We Made a Blog

We could say it’s been quite a year at We Made a Blog but it hasn’t really been a year. Nevertheless, in these past few months we’ve felt new purpose in each step, sight and bite we’ve taken in the city (and its environs) that we love since we’ve been thinking about how to bring it to you. And we’re resolving to expand on that in the new year. Thanks for being there with us. A happy and a healthy and, as they say: Next year in NoLIta! Or something.

I’ve been asked to explain the New York Football Giants debacle on Sunday, they got creamed by the Carolina Panthers 41-9, to non-sports fan. OK, here goes. First of all, you have to understand two things about Sunday’s game: (1) it was the last time the Giants would be playing in Giants Stadium; and (2) if the Giants won, they had a realistic shot at making the playoffs. With regards to the first, I understand the closing of Giants Stadium doesn’t mean what the closing of Yankees stadium meant, nothing could mean what the Cathedral in the Bronx meant. However, Bruce Springsteen wrote an incredible song, “Wreckingball”, about Giant Stadium and Sunday, numerous all-time Giants, like Lawrence Taylor, Michael Strahan, Carl Banks and Joe Morris were on the sidelines. Too bad Springsteen’s song was about a million times more inspiring then the effort put forth by the Giants. As for making the playoffs…well, that’s why they play the game.

Now, a little bit about the mindset of a die-hard football fan. You have to remember that unlike baseball, where there are 162 games a year, there are only 16 in football. As fans, the week really starts on Wednesday, when having digested what happened the Sunday before, we start thinking about the opponent. Saturday night feels like Christmas Eve, you can’t wait to get up eat, drink and watch your team unleash hell on their opponent. Sunday morning begins by putting on ESPN as soon as you wake up. Once Sunday rolls around, the whole day is built around football. If your team wins you are in a good mood all week, if they lose, you’re miserable. Put it this way, if you ask my 17-month old daughter “what does daddy do on Sunday?” She will always answer “football!”

Now, how do you explain Sunday’s loss to a non-fan? There are numerous ways a team loses, sometimes they just get beat because their opponent is better, sometimes they lose because every bounce goes the other team’s ways, and sometimes you lose because an opposing player turns into superman and there’s nothing you can do about it. None of that happened on Sunday. What happened on Sunday is that the Giants gave up. They raised a colossal middle finger to their fans.

Every Sunday, Giant fans expect two things, running the football down the other teams’ throat and playing smash mouth defense. Our heroes are guys like Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, Michael Strahan, Joe Morris, Rodney Hampton, OJ Anderson, Harry Carsons, Leonard Marshall, Phil Simms and Mark Bavaro – all tough as nail. Does anyone for a second think those guys would have let Carolina run wild all over them? For even a minute do you think Matt Moore wouldn’t have gotten planted into next year by LT and Strahan? Can you imagine Brad freakin’ Hoover rushing for big yardage against Banks, or Jesse Armstead or Harry Carson? NO WAY. (I understand that if you’re a non-fan you have no idea who those people are, so try this: Imagine if you’re watching 300 and you’re just waiting for the Spartans to start wrecking shop, and instead the Ommpa Loompa’s show up.)

In a must win game, the Giants looked like they just didn’t care. They looked like a bunch of little kids trying to tackle men. Carolina receiver Steve Smith had his arm shattered, and still held onto the football to score a touchdown. That’s the kind of dedication and heart we expect from our Giants –sadly there was none to be found in Big Blue this year.

Admiral Filthy McNasty, Special Guest Author

Walking to my car a few weeks ago, I noticed the smoked glass exterior of Bar Celona; the only signage on the cloaked entrance a golden “BC” logo. Intrigued but totally unsure of what was inside (a whiskey bar?), the locale was put in the memory bank as a place to check out.

The facade intrigues by being both stunning and intimidating. The sharp contrast of the bright logo on the dark entrance along with the inability to see inside leaves the passerby feeling like they are not nearly serious enough to enter.

Yet not entering is the last thing you should do. If you venture inside, you’ll be greeted by the warm, friendly and charmingly nerdy staff. Ease into a fur-lined chair or lounge on the long Chesterfield sofas suspended by chains. High-contrast is the aim, with deep wood veneers, black chandeliers and dark walls balanced by golden chains and other architectural elements thrown into relief by the blazing fireplace. The decor is pure opulence.

