Rain Art Eat

Posted on March 24, 2011 by upstatedowntown

By Kathryn Matthews

It was Thursday evening, March 10th.  I was headed out to an opening reception at Denise Bibro Fine Art gallery in west, west Chelsea for our friend Daniel Borlandelli, a visual artist from Uruguay.  As I stepped outside our building, a powerful gust blew my $4 umbrella inside-out, immediately drenching me in a torrent of hard-pelting rain.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Daniel was psychic.

His exhibit, entitled Vendaval, which refers to a powerful wind—south by west—in late winter or early spring, typically accompanied by thunderstorms and violent squalls, aptly captured his opening night.

"Vendaval"

Continue reading →

Posted in New York City, NYC Events, Restaurants | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Charms of an Old Farmhouse: Basement Flood!

Posted on March 21, 2011 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews

As soon as I saw my neighbor’s number appear on my office phone on the morning of  March 11, I knew what had happened: water in the basement!

Not ours, but similar

While old farmhouses have a romantic ring, and certainly have their charms, they require tons of work, patience and good luck, because many things go wrong, like water seeping (or pouring) in through a stone foundation — and not for the first time.  Continue reading →

Posted in At Our Farmhouse, Environment | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

More Dish on Steel City’s Local Food Scene

Posted on March 17, 2011 by upstatedowntown

By Kathryn Matthews

Did Andy Warhol ever eat a Primanti Brothers sandwich?

As a food-obsessed New Yorker, I’ve pondered this question, on occasion, when visiting my parents in Pittsburgh.

Did Andy Warhol ever eat this Manwich?

My February 27th New York Times travel article about a new wave of local-minded Pittsburgh restaurants mentions Primanti Brothers as a landmark eatery.  Originally a trucker’s joint, Primanti’s opened in the 1930s, serving up its now-famous, mammoth sandwiches stuffed with meat, cheese, coleslaw and French fries.  (How those truck drivers stayed awake afterwards is beyond me!).  Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Local Food, Restaurants, Travel | Leave a comment

We’re #1 (in Wine Consumption)!

Posted on March 15, 2011 by upstatedowntown

Celebration time

By Christopher Matthews

It might sound like a “man bites dog” story, but the US has overtaken France as the world’s largest wine-consuming nation in 2010, washing down a record 330 million cases from both US and foreign producers.

I guess we wine writers and bloggers haven’t been toiling (and drinking) in vain! Continue reading →

Posted in Wine | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Seeing the World, Gluten-Free

Posted on March 9, 2011 by upstatedowntown

By Kathryn Matthews

Courtesy of Viesti Associates

Courtesy of Viesti Associates

I have no gluten allergies.  But I recently attended a gluten-free Chinese luncheon to meet Bob Levy of Bob & Ruth’s Gluten-Free Dining & Travel Club at Golden Unicorn restaurant in Chinatown.

I was curious. The term “gluten-free” is getting a lot of buzz these days.  What does it mean?  And why eat a gluten-free diet? Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health, New York City, Restaurants, Travel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Porter for All Seasons

Posted on February 25, 2011 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews

Porter, a dark, medium-bodied English ale style that was THE drink of 18th century Britain, almost went the way of the Passenger Pigeon in the 20th, when lighter, industrialized lagers captured much the beer market here and, to a lesser extent, in the UK.

Fortunately, the craft beer movement of recent decades has resurrected the style, albeit in varied versions (and in fairly small quantities), which, at its best, offers Stout-like complexity on a lighter, highly drinkable frame.

Chatham Brewing’s logo

In writing my recent Rural Intelligence piece on Chatham Brewing Company (CB), a Columbia County, NY nano-brewer of artisanal ales, I came across near Porter perfection. Continue reading →

Posted in Beer + Cider | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Brownie Points

Posted on February 19, 2011 by upstatedowntown

By Kathryn Matthews

"Cakey" applesauce brownies

How do you like your brownies: fudgy or cakey?  I fall squarely in the fudgy camp.  I like walnuts in my brownies.  Hold the icing.  And they should taste rich, dark and chocolaty—but not too sweet.

A fudgy-type brownie is what I buy at a bakery or at the farmers’ market, where purposeful ignorance is bliss.

At home, however, I’ll always end up baking those cakey-type brownies that I would never buy—the ones that that call for unsweetened cocoa and oil (instead of butter).

Why the double standard? Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health, Home Baking | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A Massage to Remember

Posted on February 15, 2011 by upstatedowntown

By Kathryn Matthews

Bodhi Holistic Spa in Hudson

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, Chris surprised me with a lovely gift: a couples’ massage at Bodhi Spa in Hudson, New York.

I love massages—receiving them, that is.

For me, getting a massage is an occasional indulgence—one that helps alleviate cumulative stress or relaxes overused muscles.  The benefits of receiving regular bodywork, however, are far-ranging, from helping improve circulation, reducing back pain, lessening depression and anxiety; to enhancing the immune system. A study published last September in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that the recipients of a single session of Swedish massage experienced measurable, biological effects, including a significantly decreased level of arginine-vasopressin (which plays a role in regulating blood pressure and water retention), and an effect on the immune system.

Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Hudson Valley | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Cows Make Great Chili

Posted on February 9, 2011 by upstatedowntown

By Kathryn Matthews

Cold day. Hot chili.

On a raw, bone-chilling afternoon, hinting of yet another snowstorm to come, I suddenly found myself craving chili.  Not vegetarian chili.  Nope, mere cooked kidney beans wouldn’t do.  This kind of frigid cold sparked a primal hunger for something meaty, savory and warming.

Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health, Home Cooking, Local Food | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Frozen! The Sweet Taste of Summer

Posted on February 4, 2011 by upstatedowntown

By Kathryn Matthews

I confess: right about now, I’ve had my fill of root vegetables, from parsnips, carrots and rutabagas, to turnips and black radishes.  Yes, they’re locally available, in-season and tasty. But it’s been a long winter, and I occasionally long for a taste of warm weather produce.

Now, my upstate neighbor Kenny Migliorelli offers an antidote to my winter vegetable blues with Migliorelli Farm’s new line of frozen produce.

Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health, Hudson Valley Farms, Local Food | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments