We lost another giant last week in a year that seems to keep piling up noteworthy deaths with every passing month.  Somewhat buried in the untimely death of Patrick Swayze, we learned that Mary Travers lost her battle against Leukemia. Peter, Paul and Mary were America's first folk Super Group, a trio of folkies living and performing in Greenwich Village in the early '60's brought together by design by Albert Grossman. The story goes that Grossman wanted to capitalize on the growing popularity of folk and the beatnik cultural revolution that had taken hold in places like Greenwich Village, Berkley, Cambridge and Ann Arbor. He had Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey and soon found Mary, a tall willowy blond with a strong, clear voice.    Grossman gave Peter, Paul and Mary the early Dylan composition,  Blowin' in the Wind which served to actually break Dylan to mainstream America as well as making his folk SuperGroup stars in their own right. Mary shined on Where have all the flowers gone, Blowin' and If I had a Hammer but one song near the end of their great run in the 60's hit number 1, the John Denver penned Leaving on a Jet Plane, a song released at the height ...

A taste sensation and satisfying lunch on the run, just a short hop from Washington Square Park.  Following a tip from a buddy, I headed to Mamoun's for one of their legendary Falafel sandwiches.   It had been a busy and warm morning, I had just finished the East Village Rock & Punk walking tour, an entertaining and illuminating 2 hr. jaunt through the Lower East Side, finally ending at the fabled former site of CBGB's.  But I digress.. Mamoun's Falafel 119 MacDougal St. (between Third and Bleecker) New York, NY 10014 212-674-8685 119 MacDougal St New York, NY 10012 212-674-8685 Open 365 Days A Year Open 11am - 5am Everyday

Heard about the Shake Shack through Fred Wilson's blog and decided to drop in for a much needed refreshing shake after a long walk through Central Park on my last visit to NYC.  I had already walked past this UWS  Shake Shack outpost several times as my hotel was only about 2 blocks to the north.  Whenever I walked by I had noticed the lines out the door and staff members handing out menus to try and expedite the process.   Something must have been right about Shake Shack I noted to myself the previous day. I was in between meals and really went in for curiosity's sake and also due to the lack of a line on this early Sunday afternoon.  I proceeded to try the Black and White Frozen Custard Shake and patiently waited for my electronic hokey puck to vibrate while I checked out the swag available for sale off to the side of the menu. The shake was fantastic, creamy cold goodness on a very humid day in New York!  There are two Shake Shack's in Manhatten with a third planned for early 2010.  There are also plans in the works to take Shake Shack to Dubai and Saudi ...

Arriving in mid October is Bob Dylan's latest album,Christmas In the Heart.   Check out the recently released sound clips below and make your own conclusions! Very strange stuff with Bob seemingly playing and singing these songs straight-up and in a heartfelt fashion!   The man never ceases to amaze and clearly at this point in his career he could care less about what the critics and hangers on may have to say. Funny & weird stuff indeed.  Check out Dylan on tour this October with the return of Charlie Sexton on lead guitar. Christmast in the Heart leaked Soundclips

Most casual music listeners have encountered Steely Dan before, certain SD songs are a staple of FM Classic Rock radio formats across America today.   If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say Reelin' in the Years and My old School are probably the most played Steely Dan tracks on radio today.  But the band shouldn't be pigeon holed into a couple of classic rock chestnuts so easily.  Fans of the band love the nuanced, sophisticated body of work Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have assembled over the years; often with the assistance of some of music's most talented session players and vocalists.   Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers), Larry Carlton (Jazz icon), Wayne Shorter, Steve Gadd, Cornelius Bumpus and Bernard Purdie all appeared on various jazz inflected tracks throughout the years, often times contributing herculean efforts and multiple takes to appease the legendary  perfectionism of Fagen and Becker.  Fagen and Becker are literary rockers in the true sense of the word and aficionados of Jazz.  Famously, they met while attending Bard College in Annandale,  New York and struck up a friendship and began writing music together.  After college they both plied their wares for a time at the  mid Manhattan 'Church of Pop' Brill Building.   The rest is history, ...

We needed to check this out after the slow burn hype this establishment continued to receive in the Charlotte press and especially after being featured on Guy Fieri's  Food Network show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  Two colleagues and myself decided to hit the Penguin for lunch on a mild mid-week late August day in Charlotte.  The restaurant is situated in the middle of the Plaza Midwood neighborhood, a recently gentrified hip enclave of Charlotte with your usual mix of tattoo parlors, organic leaning restaurants and the odd used LP record store.  Our first glimpse was the vintage Penguin Drive-in sign which definitely lent an air of authenticity to this restaurant.  The Penguin originally opened as an ice cream parlor back in 1954 and the restaurant features the original pine paneled walls and cozy atmosphere. Upon entering, we encountered several tattooed hipsters disguised as wait staff and were told that the current wait list was approximately 20 minutes.  Inside seating is pretty limited, I'd say an assortment of about 15 booths and of course the upfront diner/bar area with about 10 bar stools available.  We put our name on the list and were pleasantly surprised to be seated in a prime corner booth with minutes. We were faced with a ...

After browsing the forums on eGullet for Richmond I finally settled on checking out Comfort, a hip take on classic southern cooking located in the heart of town on Broad Street.   Conveniently situated less than a 5 minute walk from my hotel I made my way to the restaurant just before 7Pm.  This was my first time in Richmond and I had spent the afternoon walking and exploring different historical areas of the city and touring the Museum of the Confederacy along with the neighboring Confederate White House. Settling into my table after a 5 minute wait I was excited to see a list of over 75 small barrel American Bourbons available for sampling.  I immediately ordered one up and began to try and decide on dinner options.   A large chalkboard above the bar listed the evenings entrees, appetizers and a mouthwatering long list of side dishes available.  Entree prices included 2 accompanying sides of your choice or you could opt for 3 if you were up for it for a modestly higher price.  After considering the fried catfish, roasted chicken and grilled pork chop I ultimately opted for the pulled BBQ pork and went with braised greens and creamy macaroni and cheese as ...

The evening got off to a very rough start following a 6 hour delay at Charlotte before finally arriving at JFK at 9pm followed by a tortuously long Blue Van trip to my upper west side hotel.  Taking a previous recommendation and determined to still enjoy what was left of the evening, I set off west to Broadway and then down to Lincoln Center to find an available table at Daniel  Bar Boulud, just across the street.  What a fantastic place; the interior resembled a wine cellar/cavern with white tiled walls and a handsome long  blond wood bar along one side.  As it was nearing Midnight, I quickly perused the menu and ordered the Escargot as an appetizer followed by the Boudin Blanc & Noir combination entree.   In a word, fantastic! I will try and hit Daniel's latest NYC creation, DBGB Kitchen & Bar the next time I'm in the city. Bar Boulud 1900 Broadway, New York, NY 10023 nr. 64th St.  212-595-0303