Pretty in Pink

It's already shaping up to be a superb First Friday.

And it's only Thursday.

The preview opening at Ghostprint Gallery was positively crowded when we arrived for Daniel Robbins' "New Works."

For me, it turned out to be an unexpected reminder of my recent trip to Italy.

From the first painting, "Twilight," which announced the artist's purpose right through the two-paneled "Merhige Farm," it was exercise after exercise in light.

Much like the Vermeer show I'd recently seen in Rome, Robbins explored the effects of light on roads, buildings and the landscape.

"Under the Bridge" was practically photographic in its depiction of rocks and shrubbery in the afternoon light.

My favorite was "The Mansion" for the dappled Fall sunlight that made the brick building all but glow.

Walking up to the tiny work "Beach Buildings," with its expanse of sand and highrises in the background, I couldn't help but be reminded of the Jersey shore and the beating it took with Sandy.

I was especially fond of how painterly Robbins was with thick layers of paint in places and obvious brushstrokes.

In fact, with the two panels of "Merhige Farm," I found myself far more drawn to the smaller panel of the road in close-up than I did the larger long view of the farm and I think it was because of the beautiful brushwork so evident on the leaf-covered dirt road.

We ran into the Frenchman and his beloved and questions about our trip led to a hilarious discussion of how Puritanical Americans are and how Europeans, because they more easily display an earthiness, are perceived here as "crass and not so intelligent," at least according to the Frenchman.

The Italian concurred whole heartedly,

Dinner followed at EAT by Pescado's.

It was only our second time there and I was still eager to eat around the menu a little more.

We got started with a bottle of Vinanza Tempranillo, a smooth and easy drinking red.

Start to finish, we were impressed with the food.

A simple dinner salad was elevated by the most delicate and flavorful of citrus dressings.

We'd been recommended the pastrami and the pink slices of house-smoked beef brisket were magnificent.

With a thin fatty edge and the meat imbued with smoke, it was a generous serving, especially considering the other things on the plate: a thick potato knich, broccoli rabe and house made "kimkraut."

We ordered a basket of pretzel rolls and using the pickled mustard seed spread over the pastrami, made ourselves endless little pastrami sandwiches.

Let's just say we'll be ordering that pastrami again.

The dessert section of the menu had a sticker on it saying "Under Construction" so we inquired what was available.

From the choices, we picked a coconut pudding with almond brittle, partially because I am a brittle fiend.

The very sweet pudding was lovely, although I would have liked to see ribbons of dark chocolate in it for contrast with the sweetness.

The brittle was thick and not teeth-breakingly hard, not that I wouldn't have eaten it anyway.

By the time we finished, the place was clearing out and we had no music on tap.

That led us to Balliceaux where the band scheduled had cancelled due to Sandy but guest bartender Bobby Kruger was in attendance.

I knew I was in the right place when I heard a customer halfway through her drink suddenly looked up and inquired, "So what am I drinking?"

We walked into hearing Bill Withers and Bobby telling a story of how that song had been playing at a bar in NYC when a customer asked, "Can you put on someone who can sing?"

You can imagine the discussion that ensued from that.

Soon after, "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" came on and the entire bar screamed along perfectly with MJ's first shriek.

We got the last spots at the back bar which Bobby had decorated with a pumpkin and his renowned homemade marshmallows, tonight dubbed "Mmm Pops.".

A sign next to it said that there were only three ways to get one of his creations: order a Jack Skellington, give the source of the lines written or "you must do or say something so amazing that I am compelled to give one to you."

Simply put, I said the right thing and got a chocolate/coconut marshmallow, a perfect demonstration of the flavors I had been craving with my earlier dessert.

More significant, perhaps, was how I broke bad and let Bobby make me a cocktail instead of my usual tequila on ice.

The lovely pink creation was a nod to Italy also, using Cynar (the Italian bitter using 13 herbs and plants but mainly artichoke), rye, lemon juice, Asian Sojo, and vermouth.

I may have crossed a cocktail frontier tonight with this one.

We didn't stay long, just long enough to run into a friend and get invited to a major party next month, have a couple of superb marshmallows and have my first pink cocktail.

Oh, yes and the source of those lines that earned you a marshmallow? Hanson's "Mmm Bop."

You know, just another music-tinged night at Balliceaux.