Broadway's 'Great Comet': Natasha, Pierre, & the Pretty Fun Show of 2017 by Randi / February 2, 2017
In the days leading up to our exciting reservations at Club Mexicana’s residency at Pamela bar in Dalston, we were making our fair share of “PaMELah” jokes in the style of Borat, cultural guide in all situations. Oh Pamela we are now married! Agreement not necessary! Little did we know that that was indeed the Pamela that Pamela Bar is talking bout! The walls above our seats at the bar were covered with pictures of Pamela Anderson! I was very surprised, but it was kind of nice because she is vegan and a pretty strong advocate for animals, so it made sense that she would be watching over the current kitchen residents, vegan Mexican wonder Club Mexicana. Pamela’s kitchen residents change often, as that is what residencies usually mean. However, the Club Mexicana residency is open-ended! That means I can go again and you have even more time to try to go, and you should, because the food is sooo good.
First of all, make a reservation. It was packed. I mean we did go on a Saturday night so there were plenty of people hanging around the bar (and thus us oy back off smellers) just drinking, but I have a feeling it’s always busy. And for dern good reason. I could eat their tacos every day; they’re the best I’ve found in London and by far the most interesting for vegans. The menu at Pamela seemed created specifically for this sit-down dinner atmosphere, and so it didn’t have some of the bestsellers from their regular food stalls, like their jackfruit burrito. No one eats a burrito in a restaurant! We had a hard time choosing off the superb-sounding menu so we ordered a shittonne as usual.
wingssss? far out!
We started with the chicken wings, because we saw another table eating them and they looked so good. Also come on who on earth would not order the chicken wings? The flavor was really strong and fiery, set off well with some salsa verde. It said it came with pickles but there were just a few pickled onion looking buggers; they should give some more real pickles. The breading was really thick and crunchy, which is super important. However, they were way too salty and the texture was kind of mushy instead of dense and chewy. We asked what they were made of and I think a waitress said chickpea flour?? which would be incredibly surprising because hellooo, use seitan. Even so, they were still really good and we demolished them. If they toned down the salt a bit and added some/more vital wheat gluten (and knead it up please), they would be spectacular.
corn that was buried underground in Chiner for 100 years?
Next we tried one of the most surprisingly impressive things on the menu, possibly my #1 pick of the night, the Mexican street corn. Husband wanted it and I was like, yeah sure whatever, but not too excited for it and I probably would not have ordered it on my own because it’s just corn right and corn is in literally all of our food and in our water I’m pretty sure. Well this was the most interesting and amazing corn, so good that I will go and order it again and again despite getting all the kernel wrappings stuck in my teeth as you do with corn on the cob. It was covered in chipotle mayo, ancho chili, and lime zest. But what really stuck out and grabbed me by the face screaming ‘oh my goodness’ was the impression of fermentation. Immediately I thought of natto, that gross fermented tofu that I know I know is not gross but it sort of is, with that strong smell of edible feet. This corn’s smotherings had that same pungency, that same proffering of gym feet but in a DELICIOUS way. It really stood out as being something special. I know right now my husband is like ‘weirdo I didn’t know you liked it so much it was literally just corn’ but it was truly impressive and truly scrumptious like the flying train boat*.
more china food?
Another great dish was the annato glazed aubergine, with sour cream and coriander. (Aubergine=eggplant.) (Coriander=cilantro.) Annatto is different from the natto mentioned above. It’s like a musky/spicy/sweet powder? and also a food coloring? I don’t really know but it made for really good eggplant. It was warm and heavy in its strong flavor, and kind of sweet and sour, reminiscent of a heavy American Chinese food dish. I would have liked more cilantro with it or maybe an additional sharp and bright something thrown in with it, as it was quite a lot to eat on its own, but it was really good. I would love something like this on top of a baked tofu steak or something, or maybe thrown inside a taco. That would be amazing.
plate o kale
To balance out all the heavy and heavily flavored food, the waitress suggested we get a kale salad, which I’m never one to turn down. It was marinated kale (partly with soy; I only took a half-menu picture oops it was so dark) with pico de gallo and pumpkin seeds, or, as the menu read, “pumkpin seeds”, which is ADORABLE. It was decent, for a basic kale salad, and considering it was offered as merely a palate cleanser, it did its job well. But if they want to elevate it from the salad equivalent of lemon sorbet at a French restaurant to something awesome, I would love some more elements added to it, like tofu croutons or even chunks of other vegetable. It was just really a plate of kale, which I adore, but like not everyone is me.
ceviche! that’s fun to say!
