Chris Marakovitz

The Pre-Date Soundtrack

In Music, Uncategorized on January 23, 2012 at 5:48 pm

Life is like a movie. We’re all writer/director/stars of our own unfolding narrative. In other words, we’re all like Mel Gibson, hopefully without the anti-Semitism. This being the case, your music collection is nothing less than the soundtrack to your life. And like any good story, yours needs a love interest. Or some meaningless sex. Or at least a date every now and then. Preferably this is going to be an “R” rated movie, so we’ll need to see some skin. Capiche? So once you’ve identified your next love interest/sex partner/date it might behoove you to give some thought to the appropriate musical accompaniment to this crucial sequence. From the pre-date music to something for the car during the date to the makeout session on the couch and, if all goes well, right into the bedroom (or the floor/wall/kitchen table), let the music be your guide…

Part I: Pre-Date Tunes

There’s a lot to be said for mental preparation. Rather than just wandering aimlessly from one situation in life to the next, feel free to take a few moments to focus on the matter at hand. So you’ve got a date tonight…presumably you’ll be taking a shower, choosing an outfit, combing your hair, all that good stuff, and you’ll need some music to listen to in the process. The right selection here can put you in the ideal state of mind for romantic success. The wrong one can set the stage for disaster. Avoid anything too deep or dark, anything that reminds you of ex-girlfriends or personal failure of any kind. Keep it light, upbeat, but not over the top. This is not the time for the “Rocky” theme or AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells.”  Satanic imagery is not good for the pre-date psyche. We’re looking for something that reinforces the required self-image: suave, debonair, laid back but totally in charge. That’s you. Here are five musical suggestions (in reverse order) that can help take you there:

5. The Eagles – Key Songs: “Peaceful, Easy Feeling”; “Take it Easy.”

Music snobs may look down on the Eagles, but these guys can serve you well in small doses. Sure you’re a bit nervous for the big date, we can almost see the wheels turning upstairs as you play out potential scenarios in the shower. Perfectly natural, but, hey, “Take It Easy.” Let Obi-Wan Don Henley remind you: Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy. Close your eyes, picture yourself standing on a corner inWinslow,Arizona, and there’s that girl/guy, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at you. That’s how hot you are. Feel the power. “Peaceful Easy Feeling” is packed with relevant insight here as well. We all found out a long time ago what a wo/man can do to your soul. Ah, but s/he can’t take you anyway you don’t already know how to go. Just remember, there’s no way your date can let you down- because you’re already standing on the ground.

4. Bob Marley – Key Song: “Three Little Birds.”

Three little birds upon your doorstep. What could possibly be wrong with that? Answer: Nothing. Don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing…is gonna be alright. Nobody conjures up the pure joy of stress-free living like Bob. One caveat: Avoid the temptation to spark up a joint. Otherwise you may spend the majority of your night smiling and nodding while having no idea what your date is talking about. Or self-consciously wondering about that offhand comment s/he made about your shirt. Does s/he not like your shirt? What did s/he really mean by that? Lay off the dope and just soak up those positive Marley vibrations. Now go out on your date and sing sweet songs of melodies pure and true.

3. Steely Dan – Key Song: “BabylonSisters.”

In college we referred to this as the EDT’s. Easy Drinking Tunes. It works equally well in the pre-dating context. Just pop in “Decade of Steely Dan,” let it play through, and you’ll be in good hands. Not only does the music strike up an ideal pre-date mental image of hedonistic good times, but, in “Babylon Sisters,” you’re provided with a ready-made visualization (particularly for those on the left coast): “Drive west on Sunset to the sea. Turn that jungle music down. Just until we’re out of town. This is no one night stand, it’s a real occasion. Close your eyes and you’ll be there. It’s everything they say. The end of a perfect day. Distant lights from across the bay.” And if there’s an age gap in play, who cares if your date don’t know Aretha Franklin? Just have her take you along when she slides on down.

