More than just music at Knitting Factory

With Hannibal Buress kicking off a weekly comedy series November 15 at Williamsburg's newest venue, Knitting Factory, that's not the only non-music venture the Williamsburg venue is featuring in its front bar.

As Chris White, the senior talent buyer for the venue, tells us, "We're trying to diversity our programming, especially in the front bar. We want to do different types of things that will appeal to a lot of different people."

That includes a full lineup on Sundays, with, in addition to comedy at 9 p.m., a sewing party at noon called Yarndollz and a monthly reading series hosted by author Jami Attenberg called Largehearted Lit. That kicks off this Sunday at 5 p.m. with local authors Lev Grossman and Libba Bray. There is also a weekly Make Love Not War Party on Fridays with DJ Emskee, starting at 11 p.m.

Possibly the best part about all of these? They're free.

"We want to make it the sort of place people know they can come and not only get a drink but maybe see something they wouldn't necessarily see without paying for it," says White, who learned from the Knit's days in Tribeca that not everyone wants to come to the space to see the band, but may just want to hang out in the bar. "All of our events in front bar for now, and hopefully for the foreseeable future, will be free."

Sounds like music to our ears.

Photo: Bumpershine

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Chadwick's Restaurant: a world of choices for the discerning diner

By Marshall Slater

There is little question that you will have problems when you come to Chadwick’s Restaurant...ahhh, but what sweet problems. The truth of the matter is that there are so many varied and first rate choices to your meal that you will first be torn between several “must haves” and then, no matter what you end up choosing and no matter how satisfying it inevitably will turn out to be…you will bemoan the fact that you had to choose and couldn’t have them all.

We should all have such problems.

Well, I suppose this is somewhat unfair of the restaurant: compelling you to return again and again to revisit favorites and savor other new dishes. And beware those who think they can resist temptation…you won’t and you will be glad you didn’t. Eat the celery stalks the next day…settle down to a feast on this night.

Chadwick’s, a staple in an ever changing dining scene since 1987, bills itself as serving American cuisine, but this is partially misleading. While its roots are patriotic enough, the skills of the kitchen, the attention to detail, the excellence of the chef propel the offerings far beyond a mere classification.

The façade of this dining establishment has occupied the corner of 89th Street and Third Avenue for so long, some take it for granted, but one thing is clear…the management and staff do not. It is really quite rare to continue to find such vigor to please in such a long-running success story. Each order that emerges from the kitchen has been crafted from the finest ingredients and rendered by a master — Executive Chef Sean Quinn — whose dedication would have you believe he is still auditioning for the job and whose continued employment is teetering on every dish.

From the moment you sit you understand how pleasing your visit will be…even the homemade deep orange-red sweet red pepper spread — a complex concoction of fresh parsley, pignoli, garlic, olives and more — which accompanies the excellent crusty, fluffy loaves of bread is a standout. And here let me point out another observation: You’ll go through the spread quickly, and have a knife duel with your companion over who gets the last dollop. But when the spread has been consumed, that’s not the end of it. The waiter just brings you another container of the spread and, seeing how much you enjoyed it the first time, makes sure this bowl is twice as large as the first. Quite a contrast to other dining establishment who may throw you a complimentary piece of bruschetta…and when it’s gone, it’s gone.

And yes, be assured the place is lovely inside…but enough divergence from the menu. Let’s get down to it.

There is the Pan Seared Day Boat Scallops appetizer. I must confess, I have been at this a long time and have not heard about “day boat” scallops…and, assuming you have not either, I can only assume from this dish that they are gargantuan rounds, so big that each can only be consumed with three large bites. And based on the Chadwick’s dish, one can also say they are so tender and light that you will forever be jaded when you order scallops elsewhere. Done here they are seared to perfection, gently browned on both sides, served with stunningly delicious wild mushrooms atop an equally addictive mache green salad, but the real star is the authentic truffle oil vinaigrette, which offers a totally singularly pleasing accent to the dish and a whoosh of flavor that you will rave to your friends about.