Next we were on to our mains, the tacos. We ordered one of every taco and figured we would share each as they are pretty sizable. First, we got the to-fish ceviche tostada. It was on a super crispy crackery base – tostada! – oozing with tomato salsa and topped with really generous slices of avocado that didn’t make me nauseous as most avocados in England do just at the sight of them and all their mealy stripey horribleness. Club Mexicana finds decent avocados. The fish was delicious. No idea how they make it. I would have asked but again, bar, so loud. I would have loved another big piece of the fish on the shell to balance against the other components and sauces, but everything worked well together as it is. Overall a wonderful dish, bright and citrus-y and spicy without being heavy.
i’m not 100% that this is the right picture but you don’t care
On the opposite side of things – spicy but heavy and dark – we had the jackfruit tinga masa pancake, which was really wonderful. Masa refers to the thick corn base and tinga means it’s made with red or green tomatoes and hot chilis and onions. It costs more than the other tacos but it’s like twice the size (perfect for sharing!) and really substantial. The base is a giant masa pancake that is beyond delicious. They make all the tortillas and bases from scratch, like from shucking their own corn I think, and it really shone through with this one, all fat and awesome. It was smothered with pumpkin (spelled right) seed puree, avocado, salsa verde, coriander and radish. The super heavy spiciness was delicious and reminded me of Indian curry, actually. It needed a little more of the fresheners like cilantro and salsa verde to brighten it up but it was really great.
CURSED LOOKALIKES
Next came the baja to-fish tacos, and I was positively kvelling that they saw we were sharing everything and so sent out two small ones instead of making us be all awkward sharing single tacos. Or so I assumed. We eat grabbed one and ate and enjoyed tremendously. The tortillas on these bad boys were insanely perfect, kind of chunky with coarse cornmeal instead of fine, making a much more interesting shell. The to-fish was great, and the accompaniments were perfect, with pickled red cabbage, avocado, salsa verde, and chipotle chili oil. I could have eaten 10 of them, they were so good. I said “wow the fish is so good! It’s like fishy but not in a gross way,” and my husband said, “um what, this is the carne asada taco clearly!” Then we realized that this was still England, customer service would never be that attuned or generous in any industry, and they just put both the baja to-fish and the carne asada tacos on one plate and failed to tell us or distinguish the two for us. Eye roll eye roll! And by this time it was too late, we had eaten our entire respective tacos. They really looked the same, as anything covered with cilantro does. So mad!! I was incredibly unbelievably full at this point, so I didn’t order a(nother) carne asada after we realized this. Boo urns. Husband said it was really good.
As you know, being food-full is not the same as being done eating because there is always room for dessert! The one dessert on the menu was margarita key lime pie with whipped coconut cream. Yum!! The pie part was pretty good, with a mellow lime flavor and a buttery cookie-like crust. The coconut cream was weirdly not smooth at all, kind of chunky and weird; they should work on that. Honestly I adore coconut cream but this would have been better with ice cream. Or lime sorbet! Or both! But it was still yummy.
So, overall this was a fantastic meal. There are some aspects I would rework and some issues to hammer out, but I definitely want to return, even though I got shorted half a taco due to a lack of communication all around. It’s for sure the most interesting Mexican food for vegans in London, and it’s wonderful if you are on the taco cleanse in the near future, as we all are at some point.
So, overall this was a fantastic meal. There are some aspects I would rework and some issues to hammer out, but I definitely want to return, even though I got shorted half a taco due to a lack of communication all around. It’s for sure the most interesting Mexican food for vegans in London, and it’s wonderful if you are on the taco cleanse in the near future, as we all are at some point.
CLUB MEXICANA AT PAMELA BAR, DALSTON (Haggerston?), LONDON
Water speed: This is where sitting at the bar pays off! We had a carafe and when it was empty (every five minutes) we put it on top of the bar and a new one came like magick. Wheee! I would sit at the bar again for this reason even though I had drinking yoots hanging in my personal space.
Service: Fine, considering how busy they were. Then just the failure to communicate about the two different tacos on the one plate wahhhh sadface.
