Jaybird's Jottings

Chakra Café Opens in Old Town

I have this theory about food.   The further east you go, the better it gets.   If this is true, then Old Town Alexandria, despite the recent influx of award winning chefs, is really hurting by a lack of restaurants featuring cuisines from India.

Doing her part to remedy the situation is Monisha Chakrobortty, owner of Chakra Cafe.    Located next to Balducci’s at the corner of S. Washington and Franklin, this new restaurant held its grand opening this part Saturday.   I ate there this week and can say I will be back.   

In a region where returning expats appreciate ethnic foods, Chakrobortty has created a culinary destination that will please those who love Indian cuisine.   There’s enjoyment on several levels.    First of all, isn’t it great these doors have finally swung open after a three-year absence following Farrah Olivia’s departure?   

Secondly, patrons are greeted with tiffany blue walls, as well as a few other nice touches.    Similar to the set up when Blue Point Grille and Farrah Olivia were here, dining al fresco is an option.

The menu features traditional Indian fare, as well as a lineup of items from Bengal, the region where Chakrobortty’s parents grew up.    In fact, she likes to call her food, “Bengali-Indian fusion.”

The menu has plenty to choose from.   Customers arriving with UNC or DUKE pasted on the rear of their SUV will be delighted to know Chakra serves hush-puppies, deep fried and flavored in a way Bubba never knew but will enjoy if he tries them.   

Same for the Ghugni.   Many of us might mispronounce it (“Goog-nee”), but not to worry.   If you like chickpeas, onions, beef and cumin, you’ll love this dish.   The Butter Nut Squash with five Bengali spices is also a palette pleaser, and our favorite so far is the Keema Samosa.   Best finger food ever, and these are tasty and crispy.

My only disappointment from my initial visit was the Corn Hash.  I had visions of something like my Mom’s fried corn, but this is simply kernels cooked in a broth that does work once you realize it is not hash.

So we welcome this new restaurant to Old Town.   If you like, we can discuss my theory over coffee and muffins.    Chakra serves those too.

 

 

2011: What a Finish

“The art of fiction is dead,” wrote Red Smith in the late afternoon of October 3, 1951, after he watched the Dodgers complete their epic collapse when the Giants' Bobby Thomson hit his famous pennant winning three-run homer at the Polo Grounds.    Brooklyn had been 13 ½ games up on August 11.

Last night, the final day of the regular season, brought two more colossal collapses.   Three weeks ago, two marquee franchises, the Braves and the Red Sox, seemed to have insurmountable leads for the Wild Card race.  

Atlanta was 10 ½ up on August 26, and eight on September 6.   They were leading the Phillies three to one last night in Atlanta but the scoreboard told the tale.   Philadelphia scored one in the seventh, one in the ninth to tie it, and one in the 13^th to win it.  

The Cards cruised in Houston and snatched the Wild Card away by winning 23 of their last 31 games.  The Braves lost 18 of the last 26, including the final five.   It was largest collapse in NL Wild Card race history.

That was the National League’s fantastic finish.   Could the American League top it?

The Red Sox held a nine game lead over the Rays at the start of the month, only to find themselves tied with one to play.   But after the Rays came roaring back, all seemed lost last night for Tampa, as the scoreboard read NY 7, TB 0.  

The Rays, who turned a triple play on Tuesday to win and stayed tied with Boston, put up a six spot up in the eighth, but were down to their last strike in the ninth.   Pinch hitter Dan Johnson personified clutch by sending the ball over the fence in Tampa to tie the game.   

Meanwhile, as midnight approached on the East Coast, the Red Sox carried a three to two  lead over the Orioles in rainy Baltimore.   In the top of the ninth, the Sox put men on the corners with no out but failed to score to add any insurance.    In the eighth, their chance to add a run was gunned down at the plate.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Orioles scored two off Boston’s ace closer Jonathan Papelbon.  The winning run scored when speedy Carl Crawford couldn’t quite make the catch.   The loss gave Boston a 7 and 20 finish, but they still had a chance. 

The Rays and their fans cheered when the final was posted at Tropicana Field.   With the game tied in the 12^th, one run would complete their impossible dream.   

