Southern Sonoma Country Life

Exotic Mushrooms and Merry Edwards Wines — Kickstart 2016 With Chef John Ash To Benefit Shelter and Job-Training Programs at Homeward Bound

Chef John Ash presents an exclusive dinner menu with chef demonstrations in the showcase kitchen of The Key Room, 1385 N. Hamilton Parkway, in Novato. All proceeds benefit shelter and job-training programs at Homeward Bound of Marin. This fabulous evening features the exotic products of Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc., in Sebastopol, supplier to the nation’s premier kitchens.

Fresh Starts Chef Events in Marin County will present this special fundraising evening from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16th, 2016 including wine pairings and a winemaker talk from Merry Edwards Winery.

The evening will showcase sustainable salmon from Verlasso and artisan cheese from Redwood Hill Farms.

The menu:

Zen Lemongrass Coconut Soup with Clamshell Mushrooms

Grilled Trumpet Royale Mushroom Salad, Peppered Maple Walnuts & Redwood Hill Farms Bucheret

Pan-Roasted Verlasso Salmon with Beggar’s Purse of Maitake Mushrooms

Candied Nameko Mushrooms with Thai Basil-Infused Panna Cotta

Chef John Ash is a double James Beard Foundation Award-winner who has been crowned both “International Cooking School Teacher of the Year” and “Seafood Educator of the Year.” We'll have his latest book on hand, "Culinary Birds: The Ultimate Poultry Cookbook," for purchase and signing.

Tickets are $125 per person, including dinner, prize-winning wines, and entertainment. We thank The Republic of Tea for their sponsorship. Make reservations online at bit.ly/FSchefevents or call (415) 382-3363 x213.

 

 

California Artisan Cheese Festival Readies for 10th Anniversary Celebration Here in Sonoma County, March 2016

