SJ, EM, Handsome Haru and Teru, Princess of Cuteness (and artistic creativity), are back safely in Brooklyn after their happy New Mexico visit. SJ and EM regaled HG/BSK with culinary delights but in their absence, BSK is performing the usual wonders in the kitchen. Dinner last night was an example. BSK made HG’s favorite comfort dish: Stracciatella with baby spinach and orzo. This is Italian with a BSK twist. HG first tasted stracciatella at The Italian Pavilion restaurant (long closed) on Manhattan’s posh Upper East Side. The dish was simple. Beaten eggs stirred into hot chicken broth . The trick was to add the eggs slowly so “strings” of egg formed in the broth. The Italian Pavillion served it with parmesan toast. The waiter adorned the dish with grated parmesan and black pepper flakes from a big grinder. Quite lush. BSK adds a variation: Baby spinach, orzo and lots of parmesan are stirred into the broth and egg mix. This gives the soup a filling heartiness equal to a main dish. Thus, HG/BSK had small bowls as starters (the remainder will be tomorrow’s lunch). Main dish was BSK’s version of chicken schnitzel (as served at Santa Fe’s Compound Restaurant). BSK flattened chicken thighs into thin paillards (BSK is skilled in the use of a rubber mallet). Dipped the chicken in beaten egg and then panko crumbs. Fried them in sizzling canola oil. Made a wonderful sauce of virgin olive oil, butter, white wine, lemon juice, dijon mustard and capers. Poured it over the crisp (not greasy) chicken. Sublime.
One of the nice things about living in Santa Fe is the art. Of course, there are scores of galleries (some kitsch but mostly first rate) and a surprising number of museums for a city its size. But, there’s quality art almost everywhere–in banks, restaurants, public buildings, shops, offices, etc. HG’s doctor, for example, has a splendid Dali hanging in her consulting room. One of HG’s favorite spaces is the very good Compound Restaurant on Canyon Road. In an old adobe building, the restaurant was designed by the late Alexander Girard and the sun washed interiors are decorated with a few striking pieces of primitive art. (Girard contributed 106,000 pieces to Santa Fe’s Museum Of International Folk Art). New York has some splendid restaurant art, much enjoyed by HG during HG’s long residence in HG’s once beloved city (now a theme park for the international oligarchy). The now threatened Four Seasons Restaurant in Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building has a Lippold sculpture, Bertoia curtains, and a revolving display of paintings by modern masters (The Picasso ballet curtain, alas, has been removed). There is no better place for cocktails than The King Cole Bar in the St. Regis Hotel. (HG/BSK have a special fondness for the hotel since, just abut 52 years ago, the duo had an afternoon reception in the elegant Library room following a morning wedding). King Cole, that merry old soul, is celebrated at the bar with a majestic Maxfield Parrish mural. Gaze at it in wonder as you sip a martini during your next New York visit. But, bring an active credit card. Drinks and snacks are very expensive (but worth it). Another wondrous interior is the Cafe des Artistes (now called Leopard at des Artistes).on W.67th Street. The walls are adorned with frolicking, bare-breasted forest nymphs painted by Howard Chandler Christy. Enchanting. (Some 5l years ago, HG/BSK lived next door to the des Artistes at 27 W. 67th and sometimes popped into the cafe for a drink). The long closed Jams Restaurant introduced Alice Waters-influenced California cuisine to New York. The owners, Melvin Masters and Jonathan Waxman, hung striking modern art on the walls. There are two restaurants with caricatures on the walls–Sardi’s and Palm. Sardi’s features theatrical figures and Palm has Depression era stuff by cartoonists from nearby newspapers (The artists got a free meal). Palm has restaurants throughout the country and has caricatures of local personalities (and good customers) on its walls. When HG resided in Denver, HG often lunched at the Denver Palm outpost at a booth beneath a flattering caricature of HG. Fame.
