NYC's Caffe Linda - really good eats if you're in the neighborhood!

CAFFE LINDA

145 E 49th St
(between 3rd Ave & Lexington Ave)
New York, NY 10017

(646) 497-1818

We were in town for the weekend and staying at the Waldorf Astoria on Lexington. Looking for a place within walking distance, we set off to find a good lunch.

Just one block away we stumbled upon a sweet little cafe with outdoor seating. The only thing was, there was NO ONE eating there. Being in a restaurant family - i have been told, an empty restaurant isn't usually a GOOD restaurant. However I saw the owner was working (which is always a good sign) and that he was Italian - so I got a good vibe and we decided to try it.

We sat outside to enjoy the sun with our food. The owner was very attentive and made sure we were happy at all times.

I love any restaurant that still practices the "free snack or appetizer" rule. Whether its chips and salsa, bread sticks, bread with dipping sauce - I love it - it adds to the meal and makes you feel like the establishment cares about you rather than just money.

This restaurant had a lovely version of Bread and Butter. They had two different kinds of home made, thick crusted Italian breads - one plain and one sweet with raisins. And they served it with warm soft butter and berry jam.



For a beverage I ordered an iced tea and was so pleased with just that!



The menu was extensive however we were drawn to our favorites. My meal came with a salad - which was a wonderful mixture of Arugula, Kale, Prosciutto, Goat Cheese, and Cantaloupe. My only complaint was that there was TOO much arugula - which made it too bitter to each too many leaves with each bite.



Next up was each of our plates - Our daughter, Ms Sweet-tooth - ordered the French Toast. This was a beautiful homemade bread dipped in eggs and sweet spices, topped with powdered sugar and a side of fruit.



Next up was my sandwich - Mozzarella, tomatoes and arugula on homemade foccocia bread. It was so yummy and savory. HOWEVER I would have preferred WAY less arugula and some basil instead. In fact this place served SO much arugula, i wonder if the owners had it in the garden or something. For such a bitter lettuce, they used it a bit too much for my taste -but still overall such a great sand which.



Lastly was my husbands Caprese Salad. The mozzarella they used was so soft and melted in their mouth. It was buffalo and smoked, which makes all the difference in the world. Again, the ONLY complaint...no basil. However we did ask for this as a special order, as it wasn't on their menu, and didn't specify basil, however all Italians know its served with basil! However, the salad did come on a bed of....yes you guessed it - ARUGULA! Once again - not the best choice for this salad - but again it seems it was the lettuce of the day!



Overall - this restaurant was sweet, organized, fast, well managed and the food was above average and I would even say really good. Can't say great because of the few exceptions I made above. Add in convenience and cost and I would most definitely visit Caffe Linda again when in New York.

Rating: **** Really good !

Billy Elliot - Whats better than the movie? Broadway baby....

BILLY ELLIOT - The Musical
Director: Stephen Daldry
Music: Elton John
Choreography: Peter Darling
Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall

I once read a blog by a famous celebrity that said "Once you see a show ON BROADWAY in NYC - your life will never be the same." and I thought it was very dramatic and a bit of an exaggeration, in fact I was sure of it.

Allow me to officially on the record state - I WAS 100% WRONG. It does change your life. Seeing a Tony award winning show, ON BROADWAY in New York City DOES indeed change your life.

The culmination of many blessings and well timed events made it possible for us to visit NYC on the weekend of our daughters 13th birthday. Our daughter is a dancer and adored the movie version of Billy Elliot - as did we. We loved the story of the family struggle and the boys dancing dream come true....in so many ways we were living that story. So when word got around that Elton John had adapted the story to create a musical - we swooned at the thought of ever getting to see the show one day.

As I said - the cards played in our favor and the stars aligned and it happened. It was our first Broadway show. We felt like newbies. All dressed our best and nervous tummies. The show was sold out and people were packing into the Imperial Theater like cattle.

There are 4 boys who play the part of Billy (because the shows are so physically demanding) but the boy we saw perform was Trent Kowalik. All 3 boys won the Tony for Best Actor - so I am sure they are all brilliant - but this review is about Trent's brilliance.

