Well, I can’t dance like Danny Kaye but I have been tempted to “attempt” a karaoke of Bing Crosby.  It’s been nearly thirty years since I’ve seen snow during Christmastime.  Bella and I are crossing our fingers that we might “sniff” some of the powdery white stuff (so-to-speak) while we are in town visiting dad over Christmas and New Year’s.

“Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won’t make it ‘white’.” — Bing Crosby

NYC: Rockefeller Center

Cristy’s: Pastrami & Swiss Omelette, Coconut Pancake

The omelettes at Cristy’s (Torrington, CT) are quite tasty and they aren’t “The Usual Suspects” in regard to ingredients.  The pancake was chock full of shredded coconut.  Bella had an excellent Eggs Benedict breakfast.  This is dad’s favorite breakfast joint in town.

Christmas Eve: Santa Claus Christmas Village

My family waited in line for over five (5) hours for the “Chipmunk” to see Santa, Mrs. Claus and the Elves (not to be confused with “Elfie”).  Fortunately this occurred BEFORE Elfie (a.k.a. Bella) and I arrived and this particular day reached a balmy 60 degrees (F).  This year they completed their 66th holiday season of the “Santa Claus Christmas Village” (Torrington, CT).

Another holiday gem also located in Torrington, CT, is “The Christmas House”.  Check out a short video on the house below:

http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/12/06/torrington-connecticut-christmas-house-inside-look/

The Chipmunk…Feeling Festive

One of the few times I could get Mei to remain still for a photo op.

Dad’s Huge $40.00 Tree

I believe he purchased it from the Bantam Fire Department.

Oak Mantel Built by Dad

Dad had to get this done by Christmas so there would be a place to hang our stockings.

Lombardi’s Bakery: Cannolo Pastry

My Internet research and inquiries with relatives indicated this was the best one in town.  It could use some liqueur, cherries, candied orange, nuts, chocolate chips  to make it more traditional and more interesting.  Dad bought a box of these so once the shells got soggy I spread the cheese on almond cookies.

Christmas Day: Ruby, Keiko and Derek (bro)

Princess Chipmunk

A new toy is earning all of the Chipmunk’s attention.

Dad “Puts Lobsters to Sleep”

In New England it is fairly common to have lobster on Christmas.

Our First Snow in CT

We woke up to this the morning after Christmas.

View From Our Bedroom Balcony

Bella’s Friend & Family

We ate lunch at Hibachi & Grill Buffet in Torrington which had a wide variety of foods including some pretty tasty dishes and none of which I despised.  For an Asian buffet in a small East Coast rural town of roughly 36,000 people, that is pretty good praise.

My favorite item was labeled as a “steak sandwich” which resembled the “beef roll” which the Northern Chinese are well known for.  It had super thin fried dough, sliced beef and sauteed onions.  Even the prime rib in Au Jus was pretty good for being fully cooked.

Auntie Linda Distributes Ravioli

We’re at Auntie Bev’s for a dinner of garlic bread, bread and butter, tossed salad, homemade ravioli in a marinara sauce and roasted dark meat chicken (we are a food culture after all so leave the white meat “for the birds”).  There were various red table wines from several different producers.  Homemade cookies and homemade biscotti were served for dessert.

Homemade Ravioli…Up Close and Personal

During dinner Uncle Bob shared a story of how when his kids were really young he thought it would be funny to throw lumps of coal in his own stocking at Christmas.  Well, on Christmas morning the joke played itself out; but not as he anticipated.

All of his children began bawling their eyes out as they felt badly for their papa’s present from Santa.  As a result, Auntie Bev was furious.  I wondered if you would get a similar response in many of today’s households or would the kids shrug it off and resume on unwrapping their gifts.

Uncles, Aunts, Cousins and Girlfriends…Oh My…

Uncle Sam and Uncle Bob re-told a story from the 70s’ while all the families were summering at Cape Cod.  My uncles had pre-ordered a lobster in advance and advised the seller that they wanted the “biggest catch of the day”.  When they arrived to pick it up, the lobster they were given weighed — twenty-six pounds.  Bear in mind, the average lobster served per person at a restaurant is a pound and a half.

Here is a photograph of a 27-pound lobster:

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0223/27-pound-lobster-caught-in-Maine

Icicle on Our Balcony @ Dad’s

With icy weather like this nearly every morning began with brewing dad and I some Peet’s “Cafe Domingo” java.  One of the perks of “visiting the snow” is you can enjoy your coffee and look out at the visual splendor without having to go out into it.

