Remember science class in high school or college? Memorizing the details of the TCA cycle or the electron transport chain - BORING!!!! (no offense, Ralph).
I always had a hard time memorizing facts from a book. So, rather than describe the topic of today's lesson in a lot of boring detail, I'll let this video clip do the work. I promise, you'll never forget how a protein is synthesized after watching this.
Those of you with a keen eye will have noticed that a few days ago I put up the pics from my birthday weekend with Serena in Paris. Serena arranged the whole thing - Eurostar from King's Cross to Gare du Nord, hotel in Montmartre - and it was amazing. Her only mistake was letting me navigate on Île de la Cité in the middle of a rainstorm. It's not clear how I did it, but I managed to miss Notre Dame (we found it eventually).
All in all, an amazing trip, and an amazing birthday present!
This past weekend I felt like pizza. Not the kind of pizza you get when you grab a quick slice from the local pizza place, but a real, Neapolitan pizza. Fortunately, there's a place I'd been to a couple of other times that I knew would satisfy my craving. The true test, however, was whether Teo, an Italian friend from lab, would enjoy it.
Numero 28 28 Carmine St. @ Bleecker St. New York, NY 10014 212-463-9653
People in the Naples region claim that the secret to a real Neapolitan pizza is in the water, which gives the crust its light, soft texture. Funny enough, the local water is the reason New Yorkers believe makes their bagels the best. I'm not sure if anyone has compared the water in the two cities, but it may be similar enough to make a pizza in New York that would satisfy the most discerning Italian.
The dining area of Numero 28 is split between two rooms, the smaller of which is dominated by the traditional brick oven where you can see the Pizzaiolo do his thing.
Numero 28 makes the traditional round pizza, as well as pizza al metro, which means 'pizza by the meter' - a fun, social way to enjoy a couple of different flavors on the same pizza. We went with a pizza al metro with two different sets of toppings: Margherita Reginella (tomato, basil, and buffalo mozarella) and San Daniele (prosciutto crudo San Daniela and arugula).
Teo made friends with la Mamma, who explained that her family is from Calabria, and that her son was a lawyer who now owned Numero 28 and another pizzeria in Rome. After we were finished enjoying our pizza, la Mamma brough over some of her homemade panna cotta to round out the meal, and told Teo to call next time so she can reserve a table for us.
Put it on your speed dial, Teo, and let's go back soon!
