Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 248
April 21, 2011
Zely & Ritz
In an unusual weekend choice, we decided to sample the two Eno Hospitality Group restaurants back to back. So, Saturday night we headed to Zely & Ritz.
We ate our way through a good chunk of the menu. Overall, the meal was good but decidedly uneven. The risotto with oxtail, for example, was rich and strong, but the vegetarian risotto was bland and made several at our table yearn for a salt shaker. The mussels were excellent, but the pork belly and the potatoes on the plate with it were both overcooked. The pork loin was tasty but not as tender as it should have been. The asparagus spears were lovely, but the grit cakes with them were bland and mushy.
Three of the four desserts our group shared were strong and generally raised the batting average of the meal.
The restaurant was operating shorthanded, so perhaps that's the source of the unevenness we experienced. Regardless, I like the place and the people who operate it, so I'll go back, but not for a while.
In the battle of the siblings, Zely & Ritz came up short. The victory clearly goes to Piedmont.
We ate our way through a good chunk of the menu. Overall, the meal was good but decidedly uneven. The risotto with oxtail, for example, was rich and strong, but the vegetarian risotto was bland and made several at our table yearn for a salt shaker. The mussels were excellent, but the pork belly and the potatoes on the plate with it were both overcooked. The pork loin was tasty but not as tender as it should have been. The asparagus spears were lovely, but the grit cakes with them were bland and mushy.
Three of the four desserts our group shared were strong and generally raised the batting average of the meal.
The restaurant was operating shorthanded, so perhaps that's the source of the unevenness we experienced. Regardless, I like the place and the people who operate it, so I'll go back, but not for a while.
In the battle of the siblings, Zely & Ritz came up short. The victory clearly goes to Piedmont.
April 20, 2011
For every daughter who's ever had a bad day
I happened across this song while playing some tunes randomly, and I remembered that he wrote it after talking with his then-four-year-old daughter. As a dad, I know that you never stop feeling this way about your daughter. I figured that some daughters might not realize or remember that about their fathers, so to all the daughters everywhere, I send this song.
April 18, 2011
The Mr. Poor Choices t-shirt design
I've mentioned before that we'll be selling shirts at Balticon for this show and, as usual, donating all the profit to Balticon's reading charity. Thanks to Jennie, who designed the previous two shirts, I can now show you what the designs on the shirt will be. (We won't have the shirts themselves for several weeks.)
As with the previous two show shirts, we're going with a nice heavy black basic t-shirt, because everyone can wear black. The front will continue the tradition of having a very basic design over the heart.
It obviously won't look like a box on the black background of the shirt, so work with me.
The back will be a lot more fun.
Every poor choice on it is either something I've done (the ones with check marks) or from the show.
To understand them, come to the show.
I don't know yet what we'll be charging for the shirts, because I don't know yet what they will cost. As soon as we have the shirts in hand and know the price, I'll post full shirt photos and pricing here. If you want one of these shirts, you have two options:
1) Come to the show at Balticon and buy it there.
2) Preorder.
At the show, we'll take only cash, so please come prepared.
For pre-ordering, please wait until you see pictures of the shirts here, then contact me via
I think they'll be a lot of fun, and they're certain to be conversation starters in almost any group!
As with the previous two show shirts, we're going with a nice heavy black basic t-shirt, because everyone can wear black. The front will continue the tradition of having a very basic design over the heart.
It obviously won't look like a box on the black background of the shirt, so work with me.
The back will be a lot more fun.
Every poor choice on it is either something I've done (the ones with check marks) or from the show.
To understand them, come to the show.
I don't know yet what we'll be charging for the shirts, because I don't know yet what they will cost. As soon as we have the shirts in hand and know the price, I'll post full shirt photos and pricing here. If you want one of these shirts, you have two options:
1) Come to the show at Balticon and buy it there.
2) Preorder.
At the show, we'll take only cash, so please come prepared.
For pre-ordering, please wait until you see pictures of the shirts here, then contact me via
I think they'll be a lot of fun, and they're certain to be conversation starters in almost any group!
On the road again: college visit, day 2
After almost no sleep, I rose early to set out for the information session, the tour, and lunch with a friend of Scott's. All were fun, and the campus was lovely. After lunch, we hit the computer science department's information session, which was reasonably informative and, as one would expect, drew an entirely male student audience. The paucity of women in computer science is a big issue for the U.S. and one on which there is now a great deal of work.
