New York's Middle Class Has Shrunken

The penthouse at 15 Central Park West, which was purchased by the Rybolovleva family in December 2011 for the full asking price of $88 Million. Their 22 year old daughter, Ekatarina, now lives there following her stint at Harvard.

Last week's New York Times story about nealry one third of New York city’s income going to the top one percent of the city's earners is not surprising. What was once the leading manufacturing city in the United States has been transformed into a huge financial casino, with the gamblers at the top reaping all the rewards. Who cares if they nearly brought the economy to its knees, and blighted the lives of millions of Americans? And who is really concerned that they’ll do it again if they’re not prevented? How fitting that Mike Bloomberg should preside over this carnival!

Smithfield Opens In New York City

There’s no shortage of Irish pubs in New York City. As ubiquitous as pizzerias, they are easy to find. It’s finding the quality ones that takes time.  In my 17 years in New York, I’ve found a few. The Piper’s Kilt in Inwood. Several in Woodside, Queens.  The Penny Farthing on 3^rd Avenue. Ulysses in the Financial District. St. Andrews and The Long Room in midtown. Lunasa in the East Village. Slainte on the Bowery. All of those rise above the fray with above average food and drink selections.

And in the last 17 years, we’ve seen the rise of football (soccer) bars. Beginning with Nevada Smiths in 1995, and then exploding sometime around the 2002 World Cup, New York football fans have seen a renaissance of the sport’s acceptance and popularity in the USA.  We’ve also seen the rise of so-called “gastro pubs,” where the focus is on gourmet, rustic pub food, and less on televised sports. West Village establishments like The Spotted Pig and Highlands lead that segment.

Smithfield is a new pub built by veterans of this business. Partners Tom, Ken, Kieron, and Gavin have created a special place that combines elements of the football bar, traditional Irish pub and lounge, and fine restaurant into a beautifully designed and thought out package that is unique, friendly, and quite affordable.

I know Kieron from his days as a senior bartender at Nevada Smiths under Tom, the former co-owner of New York’s original football bar. After a split on the Nevada Smiths ownership, Tom began to develop plans for a football pub of his own, while also running the fine Lunasa in the East Village. Smithfield is the product of nearly two years of hard work, and I’m already a big fan.

I love the details. The use of reclaimed wood and re-use of vintage hardware and original architectural details make this place special. For example, all the bar surfaces are made from wood that is nearly 300 years old which was found in a Chelsea warehouse. The tables are made from New York water towers.

Downstairs is set up like a modern soccer bar, not unlike Amity Hall or Puck Fair downtown. Bright LED flat panel displays seem to float over a shelf taken from a Pennsylvania barn. And beneath that, the main bar, featuring massive stainless steel pipes. There are two of them, and each host ten brews on draught. Smithfield has gone the extra distance to ensure that they have a branded glass for each of the ales and lagers on tap. Details like that have made me an instant fan. Smithfield was designed with care by guys who really love their work.

Upstairs, the tone and décor changes a bit. It’s closer to a genuine Irish or English pubic house, where conversation takes precedence over televised sports. An original wood fireplace, revealed behind drywall when the space was acquired, gives the space a dash of coziness. In fact, this is only the third pub I have been to that has a fireplace (the other two being Molly’s on Third Avenue and Johnny Foley’s in San Francisco). The 300 year old bar surface is reprised in smaller form here, as there is a compact bar opposite the fireplace, as well by the windows overlooking West 28^th Street. During warm weather, the windows swing open wide – another nice touch.

Two Jameson barrels from Dublin decorate the space here along with the fireplace. Jameson whiskey is distilled in the Smithfield area of northern Dublin, hence the establishment's name. And from the second floor, a sky lit mezzanine room is visible above, which is quickly becoming the Wallace Room, named after William Wallace. Now that’s a detail a Scottish American like myself can appreciate. I envision that room as a VIP lounge, where one can sit in a big leather chair and sip whiskey. I look forward to seeing how it is used in this magnificent three-level pub.

And the food? From the four dishes I’ve had so far, it is well above the average pub grub in New York City. Executive chef, Paul Garey (of Tonic and the former Truffle on Third Avenue), is off to a strong start. The Jameson wings are sweet and spicy. The lobster mac and cheese is a good, local alternative to the buffalo mac and cheese served at other establishments (like The Penny Farthing). The burgers are high end, especially their signature burger with candied foie gras and tiny truffle shavings. It’s a perfect juicy, fatty, crispy, salty creation. And my favorite, their steak frites, is worthy of a French bistro. I’m a sucker for hangar steak, and it’s quickly my favorite hangar steak dish in town. Everything is well presented and the portions are refreshingly smaller than what I’ve seen lately in other pubs and (especially) chain restaurants.

This is one fine drinking and dining establishment, run by an exceptionally friendly staff. I hope they get a glowing review in New York Magazine or Time Out New York soon. This place deserves a bright future. So to all my friends in town, and to anyone visiting New York happening to find this review, I hope you can stop by Smithfield soon. It’s top class! 

