Walk a Mile

If you were ever lucky enough to have walked around Times Square in New York City anytime between the start of WWII and 1966 it is unlikely that you would have missed the Camel Cigarette billboard that produced those giant sized smoke rings.

While the image was updated and changed several times, the message remained the same.

Who could forget Camel Cigarette's famous advertising slogan?

Unfortunately, my Dad was an avid Camel cigarette smoker until his four-way heart bypass surgery in 1982. Dad used to say he didn't quit smoking he just stopped. It's been 29 years since Dad's surgery and he is doing just fine without those cigarettes.

Needless to say, I would not walk a mile for a Camel, but I would walk a mile for a great burger. In fact, I'd walk 2.1 miles on a sweltering summer day.

Last year, I was in New York City's lower east side while I worked on my friend's bathroom renovation. During the renovation I would take a break at lunch time and run down to the corner convenience store to pick up a cold drink and a get sandwich for take out. But after almost a week of demolition and repair, I was ready to treat myself to a great lunch away from all the mess at the apartment.

I cleaned myself up and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to see what I could find. As I walked down the street, I noticed a young couple inside a small bakery. The bakery shop owner noticed me looking in the window and waved to me to come in out of the heat.

As I walked in, she asked, "What I can do for you today?" Clearly this was not a place I was going to be able to buy lunch items, so I said, "I'm visiting a friend here in town. I wonder if you can tell me where I can get a great burger?" At that point, her co-worker came out from the back room and asked, "Do you want a burger, or do you want a BURGER?"

How do you answer a question like that? Seeing the bewilderment on my face, the shop owner said, "Never mind him. I will tell you where to go to get the best burger in the world. And it is not far from here. Just over the bridge. I had one last week. Oh my God I want one right now."

That sure seemed like a sincere endorsement to me. So I told her I was game. She drew me a quick map and told me, "Now when you get there, be sure to order the burger."

I thought that was a silly thing to say as I told her I wanted a burger, but I understood why she said it when I got there.

My map to "the best burger in the world"

New York City is well known for its wonderful art galleries and museums. Sometimes the art is on the wall.

As shown at the Museum of Modern Art

And sometimes the thing to see is what happens when people interact with the art. I snapped this photo on a my trip to MOMA. I love the placement of the guy's bald head as he studies the photo to determine if it is a photo of a real person or a mannequin.

As seen at the Museum of Modern Art

Not all the art to be seen in New York City will be found in the galleries. Many people think of the streets of New York City as just being covered by graffiti, but I consider the streets of New York City as one great big art exhibition. You just have to slow down a minute and take a look.

The white walls of the subways have been transformed into galleries of ceramic tiled mosaics.

Many of the billboards seen around town are hand painted rather than merely pasted on.

This billboard is hand painted

Even the fronts of nightclubs are painted with fantastic designs.

I found these incredible murals painted on the walls of a Brooklyn neighborhood.

You'll even find works of art parked on the streets.

Or spray painted on the sidewalks.

This portrait was created by dripping paint on the sidewalk.

Because the streets are so full of wonderful things to see, I always take my camera with me when I go out. I find that when I bring my camera with me, I slow down enough to really notice all the interesting things around me.

Often the journey is as rewarding as reaching the destination.

My journey to find the best burger in the world began with a trip over the Williamsburg Bridge. If you have never treated yourself to a walk over a New York City bridge, let me encourage you to put that on your "to do" list.

As someone with historian and preservationist sensibilities, I was saddened to see the graffiti.

I thought my trip across the bridge was just going to be about seeing the bridge and the river views, but there was more to see.

The start of my trip across the Williamsburg Bridge

As I was walking, I first noticed the play of the light and the lines of the bridge.

I was impressed that something as utilitarian as a mass transit bridge would feature curly cues.

Notice the embellishments on the sign

It wasn't long before I came across more graffiti.

But when I looked closer, I was amused by the images of Sting. Why did someone choose to put them there? Was it merely to entertain the people walking by? Did the person have a message or were they just being decorative?

Sting

As I walked on, I came across more graffiti pasted on graphics.

Some images were just fun.

Other images were political.

It wasn't long before I had crossed the bridge and reached what I thought was my destination. Judging from the looks of the building's exterior, I wondered if I even had the right place.

Wait a minute. What's that on the roof? I had to take a closer look. Was that really a giant balsa wood glider I saw?

Yes it was. Intrigued and hungry, I decided to press on. As soon as I opened the diner door, I knew I had come to the right place.

The diner was actually a classic 1927 railroad diner car that had been converted into a restaurant.

The inside was a beautiful combination of classic furnishings and vintage tiles.

