MR squared. Mitt Romney-Marco Rubio Ticket.
Obama ‘wags the dog’. Iran.
Ron Paul dukes it out with Donald Trump for Third Party run.
Callista Gingrich’s hair moves. Newt cries in ecstasy.
Brad Pitt wins an Oscar. He and Angie split.
CBS Rose-King Morning Show bombs. Willie Geist takes over.
MadMen and Downton Abbey best TV of the year.
Mika and Joe have a love child named Barnacle.
Patriots lose to Giants in the Superbowl.
Tiger wins a major. CandyPantsOpen happens.
Market closes flat, same as this year. Around 12,000.
Mayans just got tired of calendars. The world will not end.
Table’s Turn
Ending the year on an up-note. Family trek to New York produced several excellent dining experiences. The best was Ciano on Park Avenue South, a few blocks from our still favorite hotel, The Giraffe. Ciano has a farmhouse cozy warm ambience with fresh simple fare. Monkfish loin, Berkshire pork tenderloin succulent, cooked perfectly. Wine “program” a little much and it’s pricey, but worth it for a change. Lure remains our consistently fun FishBar stop in SoHo.
Enjoyed a quintessential bistro steak frites lunch with Betsey, who savored every morsel at Bourdain’s original Les Halles. Earlier lunch attempts at Zinc in New Haven and Alta in Lenox less satisfying, but nice just to be together with family and friends over the holidays. Happy healthy New Year to all SideTrekkers.
Buy Table’s Edge on RecipeDetours page.
The Side Trek – Worst 2011
10- People on TV. Cover your cleavage, freckles, arms. Sleeves. Pleez.
9- Rabid FoxyLoxy in our yard later found bludgeoned next to a croquet mallet.
8- Tea Party Bags obstruct. Debt Ceiling Debacle.
7- Cancellation of Human Target. Miss Mrs. Pucci and torture guy Guerrero.
6- Restaurant quality. Even old standards fell. Blue Heron. Gotham B&Grill.
5- Last Harry Potter movie. Cute kids became creepy old characters.
4- Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Suicide for sale. Who would watch it. Um.
3- Still in Afghanistan. Bring troops home. Build roads here.
2- Amy Winehouse. Wasted. Life, talent.
1- Weather. Blizzards, tornadoes, hurricane. Wreaked regional, personal havoc.
2011
GOOD
mAdBen’s Crazy Great Year. NYU accolades. New view. Career
Mama & 3 bears in the yard
The Night Circus
Ocean House, Watch Hill- 60
BAD
People on TV. Cover your skin. Sleeves. Pleez.
Amy Winehouse. Sad
Kristmas Klear
Ignore those flakes. Not dreaming of a white Christmas this year. October blast enough. See broken oak tree. Stay away snow! Midnights clear.
When Kranky Kristmas thoughts intrude, read the new winter edition of MSKCCBridges newsletter. Inspiring stories that make the season bright. GemQueen’s wonderful patient support and leadership has extended to an Art Expressions Program this past year to be celebrated Thursday night.
K9Queen has been reading a lot out in sunny Monterey, CA. She likes murder mysteries and particularly loves the Harry Bosch detective series by Michael Connelly. She gives his latest The Drop 5 stars: Connelly…”again hits the high mark with a complex, twisting plot and a detective full of flaws… In this apparent suicide probe, Bosch deals with ‘high jingo’, the derisive phrase he uses to describe the machinations of corrupt local politicians in LA…”
Cafferty Double Play
Jack read my comments on both hours of the CNN Situation Room tonight.
Why won’t Romney debate Gingrich one-on-one? “Mitt is counting on Newt to implode on his own, then he’ll become the nominee by default.”
Not since FDR has a president been re-elected when unemployment figure is higher than 7.2%. Is Obama doomed? “Republicans seem determined to see that Obama gets re-elected. Herman the Pokeman, Newt the Grinch, Mitt & Jon the Mormon-bots, Michele the Ditz, Perry the Joker. Obama may not be doomed no matter what the unemployment number.”
NovEnder
28,000 visits to The Side Trek. Yonder, yo. No November snow. Bracing for December blow. NBA will play. So. JLo shoots Fiat Bronx ad in L.A. Nay. ‘Savage’ Stacey from the block will save the day. Real Housewife’s dead husband still starring on Bravo’s Beverly Hills show. Not that I’d know.
What restaurant serves an $18 roasted beet salad which consists of a few sad wispy side dish flat greens with red beet-like chip strips and a couple dollops of goat cheese? Fitzwilly’s. Geez. Quality down, prices up. Everywhere.
Stuffington Post 2011
25 lb. Vermont bird demolished, nary a slice left. Lots of eating and laughing accomplished. Minor dysfunctional family melt-downs. Everyone survived. I think. JeanJean chef de cuisine queen made it all happen. At CandyPants’ house.
mAdHad and mAdBen compared account management notes. Cuzins colluded and rebelled to mess up the place cards so they could sit together. Alicat wasn’t here so I had the neck and gizzard to myself. Church basement rentals returned. Thanksgiving for healthy Grandmama.
StuffingtonSaturday cuzins’ football game. 
NoHo Tune
“Massachusetts Afternoon”, SNL’s The Blue Jean Committee folk ditty set in Northampton. What’s the back story? Hmmm. Seth Meyers’ girlfriend is BFF of someone’s daughter who dates music producer in NoHo? No? Don’t know. Leggy women in NoHo? Whoa. No Ho. This is too easy. We’ll get to the bottom of the story. Catchy tune. Check it out. Fred Armisen must have a sister at Smith.
Romney says his real name is Mitt. What, Willard? Cain calls Wolf “Blitz”? Is he a reindeer? Hide under your beds, the Republicans are coming. Let’s head into a healthy stuffington day for all and forget these turkeys.
Bridge Sighs
True confessions. I will miss Reeege. I like Jon Huntsman. “Big Bang Theory” makes me laugh out loud. Mika is good when Joe’s not around. Turkey is boring. So are mashed potatoes. Family trumps bland food. Stuffington Prelude. mAdBen rising as MadMen stalled ’til March. Friends shine through.
EpicFalls. Down goes Frazier. I remember that thrilla in Manila, wow. Ciao Silvio, Euro rocked. JoePa ends on a sad Sandusky note. MJ insisted on bad medicine and got Dr. Murray. Cain calls Pelosi a princess, jokes about Anita Hill. Perry’s latest ‘gaugh’, U.S. should impose sanctions on Iran. Duh. Done so since Carter administration. Oops. Tiger simmers, but loses steam in Sydney.
Side Trek . NYC 