12/30/10

2010 R.I.P.

Grade "A" Fancy makes our first foray into the realm of cinema with this tribute to some places we lost this year.  2010 was a hard year for New York City bars and restaurants, and this is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are some of our favorites.  The city will be poorer for the loss.  Each of these had its own unique charms, but we relied on all of them to temporarily shut out the horrors of the homogenized Disneyfication New Yorkers have all had to endure over the last decade or so.  If you missed any of these special places in their prime, that's a pity.  But if you have an Old Reliable, one whose unchanging, comforting personality owes nothing to a corporate headquarters in Texas or Tennessee, you better give it a visit soon.  We will be doing that very thing tomorrow.  You should too.  Don't say we didn't warn you.  Enjoy the show.

12/26/10

Kringle Tingle

Here it is folks, the secret recipe for the 2010 edition of the Grade "A" Fancy holiday cocktail, The Kringle Tingle Thanks to Rex, one of our favorite WFMU Good Guys, and mastermind of the Fool's Paradise radio program, for hosting the most swinging Christmas party ever. 

The Kringle Tingle
as debuted 12-25-10 on-air
Fool's Paradise
WFMU

2 1/2 ounces Cognac
1 ounce Dubonnet rouge
1/2 ounce Crème de Cassis
4 shakes Fee's Old Fashion Aromatic Bitters


Add all ingredients into a shaker half-filled with ice.  Shake; strain into a chilled cocktail glass.


Garnish:  a twist of lemon peel.  Optional:  if you're insured, flame peel over the glass.  

Yield: one extra-large (Santa-sized) cocktail.


Grade "A" Karen shakes it up, while Nancy points out the action.  
Cheryl adds her two cents.  Todd-o-phonic Todd smells trouble.

 Sorcery!
 Kaboom!

photos courtesy the one, the only, Paul Lukas


Coming Attractions:  Due to a demanding public,  our annual Fool's Paradise secret recipe holiday cocktails will be published, along with other Grade "A" Fancy original concoctions, in a Grade "A" Cocktails booklet so you can play along at home.  Ideal for gift giving, 2011-style.

12/21/10

Holiday Cheer

Grade "A" Fancy takes to the airwaves.  In what has become a holiday tradition, we join Rex for the annual Fool's Paradise Christmas party on the mighty WFMU, the Fun 91, the Freeform Station of the Nation at 91.1 on your fm dial.  It's always a can't-miss event when Rex celebrates the American Novelty Songbook in true Fool's Paradise style, spinning your favorite (?) holiday-themed selections at 45 r.p.m.   And Grade "A" Fancy's own chief mixomatologist, Karen McBurnie, will once again unveil a brand new cocktail to mark the season, live on air!  This feature we like to call "Bartender of the Airwaves" is truly a milestone in radio broadcast history.   The fun happens from 1 to 3pm EST and you can find WFMU at 91.1 here in the tri-state area, 90.1 in the Hudson Valley, or streaming live at WFMU.org on the interwebs.  If you insist on spending the day with family the show will be archived so you'll be able to enjoy the radio hi-jinx at your leisure for years to come.






11/14/10

The End Of Summer As We Know It


Grade"A"Fancy says goodbye to Ruby's and a whole bunch of other great stuff that will soon be gone, leaving Coney Island changed forever.

10/29/10

A Menu For America


The Tea Party aren't the only kooks that want to save America. Grade "A" Fancy makes your dinner table safe for democracy.

9/14/10

Interview With The Martini



Scoop! Our first one-on-one interview, and it's a biggie — the Martini! Grade "A" Fancy dishes the dirt with the most glamorous cocktail on the scene. Plus exclusive recipes will help pros and talented amateurs get her just right. You're welcome.

9/12/10

Hot Off The Digital Presses



You are looking at the latest issue of Grade "A" Fancy, the smart New Yorker's guide to smart New York, the foe of the faddish, delivering the big city, distilled and decanted by Karen McBurnie and Jon Hammer. This one is entitled "The Theater District in Aspic", wherein we explore some of the last vestiges of that neighborhood before it went all corporate. Through the miracle of digital publishing, Grade “A” Fancy magazine takes you on safari into the heart of Darkest Times Square, where chain stores are many and pleasures are few, in search of some nuggets of historical and gustatory interest.

5/3/10

Neon!


Publishing dynamo Grade "A" Fancy presents a selection of photography by noted shutterbug and Negatives photo club co-founder Karen McBurnie. It is an riot of neon signage in digital and trad film media, with lots of double exposures to spice things up.