One of my first post-college roommates Bruse Loyd texted asking if I wanted to meet for lunch while he was in NYC this week. After some internal debate, I accepted hoping to finally get reimbursed for the October 1994 cable bill. No such luck, but at least I enjoyed the visit with Nick and Reese, who took me to Pershing Square Cafe located directly across 42nd St from Grand Central Station.
My first job out of college was in sales with Xerox Corporation. I’m pretty sure having that much fun on a job is not allowed anymore. The job introduced me to corporate comedy as I used to write sketches and emcee the sales conferences. Sales is an outstanding place to start a career as it forces you to learn the art of communication and negotiation quickly.
After each copier sale, we were required to spend two hours training the customer on how to use the equipment. Here’s a clip of my buddy Bruse :
And approximately 80% of our sales leads came from this commercial:
About the Cheeseburger & Comedy blog series.
Saturday our family went to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. One of my friends from the improv community Stacey, is in the show. We performed together in a troupe at Magnet Theater, and after our shows we’d grab a cheeseburger at the Triple Crown Ale House, an improv hangout. It was always a blast to be in a scene with Stacey — she’s a brilliant improviser, and if I remember correctly, she had the best high kicks in our troupe.
It’s hard to find the right adjective to describe the Christmas Spectacular.
photo: Bob Jagendorf
The “Missouri Rockets” were founded in St. Louis in 1925, long before the very first Christmas. They opened at Radio City Music Hall in 1932, followed a few years later by Conan O’Brien.
We had such a blast watching our kids light up. We did too. Stacey took us backstage after the show to see all the props and costumes, and the camel’s dressing room, who is a bit of a diva and constantly demanding Evian.
Stacey couldn’t join us for lunch as she had to get ready for her second performance (on some days, she dances in four shows.) We headed out to Petite Abeille to tackle the Banana Split Brussels Waffle, as seen on the Travel Channel’s “Breakfast Paradise.” No celebrity sightings, but the last time my daughter and I dined there, we sat close enough to Aaron Eckhart to eavesdrop on his script writing session for his next feature.
Yelp gives Triple Crown 3 out of 5 stars.
About the Cheeseburger & Comedy series.
What must have happened is when I entered Chicago airspace, my Lose It! iPhone calorie counter was scrambled. Oh, well. I gained a few pounds during my week in the windy city as I managed to visit three cheeseburger joints. My buddy Kurt told me about the Billy Goat Tavern, which inspired the classic SNL sketch “Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger.” Kurt warned me, “you don’t go there for the cheeseburgers.” He was right, but it was a blast to dine in the icon.
I always check in with Hamburger America author/filmmaker George Motz when I’m traveling for advice on joints I shouldn’t miss. (Thanks Sean Amore for the intro). He noted three, including M Burger, next to the hospital, which is frequented by doctors — mostly cardiologists. I’m not sure, but the guy hiding next to me behind a dyed beard may have well been Dr. Richard Kimble.
Finally, I visited Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse and grabbed a burger in the bar. Holy Cow.
But hands-down, the best meal I’ve had in recent memory was at Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House. No cheeseburger here, I went for the fish. Outstanding, and almost justifies a trip back to Chicago, for the goat cheese appetizer. Don’t miss this if you’re in town!
About the Cheeseburger & Comedy blog series.
