Day: December 21, 2014

GloucesterCast 109- With A Full House Of GMG Characters Taped 12/21/14

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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GloucesterCast 109- With A Full House Of GMG Characters Taped 12/21/14

Topics Include: 9 GMG Peeps In The House- Peter Lovasco, Mrs Grumpypants Kim Smith, Alicia DeWolfe, Premenstrual Donna Arizzoni, Fresh Off The Stripper Pole Melissa Cox, Bill Cox, Frank Ciolino and Mr Effervescent Toby Pett and Host Joey Ciaramitaro. The GMG Holiday Party Recap, Taking a Cab, Thanks To Kathleen Erikson and Matt Beach for The Prosecco and Meat Plate, Kay Ellis Cucumber, Toby’s Chowder, Felicia’s Incredible Treats, Thanks To Fred Bodin, Re-carpeting Fred Bodin’s Back Room, The Winner of Sista Felicia’s Cookbook from Week 5 Subscriber contest Katherine Donlon, Week Six Gloucestercast Podcast New Subscriber Contest Prize Donated By Donna Ardizzoni is A Cape Pond Ice Coffee Mug Subscribe Here For a Chance To Win, The Rocky Neck Polar Plunge, Bring Dry Good Food For Donations To Be Collected At The Polar Plunge for Open Door, Peter Lovasco and Donna Ardizzoni and Melissa Cox all Pinky Swear During the Podcast To Do The Rocky Neck Polar Plunge, Christmas Eve Forecast From GMG Weatherman Pete, Downtown Gloucester Looked Like A Scene Out Of A Dickens Novel Saturday Morning, Gloucester’s DES Club, Fosters From Gloucester Now A Shell Station Which Means You Can Now Use Your Stop and Shop Card To Get HUGE Savings on Gas, Do Locals Go To Beauport The Sleeper-McCann House?, Cape Ann Museum Free To Gloucester Residents All Month Long in January, Hammond Castle, Pete Wonders About Beach Restoration At Good Harbor Beach, Harvesting Salt Hay and WPA Salt Water Marsh Depression Project, Wrapping Christmas Presents- That First Package vs That Last Package, Pinoli VIP Night and Review- Joey and Kim Disagree On The Pinoli Renovation, Melissa Cox Is Moving, Burnham’s Field Is A Total Destination Now, Relay For Life At Burnham’s Field This Year, Weatherman Pete- Oblivious To All Things GMG Except Weatherman Pete Stuff, Joey C, frank Ciolino and Donna Ardizzoni In the Relay For Life Dunk Tank, Fort Square Cafe, Georges Coffee Shop, Two Sisters Hash, Pinoli Open For Brunch Starting In January, Foreign Affairs Of Joey C’s Top 5 Restaurants North Of Boston, Blue Ox, Lone Gull, The Brewery, Rusty Shatford, Windward Grille, Azorean Steak Tips and Affordable Martinis, Breaking Nonnis Restauarant News- Top Secret and Joey C Wish For Willow Rest II, Kick You In The Cajones Cafe El Aguila Coffee from Toby, Glosta Joes Coffee Still Available At Paulines Gift Shop,  Alicia DeWolfe, Myron Lepine, and Laurie Lufkin In Cape Ann Magazine For Cooking Competitions, Thankful For Friendships, Donna Plugs Cape Pond Ice

podcasticon1GMG Podcast #109 Joey, Toby, Pete, Frank, Melissa, Bill. Alicia, Donna _Kim Smith 2014 Joey, Donna, Frank _Kim Smith 2014Donna Ardizzoni Donated A Cape Pond Ice Mug for  This Week’s New GloucesterCast Subscriber Contest.  One Of The First Ten New Subscribers Will Win the Mug to Be picked Up Here At The Dock. Subscribe Here For a Chance To Win

Pinoli Gloucester Restaurant Review

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns
The Joy of Beautiful Food!

Pinoli Restaurant Gloucester MA Chef Paolo LaBoa ©Kim Smith 2014TJ, Chef Paolo La Boa, and Shelia

There’s a special magic created when a restaurant is owned and operated by the chef, and without doubt, that joy is happening at Pinoli Restaurant. In Gloucester, we know it to be true with wonderfully popular restaurants such as Duckworth’s Bistrot (Chef Ken Duckworth) and Passports (Chef Eric Lorden). It takes enormous amounts of hard work and tremendous passion to own and operate a restaurant. That heart and soul is evident in the exquisite cuisine and in every detail of Chef Paolo La Boa’s newly opened Pinoli.

