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June 30, 2006
Picnic Season Activity: Fried Chicken in the Park
You'll find the cakehead crew eating cold fried chicken and listening to TV on the Radio at the Prospect Park Bandshell tonight:
Event: Celebrate Brooklyn Presents: TV ON THE RADIO / MATT POND PA / VOXTROT
Location: Prospect Park Bandshell, Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Directions: Click here for directions
Time: 6:30
Fee: $3
Posted by Cakehead at 06:11 PM | Comments (0)
June 29, 2006
A Girl's Best Friend
Last night at Jeff Bechtel's art opening at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in Chelsea we met someone who has as much appreciation for meat as we have. Bad Shannon has been designing jewelry that features a girl's true best friend. Who needs diamonds when we can have little steak chop, sausage and drumstick charms on a bracelet?
Earlier this month Shannon Sberna took part in a group show at Third Space Gallery in St. John, New Brunswick where she transformed her 3-D charms to the flat surfaces of bathroom walls. Check out her meat wallpaper:
Posted by Cakehead at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
June 28, 2006
Wax Candy
We'll give the inventors of Ear Wax candy a big thumbs up for inventiveness.
[From Stupid.com]
Posted by Cakehead at 01:55 AM | Comments (1)
June 26, 2006
For those who live to eat, Chowhound has relaunched
For those frustrated with the low-tech Chowhound message board of yester-year, you're in luck. Chowhound has relaunched and will become a part of CNET's Chow.com network.
Don't worry, all you old school Chowhounders. The old version of the site will still be accessible.
To read an interview by Professor Salt with Jim Leff, co-founder of Chowhound click here.
[tip from Kevin K]
Posted by Cakehead at 02:38 PM | Comments (0)
June 25, 2006
Jesus on Jesus Baking Action
If bread represents the body of Christ, does bread baked in a Jesus-shaped baking pan respresent Jesus with skin grafts? Now you can order the Jesus Pan and "Put the Image of Jesus RIGHT ON FOOD!" (The all-caps and exclamation point are theirs, not ours.)
What a great new way to prove your love for Christ by cluttering your already cramped cupboards with yet another As Seen on TV sales offer. Jesus would sure be proud of their convincing pitch:
JesusPan is made from durable steel and topped with a non-stick coating....Holy images have been popping up all over... A grilled cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary sold for over 17-hundred dollars on Ebay.
They make the $29.95 price tag on the pans seem like a steal compared to the grilled cheese Mary, which, to get technical, is really just a slab of cheese sandwiched between two slices of Jesus, imprinted with Mary.
You too can bake Jesus on Jesus loaves and "Worship at every meal with the Jesus pan."
[Jesus Pan tip from Expired Foods]
Posted by Cakehead at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2006
Let them eat lettuce: Anemia-prevention Event
When our friend Kevin suggested that we push our non-red-meat-eating spouses in the direction of a lettuce patch and head to a combination documentary screening/hamburger tasting event this Saturday, we felt a great sense of relief to have someone else looking out for our slipping iron levels.
Here are the details:
Event: Screening of Hamburger America, George Motz’s documentary about the country’s favorite sandwich and all its variations.
Sample the burgers featured in the film and reproduced at Harry’s—like Wisconsin’s Butter Burger (served with a pat of butter) or the Guber Burger from Missouri (smeared with peanut butter).
When: Saturday, June 24
Time: 6-10 pm
Location: Water Taxi Beach, Hunter’s Point, 2nd St at Borden Ave, Long Island City, Queens.
Fee: Documentary screening is free, but you have to purchase advance ticket to ensure a taste of the burgers featutred in the documentary.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit watertaxibeach.com.
[Time Out via Kevin K]
In other Hamburger news, a Florida restaurant has been selling 20 oz burgers for $100. The burger is made of ground chuck from three continents and proceeds from the pricey sandwich will go towards the Make a Wish Foundation. We saw this ah-shucks style story while watching the morning news. It goes without saying that we've lost all respect for this version of the news. But we couldn't go without commenting on how the morning shows are becoming free publicity avenues for savvy businesses and how reporters are letting it happen.