By going to the early sessions, we were able to leave in mid afternoon and drive home. All of us were ready to be back, and after a tiring drive, I'm happy to be able to report that we are.
I'm also pleased to note that all of the colleges my kids have considered have struck me as rather significantly higher quality institutions than anyplace I attended. In this area, I feel I have done my job of making things better for the next generation. Much, much greater work remains on that front, of course, but we must enjoy the small victories we get.
By going to the early sessions, we were able to leave in mid afternoon and drive home. All of us were ready to be back, and after a tiring drive, I'm happy to be able to report that we are.
I'm also pleased to note that all of the colleges my kids have considered have struck me as rather significantly higher quality institutions than anyplace I attended. In this area, I feel I have done my job of making things better for the next generation. Much, much greater work remains on that front, of course, but we must enjoy the small victories we get.
April 17, 2011
On the road again: college visit, day 1
After Scott's violin recital this afternoon, we hit the road for a college visit. A little less than an hour into the drive, we stopped at a Sheetz to refuel and pick up road food supplies. Those places have everything! If you need a donut, a hot dog, seventeen kinds of soda, about a hundred types of candy, and chips of all varieties, Sheetz is the place for you.
Several pleasant car hours later, we arrived, settled into our hotel, and then explored the town a bit on our way to what proved to be a pretty good Italian dinner.
Tomorrow, we get up early, attend information sessions, and tour the campus!
Several pleasant car hours later, we arrived, settled into our hotel, and then explored the town a bit on our way to what proved to be a pretty good Italian dinner.
Tomorrow, we get up early, attend information sessions, and tour the campus!
No tornado damage here
Multiple folks have contacted me with concern that we had suffered during the bad weather that hit Raleigh yesterday. I appreciate the concern, but I am glad to be able to report that the tornadoes hit far from us and nothing bad happened to us. All is well here.
I cannot say the same, alas, about some very dear friends, who suffered a tree crashing into their house's rear deck and kitchen. I am quite concerned about them, but fortunately no one was injured.
Thanks again for the concern.
I cannot say the same, alas, about some very dear friends, who suffered a tree crashing into their house's rear deck and kitchen. I am quite concerned about them, but fortunately no one was injured.
Thanks again for the concern.
April 16, 2011
Neil Young's solo tour
Last night, a group of us went to the Durham Performing Arts Center, a truly lovely venue, for the first show of Neil Young's new solo tour, Twisted Road.
I am so glad we did. What a show!
The opening act was legendary guitarist Bert Jansch. He came out, sat in a chair, played his guitar, and sang. His voice is strong, and his guitar playing is a wonder, not flashy but beautiful at all times. The sound mix was off on his vocals, so understanding him was frequently difficult, but I still greatly enjoyed his performance.
After a long intermission, Neil Young walked onstage. In jeans, shirt, white jacket, and white hat with black band, he looked relaxed and yet a bit shy. The stage was filled with instruments, including many guitars, two very different pianos, and a pipe organ, and in the course of the show he played them all.
He opened by sitting and playing a guitar and harmonica as he sang the classic "My My, Hey Hey." The crowd went crazy--and so did I. Of course, no one, including, I am sure, Young himself, could help but notice the irony of this sixty-six-year-old rock icon singing the lines he wrote in 1979 at age 34:
It's better to burn out
Than to fade away
Of course, one of the things that's so great about Young is that he has done neither. He has kept performing, kept being relevant, and, most importantly, kept producing good new work.
For the rest of the show, he mixed songs from his new Le Noise album with classic tunes, including "Cinnamon Girl," another selection that put the crowd on its feet. His sounds ranged from simple piano vocals to acoustic guitar to heavy-reverb electric guitar, with the pipe organ and harmonica together on one song.
I absolutely loved it.
I admire Neil Young's work even when there are parts of it that I don't love--and I do at least like almost all of it and love a lot of it--because he creates the art he wants to create, regardless of whether the conventional wisdom of the moment says the work is commercially viable. That's what all of us should do: create the art that matters most to us.
If this show comes near you and you at all like his music, do not miss Neil Young.
I am so glad we did. What a show!
