4/11/03 Soho Soup, Microphones, and Greek at Niko's w/Louie make a balanced meal:





I use the early afternoon hours of weekdays to conduct my business, whether it is my videography company, or some other project I have going on. Today, shipment of 600 DVD-R's and 400 Jewel Cases came. A year ago, I never thought I would be buying in that kind of bulk.


I used the cart to get the boxes upstairs from the Valet. Made me feel like I live in a hotel.


Today, Louie and I went to the Little Red Schoolhouse to videotape their production of a Comedia Del Arte piece. There's a balcony in the theatre, from which I hung my two hanging-mics. Here's Louie at the bottom, trying to eat one.




After setting up the equipment, we wandered around looking for a place to eat. On the corner of Varick and Carmine St. we found a place called "Soho Soup." Here's Louie trying to decide:




I got a Corn Chowder. It came with three kinds of bread, one of which was a chunk of corn bread or a corn muffin. I put it in the soup, fearing redundancy, but rewarded with ambrosia.



This place was a must-go-back.


We shot the show, and dropped our stuff off at my place. On the way, I took this photo of Louie and some new Tile Mosaics of underwater creatures in the subway, at Houston St. on the 7th Avenue Line.







We found Peter (my Brother, not LiCalsi, who is referred to as LiCalsi) on line.



We tried to convince him and his friends to come out with us to get some grub, but they wavered like the U.N., and in the end, didn't come out because they couldn't reach a consensus on where to go. So, Louie and I decided to find food in his neighborhood, the Upper West Side.

On the way, we discussed food. Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Greek. I "don't like Greek." Louie found this surprising and disagreed. He quizzed me a bit, and found that I can't not like it, because I've not really been exposed to it. This conversation caught the attention of a nice fellow on the train who chimed in, recommending I also try Middle Eastern cuisine. The three of us ended having a conversation about ethnic foods and their main ingredients before we arrived at our stop.

Louie wanted me to try good Greek food, so he recommended we go to "Niko's." on Broadway in the 70's.






The place is immediately visually appealing. In one section, the ceiling is covered in grapes on vines.




I got some Orzo, which is a Sambucca-like strong liquor. It comes with some water to mix it with. I ended up not using it.



Louie also recommended this drink, which was a fruity alcoholic beverage, with olives floating in it, reminding me of the Bubble Tea place. You don't drink the olives.




I found the menu to be similar to Italian food, but Louie disagreed. I got the brushetta appetizer, something I know to be Italian, but apparently the Greeks do it as well. It was light, with fresh ingredients, and not bogged down by oils. Very tasty.




Louie got a chicken dish, which he let me taste. It was good for chicken. I'm not generally fond of chicken as a base meat. I'm a fish person.




The place was charming. The waiter was extremely nice. And at the end, they bring you a little rum cake, and a shot of dessert wine, which pleases me to no end.




Some fun signs on the wall.




We left completely satisfied. It it weren't on the pricey side, we'd be there all the time. But the prices, which match the quality of the food, are for special occasions. So we'll plan some and come back.

Then I noticed something I've not seen much of in the city. I'm not sure if I've seen it at all, so I took a picture. It was advertising space wrapped around the pole of a parking meter. Clever.