Wednesday, March 1, we have sushi/sashimi at Mie, but more importantly, don’t forget that Congress has declared March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month; the American Cancer Society says that the disease will kill over 50,000 people this year and it’s almost totally preventable.  I myself have undergone two colonoscopies; the first one I actually had too much anesthetic and spent most of the day asleep and groggy.  The last time I asked for less; although I was awake during the procedure there was never any pain involved.  The most that one feels is the discomfort of having something unusual inside of you; Katie Couric compared it to when she was pregnant and the baby was kicking.  Trust me, there is absolutely no excuse not to have a colonoscopy!  The other advantage is that the doctors can often remove any polyps that may be forming so you’re actually involved in preventative medicine.  Go for it.  [Now do I get that spokesperson's job after Katie's done?]

I do not regret the journey;
we took risks, we know we took them,
things have come out against us,
therefore we have no cause for complaint.

Captain Scott of the Antartic, from his diary, after the party froze in Antartica.

Friday, March 3, walking by the Museum of Modern Art, I take advantage of our membership to use their facilities – and yes, to peruse the exhibits – and continue to St. Thomas’ and St. Bartholomew’s to drop off resumes.

Saturday, March 4 and Sunday, March 5 - another quiet weekend in the city, with continued unseasonably mild weather.  Fr. Craig (rector of Trinity Church in Cranford NJ) and his wife Judith Wylie had dinner in Little Italy with a friend and emailed me their review; upon my and Zagat’s suggestion, they tried …

Il Fornaio   It was very good.  The three of us ate, house wine and tip included, for $21 apiece.  Judith had a terrific tri-color salad.  Which was the winner over my split pea soup (which was still a very good soup).  Both of us had the chicken breast covered with eggplant and cheese.  Excellent.  We went across the street for coffee and dessert.  The restaurant serves neither.  (Strange)  I realize that my skills as a restaurant critic are lacking-in no small part do to spelling problems and the fact I can’t remember what I ate at my last meal.  But you asked.

If you go there eat in the room on the right.  It has more atmosphere.  The one the left (where we ate) reminded all of us of a favorite eatery in New Orleans.  The room was all white tile.  Like eating in shower with all your friends.  It was a very good evening.  Thanks.

Tuesday, March 9 and after wandering aimlessly around the East Village (actually a favorite way of passing the time) we eat at Zito’s (the Italian joint on First Avenue near 12th Street) as a last resort.  Not bad, not good.

Wednesday, March 8 … here’s my route: Grace Church; Church of the Ascension on Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street - both of these are stunning NYC churches.  St. John in the Village; St. Luke in the Fields.  Leo Design at 413 Bleeker Street, where I first learned about ceramics under Bryan's tutelage.  They have some beautiful examples of carnelian Roseville and of course stunning examples of matte white McCoy.  I go in to window-shop and wind up talking to the owner, Kimo Jung.  Great store, great attitude.  Then Chelsea Pines Inn; I’ve worked that end of the business before in Laguna Beach.  Back to St. Peter’s; they’re associated with the Church of the Holy Apostles.  Another sidetrack leads me to the Colonial House Inn.  General Theological is nearby.  And finally, a walk across town to Calvary/St. George (the Calvary side).

Later, it’s drinks at Standard Bar at 7:30 with Scott Dangerboy Reich; he’s doing incredibly well lately – in addition to an internet radio show on Friday afternoon (he works for VH1), he also did a photo shoot as ‘Pop” of the Sugar Pops (what, are they the Corn Pops now?) for Kellogg’s!

The three of us go to dinner at Black + White on Tenth Street off Third Avenue; we had brunch there with Scott and Susan a couple of months ago.  At the time the food was good but the service was atrocious.  This time, everyone was attentive to Danger but the food was lacking.  For an appetizer, we split the crab cakes that were so good last time.  And although tasty, there was barely enough for one person.  I was in the mood for a burger since they a Roquefort cheese dressing; unfortunately it was an over-cooked thick restaurant burger and quite flavorless.  I had a side of green beans sautéed in onions and butter but you couldn’t taste that either (although the beans were good in and of themselves).  Bryan ordered the crispy catfish po-boy since he had that last time but once again the flavor seemed to have been left behind.  Danger stuck with the fried chicken which was probably the best bet.

