My wife and I drove to Albany a few weeks ago to see the Doc Watson concert at The Egg. Elisa had researched the restaurant scene in Albany, and after she showed me the menu, we decided that the New World Bistro Bar would be a great place to have an early dinner before the concert. We called ahead from the road and made reservations for two, and we arrived right on time.

At eighty-seven years of age, legendary guitarist Doc Watson still maintains a touring schedule. Usually when a musician of his stature continues to perform this late into his career, he begins to be described as a “musical treasure.” Often, those are code words for “lost his chops.” I tell you what, Doc has certainly not lost his chops, although to be fair, his playing does not have the same sureness or consistency as it . . . → Read More: Concert Review: Doc Watson]]> At eighty-seven years of age, legendary guitarist Doc Watson still maintains a touring schedule. Usually when a musician of his stature continues to perform this late into his career, he begins to be described as a “musical treasure.” Often, those are code words for “lost his chops.” I tell you what, Doc has certainly not lost his chops, although to be fair, his playing does not have the same sureness or consistency as it once had.

Elisa and I saw Doc play in Albany, New York at The Egg on Sunday, August 1. It was the fourth time I’ve seen Doc perform. Unfortunately, Albany, a little over three hours by car to the west, is as close to New England as Doc’s tour  would get. Our drive took us through Wilmington, Vermont, where we’d seen a Doc Watson show over twenty years ago at Wilmington’s Memorial Hall.

We had an early dinner in Albany at the New World Bistro Bar (review here), and then we headed downtown to Empire Plaza, where The Egg is located. The main amphitheater at The Egg is called the Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre. Despite being inside a structure that typifies the kind of architectural brutalism popular in the 1970s, the Hart Theatre has wonderful acoustics and is quite beautiful inside. Seating capacity is 982.

Doc appeared with musician/storyteller David Holt and bassist T. Michael Coleman backing him up. During the second half of the show, his grandson, Richard Watson, sat in for a number of tunes. The show opened with the bluegrass standard Way Downtown, with Holt playing banjo. Then Holt introduced the next tune, Shady Grove, a song that Doc said was one of his wife’s favorites back when they were “courting.”

David Holt was tasked with doing many of the song introductions, and it was a mixed blessing. I appreciated hearing the back story on some of the songs that Holt provided, but he also ended up being a bit of a barrier between Watson and his audience. The best of it was when Doc would interrupt Holt and take over, providing some tidbit such as how he first heard a particular song. After Shady Grove, the trio worked through a very nice rendition of the fiddle tune Whiskey Before Breakfast, followed by Little Sadie and then one of the highlights of the evening, Deep River Blues, a song I never get tired of hearing. After that they played Bye Bye Blues, which is a tune I don’t think I’ve heard before, and then the Carter Family classic, Solid Gone.

Doc laid his guitar across his lap at this point and pulled out a harmonica, which was the first instrument he learned to play as a boy. He played a very nice version of Fisher’s Hornpipe, accompanied by Holt on the bones, and then Raincrow Bill, which passed as the comedy segment for the evening, with Holt doing knee-slapping, hand clapping, and cheek popping as accompaniment.

At this point, Holt switched over to playing slide on a steel guitar for a trio of tunes, Sittin’ on top of the World, a Holt-penned tune called Slow Food, and finally, The Train that Carried My Girl From Town.

After intermission Doc came out to play a short solo set. He talked about knowing fellow North Carolinian Elizabeth Cotton and then started off with her signature tune Freight Train, and at each instrumental break he played with a different and distinct style of fingerpicking. After that he played a couple of tunes that I don’t think are a part of his standard repertoire, For the Good Times, by Kris Kristofferson, and A Big Bouquet of Roses, by Eddie Arnold. Both of these songs are about love (or the lack of it) that falls a little short, and Doc pointed that out in his intros. His playing was a bit labored on these tunes–I don’t think he was as familiar with them as he was with the rest of the evening’s material. He finished off his solo set with a pair of songs associated with Merle Travis:  an instrumental I really like and cannot recall the name of, and then the gospel spiritual, I Am a Pilgrim.