California’s premier cheese event, California’s Artisan Cheese Festival, is celebrating its tenth year, March 18th - 20th, 2016, in and around the Sheraton Sonoma County in Petaluma. Celebrating 10 years of cheese education and appreciation, next year’s Festival brings together artisan cheesemakers, farmers, educators, authors, chefs, brewers, winemakers and enthusiastic guests for three days of cheese tasting, education and celebration. In honor of this exciting milestone, new festival elements include two days of Farm Tours, including destinations outside of the Bay Area, educational components included in every Farm Tour, and a not-to-be-missed 10 Year Celebration under the Big Top on Saturday night. “Over the last decade, California’s artisan cheesemaking community has grown exponentially,” said Festival Executive Director Judy Groverman Walker. “It’s wonderful to know that our festival has helped to foster this growth, and we look forward to supporting the cheesemaking community for many more years to come!” Throughout the weekend, guests will have the opportunity to experience new, limited-production and rare artisan cheeses while supporting California farmers and cheesemakers in their ongoing effort to advance sustainability. Tickets go on sale on January 1, 2026 and will be available at www.artisancheesefestival.com.   The 2016 schedule features the following events:  Friday, March 18  Farm Tours & Lunch Back by popular demand are Friday’s intimate farm tours where guests are guided on walking tours of various farms and creameries to meet the cheesemakers and farmers, learn how cheeses are made and, of course, taste the fruits of their labor.  New this year, farm tours will feature an educational component such as a discussion or tasting led by industry experts on a variety of topics. Also new are two tours that go beyond the Bay Area to the Central Valley so guests may experience cheesemaking in other areas of the state. Tours allow guests to observe behind-the-scenes aspects of cheesemaking and interact with the cows, sheep or goats in their natural environment. Tours include round-trip transportation as well as cheese tastings and lunch. Cheese is available for purchase on many of the farm tours.  Tickets and specific details about the farm tours to be available on January 1, 2016; $135; 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Cheesemongers' Duel - The Best Bite Friday night under the Big Top is where cheesemongers will take center stage in a light-hearted yet energetic competition to see who can create the best bite using California artisan cheese. Guests are encouraged to vote for their favorite bite while enjoying plenty of artisan wine, cider and beer. A “Fantasy Cheese Table” will be center stage, so guests may taste the wide variety of local and rare cheeses at this not-to-be-missed party to kick off the weekend.  Tickets $50; The Big Top at the Sheraton Sonoma County, 6 – 9 p.m.  Saturday, March 19  Farm Tours & Lunch New this year, the popular and coveted Friday farm tours have been expanded to Saturday! Guests will be guided on walking tours of various local farms and creameries to meet the cheesemakers and farmers, learn how the cheeses are made and taste the fruits of their labor. Tours on Saturday will feature an educational component such as a discussion or tasting led by an industry expert on a variety of topics. Tours allow guests to observe behind-the-scenes aspects of cheesemaking and interact with the animals in their natural environment. Each tour includes round-trip transportation from the Sheraton Sonoma County, as well as cheese tastings and lunch. Cheese is available for purchase on most of the farm tours.  Tickets and specific details about the farm tours to be available January 1, 2016; $135; 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.  Seminars + Tasting and Pairing Demonstrations In addition to the educational components that are included on the farm tours, there are also a handful of seminars offered a la carte on Saturday at the Sheraton Sonoma County and at Cowgirl Creamery in Petaluma. Led by industry experts on a variety of topics, the seminars will range from pairing cheese with sake to the similarities of making cheese and chocolate. Confirmed instructors include Peggy Smith and Sue Conley of Cowgirl Creamery; renowned cheese writer and author Janet Fletcher; author and cheese expert Laura Werlin; cheese expert and founding president of the California Artisan Cheese Guild Lynne Devereux; and cheese and wine author Kristin Jackson. During the lunch break and after the afternoon seminars authors will be available for book signings. Books will be available for purchase by Copperfield’s Books.  Tickets $75; Sheraton Sonoma County and Cowgirl Creamery Warehouse. 10 – 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 3 p.m. California Cheesin' — We Do It Our Whey! In celebration of a decade of California’s Artisan Cheese Festival, guests are invited to taste their way around this evening celebration of California cheese, sampling dishes from some of the Bay Area's best chefs and caterers. Each chef will incorporate their favorite locally made cheese into an impressive dish for attendees who will then cast their vote for their favorite dish. The winner will be announced on-site during this lively and festive competition and there will also be a special tribute to some of the icons of California’s artisan cheese industry. Artisan wines, beers and ciders will be on hand to complement each dish, and live music and a photo booth will add to the jovial atmosphere. Tickets $75; The Big Top at the Sheraton Sonoma County, 6 – 9 p.m.  Sunday, March 20 Sunday Bubbles and Brunch with Visionary Chef John Ash Considered the Father of Wine Country cuisine, chef John Ash will be dishing up a special Sunday brunch celebrating California cheese at every course. Chef Ash will provide a live cooking demonstration and sparkling wine will be provided by Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves. Tickets to brunch also include coveted early entry into the Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace at 11 a.m., before it opens to the public at 12 p.m.  Tickets $115; Sheraton Sonoma County Ballroom, 9:30 – 11 a.m. Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace The grand finale of the Festival, the Marketplace brings together more than 90 artisan cheesemakers, winemakers, brewers, chefs and producers to sample and sell their products directly to attendees in this feast for the senses. Guests can discover the next wave of local, hand-crafted cheeses, boutique wines and artisan-brewed beers as well as interesting cheese products, books and recipes.  Each ticket includes entry to the Marketplace, an insulated cheese tote bag and a signature wine glass. Tickets $45 for adults; $20 for children 12 and under; The Big Top at the Sheraton Sonoma County, 12 – 4 p.m. Complimentary Cooking and Entertaining Demonstrations In between tasting and buying cheeses at the Marketplace, guests are invited to watch live cooking and entertaining demonstrations conducted by local chefs and cheese experts, including a demonstration of how to create the perfect party cheese platter.  Free with a Marketplace ticket; Sheraton Sonoma County Ballroom, 12 – 4 p.m.   Those interested can also follow updates by “liking” the Artisan Cheese Festival on Facebook and following the event on Twitter.  All events are priced separately and the Sheraton Sonoma County – Petaluma is offering special discounted rates on rooms for festival-goers.

Five Days in New York (Part 6) — The New York Public Library

We four "glampers" were winding up our action-packed itinerary on the final day of our New York City 2015 visit and after the enchantment of The Merchant's House all decked out in its December holiday finery, the plan was to divide and conquer to fit in the various landmarks and museums that we each had on our individual lists. 

I've been lucky enough to visit New York quite a few times but always on a tight schedule. Last, but not least on my must-see list this time was the inside of The New York Public Library on Fifthth Avenue. 

"A Writer's Christmas — Dickens and More" (exhibited through Jan 4th) being right up my alley, I was enthralled to peruse this charming display from the Library's Berg Collection of English and American Literature. What a thrill to read through hand-pasted pages of A Christmas Carol, Dickens' fable of personal redemption and social reform that became a fast Christmas favorite both sides of the Atlantic since 1843.

Though the open book was protected by its placement in a small, glass cabinet, I was able to read Dickens' handwritten notes of very specific intonation for his hugely popular public reading tours. I also learned that Tiny Tim was modeled on his sister's beloved son, Henry, who died of tuberculosis as a child. 

I took a look at the first Gutenberg Bible to come to the New World and wandered the marble corridors to take in another fascinating temporary exhibit: Printing Women: Three Centuries of Female Printmakers 1570 - 1700.  and an excellent "Public Eye: 175 Years of Sharing Photography large exhibit (through Jan 3rd).

This being my first visit, I made the most of a three hour window to give myself a brief tour and an education in what to plan for, on which day and how much time to allocate to specific research rooms next time that I find myself in New York. 

The Library's main Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is part of the New York Public Library that consists of four major research libraries and 88 branch libraries located in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island.

The Beaux-Arts landmark building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street houses research collections in the humanities and social sciences and a circulating children’s collection.

