Oh, hooray! Rafael Nadal managed to survive the current plague of "Upset-itis" affecting this second week of Wimbledon by bouncing Robin Soderling from the tournament. Rafa won their quarterfinal match in four sets - 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1. It would've been so sad, but harldy surprising if the No. 2 seed lost here. Things have been upside down at Wimby the past few days. Roddick? Gone. Venus? Gone. Clijsters? Gone. And in doubles: Bryan Brothers? Gone. Williams Sisters? Gone. Then earlier today: Federer? GONE!!! Done in by Berdych in 4 sets that were not even particularly close. My brain still has not completely accepted Fed's early dismissal. But at the time of the day when Federer had match point against him on Centre Court, Rafa was trailing in his opening set to Soderling 5-0. I could only watch the score tick by on SlamTracker. I couldn't see how Rafa was actually moving. Was he injured? What else could account for what was shaping up to be a bagel set against Soderling? I was very dismayed.
But then, Rafa woke up and fought back a bit - losing the first set, but getting it to a somewhat respectable score of 3-6. He then took complete charge in the second, winning that 6-3. The third set was closer, but Rafa remained ahead. And then the 4th set was all him. I was so relieved and happy he made it through. What a sweet comeback it would be to go from injury at this time last year to once-again Champion!
The Wimbledon crowd has been extremely supportive of Rafa throughout the competition. I have a distinct feeling that will not be the case when he takes on home-crowd favorite Andy Murray in the semis on Friday. That's gonna be a really tough match, as Murray has been playing outstanding tennis this tournament. But Soderling had been playing incredible tennis as well, and that didn't stop Rafa from finding a way to win. Really, with Federer out of the competition, all four remaining men have a great chance of winning the competition. Each one has to really like their chances. Rafa's the only one of them to make it to a Wimbledon final, though. Hopefully that experience gives him the edge.
(Rafa is relieved he got through in straight sets! So am I!)
I wrote this and then forgot to post it! Congrats to Rafa on his straight sets victory against Paul-Henri Mathieu today (err.. Monday.). He's back in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon! It was a pretty straightforward win for Nadal, finishing things up 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. He got through the match in just about two hours. This was the kind of win he needed going into the next round where he'll meet the dreaded Robin Soderling. My irrational and intense distaste for Soderling has been expressed here before. Soderling beat Rafa in the 2009 French Open and again at the end of the year Masters Championship, but Rafa avenged those losses by beating Soderling in the 2010 Roland Garros final just weeks ago. Grass is different than clay though, and Soderling's play has been outstanding this tournament. Hopefully Rafa will be in great shape for that match, which will be played on Wednesday (err... today). Soderling must be DESTROYED! Vamos Rafa!
On a sadder note, Andy Roddick is out of the competition after losing to 82nd-ranked Taiwanese player Yen-hsun Lu, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 9-7. This is really disappointing, since Roddick really should've rolled through this match. Andy served up 38 aces but converted only one of eight breakpoint chances! It sucks that he only lost serve once, but it also happened to be the last game of the match. I really wanted him to have another real shot at the title. A Nadal-Roddick Final would've been ideal because then I'd be delighted by whoever won. I still think Roddick has a Wimbledon title in him before the end of his career. Next time, Andy!
I have been on a quest for good outside dining lately because the weather has been so nice, and remembered reading about Monon Food Company somewhere in my web surfing. I remember thinking I liked the sound of their food, that it is fresh and that there is no deep fryer in the place (hopefully this doesn’t scare you). I figured with my recent mini-obsession with fried chicken, I could probably use a little break from fried food.
So as I looked over the menu, I zeroed in on the items that were marked with the “MFC special” emblem which according to the menu means the items are house specials that are “signature dish[es] created by Monon Food Company that [are] sure to delight.” Well that sounded good to me, so I ordered “Tim’s Chipotle Fish Tacos.” I also ordered a side of mac and cheese which was not designated as such, but I just wanted to get something on the side to try as well.
The fish tacos were two soft tacos filled with tilapia, cabbage, “Monon” salsa, guacamole and chipotle mayo. They were well stuffed (I was glad I had extra napkins, and still stole one from my friend) and nicely flavored. The fish was lightly seasoned and sitting on top of the chipotle mayo. There was quite a bit of cabbage and some pico di gallo (I wasn’t sure if this was the Monon salsa, or if the guac was mixed with the Monon salsa because the sauce on top, which I assume was the guac from the consistency and flavor, had a tint that was not exactly green). Regardless though, the flavors were quite nice. I could have maybe used a teeny bit more sauce of one kind or another to make it a bit juicier, but I liked the tacos. I also liked that there was only one tortilla per taco, whereas many places use two on each, which I think makes them too starchy sometimes.
Now, the lady who was sitting at the table next to us when we sat down promptly asked me if I had ordered the fish tacos and I told her I had. She told me they are the best, and asked if I got one of each. I did not see another option on the menu, but she said there is a fish taco that is also served with a mango salsa. If this is true, I would love to try this next time as I think it would add a touch more of the juiciness I was looking for.
The mac and cheese was pretty good. It was noodles that seemed really just mixed with several cheeses and no real sauce aspect to it. Not a lot of creaminess, but very cheesy. Certainly came across as homemade for sure. And I enjoyed it.
My friend had the special of the day that was grilled Mediterranean salmon. It was a medium size piece of salmon sitting on rice with lots of Mediterranean toppings like olives, feta, and artichoke hearts. It was nice and she really enjoyed it. I had a bite and enjoyed the salty kick from the veggies and cheese although there was maybe just a touch too much feta for me which kind of distracted from the flavor of the fish.
We discussed the fact that there were a lot more women there than men on the day we ate, and wondered if the lack of fried food had something to do with that. Also, one thing that might bug me at dinner time is that you order at the register and then get your own drinks, sit down, and wait to be served your food. This seems fine at lunch, but would seem too casual for me at dinner. They do have a very nice beer selection, as well as several wines, but I would much prefer full table service at dinner time. There is quite a bit of outside seating, both on the street and in back of the restaurant. The place is doing a nice business, which is good to see from a place serving what I think are probably healthier options than most, particularly in Broad Ripple.