I took a seat at the bar and ordered an iced tea. The waiter gave me the day's menu which was written on register tape.

When I walked in the diner, I made a point of checking out what others were eating. Everything looked so good. But it didn't matter. I remembered what the shop owner had told me. I came for a burger. At the bottom of the menu list, I saw what I came for.

The waiter, who could not have been nicer, explained that the diner raises it's own grass-fed beef and even has their own butcher shop located just around the block. He promised me that I was going to love my burger, and he was right. I did.

While not a fan of raw onions, I have to admit I loved their signature pickled onions that topped my burger. I would go so far as to say, that burger was a work of art.

Okay, maybe the chef's name was not Art. I really don't know who made the burger, but I am pretty sure wizardry was involved.

The Broadway Diner Staff

My entire experience at the Broadway Diner was really enjoyable. That's my waiter in the photo above wearing the Obama shirt. His manager is the guy in the plaid shirt. It was clear the staff really enjoyed what they do and working with their coworkers.

If you are ever in New York City and want a BURGER, treat yourself to a burger at the Broadway Diner. They are located at 85 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York 11211. Once you have eaten there, you will agree that it's worth the trip.

While I can't tell you what kind of wizardry went into making my burger so great that day, I can say that the quality of the meat used in a burger makes all the difference. I believe it is far better to buy less of a better quality meat than it is to buy more of a lesser quality cut of meat.

I only eat red meat a few times a week, but when I do, I buy small cuts of sirloin. For burgers, you need a certain amount of fat to keep the burgers together and provide the flavor. Ground chuck works well for burgers.

Another thing that made my burger so memorable that day was the pickled onions. Lucky for us, I did find a way to make the Broadway Diner's signature pickled onions.

Pickled Red Onions

These onions will be ready to use after a few hours of sitting in the vinegar solution but they get better with age. After sitting in the pickling solution the onions will turn pink and the flavor will mellow out.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup water
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
1 Bay Leaf
1 Large Red Onion (peeled, sliced and divided)

Directions:

Heat the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, red pepper flakes and bay leaf in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.

Pour the mixture over the onions in a jar and let cool completely.

Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

My walk to get a great burger was a 2 .1 mile journey that I would happily repeat. Along the way, I got to see many things I could have easily passed by, but was lucky enough to notice.

I hope you enjoyed the photos and that the next time you head out for a walk, you will take a moment to notice all the wonderful things around you. Oh, and do give the pickled onions a try. They have a way of making a great burger even better.

If you would like a chance to see a classic "I'd Walk a Mile for a Camel" television commercial, click on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIxtnMfCURs

Trash or Treasure?

Like most boys growing up in the 1960’s, I dreamed of one day becoming a cowboy.

What I knew of the “Wild, Wild West” came as a result of watching countless television shows like Gunsmoke, Big Valley, Bonanza, and High Chaparral.

The Cast of Bonanza (minus one member)

Even as a small boy I knew that if I played my cards just right, one day I would be asked to work on the Ponderosa Ranch. Move over Little Joe; make room for John John (as I was called at the time). The moment there was a need to add another member to the cast of Bonanza, I was ready.

John John Fechino ready to ride the trails?

To prepare for the part, I even managed to convince my parents to let me try riding a horse, but that was just a one-time thing. Okay, so maybe it was just a pony. Anyway, as you can tell from the look on my face, the idea of riding a horse was a whole lot less scary than the real thing.

The good news is, when I was finally old enough to get a job, I did actually get hired at Bonanza!

But, unfortunately for me, it was just the Bonanza Steak house. And let me tell you, it was nothing like the TV show.

Reality is often less exciting than fiction

After a lifetime’s worth of busing tables, filling the salad bar, frying chicken fried steaks in the deep fryer and grilling countless steaks, I left Bonanza to take a job just across the street at one of the south’s leading department stores: Miller & Rhoads.

The work ID for Miller & Rhoads' jolliest trash man.

I started off at Miller & Rhoads working in the shipping/receiving/gift-wrap area. I did anything from unloading trucks to taking out the trash to wrapping gifts for customers.

While taking out the trash was not my favorite job, it did have its funny moments.

One evening, while emptying the trash behind the sales counter in the Ladies Lingerie Department, I noticed a young girl walk into the department with her mother. As her mother browsed through the nightgowns, the young girl, who must have been about 10 or 12 at the time, walked over to the bra display. Her mother, taking notice, asked her daughter, “Janey, do you think you might be ready for a bra now?”

At first there was total silence, then Janey let out a shriek of horror and humiliation that I will never forget. “MOTHER!!! PLEEEEEASE!!! THERE’S ….A… MAAAAAAAAAN IN HERE!!!”