My favorite tracks include Blur’s ‘Tender’ , Supergrass with ‘Moving’ , Basement Jaxx (from Brixton!) with ‘Rendez-vu’ followed by my favorite track, James with ‘I Know What I’m here For’ – wow – and then later, Gomez with ‘Bring It On’ , Stereophonics with ‘Pic A Part That’s New’ , the Chemical Brothers ‘The Sunshine Underground’ and finally Groove Armada (aren’t they cute?) and ‘At the River’ – ok, the actual last track is Dean Martin’s ‘That’s Amore’ .  Don’t say they don’t have a sense of humor!

Friday, March 10, I take myself to lunch at Tad’s Steak House.  Walk back with Bryan which means I’ve basically walked to California in the last couple of days!  I’m tired but we still have drinks at Dick’s at 7:30 before going back to the apartment.

Saturday, March 11, I’m awakened at 9 am by the postman; some Roseville for Bryan!  Checking e-mail, Jeff Berlin has sent me his website address; while it’s mainly for work, the bio page makes him come alive.

Also, I exchange about three posts each with Jude Goldberg in London – she’s having exactly the same day I am; unfortunately, if we were in the same city we’d be seeing a great indie film at the moment.  Ah, nostalgia!.  Nonetheless, we're up for a big surprise later in the month from her!

3 pm, it’s time to meet Michelle Petersen; she wants Bryan to see a lamp she’s interested in at Design & Comfort on West Broadway.  Then it’s a long walk back to see Danny deVito’s new Bette Midler vehicle Drowning Mona.  And the three of us agree that although there were some good concepts, the editing was terrible and it just never seemed to catch fire.

The hat trick:  One of the cultural touchstones mentioned in ‘Drowning Mona’ is the movie ‘Xanadu’ with Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly in his final film role; then during a drink at Dick’s we heard it playing over the sound system.  And this week, Entertainment Weekly names it as one of their ‘guilty pleasures’ – Bryan has been hyping this film for ages and we even watched it at home last year!

Sunday, March 12, we headed over to Fresco’s Market and bought vegetables and pasta for the next night’s dinner and sundries like eggs, milk and Oreo cookies.  As a special bonus Bryan buys us dinner at Mie!

Monday, March 13, Bill Abbate sends these two great quotes:

"Not to go back, is somewhat to advance,
And men must walk at least before they dance."
                                -Alexander Pope

"What is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof?  -- I wish I knew....
Just staying on it, I guess, as long as he can."
                                -Tennessee Williams 1955

Wednesday, March 15, the Ides of March… et tu Brute?  Bryan and I, in addition to Michelle and Elena (the stunning Russian woman that Bryan hired to work with them a few years ago), are going to Michelle’s son Matt’s graduation dinner from the Peter Kump's New York Cooking School.  The dinner is at 50 West 23rd Street in the school’s combination dining room/class room (make believe you’re on Emeril).  From 7-7:30 it’s wine and snacks and then into the dining room for carrot and ginger soup, beef tenderloin (very tender) with mashed potatoes and haricots verts (green beans, Elena), salad with goat cheese, walnuts and dried cherries and apple tart for dessert (the pastry crust is deemed A+ by Michelle who should know).

Not only are all the foods prepared perfectly, the company is wonderful as well.  At our table, besides the four of us, are four of Matt's closest friends for many years.  All of us are justifiably proud of him.  After dinner, the ladies take a car home while Bryan and I walk back to the apartment.

Thursday, March 16, and here’s your linked musical history lesson of the day, provided by a Shaun Morris site about Jayne County (Wayne/Jayne, we’ll save the Walter/Wendy Carlos debate for another day).

Bryan and I walk over to Grand Central Terminal together and check out the Whitney Museum at Philip Morris.  When Bryan gets home we go for sashimi/sushi at Mie.