Coleman and Richard Watson,  Doc’s grandson, joined Doc on stage at this point, and I particularly enjoyed the songs during this part of the concert, as Doc’s playing was fast and sure, and he had good command of the material. He started off with the traditional song Frankie and Johnny, followed by Workin’ Man Blues,  In the Pines, and the Jimmie Rodgers tune, T for Texas.

David Holt brought his steel string back onto the stage and the four of them finished off the concert with Walk On, John Henry, Down Yonder, and the Mississippi John Hurt song, I Got the Blues and I Can’t Be Satisfied, with the lyrics altered somewhat–Doc’s version doesn’t have the singer of the song murdering anyone.

My wife and I really enjoyed this show.  Doc’s playing (and his voice) are still amazingly strong for someone of his age. He seems to enjoy performing, and while his set was based off of a core set of tunes that he often plays when he’s accompanied by David Holt, he also pulled out some less frequently heard tunes as well. It was a real joy to experience him in concert.

When it comes to rice, I’m a big fan of Indian cuisine, due in no small part to my preference for basmati rice over most other varieties. I also tend to like rice that’s been goosed up a bit with other ingredients and that has been made with a broth rather than just water.

The inspiration for this particular dish comes from two sources, the Spicy Basmati Rice recipe from the excellent cookbook, Madhur . . . → Read More: Spicy Basmati Rice with Black Mustard Seeds]]> When it comes to rice, I’m a big fan of Indian cuisine, due in no small part to my preference for basmati rice over most other varieties. I also tend to like rice that’s been goosed up a bit with other ingredients and that has been made with a broth rather than just water.

The inspiration for this particular dish comes from two sources, the Spicy Basmati Rice recipe from the excellent cookbook, Madhur Jaffrey’s World of the East Vegetarian Cooking, and also from the Chicken Tikka Masala episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

The happy accident came about when I had no ginger for the first recipe, and I had recently seen the Chicken Tikka Masala episode of Throwdown.  The result is a dish that’s not nearly so plain as the Bobby Flay recipe, but is still a dish that highlights the black mustard seed, which adds a very nice flavor note.

As I note in the ingredient list (below), the red pepper in the dish is optional; I decided to throw it into the mix because it makes the dish really pop visually, and since I was happy with the results, I’ll keep making it that way.

Elisa decided that our Mother’s Day gift to her mother would be to take her on a day trip to the Berkshires, a part of Massachusetts that my mother-in-law, who was visiting from her home in Italy, had never visited.  So after a date was settled on (Sunday, June 27), we got to work looking for some fun things to do that she would enjoy.

The wonderful thing about visiting the Berkshires is . . . → Read More: Day Trip to the Berkshires: The Clark & Tanglewood]]>

Elisa decided that our Mother’s Day gift to her mother would be to take her on a day trip to the Berkshires, a part of Massachusetts that my mother-in-law, who was visiting from her home in Italy, had never visited.  So after a date was settled on (Sunday, June 27), we got to work looking for some fun things to do that she would enjoy.

The wonderful thing about visiting the Berkshires is that you could spend a week there and not see everything. But that also means that if you only have a day trip in front of you, there is a wealth of attractions from which to choose.  We’d heard some good buzz about the exhibit Picasso Looks at Degas, currently on display in Williamstown at The Clark. The exhibit is an examination of the influence of Edgar Degas on the later, groundbreaking work of Pablo Picasso. After casting about for an additional activity to round out the day, we ultimately decided to also visit Tanglewood in Lenox, to see one of the four performances that comprise their String Quartet Marathon.

The Mohawk Trail

We were originally hoping to be on the road by about 7:30 in the morning, but we finally pulled out of the driveway about an hour late, which is actually pretty early for us. By 9:30 am we were on The Mohawk Trail (alternatively known as Route 2), heading west towards Williamstown.

Route 2 is a beautiful drive any month of the year and June is no exception.  In October, during foliage season, it may well be the most popular foliage drive in Massachusetts, and Elisa and I have driven it many times.

French King Bridge, Erving, Massachusetts

We soon came to one of my favorite steel bridges, the French King Bridge, which carries Route 2 traffic over the Connecticut River.  The bridge was originally constructed in 1932 and was completely renovated by the state  in 1992.  While the bridge is attractive from the roadbed, to truly grasp its beauty it must be viewed from below, accessible via trail from the western side of the bridge, or from boat via the Connecticut River. It’s worth the extra effort.

