October 2025 Dispatch
The Mariners Make the Playoffs, "One Battle After Another" in VistaVision, Rita With a View, A Negroni Week Hangover, Apple Cider Donuts...
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October 2025 Dispatch: The Fall Classic
September 30, 1955, 5:59PM
Back when I was still younger than 24, the age actor James Dean was when his life was cut short 70 years ago in a devastating car crash on a highway outside of Shandon, California, on September 30, 1955, I was a bit obsessed with his life and death. Dean had recently completely filming on his role as Cal Task in what would be his final picture, Giant, and was now free from the “no racing” clause in his studio contract and eager to enter his new silver-and-red-leather 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder (dubbed the “Little Bastard”) in the Salinas Road Race the next day. He was joined by Porsche mechanic Rolf Wütherich riding shotgun with Dean’s race crew in a station wagon and trailer behind them. They originally planned to tow the Porsche to the race but Wütherich suggested Dean drive to give him more time behind the wheel to get used to his new car.
After meeting for coffee and donuts at the Hollywood Ranch Market on Vine, the crew made several stops on their fateful journey, including a Mobil station on Ventura Boulevard and Beverly Glen Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, where one of the last known photos of Dean was captured four hours before his death.
Around 5:59PM, a 1950 Ford Tudor driven by 23-year-old California Polytechnic State University student Donald Turnupseed turned left on California State Route 41 in the twilight glow of the setting sun, crossing into the path of Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder resulting in a near head-on collision. Dean’s car cartwheeled several times along the highway before it came to rest in a gully on the shoulder of the road. Dean was unresponsive with a broken neck and severe organ damage and later officially declared dead upon arrival at Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital around 6:20PM. Wütherich had been thrown from the car and survived with a broken jaw and serious injuries to his hip and femur. After speaking with the California Highway Patrol, a bruised and bloodied Turnupseed hitchhiked back home.
Beyond the Hollywood Boulevard t-shirts, souvenirs, posters, and co-opting of “Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse,” James Dean’s constellation as a pop culture icon has faded a bit as each decade passes. When I started to “tread the boards” acting in high school plays and later in college where I majored in Writing and Theatre, I became a bit obsessed with the life and history of Dean along with Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. I read every biography I could get my hands on from the library and had well-worn books with striking black-and-white photos of Dean in all his glory (and agony) oozing effortless style and an undeniable aura of “cool.” I’m not sure how much of the Stanislavski’s “Method” style of acting I actually channeled into my roles as Riff in West Side Story or a member of the Greek chorus in an undergraduate production of Lysistrata, but I remained fascinated with the life, and more so, the death of James Dean. Eerily, Dean filmed a PSA on safe driving taped on the set of Giant a week before he died in a car crash. “Take it easy driving. The life you might save might be mine”
The books may be long gone and I haven’t re-watched Giant or East of Eden in years, but every September 30th at 5:59PM I take a moment to look the western horizon to remember Dean.
Autumn Rituals
My sporting life is limited to watching sports, mostly the NFL, NBA, and Formula 1 racing, along with the U.S. Open and World Cup. I love having a baseball game on TV in the background (even better on the radio), but it’s hard to keep up with the daily schedule of the 5-6 month-long MLB season (especially when I’m unable to watch Seattle Mariners games without paying the exorbitant price of an MLB streaming package).
But once the World Series teams are locked down, there’s nothing like post-season October baseball, especially that first Wildcard Round when there are four games on back-to-back in a run-and-gun best-of-three series. Even more exciting: The Mariners clinched their league division for the first time since 2001. The Mariners started out as an expansion team in 1977 and remain the only Major League Baseball team to have never appeared in the World Series.
There’s a great lineup of teams in the mix right now and it makes me happy when I hear that people with no connection to Seattle are rooting for the Mariners. When I’m out and about wearing one of my three Mariners caps, I’m often surprised when someone smiles, shouts out a “Go M’s!,” or strikes up a conversation, then realize, oh yeah, duh, it’s the M’s hat! Yesterday at Radio Bakery I spent at least five minutes chatting with a nice baker there named Billy about the Mariners and the playoffs before I even gave a thought to what I was going to order before everything sold out (I went with a Cinnamon Bun, a Brown Butter Corn Cake, and a Chocolate Chunk Cookie).
I always miss not being back home in Central New York in the fall. Pumpkin patches, roadside produce stands, apple picking, fresh apple cider, and warm and fresh cider donuts. While I can easily secure cider donuts at the local farmers’ markets here in NYC, it’s just not the same. The idea of cider donuts always exceeds the actual experience. They’re usually too dry and light on the cinnamon-sugar. But yesterday I took the old B62 bus up to Greenpoint to revisit Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, where last year I first encountered the ideal interpretation of the fall classic: an Apple Cider Glazed Donut. The cider-cake dough is fried and glazed and turns out craggily like a fresh apple fritter. Peter Pan also offers several additional seasonal cake donuts, including Apple Cinnamon, Pumpkin, Maple, and French Toast. As they like to say: “It’s not just a donut… It’s a whole autumn mood.”