Equal praise is heaped on a more mundanely sounding starter, the fried calamari. The seafood is without peer…each ring is so tender and flavorful, and coated with a delectable batter that is not the least bit oily, you will certainly wonder what you have been missing till now.

Finally, extra thin strips of French fried zucchini covers the top of the seafood, which is then served with two sauces: a very good and traditional spicy tomato plus a most uncharacteristic but very welcome green pepperoncini sauce which, it turns out, is the perfect complement to the calamari.

Hungry yet?

The Chilled Maine Lobster Salad is a work of food art, and you will have misgivings digging into it it’s so pretty…but you will. The perimeter of the plate is comprised of split cherry tomatoes interspersed with dollops of tamale mayonnaise and basil oil. The abundance of fresh lobster meat is truly generous and it is served in fresh corn kernels relish with greens. The entire dish is built artfully around the shell. Finally, may I add…with every bite of sweet lobster meat, there was not a hint — not even the faintest whisper — of shell or cartilage.

Let’s continue with the Braised Beef Short Rib Spring Rolls, which started as a bar treat and ended up on the menu because of the universal clamor for it. It is served with a mound of shredded red Asian slaw with a slight vinegary accent while the spring rolls are further enhanced with the thick and sweet honey ginger dipping sauce.

Other options for appetizers include Japanese crab cakes with wasabi vinaigrette and red cabbage slaw; a fresh mozzarella and grilled eggplant Napoleon in a thick balsamic vinegar; Clams Catalan with shaved fennel, chorizos (Spanish sausage), cannelloni beans and toasted almonds all in a tomato saffron broth, and Hickory and Molasses BBQ Duck Breast.

Order the Chesapeake Oyster Chowder on a cold night and be warmed to the gills in this supper confection of heavy cream and a touch of brandy, with hickory smoked bacon, chunks of red bliss potatoes, kernels of corn, celery and carrots.

Pasta dishes continue the distinction: the Tagliatelle with Crab Sauce is memorable even as your belt begins to tighten from indulging on the aforementioned appetizers. Jumbo lump crabmeat (and again, not a single bite will contain shell or even a flake of cartilage) is served in more than generous supply in a fresh sweet plum tomato ambrosia with finely cubed sweet fresh tomatoes, the flavors of which seep into the first rate pasta, cooked to uncommon perfection.

Choices here also include the Papardella with Slow Braised Duck Ragu with apricots, shiitakes and crumbled goat cheese; Rigatoni with a sweet fennel sausage sauce of garlic, tomato, cream and fresh basil, and Braised Beef Ravioli with wild mushrooms and tomato ragu.

Am I gushing yet? Unabashedly I am…but enthusiasm is easy when describing the food at Chadwick’s.

The main event offers fabulous seafood entrées such as the Pan Roasted Tilapia with a unique hash of fresh lobster meat with chunks of sweet potatoes, smoky bits of bacon, corn kernels and onion with shredded chives and minced tomatoes in the fresh lemon buerre blanc sauce. The Red Snapper is encrusted in a superlative horseradish creation, which contrasts with near perfection with the Dijon mustard buerre blanc sauce.

The salmon is seared and prepared in an aromatic lemon broth and presented with a sweet pea puree; the tuna is dusted in fennel and done with orange and chili oil, served with roasted eggplant, roasted cherry tomatoes and a Kalamata olive tapenade.

On land, there is the Pistachio Rack of Colorado Lamb with sautéed spinach and fresh mint jus and oven roasted organic chicken with a sweet corn and black truffle risotto with a contrasting white truffle, lemon butter sauce.

