Sending Owen off to LA

We gathered together last night at Wolfgang's Steakhouse on 33rd and Park Avenue to nosh on some serious eats. We started off with 2001 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello, the seafood sampler, thick bacon strips and tomatoes and onions. For dinner we had Ceretto Barolo, family style porterhouse steak for 4, German fried potatoes, creamed spinach and sauteed mushrooms. Topics of (sometimes heated) conversation ranged from Palin's capacity (or lack thereof) to be vice president, and potentially president! We also discussed the impending great depression, our savings plans and, oddly, whether Dan should buy a spare copy of George Orwell's Animal Farm or just take it out from the library. Spending $184 per person for dinner was acceptable consumption, but considering whether to buy the book for a couple dollars took some serious thought. For a good laugh with us... click here. I think we all had a fun time in late night revelry with Owen, as we always have, in the LES. Have a great time in LA buddy... we'll be out there to visit soon.

Grillin' w/ Paul and Live Jazz at the Iridium

The weekend quickly approached. Nicole and I had the pleasure of welcoming our cousin Paul (Beth's husband) to our apartment for dinner. He was here from Phoenix in nearby New Jersey for work. We decided to grill some fresh red peppers, mushrooms, onions and zucchini, a few thin cut porterhouse steaks and Nicole made great side salads topped with fat free feta. We caught up with Paul about his job, discussed politics and life in NYC.

We didn't have much time to spare because we got tickets to see saxophonist Kenny Garrett and his quartet at Iridium Jazz Club near Times Square. Garrett was accompanied by a younger group of musicians: Cory Henry, a gospel-steeped Hammond B-3 organist; Kona Khashu, an electric bassist; and Justin Brown, a bombastic fast-paced drummer. They had a very funky feel in their jams throughout the night, definitely entertaining both us and the crowd. The performance was subsequent to his recent release of "Sketches of MD", a reference to Garrett's experiences playing with Miles Davis... who had a similarly titled popular album from 1960 called "Sketches of Spain". They seated us close, allowing us to immerse into the music with good wine, a scotch, cheeses and fruit. Check out a few clips from the session here: Video 1 and Video 2.

Ted's Hot Dogs, in Phoenix, Arizona

That's right, I said it. In Phoenix, Arizona. The group arrived on Friday night; Jon and I joined my cousins Beth and Paul for dinner at Dick's Hideaway. We ended up all gathering at Mickey's Hangover for drinks, catching up and even singing the Bills "Shout" song (click here to view). After doing some shopping for the tailgate, a group of 10 of us headed into Phoenix and went to meet the founder of Buffalo's own Ted's Hot Dogs at his only non-Western NY location!

The place is packed with incredible Buffalo paraphernalia: classic Buffalo skyline posters, months of Buffalo News sports pages, photos of all the Western NY locations, and pennants from Buffalo area sports teams, high schools and colleges. I had 2 footlongs, one with cheese, the other with everything... and also a side of their daily fresh-made classic onion rings. Everything was exactly as it would be in Buffalo. A perfect meal on the eve of the game against the Cardinals.

Layla Victoria arrives!

On Friday, Sept. 26th, Nicole and I drove out to the Delta Pet Dash cargo terminal at La Guardia Airport to pick up a new addition to our home... an adorable Maltese poodle that we named Layla (Arabic meaning - dark beauty). She has a beautiful black coat with white paws, chin and chest. She attached immediately to Nicole, after having a long day flying from Minneapolis to Atlanta, getting delayed in the ATL, and then flying up to NYC. She snuggled into Nicole's arms and neck the entire drive home, really fit in perfectly with both of us at the apartment, and slept pretty well in her crate overnight.

Layla demanded a lot of attention on Saturday and Sunday, but has already shown a propensity for going to the bathroom outside, including by ringing a bell at the door that we use to train her for "potty notice" purposes. She already likes playing fetch with a mini-tennis ball, but also likes to play and nip on our shoes, pant bottoms, and sometimes hands! All in the process of training an 8 week old puppy! Now being gone during the work day, she is having to get used to more alone time... which may not initially be easy. Thankfully, Nicole is able to visit her during her lunch break and then after her work day, so Layla has consistent check-ups to make sure she is house training well. Mistakes happen (though no #2s in the apartment yet)! Definitely a great learning experience with Layla.