The reporter presented the story as though its relevance was how the high pricetag of a hamburger was benefitting the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Curious about how much of the hundred bucks the foundation would see, we did a little digging and discovered that the restaurant will keep $90, passing on a mere $10 the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Once again we're left wondering who the fools are who are producing the local news stories.
Posted by Cakehead at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2006
Carving Melon into Crabs
At first glance these masterfully carved fruits look like freshly steamed crabs. But as crabby as they look they're actually melons. This and other melon carvings can be found at the website Eurodance.
Posted by Cakehead at 02:44 PM | Comments (1)
Eggcellent Art
Can anyone read Japanese characters? We think this installation egg sculpture is a statement about money. Unfortunately, we need more than a good eggchange rate to figure out the correlation between the eggs and the cash. Please send your translations/interpretations to us.
At least the chickens would be pleased with this bird's-eye-view of the installation.
[From Home Studio via J00wish Stumbleupon]
Posted by Cakehead at 07:32 AM | Comments (1)
June 21, 2006
CAKEHEAD OF THE WEEK: SHROUDING THE NEWS WITH FROSTING
So here's a news bulletin which we know is restating the obvious: USA Today is not a good newspaper....unless you're searching for food-related headlines. This is why we are awarding USA Today with the CAKEHEAD of the WEEK AWARD - for keeping us blissfully in the dark about all matters except that which we care about most: cake. The cake we present is shrouded in a flag, in the same way that USA Today shrouds the news with its icing-like stories made of fatty sweetness and air.
We wouldn't typically turn to this rag for information, but the hotel where we're staying left a copy hanging on our door and who can resist the gigantic font-size and bright blue masthead. Naturally we had to skim it for the national and world news. Here's what we found:
In the Nation section, "Fluffernutter ban hard to swallow in Mass." was the first headline that grabbed our eye. A full two paragraphs are dedicated to how state lawmakers in Massachusetts are working on a bill to limit the number of times school lunch programs can serve the delicious Marshmellow Fluff/peanut butter combo. Currently, if the dining service wanted to, they could serve it every day of the week! The new law would only allow one appearance per week of the Fluffernutter on school lunch trays.
If they were working to ban the Fluffernutter altogether, we can understand it being an appropriate story for page 3 of USA Today. But the sandwich will still be available at least once a week, even if the bill is passed.
In the World section a story about Santa's elves preceeds a story about North Korea's long-range missile testing. It seems that USA Today has taken the public's request for positive news reporting to heart. What could be more uplifting than learning that:
Santa Park in Finnish Lapland has turned a profit for the first time after cost cuts...Willie Rajala, director of the 8-year-old park, credits a change in philosophy. "We are not open every day, but a couple of months in witner and another couple of months during summer."
Ahh. That's so much more uplifting than learning that North Korea has missiles that could potentially reach USA. Thanks USA Today!
Posted by Cakehead at 06:35 PM | Comments (1)
June 20, 2006
Spray It: Tricks to Play on Children
We know there are rumors circulating that children don't like vegetables. We think there are a number of explanations that take the blame off the poor vegetables.
Often parents present the vegetables as though eating them will be a chore. If a little enthusiasm accompanied the serving of fresh leaves of spinach or the sweet, tartness of a beefy tomato, maybe the kid's reaction would mirror the parent's.
Unfortunately shopping at farmers markets for vegetables that were ripened on the vine or grown in soil instead of water is not the reality for most. Could it be that the negative reactions that kids have to vegetables is a result of eating produce that tastes like water or crunch and is completely lacking in flavor?
Well, now there's a company capitalizing on the bad reputation of vegetables. Innovative Candy Concepts seems to think that they have the solution to trick your kids into eating their vegetables. We happen to think that the solution could not be more revolting, but we're anxious to see if they have any success.