With all this it is hard to remember that Chadwick’s is equally praised as a top notch steak and chop house with a 48-ounce Porterhouse, a 24-ounce boneless shell steak, peppercorn crusted filet mignon with grilled asparagus with a brandy and wild mushroom demi-glace and char grilled double cut pork chops with whipped garlic potatoes and sautéed spinach, served with a homemade apple sauce or hot cherry peppers, the chops in a rich Bordelaise sauce.T

he place — I am told — also has excellent desserts, but frankly, while the mind was willing, the body couldn’t handle even the sweetest of confections.

Chadwick’s Restaurant
8822 Third Avenue, 718-833-9855 or Hours: Lunch is served Monday – Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.; dinner is served seven nights: Monday – Thursday, 4:30 p.m. – 10 p.m., until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1:30 – 9 p.m. on Sunday.

There is free valet parking seven nights a week.

Entertainment is featured Saturdays from 7:30 p.m., spotlighting George Hotz on keyboard and vocals.

Private parties up to 70 in the main room; up to 40 in the private party room. Ask about their many party package menus.

They offer a price fixed dinner menu at $22.95 Monday – Thursday, 4:30 – 7 p.m. with some of the top selections from the regular menu. The meal includes appetizer, entrée and dessert.

There is also a price fixed $16.95 lunch special.

Make sure to enquire about the Thanksgiving Day special menu.

Photo by Stefano Giovannini

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Kitchen Klutz: Chicken cutlets - the good way

By Michèle De Meglio

Although I’m a culinary novice, my mother is a great cook.

When I was a kid in Starrett City in the 1980s, there was one dish that my mom could make in five minutes flat — chicken cutlets. Seriously, she made this stuff super fast, which meant that my brothers and I ate it a lot, which meant that we got tired of it, which meant that we started to despise it, which meant that I’ve carried internal “I-hate-chicken-cutlet” scars into my adulthood.

Growing up and moving out meant that I was free of five-minute cutlets and, instead, surrounded by Lean Cuisine meals. But after one too many frozen sesame chicken entrées, I had to make a stunning admission — I missed chicken cutlets!

When my mom made them the “good way,” as she calls it, which required more than five minutes and a stay in the oven, the chicken was moist and the breadcrumbs were crispy. (The quick version involved just a frying pan and some oil.)

One recent Tuesday evening, I commandeered my mom’s kitchen (and swiped a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup from the pantry for energy) in an attempt to replicate the “good” version.

As my mother offered directions, I cracked two eggs in a mixing bowl and filled another bowl with breadcrumbs (only Progresso’s Italian Style crumbs are allowed in the De Meglio home).

Each chicken cutlet was dipped in the eggs, coated in breadcrumbs and then placed in a frying pan to brown. Sounds easy enough but I really can’t stand when olive oil splashes my skin. Thinking about it, the stove’s sizzling sounds definitely fuel my fear. Why can’t cooking be peaceful and quiet? Humph!

The chicken spent a couple of minutes in the pan before moving to a baking sheet in the oven.

Since I generally don’t use my oven (it’s old and scary!), I was a bit concerned as to how I would know when the chicken was fully cooked inside, especially since I hate that gust of heat that hits your face upon opening the oven door. Although I cried like a baby for mommy’s help, I was relegated to continually cutting the chicken with a fork to see if the inside was white. The cutlet was a bit mangled but at least I knew I wouldn’t get salmonella!

Verdict: Just like mom’s! At least I thought so. My mom said they were a bit too brown but the burnt parts are my favorite! So to you other kids all across the land, take it from me, parents just don’t understand.

Mom’s Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients

4 thin chicken cutlets

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 eggs

Olive oil

Directions

Fill one bowl with eggs, another with breadcrumbs. Dip each cutlet in the eggs then coat with breadcrumbs. Coat frying pan with olive oil and cook chicken until lightly brown on both sides. Place chicken in oven for seven minutes at 375 degrees to finish cooking.

Kitchen Klutz follows 20-something Michèle De Meglio as she burns casseroles and her fingers, all in hope of trading frozen dinners for home cooking.

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Yuks kick off the week at the Knitting Factory

By Meredith Deliso

Have your laughs in Williamsburg each Sunday, when comedy comes to the Knitting Factory.