Pinoli Restaurant Gloucester lambrusco ©Kim Smith 2014 copy

We went Thursday night, which was the very first night Pinoli was open to the general public. Our experience was so enjoyable, you would never, ever have known the doors had opened only hours earlier.

I can’t tell you much about the wine list because at a quick  first glance, the word Lambrusco jumped off the page, and it was reasonably priced. I don’t see Lambrusco on many menus, unfortunately so, because there is nothing comparable to a delicious sparkling red wine, and Pinoli’s Lambrusco is just that, with subtle effervescence, dry, and full flavored, neither sweet nor too acidic.

My husband Tom commented on the warm and inviting décor, especially the thoughtfully designed ambient lighting. The combination of the menu’s cleanly designed font and lambent lighting made it very easy to read the menu.

Pinoli Restaurant Ryan Gloucester MA ©Kim Smith 2014

Ryan, our waitress, provided spot on service and was knowledgeable about every ingredient on the menu.

Pinoli Restaurant Gloucester MA farmboard ©Kim Smith 2014

For his first course, Tom had the half portion of Tagliere di Salumi, an absolutely fantastic farm board of handpicked cured meats and local cheeses, served with delicious fried dough.

I had the delightfully colorful and crispy fresh mixed seasonal green salad, Misticanza di Campo, which also included thinly sliced watermelon radishes–just beautiful! The salad was dressed with a tasty housemade red wine rosemary vinaigrette and generous shavings of parmigiano. Pinoli makes their own vinegar; the current selection includes rosemary infused red wine vinegar and honey flavored vinegar.

Pinoli Restaurant Gloucester MA misticanza di campo ©Kim Smith 2014

Tom wasn’t too, too hungry and had ordered a half serving of the tortelli filled with chard, spinach, herbs, and ricotta, served with walnut pesto (Pansotti all Salsa di Noci). A half order is truly a half order, so I didn’t dare ask for a taste as I didn’t want him to go home hungry. He was savoring every bite. The next time we go I hope to sample a pasta, with pesto, for which Chef Paolo is so famous. I think the very best pesto is made from the most tender new leaves of the basil plant and am curious to know if it is possible to source that locally at this time of year.

Pinoli Restaurant Gloucester MA fritto di barca ©Kim Smith 2014

My secondi, Fritto di Barca, was one of the most deliciously prepared fresh fish dishes I have ever had and it also included a medley of Genovese-style fried vegetables. I have never had fish fried with such a light hand, and just loved the fresh seafood and veggie combination. As I am not a fan of monkfish, I asked if it could be served without, only wishing for the calamari and shellfish. My request was honored without fuss or hesitation. The Fritto di Barca was served with sliced lemon and a creamy dipping sauce, with a hint of anchovy, although the fish was entirely delicious on its own and did not require a dip in the sauce.

The made-to-order cannolis tasted as beautiful as they looked. Filled with mascarpone cream and a touch of candied orange peel, they couldn’t have been more yummy. As opposed to serving one large cannoli, two petite cannolis is a terrific idea for sharing dessert with your companion. Accompanied by piping hot full-flavored coffee, they were the perfect end to a deliciously joyful dinner.

Pinoli Restaurant Gloucester MA cannoli ©Kim Smith 2014

Buon appetito!

Newsworthy to note is that Pinoli will be open for brunch after the first of the new year. For the time being their hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday, from 5pm to 10pm.

For more information visit  Pinoli’s website here.

Pinoli Restaurant Gloucester MA Kathy numerosi Joanne ©Kim Smith 2014Pinoli guests Kathy Numerosi and friend Joanne

Pinoli Restaurant Gloucester MA ©Kim Smith 2014

Isaac Asimov Quote of the Week from Greg Bover

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

“It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety.”
Isaac Asimov (1920?-1992)

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Born in Russia, Isaak Yudovich Ozimov immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of three. A voracious reader of science fiction, he began writing as a pre-teen, selling his first piece in 1939 to Amazing Stories Magazine. He would go on to become one of the most prolific of sci-fi and hard science writers, publishing an astonishing 500 books in nine of the ten categories of the Dewey Decimal System, while simultaneously holding a tenured position as Professor of Biochemistry at Boston University. Recognized as one of the most brilliant men of his age, he was Vice President of Mensa, and opined that Carl Sagan and Marvin Minsky were the only two people he knew who were smarter than he. In his science fiction work he is perhaps best known for his Foundation Series and for I, Robot which propounds the Three Laws of Robotics, incorporated by an entire generation of writers from Roddenberry and Clarke to Ellison and Silverberg. He was a six-time winner of the Hugo Award and has a crater on Mars and an asteroid named in his honor.

