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The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood

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Arts & Entertainment

The Dining Table

RATING: Highest Possible Rating: 4 chef hats

THE METROPOLITAN CLUB 1 EAST 60TH STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y., (212) 8387400

By DR. JOSEPH P. DeALESSANDRO

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

The Metropolitan Club of New York City hosts its annual gala “Hunters Dinner” at the club in November.

This famous stag party is an annual event that draws 500 men from all over the country and around the world. The fare is also derived from all corners of the earth by special license to be served at this grand male event.

The fantastic evening begins in the rotunda of the club featuring 100 foot ceilings, huge fireplaces and a dual carved stairway.

Beverages of all types are served, from champagne to wines and liquors. During the cocktail session, you are invited to a grand array of appetizing foods: Metropolitan Clams on the Half Shell, marvelous Oysters on the Half Shell and Colossal Shrimp.

The center table glistens with an array of Caviar, Pate, Salmon, Duck Galantine, Wild Boar Sausage, Hot Brie and French Bread, Goose Liver Pate, Columbia River Salmon, Venison Terrine, Baby Octopus Marinated in Soy, Seaweed Salad and an enormous cheese arrangement board, served with a variety of biscuits and breads.

Following an advisory that dinner will be served, the guests ascend to the third floor to the Grand Ballroom for a spectacular array of wild foods.

The first course is a Curried Game Soup, delicately spiced and delicious in every way. Many of the guests savored seconds.

The Chef then listed the following selections: Loin of Roast African Camel with Dry Apricot Sauce, Roast Wild Boar Leg with Sundried Cranberry Sauce, Roast Loin of Zebra with Sweet and Sour

Papaya Sauce, Marinated Tenderloin of Buffalo with Green Peppercorn Sauce and Porcini Mushrooms, Loin of Venison Courvoisier, Sauteed Blue Wild Hare with Lingonberry Sauce and

Rabbit Fricassee with Coconut Sauce. Other entrees included Roast S c o t t i s h P h e a s a n t with Forest Mushrooms and White Truffle Sauce, Roast Stuffed Boneless Quails Port, Roast Wild Turkey, Brunoise Root Vegetables and Sherry Sauce, Roast Suckling Pig, Orange Cranberry Relish, Red Deer Stew in MoulinAVent, Moose Osso Buco in Green Curry Sauce, Antelope Steak in Oyster Sauce with Oyster Mushrooms, Alligator Scallopini with Capers and Orange Butter Sauce, Blanquette of Kangaroo, Bear Stew with Ginger, Rattlesnake in a Ragu of Bell Peppers Julienne and Tomatoes.

All of these dishes were prepared equally by the Chef in either a standing roast or a fricassee type dish or a stew.

The vegetables featured Minnesota Wild Rice, Melange of Root Vegetables, Puree of Chestnuts, Lingonberries and Fall Salad. Dinner rolls were served to complete the dinner.

I was able to query several of the guests about the variety of wild game and what they’re preferences were. One of the top five dishes was the Rattlesnake Stew, served in three quarter inch pieces, with onions and tomatoes in a savory sauce.

The second dish named the most popular was Cape Buffalo – reportedly tender and extremely tasty with a good consistency. Many enjoyed the Ostrich that was very similar in taste to chicken or turkey. Zebra was outstanding with little or no fat.

The Chef prepared quail in a most exciting seasoning. This offering was high on the list of the best entrees. The dishes which required a little more attention included the Roast Rump of Lion. The Giraffe was prepared with consistency.

The dinner was orchestrated so that the diners could progress from one entree to another. Each station had little flags on a toothpick to identify the meat.

Coffee was served after dinner and the diners retired to a room entirely filled with scrumptious desserts – Mocha Cake, Chocolate Mousse Cake, larger cakes and tarts and fresh fruits.

Fine port wine was served and a Monte Christo Cigar completed the 1999 Stag Dinner at the Metropolitan Club.

Most people make reservations for the next year’s dinner the following day. A great, unusual dining experience.

ON WITH THE SHOW... Ed Wittel, left, of Westfield is featured as the Magician in the upcoming production of Aladdin at the Cranford Dramatic Club Theatre in Cranford. Other cast members include, left to right, Molly Frieri, Devon Talbott as the Genie, Kevin Kessler as Aladdin and Jonathan Galvez. Pictured above, the ensemble rehearses the musical number, “Up, Up High in the Sky.” Performances will be held this Saturday, December 4, at 10: 30 a. m. and 1 and 4 p. m. and on Sunday, December 5, at 1 and 4 p. m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children under 13 and senior citizens. For tickets, please call (908) 2767611.

Madcap Mutts to Perform, Millennium Scrapbook Set

At First Night Westfield

Tom and Bonnie Brackney and The Madcap Mutts

WESTFIELD – The Madcap Mutts will perform at First Night Westfield 2000 on Friday, December 31. This group brings canine education and entertainment to individuals of all ages.