Starting November 15, Hannibal Buress hosts a weekly comedy show at the Williamsburg venue, inviting friends as well as doing his own routine each week.

Moving to New York from Chicago last year, Buress was hoping for more opportunity as a comedian in the Big Apple. He certainly found it. After performing on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” this past summer (see that clip below), he was snatched up by “Saturday Night Live” and hired as a writer.

Things kind of worked similarly, in a serendipitous way, here in Brooklyn. After performing at the grand opening of the Knitting Factory (he christened the stage as the first performer), they liked what he did and the Williamsburg resident was invited to put together a weekly show.

“We’re trying to diversify our programming, especially in the front bar,” says Chris White, the senior talent buyer for the venue. “We’re focusing mainly on the kinds of things that we wouldn’t necessarily be able to do on the big space.”

Buress was a natural fit for the venue, says White. “We thought he’d be a perfect match because he’s a neighborhood guy.”

And while Sunday is his only free night of the week, Buress is more than happy to be up on stage honing his craft.

“I stay down the street from the Knitting Factory, so it’s just kind of an ideal situation to have it here,” says Buress, who’ll be joined by fellow comics and friends Kumail Nanjiani and Baron Vaughn for the first show. “It’s great to just to be able to have my own place to try new materials and not have to take the train anywhere.”

Living in Brooklyn has crept into his stand-up routine, including his signature joke about seeing Hasidic Jews for the first time (not nearby in South Williamsburg, but in Borough Park). Goes the joke: “I saw two Hasidic Jews walk past each other without speaking. I thought that was weird. If I saw someone with the exact same outfit as me from head to toe, I’d at least stop and say. ‘That’s a nice hat.’”

Most of his days aren’t spent writing for himself, but for the comedians on “SNL” (more on that here). The past few weeks have been a tutorial, in possibility the biggest way possible for a comedian, in writing the sketch format.

“It’s fun to see work come to life,” says Buress. “To see something go from just being on the page to the sets being built and all the costumes, hair and makeup and then the show. Then we get to start it all over again on Monday.”

With his newest writing gig keeping him pretty busy, the Knitting Factory residency will be the best place to see this rising comedic talent for now.

“I’m just trying to do as much stand-up as I can and focus on the job,” says Buress, who in his free time likes to grab some grub at local spots Dante’s, Chimu and Jimmy’s Diner. “It will be nice to have a regular thing where people can come see me, and Knitting Factory is in a great location. I think it will be great.”

Comedy at Knitting Factory weekly residency, hosted by Hannibal Buress, starts November 15. At 9 p.m. Free. Knitting Factory is located at 361 Metropolitan Ave.

See Hannibal Buress on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"



Photo by Mindy Tucker

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Phonograph hits repeat button at Spike Hill

By Meredith Deliso

When Matthew Welsh tells certain crowds he’s playing off of Bedford Avenue, he might expect a chuckle or too. But that’s exactly the kind of gig he’s looking for right now.

“If it’s so hard to get people to come to shows in New York, why not pick a venue that’s really close to people, where [they] can literally roll out of bed, walk over and check us out and have a beer and not do the whole to do,” says Welsh, lead singer and guitarist of the Williamsburg-based band Phonograph.

On November 12, that’s where you can find them, with a show at Spike Hill (on Bedford, near North 7th Street), for a second engagement in as many months.

“Setting up these monthly shows at Spike Hill makes it really easy for people to stumble on us,” says Welsh. “We’ve played some of the best venues in the city, and I always have the best time at the venues where we can charge nothing. I always felt the easy free show kinds of wins in the end.”

The band has been playing as of late in support of their sophomore album, “OKNO,” out this past September on BNS Sessions and recorded at The Bunker Studio in Williamsburg. Trying to tip toe away from the alt-country label that their 2007 self-titled debut helped brand them, Phonograph releases a time-mashing album that references 60s’ pop melodies, ‘70s folk guitar and ‘80s electronic sounds, with an eye to the past and a sensibility in the present.