Greg Bover

Winter Solstice Tonight at 6:03PM

Posted on by paultmorrison

Festivus for the Rest of Us, The winter solstice, the day that our ancestors  back at least 50,000 years understood to be the shortest day of the year. A day one needs to do weird stuff in order to convince the sun to turn around and come back. It happens at 6:03 PM Eastern Standard Time tonight.

This is the analemma as seen from the Shores of Cape Ann. Our sunrise tomorrow is that little yellow ball at the bottom of the figure eight. The blue ball marks New Year's Day when we celebrate that the sun really has made the turn so we jump in the harbor.
This is the analemma as seen from the Shores of Cape Ann. Our sunrise tomorrow is that little yellow ball at the bottom of the figure eight. The blue ball marks New Year’s Day when we celebrate that the sun really has made the turn so we jump in the harbor.

Some stuff about New Year’s Eve Plunge. See EJ’s post here.

“The Plunge will take place at noon on New Year’s Day at Oaks Cove Beach (Stevens Lane and Wonson Street) on Rocky Neck.”

1/1/2015 is looking to be a pleasant day in the 40s. A nice North Easter is going to blow a gale on Christmas Day dumping two inches of rain into the harbor so it will be at least a tenth of a degree warmer.   After the Polar Vortex of last year, a nice change. The tide will be ebbing to low at 2:08 PM so plenty of beach to spread the blankets on. My one tip: Low tide means running on sharp tiny rocks and barnacles in the water. Wear some sturdy beach shoes. I go with a nice neoprene booty.  Neoprene usage on any other appendage is illegal and you will not receive your official plunge pin if wearing even a tiny neoprene Speedo. There will be a package check prior to the recitation of the plunge poem. The Rockport Information Booth package checker will be responsible for flagging fouls.

A little old lady does a great job answering all of the questions you might have.
A little old lady does a great job answering all of the questions you might have.

Four Days Before Christmas Carol Countdown: “2014 Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Darlene Love’s final performance for the David letterman Show, a Christmas  tradition that she, Letterman, and Paul Schaffer began 28 years ago.

Love recounts in a Huffington Post article how the tradition began, and how she got her feet back on the ground while listening to her song playing when working as a maid at a client’s home after her career had tanked:

Huffington Post

By Christopher Rosen

… In the past, Love has also said how she wants to start an annual Christmas show in New York with Paul Shaffer, Letterman’s famous band leader. It was Shaffer who got Love connected with Letterman in the first place, all the way back in the mid-80s, when the pair performed together in the musical “Leader of the Pack.”

“Paul Shaffer played Phil Spector in that play. So, David Letterman came down to see the show, and one night on his show, Dave said to Paul, ‘That Christmas song the girl does in the play you’re in is the greatest Christmas song I’ve ever heard. We need to get her on our show,'” Love recalled in an interview with HuffPost Entertainment in 2013. “It was just one coincidence after another! I started doing the first Christmas show in 1986 […] Every now and then they let me sneak in another song. ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),’ however, is the song. And that’s how all of that came about.”

Prior to her resurgence in the mid-’80s, Love had financial troubles that resulted in her becoming a maid. Love has said it was “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” that helped remind the now-Rock and Roll Hall of Famer of her talent.

“I was cleaning this one lady’s house in Beverly Hills and I heard ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ on the radio. I said, ‘That’s me singing that. This is ridiculous! People are playing my records. If they want to play my records that means people still want to hear me,'” Love said last year. “I quit that job and decided to go to work.”

Taping of the very first time Love performed the Letterman Show, with Love wearing Joey’s favorite women’s style, high-waisted jeans. 

Merry-Time Gloucester Preschool Mornings! At Maritime Gloucester

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Looking for something new to do with your preschooler? Join us for Merry-Time Gloucester Preschool Mornings! Come spend Friday mornings at Maritime Gloucester for a fun and engaging hour of storytelling, crafts and music with a maritime theme! Program runs from 10:30 to 12 noon from January 9 through April 17, 2015. Members are free; non-members pay a drop-in fee of $5.00. Attend 8 weeks and earn a Family Membership to Maritime Gloucester with our punch card. 