A few minutes after midnight, Evan Longoria, the Rays’ best player, stepped up to the plate.   Hitting a line shot reminiscent of Thomson’s home run that dipped over the wall, Longoria’s home run barely cleared the left field wall at the Trop.  But it was enough to win the game, the wild card and make Boston the first team in history to lose out on the postseason after leading by nine games with a month to play.   Their collapse is the largest in Wild Card history.

In one of the better books on pennant races, Dave Anderson (Pennant Races, Baseball at Its Best) noted that the “last pure pennant race” was in 1993, the season before the introduction of the wild card and the three divisions.   The Braves Terry Pendleton said, “It’ll never be the same as this.  It’ll never be as good as this again.”

In that vein, yes.  But this 2011 season proved the wild card can create its own set of fantastic finishes.

Sixty years ago, baseball ended fiction’s reign.  Last night, in a script no sane writer could put to paper, baseball buried it.   

 

 

 

Flying Tigers Reunite in the Big Apple

Last week, twenty or so veterans, Chinese-Americans who served their country during War World II, walked slowly down a quiet street in New York City’s Chinatown.    Family and friends, about two for every one vet, accompanied them to Kimlau Square.   Once there, a TV crew shot footage of a wreath-laying ceremony that paid respect to their fallen comrades.

These men, some as young as 14 when they answered the call to duty in 1943, were once part of the 407^th Air Service Group, the 555^th Air Service Group, the 987^th Signal Company and other all Chinese-American units.   These outfits supported the “Flying Tigers,” U.S. pilots who flew fighter missions in China and Indochina where they gained air superiority over the invading Japanese forces.

Coming from towns and cities across the country, including Chinatowns both large and small, these support squadrons traveled half way around the world to serve at bases throughout China.    They repaired aircraft, handled cargo, loaded munitions, stored and issued supplies, established communications, drove trucks, and performed, (as so many job descriptions read in the military), “other duties as required.”   They also made contact with Chinese nationals, which resulted in valuable intelligence for the United States.

Before attending their re-union (they've met off and on since the mid-fifties) in New York last week, I knew next to nothing about these World War II heroes.   In 1946, many of these vets formed the 407^th Air Service Squadron Veterans Association, which became the largest to stay together after war’s end.   The better half’s father, Jerry Chew, was among them.    

 
We arrived on Tuesday and spent three full days and evenings with them.   The highlights for us included a visit to the Intrepid Air and Sea Museum, honoring the vets at the BR Kimlau American Legion in Chinatown, a visit to the Museum of Chinese in America where several of the veterans spoke before an audience of students and adults, and a bus tour of Manhattan.   The reunion coincided with the convening of the United Nations General Assembly that created traffic delays, but also served as a reminder that some of the world is still in the grip of tyrants.

I’d like to extend a big thank you to Christina Lim for providing the kind of leadership that is needed to make reunions run smoothly.   She is co-author, along with her brother Sheldon Lim, of “In the Shadow of the Tiger,” a fantastic book about the 407^th as well as co-editor of the reunion journal.  A salute also to Mack Pong for being the guiding light for the vets' reunions all these years.  

Thanks, too, to these former servicemen and their families who shared their time and stories with me and my wife.   She now knows more about her father’s service during the war, and we both have come to a greater appreciation of the sacrifices these men made more than 60 years ago.    A more friendly group of folks I have not met.

This Veterans Day, and every day, let’s continue to remember their unique contributions to our nation’s freedoms and democracy.

"Gung ho!!" 

 

 

 

New Roger Connor Biography

In baseball, and in life, good timing is everything. 

Roy Kerr, author of the just released “Roger Connor: Home Run King of 19^th Century Baseball,” has it.    For one thing, Giants fans, whose team won’t play October ball, could use something to lessen the sting.   Secondly, the book coincides with a nifty, sabermetric analysis on the greats of major league baseball’s first era. 

Adam Darowski of “Beyond the Boxscore,” writes:

Base balling stars of the 19th century tend to be underrated, if not completely forgotten. The neglect goes beyond the fact that their careers occurred well over a hundred years ago. I think one of the biggest contributing factors is the shorter season length that limited their output. Shorter seasons mean fewer opportunities to accumulate impressive (and memorable) statistics.

Connor is already in the Hall of Fame, and has impressive WAR numbers putting him on even par with players like Willie McCovey.   This adjustment, however, places the Giants slugger even higher in the statistical rankings.