The opening act was legendary guitarist Bert Jansch. He came out, sat in a chair, played his guitar, and sang. His voice is strong, and his guitar playing is a wonder, not flashy but beautiful at all times. The sound mix was off on his vocals, so understanding him was frequently difficult, but I still greatly enjoyed his performance.
After a long intermission, Neil Young walked onstage. In jeans, shirt, white jacket, and white hat with black band, he looked relaxed and yet a bit shy. The stage was filled with instruments, including many guitars, two very different pianos, and a pipe organ, and in the course of the show he played them all.
He opened by sitting and playing a guitar and harmonica as he sang the classic "My My, Hey Hey." The crowd went crazy--and so did I. Of course, no one, including, I am sure, Young himself, could help but notice the irony of this sixty-six-year-old rock icon singing the lines he wrote in 1979 at age 34:
It's better to burn out
Than to fade away
Of course, one of the things that's so great about Young is that he has done neither. He has kept performing, kept being relevant, and, most importantly, kept producing good new work.
For the rest of the show, he mixed songs from his new Le Noise album with classic tunes, including "Cinnamon Girl," another selection that put the crowd on its feet. His sounds ranged from simple piano vocals to acoustic guitar to heavy-reverb electric guitar, with the pipe organ and harmonica together on one song.
I absolutely loved it.
I admire Neil Young's work even when there are parts of it that I don't love--and I do at least like almost all of it and love a lot of it--because he creates the art he wants to create, regardless of whether the conventional wisdom of the moment says the work is commercially viable. That's what all of us should do: create the art that matters most to us.
If this show comes near you and you at all like his music, do not miss Neil Young.
April 15, 2011
Checking out the new Piedmont
Long-time readers will recall that Durham's Piedmont restaurant has long been a go-to place for a reliable, good meal. A while back, however, Piedmont's owners and founders sold it to the Eno Hospitality Group, which owns Zely and Ritz (which I'll be visiting again Saturday night). So, tonight, before the Neil Young concert (more on that tomorrow), we dropped by Piedmont to check out its new incarnation.
The food is definitely different, but it maintains the emphasis on local sourcing--as you would expect from a group one of whose owners runs a farm--and it was, I am happy to report, delicious. Our group sampled half a dozen starters and one entree, and every single dish was tasty. High points included the baked farm fresh egg with asparagus, which was as bright as a spring morning, and the bruschetta with pork loin and shiitake mushrooms, which was rich and flavorful.
Though I need to return when I have more time to investigate more of the dishes, this one visit convinced me that Piedmont remains one of the area's safe choices for a truly good meal. Though not in the very top tier of Triangle restaurants, it's in the group just below that peak. I definitely recommend it.
The food is definitely different, but it maintains the emphasis on local sourcing--as you would expect from a group one of whose owners runs a farm--and it was, I am happy to report, delicious. Our group sampled half a dozen starters and one entree, and every single dish was tasty. High points included the baked farm fresh egg with asparagus, which was as bright as a spring morning, and the bruschetta with pork loin and shiitake mushrooms, which was rich and flavorful.
Though I need to return when I have more time to investigate more of the dishes, this one visit convinced me that Piedmont remains one of the area's safe choices for a truly good meal. Though not in the very top tier of Triangle restaurants, it's in the group just below that peak. I definitely recommend it.
April 14, 2011
In praise of Marilyn and Jack Budrow
Marilyn and Jack Budrow run the strings program at Scott's school. That verb is about to have to go to the past tense, because after 23 years of working there, they are retiring this year. They will probably never read this, but they deserve the praise, and so they shall have it.
The Budrows have worked with Scott and Sarah since lower school. They've helped my kids learn to play in orchestras and fostered their love of music. They've done the same with hundreds of other children. I don't know them well enough to do more than say hello, but I have long appreciated them.
Time and again, I've watched Marilyn Budrow run recitals and accompany the young violinists. She's an organizational rock in the constantly shifting landscape that is any group of young people. Her passion is evident and infectious.
For years and years, I've also watched as Jack Budrow took the stage, introduced songs, told the odd corny joke, and then conducted the orchestras. Energetic and passionate, he is an always entertaining leader.
