Musing on Cuisine

Sunday mornings are usually associated with going to church, sleeping really late, or listening to Maroon 5. But at Williams-Sonoma, it's the perfect opportunity to take a free cooking class.



I joined nearly 30 other gastronomes at the Time Warner Center on September 20 to learn about "Bistro Suppers." (The upscale home furnishings chain also has stores located in Chelsea and on the Upper East Side.) While I didn't expect to emerge from the one-hour class as the next Julia Child, I figured it wouldn't hurt to get in touch with my inner chef. (Yes, I do have one!) The culinary expert, Mike, made for a charming guide as he talked about the history of food in France and showed us how to make flank steak and French fries -- a bistro staple -- from scratch.

He cut the Russet potatoes using a chopper, a mandoline, and a knife, putting the shredded vegetables in a bowl of water. He said this method helps removes the starch (hence the cloudy water). The potatoes were then placed in a deep fryer containing canola oil and cooked in two stages for around 15 minutes. As for the meat, he had that prepared beforehand, rubbed in steak au poivre paste and seasoned with peppercorn before cooking it for about 10 minutes on a Calphalon grill pan. He explained that its color on the inside -- red (rare), pink (medium), or brown (well-done) -- also plays a role in sealing in the flavors added to the outside.

At the end of the session, we got to sample Mike's handiwork. The steak was a little tough, but it still tasted good (especially with the Truffle French finishing sauce, which was made of Burgundy, shallots, chicken stock, demi-glace, and French black truffles) ... and the fries maintained their crispiness despite being kind of cold. My time in the store's kitchen has led me to consider taking more classes, including "Espresso, Cappuccino, or Coffee, Anyone?" (September 27), "Fresh Pasta" (October 4), and "Thanksgiving Desserts" (November 15 and 16).



If these complimentary courses aren't enough to whet your appetite, perhaps a free one-year subscription to Food & Wine magazine will do the trick. These ongoing offers are proof that fine cuisine doesn't have to be expensive.

Musing on Jazz

Jazz is the foundation on which American music exists. It gave birth to genres like the blues, rock 'n' roll, and even hip-hop ... and while these art forms dominate today's musical landscape, too many people remain ignorant about the music that started it all. Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola is one place where such tunes can be discovered -- and enjoyed -- for $20.



The Lincoln Center venue is hosting its annual Women in Jazz Festival through October 5, and one of the acts I went to see on September 15 was the Helen Sung Trio. Showing up early for the $10 after-hours set, which was supposed to start at 11 p.m., paid dividends in the form of catching Marian McPartland's encore performance. I was fortunate enough to see the legendary pianist entertain the audience with classics like "Straight, No Chaser" and "There'll Be Other Times," despite being seated near the entrance.



Dizzy's Club is designed so there isn't a bad seat in the house, and mellow acoustics and prompt service are its calling cards. Too bad that doesn't apply to the menu, for its cheapest items were salt peanuts and honey roasted nuts at $5 each. I ordered a dish of rosemary fries for $6 and used my Duane Reade Dollar Rewards Club Card to get a free glass of Cruzan vanilla rum and Coke (saving $10 in the process). The drink was sweeter than I thought it would be, going down easier than a swig of water on a hot summer day. As for the food, it tasted good ... but once the fries turned cold, they weren't edible. None of that mattered, though, once Sung and bandmates Richard Goods (bass) and Donald Edwards (drums) took the stage.



The trio kicked off their one-hour set around midnight with Jerome Kern's "All the Things You Are." Sung played the piano with such aplomb until I wondered if she was an old man trapped in a young woman's body, and her intensity could be heard in standards like Duke Ellington's "Everything But You" and Thelonious Monk's "Teo." Goods and Edwards made for a powerful rhythm section, seamlessly blending their instruments with Sung's fluid style of playing.



One month ago, I'd never heard of the Helen Sung Trio. Shame on me, for they deserve to be heard by as many people as possible (just like Charlie Hunter, another musician whose work I enjoy listening to). Being exposed to jazz on a regular basis -- and at an affordable price -- is one of the perks of living in New York. There's no excuse not to take advantage of that.