We were treated to hand-selected cocktails with lengthy but engrossing descriptions. The intent of Bar Celona is a tapas bar that prepares specialty cocktails from a world and time where bitters and eggs are stirred into drinks. I was unfortunately too late to sample anything from the kitchen but the drinks kept me plenty busy.

I sampled a modern spin on an Old Fashioned. It incorporated grapefruit peel, cherries and a whiskey that is barreled for just 36 hours, leaving it clear as vodka. I ordered this on the suggestion of the bartender who gave me the history of the drink and why it should appeal to me since I am a champion for  Jameson.

It’s this kind of service and pride that makes you forgive the $14 price tag. (The decor helps, too.) We were not asked to leave when the bar was closed at midnight - as it does during the week - only to close the tab. It was hospitality in the truest sense of the word.

I hope this bastion of serious drinkers lasts. It is a cozy place with a caring personality. Ignore your insecurities and step inside this special place.

Bar Celona
104 S. 4th St.
(between Wythe Ave. & Berry St.)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 237-7828

P.S. Hey BC, a website with a gallery would be nice considering the decor and all…

Crimefighting can be a dirty job.

The World of Stainboy, Episode 4: The Robot Boy
Directed by Tim Burton

At the beginning of The Seven-Year Itch, Richard Sherman – attempting to live the life of an ascetic before he’s visited by the girl next door, played by Marilyn Monroe – tries out a vegetarian restaurant. It’s a drab and dusty place inhabited by matching elderly patrons, with a menu that features spinach loaf, yogurt and dandelion salad.

For anyone who still expects these things when visiting a vegetarian – let alone vegan – restaurant, Candle 79 will come as a shock. Visual appeal is the first thing on the menu for both atmosphere and food. Jewel tones predominate in the decor, from the super-saturated colors of the photographs on the wall to the small but seductive curved bar. Whether you’re seated in one of the clubby settings downstairs or upstairs where the floor is bare and the ceiling is covered in swirling carpet, you’re going to get at least a peek through a window into the well-organized kitchen.

Candle 79 is completely vegan, with some gluten-free and “live” selections. Vegetarians and vegans get used to some standard starters, salads and entrees that can be found at non-veg restaurants. Candle 79 has these – steamed dumplings, hummus, Caesar salad, burritos – but goes beyond.

Multi-ingredient sandwich extravaganzas are one of those things that can fall by the wayside if you give up meat. But the chili-seared seitan sandwich is simultaneously crisp and moist and layered with avocado, caramelized onions and mixed lettuce and dressed with chipotle aioli. The accompanying polenta fries sound like they have the potential to be cement-like sticks that might not survive intact the trip from plate to mouth. But they turn out to be even lighter than their potato cousins, with a satisfying ultrathin and crisp exterior.

If the menu seems too free-ranging to narrow down to one choice, at lunch the market plate lets you choose from a variety of entrees and sides and accompany it with two of the seven excellent sauces available. And at dinner, side choices include grilled oyseter mushrooms and maple-roasted squash.

For dessert there are seasonal house-made ice creams and sorbets, cannoli, a tropical-tinged banana- and coconut-topped brownie that luxuriates in a chocolate-ancho sauce and a chocolate and peanut butter mousse that resides in a chocolate shell.

The bar at Candle 79 pours organic wines and turns out juice and tonic blends, smoothies and cocktails. The Green Goddess is a frothy concoction of greens, apple and lemon with a hit of ginger. For something stronger, the French 79 arrives as gorgeous striations of sake, champagne, apricot nectar, lemon and black currant sweetened by a touch of agave.

Espresso-based drinks generally rely on the fattiness of dairy to fill out their flavor profile. But soy half-and-half lends itself well to both foam and taste in cappuccinos, macchiatos and lattes. They’re a warm reminder at the end of the meal that even among vegans, some like it hot.

Candle 79
154 E 79th St,
New York, NY
(212) 537-7179‎

The tar faces are back!!