Friday, March 17, St. Patrick’s Day ... The weather, which had been unseasonably mild and spring-like during the week, changes dramatically and after a quick dip in temperature it snows most of the day.  But it’s a very light snow and none of it sticks; still quite beautiful!  Also, being gay I have no fondness for the official parade which bans gay Irish organizations so I'm glad the weather isn't good for them (and no, I'm not wearing green).

Saturday, March 18, I make a simple  lunch of perciatelli and some put-together sauce; then we drive to Northampton, Massachusetts to see our friend Donn Boulanger [he used to be 'waiterboy' at John's Italian near us].   We start working our way north guided by the full moon and make it there around 8:30.  After checking in with Donny at the Green Street Café (it borders Smith College) we went to the bank, liquor store and the Best Western ($80 includes buffet breakfast) to drop off bags.

At 9 pm, we were back at the restaurant which has about five or six gorgeously painted rooms and an old-fashioned European feel to it.  Appetizers are six to eight dollars with most entrees between $18 and $22.  Donny, of course, is in his element here and is busy entertaining a loud and boisterous group of eight very drunk yuppies when we arrive and is keeping them behaved – loud, but behaved.  We’ve already noticed gay couples in Northampton (an area already famous for its lesbian population – Smith College is still all women) and there’s a couple sitting next to us similarly amused at straight people’s antics.

As for dinner, each of us has our personal wine, Pinot Grigio for Bryan and a 1997 Luna di Luna Merlot Cabernet (a combination in a painted red bottle, only $10 and I couldn’t resist) which turns out to be extraordinarily tasty – recommended!  Also, this wine would cost you $24 if you had it at Tavern on the Green, on whose wine list it is.  [Luan di Luna also has a Sangiovese/Merlot and a Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio; the review of which is below.]

Bryan starts off with sauteed mushrooms with roasted garlic over toast followed by salmon in paper (very moist and tender); I have the mussels in white wine and herbs followed by baked shad covered with shad roe.  Dessert is a lovely bit of chocolate, much like a mousse, and perfect coffee.  And on top of everything, Donny bought us dinner which was incredibly generous of him.

By then it was almost midnight and time for the restaurant to close; after meeting the staff Bryan and I decided to have a drink while waiting for Donny to clean up.  We went around the corner to the Grotto, one of two dedicated gay bars in town.  All cute college kids.

Sunday, March 19 and our first stop is Memory Lane just past the motel; not bad antiques but nothing we needed.

Then past an interesting demolition/restoration place followed by Hill & Dale, a large but not particularly impressive flea market.

While there we heard from Donny and made plans to meet him and his new boyfriend at the Haymarket Café.  Donny has painted and stenciled most of the walls inside, including Mayan designs and an M.C. Escher tribute.

I’m always surprised at the talents of my friends and this is no exception – the place is gorgeous with many, many skills evident.

We’re just there for a moment however before hitting the streets.  Kevin, his new boyfriend, is with him; he’s 28 and a new professor of Afro-American studies [sic] at Smith College, our next stop.

Although quiet and shy at first, by the time we’re walking around the campus he really opens up and is a genuinely delightful person.  Donny’s a lucky man!

After the college we walked around the shops in the center of town including Pride & Joy, the lesbian and gay (and "open minded 7 days a week") gift and bookstore.

BTW, Northampton's Pride March is always the first Saturday in May.  Then Thorne’s, the tourist-trap ‘marketplace’ followed by getting me my requisite white t-shirt (but no magnet for Bryan).

Donny and Kevin take Bryan and I to lunch at Teapot, Chinese & Japanese Cuisine at 116 Main Street.  After Chinese appetizers of scallion pancakes, fried vegetable dumplings (wonderful taste) and egg rolls, Bryan has the Vegetarian Paradise (a combination of tofu in brown sauce, sautéed green beans and mixed vegetables in garlic sauce).

The rest of us go Japanese with udon (noodle soup) for Kevin, a couple of handrolls for Donny and negima yaki (slices of beef wrapped around scallions) for me which was unfortunately overcooked.  And again, they picked up the tab; thank you, gentlemen.

After saying our good-byes outside Bryan and I hopped on I-91 for the long ride home.  But first the obligatory church picture - it's St. John's Episcopal in Northampton.