“I think we all want to move slowly out of the alt country tag that we get and try to get much weirder,” says Welsh. What’s weird by Phonograph standards? “That’s a hard thing to decipher, in Brooklyn especially,” says Welsh, though for the musician, it’s finding something to catch the listener off guard, but not “scare you out of the room.”

With bands like the experimental Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear some of the biggest names in the Brooklyn scene, Welsh, who writes most of the material for the band, admits it’s a difficult position to be pegged as a singer-songwriter.

“Everything coming out of Brooklyn which seems to be very popular right now isn’t singer-songwriter-based as much as it’s more of a free form way of singer-songwriting,” he says. “It’s just not my style to compete with that, so I try to find different ways to make my [music] stand out.”

Helping him do so on “OKNO” are Grace Potter, David Amram, Jeremy Turner of the New York MET, and Charlie Hunter Trio member Erik Deutsch for some friendly collaboration and guest appearances.

Regularly, Welsh plays with John Davis (co-owner of Bunker) on bass, Dave Burnett on drums, Abe Seiferth on guitar, Jason Domnarski on keyboards and Phil Sterk on percussion. With most of the band on the road half the time, they’re lucky enough to get a local show in these days.

“I always say I have the best band in New York City,” says Welsh, “but it’s tough to make that your best band.”

For now, in addition to making some noise on Bedford, the band is gearing up for their next album, fixing up a studio in DUMBO to record their third, and keeping their focus on the only thing they can — the music.

“We’re true believers in that no matter what happens, as long as you make good music, something will turn out in the end,” says Welsh. “There’s a lot of music out there. We may not be on the cover of Vice Magazine, but we’re from Brooklyn and we play Brooklyn.”

Phonograph do just that November 12 at Spike Hill (184/186 Bedford Ave.) at 10 p.m. Free. For more information, call 718-218-9737.

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Take special 'Pains' to see these bands live

By Meredith Deliso

When Mike Schulman would come to New York 20 years ago, Brooklyn wasn’t usually a destination in his night.

“When I went up in the ’90s, I didn’t know anyone who lived there,” remembers Schulman, the founder of Slumberland Records. “Everything was Lower East Side this, East Village that.”

Today, things are a little different. Whereas Schulman would go up from DC and head back the same night, now the father of a 10-month-old and living in Berkeley, Calif., he hasn’t stayed up all weekend in a while. And in the time past, Brooklyn, of course, has become one of the destinations to hear live music, and, naturally, a mecca for musicians themselves.

One thing is the same – 20 years into the game, Slumberland still has its pulse on the indie scene. Initially finding a niche in the noise and pop scene with earlier successes from Velocity Girl, Lilys and Black Tambourine, the label’s also found success in Brooklyn, thanks to the popularity of local acts Crystal Stilts, Cause Co-Motion! and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

For a label based out in California, with many of its buzzed acts from our fair borough, it makes you wonder, why?

“I’ve puzzled over that myself. I don’t have a snappy answer for that,” says Schulman. “It kind of happened a couple of years ago – a lot of bands I was coming across that I liked happened to be from New York and Brooklyn especially. I don’t know if there was some sort of zeitgeist going on there. The whole idea of a DIY pop thing – obviously there’s a growing corner there. Things are booming.”

On November 14, the label celebrates its 20th anniversary with a show in Brooklyn, at the Bell House in Gowanus. On the bill are some of the label’s very best, including bands like Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Crystal Stilts, and other current acts Frankie Rose and The Outs (a new project from the ex-Crystal Stilts drummer), Pants Yell! and Brown Recluse. There will also be reunion sets from The Ropers, Nord Extress and Lorelei.

For Schulman, the Brooklyn-based show was a no-brainer.

“It made sense to me because so many of the bands are from there,” he says. “And I think we have some fans in Brooklyn.”