Monon Food Company 6420 Cornell Ave Indy 46220 317/722-0176 www.mononfood.com
Congrats to Rafael Nadal for making it through another tough match in the 3rd round of Wimbledon on Saturday. This time it was against Germany's Philipp Petzschner, and Rafa pulled out a 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 victory. For the second straight match, Nadal had to come back from being down 2 sets to 1 to win. I'm a little concerned for Rafa right now. as he is contending with injuries to his left arm and right thigh, needing to call the trainer twice for treatment during the match. Nadal needed more than 3.5 hours to defeat Petzschner. While that isn't 70-68 in the fifth set, it's still a long match if your body isn't feeling right. Luckily he has today off and his 4th round opponent is Frenchie opponent, Paul-Henri Mathieu. Matthieu is currently ranked 66th in the world and Rafa's never lost to him - a 9-0 record. Still Rafa had a crazy win streak against Feliciano Lopez going into their match a few weeks ago at Queen's Club, and lost that due to a minor leg injury. So certainly moving forward I hope Rafa is in good condition and can win quickly Monday giving him a chance to save energy for some tougher opponents who still loom large in his side of the draw.
Another interesting tidbit from the game. At the beginning of the 5th set, Rafa's energy and focus was fading a bit, when the chair umpire gave him a warning for receiving coaching from Uncle Tony from the player's box. This is a big no no, especially in men's tennis (though against the rules, it goes largely ignored in the women's game) and Rafa freaked out a bit over the warning. He got very animated in conversation with the ump, pointing at him and saying what I like to imagine was "you're a dead man!" Maybe that's just what I was thinking at the time. Obviously, this is not what he actually said, since Rafa would never say that, nor would the tournament allow him to, but the warning really got the fire lit within Rafa again, and he tore through the end of the 5th set to win. It wasn't nice to see Rafa receive the warning, but it was great to see him snap back into focus afterwards. I
hope Rafa enjoys a restful middle-Sunday at Wimbledon. He's half-way to the finish line! Vamos!
Before action fully gets underway knock-out style in Round of 16 World Cup action, I wanted to post my bracket pics for the rest of the tourney.
Round 16: U.R.Gay beats Korea USA beats Ghana Netherlands beats Slovakia Brazil beats Chile Argentina beats Mexico Germany beats England Japan beats Paraguay Spain beats Portugal
I think this is pretty solid round of 16 pick from the spread. Japan v. Paraguay to me is kind of a toss up. So is German v. England, but that's how I see it coming down. Plus maybe I'm hoping too hard for USA, but I don't care.
Quarterfinals: USA beats U.R.Gay Netherlands beats Brazil Argentina beats Germany Spain beats Japan
Again, I think that's asking a lot of USA, but who cares? The other matches will be really close too, i think, except for Spain. I think they should roll over Japan.
Semifinals: Netherlands beats USA Spain beats Argentina
This is where USA's run should end and where Spain faces a real challenge against Argentina.
(A KISS BEFORE DYING. Even the Power of Pasha can't save Christina as the judge's send her home, perhaps a week too early.)
It's an all new season of SYTYCD! 10 Finalists Remain: 4 contempos, 1 jazz hands, 1 breaker, 1 salsa, 1 tappa tappa tappa, 1 lyric dancer and 1 ballet boy are ready to take it up a notch after an impressive first week of live competition. Welcome... to So You THINK You Can Dance!
They've finally figured out how to film the opening credit solos! Bravo! We greet the judges and then we get to see the contestants pair up with the All-Stars and find out what's they're doing. Some are not the easiest match ups: Billy gets Comfort and Krump (!!), Lauren gets Dominic and Lyrical Hip Hop, Adechicke gets Allison - so it's another week of Contempo from both, Kent gets Courtney and Jazz, Melinda gets Ade for Contemproary. Alex gets Lauren for Broadway, Christina gets Pasha for Paso Doble, Ashley gets Mark for Jazz, Robert gets ANYA! for Argentine Tango and then Jose gets Kathryn and Bollywood! Ohh, it's gonna be crazy. Also tonight the contestants tell us about their childhood dance memories, but they are really not worth going into separately. They all had a lot of energy and loved to dance! Shocking, no?
Christina - her number with Pasha is by Jean-Marc & France. There are a lot of lifts. They keep talking about it in the clip package as the "Passionate Paso Doble" which makes me wonder if there are other types of Paso Doble (like there are different variations on the tango or the waltz). In any event, this Paso Doble is not very passionate. The steps are fine, but there isn't a lot of heat between Christina and Pasha. It feels a little labored. When it's over, Pasha is allowed to stand with her for the critique, and the other All-Stars will likely follow suit! A good tweak, Show. The judges heap praise on her, but I didn't think it was quite all that. Better than last week, though. Pasha runs off before the numbers are read so the public is not confused about who they are voting for. However, if we keep getting rid of female dancers, the likelihood of seeing Pasha week after week dwindles.
Adechicke - his number with Allison is by Mandy Moore. It's very strong. There's no story. It's just emotion. Adechicke still has his great form on hand, but this time he's bringing some variation of facial expression with him as well. The judges give him praise for improvement, but still hold back on full praise. I still think he'll be the first guy to go when the judges get the chance.
Alex - his routine with Lauren is by Tyce. It's in the "style of Fosse" if you know what that means, tell me. Because it's not Fosse choreo. It doesn't even seem Broadway to me. I like both of these dancers, but I didn't like the routine. All the judges blame Alex, but I think that's ridiculous. It's Tyce's fault. Mia doesn't think the outfits fit the song. I just think the whole thing was ill-conceived.
Ashley - Now Ashley is here, suddenly sexy as all hell. When did this transformation take place? Kudos to her and Robert for escaping the almost certain fate of early elimination as a result of lack of screentime. She's my favorite girl now. She's dancing jazz* with Mark by Travis. They are gorgeous. They are dancing to Annie Lennox. It's Ashley's 20th birthday this weekend! I would kill for Mark's abs. * - The judges hate the choreo. Not that the routine wasn't awesome, but they insist it wasn't a jazz routine. I watched it back, and I have to agree. It has a very contempo vibe. But when have the judges ever dissed Travis. Travis looks so pissed in the audience. How DARE they question his choreo! You know you're in Bizarro World when Travis is the problem, not the solution.
Billy (Elliot/Jamie) Bell - The Krump with Comfort is being choreo'ed by Lil C. Oh, it just isn't right. No one wants to see Billy dance this way. He's giving it his best, but it's just not aggressive enough. You feel uncomfortable watching it. You just want it to end. The judges are as kind as possible to him personally while panning his performance. Comfort starts to stick up for her partner which is sweet of her, but she can't convince us that Bill was bucc during this number. Billy seems just relieved to never have to dance this style again in his whole life.
Robert - the Argentine Tango with ANYA! is choreo'ed by Jeanne Marc and France again. They make an incredibly good looking couple, but this dance is off from the beginning. It's not the steps. it's the style. I don't know a lot about a lot of dances, but i DO know that the man has to totally dominate the woman in the dance. His steps are weird and his face looks distressed and ANYA! is flipping and kicking away, but it doesn't look like Robert's leading her through it. Nigel tries to say that Robert succeeded as the dominant partner, but Mia, Adam and I disagree. I felt like she was doing all the work. ANYA! SPEAKS! She defends her man. Still I think this wasn't a great dance for him. He's still my NGBF though!