Bathrooms: It is still a bar, with a bar toilet. Not the worst I’ve seen in bars by far but still.
Food: Overall, great!
Bonus: If you drink, the cocktail menu was maybe even more interesting than the food menu, and I’m sure much harder to decide on as everything sounded awesome.
Water speed: This is where sitting at the bar pays off! We had a carafe and when it was empty (every five minutes) we put it on top of the bar and a new one came like magick. Wheee! I would sit at the bar again for this reason even though I had drinking yoots hanging in my personal space.
Service: Fine, considering how busy they were. Then just the failure to communicate about the two different tacos on the one plate wahhhh sadface.
Bathrooms: It is still a bar, with a bar toilet. Not the worst I’ve seen in bars by far but still.
Food: Overall, great!
Bonus: If you drink, the cocktail menu was maybe even more interesting than the food menu, and I’m sure much harder to decide on as everything sounded awesome.
*if anyone got that reference please tell me and let’s be friends and also I want to shout YES THAT’S IT YOU GOT IT like MK after the other orphan guesses “London Bridge is falling down!”**
**now who got THAT reference??
**now who got THAT reference??
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Another new favorite: Sip N Glo Juicery, Philly
It’s getting ridiculous, Philly! A few years ago, I had to go to NYC if I wanted interesting cold-pressed juice. But now, everywhere I turn there’s a new juice bar opening in Philadelphia! As you know, last week I discovered the wonderful Yellow Juice Bar at 20th & Sansom. This week, while spending some time on South Street, I discovered Sip N Glo Juicery, one of my new favorite juiceries. (Is this a word?)
Right across from the Whole Foods and next to a few yoga studios, Sip N Glo’s location is pretty perfect for their desired kind of foot traffic. I wandered in the first time during the lagging pre-lunch hours, so I was the only customer in the tiny place. The man working was bottling juices while I deliberated, and he let me sample a few.
Right across from the Whole Foods and next to a few yoga studios, Sip N Glo’s location is pretty perfect for their desired kind of foot traffic. I wandered in the first time during the lagging pre-lunch hours, so I was the only customer in the tiny place. The man working was bottling juices while I deliberated, and he let me sample a few.
He’s making my juice!
First, he had me try the One Love, a mix of green apple, cucumber, kale, spinach, pineapple, and ginger. The guy said it was his favorite, and I could see why. It was pure heaven! Next, I tried Sweet Greens, which I was biased towards getting to begin with. Mixing kale, spinach, apple, and cucumber, it was one of my favorite juice combos, and Sip N Glo makes it perfectly.
I ordered a large Sweet Greens (16 oz., about $7 after tax), and the craziest thing happened. So, I usually ask for my juices and smoothies to be ‘heavy on the kale’, but I didn’t here because it was my first trip and I wanted to get a true sense of their juice. When the juiceman handed my cup to me, though, he said, “I made it heavy on the kale.” Like he read my mind! Crazy! And no joke, it was one of the best juices I’ve ever had. I don’t understand how they balanced the flavors so well, especially with supposedly extra kale. It tasted like very mild apple juice, but obviously better. Amazing.
I ordered a large Sweet Greens (16 oz., about $7 after tax), and the craziest thing happened. So, I usually ask for my juices and smoothies to be ‘heavy on the kale’, but I didn’t here because it was my first trip and I wanted to get a true sense of their juice. When the juiceman handed my cup to me, though, he said, “I made it heavy on the kale.” Like he read my mind! Crazy! And no joke, it was one of the best juices I’ve ever had. I don’t understand how they balanced the flavors so well, especially with supposedly extra kale. It tasted like very mild apple juice, but obviously better. Amazing.
 Really awesome pictures |
 I was in a hurry.., |
The Green Balance Smoothie
Next time, I ordered a smoothie. Now, one of the downsides of this place is that a lot of their smoothies use Greek yogurt and honey. So, be careful when ordering. I didn’t see any possible substitutes for the yogurt, so I chose a smoothie that didn’t use any to begin with. Otherwise, it would be too far from the original concept and not the best thing to judge. I chose the Green Balance: kale, spinach, chocolate protein powder, chia seeds, and almond milk. Sounded great! I asked the woman working what kinds of protein powder they use, and she said they were all plant-based and vegan. So that part is good! This smoothie tasted fantastic. I wish it was blended with a little bit of ice to make it colder; with no frozen fruit to add in, it was a bit warm. But the taste was wonderful. A large 16 oz. smoothie after tax ran me $8 and change, which is pretty steep.