Fans new to Slumberland, and those who have stuck with it from the first release, the “What Kind of Heaven Do You Want?” 7” compilation, are sure to make for a mixed crowd. For Schulman, it’s a pertinent reminder to the label’s longevity.

“I’ve gotten e-mails from kids concerned about the show being under 21,” says Schulman (it’s 18 and over, FYI). “I’m like, wow, you weren’t born when I started doing a label.”

Some things certainly do change.

Slumberland’s 20th anniversary show is November 14 at the Bell House (149 7th St.). With Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Crystal Stilts, Frankie Rose and The Outs, Pants Yell!, Brown Recluse, The Ropers, Nord Extress and Lorelei. 18 and over. Tickets are $15. At 6 p.m. For more information, call 718-643-6510.

Photo: Pains of Being Pure at Heart by Annie Powers

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'You Better Sit Down' and see this

By Meredith Deliso

The latest production from local theater company The Civilians, a recent transplant to Fort Greene that has covered topics ranging from the Atlantic Yards project, in “Brooklyn at Eye Level,” to Evangelical Christian political movement, now turns its eye on divorce.

“You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents’ Divorce” explores love, marriage, family, and life after a divorce. Conceived by Civilians actress Jennifer Morris (pictured), the production was initially envisioned as a short film about a Tiffany’s lamp. A lamp that is always a point of contention between her divorced parents of actress Jennifer Morris, especially for her mother, who tends to have a dramatic flair.

“If you bring it up, she would talk a blue streak for five minutes,” said Morris, one of the writers on the project. “I find it interesting, putting all of this arguing on an inanimate object that’s passively sitting there while all this stuff swirls around it. That was kind of the inspiration for the whole project.”

Of course, while a lamp sits passively, very much involved in a divorce are the children. After a two-year process, the final idea of the play has the four actors involved, including Morris, interviewing their parents and using part of that dialogue verbatim for the show, where they will then play their parents. Art really does imitate life.

“It felt like a very personal inquiry when we have the children playing the parents,” said Anne Kauffman, one of the co-writers and the director of “You Better Sit Down,” who lives in Prospect Heights. “It’s an investigation of marriage from one generation to another.”

With Morris, Caitlin Miller and Robbie Sublett playing their moms, and Matthew Maher playing both his parents (not all wanted or could be interviewed for the production), the play follows the courtships chronologically in about a dozen chapters, up until the bitter end and beyond.

“We’re interested in what that process is – falling out of love, and what the conditions are that split people apart,” said Kauffman. “And how children are affected…as though it were going to be a handbook for children of this generation.”

On three nights – November 12, 13, and 14 – The Civilians will put on “You Better Sit Down” at the Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO, where they held their benefit earlier this year.

“It seems like a perfect venue for it,” says Morris, a born-and-bred Manhattanite. “It’s a beautiful cabaret space but has an intimate feel to it, which is a great fit for the show. We also get all my mom’s Manhattan friends out to Brooklyn, which is good for them.”

That intimacy, with the parents airing their feelings about a difficult time in their lives, adds to the feeling of that “guy at the end of the bar, singing his woes to the bartender,” adds Kauffman.

The live shows will not be the end of the production; two of the nights will be recorded, and The Civilians will be posting videos of each chapter online in the next several months. In a second phase of the project down the line, the online audience will also have the chance to replicate The Civilians’ process and share their own parents’ stories of divorce by videotaping their interviews and sharing them on the company’s Web site.

“Since divorce is such a common experience, I think the idea is transferable from our company to anyone who wants to participate in the project,” said Steve Cosson, The Civilians’ artistic director. “All these potentially nervous divorced parents are going to face questions by their children.”

Parents, you better sit down for this.

“You Better Sit Down: Tales from My Parents’ Divorce” runs at Galapagos Art Space (16 Main St.) November 12-14. Tickets are $15. For more information, call 718-222-8500.

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