July 31, 2008
The Summer of ’69, The Summer of ’08,
and the Magic of Pasta
“Were you at Woodstock?” Tomatoes
who answer yes are immediately affirmed as being cool, not only by their own generation, but by much younger generations as
well. As it happens, one of The Three Tomatoes was actually there, although her “recollection”
of the events is rather hazy, or perhaps it’s just that the statute of limitations hasn’t run out yet. The
other two tomatoes wished we were there. But now, whether you were or wished you were there, you can experience the event
that defined a generation. You see, Woodstock is now a museum. (Talk about feeling old!) But a
cool museum, of course, with lots of other great stuff like a musical festival. And we’ve got a special
discount at nearby lodgings just for tomatoes. More about that below. We also want to tell you about the best
home made ravioli we’ve ever tasted. And the good news is you can get it delivered to your door
step, anywhere in the country. But first, here’s a run down on what’s new this week at The Three
Tomatoes web site.
Have you noticed our new look? Yes, we have a brand spanking new logo, which we are
just loving. Many, many thanks to our friends at the Ad Store, who gave us so many options we could barely make a choice. We picked this one though, because it
makes us feel cool and hip.
A Tale of Two Cities is coming to Broadway this September. View Valerie Smaldone's video and blog for the latest Broadway news. Gael Greene reviews the new Village restaurant
Forge. Arthur Schwartz has a delicious and easy Asapargus Milanese recipe. Make sure to visit our experts in feng shui,
travel, style, wine, careers, and finance.
And this week's newsletter is sponsored by Mail Boxes Etc. at 511 6th
Avenue in NYC. Mention the 3Ts, and get a 15% discount on all services, including shipping your luggage. Call
212-924-4002.
The Summer of ‘69
The war in Viet Nam was raging. The Civil Rights movement
was coming to the forefront, and many of us were questioning the “establishment” and the direction the old guard was taking
us. And then along came an event that promised “three days of peace and music”, a festival that featured some of
the biggest rock stars and performers of the sixties. It was held in the bucolic Catskills on the grounds of a
farm in Bethel, New York. It captured the imagination of a generation, and an astounding 450,000 young people showed up, in
the mud and the rain. Talk about sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. Oh, and peace and love too. It also created a
massive traffic jam that closed the New York State Thruway. A hedonistic event or seminal moment, or a little bit of
both?
Well now the unique experience of the Woodstock Festival has been brought back to
life at the Museum at Bethel
Woods which was created three years ago on the original 2,000 acre site.
A couple of tomato friends were recently there (who were not at Woodstock) and raved about the experience,
which they said will bring back memories for anyone who went the first time, and satisfy the curiosity of those who didn’t.
The museum explores the significance of the festival as the culminating event of a decade of radical cultural transformation, and the legacies
of the Sixties and Woodstock today. Through personal stories and profiles, immersive multi-media exhibit displays and experiences,
the Museum encourages inter-generational dialogue about important ideas and issues relevant to today. It will also help preserve the historic site on
which the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair took place. Seems it wasn't just sex, dugs, and rock 'n roll.
A Very Fun Summer Get-Away, and special discount lodging just for
Tomatoes
Bethel is only a 90 minute trip from Manhattan, and in addition to the museum, the
2,000 acres at Bethel Woods are also home to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts with its 15,000 seat outdoor performing arts
venue. The current concert series includes groups like Maroon5 (one of The Three Tomatoes
favorites), The Allman Brothers, The Boston Pops, and Preservation Hall.
Nostalgia only goes so far. For most of us, our days of
camping out in the muddy fields, sleeping in tents and sleeping bags have been replaced by king size beds, and Jacuzzi bathrooms.
Which is exactly what you’ll find at The Lodge at Rock Hill, a brand new property in the Catskill Mountains, just a short
drive to the Bethel Museum and Music Festival. The Lodge is located on fifty-five rustic acres, with upscale accommodations and amenities in a luxurious country setting.
And they’re offering tomatoes a 10% discount. Here's the discount
coupon. Groovy.
Pasta Magic
If life is too short to drink bad wine, it’s also too short to eat store
bought ravioli. So we can‘t even begin to tell you how excited we were to try the authentic Italian homemade ravioli from HomeFreshPasta, a new special order pasta business. The ravioli is made by Luca, a
delightful Italian, originally from Sardinia, who now lives in New York. Lucky for us. Luca learned to
make pasta at his grandmother’s knee. He moved to Rome and when his friends raved about his ravioli, he approached one of
Rome’s well known restaurants, and ended up supplying them with his ravioli. Our special order, Beef and Italian Sausage ravioli, one of
grandma’s recipes, was delivered to our apartment yesterday, complete with simple cooking instructions, even we could follow. Boil water,
add ravioli for 2 minutes. Drain. Add olive oil (we of course used the fabulous Villa Cappelli olive oil); and sprinkle on a little parmesan cheese.
Pour yourself a glass of Chianti, and you’ll feel like you’re in Italy. Belissimo! If you live in Manhattan they will
deliver the pasta (two days notice required) to your door, or you can pick your order up at their 22nd Street address. And because
it’s fresh, it freezes beautifully, and they can ship it to you frozen anywhere. Here is their menu and details.
Here’s to all those “sixties” things we don’t do
anymore; king size beds and jacuzzi’s; and fresh pasta. Peace and love.
‘til next week,
The Three Tomatoes
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reserved.