Of course, those are the numbers.  What about Connor the person, on and off the field?     If the Giants are going to retire his name, they will want to know something about his character and his exploits.

Enter Kerr and his new book, the first full-length biography on the subject.   The author covers Connor, whose parents were Irish immigrants, from a tough childhood where young kids worked to help their family make ends meet, his early years with Troy, his glory years with the Giants, his managerial years, his returns to the Polo Grounds for appearances, and his final days.  

Strengths of the book are the photos, some never seen before, Appendix A which lists all the nicknames given to him, and the thoroughness of Kerr’s research.   It’s no secret he’s a fan of the beloved first baseman, but the author is fair and balanced.  For example, he states there’s no primary source to indicate Giants manager Jim Mutrie was inspired to call his team Giants because of Connor (Although he was the tallest and biggest).   He also notes that Connor was not the first professional player to hit a grand slam.

For those readers who already know the history of baseball during Connor’s time, you will find yourself either evaluating Kerr’s accuracy (I did not see any errors), or skimming over those parts.  If you are not familiar with 19^th Century baseball, you will appreciate the primer.  

Something all will enjoy is learning all the great accomplishments Connor achieved.  Bernard J. Crowley (SABR’s “Baseball’s First Stars),” and David L. Fleitz’s chapter on Connor in "Ghosts in the Gallery at Cooperstown," touched on these, but Kerr provides the full treatment.

Connor awed the fans in New York with not only his power (He hit the first ball out of the park at the Polo Grounds) but he could spray the ball too.   He hit for the cycle, one of the first to do so.

Perhaps the most remarkable game in his 18-year career came on September 10, 1881.   His team, the Troy Haymakers, were hosting Worcester.   In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and the sacks full, and Troy behind 7 to 4, Connor faced Lee Richmond.  The Worcester ace was no dishrag.   He won 34 games the year before including a perfect game. 

Connor smacked one of his pitches over the center fielder and ran home (not sure if it was ITP).   Connor’s grand slam was the first such shot in the majors, later called an “Ultimate Grand Slam.” 

A criticism of the book is a bit too much background on the game and not enough on Connor.   But the former is necessary to understand and appreciate Connor’s play.   Rules changes were frequent, and Connor had to adapt.   The leagues and team themselves were constantly changing, something today’s player’s don’t have to worry about.   

Then came the Player’s League in 1890.  One can’t help but wonder about how things might have been different without the player’s revolt.    Connor might have stayed a Giant even longer, and the fortunes of the team, as well as his, might have been even better.

But as far as anyone looking into Connor’s credentials, it doesn’t matter.   The beefy left-handed slugger spent his best years with the Giants.  From 1885 to 1892, his average WAR was 7.3.   And that was with an average of 125 games.   Connor powered the new franchise, bringing glory to Manhattan fans who watched their Giants win the pennant and championship titles in 1888 and 1889.   Connor was never ejected from a game and led an exemplary life.  

Kerr’s timing, while excellent in the above ways, is not so good in another.   Or maybe it is. 

The change of principle ownership with the Giants is either a blow to those of us who would like to see the team do some things for their 19^th Century greats, or a new opportunity.   Hopefully, the new top person will see the light and take some action.   In this regard, their timing is good too.   They can read this book and learn all there is to know about baseball's first home run king and the Giants' first superstar.

 

National Book Festival 2011: Day One

The printed book may very well go the way of the vinyl record one day, but yesterday on the National Mall, the 90 or so people waiting in line to buy one or more of them demonstrated readers still love ink on paper.   Despite the threat of rain and the additional day today, book lovers, skirting mud puddles, turned out in great numbers.

Thoughts and notes.

Spoke with Kelli Stein (left), who serves as a sign-language interpreter.  She said the most difficult thing about the job is familiarizing herself with all the authors.

Talked at length with Cynthia Nolan, an editor with CQ Press.  A Washington resident, she’s attended the last half dozen or so festivals. Her favorite author is Louise Erdrich, who has created rich Native American characters and has won numerous awards.    Nolan spoke a familiar refrain among bibliophiles, noting how we hear about people not reading as much anymore.  The crowds at the festival, however, restored her hope about the popularity of reading.

With so many writers, it’s nearly impossible to say who stood out yesterday.   But it occured to me that a pair of African-American women provided poignant bookends, if you will.   Toni Morrison opened the day, speaking at 10 am, while Isabel Wilkerson helped wrap up the seven-hour event.