After crossing the Connecticut River we continued west on Route 2, passing through Greenfield, birthplace of famed magician and atheist Penn Jillette.

Beyond Greenfield Route 2 eventually begins to rise out of the valley as it ascends into the Berkshires. There are a few of those tacky moccasin and trinket tourist shops in various states of disrepair, a couple of which have towers you can climb to see the view to the north. The decaying ruins of a poorly executed tee-pees can be found next to one of these shops, despite the uncomfortable reality that the traditional territory of the plains Indians are some 2000 miles to the west. Soon we descended into Williamstown and arrived at The Clark. Parking was a challenge; there were far more people at the museum than we had seen in the past. It turns out that June 27 was Family Day at the museum and admission was free—a nice bonus for us, because we had no idea.

Picasso Looks at Degas

I’m no art critic, and I won’t even pretend to understand much of what passes for modern art. But put me in a museum gallery stuffed full of the works of Pissaro, Monet, Van Gogh, Degas and the other impressionists (Gauguin, not so much),  and I’m as happy as a clam.  That said, I was very much pleased with the Picasso/Degas exhibit. It gave me a new appreciation of Degas  (particularly of his sculpture), and the careful scholarship that contributed to the birth of this show helped me also to better understand some of the many influences that shaped Picasso’s career.

This exhibit is generous to both artists, with a substantial number of major works present. There are works representing most if not all phases of each artists’ careers, and the curator’s choices of placement do a great job of driving home the exhibit’s theme, although there’s a time or two where a particular Picasso or two did not seem as influenced by Degas as the exhibit would have me believe. But then again, like I said, I’m no art critic. Bottom line, if you have a chance to see this exhibit at the Clark, don’t pass it up.

Tanglewood

Tanglewood at Dusk

Next up was session two of Sunday’s String Quartet Marathon, taking place in Lenox at Tanglewood, some 40 minutes south of Williamstown via Route 7. On the way down we stopped at a nice rest area for a picnic, and we arrived at Tanglewood about a half hour prior to the concert. After a bit of confusion–the tickets said the concert was at Seiji Ozawa Hall, which was incorrect–we eventually found our way to the right place and settled in for performances from three different string quartets that were composed of Tanglewood Music Center Fellows. All twelve of the string quartets that played over the course of the two-day marathon were named after trees. First up for the Sunday afternoon session was the Cedar Quartet, followed by the Spruce Quartet and lastly the Ash Quartet. All three played some pieces by Franz Joseph Haydn as well as pieces by other composers. For me, the second quartet, Spruce, was the most enjoyable, primarily due to the strong playing of cellist Nataliya Pshenychna and of violinist Vieen Leung, both of them excellent musicians.  It was a warm day for a concert, and the thunderstorms that rolled through the area brought some welcome relief. After the concert concluded we drove east to Groton, Massachusetts to enjoy dinner at The Gibbet Hill Grill, one of our favorite restaurants.

My wife Elisa and I had decided to treat ourselves to a concert for Valentine’s Day, and while this show was two months removed, it was the one that we picked. It was our first visit to the Stockbridge Theatre in Derry, and we both thought the venue was great. Seating just under 900, there really isn’t a bad seat in the house, and every aspect of the place was very well thought . . . → Read More: Concert Review: Leo Kottke and Jerry Douglas]]>

My wife Elisa and I had decided to treat ourselves to a concert for Valentine’s Day, and while this show was two months removed, it was the one that we picked. It was our first visit to the Stockbridge Theatre in Derry, and we both thought the venue was great. Seating just under 900, there really isn’t a bad seat in the house, and every aspect of the place was very well thought out.

Jerry Douglas, well known these days as a sideman in the band Alison Krauss and Union Station, opened the show with an amazing display of virtuosity on the dobro. I’m completely unfamiliar with Jerry’s solo repertoire and this was the first time that I’d seen Jerry live, so I didn’t know what to expect, beyond the anticipation of listening to one of the truly fine instrumentalists of our generation. Jerry opened with a very flashy instrumental piece that I did not recognize, and followed up with a piece called Takarazuka. He mentioned that in Japanese Takarazuka had a double meaning, translating as “beautiful mountainside” and also as “village idiot.” I have no idea if he was being serious. He followed that with a piece that blended Union House Branch with Passing the Bar, and then played a tune that he said was named for the most dangerous road in Iraq, The Rude Irish.