Geography lesson: since college, I’ve always taken the I-84 route to Hartford (with a jaunt along the Saw Mill Parkway as a shortcut around White Plains).  But Donny pointed out that it’s really quicker to take I-91 and I-95 if you’re directly in NYC as we are; even with traffic it took almost an hour less time!  By 8 pm we were home.

Monday, March 20, I get a nice post from Dana Wharton.  Dana was the very first person that I ever met at Tufts University; at the time he was a junior whose room on the fifth floor of Carmichael Hall was in front of the staircase.  So lugging my stuff up five flights of stairs (modern NYU students not only have elevators but air conditioning - can you imagine!), the first thing I see is this gentle man saying hello.  We've been friends ever since although it's been ages since we've seen each other.  He now has three boys (one almost college age) and still lives with his amazing wife Paula in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

Along with Tom Lane and David Wohlman, these are friends almost lost to time before the Internet; can you imagine what it was like, say, in the 1800s?  You might exchange a letter a year and hope they didn't die of one of the normal maladies in the meantime!  And speaking of dying, I have dinner once again at Tad's Steak House without passing on myself!

Tuesday, March 21, Bryan runs over to Fresco’s at 9 pm to pick up some items for our macaroni-and-cheese dinner, including some very fresh broccoli, and then makes dinner by 10 pm.

Wednesday, March 22, an episode of Star Trek: Voyager is an excellent one.  Normally I hate the vanity pieces but this one is about the Klingon afterlife but is also really about honor.  Very strong.

Thursday, March 23, we have drinks at Dick’s at 6 while we await the arrival of Jude Goldberg.  Jude arrives at Newark Airport on Virgin Airlines around 4 but doesn't get to us until almost 8 pm; she was feeling adventurous and wanted to take mass transit to our apartment.  And even though she was tired, we still wander the West Village looking for a restaurant.  The rule is American Express, no Mexican (for Jude) and Bryan’s ok.

The winner is dinner at Chow Bar & Grill at 230 West 4th Street (212.633.2212); this is obviously a new place but nice in a pan-Asian sort of way.  For appetizers we split some very light calamari and mussels, both a good B+; then entrees with duck for Bryan (an unusual choice and not so well rewarded), prawns crusted in five-spice (why they can’t just pop those ugly heads off in the kitchen I’ll never know) for me.

Friday, March 24, chat with Jude before sending her off to Macy’s, a movie and lunch at Tad's Steak House.  Yes, she stumbles upon one of their other locations but see the attraction?

At noon, I leave for uptown, meeting Bryan in front of his building at 12:30; then a short walk to the New York Kom Tang Kalbi House Korean Restaurant again.  And again, it’s great.  But we also realize there’s a dozen of the same type of restaurant on the street - treasures await us!

We walk back to the apartment where Jude awaits us for Mie and sushi/sashimi.  Jude’s been here before with us of course; funny how for such a carnivore she loves sushi so much!

Saturday, March 25 and Jude and I are up around 9 am; she spends the morning shopping around St. Mark’s Place but the stores just don’t open early.  So she winds up with clothes from the Gap!

She’s taking the 1 pm train to New Haven from Grand Central Station so we hurriedly get ready and the three of us have lunch at the Lunch Box.  Funny how one falls into traditions even when you’ve only been to a foreign city a few times!  Sushi at Mie, drinks at Dick’s, lunch at the Lunch Box.

By 1 pm, we join her taking the subway from Union Square; then Bryan and I stop at his office and walk home via Seventh Avenue.

Sunday, March 26, Jude and Bryan start with the Oscars pre-show.  I’m going to prepare my American version of the lesbian bolognese she prepared for us in London.  Naturally, I make some changes to the recipe (the sauce simply calls for cheap olive oil, tomato paste and ketchup – garlic is the only spice other than salt).  Yes, I’m driven to change that.  But it all comes out rather tasty after adding a bit of sun-dried tomato paste and the remains of some Paul Newman sauce!

Jude is sticking to beer, Bryan tries a cheap white wine product from the bodega and there’s always Ketel One vodka in the freezer.  So we have to live with what we have.  Unfortunately the first two bottles I open at home are bad; they had not been properly cared for.  The first was a 1992 Chateau Bellevue Medoc and then a 1990 Montecillo viña Cumbrero from Spain.  Both would have been delightful; on the other hand, I must settle for a superb $30 1995 Markham Merlot that we’d been saving for a special occasion.

