Spoon #50: El Centro

Here we are with a milestone swap - the big five-oh!  At this point, we have swapped fifty spoons over the course of three years! 

Swap number Fifty took place at El Centro, in midtown.  Ms. Dish and I were in the neighborhood to see the hit Broadway musical Cabaret! 

I always have apprehensions about eating in the Times Square / Broadway area, but El Centro was a great cozy Tex-Mex joint! 

Swapping spoons at Mexican restaurants can be tricky business as there's usually not a lot on the menu that would come with a spoon.  Even the old standby of ordering a coffee can seem out of place.  Fortunately we were able to make Swap 50 happen with a bowl of Tortilla Soup. I'd never had Tortilla Soup before, but I am now a fan! 

And now with out further ado, here I present, Spoon NVMBER L!

A true classic, #50 sports the markings "Winco Stainless 18-10", of course with the mysterious "8 in a circle".  A quick look at our records identifies this spoon as a Winco Continental.  I will have to wait until we receive the official numbers from the archivists at SpoonSwapper HQ, but I believe with this swap the Winco Continental may have regained the title of "Most Swapped Spoon". 

Hurry archivists!  This highly contested title hangs in the balance! 

UPDATE!  After careful review, it appears that the Winco Continental is now TIED for Most Swapped Spoon with the ubiquitous Qualite Dominion!  

Spoon #37: The Odeon

Well not long after Ms. Dish and I went on our new diet, we decided to break our diet, visiting The Odeon in TriBeCa.  Ordinarily we would have felt very guilty about doing so, but we both agreed this was one of the best meals we'd ever had.

Initially attracted by their classy neon sign, we had no idea that The Odeon is apparently something of a legend among the hip.  This was surprising as the place was not "hip" but just classy and unpretentious, not to mention an incredibly satisfying place to break your diet.

And here's a surprise - Spoon #37 is a new make!

Marked with the exotic name "Arcoroc" and "18-10", Spoon Thirty-Seven appears to be from the Vesca collection:

Arcoroc, it turns out, is a division of Arc International, a French manufacturer that dates back to 1825.  The company was founded as a glass-making outfit and is still well known for their glassware.  According to Wikipedia, Arc re-invests 3% of their turnover into Research & Development.  To the layman you might wonder what is left to R&D regarding glassware, but check out their "Effervescence Plus" concept - champagne flutes that make the bubbles last longer!  Or how about "Slide Control" - glasses with silicone seals on the bottom so they don't slide off your tray!  What a time to be alive! 

Spoon #23: Ruby's

This past Saturday, Ms. Dish and I again found ourselves hungry in SoHo.  Fortunately a popular internet based user generated restaurant review site guided us to Ruby's on Mulberry Street!

Once again Ms. Dish and I forgot to take a picture of the place, so please accept this "street view" from the internet.

Ms. Dish and I almost passed on Ruby's as it seemed a little too "hip" and despite the very hot and muggy weather, there was no air conditioning.  We're both glad we gave it a chance though... It turned out to be a pretty cozy joint and after a couple of basil lemonades we were sufficiently cooled down and had a great meal!

Here we present Spoon Number Twenty-Three:

Number 23 bears the markings "Winco Stainless 18-10" on the back.  This spoon is very similar to Spoon 16, which was an Oneida New York.  Funny how repetitious spoon styles can be! 

Number 23 is evidently a Winco "Peacock" as shown here with the family:

You know what's odd about this spoon?  There's no "8 in a circle" on the back like all the other Winco spoons that we've run across!  Now what are we to make of that?  Is it a bootleg Winco?  This spoon seems pretty worn and old... maybe the "8 in a circle" is a more recent thing?  The only thing more mysterious than the "Winco 8" is a Winco spoon without it!

Spoon #20: P. J. Clarke's

The Famous P. J. Clarke's:

Pure class and more popular than ever.  For better or worse, there are a few P. J. Clarke's throughout New York now - and did you know there's even a P. J. Clarke's in Las Vegas?  The original, however, is located in a tiny building tucked right in between midtown skyscrapers.   You can tell a lot of people have been through this place, and at that its age (over 125 years!) it has had its impact on New York.  Just take a look at the History section their website. 

If you're a fella you have to check out the bathroom; stained glass ceilings and giant porcelain urinals make you feel like a king! 