It has an interesting history and cost nearly $9 million to complete, opening in 1911.

• During World War II, Allied military intelligence used the Map Division for research on the coastlines of countries in the theater of combat.
• Television and print journalists first consulted the Slavic and Baltic Division when covering the changing political structure of the former Soviet Union.
• Authors of countless literary and nonfiction books cite the Library as a major resource in their work.
• Countless individuals have reconstructed family histories and located long-lost relatives through records in the Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History, and Genealogy.

The monumental library's Berg Collection of English and American literature is one of the most celebrated research collections of literary manuscripts, letters and rare books in the world. 

Holdings range from early Chaucer to Shakespeare to manuscripts of Virginia Woolf's novels, a special focus on Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackery and other important 19th Century writers. Dr. Albert A. Berg presented the library with an incredible endowment collection in 1940 in memory of his late brother Dr. Henry W. Berg.

The brothers, both distinguished in their medical careers, lifelong bachelors and passionate bibliophiles, lived together in a town house on Fifth Avenue with their three canaries, each, conveniently, named "Dickie".  Dr. Berg's second purchase and donation of two magnificent collections of English and American literature soon followed. 

Today, the Berg Collection comprises 35,000 printed volumes, 2000 feet of manuscripts and archives and over 15,000 prints and drawings. 

More recently, the collection has acquired papers of Vladimir Nabokov, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac. Memorabilia includes Charlotte Bronte's traveling desk, Virginia Woolf's walking stick and Charles Dickens' ivory letter opener, the handle of which is made from one of the forepaws of his beloved cat "Bob".  

I visited on a Monday but took careful note of the collection's opening hours for a future visit. Berg Collection hours are: Tues & Wednesday 11 am to 6.45 pm and Thurs - Sat 10 am to 5.45 pm. 

Click here for tours and events at the New York Public Library. 

What better way to wrap up a fifth day in New York than to take a walk, window shop the fineries and fancies of the big city and wonder at it all? 

Until next time!  

Five Days in New York (Part 5) — Breakfast at Sarabeth's and a Visit to The Merchant's House

Day five in New York this December and the "glampers" were in the groove with East Coast time to make it out for breakfast before 10 am! Let's just say that once we hit the ground we hit it running, but some of us (more than others), yours truly for one, had a harder time adjusting to the rise and shine three hours earlier than the body clock preferred. 
                                                                                                

 

photos:Sarabeth's 

Sarabeth's  on Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side is named for award-winning jam maker, acclaimed pastry chef and restaurateur — the driving force behind the stellar reputation and success of the Sarabeth brand.

It's a fit-for-foodies American Dream business story. Sarabeth started making her signature Orange-Apricot Marmalade from her home kitchen from a 200 year old family recipe and selling it to local food shops in 1981. Today, Sarabeth and her husband and business partner, Bill Levine own and operate a jam factory, a wholesale-retail bakery café and nine restaurants. Read more on Sarabeth's blog.

We'd split a couple of tempting pastries with coffees at Sarabeth's in The Chelsea Market the day before, holding off on full-breakfast favorites for a proper sit-down dining experience at the lovely Amsterdam Avenue location. I opted for a fluffy Farmer's Omelette with leeks, ham, potato, gruyère, though our server appeared quite delighted that for the first time ever, a customer didn't ask him what Toma when I wavered as to the alternative of baby kale, Pt. Reyes toma, smoked marcona almonds with toasted sourdough. I'd declared it my favorite local cheese from home and that seemed to make his day!

Lemon and ricotta pancakes sounded tempting too, as did most of this delicious breakfast menu. I'd definitely go back to gracious Sarabeth's next time in New York. 

Next stop was one of my personal highlights of the trip, a visit to The Merchant's House Museum on East Fourth Street. My globe-trotting friend Alice (of Alice Dishes) had recommended The Merchant's House as a must see. 

As we were the first to arrive at the museum that morning, we followed instructions to ring the doorbell for access. Standing across the street, patiently waiting for opening time so that we didn't ring the bell a minute early, I was reminded of the sweet Disney movie, "UP" in which the little old man loses the love of his life and ties his house in the fast-developing city to balloons. 

The Merchant's House is similarly precarious in that development construction surrounding its stalwart standpoint in the Greenwich Village area threatens its stability. Developers of an eight-story hotel next door claim they will protect the house, but the museum has nothing in writing. Given plans they presented during two years of hearings at the Landmarks Preservation Commission, safeguards are likely not nearly enough.

Museum lawyers are trying to negotiate a license agreement with the developers that will include four separate protection plans: for building settlement, vibrations, water infiltration, and for ornamental plasterwork. Fundraising efforts are underway. 

Considered one of the finest surviving examples of architecture from the period, the Merchant’s House is a National Historic Landmark (one of only 2,400) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been awarded landmark status in New York not only for its 1832 late-Federal brick exterior but also for its Greek revival interior rooms.

