As the Crow Flies

News on the Quick

Parties Past and Present

One of our favorite Brooklyn shops for high-end, independent fashion, Bird, officially opened its third location in still workin' it Williamsburg this past weekend with a launch party sized to match the impressive new space. We were lucky enough to stop by and, though we weren't willing to carry a camera over a glass of bubbly, ever-present Refinery 29 caught the action. Check it out or, better yet, stop by. The new location features even more men's apparel than their Park Slope store and, like the other two locations, was beautifully designed by architect Ole Sondresen. This one's even set to be the first LEED certified "green restoration" in Brooklyn. Poster (above) lovingly designed by artist and clothing designer Caitlin Mociun.

Keeping it Brooklyn, this Saturday new-comer Council opens its boutique between other faves Sir and Hollander + Lexer on Atlantic Avenue. Dress-maker, Miranda Bennett, jeweler, Pamela Johnston, and antiques expert Genie Lee run the show over at Council and will be serving up drinks to kick things off for the store, which will feature simple, elegant dresses, unique accessories, and hand-picked antique housewares. We recommend visiting all three stores while you're out, which, taken as a trio, make a strong point for old-world design and quality. Ye olde awesomeness, indeed! 

The Discerning Brute (hearts) Todd Oldam

Yes we are jealous. Our friend Joshua (aka the Discerning Brute) palled around with none other than Todd Oldham, crafting it up in the name St. Valentine. Want to know how to make a lovely heart-shaped vegan cake? How about a heart-shaped arrangement of red carnations? There's still time, and Joshua and Todd can show you how here. 

We Don't (heart) Foie Gras 

Not the heart cakes and carnations type? Farm Sanctuary, among others, has been speaking out against this cruel industry for years now and has chosen Valentines Day as the day to come out full-force internationally. Find out more and see if there's an outreach opportunity in your area here. 

Brooklyn Record Ra-Ra-Riot!!!

To hell with the MP3s, this is the age of vinyl! Again. Like your music served up old-school? Head on over to the Brooklyn Record Riot at the Warsaw in Greenpoint this Sunday for deals-a-plenty. Three dollar admission, noon to 8PM. Looks like last year's was a...er...riot.

A Different Dark (k)Night

For anyone who hasn't already heard about this compilation, Dark was the Night is sure to kick all preceding compilations' collective asses. The two-disk CD set (or triple vinyl set, if you're still on that record kick) is being released February 17 by 4AD and features all new songs by the National, Sufjan Stevens, Arcade Fire, Yeasayer, Iron and Wine, and über-pairings Dirty Projectors + David Byrne, the Books + Jose Gonzalez, and Feist + Ben Gibbard. You can listen to some of the tracks on their site.

 

Have a romantically lovely weekend.

From the Nest

Savory Thai Summer Rolls

We made these thai summer rolls for a holiday party back in December and, after they went over pretty well, we got the request to post the recipe. Over two months later, we kindly oblige. They're based on a recipe from one of our favorite cookbooks and I think the first one we ever bought together, Real Vegetarian Thai, by Nancie McDermott. It's a great cookbook and comes highly recommended. Ours is well-used and fairly disgusting so many years later.

So, what you need:

Savory Thai Summer Rolls

- 4 oz. Thin Bean Thread Noodles/Rice Vermicelli (you can find these at most asian food markets)

- Pack of Rice Paper/Spring Roll Skins (the dry ones, not the frozen ones)

- 1 block Firm Tofu, sliced into two-inch rods

- 6 cloves Garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced

- 5 Shallots, peeled and diced

- Canola Oil

- 1 cup Carrot, shredded or very thinly sliced

- 10 oz. Baby Portobella or Shitake Mushrooms, diced

- 2 Green Onions, minced

- 1/4 cup Cilantro, minced

- Mixture of 2 tbsp Soy Sauce, 2 tbsp Thick Soy Sauce, 1 tbsp Molasses

(thick soy sauce can be found in asian food markets and is basically molasses and soy sauce, so if you can't find it, use 3 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp molasses)

- 1/2 tbsp Black Pepper

Hot Garlic Sauce

- 1 cup Sugar

- 1/2 cup Water

- 1/2 cup Rice Vinegar

- 3 cloves Garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced

- 1 tsp Salt

- 3 Serrano Peppers or 1 Jalapiño Pepper, sliced into thin strips and seeded

- Hot Chili Oil (optional)

So, first prepare the hot garlic sauce, which provides a nice sweet, spicy contrast to the savory rolls. In a pan on low heat, add all the ingredients, stirring to dissolve the sugar and making sure the heat isn't too high so as not to burn the sugar. Leave the mixture on very low heat for about 20 minutes, until the sauce thickens to a syrup. Once it has, take it off the heat, allow it to cool, and refrigerate in a serving bowl. If you like things spicy and want to add a little color to the sauce, you can stir in a little bit of hot chili oil at this point or when served.

