These are pretty cool. Purchase them at Rose & Radish.
30 June 2010
nautical knots
I could definitely have all of these things in my life!And I'd take them to my summer home in Nantucket by way of wood side paneled Jeep Wagoneer...
(design is mine)
Noa Emberson Photography
Aren't these hazy-soft photos from Noa Emberson lovely? They feel like a warm summer morning. The images are from a series titled Reaching for Imperfection, which is part of a stand alone photo series for a visual mixtape set of posters.
28 June 2010
Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic 2010
We hopped on the Governors Island ferry this past Sunday- en route the 2010 Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic. Greeted by trolleys and smiling Veuve-tee-shirted staff handing out over sized yellow umbrellas, we disregarded our limbo as Prince Harry arrived.
A long road with yellow logo tapestries guided us to the field where servers offered Voss sparkling and glasses of Veuve. We sipped as we enjoyed crunching through chocolate scented bark below our feet.
Located on the exclusive lawn picnic private side ($250 tickets, $25,000 for VIP tent), we were given individual baskets full of Veuve goodies appropriate for the idyllic afternoon of polo: bright yellow blanket, bottles of champagne, lunch and other trinkets.
From Chef Romano of Union Square cafe, the picnic lunches were quite satisfying. With a choice of steak or vegetarian, most opted for the steak. The sandwich came grilled with capers and a dressed with tangy aiole. A few salads were also offered: chickpeas with feta, peppers, kalamata olives and vinaigrette- as well tomatoes with olive oil and goat cheese. A delightful combination which we punctuated with individual blueberry pies.
Among the guests enduring the heat- Mayor Bloomberg, Val Kilmer and Mary J. Blige. The event was co-hosted by Ralph Lauren model and Black Watch player Nacho Figueras.
We refilled our glasses over and over (...and over) at tents a stone's throw from the field. More Voss and iced Illy espresso were also offered to combat the oppressive heat and humidity.
In the tradition well noted in Pretty Woman, we skipped on the field for the stomping of the divots.
Some couldn't handle their bubbly...she wasn't the only one to take a tumble (click here to read about Prince Harry's fall).
Hats and vibrant dresses spiked the field, more snacks of Martin's pretzels, nuts and lemon cakes were brought by servers.
Chocolate cupcakes with Veuve yellow butter cream frosting came next- melting in the ninety-five degrees before the waiters could place them in our fumbling hands.
The announcer offered the crowd to decide whether or not they'd like the players to go into over time, with a soft coo- it was decided. More bubbly, forgive the sweating brows-
The donated proceeds go to the American Friends of Sentebale, a charity founded by Prince Harry and Leotho's Prince Seeiso- which supports at-risk children in Lesotho, Africa.
a dinner at Henry's End
The modest exterior of Henry's End suits the Brooklyn Heights gem. With a focus on game and vintage wines, the Michelin Guide recommended restaurant is a gorgeous balance between the comfort of home and fine dining. Our server slouched a bit and I'm told she's a lifer- delightful in her simple, "great choice, very good," for each thing we requested. The sommelier surfaced to discuss our wine choices- the winner: La Jota from Howell Mountain-Napa Valley (1984). Mellow, with lots of fruit, the wine suited the nougat colored walls and exposed brick.The server offered a gorgeous bread basket with a variety- among those, rolls flaked with dried fruit and fennel. We mulled over our first-course choices, concluding on the chilled corn and green chile soup special and the warm pistachio crusted goat cheese salad. The soup came with a drizzle of sour cream with a slightly smokey chipotle after-taste. The dish would have benefited from a bit more spice, but was quite satisfying for a humid night. I found the salad to be average- dressed in citrus vinaigrette, the pistachio flavor could have been more pronounced and the greens were a bit overdressed.
