High On Poker

I will tell you what won’t make a list of my favorite things: online poker. I swear, I try, TRY, to enjoy the game online, but its like self flagellation to me. For instance, last night, I entered a Badugi tournament and a HORSE tournament at Stars and a super turbo 54 person SNG on FT. I went deep in all three, but didn’t cash in any. LEMON!

Now, I can readily admit that at certain times, I misplayed hands, in some cases terribly. I misclicked at least twice in Badugi in a manner that would make anyone watching think that I was either pecking buttons at random or chip dumping. Besides the misclicks, I caught myself making at least one awfukkit play in the HORSE tournament where I kept betting out with AA when I was probably beat. I was short enough that I figured this was it anyway, but as it turned out, my opponent only had TT (TA/TQJ). Based on his re-raises on 5th street, a straight looked likely. That’s when we re-raised each other all-in. In fact, my opponent claimed after the hand that he misread his hand and actually thought he had the straight. Based on the play, I believed him. I offered a kind word, “It happens” and then surprisingly, he then tore into me, calling me a donkey for getting all my money in with Aces. I not-so-politely reminded him that he got it all in with Tens and that he should know his role and shut his mouth, after which he promptly busted and wished that I would get in a car accident. My response, “Very original. Are you going to wish me AIDs next?” If you are going to be a bitch in the chat box, you have to be a bit more original than just stealing Woffle’s lines.

The thing is, losing three MTTs in an evening is nothing. Its just, well, discouraging, because I know I wasn’t playing my best. It got me thinking about my last AC trip and how I didn’t play my best their either. If I am going to be this obsessive over poker, I best be playing my A-game when opportunity arises. I suppose that’s the hardest part of it all.

Now onto some of my favorite things. I actually have a Google Map with a list of restaurants I want to try in NYC. I started it months ago when I first started my list of places I wanted to visit in NYC. The list kept growing and I needed a better way to organize my list. Hence, the map.

Most of the places were found through the Food Network or Serious Eats blog. Some I found through walking around the city and seeing a place that looked interesting. In the end, its been an invaluable tool whenever I feel the need to try something different. And since most of the locations are recommended by other chefs or foodies, the results have been rather amazing.

If you want Fried Chicken in NYC, there is no better place than The Redhead. I went there with wifey Kim last weekend. It was recommended by her friend Genny and I had also heard people call it the city’s best fried chicken in publications. When we arrived, it was for an earlier dinner so there was no wait. The place is relatively small, with maybe 24 tables at most and lots of 2-tops. The ambience is nothing special, with a rather functional restaurant decor and a large bar that takes up most of the front area of the restaurant.

I had the fried chicken, which was served with an arugula and strawberry salad and cornbread. The lack of mashed potatoes or other traditional sides (aside from the cornbread) was a surprise, but frankly, I am not a mashed potatoes guy, so I was fine with it. The chicken itself was crispy and salty on the outside and flavorful and juicy throughout. The serving was large, constituting a boneless breast and bone-in thigh with drumstick (if I recall correctly), and I ate the whole portion. Its the type of chicken where, when you are done, you then pick up the shards of skin on the plate and finally pick the bones clean just in case you missed a morsel of deliciousness. The salad was surprisingly good for a guy who does not love either strawberries or salad. The cornbread was good, although nothing special. Wifey Kim had a duck confit dish that was also spectacular.

This one isn’t from my Google Map, but is worth mentioning. A couple of weeks ago, my good buddy since grade school, JDubs, was planning to walk the Brooklyn Bridge with his wife. JDubs and I went to college together and were roomies and his wife is from the town next to my wife’s town.

It was a lazy Saturday and I was just planning to bum around and maybe play some online poker, so when I heard they were nearby, I decided to join them. I took the subway to Brooklyn and met them outside a random place called Jacques Torres Chocolates. It was a sweltering day, so I ducked inside the ice cream portion of the store while I waited for my friends. I decided to get something cool I could walk with, so a chocolate shake was the obvious choice. Now, I love me some choco shakes, and this one was phenomenal. I’ve been thinking about it off and on ever since, and I can’t wait to get back. The shake was thick, but not too thick to drink. The chocolate flavor is deep and satisfying. Its like a liquid candy bar, but made with top quality chocolate. Even that isn’t doing it justice. Just picture your favorite chocolate ice cream melted. That’s it. Its like the best chocolate ice cream melted and ready to drink.

Finally, let’s end this culinary tour with a roast beef sandwich. The fun thing about my map is that it gets me to go to places and order things that would not normally be my go to. I worked this Sunday and after work, decided to do something different in order to salvage the day. On my way home, I stopped at This Little Piggy, a roastbeef sandwich place from the guys who made Artichoke Pizza. Artichoke is a small pizza place with an amazing artichoke pizza, which is really like artichoke dip covering a slice. I tried the pizza and it was pretty good (a bit heavy, but delicious and unique), so I figured I’d give their sandwich place a try.

I had the That Way, which is a hero with roast beef, mozzarella and gravy. When I first read the description, I figured the “gravy” would be Italian gravy, i.e., tomato sauce. I kinda figured the That Way was an odd parm-type dish. In actuality, it was a brown gravy or au jus, and it actually made the sandwich. The roast beef was lightly pink to brown, soft and delicious. The mozzarella was fresh. The gravy soaked into the bread, cheese and meat, binding them all together. It was fantastic.

So, there you go. One thing I don’t love and three things I do.

Until next time, make mine poker!