Shows to Binge Watch!!!!!!

In the dog days of summer, this is the time to binge watch some really great shows.  Here's the list I suggest:

TYRANT
PREACHER
OUTCAST
ANOTHER PERIOD
RAY DONOVAN
STRANGER THINGS
GAME OF THRONES
BROOKLYN NINE NINE

If you would like to add some to the list, then please put them in the comment section.

If these shows pique your curiosity, then.....TRY THEM!!!!!!

Ramen in Upper Manhattan Washington Heights -Tampopo!

I was looking for a delicious ramen place. I wondered why all the places were in 125th Street and below, but none for Upper Manhattan.  Many people I know in Upper Manhattan love fine ramen dishes, but it was a pain to always have to travel out of their neighborhood.  

Then one day I saw this guy on the train with a noodle restaurant shirt.  I asked if they served ramen and he said, "Definitely!"

So he told me his restaurant was called Tampopo Ramen on Bennett Avenue.  My friend and I went right away. It was a small establishment filled with big, flavorful food.  We both had ramen.  Her ramen is pictured at the top and it was vegetarian.  My dish had chicken.  Both dishes were fantastic!  Deep unctuous authentic broth, garlic, mushrooms, boiled egg, and a sumptuous bed of ramen filled our bowls and delighted our taste buds. 

If your mouth is watering, then...TRY IT!!!!!!

MUST HAVE CONDIMENT - GARLIC AIOLI!

One of my favorite burger places is right down the street from me.  I go to this restaurant for many reasons: 1) the hamburgers are nice and juicy and 2) it's one of the very few places that serves garlic aioli. 

The aioli adds a certain delicious unctuousness to the burger.  The creamy garlic brings the burger or any other sandwich to another level.  I even add it to my salad when at this restaurant.  It blends in perfectly with the chicken, vegetables, and greens.

It uses are only limited by one's imagination.  It's a wonderful condiment for home, for hot and cold dishes.  One of the best versions of this condiment is Delouis' Sauce Aioli (see above).  I bought it at Zabar's, which is a fabulous gourmet store in New York City. You can also find more choices on Amazon.com.

So, if this condiment interests you then......TRY IT!!!



TYRANT'S NEW SEASON! - YIKES!!!! (WARNING - SPOILER ALERTS IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED UP TO THIS POINT!)

WELL, HOW MANY MAIN CHARACTERS CAN YOU KILL OFF IN THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON?!!!

Well, according to Tyrant, a lot!

We have lost the hottie and illegitimate son of Jamal (the evil, maniacal,former dictator who was shot), General Sayeed.  Why or why would you get rid of  this sexy character played so well by Keon Alexander.  He was breathing new life into the series.  Before him, in the very beginning of the season, Nusrat, the ostracized wife of Jamal's legitimate son, Ahmed, was hung by a powerful servant of the Al-Fayeed's and some cronies.  He told Jamal's wife, Leila, that it was his job to "anticipate" her wishes, which shocked even this scheming matriarch.

After Nusrat's death, somebody (well, something, Nusrat's diary) finally told Ahmed what happened to make her so unhinged, beginning on their wedding night and until her death:  His father, Jamal, violated her during the wedding celebration and she couldn't bring herself to tell Ahmed.  Every time she saw Jamal, it tore at her soul.   She also knew that Jamal had her father killed.  Then when she miscarried and Ahmed's parents wanted to throw her away, she totally snapped and decided to bring her own brand of justice, which was to shoot and kill Jamal.  She injured him badly, but he didn't die.  Upon learning this information, Ahmed went to the hospital and decided not to give his father his kidney to save him, but instead he decided to smother him with a pillow.  So, now, evil Jamal finally got his due: death at the hands of the son he loved.

You think we're finished?  NO!  One more death had to happen and this one was definitely a surprise. Ihab Rashid, who was saved by Barry, minus his arm, is still out for revenge.  He wanted to kill Barry's wife, Mollie.  Mollie was in her motorcade with their daughter Emma.  Ihab Rashid had organized an ambush, but they were only able to get the daughter.  When a rescue plan for Emma failed, Ihab decided that in front of their infrared cameras that he would dole out his justice and stabbed Emma in the stomach.  Now, Emma is dead, at least that's what it looks like.  She was pretty lifeless and Barry and Mollie were screaming!

Whew!  Are you tired?  Does all this mayhem mean that this is the last season or are they making room for new story lines, like the blossoming romance between Leila Al-Fayeed (Moran Atias) and the American general, played by Chris Noth?  Stay tuned.

If this show's plot twists interest you so far then......TRY IT!!!!!!

Nice, France Attack - Why??!!

I went to Nice, France when I was in high school.  It was so beautiful and serene: beautiful , wonderful people, beautiful buildings and views of the water.   It was such a happy place and the memories filled me with such joyous feelings.

I am sure that I am not the only one who has felt these emotions about this place.  These types of emotions drew people to this place.  To me, it seemed safe from the kind of attack that occurred on this Bastille Day.  Those feelings were taken away from the 80 that perished and those that survived and those of us that longed to go back to this once happy place.  But we as humans are resilient.  We can't go back and make it go away, so we must go forward and keep positive and keep love in our hearts.  We must pray for all, even the misguided.   We must not lose our joy or hope for mankind!

