I haven't posted for a while and I have quite a few 'this and that, stuff and things' sort of info to share with you that are food related in some bizarre ways, so here goes:
I was in Minnesota for a conference and had several wonderful food encounters, including this fantastic painting by Severin Roesen at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. He is one of my favorite painters and I'm not sure why. I'm not a big fan of still lifes, but there is something about the way he depicts all of the fruits and vegetation. And I love the way he hides his signature in the tendrils of grape leaves. Amazing.
They also had this fantastic coffee service on display. I desperately wanted it! I love the long spout, almost like a watering can, so you wouldn't even have to reach to refill your guests cup.
And this china from Sèvres is my new favorite. I'll take service for twelve. The original, hand-painted set had almost 400 pieces in it. And those are scattered in museums and private collection around the world. The object at the back of the arrangement is for serving ice cream and everyone knows how much I love a food-specific serving piece.
Here I am at the sculpture park by the Walker Art Center, with Spoon Bridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in the background. I love their work and while this isn't my favorite sculpture they have ever done, it's is quite brilliant and has become an icon for the city. On the other side of the park, you get a great view of downtown.
I didn't just look at food art and antique serving pieces, I also had some good things to eat in Minneapolis/St. Paul, including this green coconut curry with mock duck at a little Thai place that was just down the street from my hotel. It was just spicy enough and made me very happy! You should definitely try Ruam Mit Thai if you are in St. Paul.
I had one of the best breakfasts ever at the Downtowner Woodfire Grill which is also right by the hotel. This is a breakfast place, per se, but a very nice restaurant that also serves a very excellent breakfast. I had the veggie version of Moe's Cajun Breakfast which was sauteed onion, pepper and mushrooms topped with hash browns topped with cheese topped with an egg over easy topped with their special Hollandaise sauce. This is a HALF order. Honestly. It was so good.
Back to Terre Haute, we had a lot of fun with Shane and Melissa who were visiting from Kentucky so she could help out with a program the Swope was holding. It also happened to be Shane's birthday, so we picked up a guitar-shaped, Elvis-bedecked container of popcorn from Big Lots. It's also a coin bank once you eat all of the popcorn! No joke.
Jonah made Shane a birthday cake: carrot with cream cheese frosting. We went with a big group to Mogger's for dinner and a few drinks, which was a lot of fun.
Of course, seasonal change means it's time to change up the bar and make it ready for fall. I had the worst time trying to decide to what to use, but eventually decided on the pheasant ice bucket, the Georges Briard glasses with gold leaves, a mix of cocktail glasses and some other gold accents.
And fall also means it's time to tea, so I made the first pot on Tuesday after I caught a chill.
Last night we went to Jimmy and Ellie's for dinner and to watch Top Chef. Jimmy made two bowls of Asian deliciousness, including giant rice balls that were super yummy--and spicy!
Great, now you're all caught up.
I was in Minnesota for a conference and had several wonderful food encounters, including this fantastic painting by Severin Roesen at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. He is one of my favorite painters and I'm not sure why. I'm not a big fan of still lifes, but there is something about the way he depicts all of the fruits and vegetation. And I love the way he hides his signature in the tendrils of grape leaves. Amazing.They also had this fantastic coffee service on display. I desperately wanted it! I love the long spout, almost like a watering can, so you wouldn't even have to reach to refill your guests cup.And this china from Sèvres is my new favorite. I'll take service for twelve. The original, hand-painted set had almost 400 pieces in it. And those are scattered in museums and private collection around the world. The object at the back of the arrangement is for serving ice cream and everyone knows how much I love a food-specific serving piece.Here I am at the sculpture park by the Walker Art Center, with Spoon Bridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in the background. I love their work and while this isn't my favorite sculpture they have ever done, it's is quite brilliant and has become an icon for the city. On the other side of the park, you get a great view of downtown.I didn't just look at food art and antique serving pieces, I also had some good things to eat in Minneapolis/St. Paul, including this green coconut curry with mock duck at a little Thai place that was just down the street from my hotel. It was just spicy enough and made me very happy! You should definitely try Ruam Mit Thai if you are in St. Paul.I had one of the best breakfasts ever at the Downtowner Woodfire Grill which is also right by the hotel. This is a breakfast place, per se, but a very nice restaurant that also serves a very excellent breakfast. I had the veggie version of Moe's Cajun Breakfast which was sauteed onion, pepper and mushrooms topped with hash browns topped with cheese topped with an egg over easy topped with their special Hollandaise sauce. This is a HALF order. Honestly. It was so good.Back to Terre Haute, we had a lot of fun with Shane and Melissa who were visiting from Kentucky so she could help out with a program the Swope was holding. It also happened to be Shane's birthday, so we picked up a guitar-shaped, Elvis-bedecked container of popcorn from Big Lots. It's also a coin bank once you eat all of the popcorn! No joke.Jonah made Shane a birthday cake: carrot with cream cheese frosting. We went with a big group to Mogger's for dinner and a few drinks, which was a lot of fun.Of course, seasonal change means it's time to change up the bar and make it ready for fall. I had the worst time trying to decide to what to use, but eventually decided on the pheasant ice bucket, the Georges Briard glasses with gold leaves, a mix of cocktail glasses and some other gold accents.And fall also means it's time to tea, so I made the first pot on Tuesday after I caught a chill.Last night we went to Jimmy and Ellie's for dinner and to watch Top Chef. Jimmy made two bowls of Asian deliciousness, including giant rice balls that were super yummy--and spicy!Great, now you're all caught up.