The show has a wonderful variety of cast and a heart tugging and tear jerking story line of a family and community in turmoil over a miner strike and a son wanting to follow his heart and his dreams during that hard time.



Its main character immediately steals your heart with his thick Geordie accent (North East of England) and his heartfelt moments with his deceased mother. His acting and singing was nothing short of sweet and lovable and his dancing was just phenomenal. We immediately fell in love with the members of his family, his friends, his dance teacher, even the girls in the core/dance class.



Elton John composed such an amazing group of songs for this show. We purchased the sound track and I still find myself getting misty eyed during certain songs. It evokes THAT MUCH just when listening in the car! The ensemble cast does such a good job of filling the songs with strength and power and also has the amazing ability to portray the unity of the community in the story. I was blown away.

There are such strong messages and such sad and heart felt moments in this show. The first time (one of many) that I started crying, I bawled. I mean ugly, messy crying. I mean almost sobbing. My husband summed up the feeling in evoked perfectly "It was incredibly overwhelming". My husband cried and held back tears and that says tons as he rarely cries.

Everytime I kept calming myself and wiping my eyes, something would happen and I would start again. I even found myself, after feeling self conscious that I was crying TOO MUCH - I found myself looking at the ceiling trying to think of VERY BORING THINGS to get my mind off how much I want to break into tears again! (I kept whispering "Baseball, Baseball, Baseball!) It was hilarious now that I look back at it!



At the end of the show - with the overwhelmingly amazing Finale - I figured I cried almost 80% of the show. It was that moving. The sets were engaging and so amazing to watch move in and out of place. The choreography was wonderful, refreshing and made you want to get up and dance. Like I said - we were in awe for the majority of the time.

Some actor/character mentions besides the brilliant and talented Trent Kowalik who played Billy Elliot....Haydn Gwynne (Ms. Wilkinson the dance teacher), Gregory Jbara (Billys Dad), David Bologna (Michael, Billy's best friend), Carole Shelley (Billy's Grandma) and Thommie Retter (Mr Braithwait - the piano teacher). This group of actors/singers carried this show. Their strength, versatility and range was so impressive and their commitment to the characters and story was just overwhelming.



My favorite moment of this show is the finale I must say. You feel so proud of the cast, so proud of Billy the character - and so touched that you were able to watch such a special show. I found myself on my feet, clapping and crying like an idiot. But then I looked around and realized and everyone else was doing the same thing.

This show is truly remarkable and was an unforgettable 1st time experience for me and my family. I know not everyone gets the chance or has the money to go to NYC to see a show on Broadway. I am so grateful that this opportunity was GIVEN to us - literally GIVEN, or we would have not been able to swing it any time soon. But I think if you could save your money to go and see ONE SHOW on Broadway. This would be it.



Rating: FIVE HUGE GIGANTIC STARS

Authentic Vietnamese food in Monroe? In real life!

Basil & Chives Vietnamese Cuisine
(360) 794-4000
114 N Lewis St, Monroe, WA 98272

Monroe always gets excited when new restaurants come into town and establish roots. We personally were excited at the fact that we finally had a place to get PHO! The owner, a young Vietnamese woman from Seattle, a UW graduate who takes pride in the food her restaurant serves.

The ambiance is amazing, especially considering the previous residents of the building. As longtime members of this town, we knew this building as a smoke filled, old beer smelling Eagles Club. They literally cored out the space and now its a sweet smelling, wonderful and elegant Vietnamese restaurant!

The menu is not like your typical Pho stop on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Yes they have Pho, and at first the few additional dollars in cost seems excessive, but when you see the size and quality, that is quickly forgiven. Their pho is as rich and savory as I have had at Than Bros - but the presentation is better and the quantity is more as well as the side sauces seem to be more fresh.

I skipped my favorite part, the appetizers. Their fried spring rolls and their fresh rolls are just amazing. I realized something different in their spring rolls and couldn't put my finger on it. The owner (who loves greeting customers and making sure things are up to par) was happy to answer the riddle. "Sweet Potatoes". She claimed that her grandmother used sweet potatoes instead of cabbage, and that that was the key to the spring rolls not getting soggy. Also their prawn fresh rolls are HUGE and very good. I would personally add a bit more herbs (Cilantro and basil wasn't as strong as some of the Thai fresh rolls i have had) and I had to ask for another side of Peanut Sauce, because the rolls are SO big and they give you 4 of them! But besides those small details, they are one of my favorite things to order.