Peace and Love.....Try it!!!!

Bai Antioxidant Infusion Drinks -My Review

My assistant Debbie and I decided to try the low calorie Bai drinks.  Our big concern about low calorie drinks is the after taste that many of them have.  We heard that these drinks seemed to fare better in that department.

We tried three flavors: Ipanema Pomegranate, Costa Rica Clementine, and Molokai Coconut.  Our results in terms of best taste and least after taste were Molokai Coconut, Costa Rica Clementine, and Ipanema Pomegranate.  We really enjoyed the coconut flavor.  It had a strong, rich coconut essence and no hint of after taste.  It was quite pleasing.  The robust flavor of the Clementine almost made up for the after taste.  Our least favorite was the Pomegranate which had a strong after taste for us.  

We both decided that in terms of the first two, they were worth drinking because of the calories we saved and the amount of satisfaction we received.  We even mixed the first two together and it was quite a pleasant combination.

So if you are curious, like we were curious, then....TRY IT!!!!!!!

TYRANT SEASON 3 - WOW!!!! WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NOW?!!!!

Hello, fellow Tyrant lovers.  The new season is coming July 6, the third season to be exact.  I would like to recap what happened in Season 2, just briefly to get your appetites revving again!!!

So, I’ll start at the end because I have seen some reviews and I’m not sure they are totally correct.  Just like John Snow from Game of Thrones, even though we see Jamal, the worst Tyrant ever, “dying”, is he really dead?  I read a recap review that said that he was, but no one said that at the end of the scene. Some characters just wished and believed that the bullet that Nusrat (the wife of Jamal’s son Ahmed) killed him, but Barry seemed to act as though he could save him and then it was the end. (Update: As I was writing this article, I found the Season 3 trailer and I am right, Jamal is not completely dead.)

Ok, now, in the beginning of Season 2, Barry Al Fayeed, an Americanized member of the Al Fayeed royal family, was in jail because his coup attempt against his brother failed and he was to be killed for treason.  We see a man being hung and assume it is Barry because we can’t see his face and we were told that it was Barry. The truth was that Jamal couldn’t face killing his brother, so he had another prisoner executed, then had Barry taken to the desert to die on his own.  However, Barry was found by some villagers and brought back to health.

Barry then became a freedom fighter against an overly zealous insurgent militant group that was against the Al Fayeed government and was rounding up members from dissatisfied small town folk, making it seem glamorous as they pillaged and killed many people, rivaling the evil of only Jamal himself.

 Part of the reason they were able to get many members was because they blamed Jamal for a chemical attack that was actually done secretly by his uncle Tariq, who led the military.  When Jamal found out what his uncle had done, he killed him with his own hands. This was justified, especially since Tariq did the same thing to Jamal’s and Barry’s father many decades ago when he ran the country. The father’s reputation never rebounded and the father never told the truth because of his loyalty to his family.

So, Barry becomes the freedom fighters’ leader, Khalil, but it was not known at first by his followers that he was a member of the Al Fayeed family and  the brother of Jamal, and the original heir to the throne, as per his father’s original wishes.  Barry and his son worked with the rebels.  Barry found out by accident that his son was helping the rebels and his son Sammy found out by accident that Barry was Khalil.

Barry devises a plan to beat back the new insurgent group and enlists the aid of an unlikely ally:  the illegitimate son of Jamal, who is now the new head of the military.  Without getting too involved in this part of the story, Jamal becomes paranoid over this allegiance (as well as many other things) and has this son thrown into jail as well.  

At the end, all ends well when the son is allowed to do his duty and Barry’s plan with the help of the military goes through and the insurgents are defeated.  Jamal is forced by his wife, Leila, and legitimate son, Ahmed, to resign for all the sins he has committed, which also included killing his own mother accidentally because he was trying to kill someone else due to one of his paranoid delusions. 

Jamal is allowed to make a speech. You even believe for one moment that he will not resign, but then… Nusrat shoots him!  She needed to get justice for him violating her on her wedding night and for killing her father. On the other hand, this at first innocent and nice girl has been forced into a life altering position. The Al Fayeed’s ruined her life and now she took her chance to get some sort of revenge.  They show Jamal dying, but no one said he was actually dead.

Although, he did look pretty wounded, you never know. The fact is this character was very compelling, charismatic, and full of surprises.  He was the J.R. Ewing character of Tyrant: You loved to hate him (This is a reference from the show Dallas for those of you that don’t know.) 

It also raises the questions: Is Barry now the leader of the country and for how long?  Is he going to become the Tyrant that has been hinted at since the beginning or will he go back to America?  Is he going to have an affair with the village woman with whom he shared a special bond during the freedom fight and who he visited secretly without his wife, Molly, knowing? Will Sammy’s sexuality complicate matters and cause danger for him in this very conservative world? Where is this story going now?  Only one way to find out.

If you are intrigued by this story and its continuation then……..WATCH IT!  JULY 6!