Rashed's View » Leisure

Ghost Writer

rashedhaq — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:14:27 +0000

I watched “The Ghost Writer” with friends the night it came out. It is a well made political thriller, based on a 2007 book. The movie is very Hitchcock-ian: there is a constant undertone of tension which is steadily torqued up as the movie progresses. This feeling is enhanced by the incisive dialogue and the stunning cinematography. The claustrophobic environment is deliciously captured in the constant heavy rain during a blustery gray winter. All the supporting characters were chosen with Satyajit Ray-like precision and they turn out delightful performances that are neither overstated nor understated. The New Yorker review had this to say about it:

I don’t know when I’ve seen menace rendered with such delicate but persistent force.

A must see movie!

Event Posters

rashedhaq — Sat, 02 May 2009 23:09:12 +0000

I have loved movie and opera posters since I was little. Over the last many years I realized my preferences actually have patterns – originally I had thought they were random! I have found that in particular I enjoy the Polish school of artists.

I recently had the opportunity to buy an original – Andrzej Pagowski’s poster for the movie ‘Someone to Watch Over Me.’ I love everything about the poster!

It was amazing to me that wrapping the original in archival material costs as much as the poster itself – linen backing, UV filtered glass, moisture sealed frame.

Eastside Cafe

rashedhaq — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:00:09 +0000

On our drive in to Austin, we stopped at Eastside Cafe for lunch. We were seated in the airy and sunlight drenched ‘Garden Room’. The menu looked great. I ordered the Hibiscus Mint iced tea where both ingredients were grown in their back yard. It was very refreshing We got shrimp and goat cheese quesadillas and baked Brie with apple chutney as appetizers for the table. My main entrée was wild mushroom crepes, with an artichoke cream soup, and a mashed sweet potato side. Everything was great. We did not leave room for desert.

Snowing in Houston

rashedhaq — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:13:53 +0000

There is a cold front that came into Houston last night. The temperature this morning was just above freezing. Once we got home in the evening, it started snowing. N even made a snowball from some of the snow that collected in the potted plants! Here is a very short video from in front of our garage.

Tidying up Art

rashedhaq — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:43:01 +0000

I have been watching some video podcasts from iTunes recently, and found a few good ones. Everyone now and then I browse through what is new at TED Talks. The invite speakers on different topics to share their ideas on various topics, ranging from art to science to politics to storytelling to the bizarre. Here is one I enjoyed where the speaker talks about how he tidy’s up art. My favorite one is how he handles Pollock!

Nippon Japanese Restaurant

rashedhaq — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:10:48 +0000

I had dinner at a great little sushi restaurant in Montrose today – Nippon Japanese Restaurant. It is by far the best sushi restaurant in Houston that I have tried. We did not order from the generic menu, opting instead to eat the chef’s recommendations. We did not bother with the Japanese menu, although Mark L spoke some Japanese with the wait staff. The fish was amazingly fresh. We kicked off with two salmon rolls – one with jalapenos and the other crunchy. This was followed by a bunch of sushi, including blue fin toro [tuna]. We ended with another round of the blue fin toro and a round of uni. Yumm! Both were sublime – almost melts in your mouth.

When Cobus asked about their ankimo [monk fish liver], the waiter talked about how good theirs was - he personally picks up the livers and makes sure they are absolutely fresh. Next time!

Szechuan Peppercorn

rashedhaq — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 04:50:59 +0000

I am always on the lookout for interesting spices for our pantry. Masud introduced me to szechuan peppercorns. Although T was familiar with it, I had never tasted it before. It was memorable from the moment I popped one in my mouth. I tried some on their own, and later at dinner on Masud’s stir-fried pumpkin wedges with the szechuan peppercorns. It has a smoky, peppery flavor with a very long after-taste. It reminds me of a mix of lapsang souchong tea (smoky), Indian peppercorn (peppery) and biryani (long after-taste). Very nice!

It had been banned by the FDA from 1968 to 2005 because it used to affect citrus trees. They now have to be heat treated before being imported into the country. And it’s not even a pepper corn – it is actually the berry from an ash shrub, and the flavor is in the husk.

Halloween at the Zoo

rashedhaq — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 23:35:45 +0000

We had a fun day with J and the kids at the Houston Zoo Halloween Festival. The zoo is pretty close to the city and we visit often, having become members for the year. But we make short trips and look at only some animals. This suits the kids better – they don’t get tired on one trip of everything, and there are more frequent exciting outings. Last time we got to see Mac, the new baby elephant that was born at the zoo. He’s about 6 months old now and taller than me already! This time we stopped to look at the tigers. I think the tigers are my favorite animal there – very colorful. We enjoyed the snakes’ and other reptiles’ display – from massive pythons to pencil size poisonous snakes. There was an Extinct Animal Graveyard that had tombstones for many popular extinct animals to bring awareness of extinction to children. And finally, the kids went on the carousel three times in a row. Grand day out.

Karim’s (Since 1913)

rashedhaq — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 03:22:36 +0000

At the London restaurant The Bank, I was chatting in 2000 with a local about great food in different parts of the world. After discussing various places in London, New York and Los Angeles, she mentioned Karim’s in New Delhi. She said it is the best North Indian food she had ever had. When I looked it up later, I found that it is run by chefs who are descendants of Shah Jahan’s personal chef, and that all the recipes are the same as what the Mughal emperors themselves tasted and has been kept within the family for 300 years until the restaurant was opened before World War I. We ordered Tandoori Raan (whole leg of lamb), seekh kebab, Tandoori chicken, lamb ribs, mutton korma, the whole roasted fish, brain curry, and finally phirni. Having waited six and a half years to try Karim’s, I felt like I was going on a pilgrimage. And I definitely have to agree that it is the best North Indian food I have had.

Swagath & Pind Balluchi

rashedhaq — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 03:18:52 +0000

Some friends took me to Swagath [14 Defence Colony Market (+91.11.2433.0930)] for dinner. This is a Mangalorian restaurant in the New Delhi Defence Colony, famous for their seafood. We ordered the Swagath special fish – mackerel marinated in a sauce of tamarind and red chili paste, the Chettinad pomfret, and a prawn dish. The food was great. The next night another friend took me to a “Punjabi dhaba” in Gurgaon – Pind Balluchi. The décor was very interesting – setup as a Punjabi village, with charpoi’s for dining table seating, the walls made to look like village house walls. There were private dining rooms with special décors of birth colored cloths hanging from the ceiling. We food again was very good, and the conversation interesting.