Apples Don’t Fall Far From Trees

Not many people cry when they watch the U.S. Open golf tournament, but I do. My dad lived 15 miles from Shinnecock Hills on Long Island where the Open was played last week. It was also being played there in 1995 when my dad died. I was in New York in 1995 to see the golf tournament. As luck would have it, I just happened to be there with my dad when he passed away suddenly, on Father’s Day.

Much of the inspiration for my book Impromptu Friday Nights comes from my father who was a College dean and communications professor. In an early life, dad had been an actor and directed plays. He used to say that actors had it made: They were never out of work or unemployed, “They were between engagements”. Translated, it sounded good. When I retired, I decided that it sounded better to say I was writing a book versus the truth that I was retired and played a lot of golf.

The irony is that my dad who could really write, never really got published. (Watch out Sigmund Freud.) His major efforts were as a speechwriter for friends who were politicians. He did a lot of writing for his childhood friend John Marchi who was state senator in New York for 50 years and had ran unsuccessfully for mayor of New York City twice. Most notably losing to John V. Lindsay a debonair politician with a patrician manner in 1969. Another irony was that Marchi was a conservative Republican and my dad was a liberal Democrat, but I digress. A few years ago in Marchi’s obituary the New York Times slammed and complemented my dad in the same sentence by saying: “The senator, who often came across as thoughtful, but not an artful phrasemaker, (A slam to his speechwriter) surprised supporters, remarking that Mr. Lindsay harbored “delusions of adequacy.” (Definitely dad’s line)

I can remember my dad and Marchi laughing over the phone discussing Lindsay who was a liberal, handsome, bon vivant “Yaley” versus Marchi’s image as the practical, hardworking, New York City conservative. The truth is that whenever dad and John got together, there was laughter involved.

As a boy I would go to work with my dad at his college. Invariably, people would comment how much the son looked like his father. To which dad would reply: “We all have a cross to bear”.

Getting back to Impromptu Friday Nights – A Guide to Supper Clubs. My real goal for this book is to provide young professionals and any other demographic with a roadmap to have fun with supper clubs. Hopefully, it will also generate a chuckle of two. If you don’t find my writing funny, you can blame my father because: Apples Don’t Fall Far From Trees.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

Summertime Is Seafood-Time

If you like seafood, there is nothing better than fresh fish. If you live anywhere near where fish are caught, the chances are that during the summer there is going to be a good reason to build your supper club menu around seafood.

The truth is that seafood is polarizing. Either you like it, or you don’t . People that don’t like it claim it is the taste, texture or smell that they don’t like. Quite often the haters will relate a story of eating bad fish and the unpleasant consequences.

For those of us that love seafood it is just the opposite. We relate seafood to good times, great tastes and wonderful texture. For me, while I now love seafood, it wasn’t always that way. Growing up as a Catholic, we had to eat fish on Fridays. We had a local fish-man that came around in his truck on Friday morning, so our fish was fresh. But, my father loved mackerel and mackerel is a very oily, fishy tasting fish, that wasn’t appealing to kids.

I started to love fish when I got to eat what I caught. As a young boy, I would spend a few weeks every summer in Lake Placid NY with a family friend. Al Venatier was a Frenchman that taught with my parents. Al and I would climb up the backside of Whiteface Mountain and then fish the streams for trout. We would bring home a creel full of brook trout that Al would dust with flour and sauté in butter. I became a fish loving convert that has developed a love for everything seafood.

There is nothing more fun than having a Supper Club party built around a fresh catch. Striped Bass is a prized catch in the ocean around New York. If you are lucky enough to catch a keeper you have a great excuse for an Impromptu Friday Night dinner party. You can grill Striper with olive oil and herbs, or my favorite is to sauté filets with a lemon butter sauce. No matter how you cook it, there is something about really fresh fish that is just special. If you are lucky, you might even be able to convert a hater.

(My nephew Robbie Pezzolo caught this monster Striped Bass off of Staten Island NY. His dad Robert was always the best fisher person in the family. Looks like Robbie is taking over that title.)

Vacation Supper Club

All you need for a great Vacation Supper Club dinner party are some good steaks and a Limo Squeezo

As we head into the summer vacation/travel season it is great to have a plan to pull together an impromptu dinner party for family and friends. In today’s world of Airbnb and VRBO it has become a lot easier to rent a vacation property that includes kitchen basics.

The key to developing a menu for your Vacation Supper Club dinner party is to keep it simple. The last thing you want to do is spend your vacation time in the kitchen. My traditional “go to” menu revolves around grilled steaks and assorted sides from the local supermarket deli section. I have pulled this menu off during trips in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, it just works.

The steaks are your centerpiece and the key is access to a grill. Most rentals will provide a gas or charcoal grill. If you don’t have a grill, a quick trip to Wal-Mart for a cheap grill and some charcoal might be called for. I am a big fan of Costco’s New York Strip Steaks. Grill them up and then let them rest with a little compound butter and you and your guests are in for a treat.

Here is a menu we enjoyed in Cabo a few years ago:

Mojito’s
First Course
- Guacamole
- Hummus
- Chips
- Crudité
Main Course
- Grilled NY Strip Steaks with Compound Butter
- Potato Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- Cole Slaw
Dessert
- Ice Cream Sundays

Deli Side Salads

Cabo was great. We rented a fantastic place in the Pedrigal neighborhood. And while it is Mexico, it is very friendly to Americans with limited Spanish language skills.

Reminded me of my college roommate who spent six months after college living in Mexico. Upon his return I asked him how he got by with his limited Spanish skills. He said: “It was easy, all you have to know is Una Cervesa por favor. After that all you need to know is “Una mas”.

Cabo Crew

( Lauren Kenny, Brian Kenny, Ethan Begun, Jenn Kenny, Chef, Susan Kenny, Mike Schuler. Not pictured Jessica W. Schuler and our hero Max Begun (See cover photo – Age 1 year))

I was able to find a Costco to buy my steaks and a local market that had a deli section with plenty of sides/salad options. The one thing that got me in trouble was the Limo Squeezo.

We bought everything we needed for dinner between the Costco and Wal-Mart except for the Limo Squeezo to juice limes for the mojitos. A clerk at Wal-Mart directed me to a store on the Mexican side of town. No one spoke English there, but between my sign language and Limo Squeezo descriptor we were able to get what we needed.

Vacation Supper Club dinner parties can be the highlight of your summer vacation. Just make sure you keep it simple and can find a Limo Squeezo.