It is the only historic house museum in the Greenwich Village/Soho/NoHo neighborhoods and celebrated 75 years as a museum in 2011. The House was among the first 20 buildings designated in 1965 under the City’s new landmarks law.

Merchant owner, delightfully-named Seabury Tredwell’s great-great-great grandfather, Edward Tredwell, came to Massachusetts from Kent, England, around 1637.

In 1798, 18-year-old Seabury arrived in  New York City, seeking his fortune, first, in the hardware business. He married Eliza Parker, the daughter of his landlady in 1820, at the age of 40. Eliza was 23. The enterprising couple had seven children in 15 years — Elizabeth (1821), Horace (1823), Mary (1825), Samuel (1827), Phebe (1829), Julia (1833), and Sarah (1835).

After 32 years in the hardware business, Seabury Tredwell retired in 1820, at the age of 40. He bought a house at 29 East Fourth Street. An eighth child, Gertrude, was born in the house in 1840.

Only three of the Tredwell children married. Today, there are only six living direct descendants of Seabury and Eliza Tredwell, all descended from son Samuel and his second wife.

According to an article in the New York Times: "Some say the Tredwells, who lived in this house for nearly 100 years, are still here.Gertrude Tredwell, in particular, is thought to be watching over her family home. Born in an upstairs bedroom in 1840, the youngest of the Tredwells’ eight children, Gertrude never married and lived her entire life here until she died, at the age of 93, in 1933. She was the last member of the family to occupy the house.

Since the 1930s, when the house opened to the public as a museum, strange and inexplicable happenings have been reported – sounds, sightings, smells – by staff, volunteers, visitors, neighbors, even passersby".

I half expected one of the Tredwells to open the front door. Whether or not the Merchant's House is haunted by one of them, the house exudes a calm welcome and after spending an hour wandering its beautifully preserved parlors, kitchen and bedrooms, I'd say the Tredwells were a well contented family. 

We learned a lot about a New York Victorian Christmas from seasonal decorations and displays. Handmade items were of greatest value, despite the affluence of the family. Careful curation of hand stitched and delicately embroidered artistry provides winter visitors with a more personal connection to those who devoted their afternoon hours and evenings to pleasing one another with beautiful handmade clothing and accessories. 

Four Irish maids lived on the top floor of the Merchant's House at any one time. Most of these young women arrived in the house fresh off the boat from the Emerald Isle. Housekeeping in a New York summer or winter would have been a culture shock to country girls, yet it was in the interest of families such as the Tredwells to treat their servants well. Competition for good help was rife in this gilded age. 

We felt very much at home in this unique house. I hope that preservation efforts are indeed a priority during the next few critical years. 

The Merchant's House Museum is located at: 29 East Fourth Street, New York, NY 10003
212 777 1089 | nyc1832@merchantshouse.org

Hours: Thursday thru Monday, noon to 5 p.m.
Admission: $10, $5 Students & Seniors, Free under 12

 

One Young Sonoma County Mother's Christmas Wish — Double Lung Transplants for A Long and Happy Life

Take a closer look at this jolly family's holiday shot. Behind her constant smile, Petaluma mother-of-two, Lindsay Lugo is fighting for her life. 

Lindsay is awaiting a lung transplant. She suffers a rare heart condition — Primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Her lungs have been drastically attacked by this serious condition, putting her at risk of respiratory failure each and every day. 

Living under such threat and keeping it together for the sake of her young sons, Trustin and Angelo Jr would be enough for most anyone. Yet Lindsay's spirited life force has kept her on track as a devoted wife, mom and student, finishing up her Psychology Bachelor of Science degree with a dream of pursuing a medical career of her own. 

"Her aspirations are great and our group would love to see this local mom fulfill her dreams," says the Fabulous Women of Sonoma County, one of my favorite local non-profits to rally our community for families in need. 

Lindsay is on oxygen and IV therapy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "There is no break for Lindsay and there is no cure for her condition without a double lung transplant," says the Fabulous Women. "She is currently on a waiting list to find the right donor.  As you can imagine, many factors need to line up. Finding the perfect donor is not an easy task, and medical costs associated with this transplant are tremendous".

Each day that Lindsay has with her family is a blessing. The Fabulous Women group has launched a holiday campaign from through December 31st, 2015 to raise money for this brave mother. It is the group's goal for our community to support Lindsay with financial donations, holiday gifts for her children and gift cards for food, gas or local merchants that will support her family through this traumatic time.

 

To make an online donation click the donate button link on the Fabulous Women's webpage: www.thefabulouswomen.com

 

If you are able to help and you prefer to do so by check, send it for any amount, large or small, made out to the Fabulous Women and it will be attributed to the Lindsay Lugo Fund. 