On to rolls. First, fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. While you're waiting for the water to boil, sauté the garlic and shallots in 2 tablespoons of oil uncovered for about 5 minutes, until the shallots begin to look translucent. Add the black pepper, more to taste. Add the tofu rods to a small pan on high filled with enough oil to at least half submerge the tofu. Use a fork to turn the rods so they brown evenly and, once they look golden brown, placed them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain some of the oil.

Once the water has boiled, turn off the heat and add the noodles, making sure all the noodles are submerged in the water. Let these set for 3-5 minutes, until they are pliable but not mushy. Drain the noodles thoroughly and add them and the tofu to the pan of garlic and shallots, turning the heat to low and using a fork and tongs or tined spoon to twist the vegetables and tofu gently into the noodles. This might take a while, so make sure you keep a hand free for wine-drinking and the like. Add the soy sauce/molasses mixture and stir. Turn off the heat and give it a taste. It should be pretty good. Feel free to add more black pepper if that's your thing. Transfer all this to a large bowl and allow to cool 5 minutes before adding the cilantro and green onions, mixing thoroughly. 

Take a large pan and fill it halfway with water. Warm the water on the stovetop so that it's hot, but not too hot to touch. Take a summer roll wrapper and submerge it in the water, turning it over if it starts to curl up too much. Once it's soft (less than a minute) take the wrapper and place it on a wooden cutting board, replacing it with a new wrapper in the water. Now place a few spoonfuls of the noodle mixture at one end of the wrapper, fold over the left and the right side, and then roll the filled end toward the unfilled end to create a roll. Arrange in a lovely manner on a serving plate and repeat until you've used up the filling. We like to cut them in half to make them closer to bite-size, but that's just us. Serve, enjoy.

Music Mondays

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Everything with You

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, straight outta Brooklyn (represent), bring back shoegazing with nostalgic, fuzzy hooks and charmingly innocent vocals. We saw them play with our friends' band, In Interview a while back and it seems like they've been gaining momentum ever since, adding to their self-released EP with a release on Slumberland Records this month.

This tracks sounds especially early Teenage Fanclub to me. Good stuff.

(click on the image to right, yo)

As the Crow Flies

News on the Quick

Leather Mini Blues?

Cheap Monday and Urban Outfitters have got you covered. As reported by Refinery 29 a bit back, the clothier and, voted 'most improved', chain store have teamed up to bring you a surprisingly cool, faux leather pencil skirt, complete with 80's-tough zipper pockets. One day it'll be warm enough to go out with exposed skin again, right?

Too Hot for TV Two

Almost a week after PETA's 'sex sells vegetables' ad DIDN'T run during the super bowl, it's still being talked about. Chalk up another hit for their PR department. A lot of the talk, though, is centering on how the ad undermines and objectifies women to make a point for the sake of animals. change.org actually shut down the discussion on the subject recently because it was getting so long-winded and out-of-hand. Check it out. 

Vacation Window Shopping

If you're anything like us, you take every opportunity to curse the frigid winter and it's cold, loveless ways. Also, if you're anything like us, you have zero time or money to take lavish, warm, other-side-of-the-world vacations. So let's window shop, vacay-style. Check out this site that features only the craziest of crazy hotels and resorts around the world, from underwater, to castle-based, to igloo-based, to hobbit-themed, to up in a giant tree, to you name it. Our favorite: The Dog Bark Park Inn, of course - "The worlds largest Beagle, offering unique accommodation inside it's 2 story body." We shit you not.

Making Science Cool

Our friend Mike was just telling us that the Biology Department at the University of North Carolina got wise and has been commissioning NC-based design group The Merch to create some ass-kicking posters for a series of science lectures. The pieces totally pass for indie shows and make you wonder if they resulted in some semi-confused kids. "Hey, so, are you going to see Life and Death at Extreme Altitude tonight?"... Dibs on that band name, by the way. I only wish the professors at my college had been so savvy. I bet I'd be, like, way smarter. Check 'em out. 

Damn

Remember that Sophie B. Hawkins song, "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover?" Yeah yeah! Did you have the cassette single too? Ooh...er... Well, those lovable, oddly-named, buzz-a-riffic Black Kids from good ol' Jacksonville (you know, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You") have covered it. I won't say it's our favorite song, but it's pretty funny/cool. I'd totally buy the cassette single.

Have a great weekend, all.

Thursday Preen

The Death of Fashion

Normally, this time of year, New York is abuzz with talk of Fashion Week—the young, up and coming designers of whom everyone should take note, the lavish parties, the crazy dresses and insane runway hairdos. But, with the way things are—we're not usually ones to break news, but we hear the economy isn't doing that well—it seems like that's the furthest thing from many people's mind. Moreover, a growing trend seems to be gripping would be fashion voyeurs and shoppers, that of a great shame at the desire to spend money on things as trivial as high-end clothing and the like. The same sort of trend, sadly, seems to be spilling over into the arts. 

Speaking to this concern from the perspective of small shop designers in today's financial environment is a great article in the Times that paints a pretty bleak, but still somewhat hopeful picture. Check it out.

And if that's not enough fashion entertainment for the day, for anyone who doesn't already know about it, head on over to the always entertaining lookbook.nu. Street fashion at the speed of light.