Melinda - her contempo routine with Ade by Stacey Tookey is all about Mother Nature. I... I'm sorry, Ima get right to it, I don't like this routine and I really don't like the costume Melinda's wearing. She's supposed to be mother Nature, but it's like... if Poison Ivy was a character on the 60's Batman show, that's the dress she would've worn. It looks cheap. Ade is strong and awesome as usual, but I think this is the weakest routine of the season so far. Sorry, Stacey Tookey! I've liked other routines of yours in the past! The judges offer her mixed reviews and try to soften the blow to Stacey herself - but all Mia can say is that she appreciated "the concept" but seem to be distracted by the crazy dress and the not stellar . I'm just kinda done with Melinda.
Jose - It's time for Kathryn and Jose to go Bollywood with Nakul Dev Mahajan. In rehearsals, no one knew each other's styles. Would they all be able to come together for an entertaining routine? You may be not-so-surprised to find out it worked out in the end. The only problem is that they keep losing bits and pieces off their costumes that i fear they will step on and hurt themselves during the routine. Also Jose's handwork is not great, but he makes up for it with his overall energy. The judges all give him a pass on technique for the entertainment value, and Jose is grateful to get through it.
Lauren - she's with Dominic handling some Lyrical Hip Hop by new choreographer, Tessandra Chavez. Lauren has to emotionally connect this week since she was a bit artificial last week. Lucky for her, she can tap into the always comfortable emotions of an abuse-themed routine! It seems like a tough place for her to go and it doesn't look like Dom's thoroughly pleased with being the abuser either. Still, Tessandra demands perfection! I remember her as a good hip hopper from Vegas, so I actually expect good things here. It's a good routine. I think Lauren really acquits herself from last week's technically strong, but emotionally sterile routine. I think this was probably the best routine of the night. the judges tell her all is forgiven and implore her to go farther in future routines so that maybe a girl will survive the the top 5 this season.
Kent - Jazz with Courtney and choreo by Tyce. It's very sexy and Courtney's like "sure. let's do it." and Kent is all "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY DO IT???" Even before they start Cat informs us Courtney's about to eat him alive. In the dance, Courtney is dressed like a no-need-for-rehab Amy Winehouse and will be dancing to an Amy Winehoues song called "Amy Amy Amy." Kent is wearing some weird harness. Overall, I like this routine, there's some "Doing It On a Table" motifs that look good, but Kent looks slightly intimidated by Courtney the whole time, which is not the right tone for this kind of dance. The judges cut him no slack about letting his big personality and nerves overpower the feeling of the piece he's dancing. Nigel takes another opportunity to make a knock at Travis by thanking Tyce for an actual Jazz routine. There's a cut away shot to Travis sitting next to Tyce looking dumbfounded by all the disapproval shovelled his way tonight.
With Kent's dance done, we've got a little bit of time left so Cat replays the numbers and then we get an extended freestyle sequence between the All-Stars and the Contestants and Cat on stage. SO GOOD. Kinda better than any of tonight's routines actually.
In order of my preference tonight's routines went: Lauren, Ashley, Adechicke, Jose, Kent, Christina, Robert, Alex, Billy, Melinda. This should be a weird bottom 3 though because I think Billy might be too popular to fall so far into danger. Even after the Krump! Boy, it was a weird performance night this week!
So. here we go with elimination night. There's a group dance that looks cool, but my DVR is spazzing so I can't get a sense of the fluidity. Boo! The bottom 3 wind up being Christina (really?) Melinda (Really!) and Robert (NO!!!). Why is America turning on its New Gay Best Friend??
Before the solos, we get a routine from RemoteKontrol featuring Brian Gaynor, who has graced this stage with his awesomeness several times before, including Nashville this season. He's a SYTCYD All-Star in his own right. I like that the producer's continue to let the show be a platform for his dancing even though he could never be a contestant. I wanted to post a clip of this latest routine because it is both brilliant and kinda indescribable, but the producers have already taken it down off youtube. Lame and a shame! It needs to be seen.
Then the solos happen and they're not really that good. Then Debi Nova comes out to sing her song "Drummer Boy" but she employs 6 of the all-stars to be her back-up dancers and it is a WISE CHOICE. Also of note: Cat is several feet taller than Debi Nova.
After the break. Robert is spared despite the growing male female disparity of the contestants, and Christina is eliminated. I think it should've been Melinda, personally. Nigel lets it be known that he would've cut Melinda too, but he got outvoted by Adam and Mia. If she falls in the bottom 3 again and they save her again, the judges are crazy. Christina wills herself not to cry, thanks everyone sincerely and then the rest of the dancers rush onto the stage for a giant-sized group hug.
Next week, there will be nine dancers remaining and Melinda will be dancing with a giant target on her back. It will still look better on her than that Mother Nature Dress...
(Your eyes do not deceive you. The score behind Isner is a "68." That's the amount of games won in the 5th set by the guy who LOST. Insanity.)
As I mentioned in my last post, 5-setters have been quite common this Wimbledon, but I'd be remiss if I didn't dedicate a separate blog entry to the most insane 5 setter in the history of tennis. I say that without hyperbole. This one will be in the record books for a long long time. It seems unfathomable that a match could last longer and have higher stats than this one. It seems unfathomable that it happened at all.
Of course I refer to the marathon 1st Round match at Wimbledon between American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. The match lasted a whopping 11 hours:5 minutes over the course of three days. Play went so long it was suspended twice not because of rain, but because of darkness. Tuesday went by with no winner. Wednesday went by with no winner. It was crazy.
I first saw the match on TV after the US won its third world cup game. Looking at the score, I was confused. Why did it say the score in the 5th set was 44-43? It didn't make any sense. One of the people in my office explained that they'd been playing for almost two straight days. Wimbledon of course has that fun rule that the 5th set can't be determined by a tiebreak. One player has to win by two games. The problem here was that neither player could break serve, so the score just kept piling up game after game after game. It was unbelievable, and kind of exhausting to watch. I can't for the life of me understand how both players maintained such fitness as the hours rolled by. As they passed the 100 game mark in the fifth set, I was astounded. The scoreboard freaked out. It couldn't deal with it anymore and reset as if a new set had started. I understand how it was feeling. You can win a whole match just by capturing just 18 games and here each player had almost tripled that amount won in the 5th set alone. Who could of thought it possible?
