Last month I visited my sister, the New York City Culture Snob, for a week of Theatre. It was fun, but costly. Wanting to reciprocate, I called her with what I thought was a sure-thing invitation. Join me for a private tour of Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Sis was less than impressed. Undaunted, I name dropped.
Me: “We can see the new Nan Kempner Fashion Collection at the de Young.” Sis: “It opened in New York last month at the Met. Me: “We can see the Rodin sculptures at the Legion of Honor.” Sis: “Duh. It’s not like I can’t see them at MOMA.”
Fast-forward… Little Miss Negative shows up on my doorstep.
Since the sun was shining, I immediately whisked her over to the Legion of Honor for a visit. Sis falls in love with the museum’s spectacular setting. The mew is perched on a hill overlooking the entire city of San Francisco, with its picture perfect view of the Golden Gate. Before going in, I point out the haunting Holocaust memorial with its stark white figures. We have a moment of silence. We stroll round the Sculpture courtyard nodding “hello” to Rodin’s masterpiece, The Thinker.
Inside the magnificent Beaux Art building we see that in the museums’ foyer the roof is a canvas has been simulated to look like marble. Wow-clever.
In the European decorative Arts and Painting Gallery, while I’m waxing euphoric over a particularly detailed sculpture, Sis is staring intently at the wall (?) behind the works of art. She remarks that the soft bluey-gray would be just the perfect shade for her dining room!
We found out that the Legion of Honor has one of the largest collections of Prints and Drawings in the country and that once a month the curatorial staff holds an open house where anyone can bring in a work to learn about its’ authenticityand background. Sis can’t wait to have me bring in her mother-in-law’s Italian etching that might have real “value.”
Next, we mosey over to the strikingly new De Young Museum. Outside the imposing structure we get into some major talking points over architecture. I’m a huge fan of the minimal, modern building. I particularly like the way the custom designed copper will naturally oxidize (turn green, like the Statue of Liberty) to gently blend with the surrounding landscape. The angles and hard edges also appeal to my bigger city sis.
We hurry inside to join the private guided tour of the Nan Kempner: American Chic show, currently on display. Known for her personal style of eclectically mixing lux labels with informal pieces, such as throwing on a YSL jacket over a pair of boy’s Levi’s, Nan contributed greatly to turning fashion into an art form.
This lucky lady possessed a razor sharp eye, a rail thin body, and an adoring husband with endlessly deep pockets, which came in handy, since when this legendary clotheshorse died at the age of 74, she had amassed one of the world’s largest couture collections. Her “Fav-Five” consisted of Yves St. Laurent, Valentino, Chanel, Baleciaga and Balmai. Curator Harold Koda, on loan from N.Y.C’s Metropolitan Costume Institute, guided us through the exhibit, regaling us with fascinating stories about Nan.
Just to be different, when Nan was in New York she’d tell people she was from San Francisco, but when she was in S.F. she’d boast about being a New Yorker. Nonetheless, the fact that the De Young show featured 25 exclusive outfits, I’ll take as proof positive that in the end, Nan Kempler left both her heart and her wardrobe in San Francisco.
Back downstairs, we pick up a press release detailing some of the incredible exhibits coming to the Fine Arts Museum. Reading aloud, Sis exclaims, “Wow-Dale Chihuly is coming… I love his glass… wait, first Annie Leibovitz is showing her photography… oh, and I’d love come back to see Louis Nevelson’s sculptures.”
Sure you would, hitter.
For information on joining The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) comprising the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor, go to www.thinker.org/.
Nan Kempner: American Chic June 16, 2007 — November 11, 2007
I’ve hit the fifty country mark, Divas!! I landed in Bucharest, Romania, tonight, and it marked my fiftieth country visited on this earth. How exciting!!! Since we last spoke, I’ve been to, sorry my Bosnian Divas, but Scare-ajevo, then Belgrade, Serbia, where I met up with my fabulous gal pal Wendee.
Now I don’t mean to be cruel. I think that in a couple years, Sarajevo will be a great place to visit in Europe, but I have to admit that traveling through alone, I did not feel comfortable but a little on edge the whole time. I could only find two or three hotels, and most of them were on the outskirts of the old city, on a bland, industrial highway of sorts. My Holiday Inn, bless its heart, strove to retain its glamour from the Olympic days, which it proudly announced on its shock of cubist, neon-colored exterior. But alas. How times have changed.
Pock-marked buildings with sharp shrapnel memories lined every street, and at every turn, Sarajevo is still reeling both physically and psychologically from its macabre title of suffering from the longest seige in modern history. I could hardly blame the burly men who shoved me out of the way at every turn, every cafe and store…they had waited long enough to for their lives to return to semi-normal…
The one glimpse of hope was a very lounge-y, super cool string of smart cafes where impossibly hip and gorgeous youth sipped drinks to the beat of dance music in the afternoon. Early twenty-somethings, this is surely the hope of the future of Sarajevo.