Tom and Bonnie Brackney from Kounty Kennels Canine Productions and their local canine stars will perform this unique dog act.

In addition, participants of First Night Westfield 2000 will have the opportunity to be a part of “Your Place in Time,” a permanent photo scrapbook commemorating the turn of the millennium. This community collaboration will be kept with the town’s archives and displayed for all to enjoy.

Individuals and families may bring their own photos with them, or have photographs taken that night, using a backdrop especially designed for First Night Westfield. The individual/ families will decorate and sign “Their Place in Time,”

and their photo will be developed and mounted.

They will then be able to add, in their own writing, their thoughts, wishes and comments for this significant year. The finished product will be put on display at a central location in town.

First Night Westfield is a familyoriented, alcoholfree, drugfree New Year’s Eve celebration of the arts for people of all ages. The event is made possible by the Westfield Y, the Westfield Foundation, the Town of Westfield and local private and business donors.

Buttons are currently on sale at $10 per button through Thursday, December 30, and $12 per button on Friday, December 31. The button serves as admission to all of the evening’s activities.

For more information and a listing of locations to purchase the buttons, please call (908) 5182983 after Tuesday, November 30.

Poet, Karl Shapiro To Be Discussed At Temple Sholom

PLAINFIELD – The work of Pulitzer Prize winning poet Karl Shapiro will be discussed in “JewishAmerican Identity Through a Poet’s Eyes,” by Professor Daniel Harris on Sunday, December 5, at 10: 30 a. m. at Temple Sholom, Plainfield.

The lecture will be preceded by a light breakfast at 9: 30 a. m.

Professor Harris, a member of the faculty of the Jewish Studies Program at the Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers University, will explore the challenge that Mr. Shapiro’s work presents to mainstream American poetry.

For more information, please call the Temple office at (908) 7566447.

Westfield Youth in Orchestra Tune Up for Holiday Concert

WESTFIELD – Westfield residents Carl Baron and Jason Tammam will perform in a winter concert by the New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) Orchestra on Sunday, December 5, at 3 p. m. at Morristown High School.

The evening’s program will include Suite No. 1 of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” and a composition from Sir Edward Elgar, “The Wand of Youth,” Hummel’s “Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra and “Fanfare and Arrayment.”

New Jersey Youth Symphony, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that provides music training and performance opportunities for young people from 85 communities. It has been recognized as a Distinguished Arts Organization for 19972000 by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment of the Arts.

For more information, please call the NJYS office at (908) 7715544.

Annual Holiday Concert on Tap By Edison School, Community Band

WESTFIELD — The Westfield Community Band and the Edison Intermediate School Broadway Singers join together in concert to present the Tenth Annual Holiday Concert, sponsored by the Westfield Recreation Commission on Wednesday, December 8, at 8 p. m. in the Edison

School auditorium. The Westfield Community Band, under the direction of Elias J. Zareva, will perform a number of classic holiday favorites.

The program will include “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “Rhapsody for Hanukkah,” a symphonic musical setting of songs associated with the celebration and traditions of Hanukkah. This number includes the popular “Dreidel Song,” “Raisins and Almonds,” and a conclusion with the “Eight Days of Hanukkah” (known as “Those Were the Days, My Friends”).

Other selections for the evening will include the classicmodern selection “Midnight Sleigh Ride,” arranged by Sauter Finnegan, a dra matic setting to “Angels From the

Realms of Glory” and traditional favorites such as “O Holy Night” and “The Nutcracker Suite.”

Joining the band in concert will be the Edison Intermediate School Broadway Singers, directed by Kristine SmithMorasso. The Broadway

Singers will perform a collection of holiday songs to celebrate the festive mood of the season.

The Broadway singers are an extracurricular choral group that performs for a variety of area organizations, including Children’s Specialized Hospital and local nursing homes.

Concluding the evening’s concert, the Westfield Community Band will join the Edison Broadway Singers in performing Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.”

This event is free to the public. The Westfield Community Band is sponsored by the Westfield Recreation Commission.

For more information, please contact (908) 7894080.

Westfield Community Band

Continued from Page 22

Broadway Messiah Community Sing Slated by Choral Art Society

WESTFIELD – The Choral Art Society of New Jersey, Inc. has announced its annual Messiah Community Sing which will be held on Friday, December 10, at 8 p. m. at the First Baptist Church in Westfield.

James S. Little, Musical Director of the Society, will conduct the Handel oratorio. Audience members are invited to bring scores and join in the singing of both chorus and solo sections.

Admission to the Community Sing is $10 at the door. Scores will

be available to borrow. The Messiah Sing will also feature Sandor Szabo at the

organ. Mr. Szabo is currently the organist and choir conductor at the Presbyterian Church in New Providence.

