Steaksmith at El Gancho Restaurant in Santa Fe

How good is Steaksmith? It's so good that on a recent two-week visit to Santa Fe, my wife and I squeezed in 10 terrific dinners at the Steaksmith at El Gancho Restaurant in Santa Fe, NM.

Why?

Because I like a variety of dishes, from steaks, to seafood, to pasta, to veggies, and I like them fresh, elegantly prepared, and cooked just as long as necessary, but not longer. Rare needs to be pink-red; vegetables crisp; pasta al dente. Steaksmith never missed! Oh, and the drinks were hearty, and the table wines actually satisfying.

But the harder one to please in my family is my wife. Although she's even more of a foodhound than me, life cast her a dirty turn when she developed interstitial cystitis, generally described as a bladder condition, which severely limits her choice of food. No spices, no citrus, no tomatoes, no alcohol, no sauces, etc. Finding a restaurant with fresh, individually prepared, tasty servings for a limited palate is a major challenge!

At Steaksmith, manager Tupper Schoen, and on his day off, partner Tom Vimont, made it seem, well, like a piece of cake. He and the courteous and attentive wait staff, most of whom have been with Steaksmith for years, made sure my wife's food was separately prepared in the kitchen and served up just as she likes/needs it, and attractively, too. As her official taster, I can vouch for the fact that Steaksmith can make the plainest foods look and taste delicious!

Steaksmith is 10 or 15 minutes out of town, where they were initially located and flourished as an elegant, downtown steak and seafood restaurant. The move, about 20 years ago, to El Gancho, proved a wise business decision. The atmosphere is still inviting and cozy, the food still superb, but the prices, compared to restaurants in the heart of Santa Fe, are downright inexpensive.

The only thing wrong with Steaksmith is that we couldn't take it home with us.

Check out the menu and amenities on their website: http://www.santafesteaksmith.com/

And be sure to make a reservation. The locals love this place.

Cutting the Library Budget Makes the Community Bleed

If you haven't been to your library recently, you probably don't know it's not just about books.

Sure, libraries still have books, magazines, and periodicals as in the "old days," but they also have large collections of music on CD, books on CD (maybe still some on tape), and movies on DVD. Most also serve downloads of audio books and eBooks from their websites. And all it takes is a library card to borrow any of these items!

Libraries have more than kept up with the changing times. Librarians today still direct folks to printed material for research, but more often to Internet resources. And they don't just use computers, they also teach folks to use them for searching, email, word processing, etc.

And did I mention that most libraries, besides providing free wireless access for those who bring their laptops, also provide dozens of well-maintained, modern, Internet-connected computers for people to use free?

Now that was just about resources. Then there's programs. Libraries have always sponsored speeches, poetry readings, book groups, concerts, movie screenings and other events. But they also run employment workshops, provide homework help, have fun activities for children, teach English as a second language classes, etc.

But don't take my word for it. Visit the website of your local library to see what's there.  Here's the website of mine, the White Plains Library: http://www.wppl.lib.ny.us/

Oh, and if you're planning to visit the library in person, maybe you'd better call ahead. With budget cuts taking effect nationwide, you may not find them open or providing the service you want when you need it.

Strong libraries build strong communities. Cutting the library budget drains the community's lifeblood. In difficult times, we can do without water in the fountain, but not without library services.

Silks by Dick Francis

Silks is the latest in a long series of books by Dick Francis that revolve around the world of -- mostly British -- horse racing. It is the third after the death of his wife, and the second written with his son, Felix Francis, whom Dick rescued from teaching physics.

The title is a double-entendre, referring to the silks worn by jockeys and the silks worn by barristers. Silks' hero is a barrister whose particular pleasure in life, especially after his wife's death, is amateur racing. Geoffrey Mason owns and successfully rides his own steeplechase horse.

The prose is pedantic and prosaic at times, especially when describing the mechanics of racing and the world of British law, but after a slow start, the plot races ever faster, involving beatings, murder, a vicious villain, a slow-burning love interest, and a barrister hero.

This is not the scampering, easy-going jocular Dick Francis of yore, but it's a good airplane read. With Ed McBain gone and Robert Parker doddering, Francis' fodder is better than none.

Power Home Painting and Washing

Rodney Dangerfield -- who sold aluminum siding before making it in comedy -- knows what it's like to do home painting and power washing. To paraphrase Rodney, "You don't get no respect." That's because home and business owners see the clean, attractive result not the workmanship that produced it.

Micheal Lessa and cousin Nick Lessa, who own and operate Power Home Painting and Washing in Mamaroneck, NY, say before and after pictures, testimonials, and referrals all help, but it's their free consultations that dispel the "no respect" image. Their pitch? It takes more than quality products, professional skills, and state-of-the-art equipment to achieve dramatic, long-lasting results. It takes the hands-on, on-site management at which the Lessas excel. And it's their skilled management that brings every job in on-time, on-budget, and at reasonable prices.

Licensed and insured and with more than fifteen years experience, Micheal and Nick offer their Westchester, Rockland and Putnam County neighbors not just interior and exterior painting and power washing, but also deck staining and repair, driveway sealing and patching, skylight and gutter cleaning, landscape clearing, and property management as well. Micheal says "No job is too big or too small. We do it all."

That's Power Home Painting and Washing: They do it all -- and get respect, too.

Back in Brandywine, DE

Everyone's idea of heaven is a little different.  Mine includes bright sunny days in the 60s with blue skies, fresh green leaves, and a profusion of color from trees in blossom and flowers wakening.  We found a piece of heaven in the Brandywine Valley last week, where Spring had just arrived at Longwood Gardens, near Philadelphia (photo left).  We returned home to White Plains to find another piece of heaven in the park (photo right) which is part of our cooperative development. It doesn't get much better than this!

