mr phil's paris posts
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MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2000/LONDON (Cont'd) - Yesterday Marti & I went to the Borough Market in Southwark, wholesale/retail food pavilions known as "London's Larder." Its location near other famous landmarks along the South Bank of the Thames makes for a fun outing on a Saturday.
I had read about a Spanish stall in the market called Brindisa. They sell killer charcoal-grilled chorizo sandwiches in front, so we had lunch there. While Marti waited in the queue for the sammies, I chatted up the salesperson, a lovely young woman (originally from Barcelona) named Monica.
With Monica's help I chose chorizo, black morcilla sausages, aged Serrano ham, choricero peppers & olive oil to take back to my Paris kitchen. The folks at the Montague Hotel are keeping my sausages & ham in the fridge for me until our departure on Tuesday afternoon.
Marti & I browsed around the other stalls in the market, walked around Southwark a bit, then sat outside at a riverfront pub near the reconstructed Golden Hinde sailing ship, where we murdered a couple of pints of Adnam's.
The Golden Hinde was commandeered by a nasty band of pirates!
Last night we were joined by our friend Bill Pannifer at Diwana, an Indian veggie restaurant in Drummond Street -- his recommendation. The food was fabulous, far from the standard Indian fare with which we're familiar. it was great to see Bill again. He brought me CDRs of the Ani DiFranco show we had seen together here in London last December. A special treat. I played them this morning as we breakfasted in the room & got ready to go out for the day.
Ani.
This evening as I read my e-mail at the Webshack, I learned that my brother Jamie has just purchased a digital camera to use on his Web page. Here's one of his first efforts, which he sent me today: a picture of my mom in her den in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.
Hi, Mom!
Russell Square.
MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2000/LONDON - This morning I strolled through lovely Russell Square to the post office in Southampton Row. I mailed a few "postcards" (actually dial-up sex services cards that Marti liberated yesterday from a BT phone booth) to our friends. Hey, that's the type of friends we have. Today is my last full day to bang around the city before we return to Paris tomorrow evening.
Last night Marti & I went to dinner at Andreas, a Greek restaurant in Charlotte Street that she had discovered some time ago. We were well-received by Gabriel, the host, who gave us special attention once he established that I have a Greek background. I even trotted out a few items from my Greek vocabulary, much to the amazement of nearby diners. The dinner was delicious: Marti ordered an octopus salad starter & a grilled monkfish main course; I had avgolemono soup & lamb afelia, a Greek Cypriot speciality.
We knocked back a bottle of gutsy red Othello Cypriot wine during dinner. A plate of feta cheese afterward, to have with the last of the wine. No dessert. Greek coffee for me.
A special attraction of Andreas restaurant:
it's right in the shadow of my favorite London monument!
Tonight we're going with our pal Laurie Troost to see Gil Scott-Heron at the Jazz Cafe in Camden Town.
Gil Scott-Heron.
TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2000/LONDON - This afternoon Marti & I are returning to Paris after a super week in London. We heard happenin' live music, saw some great art, enjoyed delicious meals & got to hang with a few of our UK pals. Not bad for one week.
Yesterday after I posted to this page I stopped at a discount bookstore, where I found a big book on my favorite comic strip character, Dick Tracy, for only £2.99 & a biography/filmography of director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without A Cause). Ray also directed my preferred Bogie film, In A Lonely Place. This thick bio was only 99p!
I had a gourmet veggie lunch at Food For Thought in Neal Street, a restaurant that always seems to be populated by beautiful young women. Speaking of lovely ladies, I went with two of them -- Laurie Troost & my bride Marti -- last night to see Gil Scott-Heron at the Jazz Cafe in Camden Town. Laurie, who just returned looking tan & happy from a vacation in Spain, is an American Spreadhead who lives here in London. We always have a fun time with her.
The Jazz Cafe.
The Jazz Cafe is a comfortable, intimate venue. Gil was kicking off a weeklong stand there. While things were a tad raggedy on opening night, the show was vintage Gil.
Gil Scott-Heron.
Here's last night's setlist:
Space Shuttle Rap
95 South
Show Business
Winter In America
Three Miles Down
South Carolina
Alien
Did You Hear What They Said
Ain't No Place Where I Ain't Been Down
We Almost Lost Detroit
Work For Peace
There's A War Goin' On
Cain
The Bottle
Save The Children
After the show Marti & I paid a quick visit backstage to say hello to Gil. We told him we'd been digging his stuff since way back in our early D. C. days in the late '70s. On the way out I left CDs/presskits on Merl Saunders & Janice de Rosa with Miranda, the manager of the Jazz Cafe.
Gil backstage after the gig.
One more concert before I go. This afternoon I went to see Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer & Mark O'Connor at the Barbican Centre. I had fourth row seats for the special lunchtime concert in this beautiful hall. The classical/bluegrass fusion music was an excellent capper to this London tour.
Yo-Yo Ma
Edgar Meyer
Mark O'Connor
April 11, 2000
Barbican Centre
London
1B
Emily's Reel
Misty Moonlight Waltz
Caprice For Three
Cloverfoot Reel
Appalachia Waltz
?
Poem For Carlita
Indecision
Chiefs Sitting In The Rain>
Fisher's Hornpipe
E1: ?
E2: ?
At 4:20 this afternoon Marti & I are high-speed training home to Paris on the Eurostar!
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Email: phildemetrion@yahoo.com