After that he played a pair of songs dedicated to one of his dobro heroes, Flatt & Scruggs sideman Josh Grave. He reminisced about growing up in North Ohio, listening to the country-influenced music that his father liked, and also being influenced by the rock and roll of the day being played on the high-powered AM radio stations in Cleveland, particularly music by the Stones and the Beatles. At the end of his set he wrapped up with a nice piece that was a medley of tunes, highlighted by a very nice version of The Allman Brothers’ Little Martha.

Leo Kottke

After a brief intermission Leo Kottke took the stage. This was the second (or perhaps third) time I’ve seen Leo live, and it is always quite the experience. Leo plays on a pair of Taylor guitars, a six-string and a twelve-string. Both were equipped with sound-hole pickups, and both suffered from slight distortion in the lower notes that was a bit of a distraction. There was no such problem present in Jerry’s part of the show, so I don’t believe it was an issue with the PA, which was excellent for Jerry’s dobro and for Leo’s singing.

Kottke kicked it off on his twelve-string with a trio of instrumental pieces which he did not identify, and then he introduced a tune called William Powell, after the actor. He followed that up with song that I think originated on one of the albums Kottke and Phish bassist Michael Gordon did together, and then he did an absolutely beautiful rendition of the Paul Siebel penned tune, Louise. He followed that with one of my favoriates, a John Fahey instrumental called The Last Steam Engine Train, that he mentioned was a favorite of Doc Watson’s. Then he did another instrumental that began as being sort of a slow, wandering jazz piece and ended up as a faster, syncopated type of jazz. After that, he slowed it down and finished his solo set with a very fine rendition of the traditional song, Corinna, Corrina.

What I haven’t mentioned up until now is Leo’s story telling. As anyone who has seen him live can attest, listening to Leo introduce a song with his rambling, unfocused, and yet extremely entertaining style is a real treat. He sometimes seems more surprised by what comes out of his mouth than does his audience. He’s laugh out loud funny, without seeming to mean to be.

At this point, Leo brought Jerry Douglas back on stage, and Jerry accompanied him on a pair of tunes, Everybody Lies and Pamela Brown. For the encore they played Rings. Listening to Jerry accompany Leo on these three pieces certainly left me wanting more; there are plenty of reasons why Jerry Douglas is a premier session player, not least of which is his ability to effortlessly put down instrumental runs and embellishments that seem, in retrospect, to have always belonged in the song, improving the composition in ways the listener could not have imagined.

It was a great show!

Over the past thirty years or so there has been a steady decline in the quality of the chicken that can be purchased at the supermarket. The flesh has no firmness because the chicken industry primarily raises chickens crammed together so that they don’t have room to walk, and they often have difficulty standing when not being propped up by other chickens. That issue aside, the chickens we buy just don’t seem all that . . . → Read More: The Hunt for Better Chicken]]> Over the past thirty years or so there has been a steady decline in the quality of the chicken that can be purchased at the supermarket. The flesh has no firmness because the chicken industry primarily raises chickens crammed together so that they don’t have room to walk, and they often have difficulty standing when not being propped up by other chickens. That issue aside, the chickens we buy just don’t seem all that … fresh. They were likely slaughtered and then flash-frozen for transport, although your grocer will probably deny it. The flesh has often been injected with water, so that you’ll hopefully fall victim to the illusion that the meat is moist when in fact it is just rubbery. And who knows what evil crud they put in the chicken feed; it certainly isn’t listed on the label.

So sitting beside this sorry mess that is not fit for human consumption are some other, more expensive chickens. They might be organic, or perhaps free-range, or both. The packaging might brag about the chicken being “air” frozen, as if that’s better than flash frozen. Maybe it is, but who cares? It isn’t fresh, that’s for sure.