The Apple Cider Donut theme also thread its way into ice cream courtesy of Salt & Straw, where I stopped by their West Village outpost on Friday to sample their new “Apple Series.” The limited-edition monthly menu lineup includes flavors like Apple Cider Donut, Apple & Cheddar Cinnamon Rolls, Vanilla Apple Custard Tart, Caramel Apple Sherbet, and Hoppy Apple Cider Sorbet. I treated myself to a double-scoop of Apple Cider Donut (stripes of cinnamon-spiced vanilla caramel running thick through royal icing-inspired ice cream, dotted with hunks of sugar-and-spice, streusel-topped doughnuts) and Apple & Cheddar Cinnamon Rolls (gobs of gooey cinnamon and spiced apple pie filling cinnamon rolls scattered throughout a tangy Beecher’s Flagship Cheese ice cream with ooey-gooey cinnamon swirls). It was the perfect way to channel upstate apple picking while sitting outside on a bench along Hudson Street.
One Battle After Another
As today’s dispatch lands in your inbox I’ll with two of my associates at the Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn taking in a matinee of Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another in 70mm. This will be my second time seeing this incredible picture in less than a week.
I love the films of Paul Thomas Anderson ( I watched Boogie Nights in the theater twice on opening weekend) and caught OBAA on opening day at the Regal Union Square, one of only four theaters in the country screening it in VistaVision. The sold-out crowd last Friday burst into applause at the end of the picture in an authentic manner. Unlike the knee-jerk standing ovation culture taking over the theater world, it’s rare to hear applause at the end of an original film that isn’t Star Wars. I exited the theater last Friday with the classic Rick closing needle-drop still ringing through my ears and knew this was a picture I had to see again, sooner than later.
There’s been a lot of online discourse for One Battle After Another. The trailers sort of did the film a disservice and I recommend going into it cold to fully appreciate its vastness of scope and full-hug embrace of so many different cinematic tones and influences. The nearly 3-hour running time doesn’t drag for one minute. There’s so many things that have stayed with me.
It’s an electric, action-packed film that channels the spirit of ‘70s-era paranoid conspiracy pictures (one of my favorite genres). Each actor in the primary ensemble stands out and is supported by an expansive cast. It’s sprawling, satirical, and very funny at times and was filmed on location across California (Sacramento, Stockton, San Diego County, downtown San Diego) and Texas (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, El Paso) with frequent PTA collaborator Jonny Greenwood on the score.
Very loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, the live-wire tension of One Battle After Another echoes current concerns like immigration crackdowns and ICE raids, border detention camps, military occupation of American cities, revolutionaries and the betrayal of ideals, girl dads, white supremacy, and generations-deep sinister conspiracies that will likely outlive us all.
Apologies if this borders mild spoiler material, but of all the characters I can’t stop thinking about Benicio del Toro’s Sensei Sergio St. Carlos (a name that could’ve come from the oeuvre of another famous filmmaker named Anderson), a martial arts instructor whose dojo also serves as what he calls a “Latino Harriet Tubman operation” serving as an underground railroad/mutual aid organization for illegal immigrants. He is the coolest, calmest, and most compassionate character on screen. All I’ll say is: “I’ve had a few small beers.”
The other thing that has been seared into my brain is the tour-de-force car chase on an undulating hilly desert highway that evokes Spielberg’s Duel, Terminator 2, and Bullitt. If I see it a third time it’ll be in IMAX 70mm. Just see it on the biggest screen you can.
BTP’s Highly Personal and Subject to Change Ranking of PTA Pictures
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Boogie Nights (1997)
One Battle After Another (2025)
Magnolia (1999)
Phantom Thread (2017)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
Punch Drunk Love (2002)
The Master (2012)
Hard Eight/Sydney (1996)
Inherent Vice (2014)
Negroni Week Hangover
Last week turned out to be an unexpectedly busy Negroni Week for me. Normally I’ll have one and call it a celebration, but events and schedules aligned to have me out on the town more than usual.
My first stop was a Negroni Eve event last Sunday at Bar Americano hosted by Campari. The Greenpoint bar celebrates the aperitif and aperitivo bars of Spain and Northern Italy with a deep focus (and inventory) on vermouth and fortified wines from Italy and Spain.
The four featured Negronis on offer each featured Campari and Bombay Sapphire Gin with the vermouth being the key factor in taking each drink in a different direction.
Negroni No. 1 (Classic)
Featured Vermouth: Mulassano Vermouth di Torino Rosso from Piedmont
Tasting Notes: Fennel, Cardamom
Negroni No. 2 (Dry)
Featured Vermouth: Poli Gran Bassano Vermouth Rosso from the Veneto. This was a merlot-based vermouth which is quite uncommon.
Tasting Notes: Rhubarb, Black Pepper
Negroni No. 3 (Skin Contact)
Featured Vermouth: Naturale Vermouth Orange from Sicily.