Play resumed (for the second time) on Thursday, on what had become a jam-packed Court 18. The score was 59-all in the 5th set. The two players went at it for 20 more games and an additional hour of play before Isner finally won: 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68.
Isner finished with 112 aces, and Mahut was no slouch with 103. Both totals far surpassed the previous match record of 78. They combined to hold for a staggering 168 games in a row. The duration of fifth set on its own lasted 8 hours, 11 minutes, which was enough to beat the previous longest match altogether. That distinction used to be a 2004 French Open Match that was 6 hours, 33 minutes long. That seems like nothing in comparison!
“We played the greatest match ever in the greatest place to play tennis,” Mahut said. “John deserved to win. He just served unbelievable.”
Isner told the press he felt “completely delirious” by the end of play Wednesday and who could expect otherwise?
The last shot shot came at 4:48 p.m. on Thursday — almost two full days from when the match began. Both players got a well-deserved standing ovation and Isner and Mahut shared a long hug at net as they took in this once-in-a-lifetime moment,
“It’s something Nic and I will share forever,” Isner said. “I don’t think I’ve ever said five words to the guy prior to our match—not that he’s a bad guy. Now when I do see him in the locker room at other tournaments, we’ll always be able to share that.”
Isner had the unenviable task of playing AGAIN today, as his side of the bracket was backlogged by his never-ending 1st round match. As you'd expect, Isner had nothing left in the tank and lost to Theimo De Bakker in three quick sets - 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. Still you have to applaud the effort of such an amazing record-breaking first round match. Both players were phenomenal. Such a feat may never happen again. I wish them both a well-deserved rest and good luck for the rest of the season.
On my desk is a photograph of Opequon Cemetery. It celebrates the end of a thirty-year quest. Finally, I’m here, at Winchester Virginia, to see where my ancestors are buried. The old iron gate arches over the entrance and frames the background. The focal point is the engraved granite stone. It honors my Scottish ancestors’ gift of land to their church in 1745.
A few seconds before the picture was taken, my three grandchildren and I were ready to pass through the gate. But we’ve been called back for this Kodak moment. The camera has captured us posed above our ancestors’ chiseled names of Hoge and Hume.
At the camera click, I guided Alexis, age seven, Ben, four, and Shannon, three, through the gate. I hurried to find the gravestones of other ancestors lying close by.
Now, when I reflect upon this picture, there’s a lot I don’t “see.” The tears in my eyes. The writing on the historical plaque. Alexis’ incipient pout, which she continues to perfect. Ben’s compressed energy ready to erupt the nanosecond my hand leaves his shoulder. Even Shannon’s balletesque leap, a bit blurry, doesn’t readily register.
Instead I “see” how my grandchildren tell America’s story.
From their mother’s side comes a long documented genealogy of Europeans. They immigrated here to escape religious, economic, or military repression. Opequon’s Presbyterian Church and its historic burial ground symbolize those ancestors’ flight to freedom.
My grandchildren show this heritage. Alexis has inherited my daughter’s upturned nose and chin. Ben’s striking red hair is so reminiscent of my sister’s childhood shade. Shannon has the same cornflower blue eyes as my father. Her eyes contrast sharply with her dark ringlets that never stay in place.
Their paternal side bequeaths a different story. It’s one of unknown white masters and an undocumented history of slavery. My grandchildren’s black ancestors were not seeking freedom. They were forcibly brought to the New World in chains.
This history also proclaims itself in my grandchildren. Alexis with her warm brown face the color of tea. Ben whose once blue eyes are changing to his father’s yellow. Shannon’s arms glowing just the shade of long treasured parchment.
The significance of their heritage resonates in my photograph. It is the convergence of their parents’ stories running against the backdrop of America’s history.
My grandchildren were too young to realize their feet were touching the same ground their ancestors had walked almost three hundred years ago. When they are older and look at this picture, I’ll share the story of their Presbyterian ancestors buried at Opequon. I’ll also tell them that they were what made the occasion special. For that day was bittersweet. There were no corresponding written histories or burial grounds on their father’s side. My grandchildren have been robbed of half their family story.
This is my hope. When they show their grandchildren this picture and tell the story of our day together, racism will have, long ago, passed into America’s history.
-- Kathy Nixon is an amateur genealogist looking for information on those "pesky" Garretts from McGaheysville
(Rafa celebrates his hard-fought 2nd Round victory!)
It seems all the top seeds want to have long 5 set matches this first week of Wimbledon. Federer and Djokovic both had five setters in the first round, and now Nadal had to win in five coming back from 2 sets to 1 down today to beat the formidable Dutch server Robin Haase 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. I could only watch the score go by on SlamTracker at work, and I couldn't believe when Rafa lost the first set 7-5 and then again the third 6-3. I wondered what his body language was on the court. Did he look like he was ailing, or was Haase just really taking it to him? When he won the fourth set 6-0, I relaxed - but just a little bit. The 5th set wasn't so tense, but of course I'm very relieved and pleased that Rafa made it through.
Rafa will next face Philipp Petzschner of Germany in the third round on Saturday. I don't know if I've ever seen Petzschner before. The name doesn't ring a bell even though he's the 33rd seed. Rafa holds a 2-0 record against him, but this will be their first meeting on grass. Petzschner is coming off a 5-set win too (they are everywhere this year at Wimbledon! I swear!) so we'll have to see how this one goes. I'll certainly be cheering for a quick victory by Nadal. Vamos!
Ezra Klein, 26, writes a very worthwhile blog for washingtonpost.com that he calls Economic and Domestic Policy and Lots of It. As a woman of a certain age, I like reading what a very smart, educated person at the other end of adulthood has to say about how things are going.
Yesterday he posted news of a new poll on the Affordable Healthcare Act (remember that?) which I found quite interesting.
Most everyone's happy (and trending happier) except those Americans on Medicare. And they are worried (and becoming more worried) that they will lose some of what they already have in the interests of improving the heath care of others.
Yesterday, on the WMRA Facebook page, I posted news of a study which shows that, when it comes to health care, Americans spend more . . .
and get less than everyone else.
The Pew Research Center recently released a report on how the press reported the rowdy and contentious health care reform debate. In its introduction, this reports states:
It was a wild political donnybrook and the defining policy initiative of the Obama presidency to date. A Democratic chief executive was staking the crucial first year of his presidency on health care reform—a legislative achievement that had eluded several of his predecessors. And he was facing off against an equally determined opposition spearheaded by a new groundswell of fear about exploding government intervention.
There was a third major player in the health care debate as well. Much of the battle over health care reform, and much of what the public knew or thought about it, played out through a changing media system.