So yeah, generally if I’m willing to pay $3 or so per pound, the organic, free-range, air-frozen chicken tastes a bit better than the standard fare than can be had for less than half that price. Nevertheless, even the premium chicken is often old, it’s likely also been frozen, and it sure doesn’t meet the “smell” test for fresh, at least not if you’ve ever actually smelled a freshly killed, cleaned, and plucked chicken.

So what’s a person to do? There are a couple of options. In recent years, more and more people have been raising chickens, both for meat and for a steady supply of fresh eggs. This sea change in how some people have decided to source their poultry is not just a trend, it has become a movement. Sites such as backyardchickens.com provide a wealth of information to novice chicken ranchers, or chicken rancher wannabes. Also, there was an article that detailed this trend in the New York Times back in August of 2009 that is a great jumping off point for learning about this trend.

Halal Meat Shop and Groceries, Burlington, MA

But making the decision to raise your own chickens is a pretty big step, and not one I was willing to seriously contemplate. Luckily, the solution for our family has been to buy our chickens at a Halal market. Initially I found the market when I was looking for a place to buy goat meat for a recipe I wanted to try. It is called Halal Meat Shop and Groceries and is located at 20 Cambridge Street, Suite 9, in Burlington, Massachusetts. The shop also stocks beef, lamb, and goat, and whenever I have been there, they have had one or more butchers on duty. For a small market, it is invariably quite busy.

I do have to be careful to request that they leave the skin on the chicken, as by default all skin is removed. The chickens have been killed according to Halal standards, and whenever we have purchased them, they have been very fresh. Whole chickens include the neck, which is a nice departure from the supermarket norm. Giblets are not included. Once the chicken has been prepared and served, it is quite clear that the quality of the chicken being consumed is significantly better than anything available in a supermarket chain, organic or not.

If, like me, you have been dissatisfied with the chicken available in your supermarket, I highly recommend that you seek out your nearest Halal market–buying Halal chicken has been a good experience for us.

Thanks to a great Christmas present from my Son Adam, Elisa and I went to see David Bromberg perform on Friday, February 26 at the First Parish Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We’ve both seen Bromberg several times over the years, but since he started touring the northeast with his Big Band, we have been going to see that show when it comes to The Egg in Albany New York. We were both looking forward . . . → Read More: Concert Review: David Bromberg Quartet]]> Thanks to a great Christmas present from my Son Adam, Elisa and I went to see David Bromberg perform on Friday, February 26 at the First Parish Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We’ve both seen Bromberg several times over the years, but since he started touring the northeast with his Big Band, we have been going to see that show when it comes to The Egg in Albany New York. We were both looking forward to seeing him in a more intimate setting.

Bromberg opened with one of my favorites tunes from 1973′s Midnight on the Water, Summer Wages. The tune, penned by Ian Tyson (of Ian and Sylvia fame), included an additional verse that doesn’t appear on any version I’ve ever heard except for Bromberg’s. Joined by Delaware guitar sensation John Lippincott and veteran reed player John Payne, Bromberg’s quartet was in great form. Anchored by Butch Amiot’s solid bass playing, multi-instrumentalist Mitch Corbin and fiddler Nate Grower were given ample opportunity to display their considerable talents. Whether Nate Grower was filling in for long-time quartet member Jeff Wisor or has replaced him is not clear to me, but Bromberg did mention that it was only Nate’s second concert with the quartet. Every solo he played was a pleasant surprise. Summer Wages was followed by Hot Corn/Cold Corn, and then one of Bromberg’s trademark “she done me wrong” blues tunes.

Bessie Smith’s You’ve Been a Good Old Wagen was a pleasant surprise, and was followed by the bluegrass standard Dark Hollow (also off of 1973′s seminal Bromberg album, Midnight on the Water). A beautiful instrumental version of Over the Rainbow and a fiddle tune (Yankee’s Revenge?) with a bass clarinet (courtesy of John Payne) dueling with three mandolins, was followed by After Our Last Date. At this point the band, except for David and Butch, left the stage and he played To Know Her is To Love Her.

With the band back on stage, Bromberg finished off the set with Drown in My Own Tears, What a Wonderful World, and Sharon. For the encore, Bromberg played two tunes , his classic Will Not Be Your Fool (from How Late’ll You Play ‘Til) and the David Wiffin penned tune, Drivin’ Wheel, which David has been playing at least since 1970, when Tom Rush recorded a version of it with Bromberg on dobro.