Here's ol' spoon number twenty: 

Well if it isn't an Oneida New Rim.  Just the same as Spoon Six even down to the 9-11 marking near the bowl.

You know what that means - we have an unprecedented three-way tie for "Most Commonly Swapped Spoon" between the Oneida Baguette, the Winco Continental, and the Oneida New Rim!

UPDATE:  Hold your horses, I just realized we also have another contender for our tie:  The Winco Stanford!  A four-way tie between Oneida and Winco! 

Spoon #19: Fraunces Tavern

Earlier this week Ms. Dish and I stopped in to Fraunces Tavern in the Financial District:

Fraunces Tavern is an old building with a new restaurant.  In fact, many sources say Fraunces Tavern is the oldest building in all of Manhattan, originally built in 1719 as the home of Etienne "Stephen" DeLancey.

It seems that any building of such age falls into the "George Washington's Axe" category.  Do you know all about George Washington's Axe?  It's one of my favorite anecdotes, so I'll remind you.  Essentially it revolves around someone saying "This is George Washington's Axe!  The handle has been replaced three times and the head has been replaced twice, but it's his original axe!".  Another example is the Ship of Theseus which will have the philosophers arguing until they are replaced!  Fraunces Tavern certainly falls into this category.  Over the years the building has seen a lot of action; opening as a tavern in 1762, pre-Revolutionary War cannonballs through the roof, George Washington's farewell to the Continental Army, multiple fires, and a bomb attack by Puerto Rican terrorists!  In all that time the building has undergone many changes.  It seems no one knows exactly what it looked like originally, but the current manifestation is the best guess. Many more details can be found on Wikipedia and the Fraunces Tavern Museum website.

All of this history aside, last year a new restaurant operated by Ireland's Porterhouse Brewing Company opened for business at Fraunces Tavern, serving typical pub fare with some fancier options to suit the financial district patrons.  As the Porterhouse Brewing Company name would imply, they have several of their own brews on tap and if you enjoy a nice whiskey this seems to be the place to go.  Fraunces Tavern is a stop on the American Whiskey Trail and their "Dingle Whiskey Bar" is home of the "Fraunces Tavern Whiskey Society".

Now here we have Spoon #19:

We know all about this spoon, because it is identical to Spoon #3, a Winco Continental! 

Do you know what this means?  It means with two occurrences, the Winco Continental is tied with the Oneida Baguette as our most commonly swapped spoon!

Spoon #18: Brasserie 360

Now to continue with our French Food Double Whammy, Part Deux!

After visiting Madame Claude, Ms. Dish, Ms. Scoop, and I took a trip to Brasserie 360 on  60th and Third:

Disclaimer:  Above photograph taken by Runcible.  Please excuse the inferior quality when compared to what you have come to expect from the lens of Ms. Dish.

We traveled to Brasserie 360 on a hunch that this was the same restaurant Ms. Scoop would frequent when she lived in the area about 40 years ago.  Unfortunately, we discovered that this was not the place, but still we had a darn good meal. 


Here we have Spoon Number 18:  

An Oneida Baguette, just like Spoon Number 8!  With a record of TWO occurrences, this is officially our most popular spoon! 

Aside from the worn markings "ONEIDA 18/10 BAGUETTE", Number 18 also includes the mark "9-07" near the bowl.  Spoon Number 8 had the mark "5-10" at this location, which we speculated could be a date.  This "9-07" certainly seems to fit in with this theory.  Isn't it nice of Oneida to not only include the name of the spoon on the back, but also the date of manufacture?  That's how you run a world-class flatware company! 

Spoon #11: Keens Steakhouse

When Ms. Dish and I have a special occasion to celebrate and we feel like indulging our inner carnivore, we always enjoy going to Keens Steakhouse on 36^th and 6^th.

Keens was originally a pipe club.  Hanging between the rafters are thousands of smoking pipes!  Back in the old days you would come to Keens, request your pipe, and a “pipe boy” would retrieve it for you.   The pipes are all long-stemmed churchwarden style, which are made of a thin clay.  Keeping track of these delicate objects was the responsibility of a dedicated “Pipe Warden”.  On display you will find the pipes of some of the more famous patrons, including Teddy Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill, Babe Ruth, Stanford White, and Will Rogers.  More of the history of Keens can be read here.  