2. Sinatra – Key Songs: “My Way”; “Summer Wind.”

Now we’re venturing into the rarefied air of pre-date listening. Not only does Sinatra’s music take you where you need to be, but the man himself personifies what we’re going for. Much as we like the Eagles, you’re not gonna wanna head out for your date picturing yourself as a latter-day Don Henley. Marley was great, but unless you’re a dread-locked chronic pot smoker fromJamaicait may be hard to work the Marley persona into your repertoire. Steely Dan? Cool enough, but a tad dorky. Francis Albert Sinatra. Now that’s someone you can channel as you head off into the night. All swagger and attitude. Warmth and romance without an ounce of sentimentality. Feeling a little pre-date anxiety? Fix yourself a nice martini and let it drift away with the warm Summer Wind. Now go out and do it your way.

1. Joao Gilberto & Stan Getz – Key Song: “Girl from Ipanema.”

Stan Getz may not be as hip as Sinatra, but he’s plenty hip himself. More than close enough to suit our purposes here. Start off with “Girl From Ipanema” and let it go from there. Soak it in. The Brazilian bossa nova. A sublime dose of Latin romance. The musical personification of cool. This music is so cool that anyone who listens to it automatically becomes cool. It’s impossible not to. Picture yourself negotiating your date like a Getz sax solo: effortless, mysterious, self-assured, playful, timelessly sexy.

 

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Restaurant Review: Rao’s at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas

In Food, Restaurant Reviews, Reviews on December 29, 2011 at 12:52 am

Where it all began- the original Rao's in Harlem.

If you like a certain kind of food- namely old school, east coast style Italian- Rao’s at Caesar’s Palace gets our nod as the best restaurant in Las Vegas. Rao’s has it all- atmosphere, service, and most of all, exquisite food (more on that in a minute). Above and beyond all that, Rao’s has history. It has mystique.

The Rao’s story begins not in Vegas but in the Harlem region of New York’s upper Manhattan. And it begins not in this century, not in the previous century even, but in the century before that. It was in 1896 to be precise that Italian immigrant Charles Rao purchased a small saloon at the corner of 114th Street and Pleasant Avenue and named it Rao’s. With his death in 1909 his sons Louis and Vincent, who were born and raised in the house next door to the saloon, took over Rao’s for themselves.

Slowly, as the decades passed, Rao’s developed such a following in the local neighborhood that a small but growing cadre of patrons maintained standing reservations on certain days. Considering that Rao’s only has ten tables in the entire restaurant, that there is only one seating per evening, and that many existing reservations remain from decades before, it is no surprise that it has become virtually impossible for outsiders to land a reservation. The legend of Rao’s exploded on the New York scene once and for all when New York Times food critic Mimi Sheraton published an ecstatic review in 1977. No longer was Rao’s a hidden gem for those in the know. Now, all of a sudden, it was one of the most sought after- and elusive- dining destinations in all of New York.

In this regard, food lovers everywhere rejoiced with the opening of a second, much larger Rao’s at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. The design and atmosphere of the Vegas Rao’s certainly can’t match the history and soul of the New York location but it has one key advantage- you can get a table here. And most importantly of all, the food, by all accounts, is exactly the same as the food served at the original location. Which is to say that the food at Vegas Rao’s is delectable. Mouth watering. Old school Italian dishes with a distinctive twist that you won’t soon forget.

Whether you’re visiting Rao’s for a romantic dinner with your significant other or in a large group, family-style, with shared dishes, is the way to go. Start things off with the wonderful Antipasto Della Casa (for two- priced at $29), featuring prosciutto di parma, mild sopresata, roasted bell peppers, mixed olives, buffalo mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, grana padano and gorgonzola cheese over dressed arugula. Swing into the main course with a pasta side dish topped with Rao’s unmistakable signature marinara sauce ($23). Made with san marzano tomatoes, this sauce is truly bursting with flavor, the type of flavor where you can literally taste the quality and freshness of the ingredients. It would be criminal not to pair your pasta with a side of Rao’s traditional meatballs in that same wonderful sauce ($16 for two- they’re not small). If you wanna work some veggies into the mix, check out the Peas & Prosciutto, an ideal complimentary dish ($15).