Prior to the legislative battle, curiously, health care had often flown below the news radar screen. Though the system affects virtually every American and represents about one-sixth of the U.S. economy, it accounted for less than 1% of the overall coverage in 2007 and 2008 according to data from the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.
It also amounted to the first long-running policy debate the press would have to cover in what was in some ways a new media era. It was one in which bloggers were being recognized at White House briefings, cable news and talk radio seemed to play an ever larger role in the media landscape and new technologies such as Twitter and social media had become important components of politics.
Add to the challenge, the health care industry itself, a particularly complex and often confusing topic. And the cacophony of charges and countercharges, commentary and criticism from advocates on both sides further complicated efforts to comprehend the issue. Indeed, as the coverage continued, the public seemed more confused. . .
It is interesting in hindsight to think about how both our politicians and our press treated health care reform more as a political issue than a health issue. Wouldn't it have been more sensible and ethical for them to have made the issues under discussion as accessible and understandable as possible?
In the mood for something different, I stopped into Mama’s Korean restaurant on the east side. Several readers have recommended it as very good Korean food. I have to say, I haven’t quite found my vibe with Korean food yet, but I can see the potential.
I ordered off of the lunch menu because they have very good prices and you get soup along with the main dish. The prices range from $6-10 or so. The soup was a very basic egg drop soup which I have often had in Chinese restaurants. It is a chicken broth based soup with beaten eggs dropped into it which cooks the eggs lightly. It is sort of like scrambled eggs in broth. There were some scallions mixed in as well, but nothing else. The flavor was quite elemental—the broth and egg was basically the extent of it, but I liked the simplicity of it.
For my main dish I went with a traditional Korean dish—bulgogi. Bulgogi is thinly sliced and marinated beef which is then usually grilled. The marinade can vary, but is soy based. I have to say, when mine came out (served with rice and sautéed veggies) I thought I wasn’t going to like it at all. It looked like the meat would be tough and chewy. I was pleasantly surprised by the tenderness of it. You could certainly taste the soy base in the marinade. As I ate it, the meat continued to remind me of something I had before in its texture—by the time I finished, I realized it was the consistency of the meat in Italian beef sandwiches. It had that almost lacy quality of well marbled beef that Italian beef has. Again, it was simple, and not amazing or anything, but better than I expected. The veggies on the side included mushrooms, broccoli and onions which were nice to add a little more flavor into the beef. The rice was nice and sticky, which is how I like it.
You are also served, simultaneously with the meal, several banchan, or Korean side dishes as well. I was served four. One was the most traditional and well-known dishes—kimchi which is cabbage that has been pickled and fermented. This one had a lot of spicy red pepper on it, but while it was spicy, was not out of control. A bit if it along with the meat was nice as well. Two of the other side dishes included quite a bit of the same red chili laced oil. One was cubes of turnip and the other zucchini slices. They were fine, but after awhile started to taste very similar to me because of that chili sauce. The fourth dish was a nice counterpoint—thin threads of more turnip, but marinated in a slightly sweet, slightly sour sauce. This was a refreshing change to the red chili.
I enjoyed my lunch, but nothing really stood out to me. The service was super efficient and friendly, and the place was doing a decent lunch business, but I wouldn’t be clamoring to go back. They also have the Korean barbeque tables where you cook food yourself which might be kind of fun to try as well. But honestly, I can’t quite figure out if I just don’t really like Korean food that much, or if I just haven’t had really good Korean yet. I am not sure. But so far neither of the Indy Korean places I have been to have tempted me back for a second visit. I would love to hear what you all think.
Mama’s House Korean Restaurant 8867 Pendleton Pike Indy 46226 317/897-0808 http://mamaskoreanrestaurant.liveonatt.com/
There has been at least one personal upside to governmental budget tightening -- the day lilies that line our road haven't been mowed this year. And so last night when a friend gave me a ride home, they were in full, glorious, beautiful bloom.
photo by Charlie Woodroof
"Did you know you can eat those?" my friend asked.
I did not.
My friend had learned this, she said, from reading Euell Gibbon's Stalking the Wild Asparagus many, many years ago. Now she would never call herself an old hippie, which I do. Or at least I used to. I'm not sure someone who's never read Euell Gibbon's 60's classic is still allowed to do that . . .
This morning, I got up and did some research about the culinary possibilities of day lilies. It turns out they are not only edible, but somewhat nutritious.
Day Lily (per 100g) Hemerocallis fulva Calories 42 Protein 2g Fat .4g Calcium 87mg Phosphorus 176mg Iron 1.2mg Sodium 24mg Potassium 170mg Vitamin A 3,000 I.U. Thiamin .16mg Riboflavin .21mg Niacin .8mg Vitamin C 88mg
And they are also versatile--who knew one could prepare stuffed day lilies, day lily fritters, and day lily cheesecake. Not to mention
Oriental Daylily Buds
2 cups daylily buds 1 tablespoon peanut oil 1/3 cup almond slivers 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger 1 Tbs. Rice wine vinegar 1 Tbs. Tamari or soy sauce 1 Tbs. Water 2 cups cooked brown rice
Steam daylily buds for 10-15 minutes, until tender. In a wok or heavy skillet, heat the oil over a high heat until very hot. Add the almond slivers, saute until browned. Quickly remove the almonds from the pan, set aside. Turn heat down to medium. Add grated ginger and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add vinegar, tamari, and water. Stir to mix. Toss in daylily buds. Serve over hot rice, topped with sauteed almonds. Serves 4.
So why am I blogging about day lilies on the day General McChrystal may lose his job, the Gulf Coast is under siege from its own economic life blood, Nicky Haley wins the GOP nomination for governor in South Carolina, the U.S. must win or go home in World Cup soccer, and Kenneth Turan gives a Tom Cruise movie a good review?
Because, as Sir Edmund Hillary said of Mount Everest, they are there, all those lilies of the fields; allowed to bloom this year as an accident of governmental cost-cutting. And, I thought that even in the midst of all the other turmoil in our lives, they are worth taking note of.
Even if you decide not to stir-fry them for lunch.