Please mail your donations to:

PO BOX 7202 Petaluma Ca 94955-7202

The Fabulous Women's group is collaborating with Mr. Pickles Sandwich Shop, 3100 Lakeville Highway, Petaluma to help the Lugo Family.  There's still time to pick a tag off the Giving Tree as another way to support the Lugo Family.  Do so by n December 20th, for a Christmas Drive at Mr. Pickles.  Gifts and donations may be dropped off between 11:00 - 2:00pm. Santa and the Lugos will be there from 12:30 - 2:00pm. There will be baked goods, a small raffle and cocoa for sale.

 

 

 

Five Days in New York (Part 4) — Ex-Pat Day — Chelsea Market, The Highline, A Spot of Tea & Toast, Bangers & Mash & The New Whitney

 

It was ex-pat day for the "glampers" — Day Four of our December adventuring around Manhattan's museums, cafes, theatres and shops. The four of us had discovered the delights of traditional British fare in the heart of Greenwich Village during last year's visit. Late breakfast at Tea & Sympathy (shop and cafe pictured beneath) are top of the list for the staunch British/American posse. 

Around the corner, Myers of Keswick (purveyors of delicious British bangers and other traditional sausages and pictured above) is the proverbial "kid in a candy shop" pit-stop for Brits abroad. 

Tea & Sympathy's cozy eatery is open Monday - Thursday from 11.30am - 10.30pm, Friday & Saturday from 9.30am - 10.30pm and Sunday from 9.30 am - 10.00 pm. Click here for menu. 

The store is open daily from 11.00am - 10.30pm.

If you've a hankering this holiday season for a box of Turkish Delight, Chocolate Matchsticks, a tub of Quality Street Chocolates, a box of Mince Pies, Tea & Sympathy's  store's handy online shop is just the tickets for U.S. addresses. Tea & Sympathy's Nicky Perry is a legend in her own unfussy afternoon tea hour. Click here to read about her winning battle earlier in the year to keep Cadbury's British-made chocolates coming into the U.S. market.

Chelsea Market, a block long and a block wide and a short walk from the Hudson River by the historic Meatpacking District, is a vibrant indoor food hall with over thirty-five vendors selling all sorts of gourmet offerings to eat on the spot or to take home. It was our Sunday morning shopping destination of choice. This popular artisan market with several great pop-up seasonal high-end craft markets within a market pulls in more than 6 million visitors each year. It felt like most were there on the same Sunday as us, given the bustling holiday shopping crowds. 

Long before New York was settled by the first non-natives, The Algonquin Indians traded  game and crops on the banks of the Hudson River at this same spot. 

Through to 1980 trains of the nearby High Line served wholesale butchers lining the streets below the tracks. Fresh provisions were cooled with blocks of Hudson River ice. The National Biscuit Company established a factory in the neighborhood that is now  the stripped down brick Chelsea Market. 

One of my favorite finds in The Chelsea Market this visit was the pop-up booth by The Local Branch. Proprietors and artisans Mackenzie and Blaine are self-described explorers, travelers, makers, pioneers. Their focus is not only on making well-crafted artisan apparel, leather goods, and accessories by hand in the USA, but actually made throughout the USA. 

The enterprising couple is constantly traveling the country - living and working out of their mobile Airstream workshop. Every product is tagged with a description of their inspiration and the exact American location in which it was created, giving every item a truly unique heritage.

The Chelsea Market is located at 75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011. Weekday & Saturday hours are 7 am to 9 pm, Sunday 8 am to 8 pm. 

Photo: Lesley McCullaugh

The Highline runs behind The Chelsea Market and is a New York City-owned 1.45 mile art-filled public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th and 12th Avenues.

Following decades-long growth in the interstate trucking industry, the last train ran on the High Line in 1980, pulling three carloads of frozen turkeys. A group of property owners lobbied for demolition while Peter Obletz, a Chelsea resident, activist and railroad enthusiast, challenged demolition efforts in court. Friends of the High Line was founded in 1999 by Joshua David and Robert Hammond, residents of the High Line neighborhood, to advocate for the High Line's preservation and reuse as public open space.

The City accepted ownership of the High Line in 2005/2006 and the first section opened to the public in 2009. Since we visited in 2014, The Whitney Museum of American Art had opened (May 2015) at the foot of the High Line in the Meatpacking District. Touted as New York City’s newest world-class cultural destination in one of the city’s most dynamic and distinctive locations, this is indeed, a spectacular setting.

Photo: The Whitney Museum of American Art

The Whitney Museum of American Art was the brainchild of sculptor Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and her advocacy on behalf of living American artists.

In the early twentieth century, artists with new ideas struggled to exhibit or sell their work in the United States. Gertrude recognized this and started buying and showing their work. She was the leading patron of American art from 1907 until her death in 1942.

The first Whitney Studio was established in Greenwich Village in 1914. Gertrude presented exhibitions by living American artists whose work had been disregarded by the traditional academies.

According to The Whitney Museum: "By 1929 she had assembled a collection of more than 500 works, which she offered with an endowment to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. When the offer was refused, she set up her own museum, one with a new and radically different mandate: to focus exclusively on the art and artists of this country. The Whitney Museum of American Art was founded in 1930, and opened in 1931 on West Eighth Street in Greenwich Village".