Elisa and I first saw Bromberg perform in a circus tent in Florence Italy in 1979. It’s sometime difficult to compare one concert to another, and they are each special in their own way. I’ve seen David play a show at the now defunct Nightstage in Cambridge and have to deal with a power outage. We’ve seen him at the Iron Horse in Northhampton, where a temporary problem with the sound system prompted him to pick up his fiddle and play tableside on the second floor balcony until the PA was repaired. We’ve seen his big band several times in Albany and once at the Orpheum in Boston. I’ve been lucky enough to see him share a stage with John Sebastian of the Lovin’ Spoonful and to see him play in a festival setting at a ski area in Ashby Massachusetts. For me, Friday’s show in Cambridge ranks as the best of the lot, due to the quality of playing from all the members in the quartet and particularly due to the contributions of guitarist John Lippincott and Saxophone/Clarinet/Flute virtuoso John Payne. Bromberg played on a Martin M-42 and a Martin D-45 (or D-42) about half the time, and on a Telecaster fitted with humbucker pickups for the other half. John Lippincott primarily played a Telecaster but also played acoustic guitar some of the time. John Payne played saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet and flute. The whole “six-piece quartet,” often accompanied by the vocalists from the Angel Band, played with fire. It was a great night for music.

Paul Rishell and Annie Raines opened up the show with a brief set of the tasteful acoustic blues that they are so well known for here in New England. I had the pleasure of seeing them several years ago as the feature at an open mike I played at, and I’m a big fan of both Paul’s fingerstyle blues guitar and Annie’s blues harmonica playing. They opened with a song that I think is titled Before You Give it All Away, then did a really nice version of Blind Willie McTell’s Honey It Must Be Love. After that, they played It’ll Be Me, a Kink’s tune called Good Luck Charm, and then they wrapped it up with their signature tune, Away From Here. It was a great way to open the show.

The Angel Band, with their wonderful three-part harmonies, took the stage next. Kathleen Weber, Bromberg’s wife Nancy Josephson, and relative newcomer Aly Paige were backed by Bromberg, Mark Moss (drums, guitar, and Mandolin), Bob Tayor (bass) and fiddler Nate Grower and mandolin player Mitch Corbin.

Their set began with I’ll Sing this Song for You, from their 2007 album, With Roots & Wings. Later in their set they did a very nice version of We’re All in the Same Boat Now, and followed it with I Feel Lucky, and then Hope is on the Way, a song they wrote and recorded to help raise money for the relief effort in Haiti (YouTube video here). Guitarist John Lippincott and reed player John Payne joined the band for their last tune, and, as mentioned before, sat in with the David Bromberg Quartet as well.

Thanks Adam! What a great show!!!

A few months ago, my good friend and coworker Darshan recommended that my wife and I try his favorite Chinese restaurant in Nashua, Lilac Blossom. We found ourselves in Nashua on a recent Saturday, so we dropped in for lunch. Lilac Blossom has two locations in Nashua; we chose the the location in the south end of town, based on Darshan’s recommendation.

The thirty-item lunch menu was very affordable, and each item on . . . → Read More: Lunch at Lilac Blossom, Nashua, NH]]>

A few months ago, my good friend and coworker Darshan recommended that my wife and I try his favorite Chinese restaurant in Nashua, Lilac Blossom. We found ourselves in Nashua on a recent Saturday, so we dropped in for lunch. Lilac Blossom has two locations in Nashua; we chose the the location in the south end of town, based on Darshan’s recommendation.

The thirty-item lunch menu was very affordable, and each item on the menu included choice of soup and rice. I ordered a spicy dish called Twice Fried Pork, accompanied with hot and sour soup and brown rice. Elisa made the same soup and rice choices to accompany another of the spicy items on the menue, Shrimp with Garlic Sauce.

Both choices were excellent. This is not a typical “brown-sauce” joint. The hot and sour soup was some of the best we’ve had, and the vegetables that accompanied each dish were absolutely fresh and perfectly prepared. The brown rice was a short-grain variety that I am not particularly fond of, but it was perfectly prepared. On a subsequent visit I ordered white rice, which turned out to be a long-grain variety that I definitely prefer over their brown rice. The sauce was spicy with subtle flavors underneath the heat, but not so overpowering that it kept the taste of the main ingredients from being the star of the meal.