As if World Cup was not time consuming enough here comes Wimbledon as well. Rafa is back and ready to go after missing last year’s tournament with knee tendinitis. We all know how disappointing that was. It's great to see him here again brimming with confidence and playing in good health! There was a small bit of controversy before the tourney started because Wimbledon decided to rank Federer as the top seed and Nadal as No. 2 even though the world rankings are currently the opposite. I admit I'm a little insulted on Rafa's behalf. I wouldn't really care except that I think part of their reason is total bullshit. They said they that grass is it's own surface and deserves it's own considerations, plus both players would still be positioned at the right places in the bracket only on different sides. I would've been more accepting if they'd just said "Look, Federer has won this tournament 6 times and while mathematically he's slightly behind Rafa in points, we still believes he deserves to be the top seed at this event." Because the rest is just spin. Nadal is more dominant on clay than Federer is on grass, but when it came time for the French Open this year, that tournament didn't rank him over Federer. There were no surface considerations given there. Plus which half they fall on can be very important because it determines their road to the final. Take, for instance, Federer. Because he was ranked No. 1 he almost wound up losing his 1st Round Match against Alejandro Falla of Colombia barely surviving after going down 2 sets to love with a 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1), 6-0 victory. Had he been ranked No. 2, he'd have instead faced Kei Nishikori whom Rafa easily beat in 3 sets 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. Now both men are through to the 2nd round and Fed has a chance to regroup. I don't want Federer to win this year, but I didn't want him to lose like that either. He's got much tougher competition coming up in later rounds he better be ready for.
(Federer's down but not out!)
But the most important thing to focus on here is that Rafa is playing well. His road to the final isn't without obstacles. He's got Murray and Soderling in his half of the draw and several other players who could possibly beat Nadal, if they are at their best and he has is not. Hopefully he'll make it through! One round at a time though. Next up is Robin Haase from the Netherlands. Rafa never played Haase before. Haase, just beat James Blake in a disappointing 1st round match where Blake got into a heated exchange with Pam Shriver of all people! It's not good when the players and commentators go at it. So Rafa and Haase play on Thursday. The Queen may also be on hand for that match! Exciting, no? She hasn't been there since 1977! Why she's going on the first Thursday of the tournament after all these years is unclear to me, but I'm sure there's a good reason. Vamos!
I really admire people who want to make a living in the arts and are willing to get out there and hustle to make it happen.
I also really admire people who play musical instruments I've never heard of.
Denise Zito, who's written two fine Civic Soapbox essays, has a musician daughter, Suz Zito Slezak, who does both. That's her, pictured below, making music on something called a Donkey Jawbone. (She also fiddles and sings harmony). Beside her are David Wax (middle) and Jordan Wax, the two other members of the band The David Wax Museum. They are one of those bands that is never not playing gigs -- which is, after all, exactly what it takes to get your music out there. (check out their the band's large presence in NPR's Here and Now story on Mexico-centric Indie rock)
These three folks describe their band as a a "jarana-strumming, donkey jawbone-whacking, accordion-pumping folk group out of Boston." Their website describes the David Wax Museum as "infus[ing] Mexicanson into its literary, countrified folk rock." A donkey jawbone (quijada), by the way, is a traditional Mexican percussion instrument and a jarana is a small Mexican guitar. The David Wax Museum's music, in other words, is music that's never seen the inside of a box.
WMRA really is a community operation. A listener happened to hear Suz's band in Staunton and took pains to let me know that she'd been entranced, to put it mildly. Then another listener let me know that the David Wax Museum is one of three finalists in competition to appear at this year's Newport Folk Festival. As we do get by with a little help from our mother's fellow public radio station listeners, I got Suz's phone number, called and asked her to let me know what the deal was. Here's what she e-mailed back:
"Hi, I'm Suz, from The David Wax Museum. We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we were chosen as a top three finalist for a competition to get to play at the famous Newport Folk Festival! Over 150 bands submitted applications for these three spots and the band with the most votes by June 30 will get to play at Newport. The voting is neck and neck, so we need your help!
This is a huge opportunity for us! Playing at Newport would not only allow us to perform in front of thousands of music-lovers, but would also give us a chance to meet some of the most renowned artists in the country.
We would be honored and most grateful to receive your vote! It's very easy and only takes two minutes of your time. Thank you so much and we hope to see you when we're back in Virginia!"
Here's how to vote to send The David Wax Museum to the Newport Folk Festival (it takes less than 2 minutes!):
2. Type in your birthday 3. Scroll down and click "REGISTER" to vote in this poll
4. Enter information (only fields with asterisks are required) a. username b. email address (any old email address will do!) c. zip code d. password 5. Unclick "newsletter" (unless you want to receive the Magic Hat newsletter!) 6. Click "Create new account" 7. Click on the dot next to our band to VOTE for David Wax Museum!
I would never, ever use this blog to suggest that you do something. But I do think it's part of this blog's mission to let you know what is going on out there in WMRA Land -- including the Boston branch of it!
So, if you are so moved, give The David Wax Museum a listen and take it from there . . .
Someone recently told me that Five Guys was like In ‘n Out Burger in California and I quickly went from not being that interested in trying it, to becoming quite intrigued. I loved In ‘n Out, and even though there wasn’t one is San Francisco proper for quite awhile, hubby and I would regularly do a trip to the ‘burbs just to get one.
The first thing I noticed about Five Guys when I walked in was how clean it was inside. Everything was spotless. I should warn any readers with nut allergies though, that they have help yourself boxes of peanuts on the counter to eat at your table. I say “warn” because as a Mom with a child with nut allergies, this made this place a no go with the kids for me. Which is sort of a shame because the kids would probably like it. They have several signs up saying you cannot take the nuts out of the store for allergy concerns.
The menu is very simple and straightforward—they have “regular” burgers which are actually double patties of beef, and “little” burgers which are singles. They also have several hot dog variations and a couple of sandwiches. The only side item is the freshly made fries. I liked the fact that they had a sign next to the counter that told you where your potatoes were from on this particular day.
Well, I think I liked the fries better than the burgers, so I will start there. The fries, as I said, are freshly cut and fried—not the frozen things you get a lot of places. You can certainly taste this in them. Now, they aren’t super crispy fries, but they have a very pleasant, fresh potato (with a bit of skin left on), slightly starchy taste. They did actually remind me a bit of the In ‘n Out Burger fries which are also hand cut and made fresh. And they give you a TON of them. Hubby and I split an order (based on recommendations I had read elsewhere) and still barely put a dent in them. They fill up a little cup, put it in your bag, and then dump two more big scoopfuls in there too. But with the fresh taste, I could see how they could possibly become addicting. And they still held up, even though we got it to go.
The burgers were, as hubby put it, “a quality product” (he had the regular double patty). They aren’t amazing, but they are obviously very fresh and are cooked to order. You can choose from several toppings, including things like jalapenos, grilled mushrooms, and grilled onions. I went with the “little” burger with my usual, cheese, ketchup and extra pickle as toppings, just so I could compare it to my other standbys. They are sort of mid way between the really thin burgers and the really fat ones. But even with only one patty, I would say this is not a “little” burger in my book. It was a ton of food I thought, particularly when you factored in the fries.