Belgrade? A completely different story. Danube River cruises and party barges, lots of ice cream shops to beat the heat, beautiful monuments and a nightlife to rival NYC, Belgrade totally impressed my girl Wendee and me. We managed to grab one of only 9 apartments (the Presidential Suite no less!) at the very chic Aleksander Palas Hotel. The staff was fabulous, and although we did have trouble adjusting to “Serbian time,” attempting to make city tour plans that never were (the Saturday tour decided to cancel itself as we waited in the heat for it), we laughed, grabbed iced coffees at the fort in a very cool cafe, and even watched pirated DVDs that we bought off the streets in our big ol’ penthouse. Can’t wait to see what Romania will have in store!! Let’s celebrate my fiftieth together, Divas, okay?
Step up to the plate with Bauer’s Limousine, Rich Aurilia, TheAList.org + 1200 of your closest friends, for this once in a lifetime experience.
Party the night away at Bauer’s All-Star Athletes’ and Celebrities’ Jam benefiting SaveIt Foundation and YouthSpeaks. Hosted by Rich Aurilia.
Baseball’s All-Star Game is sports’ premier All-Star event. On July 10th, the All-Stars will gather in San Francisco and we’re going to get you up close and personal with some of today’s biggest sports stars and celebrities.
Invited Athletes, Celebrities and Who’s Who: Rich Aurilia (Giants infielder), Raquel Aurilia (singer/songwriter), Barry Zito (Giants pitcher), Al Harrington (Warriors), Black Eyed Peas, Britt Bockius (Rodeo), Baron Davis (Warriors), Gavin Newsom (Mayor of San Francisco), Jason Giambi (Yankees), Jason Richardson (Warriors), Joe Nicholas, Larry the Cable Guy, Mark Sweeney (Giants), Rick Sutcliffe (Broadcaster), Stephen Jackson (Warriors), Third Eye Blind, Toby Keith (Musician), Tom Brady (Patriots quarterback), Tuff Hedeman (World Champion Bullrider), + many more to be named…
Featuring: • A walk down the “Green” Carpet, with media coverage and photographers • OPEN BAR • Live entertainment provided by Chris Clouse, DJ Solomon, and singer/songwriter Raquel Aurilia
Schedule • 5pm – 8:30pm: Big Screen Game Experience. First pitch at 5:33pm. • 8:30pm – 1:30am: All-Star Athletes’ and Celebrities’ Jam
McCrady’s is my Best NEW Southern Food Pick– and man, do I mean off the charts, mind-blowing great food from outer space meets El Bulli with a howdy-dee-do to Low Country Cooking.
No wonder this restaurant has received numerous awards for: Best new restaurant in 2006, Best Chef, Best Downtown restaurant, Best Wine list, Best Cotton Candy (Just kidding-but after tasting Chef Sean Brock’s;Country Ham Cotton Candy creation, which was simultaneously hot, fluffy, salty, sweet and smoky- I’d sure as hell vote for it!)
The original McCrady’s Tavern was built in 1778 as a four-story Georgian house where many famous leaders would meet to discuss politics over a drink.
A few years later, a Longroom was added on for theatrical performances and events–the most famous one being a dinner party thrown for George Washington. No wonder McCrad’s is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Landmarks. So, how I can select McCrady’s as my Best New Southern food Choice? I can explain:
1. Chef Sean has only been cooking there a year. Brock graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, worked at the Peninsula Grill for seven years, then moved to Nashville to become executive chef at the Capitol Grille in Nashville, before moving back to Charleston last year. So HE is new.
2. And his cuisine, which utilizes such diverse ingredients and methods as: methylcellulose capsules encasing veggie purees, hydrocolloids, liquid nitrogen pellets of Planters Punch, and freeze-dried fois gras powder, is about as NEW as it gets.