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Santa’s ETA on Christmas Eve is No Joke

Posted on by Nichole S.

In just three days children everywhere will be turning to NORAD to track Santa’s flight around our great big world. Because, after all, knowing exactly when to put out cookies and milk is super important.  Warm milk and stale cookies are crappy. The big guy and his team of furry friends deserve better than that.

NORAD’s mission is summed up simply as, “We have the Watch.”  And, that they do.

NORAD’S MISSION

“We have the watch.”

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is a United States and Canada bi-national organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control, and maritime warning for North America. Aerospace warning includes the monitoring of man-made objects in space, and the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements with other commands.

However, on December 24th, they take on an even more important task.  That of tracking Santa.  And…they take it quiet seriously.  Their tracking system is no joke.  It consists of a radar comprised of 47 installations, satellites, SantaCams, and Fighter Jets!

It did, however, all start as a joke.

The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.

NPR told the story through the eyes of “Santa Colonel’s” children earlier this week. It is truly quite wonderful.  Warm fuzzies, for sure.  Check it out with the link below.  And then, don’t dare forget, to also check out the Official NORAD Santa Tracking Site.

NORAD’s Santa Tracker Began With A Typo And A Good Sport

The Official NORAD Santa Tracker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“All You Need is Love…”

Posted on by Fredrik Bodin

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I could show you how big the crowds were at my gallery for the Good Morning Gloucester Holiday Party, but that’s not what it’s all about. Instead, here’s me kissing my beloved Janet, and the to die for cute puppy, Ginger. Ginger apparently made another friend, Carolyn KIrk, the Mayor of the City of Gloucester. Especially at this celebratory time of year, and with our world’s current conflicts, “That’s it, and that’s all there is, Love.” Fred

seARTS Marketing Initiative From Jo-Ann Crawford

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Hey Joey,

Looks like you are all ready for the holidays, from every angle.  Really appreciate the diversity of everyone you welcome to GMG.

We are gearing up for new members and making sure that our local artist remain in prime time.  Could you please give a shout out to Jo-Ann Crawford who has just put together this new outreach to all Cape Ann artists to join seARTS so their work can be shown online.  Here is the info she put together on her own time.  We are really lucky to have her and all of the folks, you included :-) , who put us on the map.

Grazie Mille e Buon Natale, BUON’ANNO E TUTTO QUANTO.

Carolyn

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Left to right: Wearable Art by Selina Narovlansky, “Arabesque” porcelain sculpture by Cape Ann Ceramics Festival artist Thomas Hoadley, “Storm Surfers,” painting by Rob Diebboll, “Sounds of the Shipyard,” audio soundscape and sculpture PWA project by Jay Havighurst.

If You’re a Past Member of seARTS

Join Us Now and Discover The New seARTS

What’s New about seARTS?

We have more to offer you than ever before.

Our Mission: Cape Ann as a #1 Arts Destination!

To Further Drive the Creative Economy of Cape Ann . . .

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And we’ve got some pretty impressive stats to prove it! Click the graph for a larger view.

  • Current news delivered blog style
  • Member profiles with photos and text. Promote your work!
  • Full color on-line calendar for member events 
  • Beautiful new layout and graphics
  • Greater ease of navigation
  • More information than ever about Cape Ann art and culture

See for yourself!

Members are eligible to participate in these great programs and shows:

  • Art@Bass Rocks: This annual art loan program is doing better than ever, promoting sales of artwork and providing a lovely venue to socialize and discover new talent.
  • Partner With an Artist: This year we awarded three PWA grants to local artists within different cultural districts.
  • Holiday Wearable Art & Home Decor Show & Sale: a great opportunity to showcase and sell your works.

Join the New seARTS!

Our members have found our benefits and activities very rewarding. We’re confident that you, 

too, will enjoy being a seARTS member. Join seARTS today!

TBT POST Men’s Night Drawing Winners!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Happy Holidays,

Last night’s “Men’s Night” was a great success and we would like to let all of you know the list of winners of our “Wine Drawing”.

Sarah Cushing, Ticket No. 620694

Joe Palmisano, Ticket No. 620714

Lenore Keplen, Ticket No. 620696

Bill Cox,            Ticket No. 620703

Ken Reihl,         Ticket No. 620690

Thank you very much