Me and My Peet’s…

Sausage & Peppers, Chicken Piccata and Spiral Ham

Dad hosted the annual “Pre” or “Post” New Year’s Party.  Dad isn’t a major planner so there was a bit of “chicken with head cut-off” leading up to the party.  Bella and I have thrown some parties over the past several years and we know full well what it takes to pull one off successfully.

Dad hasn’t thrown a large party recently and doesn’t typically “sweat the details”.  For example, moving a Sportcraft 4′ x 7′ air hockey table (purchased off of Craig’s List the day before) into the basement and setting it up two hours before the party started.  Regardless, my papa usually pulls stuff off quite well and rarely is anyone the wiser.

Auntie Linda Preparing the Tossed Salad

Guests already did some serious damage on a delicious homemade antipasto salad (i.e. meats, cheeses, peppers, artichoke, olives etc.).  It is standard in this Italian family to keep tossed salad simple with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Cousin David “Attempts” to Slice the Ham

Davy boy received the “full business” on how to properly cut the ham from his sister Suzy (L) and our cousin Barbara (R).  Dad’s contribution to the party was his baked stuffed squid dish.

Cannoli Cake

Uncle Pete brought this gem.  He gave me the 411 that the mini cannoli on top disappear  fast so he recommended that I “sniff in” early.  I’m not a cake guy but the mini cannolo tasted great and I recall a nice addition of either Grand Marnier (or possibly dark rum) in the cream.

The cake also had a single layer of cannoli cream (tasted of mascarpone cheese) saturated with Grand Marnier (or possibly dark rum).  If I had to do it again, I’d — “leave the cake, take the cannoli”.  However, the “winner winner, chicken dinner” dessert-of-the-night was Auntie Bev’s homemade cheesecake.

Relatives & Guests Play Party Game

Dad’s dining room provided an ample amount of seating for people to eat and play games.

Standard in New England Households

This issue featured a cast reunion piece from the classic movie “A Christmas Story” and personal stories from long-married couples who met during Christmastime.

Friendly’s Maple Walnut Ice Cream

I picked this up at a local Stop & Shop grocery store.  It was creamy and tasty but would’ve benefited from more walnuts and more maple flavor.  There was another brand named “Hood” but it was a pale white color on the container which doesn’t bode well for maple ice cream.  The most amazing tasting maple ice cream I’ve had came from Cow’s in Banff, Canada.

Dad’s Garage = 2nd Fridge

On the East Coast, when you run out of space in fridge #1 you move on to fridge #2, also known as “the garage” (weather permitting).

A tiny “Princess Pine” Plant

It is an evergreen plant related to the fern family.  We spotted quite a few of these in the forest behind dad’s yard.

“Woody the Woodpecker” Went Deep

There were a few of these easily visible (well below eye level) in dad’s forest.

New Year’s Eve @ Litchfield Saltwater Grille

We were seated in their loft area for a nice holiday meal.  The basil dressing on the salad was very pesto-like and definitely earned high marks from all who selected it.

Stuffed Salmon on Angel hair Pasta

It had a creamy sauce but it wasn’t alfredo (thank goodness).  Their desserts were decent but there was nothing to write home about.  Thelma and I had the Alamos 2011 “Red Blend” wine which served as a very nice table wine with some complexities, bright fruit, a softness in the mouth and nothing remotely offensive about it.

Picturesque Downtown Litchfield @ Night

New England charm is truly hard to beat at Christmastime.

Downtown Litchfield Shops @ Night

During a Spring visit we’ll have to actually check these restaurants and shops out.

Dad & Derek Light Fireworks

The boys “fired it up” on New Year’s Eve.

Waterbury Train Station: Old Clock Tower

The tower is magnificent but the lack of an “indoor space” in the winter simply — “blows doors”.

Signage Serves as a Hint…

That the Waterbury Train Station…may not be the most “delicious” of “hoods”.

NYC: Grand Central Station

The station is amazing with delicious cafe and restaurant options as well as “The Grand Central Marketplace” where one can purchase amazing meats, cheeses, seafood, spices etc.

NYC: Antipasto Plate @ Lombardi’s

This antipasto at Lombardi’s (firstpizza.com) was perfectly in my wheelhouse with prosciutto, provolone cheese, roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, green olives, kalamata olives, artichoke and garlic bread.

Lombardi’s “White Pizza” w/Sausage & Mushrooms

Unfortunately they were sold out of their “clam pie”.  This wasn’t quite New Haven (Frank Pepe’s Pizza) good but it had a nice thin crust and the pizza wasn’t overly salted.  The big clumps of creamy ricotta cheese were a nice change from mozzarella or provolone.