The Museum moved to West 54th Street in 1954. After outgrowing that building it acquired its Marcel Breuer-designed building on Madison Avenue at 75th Street, which opened in 1966. The Whitney's new building at 99 Gansevoort Street opened on May 1, 2015.

If you go, it's a good idea to book tickets ahead of time. Plan on a minimum of two hours for a multi-floor presentation of more than 400 artists and 600 works from The Whitney's permanent collection, including pieces from Andy Warhol, Edward Hopper and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Twilight view from the first floor balcony at The Whitney. Spot the Statue of Liberty far left. The Studio Cafe is located on the 8th floor of the Whitney Museum and is accessible to museum-goers only. In warmer months, I'd imagine it's quite lovely to spend an hour at outdoor balcony seating, taking in this extraordinary view of the city and river. 

Though you don't have to be inside the museum to dine at sleek and modern ground floor restaurant Untitled, I'd definitely book ahead and reserve a table if you fancy it. We instead took a hot tip from Nicky Perry at Tea & Sympathy and, after the museum, walked off the bangers and mash with a wander along to a terrific Tuscan restaurant in the area, Bottino.  

The Whitney Museum of American Art is located at: 99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY 10014

 

Galleries 10:30 am–6 pm

Shop 10:30 am–6 pm

Cafe 11 am–5 pm

Restaurant 11 am–2:30 pm, 5–10 pm

 

 

 

Sonoma County Based Sculptural Landscape Designer Bids Farewell to Commemorative Ecology of Place Garden at Cornerstone, Sonoma

Regular readers will remember Southern Sonoma County's Suzanne Biaggi's battle to save her beautiful Ecology of Place garden in memory of her brother Phil Biaggi, at Cornerstone Sonoma soon to be the new home to Sunset Magazine gardens.

Click here if you're not familiar with the story surrounding this amazing space.

Many of my readers contributed to her successful Kickstarter Campaign or volunteered in some way to help Suzanne create this garden in 2013. Now, after coming to the conclusion that the garden is indeed in its final days, the internationally celebrated sculptural landscape designer would like for as many people as possible to visit this special place before it is gone. 

"Cornerstone finally has responded to my many queries and has informed me that my garden is in an area that will eventually need to be removed due to the expansion of the septic system and permit violations," shares a very emotional Suzanne.

"Therefore, they have offered me a compromise to re-locate the sculptures, and re-design a new garden," she says, "however, I consider the budget and timelines are inadequate to create a new garden of the spirit and quality my work represents. I also have numerous concerns about the stability of the new location. As a whole, the proposal to re-locate and re-create another garden at Cornerstone does not excite me into accepting and taking on such an endeavor at this point".

Suzanne has started designing another garden on her own property in Petaluma, also in honor of her brother. I can't wait to see it. She is extremely grateful for the outpouring of support she's received from our art loving community and has found a home for her stunning sculpture vines. She could do with some help with dismantling. 

If you'd like to visit the garden before it's gone, do so before the end of the year and please share photographs and enjoyment of your visit with Suzanne on her Facebook Page.

 

Five Days In New York (Part 3) — The Young Vic's (Arthur Miller) "A View From the Bridge"

Mark Strong (Eddie), who most recently featured in the movie "The Imitation Game", Nicola Walker (Beatrice), a British favorite on tv screen and stage, Phoebe Fox (Catherine) and Luke Norris (Rodolpho) in A View from the Bridge. Photo by Jan Versweyveld.

Day three of my early December visit to New York and it was serious theater time. The timing was right to see the great Arthur Miller's confrontation of the American dream in the dark and passionate tale that is "A View From The Bridge". And how thrilling that this was the lauded Young Vic version, fresh off the boat from Britain. 

In Brooklyn, as the story goes, longshoreman Eddie Carbone welcomes his Sicilian cousins to the land of freedom. But when one of them falls for his beautiful niece, they discover that freedom comes at a price. Eddie’s jealous mistrust exposes a deep, unspeakable secret – one that drives him to commit the ultimate betrayal. Belgian Ivo van Hove directs this stunning, revamped  Young Vic production of Miller’s tragic masterpiece.

The production moved from The Young Vic Theatre  in Waterloo to London's West End this Spring and on to Broadway this fall. 

This one hour 55 minute one-act play raced through its lines like a runaway train — one that was bound to wreck. It was superbly acted, utterly captivating, edge-of-seat stuff. 

I have to agree with Time Magazine's statement of: “Pure, primal, colossal - Strong’s stupendous Eddie is a force of nature”. 

Nicola Walker is well known to prolific PBS watchers as hardworking farmer and single mum Gillian in the British tv series Last Tango in Halifax. This versatile and compelling actor brilliantly portrayed Eddie's wife Beatrice, Brooklyn accent and all. 

