The Lights of New York Rival the Light of the Sun

Give my regards to Broadway
Remember me to Herald Square
Tell all the gang at 42nd Street 
That I will soon be there

Whisper of how I'm yearning 
To mingle with the old time throng
Give my regards to Old Broadway 
And say that I'll be there, 'ere long!

It ought to be mentioned that this is New York part 3. 

Four shows later... I'm in love with Broadway, again. It didn't take much, just about five minutes of "Peter and the Starcatcher", and BAM! Head-over-heels, true love, magic. But then, this is Broadway we're talking about, after all, so what did I expect? I've typed up some super short reviews of each show I watched to give you an inkling of the joy I experienced while in the various theaters. 

Monday Night: "Peter and the Starcatcher" - phenomenally funny and staged very cleverly with a smaller but well-rounded cast, I would brand it a must see. The first half was very fast-paced and honestly, the whole show was fit to burst with energy. Captain Hook stood out to me because he was *very* talented, especially with his physical acting, and very comical and interesting to watch. A joy for the entire family! Haha

Tuesday Night: "Tally's Folly" - I was the youngest person in the audience by at least twenty years... It did have some more mature themes and extensive dialogue with little action, but once you reach "that age", this two-hander really cracks your egg (reference to the play) and takes you on an emotional roller coaster. Also, Danny Burnstein is spectacular. Loved the play and would buy tickets for the other plays in the trilogy. 

Wednesday Night: "Old Hats" - Again, one of the youngest people in the audience! This one was very different from anything else I had ever seen, though: it was a vaudeville slapstick comedy piece made up of unconnected scenes performed by Bill Irwin (Mr. Noodle from Elmo's World) and David Shiner, with transitions filled with Nellie McKay, her music, and an array of her musicians. I recommend to you all shows Irwin and Shiner write/perform and McKay's music, which is full of enchantingly dark-humored lyrics. "If you would sit oh-so-close to me, that would be nice, like it's supposed to be. If you don't, I'll slit your throat, so won't you please be nice?"

Thursday Night: "Matilda" - A show with spirit, ironic humor, and true human kindness. I LOVED "Matilda": the cast was amazing (especially the children in it), the lyrics were witty but not overambitious, the music was full of heart and energy, and the set was AMAZING. And guys, Ms. Trunchbull was played by Bertie Carvel, who is dexterous, masterly, and brilliant; he was definitely a highlight in the show and I'm so grateful that he reprised his role for Broadway because oh my gosh, he's fabulous! I think that this is one of the best new shows, and certainly one of the best new musicals. 

Go look for video clips on YouTube,
Scout

New York Part Two

This is all about food.

Ya shoulda seen it comin'.

Well, this bit should be fun! I only had to eat (almost) every meal for a week and visit 6+ bakeries to collect enough material for a New York food post... Not that it was a sacrifice on my part or anything.

Anyway, I'll dive right in: here are Scout's new rules for cooking/food in general:

1) Use more bean sprouts. Just do it. I'm quite certain they would taste good in anything. Or almost anything.

2) Bread and chocolate? Always a good idea, much like Paris. Pain au chocolates galore, chocolate-almond muffins, fabulous morning rolls gushing melted chocolate from Levain Bakery, brioche with melty chocolate chips, chocolate sour dough twists from Amy's Bread... You gained 5 lbs. just reading that list.

Levain: how do they do it!?

3) Duck is only good if prepared well. If you can't do it, don't.
4) Crinkle fries are not always tacky, in fact, they can be quite good. The key is to make them less salty and oily and more full-figured.
5) Only eat as much steak as you can handle in that hour, even if it is only a few bites. It takes courage to eat such a small amount of steak, let me tell you.
6) Every restaurant, bakery, cafe, etc, has that one WOW item; find it and order it and never regret it.
7) Find the best bakery, and stick to it. It's your fault if it closes.

I concluded that Amy's and Levain were my favorites.

8) Glitter goes with everything, food included. It's the only thing that saved the cupcake from Magnolia's from going down in my book as a complete and total failure. Well, glitter-coated and that it was labeled "Breakfast at Tiffany's"; that certainly helped them.

Terrible flavor and texture, but at least it was super cute. 

9) Find a fabulous pesto recipe and use it until the day you die. And give it to me. :)
10) If they get your order wrong, punch them in the face. Haha juuuust kidding, what you should really do is become an acclaimed food critic, become their nemesis, drive them out of business, arrange for their facility to be demolished, light the wreckage on fire, and dance on the warm ashes until they turn cold. Savor the simple moments. (Again, just kidding. Just politely explain what has happened and get what you ordered and wanted. Savor being the gentleman/woman.)

Well, that's good enough, what with me not being a seasoned food critic or chef and all. Enjoy your week and your food!