Bella and I laughed as some neophyte jackhole and his girl sent back their pie due to slightly burnt crust edges.  Sorry to break it to you numb-nutters, but these coal-fueled ovens reach temperatures of 900-plus degrees Fahrenheit and as a result slightly burned crust edges are — “perfectly normal, perfectly healthy”.  Next time, head to Pizza Hut if you want a buttery, light beige colored, spongy textured crust.

At E. Rossi & Co. (italiannovelty.com) we perused various cooking supplies and Italian gifts and novelties.  Consistent with other Italian shops of this variety there are stacks upon stacks upon stacks of merchandise and you simply circumnavigate your way through (“not that there is anything wrong with that”).

NYC: Streets of “Little Italy”

I was surprised that New York’s “Little Italy” wasn’t bigger in scale than San Francisco’s “Little Italy”.  I hit up three bakeries (Ferrara, Pastry Shop and Caffe’ Palermo) and purchased mini cannoli pastries.  All were simple renditions and there wasn’t anything noteworthy to mention.  Conversely, on a prior trip to Brooklyn’s Villabate Bakery (villabate.com) I indulged in an amazing cannolo filled with smooth sheep’s milk ricotta cheese (imported from Italy), a candied orange slice and a maraschino cherry.  Internet reviewers confirm this is one of the top cannoli bakeries in NYC.

During our hotel check-in at the Millennium Broadway Hotel (millenniumhotels.com) an impatient puke foreigner attempted to cut in front of us in line.  The hotel clerk called him out and as a result she upgraded our room to a more private area of the hotel with a private entrance, separate reservation clerks and only seven guest rooms per floor with upgraded features in each room.

Katz’s Deli @ Night

It would only get better…and worse…from here.

Holiday Chaos Inside Katz’s Deli (katzdeli.com)

Locals were bailing out due to the crowds.  That was NOT an option in our quest for “The Holy Pastrami” sandie.  NOTE: In the upper left of this photo there is a spiraling paper sign (circle shaped) hanging from the ceiling.  It hangs above the table where Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) sat during the “Big O” scene from the movie “When Harry Met Sally”.

Amid the chaos an aggressive, fifty-something, thin, Asian wife engaged in a funny conversation with her Caucasian husband who was “kind-of, sort-of” in one of the lines.  During her questioning as to the status of his movements she said, “this isn’t going to work, you’re Canadian, you go back and hold the table, I’ll wait in line”.

Pastrami, Corned Beef, Pickles, Cucumbers, Matzo Ball Soup

This was the pastrami sandie of my lifetime.  It was super moist, smoky and savory without being excessively salty.  The corned beef was very good as well but the pastrami knocked my socks off.  And the refreshing cucumber slices were a delicious mini-vacation in between attempting to devour my huge pastrami sandie.

Radio City Music Hall

Via the subway we headed to check out Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center.

Christmas Tree @ Rockefeller Center

Glad I finally got to visit here and feel the spirit during the holiday season.

“Skater’s Gone Wild” @ Rockefeller Center

Given we both have weak ankles, we “pocket vetoed” the ice skating concept.

Skyscraper @ Rockefeller Center

I loved the art deco look of this building.

Candied Almond at Rockefeller Center

Leftover classic NYC delicious candied nuts sold via a street vendor.  Other options included peanuts, cashews or macadamias.

One Con of NYC…

I prefer Taiwan’s approach to trash collection.  They collect trash daily and their trucks play classical music to alert residents that it is pick-up time.

One Seriously Heinous Phone Booth…

It appears cleaning crews missed this “beaut” from New Year’s Eve.  Some European tourists and I had a good cackle over this as we photographed it.

The Famous Ansel “Cronut” Pastry

The Dominique Ansel Bakery (dominiqueansel.com) in New York City created this now famous “combination pastry” (half donut, half croissant).  Bella woke up bright and early to pre-order these via the Internet two weeks in advance and she was fortunate enough to snag the last two.  Our Cronut flavor was peanut butter rum caramel.  The Cronut is not overly sweet but is very much what I expected and is absolutely delicious.

After picking our Cronuts up we headed for Rockefeller Center to pick-up some premium coffee from Blue Bottle Coffee (bluebottlecoffee.com).

Elfie with Mickey

Bella’s piano teacher Gail took us to Hampton Chutney Co. (hamptonchutney.com) for lunch.

Tuna, Avocado, Arugula Dosa w/Cilantro Chutney

I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a dosa but this Indian sandie was really good tasting.  It was really light and healthy tasting.  This restaurant felt like Indian restaurant meets natural cafe.

Bella and Gail

Matthew and Cute Mixed Asian Baby Play…

The birthday girl shown was about to turn two (per her mom).  The air was windy and cold on the walk over and it was twice as cold and windy on the numerous blocks we traversed back to Gail’s apartment.

