at the sign of The Pink Pig

Published every Monday morning: an online magazine of eating, drinking, arts and the city.

Upstairs, Downstairs At Anthos

[Pigging by Wilfrid: July 6, 2009]

Greek "tapas" - why not? - in the former private dining room of Anthos, overlooking 52nd Street.

It sounded suitably post-modern and 2009-ish, especially on an evening when a full cruise through the main restaurant's menu was not required.  Anyway, The Feedbag thought the menu "pretty hot."  Good enough.

Bissinger's: Or, Wilfrid And The Chocolate Factory

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  July 6, 2009]

Just as well the bar of the W Tuscany is air-conditioned.  Because you wouldn't want this lot melting.

 

This lot being a vast array of "handcrafted" chocolates carpeting the bar and spilling over onto chairs and tables.  The occasion?

Half An Artist: James Ensor At MOMA

[New York Peasant by Wilfrid:  July 6, 2009]

I did see the Francis Bacon retrospective at the Met this week, and I'll probably visit again before reviewing it.  In the meantime, however, a brief note on the unsatisfying James Ensor show at MOMA.

Heading Into July 4: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  July 6, 2009]

I had an invitation from friends to spend the holiday with them during a spell of muggy, intensely hot weather ten years ago.

DBGB - A Bar On The Bowery For Uplifting Gormandizers [sic]

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  June 29, 2009]

The Bowery.  The Bowery.  I won't go there no more...

Or so they used to sing in olden times; but in summer of '09, beautiful people flock to the former flop strip.

Quick Bites: Chile To Centrico Came

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  June 29, 2009]

Thanks to ProChile, the trade commission for that long and narrow country, I enjoyed a "Flavors of Chile" lunch at Centrico while the rain hammered the sidewalks of Tribeca outside.

 

The meal, showcasing Chilean produce, was directed by Centrico's chef Aaron Sanchez, with desserts by Double Crown's Ryan Butler.

A Wine For June: 1986 Tignanello

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  June 29, 2009]

As red wine weather is still with us, along with general depression and a rare crop of celebrity deaths, I sent my wine valet down to the cellar to find a bottle of special cheer.

The question with wines laid down for the future is always, if not now, when?  The answer, usually, is later.

Accent On Youth: Amusing Enough

[New York Peasant by Wilfrid: June 29, 2009]

To the Manhattan Theater Club after a couple of stiff highballs at Sardi's for Samson Raphaelson's Accent on Youth.  Truth is, to paraphrase Julian Maclaren-Ross, I knew f-- all about it.

Footlights And Circuses: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid: June 29, 2009]

Another week without much to report of gastronomic interest.  I guess it must have been hot and sunny out in June 1999, because I certainly seemed to be hitting the streets.