Also distinguishing itself in the pasta section of the menu is the Orecchiette with Broccoli Rappe and Sausage ($26). If you’re wondering what orecchiette is, it’s a somewhat rare and (if you ask me) vastly underrated circular pasta. The name derives from the word orecchio, Italian for “ear,” because orecchiette bears a passing resemblance to a small ear. Either way, it works beautifully in this dish alongside sweet Italian sausage and broccoli rabe, all sautéed in a delightfully flavored extra virgin olive oil. This dish exemplifies what lifts Rao’s above the masses of ho-hum Italian eateries: interesting variations on traditional dishes and perfectly constructed recipes executed with the finest ingredients.

Moving on to the entrees, two of the more memorable offerings include Uncle Vincent’s Famous Lemon Chicken ($26) and the Steak Pizzzaiola ($48). The first of these consists of quartered charcoal broiled chicken served in an excellent lemon sauce. As for the Steak Pizzaiola, it’s a pan-seared 17 oz. prime shell steak sautéed and topped with bell peppers, button mushrooms, onions, and those same san marzano tomatoes that the marinara sauce is based on. Vegas is full of steak houses that talk a good game, but few, if any, serve a steak as perfectly charred and flavorful as this one. The novelty of the pizzaiola style makes for an excellent pairing with the meat itself. More traditional steak lovers who view this pairing with initial skepticism may find themselves pleasantly surprised if they approach with an open mind.

In these cases, and across the menu, Rao’s serves up consistently memorable dishes that are beautifully flavored but always subtle, never overdone. The atmosphere is about as charming as it gets in a casino location. Indeed, the hardwood floors and moderately sized separate rooms seem far removed from the rows of slot machines and blackjack tables that sit outside and around the corner. The jukebox- a legendary component of the New York Rao’s- sets the tone here as well, with plenty of Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and the like wafting through the air as you finish up another great meal with an after-dinner drink (grappa anyone?) and a healthy slice of creamy tiramisu.

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Movie Review: Shame

In Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews on December 28, 2011 at 11:55 am
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Fassbender could win an Oscar.

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) would seem to have it all- good looks, a sweet bachelor pad in Manhattan, and a solid career. But you can tell from the first frame that this ain’t about wish-fulfillment. On the contrary, this is a near-great movie for the same reason that Entourage and Californication are a joke. Admittedly, if those shows could be accused of peddling unrealistic fantasies of the excesses of the successful single guy, Shame might well be accused of moving a tad too far in the opposite direction. The film is downright obstinate in pursuing its dark vision, excessively so in the case of one final twist that detracts from an otherwise brilliant and disturbing study of modern sex addiction.

Even with that flaw, this remains a powerful movie experience that more often than not bears a shocking ring of truth. Steve McQueen’s direction is stylish without being overstated, establishing and maintaining a consistently eerie tone. His vision of New York, with its darkened streets, gray skies, and sleek interiors is matched every step of the way by a powerhouse performance from Fassbender, who fornicates his way through the city like an L-train moving from chilliness to the far reaches of despair. Fassbender and co-star Carey Mulligan, as his emotional ragdoll of a sister, reverberate off of each other perfectly, expressing a common sense of personal horror from opposite ends of the psychological spectrum.

The film hints at some sort of childhood trauma at the root of Brandon’s affliction, but such an explanation hardly seems necessary in a hyper-sexualized society where getting it on is increasingly detached, or even at odds with, the pursuit of deeper human connection. It is the exploration of that cultural fact, much more so than Brandon’s personal background, that gives the film its real power and meaning.

While it might be tempting at first to compare Shame to a film like Leaving Las Vegas, with Fassbender using sex as opposed to drink as his chosen method of self-destruction, a more apt tonal comparison might be Carnal Knowledge, with its explosive depiction of the disaffected modern male chasing skirt right off the deep end. Indeed, if Entourage and Californication are like the pop culture equivalent of Charlie Sheen- highly entertaining but ultimately whacked to the point of being unrecognizable- then Shame is like a humorless version of 70’s Jack Nicholson, slowly unraveling, losing his shit, backing off into dark corners that scare us precisely because we know they’re real.

-CM

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