Morrison, who told the audience she was 80, drew a standing room only crowd of perhaps as many as 1,000.     After receiving the 2011 National Book Festival for Creative Achievement, she had a conversation with Washington Post critic Michael Dirda.   Morrison talked about her childhood days scratching out letters with a pebble on the sidewalk, reading books at the library, drawing inspiration from the diversity of her hometown of Lorraine, Ohio, moving to “bourgeois” DC and liking the black community at and around Howard University, writing in a style of “invisible ink,” landing a job as editor with the brand new “New York Review of Books,” liking Faulkner as a writer but not as a person, and being ignored by some famous people despite her high stature. 

Morrison fans will love knowing she also said her new book, “Home,” will be out in November.   She also wrote a play with Peter Sellers, which will debut at the Lincoln Center on November 3. 

Coming back home, I watched Book World on C-SPAN.   Candice Millard talked about her new book on President James Garfield.   I stood in line to buy it and can't put it down.

I had already read Wilkerson’s book when it came out and I attended her event at Politics and Prose earlier this year, so I could have skipped seeing her on Book World.   But the story she tells is so moving, and she speaks so well and passionately, I had to watch her again.  

Barnes and Noble’s member card discount is down from 20% to 10%, and their future as a brick and mortar is uncertain.   Book-loving boomers like myself are starting to feel the guilt associated with paper books and we’re noticing more and more that e-book reading is less expensive and more convenient.

But for now, the sight of books stacked high in a huge tent and an author signing the paper page puts us in some kind of wonderful mood.

So thank you authors, thank you Library of Congress and thank you C-SPAN.

 

New York Trip

The sun refused to shine the entire time we were there, the UN created traffic delays, I got a noisy room that caused fitful sleeps, and the hotel piled on so many taxes I wanted to yell, Patrick Henry.

But like I said, one does not complain about New York, because there’s so many good things to say.

Still working on that overall report.   For now, good to be back home.   

 A few photos, and I should also mention I went to see Moneyball last night.  Pace a little slow at times.  Also, wondered why they had Paul DePodesta (played by Jonah Hill), as being from Maryland (He’s from Alexandria).

Anyway, great to see Bill James recognized.   One reviewer said Billy Beane was the creator of sabermetrics.   Uh?

The Flying Tigers

The better half and I are here in NYC for a reunion of the 14th Air Service Group and the 987th Signal Company.  These are men, now in their 8os and 90s, who served in the support units for the Flying Tigers.   Their mission began in 1944 to establish air power and assist the Chinese against the Japanese in Indochina.

We toured the USS Intrepid and Museum yesterday, and went to Chinatown where they were honored by the American Legion.  Talking with these Chinese-Americans reveals fascinating stories.

Gotta sign off.   More touring today, and they will appear before an audience tonight at the Musuem of Chinese America to tell their stories and answer questions.

 

The Big Apple

Manhattan - intense, loud, more languages on one sidewalk than in some states, a thousand cabbies but not enough.

I'll have a full report later this week, for now, using the computer in the lobby, trying to get over the fact that the coffee is weak, and I slept fitfully.

But one does not complain while in New York City.   This is life at full tilt, a thousand things to do, and where else can you see signs that say -  Honk only for caution?

 

 

National Book Festival 2011

“Book World” is back, “Book World” is back!

Ok, sorry for the false alarm, but I couldn’t resist after pulling out the special section in the Post this morning, their guide to the National Book Festival this coming weekend.

Who are you going to see?    Going both days?

I’m headed down on Saturday.   I promise not to steal anyone's seat for Toni Morrison, but that scene will be Photo One.    Have to get one, too, of Julianne Moore, and hear some of Eric Foner and Jim Lehrer.   

Looking at the set up on The Mall, the book signing is on the Wash Monument side, which is the opposite of last year.   Also, there are three new categories - Cutting Edge, Graphic Novels and State Poet Laureate.

Anyway, pray for good weather and see you there!

 

 

 

Two Cafés South of Alexandria Perk Up Drab Suburbia

Suburban café.  It’s an oxymoron, right?

Many city folk would say yes, and even myself, living in the suburbs, would agree very few, if any, non-urban cafes make you feel like you’re somewhere in Europe, sipping a carefully-brewed concoction in a glass cup, and watching the people go by.   