On this day - I was suffering from a cold, so I knew Pho is what my body needed. However, when opening the menu, we were pleased to see that they added their famous lunchtime Vietnamese sandwiches, to the dinner menu! Unable to decide, my husband and I decided to each get a rare beef Pho and share a grilled chicken sandwich.

The pho was as good as it always is, and with some extra hot sauce, was just what my sinus's needed. Now the sandwich. It was SO AMAZING. With lettuce, pickled onion, carrots, daikon, cucumber, cilantro, mirin glazed onion and basil mayonnaise accompanying the grilled chicken on a grilled fresh baguette - it was like a party in my mouth. Even more, I suggest you eat it with the Pho - its a big meal, but OH SO GOOD.




So unlike many of the new restaurants in this town, that get popular just because they are new and slowly fade away - this place has longevity. Props to the owner who has enough young energy and vision to make it people pleasing and to make it work in this rough economy.

**In Addition, they have started doing dinner theater. Because the building had a stage for live music from when the Eagles inhabited it, they originally just built a wall and doors and planned to rent out the additional space. Now they do both - they rent it to the local theater and have created a great Dinner theater experience! More details here: http://www.basilandchivesrestaurant.com/events.html

My Rating: ***** five stars, a great and authentic addition to this small town - so come out to the digital movie theater, see a flick and get some Pho OR come and see some local theater and enjoy dinner at the same time! Either way, you must pay Basil & Chives a visit.

Public Enemies, Depp makes Dillinger Dapper and Dynamic

Public Enemies
Director: Michael Mann
Rating: R
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Stephen Dorff

John Dillinger was a criminal who robbed banks, murdered numerous times, escaped jail - but all the while, seemed to win the hearts of his community and the press.

As I watched - I too was sucked into the charm that Dillinger spread like a web to all that caught his eye. His comedy while robbing the government and his kindness when letting the man at the counter keep his money. His love for Billie Frechette (wonderfully played by Marion Cottillard) was so tender but also so stern - as he expected her to just adjust and accept his way of life. Never once hiding it from her or lying to her about it. He was such a man of the moment and expected her to be as well. And she did - she surprisingly fell into line with him and was supportive until the very end, even taking beatings from police for him, and going to jail for him.

Christian Bale plays Office Melvin Purvis. At first, his character really irritated me, mostly because of how Christian played his mannerisms and voice. But about halfway through, he grew on me - especially when he discovered Billie Frechette being beaten by the police for answers to where Dillinger was - he stopped the beatings and carried her to be cleaned up. Very sweet.

Overall - Depp is subperb. He literally morphes into the role of loving gangster Dillinger. At times I would look into the face on the screen and forget it was an actor playing a part. You really find yourself feeling SORRY for Dillinger by the end of the film, when you realize his time is almost up.

The shoot out scenes are done with a classic touch to give the feel of the era and the rest of the movie just falls perfectly into place. Go see this film for an amazing story of crime, love and passion.

Rating: **** excellent

SIFF film - LITTLE ASHES. Easily over the heads of Pattinson fans.

Little Ashes
Director: Paul Morrison
Starring: Javier Beltran, Robert Pattinson & Matthew McNulty
Rating: R
Tagline: Love. Art. Betrayal

This is the story of the young years of the brilliant but troubled Salvador Dali. It is said that he hid this story from the early part of his life for years, for many reasons but mainly because of his marriage to Gala (Elena Ivanovna Diakonova) for 50+ years.

The movie is set during the pre-Spanish civil war when repression and political unrest plagued the country. Frederico Lorca (brilliantly played by Javier Beltran) was the well renowned poet and revolutionary who's chance meeting of Salvador Dali (well played by Robert Pattinson, best known for his roles as Sedrick Diggery in the Harry Potter series and Edward Cullen in the Twilight movie) was like an emotional roller coaster.