A stark, modern stage set allowed for complete focus on dialog without fussy, period distractions. In short, this was one the best theatrical performances I've seen in years. "A View From The Bridge" runs through February 21st, 2016.

Click here for Vogue Magazine's take on it.

Lyceum Theatre

149 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036

 

Earlier in the day, me and my traveling companions had easily succumbed to the lure of a spot of shopping (and a lot of window shopping) at super fun store Fish Eddy and the "glampers" favorite NYC store, the sublime treasure trove that is ABC Carpet & Home.

I'd booked a table a month ahead for late lunch in the Flat Iron District's gorgeous ABC Kitchen where the setting is every bit as delicious as the food. It's all about innovation, originality, quality, color, texture and design at ABC, which follows through into its beautifully crafted menu items. 

ABC's Manhattan store is located at: 888 & 881 broadway New York, NY 10003

Store Hours

Mon-Wed; Fri-Sat: 10am-7pm
Thu: 10am-8pm
Sun: 11am-6:30pm

 

  

Five Days in New York (Part 2) — More Smoked Fish Specialties on Bialeys at Historic Russ & Daughters Deli and a Visit to The Tenement Museum & The Neue Galerie

Day two in New York City with the "glampers" and our itinerary took us into the Lower East Side. Russ & Daughters family-run institution is famous for having sold fish and dairy products on the Lower East Side since 1914. Its range of smoked fish and cream cheese is extraordinary. Despite our rumbling tummies, we were determined to make this our first port of call and take our turn in line. 

Founder Joel Russ opened his first store on nearby Orchard Street, selling bagels, cream cheese, salt cured herring and salmon. Daughters Anne and Ida started working for their dad after school, at the tender age of 11. In 1933, Joel added "And Daughters" to the store's name, an historic move believed to have been the first to include "Daughters" in New York history. 

Cousins Niki Russ Federman and Joshua Russ Tupper do more than maintain the shop (and cafe around the corner's) star reputation as the ultimate in old-fashioned New York bagel purveyor. 

After 30 minutes playing sardines in line at a bustling counter at the people-packed shop on East Houston, I enjoyed my first bite of a bialy — a Jewish delicacy similar to the bagel, though quite a bit lighter and without the central hole. I was intrigued to see how many tubs of cream cheese, bagels and all classic toppings the long line of mostly locals were ordering up for the weekend. 

I opted for the "Super Herbster" — whitefish & baked salmon salad with horseradish dill cream cheese and wasabi flying fish roe on a nice, thin bialy. Scrumptious and eaten while standing! The fact that cream cheese is sourced from a California supplier leads me to believe it might well originate in southern Sonoma County or west Marin. If you know whose bounty cream cheese is bound for the celebrated NY Jewish bagel shop, do let me know. 

According to "Walks of New York" Russ & Daughters ranks high on the city's best list of Jewish and Kosher food. The popular website explains the roots of this tasty fare: "Much of New York’s Jewish culture stems from the huge influx Eastern European Jews between 1880 and 1920. While “Jewish food” is as diverse as are Jewish populations across the globe, therefore, foods identified as culturally Jewish in New York tend to be those brought by the Ashkenazi from their Eastern European homelands". 

The store's website includes a fascinating timeline. 

Click here to read a fantastic article on Eater, taking us behind the counter for the full experience. 

Russ & Daughters Shop is located at: 179 E. Houston St. New York, NY 10002. 

Given the length of time we'd waited in line at Russ & Daughters, breakfast served as brunch as we dashed down the street a few blocks to The Tenement Museum. Reservations are required for the variety of tours the Tenement Museum has available. We didn't want to miss our allotted booking, so hurried on over in time to join the 90 minute ground floor "Shop Tour". Family-run stores filled the lower level of 97 Orchard for over a century, where they struggled to adapt to an ever-changing neighborhood and achieve the American Dream. We visited the 1870s German saloon of John and Caroline Schneider.

Three of the four "glampers" are immigrants and the fourth is married to one. I've been researching the cultural groups who settled in southern Sonoma County and coastal west Marin in the mid-1800s for my new book and was particularly enthralled by the East Coast lives of their immigrant counterparts. 

We would have liked to have taken all the tours the Tenement Museum has to offer, but given the in-depth quality of each tour and our action-packed schedule, we decided we'd take a different tour each time we find ourselves in New York. 

There are three ways to visit the Tenement Museum -

• Tour the building and visit the restored apartments and businesses of past residents and merchants from different time periods
• Meet the residents (played by costumed interpreters) who lived at 97 Orchard Street
• Walk the neighborhood and discover the Lower East Side and the way immigrants helped shaped the area and its culture.

Combine a building tour with a walking tour for a comprehensive museum experience.

The Tenement Museum is located at: 103 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002.

                                                                                    photo: The Tenement Museum of New York

Sturdy walking shoes are a must when traveling with the "glampers"! Glamper Gail was in charge of the next highly contrasted activity on day two, steering us all the way back uptown to The super chic Neue Galerie on Fifth Avenue to see Gustav Klimt's iconic "Woman in Gold". 

