O Sole Mio

The Gondola. Undoubtedly the most romantic and recognizable symbol of Venice. The sleek, crescent shaped boats, often bejeweled with crimson velvet and gold trim, gliding atop the jade green sea.

Meandering between colorful palazzos, colorful laundry dangling from clothes lines and dancing in the wind, ducking your head while floating under small foot bridges as the footsteps of other tourists echo in your ears. At the rear of the boat is your driver for hire, the gondolier. His muscles are shaped by sculling his craft with his single oar in the forcula (a decorative piece of walnut wood carved so that the oar can maneuver in 8 different ways), his face tanned and weathered and dressed in a prison striped black and white shirt, black pants and a red scarf tied at the neck, he resembles a cast member of the Broadway play, ‘The Gondoliers’, thoughhis singing may not have acquired him the role. Some sing, many try hard. It is a clich√© that they all sing ‘O Sole Mio’ while gliding down the canals. In true old sailor fashion, when they pass each other on the canal, a greeting of "Ahoy Matey!", in Italian dialect is exchanged.

napping gondoliers

on tour

Please, don’t consider this a form of transportation. Instead, think of this as a one of a kind romantic event… similar to a horse and carriage ride in Central Park. Something that should be shared with your sweetheart or alone ( ‘O Solo Mio’, in this case). Since Venice is a city built on water, boats replace cars. Taxis exist as water taxis, Vapporettos are the subway and Traghettos are ferries. Squeros,are the shipyards where gondolas are made. Here they are carved from 8 different kinds of wood and over 280 pieces. Parking lots are replaced by colorful barber shop poles where moored, bobbing gondolas are lined up and secured while not in use.
The gondola used to be a high-class form of transportation, reserved for the wealthy. Even the Doge (chief magistrate) had his own private hand carved gondola.

Doge’s gondola

You don’t need to spend a fourtune for a ride. I like to travel on a budget, but this is something I would splurge on. Grab a bottle of inexpensive Prosseco and sip during your ride. You will pay extra for a serenade with or without an accordion accompaniment, but it will not necessarily enhance your experience, unless you are lucky enough to have an Andrea Bocceli impersonator.

a seranade

Rates are supposed to be regulated; however each gondolier owns his boat and his rates. Rates and routes must be negotiated in advance. I prefer the quiet, private back canals, but others may prefer more time on the Grand Canal. Just walk up to any gondolier waiting for a fare and start negotating. If you want to pay his rate, than great. If not, move along to another, until you find ‘the one’. In my opinion a sunset cruise is the most magical with the dimming lights dancing off the water. Rides are about 45 minutes. Expect to pay 80‚Ç¨ ($103) for tours before 8pm and 92‚Ç¨ ($119) after, for up to 6 people. You canal so arrange a serenaded tour in advance. These can run from $100-$200 per person. Whatever tour you prefer just sit back and enjoy the ride!

Malbec-My Favorite Transplanted Grape

Malbec is a red wine grape that was originally grown in France in Bordeaux. It has been known as one of 6 grape varieties that are blended to make Brodeaux wine. Malbec was introduced to Argentina by French agricultural engineer Michel Pouget in 1868, and is now the premier grape of Argentina. The climate and soil of the Mendoza region of Argentina offers perfect growing conditions for this grape. I first had a glass of Argentinian Malbec at a restaurant. It was by Pascual Toso.I loved it so much, that I ran out and found a bottle at my local wine shop and have been obsessed with it ever since. Recently, I puchased several bottles from different vinters, so this is the first recommendation of many.

This Astica 2005 Malbec, is a budget value. It will give you a basic idea of what the Malbec grape is all about. It is a good introduction to the characteristics of the wine… and won’t blow your budget. I found mine on sale at my local wine shop for an unbelievable $4.99!! Great for everyday wine drinking. You will, of course, find excellent, more complex examples in the $12-$16 range; And I will be letting you know about a few of these in future posts. Malbecs are rich, smooth and velvety. They offer an almost thick, syrupy consistency. This one smells like grape and florals right out of the bottle. It is full of grape, jammy fruit, violet, and is sweeter, not spicey. This would make a good sipping wine, with or without food. Chocolate might be nice!