So, in some ways the burgers are similar to In ‘n Out, because they are fresh and the buns are quite soft and they are approximately the same size (these are a bit bigger I’d say), but I can’t quite say they can live up to that In ‘n Out craving I used to get in California. A good burger, but not really craveable to me.
Five Guys Burger 5317 East 82nd Street (with several other locations) Indy, 46250 317/598-0023 www.fiveguys.com
I keep a row of wounded plants that need extra tending on the lip of our garage. This year one of them, a snapdragon whose roots were attacked by a vole, didn't make it. But as I didn't need the pot for another struggling garden resident, I left the dead plant and its pot where it was.
Charlie, however, did need the saucer under it. And when he went to pick it up, a piece of the dirt in the pot blinked.
We Woodroofs run a very live-and-let-live household, at least as far as toads are concerned. Toads are welcome in our pots, anytime. Charlie and I, personally, don't want to live in pots, but if living in our pot floats this particular toad's boat, then who are we to tell a toad it shouldn't be doing that.
Charlie and I try hard to extend that attitude to people, as well, and to carry it beyond our one acre of Rockingham County. But for us, as for everyone else, it's sometimes a challenge to let others be. The trick, I think, is not to let the fact that others' behavior may not be like ours and so may make us uncomfortable, give us permission to believe that it is also wrong.
I was thinking about the toad in the pot this morning as I read about President Obama's Father's Day proclamation; thinking about how we humans do love our rules, our rigid codes, our "morality" -- all those human social concoctions that makes us feel that how we live is right and how those who live differently are wrong. During the proclamation, President Obama noted that:
Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a step father, a grandfather, or caring guardian.
A presidential Father's Day proclamation is tradition; honoring "two father" families is not. And I cannot think of anything that makes many people in this country more nervous than the idea that such a practice should be considered normal.
The comments on 44, the Washington Post's political blog on the president, were predictably disapproving . . .
Georges 2: I'll try to make it simple for you. Americans are sick and tired of their traditions and their values being maligned and trampled on. They're sick and tired of people like you trying to change everything from Christmas to Father's Day to Easter. This country was founded by Christians, htruman1, and we're not backing down. . . .
37thand0street Time for the gays to just STOP PUSHING THEIR AGENDA ON EVERYONE ELSE.
AND CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE TAUGHT ANYTHING ABOUT THE GAY AGENDA - the GAY AGENDA SHOULD STAY OUT OF THE SCHOOLS. This stuff has to stop. The leftists are way out of line on this issue.
logicprevails: What is this idiot who doubles as the Mainstream Media's President up to now?
I did find one post by someone who welcomed the president's reference to gay families . . .
kecooper23: As a 24 year old lesbian who plans on having children with my partner of 6 years, this was such a great moment for our country. The thing is, whether people like it or not, gay people are in this country, and they have families. Either we can talk about it and try to understand, or we can be totally hush hush about the matter. But no matter what, it is still happening and it is going to keep happening. If you have questions, ask, but please do not judge because you don't know or understand. And for those of you who keep bringing religion into this matter, I appreciate how worried you seem for the GLBT community, but please just worry about yourself. Thank you!
Worrying about ourselves, now there's a real challenge. Why are we humans so eager to judge each other? What the heck do we get out of it?
Charlie says it's a reach to compare human and toad lifestyles, but I'm less sure of this. A useful metaphor is a useful metaphor is a useful metaphor.
I crouch down beside the toad in the pot whenever I wander out into our garage. I look at toad; toad looks at me. I can't for the life of me see that either one of us needs to spend a second being uncomfortable about the other's ways. . .
Martha note: I don't usually post on Saturday, but I got the following note from Dream Act Virginia that I thought I should pass on. As always, your comments are welcome . . .
Immigrant Student Advocacy Group Gets a “Yes” on the DREAM Act from Sen. Mark Warner
WASHINGTON D.C., June 18, 2010: On Wednesday of this week, six immigrant high school and college graduates from Harrisonburg, Virginia, arrived in Senator Mark Warner’s D.C. office wearing graduation caps and matching shirts emblazoned with the words “Support the DREAM Act.” It was one of Senator Warner’s monthly “Congressional Coffee” events where Virginia residents are able to nab a photo opportunity and, for the persistent, a few minutes to advocate for an issue important to them. For the first time, Senator Warner stated he would vote “Yes” on the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act, known as the DREAM Act, if it came to the floor of the Senate.
Amidst a crowd of visiting Virginians and lobbyists, the young DREAM Act team wound their way toward the Senator in order to use their personal stories to urge him to co-sponsor the DREAM Act. DREAM Activist – Virginia leader, Isabel, told Senator Warner her story. She was brought to the United States at age 6 by her parents without documents (although her father had work papers). She passed through local schools and received a bachelor degree with honors in social work. But even after 19 years in the Valley, she still cannot get a social security number and work due to her legal status. The group then urged Senator Warner to co-sponsor the legislation this year rather than wait for comprehensive immigration reform.
The futures of these high achieving graduates rest in the Act, which would provide a pathway, via higher education or military service, to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors, have no criminal background and have lived in the United States for at least five consecutive years. At present, the DREAM Act has 38 co-sponsors. It is currently the only immigration bill proposal receiving Senate consideration so far this year. It needs 13 more co-sponsors for Senator Durbin (IL), the chief sponsor and Senate Majority Whip, to bring it to the floor for a Senate vote.
Senator Warner has thus far refrained from committing to co-sponsorship of the Act. However, according to Isabel, “His verbal support is an encouraging sign.”
P.S. from Martha: If you missed the Virginia Insight program on the DREAM Act and would like to listen to Tom Graham's conversation with Nicole Budiuz, Bob Dane, Alexandria de Havilland, and Elizabeth A. Kohler Maya, here's a link to the Virginia Insight archives. Just click and scroll down until you reach the May 17th, 2010 program.
Hattie Pitts had just reached the part of her story where she would tell the teenagers about her husband going to jail. I knew because I’d heard her tell this tale every week for most of the summer. It was 1983 in the sultry south Georgia town of Americus, where I was six months into a volunteer term with Habitat for Humanity International. I had no construction skills to help Habitat build affordable homes for families like Hattie’s, but I helped in other ways, such as organizing these afternoon chats between future Habitat homeowners and teenage work campers.
All Habitat homeowners had to work sweat equity hours in building their own homes and other projects. To earn some of her hours, Hattie Pitts agreed to meet each week with a new group of mostly white, mostly affluent work campers and tell them what it was like for her growing up black and poor in south Georgia. Hers was a hard life, and I was astonished with Hattie’s openness in sharing her journey. She told about having to quit school in the third grade to pick cotton and earn a little money. She confessed that her lack of schooling left her with limited skills in reading and writing and made it difficult to get a job as an adult. Her voice could not hide the pain of her constant struggle for steady work.