Nowadays lighting up in Keens would probably fetch you a nice fine or at the very least a tour of the door, but you can still enjoy a delicious steak or their famous mutton chops.  Don’t forget to stop by the bar on the way out to say “hello” to Miss Keens! 

Here is our new Spoon #11: 

At first glance it looks like Spoon 11 is unmarked, but using Spoon Swapper Spoon-o-Zoom Technology, we can see plainly the words “Sant Andrea” marked on the bowl: 

Evidently, Sant' Andrea is an Italian subsidiary of Oneida.  Number 11 appears to be from their Bellini collection:

Now here's something interesting:  The Bellini comes in two versions, 18-10 Stainless and Silver Plated.  Could this be our first Silver Plated spoon?  Unfortunately my untrained eyes just can't tell.

Spoon #8: New Leaf Cafe

Nestled into Fort Tryon Park, which I happen to hold as New York's most beautiful park, is the New Leaf Cafe:

After hearing nothing but good things, Ms. Dish and I had wanted to come here for a long time.  We finally made it on Sunday, and we were not disappointed!  Fort Tryon is home to such beautiful scenery, including forests, gardens, cliff overlooks, views of the Hudson River, and of course the famous Cloisters Museum.  What I like most, however, is the feeling I get when I step into the park and think I've stumbled on this incredible secret place.  The New Leaf seems to compliment all this perfectly in its own way.  Oh and did I mention it was none other than the incomparable Bette Midler who led restoration of the building through her organization, the New York Restoration Project?

It was at brunch at the New Leaf that we engaged our new Spoon #8:

Spoon 8 is marked "ONEIDA 18/10 BAGUETTE", and also has the marking "5-10" stamped near the bowl.

Here it is in a publicity shot, playing Twister with its friends:

Some people are so keen on the Oneida baguette, they take one with them wherever they go - like sous chef Richie Nakano!

This picture is from a very interesting article that looks into chefs and their tattoos.  Worth checking out!

How about the 5-10 near the bowl?  A date maybe?  Yet another mystery...

Spoon #6: The Bridge Cafe

Ms. Dish and I have a long-standing tradition that on the first snow of the year we go to The Bridge Cafe for dinner.  Now, if you live in New York City, you know that we've been seeing some funny weather this year.  We got our first snow before Halloween!  This took us all by surprise, so Ms. Dish and I have been patiently waiting for the next "first snow" to go to The Bridge.  Fortunately that day finally came on Friday as I looked out my office window and low and behold saw some honest flurries. 

The Bridge Cafe has quite a history, dating back to 1794.  It always blows me away that this place is still around, nestled under the Brooklyn Bridge and next to the South Street Seaport.  According to the history books, the building has a long history as a grocery, saloon, and brothel.  It also is a contender for the much debated title of "oldest drinking establishment in New York City".

That history is great, but the fact is it wouldn't mean all that much if the food at The Bridge just wasn't really delicious.  It is!  Every time we eat here, I leave feeling that I just had a really good home-cooked meal.  The only downfall for this particular visit was that they did not have Ms. Dish's favorite home-made key lime pie.  Maybe next year!

You will notice by the way that the picture above is far better than any of the pictures featured in this journal prior.  That's because Ms. Dish took this picture.  It was decided at once that she will be in charge of picture-taking in the future.

Here we have Spoon #6:

Number 6 is marked "Oneida", "18/10", and "New Rim". 

Searching the internet for "Oneida New Rim" brings up a link to restaurantsource.com, which features this fantastic description: 

A gently curving border reflects the simple elegance of this fine 18/10 Stainless Steel pattern. A beautiful complement for virtually any tabletop, New Rim blends continental sizing with European styling with an impressive array of pieces to create a distinctive and unique placesetting.

I picture a lone writer thinking up these descriptions a la Sienfeld's Elaine Benis writing for J. Peterman.

Speaking of Oneida, which we first encountered as the makers of Spoon #0, the New York Times featured an article about the company a few days ago.  A very interesting story featuring more tidbits about the Oneida Community, Perfectionism, and the "Oneida Flip".  The main focus of the article, however, is that despite recent difficulties, a private equity firm has recently purchased Oneida and sees long term potential.  Good news for the people of Oneida, NY and spoon-swappers the world over. 