Dali - was more than an "eccentric" artist. The man clearly struggled with mental issues from a young age. During the movie he has strange flash backs and hears voices, but they never really explain where those are rooted from. Both being amazingly talented artists in their own right - Lorca and Dali begin to show attraction and love for each other, through their art.

I was interested to see if Robert Pattinson could pull off such a deep and complicated roll. I wasn't totally sold on his roll as the lead vampire in Twilight, however I used the writing and direction as the main problem with his acting in that film. SO I was intrigued to see if he was able to play such a different role than he had in the past. Lets put it this way - if I were to give it a percentage as to how convinced I am, I would give him a 70%. Not quite, but close.

Reason being is that both parts were SUPPOSED to be played as troubled and awkward. I am not sure if this is really how he is in real life (socially awkward, internally tortured and at times childlike) or if he just does a bang up job at those types of roles. Toward the end, when Dali became obsessed with the fame, money and sex - his role became more involved and I was impressed by the emotional tantrums and manic type attitude he took on. The love scenes between he and Beltran were also very convincing, as I wasn't sure how those would be played out.

His signature waxed and upturned mustache, regal clothing and often wearing capes and silly hats - was a lovely part of the movie as well. He would often wear outlandish outfits and play with various accents (often switching from Spanish to French to American, just to curse in different ways) and it was all done very humorously. At times you would see him playing dress up, fidding with head wraps and ties and often got Lorca to play along. If you didn't know this was part of Dali's personality, it could easily be chalked up to random silliness. But they were actually very relevant and accurate details as to his persona.

Other actors who were amazing - Beltran as I already mentioned was amazing. Sincere, emotional, sensitive, everything an inspired poet and revolutionary would be. Marina Gatell who played Beltran's love interest, Magdalena - was superb. She was so in love with him, but was so aware of where his heart was. Her pain and devotion was so touching - her character was a lovely sight on the screen as well. Matthew McNulty played Luis Bunuel - the close friend to Dali and Lorca and the one that struggled deeply when the love the two shared came into the light.

The relationship between Federico Lorca and Salvador Dali should be mentioned. At a time when Catholicism was the main religion in Spain and homosexuality wasn't spoken of, nor accepted, the movie makes this very obvious but heartfelt. You truly feel the love these men have for each other because of their art. You watch Lorca pray and struggle with his feelings and Dali just chalk it up to part of his personality.

The main thing I disliked about this film was the fact that it was all in ENGLISH with Spanish accents. In my opinion, if its set in Spain, it should have been in Spanish with subtitles. Also when Lorca recited his poetry (which was often) he would recite it in Spanish, but then they would have his voice translate it in English, over the top - which confuses the hell out of me to hear it softly in Spanish and English over top. Lorca's accent is VERY thick and sometimes difficult to understand, which made for a few confusing moments.

The twist of the movie (which i will not spoil) is hurtful but a brutal testament of the European art scene during that time and the affect it had on many lives.

Dali will forever go down in history as one of the worlds most talented surrealist painters - however this movie will give you an idea of his life as a young man and how he became the man he was later in life. The sad, troubled youth who struggled with an art he couldn't explain and a love he couldn't express. If you think about it - that kind of repression is enough to drive anyone crazy.

**Note: I did some research on Dali as I was preparing for this review - and I was surprised to find out he passed in 1989 (I was 15 years old) and read some fun and interested facts about him. When you see this movie - I suggest you go into it with an open mind. And maybe have these facts about Dali known when you go:

* He at one point considered himself GOD-LIKE
* Had a residence in the Plaza Hotel in NYC and hosted the likes of Sonny & Cher (and were startled when Cher sat down on an oddly shaped sexual vibrator left in an easy chair)
* When ever signing autographs for people, he would ALWAYS keep their pens
* During a television appearance, on the Tonight Show, Dalí carried with him a leather rhinoceros and refused to sit upon anything else.
* The unlikeliest venue for Dalí's work was the Rikers Island jail in New York City; a sketch of the Crucifixion he donated to the jail hung in the inmate dining room for 16 years before it was moved to the prison lobby for safekeeping. The drawing was stolen in March 2003 and has not been recovered.

Rating **** Go see this movie, the good heavily out weighs the bad