Furthermore, after dining on southern cuisine for the last 4 days, my favorite meal had been the lunch we had at McCrady’s, the third day. Yet my mom and sis were completely shocked when I chose to eat my final dinner here. (One of my cardinal culinary travel rules is NEVER TO GO TO THE SAME RESTAURANT TWICE DURING THE SAME TRIP!) Yet, I was so intrigued by Sean’s creativity, I wanted, no NEEDED, to explore his food further. So without further ado, I’d like to present my finals night dinner:
CHEF’S Tasting Menu
Cured Duck Mustard, Gherkin, Crispy Bread Brut Rose, Nicolas Feullatte, n/v Spiced Hawaiian Tuna Seaweed, Radish, Kasu Broth Chardonnay Costa De Oro, Santa Maria Valley, 2005 Maine Lobster Cauliflower, Mango, Vadouvan, Leeks Viognier, William Roan, Northern Coast, 2005 Seared Foie Gras “Bacon” Apple Butter, French Toast, Blis Maple Sauternes, Chateau Halliet, 2005 Niman Ranch Beef Carrot Confit, Caramelized Fennel, Black Truffle Cabernet Sauvignon, Jocelyn, Napa Valley, 2003 Peanut Butter Cake Popcorn Ice Cream, Salted Caramel Liquid Chocolate Malt Ice Cream, Marshmallow Fluff $75 $40 Wine Flight $15 Dessert Flight
Yes, there were a few misses, such as my sister’s Crab and Lobster Salad that came buried under a “coconut blanket” that tasted and felt way too polyester for my liking, and I was very sad that there was no imaginative cotton candy offering. But overall, it was a totally incredible dining experience, particularly when you find out that such ingenious, high caliber food is being prepared by a Chef who’s only 28 years old! I decided to interview this culinary genius in-the-making, so stay tuned.
While Charleston Place Grill may combine the best of the Old & New South, for those who believe in separation of church and state….here are my picks for the BEST OLD and the BEST NEW food spots in Charles…
Best Old Pick is Bowens Island Restaurant. Lowcountry folks have given up trying to keep this ramshackled fish shack a secret, and even though it requires a drive out of town (good luck trying to Mapquest this place!), it is well worth the schlep to be able to chowdown on the daily fresh catch, eaten off of newspaper covered rickety wooden tables, surrounded by grafitti filled walls. If you are lucky enough to come on a ” R” month, you’ll be in oyster heaven, slurping down some real South Carolina oysters, no farm-raised mollusks allowed! This seafood dive, which has serviced Charlestonians for generations, won a prestigous James Beard Foundation Award in 2006 when it was named one of eight “American Classic Restaurants” that “boasts timeless appeal and quality food that reflects the history and character of its community.”
Robert Barber, the current owner, has had Bowens Island Restaurant in his family all of his life. It was started by his grandparents in the 40’s, and when his grandmopther, Mrs. May Bowen, passed away in 1990, Robert gave up his law practice and politics to move back to keep the family tradition alive.
There was a big fire in 2006 and Bowens almost burned to the ground. But the Barber family is dedicated to rebuilding the eatery, and you can still eat on the covered deck part.
If you’re extremely lucky you might even bump into one of the local oyster/shrimper/fisherman who have been supplying Bowens for years. We fortunately got to meet “Goat” Layfayette, along with a few other ol’ timers , at a Southern Foodways lunch.
When asked what it was like working for Robert’s grandmother in the old days, Goat chuckled and said, “Oh, Mrs. Bowen. She was a fine lady, now. We come from to pick oysters and there used to be a lot of people when we come from picking oysters, and she said, “Oh, here my oyster picker comes. Y’all get—come ‘round the corner. I got to feed them — I got to feed them because they the working people. I can catch up with y’all later.” And just go on like that, you know. Yeah, she was real nice. Well it’s nice to me because that’s what I love to do, and we be out there picking oysters listening to—we have a little jukebox we got there, and we hear that and just keep on working. That’s all we do, yeah.”
Since it was June, no oysters for me but I did partake of their famous Frogmore Stew, a S.C.concoction that often includes shrimp, crab, sausage, potatoes, and corn, a platter of fried shrimp, banana pudding and some cold beers.
The New & Old South play nicely together at the recently renovated Charleston Grill, Charleston Place Hotel’s fine dining restaurant. Mom, sis and I were a little early for our reservation so we decided to check out the welcoming bar, wanting to listen to the mellow jazz trio over a drink (our bartender suggested some very unusual wines by the glass that were all winners) to go with our addictive bar snack… Truffle-Parmesan Popcorn.
From her bar stool perch, Sis said maybe she’d just tuck into another humongous bowl of the stuff and forego dinner. But our Mom-Knows-Best, preferring to opt for some healthier, non-fried stuff… fish, veggies… maybe hopefully, something green that had not been simmered until every last vitamin had gone missing.
All of which could be found on the Grill’s innovative menu that categorizes food under the headings of: Pure, Lush, Cosmopolitan and Southern. Executive Chef, Bob Waggoner, weaves a tasty tapestry of starters, entrees and sides inspired by organic ingredients, and featuring his favorite Southern recipes executed with a French flair. Thankfully, for little ol’ troublemaker me, creative mixing and matching is not frowned upon.
The high heat of the day (99 humid degrees) dictated us concentrating on food choices that sounded light & tasty. And our first choice was sheer perfection: Chilled Maine Lobster with micro greens lightly dressed in a Meyer lemon, chervil vinaigrette. Little did we know that our beautifully trained waitperson would come bearing a HUGE lobster that would not have been embarrassed to be weighed in at The Palm. (Note: All our appetizers were EXTREMELY generously-sized.)