The painting Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt is on permanent view at the Neue Galerie. An earlier exhibition coincided with the opening of the historical drama "Woman in Gold," starring Helen Mirren as Adele Bloch-Bauer's niece Maria Altmann, and Ryan Reynolds as lawyer Randol Schoenberg. The film is based upon the true story of how Maria Altmann and Schoenberg successfully sued the Austrian Government for the return of five Klimt paintings seized by the Nazis from the Bloch-Bauer family townhouse in Vienna during World War II.

Neue Galerie is devoted to early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design, displayed on two exhibition floors. It's glamorous and atmospheric wood-paneled interiors are popular with fashion magazine shoots. 

Twilight was settings in and so we stayed on to rest a while and dine early on a sausage supper and other hearty German fare in the museum's gorgeous Café Sabarsky, named after of Neue Galerie co-founder Serge Sabarsky. This one, of two cafes in the building is modeled on the great Viennese cafés that served as important centers of intellectual and artistic life at the turn of the century.

According to the museum's website blurb, the elegant cafe is:"Outfitted with period objects, including lighting fixtures by Josef Hoffmann, furniture by Adolf Loos, and banquettes that are upholstered with a 1912 Otto Wagner fabric. A Bösendorfer grand piano graces one corner of the Café, and is used for all cabaret, chamber, and classical music performances at the museum.

 

Neue Galerie New York is located at 1048 Fifth Avenue (at 86th Street).

Museum Hours 
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(closed Tuesday and Wednesday)

Admission
General $20
Students and seniors (65 and older) $10

 

 

Five Days in New York (Part 1) — Breakfast at Barney Greengrass — The Sturgeon King's Old School Epicurean Excellence

"Yes", I said, as we stepped out of a cab on Manhattan's Amsterdam Avenue, outside the faded shopfront of the humble 100-year-institution that is the Barney Greengrass salted fish store and cafe. "This really is the place". 

There hadn't been a lot of time to run through our dining itinerary for a five full day visit to New York with friends Gail, Jane and Lesley (aka "the glampers"). Culture shock's best served first thing in the morning anyway and what better way to immerse ourselves in the true flavor of New York than first day breakfast at this classic, old Jewish deli open since 1908? 

Famous for its range of smoked fish, traditional, no-frill surrounds and not taking credit cards, Barney Greengrass was top of my list for breakfasts in the big apple and it certainly did not disappoint. 

The waitstaff was, I think, equally entertained by our table of seasoned California girls with its motley arrangement of some-more-than-others Americanized English accents and a (valid) gluten-free request.  

On the menu in the dining room are bagels, bagels and yet more bagels, hot egg sandwiches, caviar (the original shabby chic), signature smoked fish platters, soups, salads and lots of coffee. 

According to Tracy Kaler of the West Side Rag: "More than a century after its opening, Barney Greengrass is still the go-to establishment for the freshest smoked and cured fish in New York City. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, Gary Greengrass runs the show at the “Sturgeon King” six days a week on the Upper West Side.

On weekends, customers flock to the quintessential deli for an assortment of Nova Scotia salmon, house-cured gravlox, whitefish, egg scrambles, bagels, and the tastiest potato latkes in Manhattan. Lines are out the door; Greengrass followers come from near and far for a piece of old New York history, and a plate of Jewish soul food".

Barney Greengrass is located at 541 Amsterdam Avenue at 86th Street, New York, NY 10024. 

Open Tuesdays through Sunday 8 am to 6 pm.

Dining room is open Tuesday through Friday 8:30 am - 4:00 pm and Saturdays and Sundays 8.30 am - 5 pm. 

Though fully fortified for a visit to the Frick Collection, housed in a glorious mansion from the gilded age on the other side of Central Park, I wasn't quite prepared for such an astonishing range of exquisite art. Several friends have shared repeatedly how this is their favorite of New York's dazzling array of museums, yet seeing and spending time there really is believing. This sublime, historic collection includes masterpieces of European painting, major works of sculpture, eighteenth-century French furniture and porcelain, old master and nineteenth-century works on paper, Limoges enamels and other works of rare quality.

The collection is housed in the New York City mansion built by Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), one of America's most successful industrialists. Sixteen permanent galleries offer artworks arranged without regard to period or national origin, according to Mr. Frick's enjoyment of his beloved art. Lucky for us that he bequeathed the house, set back from Fifth Avenue and his collection to the public.

The Frick Collection is located at 1 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021.

• Adults: $20
• Seniors (65 and over): $15
• Students (with valid identification): $10
• Children under ten are not admitted to the Collection

On Sundays, pay what you wish from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Back through Central Park, late afternoon weather in early December was decidedly still on the Fall calendar. Hats and scarves stayed in suitcases the full five days. 

Holiday window shopping en-route to the theater to see "An American in Paris" — which proved a pleasing stage arrangement, set, score and choreography for those of us not as keen musical theater as others.