Innovative Candy Concepts has created a collection of candy-flavored sprays aimed at parents who haven't successfully managed to play the role of vegetable ambassador to their children. Parents can choose from four flavors: strawberry, blueberry, green apple and watermelon and flavors range from sour to super sweet so parents can select the level of sugar they want to spray on everything from brussel sprouts to broccoli.
Armand Hammer, CEO of the company said, "We'd like to seel it as a serious product, not as a novelty."
We're sure broccoli-hating Bush senior will take the product seriously. Maybe he'd still be on good terms with broccoli growers if Innovative Candy Concepts had sugarcoated this blechy vegetable back when he was president.
And for the parents who never learned to fill up on a healthy serving of vegetables and are now trying to lose weight, another company called Flavor Spray is offering a no-calorie sprays so you can spritz a mist of maple syrup on your pancakes, pesto on your pasta or cheddar cheese on your baked nacho chips. For a complete list of other flavors you can experience in mist form click here.
Posted by Cakehead at 05:43 PM | Comments (0)
Killing time on the Garden State
The trip from start to finish should have lasted two hours, tops. In a state that claims to have enough gardens to boast about it in their state slogan, we expected more. We had left the salt grass and sea lavender behind, bound for Brooklyn. But with the wildlife refuge five miles back, we saw little evidence that New Jersey had bragging rights for anything more than their traffic congestion and asphalt garden stretching from the beach all the way to Staten Island.
For the four and half hours (that should have been two) we had to turn to our fellow travelers on the highway for amusement. We were impressed by the clever names that boat owners had adopted for their yachts. We have compiled a list of our favorite boat names. To qualify for our list the boat needed to incorporate an ocean theme AND a reference to food or drink into its name:
On the Rocks
Aquaholic
Fin & Tonic
Egg-Sta-Sea
Pepsea
Sole Food
Fish n Ships
Tuna Helper
Sea Biscuit
Abercrabby and fish
...And our personal favorite: I cannoli imagine.
Okay, so there's no reference to sea in the last one, but any boat with an Italian dessert in its name deserves credit for trying.
Posted by Cakehead at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2006
Gutting with John
It was a perfect weekend for fleeing the dirty heat that radiates from New York City when the temperature rises above 80 degrees. We prefer weather that encourages rather than discourages baking. And with the weekend weather predictions being what they were we knew there was no way that any cakes were going to be cooked. So when a friend invited us to venture to a not so faraway shore to witness his fishing prowess firsthand we could not resist. We heard that the red striped bass were begging to be snatched from the shallow waters. So while we hit the waves, John worked his fisherman magic, shore-casting with clam bait.
We only managed to body surf a couple of waves before we noticed his fishline becoming taut. After a struggle, John had hauled in dinner. With the slaughtering board and fillet knife awaiting we dashed back to our cottage and prepared the first fresh fish of the season.
Posted by Cakehead at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2006
Best spots to picnic this weekend
East River Amphitheater
Picnic season has arrived. We've compiled a short list of the best spots to picnic this Saturday:
The East River Amphitheater (The East River Park)
The Hudson River gets all the credit, but one our favorite breezy summer picnic spots is situated near the underappreciated river, the East one. Even on the hottest days you can sit in the shade at the East River Amphitheater and feel the cool breeze blowing through the trees while listening to up-and-coming bands that The East River Music Project has booked.
Event: The East River Music Project presents four bands: Meneguar, Human Television, Mobius Band and Saturday Looks Good To Me.
Date: Saturday, June 17th
Time: 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Directions: Click here for directions. It's off the beaten path, but worth the hike.
Cost: Free
Event: Laurie Anderson, Celebrate Brooklyn
If you crave a crowd while picnicing, this is the place to go. It's guaranteed to be mobbed. If you prefer to observe from a distance or are a suffering enochlophobe, find a distant grassy patch in Prospect Park and listen in on "this rare outdoor hometown appearance [where] she will perform new, old and improvised music and stories, joined by fellow musicians Skuli Sverrisson and Peter Scherer. The captivating Tuvan throat singers of Chirgilchin start the evening off with an opening set and will also join Anderson on stage."
