Spoon #4: Fanelli's Cafe

Five years ago my folks gave me a calendar called "Historic Bars of New York".  As the name implies it featured twelve of New York City's most famous historic bars.  Included were some of the more famous (i.e. McSorley's, P.J. Clarke's, the 21 Club), and some Ms. Dish and I had never heard of before.  Well Ms. Dish and I soon went to work exploring these various bars all throughout the city, and we found the vast majority were just as grand as the calendar implied.  Sadly, Fanelli's Cafe in SoHo was one we had not made it to until yesterday!  We honestly don't venture to SoHo all that often, but we happened to be in the neighborhood (to check out the new REI, if you must know).

We still have the old calendar, which provides a little history on Fanelli's.  Apparently the joint stayed open through prohibition by making wine and bathtub gin in a secret room behind the bar.  Fanelli himself was a boxer/promoter, which explains all the boxing memorabilia stuck on the walls.  All around it was a pretty neat bar with lots of character.  Plenty of old wood, including a built in clock, and only one T.V., which I always appreciate in any non-sports bar. 

And here we have our new Spoon #4:

A stylized "ABC" on the back marks it as a product of ABC Valueline.  A little research indicates that it's from their "Dominion" line:

Other than being pretty easy to remember, ABC apparently stands for Allied Buying Corporation.  They have the rather un-catchy slogan "Your North American Network of Independent Food Service Equipment and Supply Dealers".  The "Stainless Thailand 18CR" stamped on the back of Spoon #4 seem to attest to this spoon's no-nonsense approach.

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!

Spoon #1: George's Coffee Shop

Our first swap went down this Saturday at George’s Coffee Shop on the corner of 164^th and Broadway.

This happens to be one of my favorite diners in the city, so I’m glad it could be our debut swap.  George is master of the grill, whipping up anything you want at lightning speed – eggs, pancakes, French toast, burgers, gyros... to see him work the grill is always a show! 

Spoon #1 is marked “Bakers & Chefs”, “Brazil”, and “736” on the back.  Also on the back is an “NSF” marking in a circle.  This is the mark of NSF International, which according to their website “helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water and consumer goods."  Now when I go to George’s I can get a delicious meal AND be assured that my spoon will not kill me!

Spoon #0: 79th Street Goodwill

Presenting... Spoon #0!

To start this spoon-swapping adventure, we needed a spoon.  After haunting the junk-shops of New York City, Ms. Dish and I finally found the perfect spoon this past Saturday at the 79th Street Goodwill.

Sitting in the very back of the store in a big basket full of mismatched flatware, Spoon #0 was ours for a buck!  Hooray for Goodwill!

Spoon #0 is distinguished by it's marking "Oneida USA" on the back.  A little research on Oneida proved quite interesting.  Oneida Ltd had its origins in the Oneida Community, a religious and social society founded in Oneida, NY in 1848.  The community was based on “Perfectionism”, the theology of their founder John Humphrey Noyes.  Among the goods produced by this utopian society were silver knives, forks, and spoons. 

The Oneida website has the fully story, here. 

More on the Oneida Community, here.

Thems the Rules...

The rules of spoon-swapping are few, but important.  And they rhyme!

Rule #1:  Swap, don't steal!  Leave one behind after the meal.

  The golden rule of spoon-swapping! 

Rule #2:  It isn't nice to swap the same place twice.

  Spoon-swapping is all about uncharted territories!

Rule #3: For a swap to be true, there must be a menu.

  Don't pull a swap at the cafeteria or your Aunt Mildred's house! 

Rule #4:  Leave twenty-percent for the waiter's rent! 

  Remember to leave a good tip!