Salut!

The Hungry Heifer Club

How exciting! When I left my old job, a few of us went out to dinner to celebrate. We had so much fun that we decided to do it every month. I asked the gals if I could write about our dinners and they liked the idea. Next step was coming up with a name for our little group. At first we tossed around ‘The Dinner Diva’s’. Hmm, that was a bit too boring and we are definitely not diva’s! We are more fun than that! So, after deliberation I came up with the ‘Hungry Heifers’… and hilarity ensued!! We all loved it! So here we are the Hungry Heifers!

Instead of picturing cows grazing in the field, picture women who like to eat, drink and have a good time, laughing, toasting, sloshing their drinks (occasionally putting their elbows on the table, talking with their mouths full… oh the humanity!) and enjoying themselves… and not necessarily behaving either! We are smart, working women, some with families, some single and all with a wicked sense of humor! This month we were trying Thai food. I have never had Thai food before and was looking very forward to it. We were going to Lemongrass, in New Paltz. So, the good news… we were all glad to see each other! It had been a while, and we had lots of catching up to do. The bad news, well… where to I begin?? First, one HH club member was picking me up at home for the first time. She accidentallyparked one street over before she realized she was in the wrong place. Twenty minutes later, she appeared at my door. Funny story. Then, as she was explaining what happened, I was engrossed and forget to mention that I needed to go to the ATM for cash… until we were comfortably seated in the restaurant that is! So, I got to be the annoying one that needed a separate check (so I could pay with my Visa card). As many of you know, I try to offer very specific info for restaurant reviews. However, this time I will be brief. Mainly because I don’t have shining things to say. So, for the positive… the menu was extensive, reasonably priced, the wine was delicious, and for the most part the HH’s liked their meals. But I am the fussy one! We ordered 2 appetizers, a plate of vegetarian spring rolls and chicken satay. These were good. Not great, good. The chicken was fried, but typically is grilled. The sauce was tasty, but should have been a bit thicker, spicier and more of it. The report on the spring rolls was positive.

spring rolls chicken satay

Next came the main courses. 3 Pad Thai and a Vegetarian Fried Rice with Tofu. The Pad Thai was loaded with chicken and shrimp, but they were overcooked. The noodles were gummy, and even though I have not had Thai food, I know it should be spicy… and this was bland at best. The HH with the vegetarian dish, said she enjoyed her choice. Anyone that knows me, knows that I like food. If the meal is good I will finish it (unless the portions are large and then leftovers are in order). I barely ate half.

pad thai fried rice with tofu

We were all looking forward to dessert, but that quickly (well… not quickly) changed. After our main courses were served, we did not see our waitress again for an hour. Now, this place is small, has about 10 tables, were were the first customers in the place that night, and we were sitting in front of the kitchen. So, we felt ignored. We were no longer in the mood for dessert.

We just wanted the bill. So, the next time we spotted out server, we asked for the check. She smiled and went on her way. 20 minutes later, she arrived back at the table… and refilled our water glasses… and left again. Hmm, no check?! Free dinner tonight? Did we miss a sign on the way in reading… "Dinner is on the house, compliments of Lemongrass, tonight only!!" Wow, were we lucky… not quite! The check(s) came later. The bills were not exactly right, but at this point… we just wanted to pay and leave. For the first time in history, there was white-out on my bill! It took another long time to have someone process my credit card, but then we were free… I am all for long and leisurely dining, but this was just poor service. We had plenty of talking and laughing to do, but if we didn’t this would have been an uncomfortable amount of time to wait.

Needless to say, I can’t speak for my fellow Heifers, but I won’t be going back. The strange thing was, the place was mobbed by the time we left. Go figure… to each his own I guess. I look forward to our Febraury get-together! We may even do a wine tasting with food that is offered in our area. Do you enjoy the things that we enjoy? If you live in the Hudson Valley area and are interested in joining us at one of the Hungry Heifer Club events, email me … we are always accepting new members. Do you have a similar arrangement with your friends? Type a comment and let us know how you got started, do you have a name, what fun things do you do with your group… we would love to hear all about it!

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