Spoon #5: Light Horse Tavern

This weekend brought Ms. Dish and I to Jersey City, New Jersey on secret business.  While there we were recommended to dine at the Light Horse Tavern in the Paulus Hook neighborhood:

It was a Sunday afternoon, so we figured a little brunch was in order.  Light Horse did not disappoint!  Ms. Dish and I both agreed that their Huevos Rancheros were the best we'd had in New York, even if we weren't technically in New York!

The Light Horse tavern, who's name Ms. Dish and I repeatedly screwed up, calling it variations of "white horse", "light house", "white house", etc., was named after Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee III.  The menu went on to explain that Light Horse Harry was made famous during the Revolutionary War for capturing 400 British troops in a sneak attack on Paulus Hook.  Only one man was lost.

And without further ado, here is Spoon #5:

Spoon #5 is marked "Winco Stainless 18-10" and also features the mysterious "8" in a circle that we first encountered on spoon numero tres.  Number 5 looks like it fits in with Winco's "Stanford" line:

Will we ever solve the mystery of the "8" in a circle?  Perhaps someday... 



Spoon #3: Les Halles

Before leaving town for Christmas, Ms. Dish and I decided to stop by Les Halles for dinner:

Les Halles is a darn good French restaurant, particularly given that it's way down in the Financial District on John Street.  It always seems to be packed with all sorts of people;  financial types, tourists, locals, and so on.  I can personally vouch for their specialty, the classic "Steak Frites".

We encountered Spoon #3 accompanying a cup of coffee:

Spoon #3 features the markings "Winco", "Stainless 18-10", and "8" in circle near bowl

Spoon #3 looks quite a bit like Spoon #2, but appears to be part of Winco's "Continental" family.  I suppose a "continental" spoon is more appropriate for a French restaurant like Les Halles.  Here's a picture of it with it's brothers and sisters:

Winco seems like a pretty no-nonsense restaurant supply company.  According to the website, their philosophy is "we win when our customers win".  Also of note, their distribution center is in Lodi, NJ - home of famous rock and roll band The Misfits!

I don't have any idea about this "8 in a circle" on the back - perhaps a hallmark or model number?  

Spoon #2: Cafe Mogador

Last night was very cold and rainy.  On such an evening, Ms. Dish and I decided to venture out and visit one of our favorite restaurants: Cafe Mogador, on St Mark's between 1st and Avenue A.  Unfortunately, as we were leaving, we remembered the rain but forgot to take a picture for posterity!  Here is what Cafe Mogador looks like in the sun: 

We used to come here quite a bit as they serve very delicious Moroccan and Mediterranean food.  We hadn't been for a long while, so last night we decided to brave the weather for some Hummus and Baba Ghanoush! 

It was at Cafe Mogador on this cold and rainy night that we met Spoon #2:

Spoon #2 is marked "Johnson Rose", "Stainless Steel", and "18-10" on the back.  You can tell when you're holding #2, that it is a really fine spoon.  According to the Johnson Rose catalog, this is their "Atlantis" pattern:

How do spoon companies manage to take these pictures without getting reflections?  Trade secret...

The "18-10" on the back is no secret though.  According to my old Metallurgy text, it describes the composition of the stainless steel.  The "18" is the percentage of chromium, while the "10" is the percentage of nickel.  Chromium makes the stainless steel rust-resistant, while the Nickel gives it a silver-like shine.  A "10" for nickel is really "ooh la la" stuff.

This type of stainless steel is called Austenitic.  It was invented back in 1912 by the engineers at Krupp in Essen, Germany.  That's right around the time my great-grandfather worked there! 

All this talk of stainless steel really brings me back.  I remember once in one of my Metallurgy classes our instructor told the class that if you wanted to know about the quality of a piece of flatware, all you had to do was hold a magnet up to it.  If the magnet didn't stick, you had some really nice stainless steel.  Well, I'm not sure about all that because when I put a magnet to Spoon #2 there's definitely some attraction.  I still think that #2 is a very fine spoon, though it must be handled with extreme care as it is not certified by the NSF.

By the way, extra kudos go to Ms. Dish for ordering a fish dish complete with head, tail, fins, et cetera - she reported that it was delicious!