Of course, that scene is not the American ideal.  On their way to work, or taking a breather, what consumers here want are good food and beverages, consistent customer service and the charms inside to make up for a landscape often filled with an unattractive strip mall and parking lot.  

Two such places in Fairfax County, Panera Bread and Café in the Beacon Mall Shopping Center, and Ground Coffee Shop on Telegraph Road, meet those standards and more. (The Beacon Mall gets its name from the small airport there in the 1950's.  This spot is one of the highest in the county.)

Panera arrived on the scene in 2004, serving as part of a revival of this portion of Route 1, about two miles south of the Beltway.   Fairfax County and VDOT are slowly re-developing this neglected corridor that stretches for about eight miles between the Beltway and Fort Belvoir.    

Some blighted spots remain while other sections have seen improvements.   Some residents in Groveton and nearby communities booed the arrival of WalMart, which came without any traffic improvements at the traffic-infested intersection with Kings Hiway.  On the other hand, many cheered the facelift for the Beacon Mall and the arrival of Lowe’s and eating establishments such as TGIF, Chili’s, Famous Dave’s BBQ and Chipotle.

While those places feed the masses, they do so only at lunch and dinner.   These bedroom neighborhoods needed a morning place, something better than hanging out at the Roy Rogers down at the bottom of Beacon Hill Road.

Panera Bread

6670 Richmond Highway

Panera has filled that deficit and more.   They consistently deliver textbook customer service.    Manager Brenda Colin trains and leads a staff of regulars like Jeno, Maria, Hannah, and Melvin.   The continuity here, something the service industry sometimes lacks, is a huge plus.   The staff is like family, greeting me each morning with a smile and my paper cup.   Several times a month, they let me know I’ve earned a free drink or a dollar off a pastry.    My favorite baked item is their pecan braid, yum, yum.   I’m also a big fan of their “You Pick Two,” choosing the soup (broccoli and cheese) and the classic salad.   Healthy, affordable, and served up in a jiffy.   

Some cafes attract a customer base that tends to be homogenous.   At this Panera location, diversity rules.    The Groveton and nearby communities have adopted this place as their own.    Morning regulars dot the booths and tables, some like Don, a senior citizen reading the Washington Post, some chatting, some pecking away at their computer.   Groups and businesses hold meetings, families and children gather, and soloists with their laptops take advantage of the free wifi.    

Panera is also highly reliable.    Last month when Hurricane Irene sent coffee addicts like myself searching for that second morning jolt, some of the places in Old Town were closed.   Panera, however, came through in the clutch.   The lines can get long, but when they do, the staff springs into action and works hard to serve everybody as fast as they can.     

 

Grounded Coffee Shop

6919 Telegraph Road

With our power still out at noon the day Irene’s winds knocked down power lines, we headed over to Rose Hill.   Our destination was Ground Coffee Shop, a café located in a small strip mall (“The Shops at Telegraph”) where Telegraph and South Kings Highway meet.   You probably know this spot more as the place where rush hour and even weekend traffic backs up. (Memo to the County – throw us a bone and widen the road at the light already).   

Grounded Coffee turned three this past April.   The “Washington Post” article framed and hung on the wall as you enter tells the story of Candy and Wilfrid Briffa, the couple who own and run the place.    Candy handles the sales while her husband, a native of France, runs the bakery.    

 Recently, Candy was quoted in a Rose Hill Patch article by Theresa Caldwell as saying,

“I had a vision to create the space and make it warm and inviting.”

The Briffas have certainly done that.    A comfy couch sits in front of a fireplace, and there’s plenty of room in between tables.   Each wall is painted a different pastel color and small French Country touches abound.  In one corner you can peek inside the bakery and kitchen.   Every item you would expect – croissants, quiche, tarts, cupcakes, bagels and muffins, soups, salad and sandwiches – is available here.   Their coffee is organic and locally roasted.  

Plenty of regulars come here too.  Briffa said they get a “a nice mix of everybody.”   Last month, Evan Moss, a young local author from the Virginia Hill neighborhood, held a book signing. 

So, yes, the pleasure of hanging out at a suburban cafe is often muted by its surroundings.   But cafes near the subdivisions have their charms too.   It’s like our mothers taught us, what counts is what’s inside.