Bullfrog & Blog : Bullfrog & Blog

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

PAGE ONE

By Jessica Halliburton

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I try not to catalog my favorite activities in any sort of hierarchical manner, but usually it's all too apparent. Dining is first place. Reading is second.

While I'm fairly lenient towards any sort of reading schedule or genre variation, I have always been very strict about where I end a book. For as long as I can remember I have closed final pages in quiet places – in bed, outside on the grass, during a red-eye flight. A former professor of mine believes where and how one ends a book is a bit of an indication of its overall importance to the reader. Whether or not that is true for everyone is something I will never know. I do know that secretly watching someone finish a book might just be favorite thing number three.

Not too long ago, while gnawing on grilled street fair corn, a friend asked if I am as particular about where I begin reading as I am about where I finish. I stood there, lime juice dripping down my hand, without a clue as how to answer her question. Like so many of my friends and family members I am much more preoccupied with what to pick up next; what will be the subsequent cycle of stories and ideas. Once a decision is finally made, the notion of where to begin never used to require much thinking.

Since that day, however, I haven't stopped asking my friends where they are at page one. After people get over the initial realization that they've never had to think about something like that before, personal rituals and habits start pouring out of them. Below are among some of my favorites:

“I like to start on my chair that is closest to the window in my living room. The light is always perfect and it reminds me of my old room in Boston. I hardly ever read the rest of my books on that chair because I'm always running around, but nine times of ten, they begin there.”
“I only read on the subway. But I'll never start something unless I'm sitting down.”
"I'm usually a wintertime reader. So that means I begin with lots of blankets and lots of Hot Pockets.”
“I'll tell you where I never begin reading books: in the car with my mother. I've tried though.”

As for me - I find that I do best en route; on a train or a bus, particularly on the east coast with the New England landscape just a glance away. There's something about beginning a book while on my way to another place that has always felt right to me. Not only is there enough time to let the words settle into me but when I arrive at my destination I am able to put it down, knowing there is much more ahead. And with the earmarked book in hand I head off to favorite thing number one. Naturally.

What I’m:

Watching: Harold and Maude

Listening to: Patty Griffin

Eating: Lots of snap peas

Reading: The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster by Richard Brautigan

Posted By Frog Blogger At 1:46 PM • Trackbacks (357)

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Grills Just Wanna Have Fun

by Kalea Dunkleman

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While the blistering heat has been beating down on the streets on Manhattan, we Angelenos have been dealing with weather a bit more mild, more breezy, more… temperate. But I don’t mean to brag- we don’t have Shakespeare in the Park (or really anywhere for that matter), we don’t have Shake Shack, we don’t have fireworks that explode over bridges, we don’t have a summer concert series. What we do have, however, are barbecues.

Summer in Los Angeles is all about the barbecue. Not only do the carbon emissions from our non-Prius’ clog the air, but so do the smoke plumes emanating from the charcoal and gas we burn for the cause of that nice little sear on meats, veggies and shrimps. People have dueling parties held on coveted holidays (July 4th is already booked solid), men discuss technique, women have margaritas. We actually spend time in our yards.

Though I am a native Angeleno, this is my first year with a grill. I am, needless to say, excited. The summer issues of food magazines that extol the virtues of grilled items usually go directly in the recycler having barely been read, but not this year. This year, I aim to become a griller. There’s a recipe in Food & Wine for crosshatch hot dogs on grilled croissants with Asian-mustard sauce. Yes please. Bon Appetit talks about curried lamb burgers with raita; pork and mushroom burgers with cilantro; even a tuna burger with tapenade. Apparently people with grills don’t bother with ground chuck. Gourmet is teaching me veg- prosciutto wrapped asparagus (ok, semi-veg), artichokes, stuffed tomatoes and even grilled pizza. The pages are dog-eared, marked up and smeared. These issues are going to the best of all possible uses.

Now, since I’m a newbie, I haven’t opened up the floodgates to parties yet. They can be somewhat overwhelming and my technique is just not there yet. I think I’ll start off small, a few friends here, my parents there. I even got my husband monogrammed grilling tools (so he thinks he’s actually in control). I hope to have my act together by Labor Day but I need to hurry, I heard people are already calling dibs and that is one grill-party I don’t want to miss out on.

What I’m :

Reading: Bright Shiny Morning, James Frey

Watching: The first season of Mad Men

Eating: Um, my new grilling “adventures”

Listening to: Madonna’s Hard Candy and Edith Piaf’s Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (not necessarily in that order)

Posted By Frog Blogger At 1:06 PM • Trackbacks (393)

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

BoCoWhat?

by Gary Culig

When a friend from Manhattan called my neighborhood "BoCoCa," I thought she was talking smack. Being a proud Boerum Hill/Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens resident, I took offense. I love where I live and no elitist Manhattanite is going to trash-talk my 'hood!

I have since learned, of course, that my charming neighborhood was just the latest victim of a creative portmanteau word.

Coined by Lewis Carroll, a portmanteau word is one formed by blending sounds from two or more distinct words and combining their meanings. I never knew that these ‘Frankenwords’ even had a name (or that they had anything to do with the Jabberwock), but they're everywhere. SoHo. NoLIta. TriBeCa. Wikipedia. Brangelina. Zeedonk.

So in honor of my two favorite portmanteau words, BoCoCa and brunch, here is a list of my favorite places to dreat (drink + eat).

Pacifico

269 Pacific St. near Smith

A great patio and even better margaritas. Perfect for a sunny Sunday.

Boerum Hill Food Company

134 Smith Street at Bergen

Bohemian ambiance and scrumptious breakfast items make this Smith Street staple a perfect place to nurse a hangover.

Patois

255 Smith St. at Degraw

A $12 brunch that includes bottomless coffee and mimosas. The one problem: It only serves brunch on Sunday.

Apartment 138

138 Smith Street

(between Dean and Bergen)

Good American grub with a game room and garden area. What more could you want?

The New St. Clair Restaurant

93 Smith Street at Atlantic Avenue

This quintessential neighborhood diner just got a retro make over to match its classic menu. The free pickles and coleslaw are surprisingly tasty.

One Girl Cookies

68 Dean St

(between Boerum Pl & Smith St)

This quaint cookie boutique is the perfect post-brunch pit stop. Make sure to try the Brooklyn Whoopie (a pumpkin cookie filled with cream cheese icing).

What I’m:

Reading: Lamb – The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

Watching: This American Life on Showtime

Eating: Vietnamese Sandwiches from Hanco’s

Listening To: The Shins

Posted By Frog Blogger At 11:20 AM • Trackbacks (407)