In an era in which schools all over the nation are cutting fine arts programs in general and strings in particular, the Budrows have fought the good fight to make their program vibrant and successful. They have won many of those battles, most recently returning from a Georgia competition with the strings orchestra having earned the highest scores of any musical group of any type in competition.
I'm glad to have gotten to watch them in action. The world can never have enough good teachers, and with the retirement of the Budrows, it loses two whose students will always remember them.
Well done, Jack and Marilyn.
The Budrows have worked with Scott and Sarah since lower school. They've helped my kids learn to play in orchestras and fostered their love of music. They've done the same with hundreds of other children. I don't know them well enough to do more than say hello, but I have long appreciated them.
Time and again, I've watched Marilyn Budrow run recitals and accompany the young violinists. She's an organizational rock in the constantly shifting landscape that is any group of young people. Her passion is evident and infectious.
For years and years, I've also watched as Jack Budrow took the stage, introduced songs, told the odd corny joke, and then conducted the orchestras. Energetic and passionate, he is an always entertaining leader.
In an era in which schools all over the nation are cutting fine arts programs in general and strings in particular, the Budrows have fought the good fight to make their program vibrant and successful. They have won many of those battles, most recently returning from a Georgia competition with the strings orchestra having earned the highest scores of any musical group of any type in competition.
I'm glad to have gotten to watch them in action. The world can never have enough good teachers, and with the retirement of the Budrows, it loses two whose students will always remember them.
Well done, Jack and Marilyn.
April 13, 2011
Pride, joy, hope
Earlier tonight, I attended Scott's last school concert. Both he and Sarah have been lifers at their school, starting there with pre-kindergarten and continuing to high-school graduation. (Scott's not quite there, but soon enough, he will be.) Both have played violin for almost the entire time. I've missed few of their concerts--and hated missing those--but there was no way I was going to miss this one.
I'm so glad I was there. I found it a very moving experience.
I've written before about school concerts, and I've generally enjoyed them. This one, though, was special for several reasons. Being Scott's last, of course, was the main one. He's always shown musical talent, but he's grown into a fine violinist who has an understanding of music playing that I will never approach. I was so very proud of him tonight; I doubt he'll ever understand just how proud I am.
The program also did something at the end that the school has not done for several years: It brought together on the stage the lower school, middle school, and upper school orchestras. In this picture, which I snapped with my phone, you can get a sense of how many kids were up there playing together. (As always, click on it for a larger image.)
I have to apologize, by the way, to the conductor, because in the odd lighting this photo makes him appear headless. (I'll write more about him tomorrow.)
Scott, by the way, is sitting first chair next to a middle-school violinist.
The merged orchestra sounded wonderful. The two short pieces they played were understandably not the most complex, but I loved them. They ended with the finale from Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, and I could not help but be filled with joy.
Staring at all those kids, youngsters ranging from first grade to twelfth, I also felt something I do not feel often enough: hope. My generation and my parents' have not taken care of the planet the way we should, and I often despair of the future, but when I see bright children coming together for a common cause and producing such beauty, I find I can believe that humanity can fix its problems, and I resolve again to do my part.
I'm so glad I was there. I found it a very moving experience.
I've written before about school concerts, and I've generally enjoyed them. This one, though, was special for several reasons. Being Scott's last, of course, was the main one. He's always shown musical talent, but he's grown into a fine violinist who has an understanding of music playing that I will never approach. I was so very proud of him tonight; I doubt he'll ever understand just how proud I am.
The program also did something at the end that the school has not done for several years: It brought together on the stage the lower school, middle school, and upper school orchestras. In this picture, which I snapped with my phone, you can get a sense of how many kids were up there playing together. (As always, click on it for a larger image.)
I have to apologize, by the way, to the conductor, because in the odd lighting this photo makes him appear headless. (I'll write more about him tomorrow.)
Scott, by the way, is sitting first chair next to a middle-school violinist.
The merged orchestra sounded wonderful. The two short pieces they played were understandably not the most complex, but I loved them. They ended with the finale from Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, and I could not help but be filled with joy.
Staring at all those kids, youngsters ranging from first grade to twelfth, I also felt something I do not feel often enough: hope. My generation and my parents' have not taken care of the planet the way we should, and I often despair of the future, but when I see bright children coming together for a common cause and producing such beauty, I find I can believe that humanity can fix its problems, and I resolve again to do my part.