Musing on Words

If necessity is the mother of invention, one of mankind's greatest discoveries is the written word. Culture, history, and other life elements were given immortality thanks to tools like carving tablets and the printing press ... and the Brooklyn Book Festival is celebrating these things on September 13.



This all-day free event appeals to all ages, with a Children's Area and Youth Stoop at Borough Hall Plaza to engage kids in the joy of reading. But the best activities are geared toward adults: poetry aficionados can watch Sonia Sanchez perform a reading, hip-hop fans can listen to Lupe Fiasco dissect the use of language in music, and political observers can hear Amy Goodman track the evolution of alternative media. (Some events require a ticket for admission, which will be made available one hour beforehand.) Other presentations include a panel on satire, an analysis of the writer-editor relationship, and a screening of The Narrows.



After soaking up the knowledge shared by these (and many other) writers, you can learn more about the craft at Gotham Writers' Workshop. The school is offering 30 complimentary one-hour writing classes on September 15 and 16, with topics ranging from children's book writing to memoir writing. They serve as an opportunity to discover your voice and start you on the road to publication.



Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) is one of the most empowering things you can do ... and while getting "a penny for your thoughts" is a good thing, it's the process that truly makes it worthwhile. Whether the audience is millions of people or for your eyes only, the power of the written word has a value that can't be measured in dollars and cents.

Musing on Documentaries

Going to the movies is an expensive endeavor, but good deals can be found -- if you know where to look. AMC Empire 25 and Cobble Hill Cinemas are two theaters where one can watch the latest films without ending up in the poorhouse, and two documentaries I saw on September 2 were It Might Get Loud and The September Issue.





Six dollars was the price I paid at the Times Square venue to see The September Issue, which offered an insider's glimpse into Vogue and the making of its largest issue. (In a neat twist, the theater is nearly two blocks from the headquarters of Condé Nast, which publishes the magazine. Even more ironic is the ticket price was only $1.01¢ more than a copy of the issue itself.) I took advantage of the A.M. Cinema program and attended the 11:20 a.m. screening with about a dozen other moviegoers. Observing Anna Wintour and her fellow fashionistas pour their energies into seven months of planning for this issue in 90 minutes' time gave me a greater appreciation for what they do -- even though I can't see myself working there.

I always sensed that Wintour wasn't the evil caricature portrayed in the media; she just plays into that stereotype because it keeps her name out there and adds to her legacy in the fashion world. While she may embrace the label of ice queen, The September Issue showed that she's mortal like everyone else. (If she was truly the boss from hell, she wouldn't have lasted two decades at her job -- I can't imagine any employee putting up with tyrannical behavior for that long.) Unfortunately, she's the bad cop to Grace Coddington's good cop, and this study in contrasts serves as the heart of the documentary. Coddington's story intrigued me because, unlike Wintour, she wielded her influence without appearing heavy-handed. Not only that, but as a former model, Coddington understood that fashion is an art form as well as a business.



Speaking of art, I went to see It Might Get Loud in Brooklyn. The venue sells $6.50¢ tickets for all showings before 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (and all day Tuesdays and Thursdays), so I joined a handful of other moviegoers at the 3:20 p.m. screening. The documentary opens with Jack White building a makeshift guitar with wood, nails, strings, and a bottle, which sets the stage for he and fellow musicians Jimmy Page and the Edge to discuss the power of music and the instrument's iconic status for the next 97 minutes.

They explore the technical elements of crafting a song (U2's "Get On Your Boots" is an example) and share the paths they took to rock stardom. The Edge's story was the most compelling because he (and his bandmates) embodies the idealism of rock 'n' roll saving the world. I respected each man's contributions ... but I would've liked to have heard from other virtuosos, like Carlos Santana (or even a female guitarist, like Bonnie Raitt).



Movies can be a tool for capturing reality or a means of escaping it. It Might Get Loud and The September Issue pulled off both feats, but only one did it with style and grace -- no pun intended.