What surprised me was that Hattie was not an old woman. She was a few years older than me but still under forty, and I couldn’t help thinking how different our lives had been. When I was coming home from school to play with dolls, Hattie was dragging a back-breaking sack through the cotton fields. I went to college and took foreign language courses for an easy credit, while Hattie struggled to hide her illiteracy from potential employers.
I was still single; Hattie was married but not happily. Then her husband was arrested and sent to prison for robbery, and she was left to care for four young children. The only place she could afford to rent was a crumbling house in a bad neighborhood, and friends encouraged her to apply for a Habitat house. She had been approved that spring, and her new home was under construction.
As Hattie neared the end of her story, I waited for the part that I loved best. Hattie described how being involved with Habitat had changed her life. She told about meeting volunteers from all around the United States and even other countries. She described how she was encouraged to try things she would never have tried on her own – things like hammering shingles on her roof or talking to 20 teenagers.
“These past months with Habitat for Humanity,” Hattie Pitts said fervently, “It’s been the best time of my life.” I found myself comparing my life with Hattie’s again. Since moving to Georgia, I had met volunteers from around the globe. I, too, had been encouraged to try things I never would have dreamed of trying on my own. I had met people with stories that stretched my world.
Yes, Hattie, I silently agreed. It’s been the best time of my life, too.
The noise. The din. This is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about Napolese. I even did a two visit review this time before writing this one just to make sure the first time wasn’t an aberration. Man, is this place loud. It’s a cute little place and I like the modern décor, black walls, open kitchen—but it is buzzing for sure. And the second time we went, shortly after the restaurant opened for the day, it wasn’t full on noisy yet, but by the time we left, as one of my dining companions put it, “it was prohibitively loud.” Now, the other person in our party later told me she really liked the atmosphere, and described it as "lively." She also commented she liked being able to talk without being overheard by the people at the next table. So I guess it depends on how you look at noise. It is a fine line for me, you don't want the restaurant to be a tomb, but I go on sensory overload when it is too noisy.
But on to the food. Both times I had the bruschetta appetizer to start. The first time I liked it better than the second. It was fresher and riper tasting, and I liked all the olives mixed into it. The second time, the tomatoes seemed a bit underripe and it didn’t have the tangy vinegar taste that I got the first time, and there weren’t nearly as many olives mixed in. We also had the warm goat cheese in marinara sauce. These dishes are served family style and are big enough to share. The bread is served on the side with them and you dish them out yourself. Which inherently, I do not have a problem with, but the pieces of bread (obviously slivers of the pizza dough) were far too skinny to be proper for topping or even dipping. They were probably an inch wide, and not crispy at all, so it was somewhat challenging to get the stuff on top of the bread--epecially the bruschetta. And actually, thinking about it, the word “bruschetta” means toasted or grilled bread (read crunchy) topped with various things. Yes, usually the most common topping is a tomato mixture when you see this on a menu around here. But the bread should be crunchy. That is all I am saying. Or at least wide enough that you can put some stuff on it. We also had the warm goat cheese in marinara sauce as an app. The goat cheese was really tasty. The marinara at Napolese has a great flavor. And at least it was easier to scoop up with the little pieces of soft crust. On my first visit I also tried the arugula salad. It is certainly large, and big enough to share, but it was underdressed and really all you could taste was the very peppery arugula. There was a lemon wedge on the side, which helped a bit, but more dressing is really what the salad needed.
As for pizzas, I have tried a few. I will say, one thing about Napolese, this place is dialed in to really interesting sounding toppings (at least to me). Two pizzas feature sunny side up eggs, which is a favorite of mine since the first time I had one in Rome. The first time I went, I had the “broken yolk” pizza with the chicken egg (as opposed to the quail eggs) which was nice. It was a margherita pizza, just tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella and basil with the egg in the middle. It was a little challenging in that you had to cut it yourself (I assume so as not to break the yolk before its time) but a big knife and a pizza are sort of awkward. Honestly, I am not sure how to remedy this situation, and I can’t honestly remember if the pizzas I have had with egg before were cut or not, but I certainly don’t remember cutting them myself. This may have been my favorite of the bunch that I have tried so far though as far as flavor.
We also had the Meridian Kessler which was the basic red pie (tomato sauce and cheese) with spicy sausage and mushrooms and aged provolone. This was tasty (my dining companions were quite happy with it for sure). The sausage certainly had a bit of spice to it, and while maybe not all would agree, I enjoyed the whole button mushrooms here. This was a traditional combo for sure, but still came across as a bit unique.
Finally, we had a special pizza of the day. This pizza was explained as morels, fiddlehead ferns and ricotta. It was a white pizza (i.e. no sauce) and was described by our server as “amazing.” Now, she pretty much had me at morels, even though they were Oregon morels… I was very excited to try it. Unfortunately, this one didn’t come together for me. I thought the morels were a bit sandy to really enjoy (even though they were cut into pieces) and the fiddlehead ferns a bit too crunchy. It was also a bit too dry for me too, and I often love a pizza without the traditional marinara. Both of my friends agreed with this assessment and declared they liked the sausage/mushroom pizza much better.
The thing that makes this kind of pizza for me is the crust though, and this was good. I enjoyed mopping up the leftover goat cheese and marinara with my crusts. And again, the marinara on the pizza was quite good as well. But the goat cheese app was so much better with the crusts, because they were so much bigger than the bread that was served with the apps. They really need to come up with a better plan on the bread they serve with these kind of starters.
We also had a dessert pizza, which was the crust drizzled with Nutella (a chocolate hazelnut spread) with a scoop of gelato (from Zingerman’s). Man, this was sweet. Super sweet. Maybe just a little over the top even for me, and I love Nutella. I would love to see something using the crust and maybe the chocolate sugars from Petite Chou and then a little Gelato on top. (What? A girl can dream)-- Something just a little less gooey I guess.
Ok, Napolese has some things that bug me, but the good news is, some of them are at least potentially fixable (the bread the bread the bread!) (and my guess is there is something they could do about the noise if they want to). And there are some positive things too--I love the sound of a lot of the pizza combos--the “BLT,” or bacon, caramelized leeks and Taleggio sounds delish as does the “PFG” which is pancetta, roasted fingerlings, and gorgonzola. That’s what I mean-- nearly every pie has some intriguing and interesting topping combos that really make you think you need to try them all. And hey, next time I want to go somewhere with my kids and not worry about the noise, I may just take them here.
Napolese 114 East 49th Street Indy 46205 317/925-0765 www.cafepatachou.com
(I'm happy Soderling is gone too, Rafa.) 