At that point, there was nothing I could do but sink out of sight behind the sales counter and begin a round of the “I’m in church and not supposed to laugh” giggles that lasted until I had tears rolling down my face.

The Downtown Richmond Headquarters of Miller & Rhoads

Miller & Rhoads stores were beloved for many things. Many people fondly remember the lunches served in their famous Tea Room.

The famous Tea Room at Miller & Rhoads

Others will tell you about meeting the Snow Queen and the REAL Santa Claus at Miller & Rhoads.

Meeting the REAL Santa Claus

As for me, I will always have a place in my heart for their Chocolate Silk pie. Sure, it was expensive and fattening, but to me, it was totally worth it. It was total perfection. Every bite was incredibly rich, creamy and best of all, chocolatey.

Heaven on a plate

One of the hardest things about taking the trash out each night was emptying the trash in the Bakery Department. But it was tough for a reason you might not expect.

The women working in the Bakery Department were instructed to throw out everything in the bakery case each night. All the cookies, all the doughnuts, all the brownies, all the cakes and all the pies had to go. The women in the Bakery were strictly instructed not to eat or give any items away. Watching all the baked goods go in the trash each night was tragic. To quote a famous on the spot reporter, "Oh the Humanity!!!"

You can imagine my horror

I could deal with most of the things being thrown away, but whenever they threw away a one of those perfectly good Chocolate Silk Pies, I swear a little tear would well up in my eye. Each time I saw a Chocolate Silk Pie being tossed away, I consoled myself by saying, "Oh well, if I can't have it, I guess no one will".

When I got my first paycheck from Miller & Rhoads, I bought a Chocolate Silk Pie to celebrate.

Many years have passed since I last worked at Miller & Rhoads. In fact, Miller & Rhoads department stores no longer exist. But my love of their Chocolate Silk Pie is still strong.

Alison and Kip

Recently my daughter Alison and her college friend Kip came over for dinner. I asked Alison what she wanted me to make for dessert and she said, “Chocolate Silk pie”. It had been years since I thought of Miller & Rhoads' Chocolate Silk pie, but I was more than happy to recreate it if I could.

As luck would have it, I found the recipe on the internet and it was not only easy to make, it was every bit as wonderful as I remembered.

Today I am happy to present the recipe for Miller & Rhoads' Chocolate Silk Pie. No need to wait for a special occasion to give it a try. Just being able to eat it is reason enough to celebrate.

Miller & Rhoads' Chocolate Silk Pie

Crust:

½ Cup Unsalted Butter

½ Cup Granulated Sugar

2 Cups of Graham Cracker Crumbs

Filling:

½ Cup of Unsalted Butter

¾ Cup of Confectioner’s Sugar

1 Ounce Unsweetened Baking Chocolate, melted and cooled

1 Pinch of Salt

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

3 Eggs

Topping:

2 Cups of Whipped Cream

Chocolate Shavings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

* Please note that uncooked eggs can contain salmonella, which can cause severe illness particularly in infants, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. If you are concerned with the quality of your eggs, please substitute pasteurized liquid eggs.

Crust:

Beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until it becomes light and fluffy.

Gradually mix in just enough graham cracker crumbs to make a crumbly paste.

Press the paste into a chilled 9-inch pie plate.

Bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cool the crust to room temperature.

Filling:

Using an electric mixer beat the unsalted butter and the confectioners sugar together until it becomes light and fluffy.

Add in the melted (and cooled) chocolate along with the salt and vanilla.

Add in one egg and then beat the mixture no more than 5 minutes.

Add in the second egg and beat the mixture again no more than 5 minutes longer.

Spoon the filling into the cooled piecrust shell and then allow it to set in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Just before serving, top the pie with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

You can use pre-made whip topping, but I prefer to whip my own whipping cream. It is very easy to do. You should give it a try if you have never done it before.

Pour in one cup or more of cold heavy whipping cream in your mixing bowl. Add in one to two tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar, depending on how sweet you want it. I use confectioner’s sugar rather than granulated sugar because confectioner’s sugar contains cornstarch, which helps the whipped cream keep it’s shape. Add in a few drops of vanilla. Regular vanilla is brown and will tint your whipped cream, but clear vanilla is available on most baking aisles. If you want whiter whipped cream, try the clear vanilla. Whip the cream on high speed until firm. Just be sure not to over whip the cream or you will end up with really sweet butter.

As for chocolate shavings, use your vegetable peeler to shave a dark chocolate candy bar. This added step really puts the finishing touch on the pie.

This pie is very rich, so when it comes time to serve, start off with a small piece. If you can’t stop yourself from taking another piece, I won’t tell. But that just might be me with the church giggles that you hear coming from behind the door!

Enjoy.