The Choral Art Society of New Jersey is a nonprofit, community chorus of approximately 80 singers dedicated to the study and performance of great choral works.

For tickets or further information, please call (908) 2322455.

New Jersey Symphony Sets Christmas Pops Program

NEWARK – The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will perform its annual Christmas Pops program of holiday favorites under the baton of David Commanday on Thursday, December 2, at 8 p. m. at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, and on Saturday, December 4, at 8 p. m. and Sunday, December 5, at 3 p. m. at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

Program highlights will include “Carol of the Bells,” “Jingle Bells,”

“Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Sleigh Ride,” classical holiday selections from Britten and Menotti and an audience singalong of carols.

The program will also include selections from the movie, Home Alone.

Tickets to these performances are $50, $41, $31, $17 and $12 and may be obtained by calling the NJSO Ticket Office at (800) 2553476 from Monday to Saturday, 11 a. m. to 5 p. m.

Calderone Music School Sets Winter Concerts

MILLBURN – The Calderone School of Music of East Hanover and Millburn welcomes the community to several free Winter Holiday Concerts.

On Saturday, December 4, the Elementary Chorus, Intermediate String Ensemble, Adult Chorus and Intermediate Guitar Ensemble will perform.

Ensembles and soloists on all instruments and voice will perform at the school’s East Hanover location at 34 Ridgedale Avenue, north of the cross street on Route 10.

Mid-Day Musicales Scheduled At First Congregational Church

WESTFIELD – The First Congregational Church of Westfield on Elm Street, will continue its 15th season of MidDay Musicales series of free, halfhour conWestfield

Art Association Prepares Exhibition at Town Book Store

WESTFIELD — For the third consecutive year, small works of art by members of the Westfield Art Association will be on display throughout the holiday season during business hours at The Town Book Store in Westfield.

These framed original pieces range in size and vary in media including watercolors, oils, acrylics and collages. All works will be available for purchase. Sub jects include abstracts, stilllife,

landscapes and several other subjects.

For more information regarding this display, please call The Town Book Store at (908) 2333535.

Please send all A& E Press Releases to: michelle@ goleader. com

certs on Wednesday, December 8, at noon.

The program will feature a recital by the LevinStern Duo with flutist Sharon Levin and harpist Karen Stern.

Founded in 1984, the duo was the winning ensemble of the Artists International Young Artists Chamber Music Award in 1987, and was presented in a New York debut recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall the following year.

The duo has also performed in Europe, South America and Central America, among other venues.

Ms. Levin has been a featured soloist with the Brazilian Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Sao Pedro Theater, Brazil, the National Symphony of Ecuador, the New Jersey Pops Orchestra, the Hudson Chamber Symphony, the Lyra Italienne Orchestra, Paris and others.

Ms. Stern performs regularly with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and can be heard on several of the orchestra’s recently released CDs. She performed the Mozart Concert for Flute and Harp as part of the orchestra’s Mozart Festival in 1997 and toured Ireland with them on two occasions.

Following the concert, a soup and sandwich luncheon will be available in the church social hall for $4.50.

Funding for these concerts has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Department of State, through a grant administered by the Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs.

For more information, please contact Dr. Barbara Thomson, Director of Music at First Congregational Church at (908) 2332494. keeps them motivated and “in

check,” wanting them to reach their utmost potential.

Scotch Plains resident and eightyearold Jimmy Walsh has been chosen to perform the role of Young Scrooge. Jimmy avidly studied the role before his rehearsal by enjoying the book from which the movie is derived, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

Choir members for A Christmas Carol have been plucked from Park School and Terrill Middle School since 1995. The current choir was the first to audition for this year’s production.

Ms. Farrell revealed that she was not able to inform the students that they were Broadwaybound until they boarded the bus back to Scotch Plains, but added that the children were thrilled, along with Principal Rocco Collucci.

“The parents are so supportive. It appears that everyone is excited about it,” added Ms. Farrell. She concluded that the students are very “well behaved, dedicated and selfdisciplined.”

Mr. Collucci related, “I was quite enthused that our kids had the opportunity to do this.” The principal, who helped to chaperone last Saturday’s performance, told

The Leader and The Times that the “teachers are very enthused and flexible with regard to the kids making up school work.”

He confided that on the day of the audition, there was a fire drill at Park School. He was called to the bus full of students which just arrived and expected bad news.

“The kids were not coming off of the bus,” he recalled. “Then, when I got on the bus, they had all of their heads down and then looked up and announced that they made it. They kind of played a little joke on me there.”

Mr. Collucci noted that when he and Ms. Farrell gathered with the parents of the singers to discuss the opportunity, “the risk is that the kids would not be chosen.” But, he hopes the students look back in 10 to 15 years and recall that they had the golden opportunity to perform in A Christmas Carol.