Date: Saturday, June 17th
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Prospect Park Bandshell (Prospect Park West & 9th Street, Park Slope)
Cost: Free, $3 Suggested Donation
Posted by Cakehead at 09:38 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2006
An Important Ethical Question for Vegetarians
the bacon vest - an idea in its infancy
We know most vegetarians wouldn't choose to eat bacon. But would they wear a vest made of stitched strips of the fatty flesh? You can find inventions like the bacon vest at HalfBakery, a forum for those with an inventor's mind, but not a lot of common sense.
Po the "inventor" of the bacon vest, described his vision as "a pleasing design of alternate streaky and back bacon. stitched with bacon rind and seasoned to taste."
We are experts in cake, not fashion. But from a personal standpoint we feel that a vest is always a bad idea (although we love the idea of fashion you can eat).
Posted by Cakehead at 01:51 AM | Comments (1)
June 13, 2006
Tonight: Taste Brooklyn
Taste of the Nation, Brooklyn may be one of our favorite events the city has to offer. Tonight, for a fee, you can get access to rows and rows of tables filled with delicious samples from many of our favorite Brooklyn restaurants. 100% of the money from ticket sales goes to help non-profits like God's Love We Deliver, City Harvest and Just Food.
Last year we had so much fun we lingered until the clean up crew started making the rounds. Our persistence paid off when we discovered an unclaimed box of Corazon tequila. We drank well for months.
If the food and alcohol is not lure enough, the lovely Colson Whitehead, will be there signing books. In our eyes, Colson presence is enough to sweeten any event.
When: June 13, 2006, 6pm to 10pm
Location: Tobacco Warehouse
Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, DUMBO
Buy Tickets
Fee: $75
Posted by Cakehead at 06:00 PM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2006
How Deep is the East River? How High is this Thigh?
There are few restaurants in Williamsburg that can boast even a glimpse of the East River. Yesterday, with the wind blowing hard we wanted nothing more than to dust off our Sunfish sailboat and haul it to the East River from its holding tank in New Hampshire and sail the open channels with the Brooklyn & Manhattan skyline surrounding us. Unfortunately, we were without a car and sufficient haul time. So instead we did the next best thing. We made a beeline for one of the few Williamsburg restaurants with a river view: Pies & Thighs. If you sit at the correct table you can get a straight on shot of the waves lapping the concrete underneath the Williamsburg Bridge - all this while you knock back a few Arnold Palmers (half ice tea, half lemonade - that could have used a few sprigs of mint to add that extra kick), and biscuits and gravy.
It's a counter place so order your food inside and then the nice waitress with the deer tatoo will deliver it to you at your sidewalk table - or in the barbeque zone - a fenced in area with red checked tablecloths, folding chairs and fantastic views of the Williamsburg Bridge (sans East River).
Brunch for two was under 20 bucks. The money we didn't spend is going into the ZipCar fund so we can drag up our boat and begin picnic season sailing-style.
Pies & Thighs:
351 Kent Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211
near S. 5th St.
Posted by Cakehead at 12:46 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2006
How to Spend Your Friday
Friday, June 9
EAT: Free Godiva Ice Cream
Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm
Location: Luna Park (1 Union Square East at 17th St)
Fee: Free
Description: To kick off their "Diva Dreams" Series, Godiva "butlers" will be serving up "complimentary Godiva Ice Cream (while supplies last)... under a 16-ft. model of the Eiffel Tower constructed from more than 10,000 wooden Godiva ice cream sticks and hundreds of Godiva pints. The model is being designed and built by Pratt Institute's School of Architecture."