Smithfield

215 West 28th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenue)
New York, NY 10001

+1 212-564-2172

hello@smithfieldnyc.com

Google Map

Newcastle Warp from 44 to 59 Points

A beautiful two month unbeaten run opened the season. Key injuries and a dismal December nearly killed it. But Newcastle United had the grit and character to keep working and find their groove. And in March, they found it, taking a full 15 points thus far in their final 10 game stretch. They control their own European destiny. If they can somehow get another 15 points, they are almost certainly in the Champions League for 2012/13. If Everton somehow lose today in their FA Cup semifinal against struggling Liverpool, then Newcastle are guaranteed a spot in the Europa League no matter what happens. European football is a very real possibility for the Toon a full year ahead of manager Alan Pardew's schedule.

Despite lacking a potent offense for much of the season, Newcastle have still scored 50 goals thus far, which is sixth highest in the league, just behind Chelsea. It's been a true team effort. Just enjoy this cathartic, if chronologically mixed tribute video, which was posted on April 12th. It wonderfully reminds us of what has transpired since Newcastle's relegation in May 2009. There are some unforgettable goals here, including Hatem Ben Arfa's unbelivable 70 yeard run which sealed victory against Bolton on April 9th.

So, here are my silly predictions for the five remaining games the Lads have before them:

Saturday, April 21, Newcastle v Stoke: W 2-1

Saturday, April 28, Wigan v Newcastle: W 2-0

Wednesday, May 2, Chelsea v Newcastle: L 2-0

Sunday, May 6, Newcastle v Manchester City: W 3-1 

Sunday, May 13, Everton v Newcastle: L 2-1

Looks like I'm predicting 9 more points out of a possible 15. A total of 68 points. Midway through this season, I predicted 60 points total.

If Tottenham and Chelsea continue to slip, Newcastle could very well squeeze into fourth place in the league table and enter the Champions League no matter what Everton do.

Once again, the Magpies have captured the hearts and minds of their loyal supporters. These are exciting times.  

Dark Days Ahead For The Red Sox

Amazing dark Fenway silkscreen by Daniel Danger. Used without permission. 

Oh no. I'm not going to write a long, overdue post about the coming Red Sox 2012 season. Not gonna do it. I will keep it as brief as I can, since I'm not a paid pundit.

But I will say that I have reached a low point in my fandom. Always sketical of the owners, the Fenway Group, I have become conviced that they are simply disgusting human beings. I should know this about all owners of sports franchises. But John Henry now offically disgusts me. My only action is to ingore him. Yes, he loves yachts and Liverpool. Those are reasons enough not to like him. But his actions during and after the Red Sox collapse of 2011 sealed the deal. He's not a Steinbrenner. He's not a criminal. But he's living proof that wealthy Democrats can still be disgusting people. Party lines never matter in these cases. It's all about actions and words. He can split his time between Newport and Liverpool.

I have the little theory that people simply become wierd after their net worth passes a few million or so. We see it all over. They develop odd hobbies. They start demanding that certain no brainer foods be prepared a specific way (the stories about John Kerry's morning toast checklist during the 2004 presidential campaign comes to mind). They become OK with having servants enter their bedrooms and their children's bedrooms and open the curtains every morning (Dick Fuld). They buy big houses in the middle of Wyoming (Dick Chaney and Dick Fuld, again....never new urban Jews could love ranches). And they hire third party uteruses to give birth to late-life children (Bobby De Niro,  is a very recent example). 

Rich people. They're wierd. Moving on.

I probably have a bigger issue with the Red Sox fans. Just ten years ago, they were among the most rational and knowledgeable fans in American pro sports (up there with the fans of several NHL teams, I would argue). I'll do my best to ignore the younger Red Sox fans up north who don't seem to know their history. The males indocricane their girlfriends to become fans, don pink caps (and other feminine items), and get logo tattoos on their ankles. These poor kids. They don't know pain. They don't know frustration. Oh, but they will. 

It won't be quite as bad as the 1984-1993 Yankees. But the Red Sox are heading into a quiet era, which could become worse if revenues unexpectantly drop.

So, here's my wicked short prediction for the Boston Red Sox. With no real shortstop ar catcher, they are at a defensive disadvantage. They have two outstanding pitchers, but the bottom two in their rotation could be breakouts or busts. They will get plenty of hits in their 100 year old ballpark. But they will have a depressing road record. They will be thankful to have an easy interleague schedule. But that's about all. By late July, they could be completely demoralized if they are swept in sweltering Arlington. I predict they will finish third in the AL East, behind the Yankees and Tampa Bay (although I'm not sure about the Yankees chances of clinching the wild card either). 

I like Bobby Valentine. He should have stayed in Japan. But in Boston, he's already not handling the media or his players very well. Meanwhile, management is already working on lowering expecations.

So follow their lead, Red Sox Nation. Don't get too excited. The decompression period has begun. So relax. Savor that $10 beer at the ballpark. Go to the beach for a change. Finish that summer reading book list. This period could last a few seasons.

We seldom get comments here at MLH. So, precious readers, what do you think? Comment away.

A Quick Word About Trayvon Martin

While I agree that the Trayvon Martin case has received far more attention than the "usual" white man kills black man story, it is the first of the social networking era to draw attention to one of the worst aspects of our nation. I highly recommend reading the posts over at We Are Respectable Negros for some smart commentary on the issue.