Some fun wall decorations
Note that this place is very much just a counter that happens to be indoors. There is no seating and the counter runs clear across the space, separating you from the workers (and the bathroom – go across the street to Whole Foods to pee). In pictures online, I thought I saw some outdoor seating, but a) I don’t understand how that would be possible considering South Street sidewalks are crowded and b) it’s freezing out now anyway. But while there is room inside for a few stools, the small space is left completely empty. Maybe they don’t want people lingering. Another downside is the price. Given the South Street location, it’s understandable that the prices are a little higher. They’re not NYC-terrible, but it’s not something I could afford regularly. However, the products are so good that it’s worth a splurge every now and then. Hopefully, they will make the smoothie options even more vegan-friendly (the option to use agave instead of honey would be a nice offer, as well as having something instead of yogurt). On the plus side, they do have punch cards!
Tal Ronnen’s Crossroads: The Best Fancy Vegan Meal In L.A.
Going into dinner at Crossroads, my first ever meal in Los Angeles, I was wary. I knew of Tal Ronnen, famous celebrity chef behind Oprah’s 21-day vegan challenge and Ellen’s wedding, and I was super psyched to finally eat at his fancy well-known restaurant on Melrose (so I could say “We’re going to Melrose” in Ambular’s voice). But I had heard from several people whose opinions I trust, and none of them agreed on whether the food was disappointing or BRE (best restaurant ever). Either the consistency at Crossroads is just nonexistent or some of my friends have the Sookie-preggers-tastebud-crazytimes, but luckily I guess I went on a good night. No, a great night. A freaking fantastic, fabulous night because this dinner was off the chizzz, people, and despite an absolutely stellar week of eating in L.A. (which will be my next like bajillion posts), Crossroads was the highlight among all highlights.
Now, not everything was perfect. Far from it. The service was nicht so good; we will get to that later. Notably, the lighting was not good for pictures, as you will be able to clearly (or blurrily) see. This is really upsetting because the food is so beautifully plated, but I guess they’re of the old-school belief that food is for eating and not photographing. Amateurs. No it’s not a big deal just a warning so you don’t keep shouting ah my eyes! Also, I was seated so I faced the bar, and there was a semi-famous woman sitting directly in my line of vision and I couldn’t figure out who she was! So that was a bummer! I think some sort of Real Housewife or mob wife or some such person I should probably be glad I can’t name. The group at the table next to us had to have been some sort of band or something. One of the guys was a f-ing slob, wearing like dirty pajamas to this insanely nice restaurant, and he was hairier than if Rob Delaney got turned into a woolly mammoth. Like his hair and his beard were on the table. So gross. And another guy was a dead ringer for Noel Fielding, giant witch’s hat and all. They have to be famouses, right? Or is that just how regulars in L.A. are too?
But the food was epic. So epic that I place Crossroads in the Michelin series I write. No, it doesn’t have a star, but you know what? It was much better than some meals that had even multiple stars attached (and it was more expensive erma p gerd) so I’m tagging it as such. CHANGE APPROVED. Also, Husband and I went with two local friends, so it was one vegan and three omnivores. They were all blown away by every course. Like BUHH LOWN away. I was so happy just for that! Let’s get down to it.
But the food was epic. So epic that I place Crossroads in the Michelin series I write. No, it doesn’t have a star, but you know what? It was much better than some meals that had even multiple stars attached (and it was more expensive erma p gerd) so I’m tagging it as such. CHANGE APPROVED. Also, Husband and I went with two local friends, so it was one vegan and three omnivores. They were all blown away by every course. Like BUHH LOWN away. I was so happy just for that! Let’s get down to it.
Little ball of heaven in the back, some necessary greens on the left
The concept is small plates, tapas style, allegedly coming out as each was ready but we realized that the sequence was actually following the menu order, which made more sense than otherwise. The waitress recommended 4-5 dishes per person, and I think we did 3-4 each (all for sharing) and had trouble finishing the final dishes, so keep that in mind. We started with the Charred Ricotta, served with crostini and apricot thyme glaze. I was never a huge cheese person, like I never cried and pissed and moaned about having to give it up like other prospective vegans do at all times, but this new wave of artisan (meaningless) vegan cheese is extraordinary, and this dish was a prime example of it. I don’t know what it’s made of, but unlike the plain whipped tofu I’ve had at other places who call such an abomination ricotta, this was amazing. I wish I could have this dish delivered to my house every single day, but that would be supes gross after a 12 hour flight. And then customs and stuff? Ugh. I’d still eat it.