This year I’m moved by Hillary Swank’s speech – she was emotionally surprised by the win yet was together enough to have a small, perfect sheet of thanks ending with one for Brandon Tina and all without over-running her time.  And her lovely husband!

Also Michael Caine; he’s derided as a ‘shite’ actor particularly in his home country but whether one buys into the ‘Shahira needed a new Jaguar’ or not, I have a certain respect for someone who uses his gifts but is also a working man as well.

Warren Beatty, on the other hand, actually apologized for not making enough films (‘I will try to do more’ was his constant refrain except when it came to his about-to-deliver wife Annette Bening to whom he said ‘I will try to do less’).  His appreciation for the Irving Thalberg Award was a moving tribute to the business he’s lived his life in (along with his sister Shirley MacLaine).  Subtracting his heterosexism (and frankly, shouldn’t he be forgiven by now – his support of women having risen with the length of his marriage it seems) and egotism (yes, I know about Carly Simon), one should give him a bit of respect for his dogged optimism and liberal politics.

Anyway, there were other good tears of joy for Pedro Almodovar, Polish director Andrzej Wajda (an honorary Oscar "for a lifetime of making films you've never seen" according to E!) and then the many gay connections to ‘American Beauty’ and the many awards it garnered.

Monday, March 27, Jude heads out for shopping and a movie; in her short stay here she saw more movies than Bryan and I in the last six months!  When she arrived last week, she saw ‘Waking the Dead’ because it had Billy Crudup in it.  On her last day in NYC, she first caught the noon showing of ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ (literally it’s first screening since winning the Oscar the night before) and then later ‘Here on Earth’ (sounded like a teen love story).

And for our last supper together, we rely on the traditional – dinner and drinks at Pangea.  After a quick hello to Pat from St. Mark’s, the three of us settle down to dinner.  Bryan will only have the crab cakes and one drink as he has to bowl; Jude has their tasty calamari and the bistro chicken (and she’s delighted by its moistness).  I like their cold soups; tonight it’s a puree of baby peas with a dollop of yogurt.  For an entrée I chanced the steak in a cabernet sauce; they don’t have a lot of serious meat eaters but this evening it was perfect.  It came with lightly sauteed green beans and garlicky white beans (substituting for the garlic mashed potatoes).

Wednesday, March 29 … dinner at MaryAnn’s; I really wanted to try their new special, a cheicken breast in almond sauce but they didn’t have it!  So I went with the chicken borrachco instead.  Spiced with oranges and chipotle peppers, it's still quite good with brcolli and rice.

Thursday, March 30, I meet Bryan at Veloce; it's a brand new wine bar right across the street from Pangea.  This could be a nice place without the clientele!  The wines are superb (I have one from Sicily, Bryan has one that tastes like water) and the panini (prociutto, ricotta and sun-dried tomato on fried bread) was very tasty.  But once the loud and yuppy crowd came in, we went out to Dick’s for a quick drink and then back home by 8.

Friday, March 31, I drive Bryan to B+H Photo to meet Michelle and return home to housecleaning until 1 pm and then out to enjoy a gorgeous day.  And that really is how March comes to a close.

I am privileged to serve you.

The Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio has a pale straw yellow color with crisp floral bouquet and fruit tones of apple, peaches and honey.  The taste is pleasingly dry with an abundance of fruit flavors.  This classic wine, packaged in a beautiful blue bottle, can be consumed as an aperitif or throughout a meal of fish, soups and light meats.

The Sangiovese/Merlot, in the pitch-black bottle, has a deep garnet red color, an intense bouquet, and its taste is full and persistent, obtaining its boldness from the Sangiovese and its velvety finish from the Merlot.  Excellent with steak, roasted meats and wild game.

The painted red bottle and gold capsule will certainly draw your attention to the Merlot/Cabernet [the wine I had].  This wine is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Deep red color and an ethereal bouquet making this one a perfect compliment to any red meat dish.