For our main courses, we settled on the boneless chicken breast wrapped around fig jam and goat cheese and the mustard seed coated yellow-fin tuna. The chicken came sliced and fanned with a bread coating. Per the server's recommendation, I took the tuna medium-rare. The fish was well presented in a tower of three triangle pieces over sauteed spinach with a soy glaze. Both main courses came with side plates of simple green beans and rice pilaf.We were unable to finish our plates and needed to decline dessert! A lovely and pleasant dinner, it's definitely fitting of Zagat's note, " This is why they built the Brooklyn Bridge."
Image: 1- NY Mag, Image 2- iPhone G4
25 June 2010
Quarter Holder Pendant
I love this vintage 1960's quarter pendant from Snoozer Loser. It carries exactly $2 in quarters for laundry, vending machines or parking meters.
23 June 2010
a dinner at Delmonico's
We stepped into the rain and snagged a discarded whiteboard for cover as we dashed one block to Delmonicos. Opened in 1831, the restaurant is the country's first fine dining venue. Brag-worthy credits to the restaurant for being the birthplace of Lobster Newburg, Eggs Benedict and Baked Alaska. Although Delmonico's began as a French restaurant, it now classified a steak spot.
Time Out New York has the vibe to a tee: In fact, it seems pretty clear that Delmonico’s patrons neither know nor care who’s running the kitchen. If bankers still gather there for conspiratorial powwows, it’s surely only out of habit or convenience. The dining room was half empty on recent visits, and the blasé waiters—in burgundy vests that match the wall-to-wall carpeting—seem accustomed to doing little.
To eat, we ordered the Delmonico's Steak for Two with asparagus and an order of the twice fried french fries. After dining at Mark Joseph the previous evening, the steak simply could not compare! Grisly and lacking in flavor, the meat seemed to aim to fill the stomach of the kitschy banker, rather than to satisfy the palate of a foody. The asparagus was quite wonderful- firm and a bit juicy- it came decorated with Parmesan baked into crispy over-sized flakes. The twice fried french fries were about what you'd expect and came in a decent portion of sharing. Kudos to the friendly bar keep who brought me snacks, and his lovely lady counterpart who mentioned to me that she thought I was pretty!Images: travel(dot)webshots(dot)com
22 June 2010
a dinner at Mark Joseph
Noted for the "spattering of wise guys," Mark Joseph Steakhouse is tucked around the corner of Peck Slip, in the Downtown Manhattan's South Street Seaport. Slightly empty and overly air-conditioned, we tucked ourselves into a table for what is noted as the city's best steak. Co-owned by a former Peter Luger man, the onion rolls coupled with the simplicity of the menu speak to the inspired charm. We ordered a bottle of 2006 Zinfandel from Napa and a few slabs of the signature Canadian Bacon. Thick cut and sizzling, we dipped the meat in the tangy house sauce, per the suggestion of our waiter.
Our second course, the Hearts of Lettuce with Tomato, also comes recommended for your succession of courses. The chef chopped and split the salad- offering us two boats of dressing- from scratch blue cheese and Italian. I leaned to the blue cheese which is pitch perfect with hearty chunks of cheese.
And the star: Porterhouse for two. This is arguably the largest plate that has ever been placed before me. The waiter selected pieces of filet- noting the savagely hot plate as an avenue of cooking your meat longer. The dish is served dripping in its own sizzling and buttery fat. It's amazing. We couldn't possibly have finished it.Images: NY Mag, Roadfood(dot)com
21 June 2010
Anish Kapoor Works
20 June 2010
Vic Ruggiero at Death By Audio
It's rare that I find a performer that I enjoy more live than altered in a recording. Vic Ruggiero impressed me. Beyond his playful personality and humble lyrics, he does something with a guitar, a harmonica and the tap of his foot to the drum- that I was told would make me want to take my bra off and throw on stage (okay, maybe it did a little...)Death By Audio is a sort of thrown together- (with purpose, I'm sure- we are talking about Williamsburg hipsters here)- space on an empty industrial block. Hand painted creatures, dead couches, ripped chairs and a single smiling boy behind a card table line-up of coke, Brooklyn Lager, PBR, a plastic jug of no-name Canadian whiskey and over sized bottle of red wine. He looked a bit like the kid from Juno, a detail he liked being told, "because I'm like 10 years older than that kid."