Our other small starter was the Watercress and Peach Salad, which was refreshing and must have been pretty good considering I don’t particularly like watercress and I had eaten the peach of my liiife the day before. Oh California produce. The salad was tossed with hazelnuts and a mint vinaigrette, which was happily not minty at all. Strong start.
Our other small starter was the Watercress and Peach Salad, which was refreshing and must have been pretty good considering I don’t particularly like watercress and I had eaten the peach of my liiife the day before. Oh California produce. The salad was tossed with hazelnuts and a mint vinaigrette, which was happily not minty at all. Strong start.
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I can’t get over how blurry these pics are! This salad is total Blursula! Blahhh. But it was so good. And the ricotta oh man. It had like a protective shell and when you broke through it you were rewarded with the best cheese ever. |
Amazingness
Next up was probably my favorite part of the entire dinner, and I think the dish that most impressed by friends. The Artichoke Oysters were served and eaten like oysters, with the little ball of artichoke puree, yellow tomato bearnaise, and kelp caviar over a grilled oyster mushroom and served on a meaty piece of artichoke heart. Oh my goodness, this is the most impressive thing I’ve eaten in a while. Just the sheer creativity of making something like that, and the genius in executing it perfectly, boggles the mind. I’m just obsessed! In the middle was a scoop of seaweed, my favorite thing, but I didn’t realize it until someone else ate it. And I didn’t even care! That’s how good these oysters were. Holy crap. Next time some asshat tries to have an argument about the whole ‘can’t vegans eat oysters they’re plants right?’ just be like why would you eat enlarged bougers when you could eat artichoke oysters?
the rancho carne toros
You’d think maybe after the life-changing events of the ricotta and the oysters, that the 300 subsequent dishes would be slightly disappointing, but you’d be mistaken. Everything was on such a high level, it felt almost criminal to be enjoying it without being Ellen myself. We tried another salad next, the Grilled Romaine, and although it was very difficult to share (being a wedge salad), it was my favorite salad. The grilled lettuce heart was smothered in harissa ranch dressing. I’m not a fan of ranch dressing, never was, even though I went to a college where people put that shit on their pizza. But this ranch dressing in this salad? I’m a convert. Well at least to Crossroads’ ranch. The salad was topped with pickled shallots, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and black olives, all of which nicely cut the heaviness of hot lettuce and ranch dressing. Such a wonderful combination!
Such a good dish for sharing, unless you are eating with me, because I will eat all the damn bread.
Speaking of pizza, the pizza section on the Crossroads menu was really difficult to pass up, but we had a feeling that their fancier-seeming dishes were the heavy-hitters, and we were right. Next we had the basic but delicious Lentil Flatbread, a wonderfully earthy and warm pita-like bread served with little dishes of marinated eggplant, braised banana pepper, and mushroom relish. I honestly couldn’t tell which vegetable was in which pot (I mean by color sure but you know what i mean), but it was all great.
could eat 100
The “Crab Cakes” (their quotes, not mine) were equally good while being a more familiar taste at similarly adventurous vegan restaurants. They were topped with the daintiest amount of tartar sauce and watercress. While the cake itself was really fantastic (I’m guessing hearts of palm? but it doesn’t say in the menu), it needed a lot more of the sauce. I guess we could have asked for some but they’re small bites so you don’t really realize it until after you’ve finished.
