Dive Bar Christmas Yule Log Jukebox with Robert Simonson
"Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, but I think I'll miss this one this year."
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Merry and Bright
In the buildup of Christmas week in New York City, I love stopping by McSorley’s for a bowl of chili and a few rounds of lights served two at a time in small glass steins; if I’m feeling flush then maybe a solo lunch at the bar at Gramercy Tavern; and a visit to Bamonte’s with their vintage Christmas decorations and Vinegar Pepper Pork Chops; and stopping by my favorite local bars to catch up with friends. But I’ve always preferred the overall mood of Christmas Eve, with its countdown of anticipation and buzz of activity, and checking off items on my to-do list, to Christmas Day.
I only had one chance to hop over to Manhattan recently but spent a great afternoon at my corner seat at the bar at Caffe Dante listening to their house band. There was a sophisticated-looking older woman sitting at a table with friends who was dressed in her holiday finest, including a matching red-and-green scarf and beret. The bartender shared that she’s a longtime regular from the neighborhood who comes in every Friday to see the band. There was something about her festive spirit that stood out in the crowded cafe and when the band wrapped up I walked over to say hello and wish her a Merry Christmas. She put her hand out and asked my name and then said, “Hi Brad, I’m Joanne.” My mother’s name was Joanne and she’s been gone almost five years. I couldn’t help but think she was watching over me at that very moment.
I won’t be back home in Central New York for Christmas. I’ll miss seeing my sister and her family and my stepfather. Not to mention my sister’s amazing cooking (and Christmas cookies), and running to one of the many Italian-American restaurants in Rome and Utica to help my brother-in-law pick up big trays of Chicken Riggies and Utica Greens to supplement the Christmas menu.
I’ve spent many Christmases on my own here in Brooklyn and have come to develop some of my own solitary traditions. I love the bustle of activity on Court Street in Carroll Gardens during the day on Christmas Eve, with long lines of regular customers on the sidewalk in front of every bakery and butcher shop. I have to pick up my shrimp order at Fish Tales then stop by Pasticceria Monteleone for a box of cannoli and then Mazzola Bakery for a lard bread and a sesame-seeded twist loaf.
The forecast looks cold and rainy this weekend, but on the early side of Christmas Eve I like to bundle up and walk along the Brooklyn waterfront down to Red Hook to pay my respects to a special little cat colony on Van Brunt Street. Just across the street from Red Hook Tavern is a small fenced-in lot where a TNR colony of several cats live and are taken care of by volunteers.
At Christmastime their protective shed is transformed into a crèche complete with Christmas lights and blow-mold Nativity figures. The cats, being cats, take advantage of the empty cradle before the Baby Jesus blow-mold arrives, and become living players in this festive centerpiece that never fails to catch the eye of passersby. If the San Pedro Inn is open I’ll probably stop in for a quick beer and say hello to the bartenders.
Then I’ll weave my way back through Carroll Gardens and take in the lights and decorations and count the many Christmas trees on display in brownstone windows. I used to live a block away from The Church of the Sacred Hearts of Mary and Jesus and St. Stephen on President Street in Carroll Gardens and can still see the steeple from my window from my current apartment, though I miss hearing the regular chimes of the bells. They took a break the past couple of years, but they usually they have a massive string of lights climbing up to the top of the steeple. And I always love to see the “Floating Christmas Tree” suspended over Mazzola Bakery.
When I’m back home, Christmas Eve is all about snacking and I always prepare a platter of jumbo shrimp served with a sinus-clearing cocktail sauce using a full jar of Long’s Horseradish from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. And pigs in blankets with Ray’s Down East Schooner mustard. And maybe there will be an old-school cream cheese and pepper jelly (also from Long’s) situation with a sleeve of Ritz crackers.
I picked up a bottle of Five Farms Single-Batch Irish Cream from Brooklyn Wine Exchange and look forward to having a nip of that. My grandmother never really drank but on Christmas Eve my father would hand her an iced snifter of Baileys Irish Cream and soon would be nodding off in her chair with a smile on her face. Last year Toby Cecchini schooled me on making egg nog and while our schedules didn’t align for this year’s batch, he was kind enough to send me home the other night with a 2-liter mason jar so that will also come out from the refrigerator at several points this weekend.
On Christmas day there’s always a ham. I usually do a cola-glazed ham and serve it with mustard and rolls (sadly, this is now a Martin’s Potato Rolls-free household). I’m also making a tray of stuffed shells, using a recipe from Dan Pelosi and I’ll make some Frankies meatballs. And at the last minute I decided to add some Utica Greens to the table to remind me of home. They’re basically sautéed escarole larded with garlic, crispy prosciutto, potato cubes, hot cherry peppers, bread crumbs, and grated pecorino. And there will be Christmas cookies.
Let’s just say, I like leftovers, and cooking for one on holidays can still be a cause for celebration.