!) “ Who knows? Perhaps the alteration of one small event may someday bring about the end of the world. But that someday is a long way off, and until then there is a good life to be lived in the here and now.

"To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day." W. Somerset Maugham ..well that was true once upon a time, but

But, today, London enjoys a food renaissance and has some of the best restaurants in the world, these days.
But to my thinking, breakfast in England is still KING and will always be ( unless the health police and you know who you are!) muck it up. But util then, I will go on and on enjoying the Ten Deadly Sins" What is that you ask?
Why, its a breakfast consisting of Cumberland sausage, scrambled eggs, streaky and back bacon, black pudding, fried mushrooms, baked tomato, kidney, fried bread,and baked beans.

Underground secrets - London Silver Vaults

The London Silver Vaults opened as The Chancery Lane Safe Deposit in 1876. Originally renting out strong rooms to hold household, jewelry and documents, it transitioned to housing silver dealers in secure premises a few years later. It is located on Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1QS. Open to the public, its worth the price of admission as they use to say to see all the silver and by the way, for fans of Downton Abbey, they bought from here all the silver you see on the TV program on the dining room tables.

Friday - As Fats Waller so rightly said - "Fish is still my favorite fish" ..so its Lobster tail with unctuous garlic mayonaise tonight

I have grown weary of young chefs ................................my rant for today...........

I grow weary of young chefs who lack the long-term commitment to their craft and expect the short road to success. This might be an unintended consequence of food television, hair mousse, tattoos and chemistry sets I suppose, not entirely sure. What I love most about what chefs do is the craftsmanship and the time they put into it. The magic of true cooking, all of it takes time and commitment to craftsmanship , overnight success ( are you listening young chefs?) is a 20-year journey. I also loath pretense, I have been around too long to suffer though it, to tolerate it and will run like a scalded dog to avoid it. True Chefs cook, they serve, they invite people into their lives to enjoy and experience their love of cooking and hospitality. Self-importance has no place in that.

                                                     (The late Keith Floyd)

A thought for this Tuesday, 02 September, 2014

"If I don't like the way the times are moving, I shall refuse to accompany them' 
                                     - H.E. Lewis

The Glorious Twelfth in England............and I ain't talking about Christmas.............

In just a few weeks, there is no other place on earth ( Sorry France, I love you but....) that I'd rather eat than in England, because?...Because its the start of the Grouse season. Roast grouse with braised  red cabbage and game chips, grouse pie, damson and cobut salad with Crozier Blue Cheese. 

Two of the best places ( where you'll always find me in the winter time is Rules or Corrigan's.

Dressing for Dinner – If you are easily insulted , please do not read any further.

The great dressing down of America has been going for the last few decades and I must say that men appear to be in the vanguard of this dress-to-regress army. I realize that as the 21st century progresses American and European society has become more causal. But that casual dress has become (especially in America) slovenly dress. Yes, you will point to Europe and say but they have skipped their ties and jackets, but ah! Still Europeans seem to be more acutely aware than most American’s that certain articles of clothing are simply not worn in certain places. In American, we have come to this, where men will not only wear a baseball cap to dinner, but wears it backwards.I find that American men ( and women) wish not to be adults but want to be children again and certainly act and dress like it..  Different times? Yes, Sartorial evolution? Try devolution. Dressing shabbily for any restaurants above the level of a fast food joint, is an affront not only to fellow dinners but to the owner. Unfortunately, many owners themselves have given up, adopting a style of dress that helps make ill-clad customers feel comfortable. Many owners pride themselves of faded jeans and open neck shirts and to me, it makes them look more like the fellow who delivers the vegetables than the man who pays for them. Of course American clients contend that their turtleneck sweater is cashmere or their golf jacket is Italian suede, but of course, they mistake good fabric for good manners. Dining out, to my mind after all, isn't just about the food, it’s also about such things as service and ambiance and that all taken together should create a pleasurable experience. That is why when I am asked, what restaurants in Los Angeles do you like, I can think of none, as most today have become playpens, not restaurants and none have created a pleasurable experience for me for a long long time. Men tell me, that donning a jacket and tie is a form of strangulation even thought they work in their white collar jobs without any apparent loss of breath. To them I say, buy a larger-size shirt and learn how to tie your tie. Ah! but especially in Southern California, those same men say they should be permitted to wear anything they please to a restaurant, maintaining that their money is as good as that of a person in a coat and a tie. Such logic suggests an arrogance about privilege that’s no more attractive today than it’s ever been. To me, dress that is appropriate the restaurant in question shows a person respects his hosts, guests and fellow dinners. It seems to me that American men ( and Women) wish to regress and become children again and not adults - it can be seen in their appearance and behavior -  And perhaps most important of all, they should serve as a model to their children – that than the other way around.