C'est Inspiré is simply that - what is inspiring. Where the words end, images continue to speak. Seeing all that is around us, we seek some aspect of something that is life enhancing... something that you would like to be reminded of - to revisit. Something to capture and bring into your world, not leave behind... . That is why I take a camera everywhere; have spent countless hours organizing images in scrapbooks and pouring over them later to revisit the place, the people, the memory.
So, C'est Inspiré may be a single photo - or it may be 50, it may mean one thing to me, another to you - the meaning isn't important. Did it inspire? Did it make you smile? Did it bring back a pleasant memory? One or all of the above will do.
During a brief period of his life, the legendary art historian Bernard Berenson kept diaries where he wrote about how to see - and what he saw. These diaries were published under the title The Passionate Sightseer and edited by Raymund Mortimer.
Anyone, anywhere, anytime can be a passionate sightseer - just look.
For more ideas – and a great selection of prepared
foods, try these websites -
Perhaps the most expansive selection for your hunting menu – D’Artagnan – which sells prepared game meats, as well as all the fixin’s…foie gras, truffles and caviar….
www.dartagnan.com
For prepared wild game meats, Cabela’s has everything from a game steak variety pack to their signature “Tur-Duc-Hen” for the daring poultry lover.
www.cabelas.com
Smithfield Marketplace – famous for their hams – also has a huge variety, including hostess gifts and tailgating favorites. You don’t have to be at the dinner table to exhibit your hunting chic!
www.smithfieldmarketplace.com
To spark your gourmet food imagination…as well as wine, cheese and desserts – check out Gilt Taste.
www.gilttaste.com
For Fleur de Sel, great cooking oils, spices and spreads – try The French Farm, out of Houston.
www.frenchfarm.com
And Blackberry Farm is nestled in the Smokey Blue mountains, but if you can’t make it there be sure to check out Sam Beal’s Blackberry Farm Cookbook for inspiration and recipes – ‘Foothill Cuisine,’ as they call it, and shop their products on Taigan.
As the turkeys roast and the dressing and pies bake in the oven, let’s remember the history of Thanksgiving. Here are some excerpts from Life is Meals by James and Kay Salter.
While I was in New Orleans, I spent time with Jane Scott Hodges of Leontine Linens. Jane has just redone part of her shop there and added charming new signage on Magazine Street.
I have been ordering sheets and towels from Jane Scott for years for my clients. Her monograms are exquisitely embroidered or appliqued, on sheets or towels. In addition to all beautiful linens for the bed, there are countless combinations for the table. A choice of fabrics, a choice of colors, different monograms and thread colors……the world is your oyster. And what better way to enjoy an oyster than on beautiful, crisp, embroidered table linens.
As the holidays approach, take a look at the Leontine website for great gift ideas to personalize. See www.leontinelinens.com or stop by 3806 Magazine Street in New Orleans. Stylish…for the bedroom, the dining room and travel.
Sunday morning….off to brunch in Brooklyn…at SEERSUCKER…before the Little Flower School.
Thank goodness for Garden and Gun magazine for keeping all of us Southerners up to date with the latest in Southern cooking and restaurants above the Mason Dixon….
Off to SEERSUCKER for sustenance. In the form of pimento cheese grits, eggs, collard greens and coffee. It was a little too early for an Albuquerque cocktail or a Michelada. Next time, after a long morning of antiquing in Brooklyn, I will return for the Cayuga Chili.
BTW….that scrawl on the side of the menu is the chef’s signature. Chef and owner Robert Newton grew up in Arkansas and the ingredient driven “Southern” menu is what drives Seersucker in this eatery. Check out Seersucker at seersuckerbrooklyn.com.
Seersucker Brooklyn
329 Smith Street (between President & Carroll) Brooklyn, NY 11231.
Lincoln Center has it all – music, ballet and the opera. There is something for everyone and it will all be in full swing soon.
When your psyche has been satisfied after an evening of ballet, opera or chamber music, it is dining late that can present a challenge…
What you need is something equally satisfying, sensuous and enticing.
Here are a few simple tips to help set the mood before leaving home…
- Set the table before you leave.
- Have the candles ready and
- The lighting just right
- Put that bottle of Fume Blanc on ice.
- Have something prepped on a platter in the fridge.
- Create a playlist and have the music poised to play with just a press of a button…
Sounds good, right?
Oh by the way, you do have a date?
So what should we have?
Here are some delicious meals that can be prepared before hand or with little preparation apres….
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts schedule is packed full of incredible performances - now is a great time to plan your trip or an evening of culture and beauty in whatever city you reside.
For more information on the NYC Ballet go to http://www.nycballet.com
For more information on the New York Philharmonic go to http://nyphil.org/
For more information on the Metropolitan Opera go to http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/