Desserts at the Charleston Grill are not to be missed and are made to be shared, possible by a small army. Our choice, Total Chocolate, was a rectangular white platter laden with numerous chocolate tortes, truffles and other taste sensations. It was impossible to agree on a favorite but we did agree that the beautifully presented still life was (almost) too pretty to eat. After dinner, we had a good (full) belly laugh as we tried to position our three well-fed behinds into a pedi-cab meant for two. We took a final ride around the pretty streets of downtown Charleston before retiring for a night of sweet chocolate dreams!
***After sneaking a peek into one of the lovely rooms, I’d suggest not only eating here but spending the night at Charleston Place, since this lovely hotel is perfectly located smack-dab in the downtown historical district. Besides enjoying the potentially succulent food (I’m just going to tell Chef that I’m on a low-sodium diet next time), the southern hospitality of the professionally trained wait staff can turn a wonderful meal into a totally, memorable evening.
We found out that the Legion of Honor has one of the largest collections of Prints and Drawings in the country and that once a month the curatorial staff holds an open house where anyone can bring in a work to learn about its’ authenticity and background. Sis can’t wait to have me bring in her mother-in-law’s Italian etching that might have real "value."
Next we mosey over to the striking De Young Museum. Outside the imposing structure we get into some major talking points over architecture. I’m a huge fan of the minimal, modern building. I particularly like the way the custom designed copper will naturally oxidize to gently blend with the surrounding landscape. The angles and hard edges also appeal to my bigger City sis.
We hurry insidee to join the private guided tour of the Nan Kempner: American Chic show, currently on display. Known for her personal style of eclectically mixing lux labels with informal pieces, such as throwing on a YSL jacket over a pair of boy’s Levi’s, Nan contributed greatly to turning fashion into an art form.
This lucky lady possessed a razor sharp eye, a rail thin body, and an adoring husband with endlessly deep pockets, which came in handy, since when this legendary clotheshorse died at the age of 74, she had amassed one of the world’s largest couture collections. Her "Fav-Five" consisted of Yves St. Laurent, Valentino, Chanel, Baleciaga and Balmai. Curator Harold Koda, on loan from N.Y.C’s Metropolitan Costume Institute, guided us through the exhibit, regaling us with fascinating stories about Nan. Just to be different, when Nan was in New York she’d tell people she was from San Francisco, but when she was in S.F. she’d boast about being a New Yorker. Nonetheless, the fact that the De Young show featured 25 exclusive outfits, I’ll take as proof positive that in the end, Nan Kempler left both her heart and her wardrobe in San Francisco.
.
Back downstairs, we pick up a press release detailing some of the incredible exhibits coming to the Fine Arts Museum. Reading aloud, Sis exclaims, “Wow-Dale Chihuly is coming..I love his glass..wait, first Annie Leibovitz is showing her photographery…oh…and I’d love come back to see Louis Nevelson’s sculptures.”
Sure you would, hitter.
For information on joining The FineArts Museums of SanFrancisco (FAMSF) comprising the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor, go to www.thinker.org/
Last month I visited my sister, the New York City Culture Snob, for a week of Theatre. It was fun, but costly. Wanting to reciprocate, I called her with what I thought was a sure-thing invitation. Join me for a private tour of Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. 
Since the sun was shining, I immediately whisked her over to the Legion of Honor for a visit. Sis falls in love with the museum’s spectacular setting. The mew is perched on a hill overlooking the entire city of San Francisco, with its picture perfect view of the Golden Gate. Before going in, I point out the haunting Holocaust memorial with its stark white figures. We have a moment of silence. We stroll round the Sculpture courtyard nodding “hello” to Rodin’s masterpiece, The Thinker.
A few years later, a Longroom was added on for theatrical performances and events–the most famous one being a dinner party thrown for George Washington. No wonder McCrad’s is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Landmarks. So, how I can select McCrady’s as my Best New Southern food Choice? I can explain:
While 
If you’re extremely lucky you might even bump into one of the local oyster/shrimper/fisherman who have been supplying Bowens for years. We fortunately got to meet “Goat” Layfayette, along with a few other ol’ timers , at a Southern Foodways lunch. 
The New & Old South play nicely together at the recently renovated 
The high heat of the day (99 humid degrees) dictated us concentrating on food choices that sounded light & tasty. And our first choice was sheer perfection: Chilled Maine Lobster with micro greens lightly dressed in a Meyer lemon, chervil vinaigrette. Little did we know that our beautifully trained waitperson would come bearing a HUGE lobster that would not have been embarrassed to be weighed in at The Palm. (Note: All our appetizers were EXTREMELY generously-sized.)