[WUNY via FreeNYC]
LISTEN: Body Rock Radio
Time: 12PM
Location: Rosie Live Music, 345 Grand St between Marcy Street and Havemeyer, Brooklyn, 718-599-0069
Train: L Train to Lorimer
Fee: Free
Description: Be old-school and listen to some B-side and 12inch remixes.
WATCH: Stalkers, Hit Men and other Lousy Friends
Rooftop Films
Time: 8:30PM
Location: Automotive High School
50 Bedford Ave between North 12th and Lorimer, Brooklyn
Train: L Train to Bedford Ave.
Fee: $8
Description: Incredible animations about unlikely and unlikable companions.
Posted by Cakehead at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)
Baby Carriage Back Ribs & other Barbequing Devices
For an impressive guide to grilling and smoking devices check out Netorama. The options are staggeringly extensive...
Grills like this one suggests bbqers take a new spin to grilling baby backribs:
Posted by Cakehead at 01:24 PM | Comments (0)
June 07, 2006
Escapism via Williamsburg Restaurants
For months now, work, travel and preoccupation with the guarding of important secrets have kept fellow cakeheaders from venturing out to explore the greater neighborhood around us. But with spring here and with a huge new umbrella to protect us from our favorite kind of weather, we have finally returned to the land that lured us to New York in the first place: the streets. We're on the hunt to uncover what's new and good, and what the New York Times and New York Magazine can't begin to understand.
While the leaves on the trees have been busy switching from pale yellow to verdant green, graffitied storefronts and warehouses on the outer reaches of Williamsburg have been transforming into restaurants, bars and shops. It's been happening for a while now. And the guys at FreeWilliamsburg.com are on the ball to document what's coming and going.
But we're searching for more than a restaurant. The restaurant is merely the excuse for the pursuit. It's the pursuit itself that we love. In the world of restaurant discovery, there may be nothing better than wandering down a long abandoned block, past metal gates and emptiness, then, in the distance you hear whispers of a song your old boyfriend used to play, and when the music's source is identified, you spot a tiny metal placard that announces that you've discovered a secret hidden venue that few have found. And you ring and are invited in and it turns out you've stumbled upon one of the city's underground eateries.
Since all are bound to experience spells of discontent with this city, we've found that wandering to the periphery of the comfort zone can cure anyone's escapist longings.
But because wandering is a side project and sampling costs money, we've had to create a small enterprise to fund our endeavors. Charm and wit can only get you so far, but we've found that with it, it's possible to earn a meager allowance from a small crop of sugar mamas and daddies who are lonely and in need of comfort and attention. Invite a stockbroker along for the adventure and you're guaranteed to have your meal paid for as well as a steady barrage of compliments about how you're different, better than the other ones. They might teach you something about investments too.
What we discovered:
1. There are fantastic NYC skyline views at the Dekalb stop on the L train. We always thought the L train shot us east, east, east. But in fact the L train curves north and distantly runs parallel with Manhattan. There's nothing better than a little warehouse in the foreground of your deco skyline cityscape.
2. Emerging from the subway at the Jefferson stop on the L train are more warehouses - but also a comforting restaurant called the Northeast Kingdom. We love the idea of the Northeast Kingdom because when we think about fleeing the city, the Northeast Kingdom is where we threaten to go. Now it's only four train stops away.
3. Contrary to recent reports, Northeast Kingdom does not serve wild game. But the report that they did inspired us to create our own wild game night barbeque.
4. You don't need to go to Manhattan for oysters. Marlow and Sons is serving them up in the back behind the country store. But watch out for the nasty waiter who is only nice to boy customers. Our jealous tendencies ran a little rampant when she didn't flirt with us too.
5. On some nights a certain gentlemen's club opens its doors to non-members. On these nights they are kind to outsiders who drink their beer and roll little balls in their pinball-like bowling machine.
6. Dresslers - the new and more expensive restaurant by the Dumont owner, Colin Devlin- has gotten a lot of press. And the food is good. But will they be able to last with those prices and a shortage of sugar parents?
Posted by Cakehead at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