Tasting Notes: Apricot, Sicilian Orange
Negroni No. 4 (Vintage)
Featured Vermouth: del Professore Vermouth di Torino Rosso from Piedmont.
Tasting Notes: Ripe Plums, Balsamic, Sage
I started with Negroni No. 4 followed by Negroni No. 3 and co-owner Steve Kämmerer was kind enough to bring out a handful of bottles of vermouth for me to sample on their own as well. I try to to go out and socialize much on Sundays (especially as the Seahawks were playing that afternoon), but I’m so glad I did. It was a fairly intimate crowd, great drinks, a full sideboard of snacks, and good company all around.
On Tuesday, Robby Dow, the former Bar Manager of Grand Army, was back behind the bar for Negroni Week for a one-night pop-up of his own bar Bespoke, an Italian-inspired cafe and bar in Wilmington, North Carolina.
I started with the sole Negroni variation on the lineup. Made with Appleton Signature Rum, Campari, Cynar, Punt e Mes, Banana, and Coffee, the Night Nurse was a serious stirred drink with an undeniable richness whose bitterness was balanced with a subtle tropical sweetness.
Other popular cocktail included the Surfer On Acid (Appleton Signature, Jagermeister, Coconut, Pineapple, Lime, Nutmeg), the Double Play (Wild Turkey 101, Luxardo Amaro Abano, Caffe Lolita, Orange), the Beach Cruiser (Montelobos Mezcal, Espolon Blanco Tequila, Campari, Passionfruit, Ginger, Lime, Habenero, IPA), a Dirty Martini (Skyy Vodka or Bulldog Gin, Olive Juice, Manzanilla Sherry, Blacn Vermouth, Celery, Sea Salt), and the Bespoke Amari Cola (Fernet-Branca, Brancamenta, Cola, Lime, Seltzer).
I met up with Robby the next day in the West Village to continue our observance of Negroni Week at Bar Pisellino. It was a classic Negroni Sbagliato for me and a Negroni Bianco for Robby rounded out with olives and their very crushable cacio e pepe patatine fritte.
We then strolled over to Caffe Dante to post up at the bar for a round of their classic, and very gin-forward, ice-cold House Negroni on draft.
Milano with a View
While it wasn’t officially part of Negroni Week, I also had the chance to post up court-side at the lounge bar at The View, the new revolving restaurant from the Union Square Hospitality Group just off Time Square. Times Square isn’t usually in my regular rounds, but I didn’t want to miss the chance to experience Andrea Arcaini’s one-night-only guest shift. Andrea is the Bar Manager at Rita and Rita’s Tiki Room, two celebrated cocktail bars in Milan’s Navigli District. I’ve been to Rita a number of times and got to experience Rita’s Tiki Room the last time I was in Milan (their excellent Banana Boulevardier is featured in Drinking Italian).
The event was sponsored by Altamura Distilleries and featured four cocktails spotlighting their vodka made in Puglia.
I started with the Tears for Pears, a rich shaken-up drink made with Altamura Distilleries Vodka, Mastic Liqueur, Pear Distillate, Dill Syrup, and Lemon Juice. Its foamy surface revealed a surprisingly light and bright flavor with notes of pear and dill.
Next up was the Madonnina, a long drink with Altamura Distilleries Vodka, Bitter & Bianco Vermouth, Fernet-Branca, Saffron Syrup, Lemon Juice, and Soda Water.
And since Negroni Week was on the horizon, I closed things out with a Negroni Corretto (Altamura Distilleries Vodka, Campari, House Vermouth Blend).
It was such a nice evening having an audience with the talented and always entertaining Andrea and I look forward to seeing him back in Milan.
Something Sweet from David Lebovtiz
Congratulations to my dear friend (and longtime Friend of LAST CALL)
on the release of his latest cookbook, Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes. This completely revised edition of the original Ready for Dessert, first published in 2010, features 170 of the bestselling and award-winning baker and cookbook author’s all-time favorite recipes, while also compiling a selection of recipes from his now out-of-print books, Room for Dessert and Ripe for Dessert, with all new photography shot in David’s Paris Kitchen by the talented Ed Anderson. If you’re seeking for sweet inspiration—“from simple to showy”—this collection of David’s avorite cakes, pies, tarts, crisps, cobblers, cookies, candies, ice creams, pastries, custards, soufflés, puddings, dessert sauces, fruit preserves, and even homemade liqueurs is an essential cookbook to add to your kitchen library. In fact, maybe buy two, because this will be a guaranteed favorite for holiday gifting.
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Boy those doughnuts look good! And thanks for the Enzo photo 😼
I live about two hours from the James Dean crash site and have traveled that way to visit wine country. It really is a dangerous intersection! He has a memorial over there at the junction.
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article312256640.html?giftCode=e3ca9d1b829700cf15f9e414f2c841e4791f0916fc307dfc7425268a0d3246f6