Lover of bunny-shaped bread (Amy's),
Scout

New York City Part One // A "Nothing In Particular" Review

New York... Is sensational, staggeringly delightful, and catastrophically chaotic. It is full of venerable old brick buildings, shiny-sparkling new buildings, small restaurants and massive complexes that serve hordes of consumers (tourists especially), and is it just me or is everything in New York gargantuan or, well, small? It might just be me, but that's inconsequential. What is of great consequence to me is the actual city of New York, the captivation it induces. Let me elaborate while you settle back with a nice, broken-in pillow or, oh, I don't know, a Thighmaster. 

To start with, New York City is NOT overrated; I'm not kidding. Walking the pavement surrounded by bustling people and fenced in by towering buildings full of more bustling people gives you a spring in your step and a twinkle in your eye that nothing else can. It's entirely unique. In New York, you feel you are a part of something. Everyone belongs, no matter where they work or how much money they make, regardless of what they believe or what they think they will do that coming Friday night, and it doesn't even matter what their political views are or what they are wearing that season because everyone belongs. That's pretty remarkable - astoundingly, really - and it's mostly due to the diversity of the area. New York is an incredibly heterogenous city, and that makes it unique. To put it shortly, New York has a particular ring to it.

Also, to add to that, New York City is glamorous. There is a special type of glamor involved in seeing a guy vomit up his drink from the night before or enjoying the view of a blue sky fenced in with skyscrapers - I promise. More conventional signs of glamor would be the constant stream of limousines (disgusting), the lavish hotels full of sharp attendants, and the well-tailored clothes that a majority of the population is decked out in. Seriously, no matter the level of income, almost everyone wears apparel that fits... It's one of the most outstanding and mind-blowing things I have ever seen in my entire life, and I commend New Yorkers for the feat. But as alluded to earlier in the paragraph, glamor is not just finery: glamor (to me) is exciting, distinct, and obviously attractive (in a very general sense); details that make a place unique. Glamor is a kind of magic, and it can be found most everywhere... And it was blatantly obvious to me in New York. 

To recap, I loved New York because it was different from what I usually experience: sounds, smells, tastes, feelings, surroundings at large; it had a special movement to it; it was unpredictable; it was glamorous; I liked feeling a part of something big; I loved seeing and hearing all the new people; I loved all the newness; it was stubborn and prideful, and it was stunning. New York is like that person who walks in the room and you immediately believe that they own the place because they're so confident and in control and interesting; they're riveting. So yeah, that's New York: it's a bit of fantastical quicksand that sucks you down in a second. And I am in love with it. 

Enthralled and enchanted,
Scout

Smitten

I should write about New York City, I really should: it is my duty as a recently returned traveler. However, this is currently a no-can-do situation, partner. Having informed you of that fact, I promise you that a) I want to write about the wonders of a week in New York, and that b) I will. But this is all too pressing.

I love to bake. I love folding berries into batter, the aroma of brownies being created in the fires of kitchen-hell, sprinkling cinnamon-sugar over scones and whisking them away into the oven, where the sugary layer will transcend to an even more delightful state. I even love the heat of a summer kitchen, though that one took some time, and the challenge of it all. In my baking career - if one can call it that - many things have emerged from my oven. I will be direct and frank: a lot of them were fantastically scrumptious and "successful" - though who can really measure success? Anyway, today another experiment joined the "successes". The name? Boy Bait; Blueberry Boy Bait. 

I'm kind of clever... Moving along to you, let me guess, you're thinking, "Boy Bait? Scout thinks she can buy affection with baked goods?" Here is what I am saying: "..." And here is what I am now going to say: "No, however, here are the points I would like to make: a) a certain level of affection CAN be purchased, so ha; b) I am not trying to do that, heaven forbid; c) I didn't name the recipe; d) whether you are a boy or not, you would be lured in by this treat." I've said it all. 

And somehow explained nothing. Well, here you go: I wanted to make something "for" General Conference today, and after sorting through all the food inspiration I got in Gotham, I found that I was particularly inspired by all the fabulous pastries I sampled over the course of the week. This of course included those splendid blueberry muffins that I enjoyed on many occasions. So what did I do? I did a speedy search through the files of the ever-trusty food blog Smitten Kitchen (which is fittingly the creation of a New Yorker) and found this recipe for a blueberry-muffin cake; at least, that's basically what it is.

Although my cake turned out very well, I have no skill with the camera, so no, I did not take the picture. The photo is in fact from the Smitten Kitchen, which means the cake shown is Deb Perelman's, not mine. Mine was a tad more blueberry-infused anyhow. Sorry, you've been deceived. Also, because I can, here's an adorable picture (that I did not take because I'm a cat...and in the picture) of my cousin Emma Lahti and me:

She does know how to strike a pose, that little ball of white fluff.

Truly, madly, and deeply,

Scout