May Day Dinner 2008

Beloved anniversary/holiday of old school Marxists (plenty still alive here on NYC's Lower East Side and Northern Brooklyn outer reaches), organized event/"play day" of multiple athletic horrors for millions of sensitive school children, pole dancing extravaganza for Wiccans and Scottish pagan holdovers, the First of May evokes many emotions from many types, and Cafe Drake celebrates the much-charged date with a monthly attic-sweeping of our constantly hoarding brain.

May Day Dinner with David Sellers

. . . in which we searched YouTube for toddler-friendly and stimulating videos for his youngest child, Julian. (We came up with exaggerated Mick Jagger performances from the mid-70s, Queen and the microphone theatrics of Rufus W.) Prior, the evening began with gin and orange martinis made bright pink with raspberry liqueur, and toasted chickpeas dusted with Indian spices. The main course was cornmeal-battered and fried frog legs (wild, from Upstate New York via the Union Square Greenmarket) splayed atop a tomato/string bean/tamarind basmati rice pilaf. Shaved and pickled carrots made yet another appearance, along with a side of ginger and chile-spiked sauteed spinach. David supplied a stellar bottle of Italian bubbles as liquid accompaniment.