We also probably wouldn’t have asked because our initially-fine waitress became the Mona-Lisa-Saperstein WORRRRRRST seriously the worst. At one point, she tried to remove my friend’s wine glass, even though it still had a few sips in in. My friend said she wasn’t done with that yet, and the waitress put it down. But I guess she had been worn down by a terrible audition earlier in the day (probs all actors right?) and so this benign comment instead hit her as criticism of her performance in her day job and at the thought of her being a failure at that too she absolutely shattered, and was a total b word to us the rest of the time. I mean that’s just me guessing but I’m probably right. She rushed us from then on, couldn’t wait to get rid of us so would idle nearby waiting for us to finish a plate so she could quickly snatch it away. Like this was a busy restaurant with lots to do, but she would just watch us, ignoring her other tables, and look perturbed. What a terribleness.
hidden not-really-a-joke was because of ray romano you get it
Luckily, her inability to keep it together did not affect our enjoyment of our meal. No, we’re not done. Next was Grilled Romano Beans, which I’ve never heard of before but everybody likes them right so we ordered them. They were really good, still in their pods and barbecued with balsamic peaches, marcona almonds (those are the fancy almonds right), and black garlic chili vinaigrette. So damn good! That’s a lot of flavors going on but beans are pretty basic on their own so it was all working.
Next was a dish I know all my friends in England are throwing tomatoes at their screens over – the Grilled Fresh Baby Corn. People here just don’t do baby corn, what I can tell you? I can take it or leave it but this dish? I’ll take. I bet it could even turn the naysayers onto baby corn, it was RG. Harissa-spiced, mixed with crispy shallots and corn puree, this dish was so worth ordering, even though when my friend first ordered it I was like “you’re wasting a space on baby corn? why would you waste a space on baby corn?” but it was a good decision.
Our first of the Comforting Classics, as they’re called, was the dish most recommended to me – the Chickpea Cake. It’s a good deal heartier than the smaller plates, and so actually makes this very expensive food seem like a better value. The chickpea patty is served with porcini mushrooms, red spring onions, and sherry demi cream. I don’t know what makes cream ‘demi’ but I really enjoyed the chickpea cake and was glad I followed everyone’s advice. It seems like an entree you’d get at a nice comforting vegan restaurant, or maybe make yourself if you have a lot of time one night. Very solid and delicious.
Onto the last of our Comforting Classics, and the last of our savory dishes (I totally forgot to take pictures of some things in the ruckus of this amazing meal! sorry not sorry! Add like 4-5 other dishes and you’ll get a sense of how much food we ate!). The Scaloppini Milanese was so amazing. It could have easily been a hunk of Gardein or something at a lesser restaurant, but this patty, whatever it was, was incredible, with the perfect texture. The telltale syruppy but thin Milanese sauce took it to the next level, and like everything else here, was wonderful.
On to dessert!!! We were so full that we couldn’t even finish some of the above dishes, but we had to get dessert. I was actually in a place that would give me something other that fruit sorbet and fruit; of course I’m getting dessert! We decided to split two among the four of us, starting with the Peach Upside Down Cake. Proving that their pastry chef is as talented as the head chef, this wonderful cake was warm and full of deep brown sugar. The roasted peaches were just as good as all the other peaches we ate all night and all week (the best peaches in this state!) and complemented by the lemon cornmeal of the cake. The best part was the brown sugar ice cream it was served with, not that it was better than the cake but just because ice cream is my favorite. As such, the dessert I got to choose was the famous Hot Fudge Sundae, which yeah I could make and yeah I could have elsewhere but shush, it was awesome. The vanilla bean ice cream was served on top of a warm brownie (le sigh), mixed with banana fudge, whatever that amazingness is, and topped with hazelnuts and coconut whipped cream. Best sundae ever, yes.
Cake & ice cream! |
Ice cream sundaeee! |
Overall, this was an epic, spectacular meal, definitely one of my favorites ever. It was stupid expensive, but compared to similar restaurants, I think the value was so high that it was well worth it.
Crossroads, Los Angeles, California, US&A
Water speed: Decent. There were a few times when we had to flag people down, but overall it was okay.
Service: What a weird issue! The waitress was a total eggshell plaintiff or something. She just didn’t like us and make it hella obvious. Boo urns.
Bathrooms: I felt like I was in an episode of Gossip Girl when I went to the bathroom. They are small, with two stalls separated by the sink area, and blonde wannabe starlets apparently congregate in the sink area to fix their hair while I try to wash my hands. Their conversation was so hilariously stereotypical of everything L.A. I almost thought it was Improv Everywhere or something.
Food: Incredible! Not one bad note. One of the best meals ever.
Bonus: The atmosphere can’t help but be great, considering the location and the notoriety. Usually more famous people are there than were on my night, but even so, the food is so superb that I didn’t even care that it was apparently the one night of the year that Russell Simmons wasn’t there.