We found the restaurant extremely clean, the staff efficient and friendly, and the prices, particularly on the lunch menu, unbeatable for food of this quality.

Three stars!

Lilac Blossom
385 East Donstable
Nashua, NH
(603) 888-9588
(parking lot on premises)

There are a lot of mediocre pie crust recipes out there, and most of them have one of two common shortcomings. Either the crust is not tender, or the crust does not have the desired, flaky texture.

There are a variety of methods to address these issues, but most of these techniques are  bit of a catch-22. Flakiness can be obtained by using lard as some or all of the fat in the . . . → Read More: Pie Dough Made With Vodka]]>

There are a lot of mediocre pie crust recipes out there, and most of them have one of two common shortcomings. Either the crust is not tender, or the crust does not have the desired, flaky texture.

There are a variety of methods to address these issues, but most of these techniques are  bit of a catch-22. Flakiness can be obtained by using lard as some or all of the fat in the crust. The flaky texture of a crust that uses lard is a byproduct of lard’s larger fat molecules.   But as you increase the percentage of lard, both the tenderness and the taste of the crust is compromised.

Conversely, Shortening can make your crust tender, but shortening will result in a less flaky crust. Many modern pie crust recipes eschew lard, the fat of choice a generation ago, for butter. A crust made with butter will generally be tasty, not too tough, and may occasionally turn out to be slightly flaky. In other words, it is a compromise.

I’m not big on compromises, so over the years I have experimented quite a bit with pie crust recipes. This one is my current favorite. It uses Vodka and three different fats (lard, butter, and shortening), which together ultimately produces a tasty, flaky, and tender crust. Even if you are happy with the the pie crust recipe you are currently using, I urge you to give this one a try

Vodka Pie Crust

Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving’s twelfth novel, structurally shares a quite a bit with his more iconic novels, such as The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules, and A Prayer for Owen Meany. Like these earlier works the main character is a man; we are introduced to him very early in his life; a majority of the novel is set in New England; really bad stuff happens to otherwise . . . → Read More: Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving]]>

Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving’s twelfth novel, structurally shares a quite a bit with his more iconic novels, such as The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules, and A Prayer for Owen Meany. Like these earlier works the main character is a man; we are introduced to him very early in his life; a majority of the novel is set in New England; really bad stuff happens to otherwise ordinary characters; and female characters are always present and often rather two dimensional. Readers who are drawn to these aspects of Irving’s books will no doubt feel right at home with this one, after enduring Irving’s fifteen-year side trip away from this comfortable territory that began with 1994′s A Son of the Circus.

Twisted River follows a father and son on the run, trying to stay one step ahead of an unscrupulous sheriff from the North Country of New Hampshire. Unfortunately the pair seldom seems to run very far from New England, and when they do, they don’t stay away all that long. The father is an Italian-American cook; his son becomes a writer of best sellers very much in the Irving mold. This being an Irving novel, there are two things of which the reader can be certain: no one is going to die peacefully in his sleep, and Irving’s women tend to the unrealistic. This time the author has outdone himself in his choice of female characters, best exemplified by the naked amazon that parachutes into the story on two occasions, once literally and once figuratively.

For me, there seemed to be a bit less humor in this book than I would typically expect to find in an Irving book. I miss, for example, the kind of set pieces such as the Christmas play scene in Owen Meany, which was sheer comic genius.

These minor complaints aside, Irving delivers an extremely well written novel populated with interesting characters who find themselves dealing with a steady stream of improbable plot twists. In other words, Last Night in Twisted River is a John Irving novel, through and through.

The best parts of the novel, for me, are the details Irving inserts into the novel about the process of writing fiction. It is the character of the son that allows him to do this, and Irving takes full advantage here. Irving’s strength is plot, and this novel has plot in spades. I thoroughly enjoyed it on first read and recommend it highly, both to readers who are already fans of Irving’s work, and for readers who haven’t experienced an Irving novel before.

Four stars out of a possible five.

Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving
Hardcover: 576 pages
Publisher: Random House (October 27, 2009)