The room filled with chubby girls with haircuts from the early 90's and functional satchels with funky accents- patches, buttons or fabric hand sewn on. Most in mildly trendy, but designed for comfort shoes. With their eyes-closed with PBR buzzes, they sang along with Vic. Some took videos with their blackberries as he belted somewhere between blues and ska.
Let's do this again.
Image: from my iPhone
1 or 8
We slipped into Williamsburg's 1 or 8 for a cocktail break between performers at Death By Audio across the street. The clean, hyper modern layout is a harsh contrast to the neighborhood's pot hole spiked roads and taunting graffiti. New York magazine describes the spot as "Williamsburg's very first ultra-high-end sushi restaurant." While I didn't have a glance over the menu, I did notice that our friendly (and generous) bartender was a Hungarian immigrant living in Queens and that there is a glass box specially crafted to keep their selection of cheeses as the proper temperature.
We sipped on Hannya- hot pepper infused plum sake and a cucumber margarita which also came hot pepper infused. The aroma of both drinks snared your throat in a oddly pleasant way. As we sipped our last few drops, the bar keep poured a bit more sake in with a smile and prepared citrus juiced sake shots for us.
Image: from my iPhone.
Cafe Pedlar
Rather than snagging a cab back to the city, we decided to walk home from Brooklyn's Cobble Hill. Along the trail home, we stopped into Cafe Pedlar, which I've been told makes "the world's greatest latte." Before I took a sip, I noticed the thoughtfully designed heart in the foam (you know it's going to be good when they don't pull a Starbucks and insist that the lid must be firmly placed before handing over your beverage).
The beverage is well balanced and served warm rather than burn your tongue- and to boot- the neighborhood feel secures your future patronage. A few locals came out to say hello to my Pug, a man rested on the bench out front- thoughtlessly balancing his coffee and small canine companion.
Read more at the New York Times.
Image: from my iPhone.
19 June 2010
a dinner at Blackbird Parlour
We took a seat at the window of the Blackbird Parlour. The Williamsburg restaurant/bar offers premium Bedford Avenue people watching. Furnished with aged wood pieces, the oak mechanic's desk and lazily placed books offer a found on road trip feel to the venue. We perused the menu which boasts an odd mix of quinoa, various chutneys and comfort foods.
A bus boy placed a wine bottle full of water and two iced filled glasses before our waiter leaned back in a stool behind us to inquire about our order. He wore is long curly hair in a messy bun and punctuated our interaction with a smirk. We sipped Blackbird's version of sangria (red wine, sparkling wine and citrus juices- a Brooklyn priced $4) and German beer while we waited for our food.
We decided to share a few plates- the avocado salad with chevre and tomatoes with mint and citrus vinaigrette- and the Mac & Cheese w/ Salad. The tomatoes and avocado should have been ripened longer, especially for this time of year- but the dish was refreshing for a humid evening in June. The Mac- came piping hot and buttery. It certainly rivaled my mother's. Although the dish comes with a choice of potatoes or dressed mesculin, the greens were a better choice. I cannot imagine getting down with potatoes next to this rich mess of wonderful.
Images: from my iPhone.
18 June 2010
Domestic Diaspora
Forbes has a pretty cool interactive map showing where Americans are relocating themselves around the 50 states. Check it out here.
17 June 2010
Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health by Frank Gehry
Located in Las Vegas, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is Frank Gehry's latest project. The research center is compromised of two buildings connected by a courtyard. A jumble of swooping stainless-steel arcs certainly make the structure a focal point of the new Symphony Park in Las Vegas' downtown area.Images from Matthew Carbone
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