How to start a movement

This is one of the funniest videos I have seen in a long time – it also has a great message!

http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement.html

Appertif: Kir Cocktail

I was at brunch a week or so ago with Tori who ordered a kir cocktail as an appertif.  While I’ve had the Kir Royale – it’s very old world and you don’t see people drink them much anymore – I love the taste and it has a very sophisticated feel.  However, I had never HEARD of the Kir cocktail but have now added it to my repertoire.  Here’s the details:

The Kir became popular in French cafes in the middle of the 19th century and was further popularized by Felix Kir after World War II. The then mayor of Dijon in Burgundy, France, served the drink often to promote his region’s fine products (wine and creme de cassis). The name Kir has been associated with the drink ever since. There are also many variations of this wine cocktail (see below), each unique but carrying on the Kir tradition. The choice of white wine is something of personal taste; dry wines are preferred, Chablis is great.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 oz creme de cassis
• 2 1/4 oz dry white wine

Preparation:

1. Pour the creme de cassis into a wine glass.
2. Slowly add the dry white wine.

Two great concerts

I saw 2 very good music concerts this week:  Pink Martini & Anoushka Shankar.

Pink Martini

One of my favorite groups and my 2nd time to see them perform  – They are a huge band, about 12 members.  Most are Ivy League educated and speak & sing in multiple languages.  China Forbes is the group’s diva and has an amazing voice.  Forbes, a graduate of Cambridge, has performed in at least ten different languages, including English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Greek, Arabic, and Japanese.

Their music is impossible to categorize – you hear a song and think, “Ok, that’s what they are about” then the next one changes totally.  The diverse Pink Martini have offered music from jazz (mainly swing), world music, cabaret, lounge, and 1940s-1950s film music. Their world music covers a wide range – French chanson, Afro-Cuban salsa, Argentinian tango, Brazilian samba and bossa nova, Italian folk, Greek rembetiko, Middle Eastern music, and Asian music.  Not surprisingly, they have a cult following.

A defining moment in a group’s career arrived in 2007 and  came courtesy of the United Nations ….   Srgjan Kerim, the  president of the U.N’s General Assembly, ordered 30 copies of Pink Martini’s second album “Hang on Little Tomato”. The Macedonian was so smitten after catching a recent show in Vancouver B.C. that he passed out the cd during his first official meeting!

Anoushka Shankar

It was my first time to see her in concert and I was not disappointed.  She is the daughter of Ravi Shankar and half sister of Norah Jones and is classically trained in the Indian sitar  (she currently records under the Deutsch Grammophone label).

Incense wafted thru the auditorium as she started the concert by playing some beautiful classical music early in the show.   She showed huge versatility though – she composes her music from a variety of influences – including flamenco, electronica, jazz and Western classical music. The show’s finale was most impressive – she was jamming on the sitar – Eddie Van Halen style.  The drummer, who plays barefoot, also did an amazing solo – I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone play a more impressive drum.  Twice-nominated for a Grammy Award, Anoushka was the first Indian musician to perform at the Grammy Awards in 2006 when she was nominated for her album Rise.  She has made guest appearances on recordings by diverse artists, among them Herbie Hancock, Joshua Bell, Lenny Kravitz, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Thievery Corporation.

Although she travels the world for her concerts, she currently lives in London and is married to the British director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, etc.).

What I’m Eating

Update:  This wine dinner was one of the best ones I have been to in Dallas.  We had some killer food and some very good wines.  Very generous servings of both food & wine.  A real value at only $60 per person.

I am going to a wine dinner tonight at La Fiorentina in Dallas.  The restaurant is Lombardi’s Tuscan steakhouse and is located in the trendy Knox Henderson neighborhood … The term Fiorentina is also used to describe the restaurant forte – a 24 ounces Tuscan style Porterhouse brushed with olive oil and herbs and cooked to perfection over aromatic wood.

Lombardi is generally known in Dallas for a slew of successful Italian restaurants, so this is a new venture for him.  We love the food, service, and decor there, so I’m looking forward to it.