More Nice Vintage Architecture in NYC…

Trader Joe’s is “New” to NYC…

And they are already gaining attention from the locals via lengthy lines.

Grand Central Marketplace

Here you can purchase a wide variety of food items including spices, herbs, cheeses, meats, seafood etc.

Grand Central Marketplace

I really wanted to “sniff” all these herbs and spices but the glass was wisely set in place to discourage that.

Our “Express Train” to Waterbury, CT

On the train I once again experienced the kindness frequently illustrated by East Coasters.  I unknowingly dropped my pen and before I realized it a train traveler was handing it back to me.  A separate incident occurred while inside Rockefeller Center when a young woman dropped a marker from her artist’s case.  A man called out to her but couldn’t gain her attention.  He ran quite a distance to finally catch up with her in order to return her marker.

I saw examples like this numerous times while in New York and Connecticut.  I’ve observed similar instances in Los Angeles and people often avert their eyes so they don’t have to get involved and slow themselves down.  And don’t tell me NYC is any less fast- paced than Los Angeles.

Back in CT, dad picked us up at the Waterbury train station as a mini-blizzard unleashed itself upon us.

Fresh & Deep Snow @ Dad’s

The next morning we awoke to Rudolph’s “Winter Wonderland”…

“Snowy Penguin” High Up in a Tree

I was too slow in retrieving my camera but “I” saw a short and squatty penguin with his wings out to his side and pointed down.  His head was pulled back with beak pointing up at the sky.  Unfortunately, due to the winds, one wing broke in half and the other fell off completely once I left to get my camera.  You can see the chunks of the snowy penguin’s wings on branches beneath it.

Dad’s House After the Snow…

Auntie Linda drove us to Uncle Pete’s on our final night in town so we could celebrate dad’s birthday at Sushi California in Newington, CT.  On the way, we drove through Farmington, CT and passed the street where Mike Tyson once owned a mansion (56,000 square feet when he owned it and bigger now).  It has a statue of Muhammad Ali on premises and is now owned by Rapper 50 Cent.  The estate was originally built by a business magnate who is serving time for being involved in Connecticut’s most infamous real estate swindle.

Here is a photo of the house:

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/Rapper-50-Cent-s-Farmington-estate-price-cut-1279674.php

Unagi (Eel) Appetizer

The eel was as good as many of our favorite Japanese restaurants in California.  Uncle Pete and I picked up table wine at a liquor store next door.

Salmon Sashimi

Fresh, Fatty, Thick, Buttery, not chewy…not much more you can ask for.

Tuna Carpaccio

It consists of thinly sliced tuna sashimi with spicy mayo on top.  I didn’t order it but upon reviewing these pictures, I surely should have pilfered a piece.

Tempura Fried Vanilla Ice Cream

The ice cream was a little too firm here as the fried shell essentially slid off of the ice cream.  Regardless, it tasted delicious.

Complimentary Mochi Ice Cream for Dad

Mochi ice cream is soft sticky sweet rice cake with ice cream filling inside.  The best ones are the freshly made ones.  Otherwise, the ice cream often takes on an almost chalky, powdery texture and loses its creaminess.  Also, some of the boxed ones have a very perfumy artificial smell to them.

The outdoor temperatures hit -6 (yes, 38 degrees below freezing) on our drive back to dad’s.  I’ve come to realize that during East Coast winters you must decide (generally speaking) whether you want to be “comfy indoors” or “comfy outdoors”.  If you wear too much you will be great outdoors but you’ll be sweating buckets indoors (many places blast the furnace indoors) and will have to try and find space for all your “gear” (i.e. clothing layers, moose-sized jacket or parka, gloves, knit cap, scarf etc.).  I chose to scale down my attire when I knew I would only be outdoors for brief moments.

The Chipmunk (equipped with Rabbit Ears)

It’s been a tradition that she “assists” dad in opening his presents on his birthday.  Essentially, she has such “quick paws” and the youth factor on her side that she presses ahead in unwrapping…leaving papa in the dust.

Ferrara’s Soft Torrone Candy

Torrone is a nougat candy (available in firm or soft textures) typically made with ingredients such as: toasted almonds, pistachios, honey, sugar, egg whites, wafer, vanilla flavoring, orange flavoring or lemon flavoring.

The best ones are made fresh at Italian bakeries, aren’t overly sweet and have a very toasty smell to the nuts in the candy.  My cousin Kathy made an amazing one while we visited that wasn’t firm or soft, but perfectly in the middle.  In addition, it wasn’t overly sweet and had nice notes of orange citrus.

Well back to Orange County, CA we go…

“Christmas in L.A. is weird.  There’s no snow.  It’s not even cold.”

— Ellie Goulding

THE END!