NEW YORK'S GREATEST FOOD DEAL ... "The DOLLAR DUMPLING"

A little bit of Serendipity on the Lower East Side of Manhattan yesterday. I needed to buy a few items down on Eldridge Street yesterday. This wasn't my only reason for jumping on the F Train at West 4th Street near my apartment. No I usually try to couple things together, and my reason for picking that particular store I was going to, was that it was just a block away from favorite Dollar Dumpling Joint, "Prosperity Dumpling" on Eldridge, 2 blocks North of Canal Street.

I hadn't been down there in a few months and I was jsut dying for some of those tasty Dumplings, and especially at just a Buck a Pop per order. Without a doubt, thee Greatest Food Value per for your money in the whole of New York City, hell, maybe even the country. And I've been extolling these virtues for several years now, and was the first to report on Prosperity on Eldrige while everyone else was just riding the #1 Dumpling - Vanessa Dumpling Band-Wagon.

I discovered Prosperity Dumpling one early evening about 3 1/2 years ago after strolling around a bit after my haircut from the Chinese ladies on Eldridge. It was Love at First Bite, and has been Luv ever since.

So last night I hop on the F Train. At first I was planning on getting off at the East Broadway stop, but at Delancy & Essex I jump off the train there. Figured I'd take a little extra walk and exploration before heading over to Prosperity, but then I was walking on Clinton, checking things out, and what do I stumble upon? Prosperity Dumpling! Wow, I couldn't believe it. They opened a branch on Clinton Street. Awesome.

Well, I continued walking around a bit. Exploring. Then decided to have my Dumplings at the new joint instead of the original down on Eldridge. I ordered a order. Just one order, I figured i walk down to the store, then have another order down on Eldridge. Got them. They were Yummy of course, and I needed more. I order wasn't enough, so ordered 4 more.

They hit the spot, and the second order did the trick. I had my fill, and just for Two Bucks. Yes $2.00 for two orders of tasty home-made Pork Dumplings. You can't beat that with a stick.

Just one problem. People at Prosperity Dumpling, when are you gonna open a shop in the West Village, somewhere near Houston and McDougal Streets? Please? We need One!

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

MY First LEBOWSKIFEST .......August 16, 2011 New York Live with Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, John Turturro

  BIG LEBOWSKIFEST  August 16, 2011       Hammerstien Ballroom, August 16, 2011,  Fans of Jeff Bridges and the Greatest Cult Movie of  All-Time, The "BIG LEBOWSKI" were treated to a special treat last night in New York City. It was the First Ever Cast Reunion of the Major Players of the Coen Brothers Masterpiece.     On hand for a Q&A prior to a World Premier Screening of the Big Lebowski Blueray Special Addition, were none other than the DUDE Himself, "Jeff Bridges," his sidekick Walter "John Goodman" and New York Actors of the cast; Steve Buscemi (Donny), Julianna Moore (Maud), and  "The Jesus," John Turturro .... Musical Director, Tbone Burnett was also on hand as he and Jeff Bridges are in Town to promote Jeff Bridges first album to coincide with the Lebowski Blueray release. Some Full-On Promotion. Burnett produced the album.       Well there was a lot of energy in the air, 5,000 Urban Achievers and Amateurs, many dressed as their favorite characters; most of which there were many a "Dude," a bunch of "Walters," Maude's, a few "The Jesus's,"  I saw one Cowboy Stranger (ala Sam Elliot), no Milionaere Lebowski's, a few "Donny's," No Jackie Treehorn's, but a Few Nylist's, and no Bunny Lebowski's.      Anyway, the costumes were all great, but most of all was the energy and Good-Time-Dude-Mood filled the Air. It was electrifying.      As for the festivities. The Q&A was a bit of a Let-Down, I'm very sorry to say, Being such a Biog Lebowski Fan, Lover of the movie and such wonderful actors as Jeff Bridges and John Goodman. The Q&A didn't hit it on the mark, and was not as great as I thought it would be. It was a bit Flat, but I enjoyed it never-the-less, just to be able to see Jeff Bridges, Julianna, John Goodman, Buscemi, Tbone, and John Turturro Live and on stage together was enough for me and any True Fan of the Dude, despite its shortcomings, "We All Loved It."      At first, I was thinking about leaving after the Live stuff and not watching the Screening of the Movie. I've seen it 30 times. But  I stepped back and though, hey you don't do this every day. Here i am with thousands of other like-minded fellow "Achievers." I can't let this moment pass me by. I just gotta watch the Big Lebowski with 5,000 Fellow Lebowski-Heads. So I stayed. And glad i did. It was a blast, and all Rocky Horror Picture Show, thousands screamed out all the famous lines; "Shut the Fuck Up Donny," Got Any Kahlua?, "What About the Fuckin Toe?," "He Fixes the Cable?," What Coitus?, You brought a Pomeranian Bowling?, "It Really Tied the Room Together," "He Peed on Your Fuckin Rug," "Obbiously You're Not a Golfer, and on and on. It was hilarious, a Great Time, and a way for 5,000 Dude Lovers to forget about the Stock Market, The Shitty Economy, and any other of their troubles. "The Dude Would." Daniel Bellino Zwicke Julianna Moore "MAUDE"JEFF BRIDGES "The DUDE" and JOHN GOODMAN "WALTER"

at LEBOWSKIFEST NEW YORK August 16, 2011

LEBOWSKIFEST Logo

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

by Daniel Zwicke

AVAILABLE on AMAZON.com

"THEY were NAZIS DUDE ?"