Poor WiFi Service
Our Brandywine trip had only two downsides.  The first seems to be endemic to Best Western Hotels equipped with WiFi.  We stayed, as usual, at the Best Western Brandywine Valley Inn , booking the same suite we'd enjoyed before.  Like the WiFi in the Best Western in Escondido, CA in February, the WiFi here was Willful and Finicky.  But the worst of it is that, here too, the hotel doesn't take ownership. If the microwave were on the fritz, they'd send up a replacement. If the toilet malfunctioned, they'd send up a plumber.  But when the WiFi connection is non-existent to lousy, they tell you to call the outside provider.  In Escondido, it was Speedlinks whose service desk was next to useless.  In Brandywine, it was GuestLinX whose internet access varies in speed, in quality, and in availability.  To make matters worse, the telephone line dataports (for dial-up access) are no longer working.  This traveler thinks: don't advertise high-speed internet access unless you have it; and if you offer it, train your personnel to deal with the problems.

Chadds Ford Inn
Once upon a time, the Chadds Ford Inn restaurant on Route 1 near Longwood Gardens was our favorite restaurant, bar none.  In July 2005, we found it greatly changed for the worse and counseled avoidance in droves. This trip, we found it being renovated by the landlord, who, if the prominent "For Lease" sign can be believed, is looking for a tenant. Hopefully, there's an enterprising and talented restaurateur willing to recapture the Chadds Ford's 200-year tradition of great service and fine dining.

Feby's Fishery
We know two local restaurateurs who could do it.  Our first candidate is the DiFebo family, who own and operate Feby's Fishery at 3701 Lancaster Pike in Wilmington, DE. We found Feby's on our last trip and enjoyed them again this time.  Feby's, in business since 1974, is a family operation, including an attached fresh seafood market.  We think prices are a little higher (around $60 for two with cocktails) and the selection a little thinner since last July, but we're not surprised. Great seafood, service and modest prices translate into a full house at every sitting.  Reservations recommended for weekend evenings.

Pescatores Restaurant
Our other candidate for the Inn is Enzo, with 35 years experience, the owner of the relatively new Pescatores Restaurant (1810 Wilmington Pike, Glen Mills, PA) and the nearby, longer established Enzo's Italian Eatery (1400 Wilmington Pike, West Chester, PA), both near Route 1. We haven't sampled the fare at Enzo's, although we see good ratings online.  We enjoyed Pescatores twice, both times getting excellent seafood, prepared Italian style of course, plenty of it (plan to take some home), and reasonable prices ($45-60 for two with cocktails). This is an up and comer with a staff trained to entice you back.  Ask about Happy Hour half-price drinks and appetizers.  Speaking of which, I had a broccoli rabe entree masquerading as a half-price appetizer -- perfetto!

Franklin at the Constitution
This Brandywine vacation was initially motivated by a desire to take in the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Exhibit, which was at the National Constitution Center until a few days ago.  Now on its way to Paris via St. Louis, Houston, Denver, Atlanta, the exhibit was a blast.  There was a lot wrong with it -- too hot, timed tickets, noisy class-trip crowds, noisy exhibits, too little floor space.  But who cares?  The interactive exhibits aimed at younger Franklin fans were clever, educational, and, judging by the kids we saw, great fun.  The attraction for older sophisticates was the artifacts, including Ben's copy of the Constitution with his hand-written marginalia, a first edition copy of Poor Richard's Almanack, his armonica, etc., and the intelligent, comprehensive portrayal of the many aspects of Franklin's genius.  If this exhibit comes your way -- in fact, if you have to go out of your way -- see it.  You won't be sorry.

Wyeth Triple-Header
Motived by Franklin, this trip became an Andrew Wyeth extravaganza.  We never miss an opportunity to visit the Brandywine River Museum, which has fabulous permanent collections of about 40 Andrew Wyeth paintings, 40 more of Andrew's father and mentor, N.C. Wyeth, and another gallery of paintings by Wyeth family members including Jamie Wyeth, Carolyn Wyeth, Henriette Wyeth, and by Peter Hurd and John McCoy, who studied under N.C. Wyeth. The Museum also sponsors tours of N.C. Wyeth's house and studio, and of the Kuerner farm, which Andrew often paints. This trip we enjoyed an additional exhibit Andrew Wyeth: Master Drawings from the Artist's Collection, which features amazing pencil and charcoal drawings and sketches, most of which were studies for full-scale paintings. 

The Brandywine River Museum look at how Wyeth works and thinks was bolstered by another exhibit, Andrew Wyeth: Memory and Magic, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA). The PMA exhibit includes about 100 tempera paintings, watercolors, and drawings, many from the artist's collection, which illustrate his creative process.  Wyeth thinks like a poet and edits like a writer.  The descriptive wall-captions were fairly direct and informative, but we found the free audio tour haughty, presumptious and superflous.  Interesting side note: the PMA's "Wyeth Store" includes large, ready-to-hang, plaque-mounted posters of some of Wyeth's famous paintings for only $42.  We picked up a print of one our favorites, Wind from the Sea, painted in 1947.

The third leg of our Wyeth triple was the exhibit Something Waits Beneath It: Early Work by Andrew Wyeth, 1939- 1969 at the Delaware Art Museum.  The exhibit comprises about 30 early water-color and tempera paintings from both Maine (Wyeth's longtime summer residence) and Brandywine, and about a dozen letters to family friends illustrated with water-color and ink sketches.  A rare look at the way a great artist thinks made even more fun by the newly-renovated building whose entrance is a massive Dale Chihuly installation he calls Persian Window.  The Chihuly alone is worth the visit.  All three Wyeth exhibits continue through July 16, 2006. Enjoy!