Dinner and a show

So the evening began at Ben's. You know that an appreciation of good deli is in my genes, and Ben's has become a Long Island institution and a favorite place to satisfy my cravings.

I'd never been to this location before. Its proximity to the Tilles Center is what drew us here.

The food was excellent, the same quality I have come to expect from Ben's. Crisp cole slaw, half sour and sour pickles are placed on every table.

Tonight I ordered a soup and sandwich combo. Matzo ball soup -- a clear chicken broth with thin noodles and a large, fluffy matzo ball, served with a few slices of challah and margarine, could have been a meal unto itself. Half a sandwich, rye overstuffed with hot pastrami, so large I couldn't finish it. And yes, the square knishes are finally back -- Gabila's has finally recovered from last September's fire.

The food did not disappoint.


The service, however. . . Nothing major went wrong, but a lot of small things added up to a disappointing experience. One of our party got her hamburger long before the rest of us got our sandwiches. A sandwich ordered with Russian on the side was served without dressing. French fries did not arrive until we were almost finished with our meal. No one offered drink refills. When the waiter was told that we were pressed for time (the Tilles Center was beckoning) he said he would get our check "right away" -- then went to chitchat with a group at another table. I suspect they are frequent diners at this location.

Then it was on to the Tilles Center and a touring production of "Man of La Mancha".

I saw "Man of La Mancha" with my temple youth group at the Westbury Music Fair in 1972. It was the second professional show I'd seen (the first being "Fiddler", of course). It starred Howard Keel and Lainie Kazan. Westbury is set up as theater in the round, perfect for the minimalist set used in most productions. Loved the show so much that I appropriated my father's original cast recording and played it over and over . . .

Tonight was the first time I'd seen a production of the show since 1972.

Overall I liked the show, but . . .well, when your supporting players outshine your leads. . ..Sancho was excellent, but Don Quixote was weak and Aldonza sounded like a good girl pretending to be bad. They did the whole show without an intermission, as written. The flamenco dancing before the overture was a nice touch.

Nevertheless, live theater and hot pastrami = a happy songbird.





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Spring forward!

Didn't we just fall back?

Honestly, Daylight Saving Time in early March?


I hope this means spring is just around the corner!

Scott Shannon, part 3

So I listened to The Todd Show on WPLJ for about a week. Todd and his entourage of pop culture experts. I am sure that eventually he will hit his stride with his new format, but right now it sounds like he's trying too hard.

And then on Monday, the legendary Scott Shannon took his seat at WCBS-FM. And it was like reuniting with an old friend. He sounds like he's been at WCBS since forever.

I have to admit, the music variety at PLJ doesn't do it for me. I think they're calling it hot adult contemporary, with a playlist from the 1990's to today. I like it, but I don't love it. I listened to Scott and Todd, but after morning drive time I moved on to other stations.

I like oldies. I like WCBS. I listen to WLTW, Lite FM. I listen to classic rock on Q104. I listen to Long Island stations -- oldies on B103, adult contemporary on WKJY and WALK-FM.

I think PLJ has lost a listener.

I will be interested to see how this plays out, I want to see the Arbitron ratings. CBS didn't need the star power of Scott Shannon. LTW was the number one station until recently, when CBS overtook it. PLJ has always been a bit further down the list. I'm wondering if PLJ can attract new listeners to replace those of us following Scott to CBS.


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amazing commercial

I can't believe they were able to do this -- Audrey Hepburn and Dove Chocolate

It's all computer generated.  As so "Audrey".

Mother Nature, you've gone too far...when will it be spring?

Drew and I were supposed to get together with friends yesterday.  A nice dinner at a Japanese restaurant, with friends we've known since forever, to celebrate our recent birthdays.

Except that everyone was panicked over the impending snowstorm.  Forecast said the snow would begin sometime Sunday, get worse overnight and create a disaster for the Monday morning commute.

By mid-afternoon we decided to postpone.  Not worth the hassle.


So of course the snow didn't happen.  At least, not here -- southern New Jersey took the hit, but we just got a dusting of snow.  Just enough to cover the grass.

I shouldn't complain about it.  You don't have to shovel "a dusting" of snow, after all.

But I am so sick of this weather!!!

Sigh - family troubles - again

This time it's Drew's sister.

S lives with Uncle M, her father's brother. Uncle M lost his wife a few years ago, and they never had children. When he moved in with S he was healthy and vital, and still working despite having reached retirement age. Now he is 87 and in poor health. S has become his caregiver. She is not happy about it and she's doing a very poor job of it.

S recently told Drew "Uncle M can't come to Becca's graduation. He will have dialysis that day." This statement was followed by a dozen reasons why S can't come to the graduation either.

Really? Really?

I kind of think that the medical staff over at a Good Sam, given 3 months' notice, could figure out a way for Marvin to go to graduation. S just doesn't want to put in the effort because she doesn't want to go.

Sigh.


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March comes in like a lion