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In NEW YORK a "REGULAR COFFEE" is KING !!!!

Coffee and Cafes. Two things very near and dear to me. Million so others as well. In New York, we have the Best, “For getta bout it Seattle” !!! I remember 25 years ago and more when there were no Starbucks and just very few cafes in the hole city. More or less the only cafes were in Greenwich Village, Little Italy, and the East Village. There were hole neighborhoods, completely cafeless and if you wanted to go to one you had to go to the Village or Little Italy, nothing on the hole Upper East Side.

   Anyway, Coffee and Cafes are a huge thing these days and part of many a life.

Coffee and cafes, let me tell you about some of the best and my impressions. Hey, I’m a guy who has been frequenting cafes for years, each and every day, just about. I haven’t Jumped on the Band Wagon in the past 5 or ten years. I’ve been riding it for 30.

   Number “One,” in New York,  a good Cup of Joe is King, “Regular” not

Grande Caramel Latte and overpriced crap like that. Not the esoteric overpriced espresso, Cortado, Machiato, Blue Bottle, and Site Specific Coffee, and blends that try to break down and make too make of a good simple thing. You know what I mean. A “Cup of Joe,” is King. Used to be Five Cents at coffee shops all over the city. Well that’s going way back. Hey don’t get me wrong, I love Espresso, Espresso Machiatto, and the great Cortado they serve at Abraco. It’s just that I gotta tell you, a “Regular” is King and let’s hope it always will be.

   Abraco is utterly awesome. Maybe the Best Single tasting coffee in town, is their Cortado. Man it’s tasty. Just out of this world. But I have some problems with Abraco, as I’m not someone to pay a Premium for what I call “Hit and Run Coffee”

What is “Hit and Run Coffee” you ask? Well, let me tell you. Hit and Run Coffee is a coffee that you get at places like Caffeteria, Abraco, Third Rail Coffee, and tiny little Coffee Bars that have little or no chairs and tables and maybe just a small counter space for standing. Listen, I’m not in the habit of paying  $3.50, $4.50 or “More” for a cup of coffee, having to stand at a counter, drinking it in short time and leaving. Ending up $5.00 or more less in my pockets. Well you may think, “What’s $5.00?” Right? What’s Five Dollars? Imagine if you have 5 $5.00 coffees a week for one year. Do you know how much money that adds up to? Relax, I’ll do the Math for you. That’s $1,300 my friends. No small sum? Multiply that by 5 years and you’re talking $6,500, or by Ten Years and we’re talking $13,000. That’s a lot of Friggin Cash my friends. Hey I’m not saying you should not go out and have coffee. I do all the time. Heck, on my days off, I sometimes end up in cafes three times in one day.  I spend about $1,508 a year on coffee, $7,500 in five years or about $15,000 in ten. That’s a lot. But I get a lot. Heck, I used to spend about $2,200 a year on coffee,  $10, 000 or more in 5, or about $20,000 in ten years. But I have cut back. I’ve seen the light. I hardly ever spend $5.00 on a coffee any more. All I need is the $2.00 variety. A good honest “Cup of Joe,” a “Regular.” And I need to get my money’s worth. If I just wanted a good cup can easily make a great one in my house for just “15 Cents a Cup,” but I go and have one at a Café for 15 times that amount. Why? The extra $2.35 I pay for the coffee plus tip, is to be able to “Sit” down and relax in a nice pleasant atmosphere. I’m not gonna pay 27 times ($3.75 Average price coffee at Upscale Coffee Bar) to stand at a counter and not being able to sit down and relax. At home I can  make a tasty cup of Coffee from the Highest Quality Coffee money can buy with the coffee I buy at  “Porto Rico Coffee” on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, just a half block from my house. No, I pay all that extra money to sit in the pleasant environment of a nice coffee. Also to see other people, maybe a friend or the possibility of meeting someone new and interesting. I read, I write, I hang with friends, I relax. I can not do that at a overpriced “Coffee Bar” that doesn’t have any place to sit.

  And speaking of Porto Rico Coffee, it mystifies me that people are so foolish as to pay $11.95 or more for a mass-produced commercial pound of Coffee from Starbucks instead of going to the “Best Coolest Place in Town” to be some of the World’s Finest Coffee at Porto Rico Coffee, people who have been doing this for more than 100 years, not 20. It just doesn’t make sense. By the way, the coffee I buy at Porto Rico is just $5.99 and $6.99 a pound, half the price of a pound of Starbucks Coffee.

   Anyway. It’s all up to you. I’ll  stick with my Regular “Cup of Joe” with a Espresso and Cappucino thrown in here and there, and as a special treat a Cortado from Abraco every now and then. And I’ll get to sit down and relax with my coffee each day, putting an extra $1,000 a year in my pocket, or Airfare and a few nice meals when I go on vaction. How bout you, “Hit and Run”and pay more, or Sit Down and Relax, Pay Less, Save, and put a Thousand Bucks a Year in your pockets, or $10,000 in ten ? 

by "DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE"

ME and MY iPhone

ME and My iPhone...... It Does Everything ! You gotta Just LOVE it! My MUSIC, Pictures, News
  It's got a Camera, makes VIDEOS ... Another SEX TAPE? Ha Ha !