Wine Dinner – March 28, 2012 – Menu

1) Reception – chefs selection of crostinis

Wine: Zonin Prosecco

2) English pea soup

Egg yolk ravioli, tarragon oil and pecorino

Wine: Trebbiano Villa Reale

3) Squid ink fettucine with crab and radicchio

Wine: Gavia Principessa 

4) Lobster salad

Baby potatoes, mache lettuce, fava beans, parsley and bacon with a shellfish dressing

Wine:  Guenoc

Victorian Claret

5) Venison and Juniper

Roast loin of venison, creamed spinach, fondant potato and Juniper Jus

Wine:  Barbera d’Alba Ruvei

6) Tropical fruit with limoncello sorbetto

Beverage:  Limoncello

My next movie

Chico & Rita is my kind of movie.  I always think Cuba is such a sexy venue.  And the jazz music should be wonderful!  It has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Cuba, 1948. Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and desire unite them as they chase their dreams and each other from Havana to New York to Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas. With an original soundtrack by legendary Cuban pianist and five-time Grammy-winning composer Bebo Valdés, Chico & Rita captures a defining moment in the evolution of history and jazz, and features the music of (and animated cameos by) Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Cole Porter, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Tito Puente, Chano Pozo, and others.

Red Bull Creater Died Today

Red Bull Creater Died Today.

Some interesting facts:

• Chaleo rose from a poor childhood to become member #205 on the Forbes list of billionaires.
• He was in his late 80s or 90, and died of natural causes
• Red Bull is now marketed in 164 countries and employs 8,300. The company has a Formula One racing team, and in March 2006, it purchased the New York/New Jersey MetroStars Major League Soccer team and renamed it the New York Red Bulls.
• A news release on the company’s website says that in 2011, the company sold 4.25 billion cans of Red Bull, up 11% from 2010.

Strange to admit but I’ve never had one!

Jiro dreams of sushi

Can’t wait to see this one –  I think he has such a great face!

The documentary is about chef Jiro Ono, widely considered to be the world’s best sushi chef, who runs a small restaurant (10 seats) in the Tokyo subway station.   Despite its humble presentation, it is the only sushi restaurant in the world to be awarded a 3-star Michelin rating.

The movie, called Jiro Dreams of Sushi,  opened  in New York on March 9.   It currently has a 95% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

While it remains to be seen whether there will be Oscar buzz for this one, I probably can’t watch it without feeling the urge to go blow a fortune on sushi.

Denton TX native Mark Ward will be ringmaster for Cirque de Soleil “Quidam”

From the Dallas Morning News:

It’ll be a homecoming for Denton native Mark Wardwhen he stars in the Cirque du Soleil production of Quidam in Frisco. After 19 years on the road and more than 6,700 performances without a miss, this tour marks the first time Ward has taken the Cirque stage in Texas and the first time for his family to see him perform since he left. He plays the comedic principal role of John, a sort of ringmaster in Cirque’s surrealistic fantasy world. Ward describes John as “a kid trapped in a man’s body,” who does “these crazy things” to gain the affections of Quidam’s other central character, the young, bored Zoe. Ward has come a long way since his dance teacher in Denton helped raise money for him to buy a one-way plane ticket to New York City so he could pursue his dream. “It’s a miracle kind of story,” Ward says. “I’ve been blessed and lucky.  The show will be March 7-11 at Dr Pepper Arena, 2601 Avenue of the Stars, Frisco. $51.10-$115.16. Parking $5-$15. Ticketmaster.

Kinda makes me want to go see it!

Hotel Zaza: Fab Fridays

The current special at Hotel Zaza Dallas is a good one.  The $199 rate includes a $50 credit at the restaurant or bar, free breakfast,  and free parking.  I will be staying there this Friday.

BEEN A LONG WEEK? STAY ZAZA FOR FAB FRIDAY’S WITH RATES STARTING AT $199! P A C K A G E   I N C L U D E S : – ZaZa Accommodations – Breakfast for Two – Complimentary Valet Parking – $50 Food & Beverage Credit *Valid each Friday Thru March 31, 2012

Saving Money for Better Things

Today’s Groupon is a great deal.  For the Dallas market, the regular ticket price is $12 per ticket and the matinee price is $9.00 per ticket, so you get a nice savings either way.

AMC Theatres – Up to Half Off Movie Tickets AMC Theatres Location: Online Deal Our Promise To You If the experience using your Groupon ever lets you down, we’ll make it right or return your purchase. Simple as that. Movies are one of three things that keep people awake in the dark, the other two being boogeymen and debates about which pet to include in the inheritance. Keep eyes and ears open with today’s Groupon to any one of AMC Theatres’ locations nationwide. Choose between the following options: For $12, you get two AMC Silver Experience movie tickets (up to a $24 value). For $24, you get four AMC Silver Experience movie tickets (up to a $48 value).