Martha Mayer Erlebacher is a leading Philadelphia-based
babe in the arts.
Currently showing at New York’s
Forum Gallery, Erlebacher specializes in ultra-realistic nudes and still-life paintings. Monumental and mythic in mood, these are works by an astonishing artist, in the tradition of Renaissance masters. (Erlebacher also makes a mean Bolognese when she’s not out on the tennis courts.) Take a look at what tenacity and breathtaking ability can create.
I remember over-hearing my uncles trying to outdo each other with the rallying cry: “I’ve got a bottle of Hallcrest in the closet.” Uncle Harold always made points when he played the Hallcrest card. That was the first time I heard the name, which was the family code for classy red wine. Well, that was the old Hallcrest, the experimental gleam in the eye of Santa Cruz Mountains proto-winemaker Chaffee Hall, and the wine was fabled — a tradition continued under the steady eye of current winemaker, John Schumacher. A visit to the Hallcrest winery on Empire Grade (a few blocks up the hill from downtown Felton), is a step back into the old west, complete with horses in the meadows just below the redwood-framed vineyards.
The Hallcrest I’ve recently fallen in love with — and which makes edible poetry joined with rare lamb loin and a ripe Camembert for dessert — is the winery’s 2002 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir. An exquisitely clear, ruby-hued wine, weighing in at 14.1% alcohol, from Ciardella Vineyard grapes grown on slopes facing Corralitos, it expands into a bouquet of plums and black cherries. The structure holds from the first sip to the last drop in the bottle. For well under $20 it is a liquid treasure. Go get some.
I’ve never met a museum cafe I didn’t like, and the Art Museum Cafe, run by Giuseppe Restaurants at La Jolla’s lustrous Museum of Contemporary Art, is no exception. Housed in a corner wing of the Robert Venturi-revamped, seaside mansion, the Cafe offers glamorous al fresco dining under the wisteria-draped pergola, or in the frescoed dining room. So completely Italian is this setting, watched over by the drop-dead handsome Giuseppe himself, (more…)
O’Mei entrepreneur, Roger Grigsby, shared this gem with me. He overhead a former waiter approach a table about a month ago and actually ask the patrons, “You guys hangin’ in there OK?.” A true indication of just how genericized ordinary language has become.
I am about to give up my crusade to ban “you guys” from public communications, especially since I attended a lecture last week at Cowell College and heard the distinguished guest speaker begin his remarks with, “How are you guys tonight?”
Even ruder was the family I observed dining at Avanti two weeks ago, who allowed their “darling” 3-year-old to scream, bang spoons, wriggle (more…)
Dining with two friends last week, I sampled the inviting Early Bird Prix Fixe menu at Sestri. On Tuesdays the $19.95, three-course special runs all evening, (usually it’s a Mon-Fri deal, from 5-7pm). Also – head’s up – there’s no corkage fee at Sestri, which means that bargain-hunters can bring their own favorite vintages with them. Two things occur to me here. That’s mighty early for some people to consider eating. On the other hand, $19.95 is a major deal — and of course that’s the point. Smart restaurants increasingly offer specials to tempt diners in during under-populated days and times, e.g. Tuesday is the dead zone for dining, and 5-7 time slot is considered “unfashionably” early. Okay. So what did we find?
Well, our helpful, friendly server did introduce herself by name and explained that she would be, surprise, our server that evening. Our bottle of outstanding Stevenot Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (thanks Susan!) was expertly opened and correctly poured. Opening courses were attractively presented. The roasted garlic bisque tasted of flour (thickening agent), and the pretty organic salad greens were gritty. Terrific crouton, though. Then there was a long wait, which was odd since there weren’t that many early birds taking advantage of the early pricing. Finally our entrees of cioppino-style seafood stew and venison osso buco arrived. The cioppino was loaded with succulent fish, clams, mussels, and calamari, but the tomato broth was underspiced and uninspired. My venison was delicious — the veggies were tepid, but the meat was hot. (more…)
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.