The Accidental Wino » Food & Art

Photo Purge: Scenes from the California Bay Area and Beyond

The Accidental Wino — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 08:14:03 +0000

Gateway Market, Emeryville: Adorned with a fantastic mural alongside its parking lot, the Gateway Market is tough to miss on San Pablo Blvd. The artwork has a definite graffiti vibe, but the details are fantastic. Luckily, it hasn't been tagged over. The "W" in Gateway is pictured above (each letter has its own theme). Click on the photo to reveal all of the great flourishes.

Most of these pictures have never appeared on this site, although a couple did appear a few years ago, long before I sharpened my photo-editing skills. Many readers have emailed me about my approach to photography, and I must confess, my only real secret is to simply seek the best lighting possible. Truthfully, I’ve never had any formal photography training, but I did develop an eye for proper lighting while I was working (briefly, almost 15 years ago) as a grip in Los Angeles. Any moviegoer who has bothered to sit through the credits may have wondered what function a grip serves. In a nut shell, the grips help to manipulate the film set’s lighting, based upon the director of photography’s instructions. The “key” grip is the lead grip, while the “best boy” grip is second in command (I was never either of those, obviously). Much like cooking, gripping is long, laborious work with odd hours. However, if you pay attention on the job, you can also learn a few things along the way. Who knew that a summer of gripping would’ve ever become useful?

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Uni with Caul Fat on Crostini @ Marea, NYC: Long before Anthony Bourdain developed his upcoming show, The Layover, which premieres November 21st, I used a four-hour window at JFK to jump onto the subway and eat a seven-course lunch at Marea (top that, Tony). David Koon, my old CIA roommate, was in the kitchen at the time, so I received the VIP treatment, and fast. Coincidentally, Dave opened up his own restaurant, Chuko Ramen, just two days ago in Brooklyn. He said the 35-seat dining room turned out more than 200 covers on its first day, which is an insane number.

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Highway One, Near Salt Point State Park: I was driving up California's North Coast to forage porcinis when I spotted this old fellow gazing out over the Pacific Ocean. He was laying near the edge of the grassy cliff, apparently in total zen mode. Unfortunately, he stood up when I approached to snap a picture. After a two-minute stand-off, I gave up and left him to his meditations. Sorry, buddy.

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Philo Apple Farm, Philo: This large painting adorns the small shopping area at Philo Apple Farm, which is owned by Don and Sally Schmidt, the original owners and founders of Yountville's French Laundry. All purchases are based upon the honor system (at least every time I've visited), and the farm itself is Demeter-certified.

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Nopalito Restaurant, San Francisco: I really like the artwork on this ice-cream freezer outside of Nopalito.

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Five-spice Pork Belly over Rice: This is one of the very first pictures I published on this blog, back at a time when I was publishing recipes. My format has evolved over the years, and at this point, I save all my recipes for the annual Project Food Blog competition, which is coming up again this year (I finished in the Top 12 out of almost 2,000 contestants last year -- just saying).

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Mandina's Restaurant, New Orleans: My sentimental favorite in the Crescent City.

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The Strip District, Pittsburgh, PA: This mural was a work-in-progress during my visit to Pennsylvania a couple years back. I'm sure it's completed by now. I liked where it was headed.

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Boonfly Cafe, Napa Carneros: I spotted this little VW in the parking lot of the Boonfly Cafe one morning. I'm not sure if it belonged to a purveyor or to a guest. Pretty cool whip, regardless.

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Cookie Fortune @ China Village Restaurant, Albany: I think.

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Book Review: “Everyday French Cooking” by Henri-Paul Pellaprat

The Accidental Wino — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:47:13 +0000

Lobster Russian Style: Garnished with hard-boiled eggs and black truffles, though the book allows black olives as a substitute for the latter.

I meant to snap some food pics from Berkeley and the East Bay this week, but my camera battery was drained. Among the missed opportunities: a grilled bockwurst from Top Dog, a falafel pita from Fa-La-La, and a plate of yellow curried rice from Bua Luang. On the upside, I did find several great used cookbooks at Pegasus Books, including “Everyday French Cooking” by Henri-Paul Pellaprat. Originally published in America in 1966, Pellaprat’s book is an obvious response to Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” which was first published in 1961. Much like Child’s seminal work, “Everyday French Cooking” aims to assist the American housewife, as the book states in its introduction (the book’s original French title is “Le Nouveau Guide Culinaire,” published in 1956, or perhaps even earlier).

As the author of “Everyday French Cooking,” Henri-Paul Pellaprat began his culinary career as an apprentice in 1881, before training under some of the greatest chefs of Belle Epoque France. After his stint in the professional kitchen, Pellaprat spent nearly 40 years teaching at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (some also credit Pellaprat as the founder of the culinary school, although I’m not so sure). Once retired, Pellaprat turned his attention to writing in 1932, and is perhaps best known for his comprehensive “L’Art Culinaire Moderne,” which was originally published in 1935. As a friend and contemporary of Auguste Escoffier, Pellaprat is considered one of the fathers of modern French cuisine, and “Everyday French Cooking” — though lesser in scope than some of Pellaprat’s other works — remains a valuable classical resource.

What I enjoy about the 1968 edition of “Everyday French Cooking” is the photography. Of course, it’s not great by modern standards, but technical merits aside, I appreciate the old school composition of the dishes. For me, it’s a trip back in time, and it’s interesting to consider how culinary aesthetics have continued to evolve over the last half-century.

Fried Trout a la Meuniere: Will curly-leaf parsley ever come back?

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Glazed Pork Chop: Garnished with parsley potatoes, grilled tomatoes and English peas.

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Tournedos Chateau Figeac: Garnished with mushroom caps on the steaks, boiled carrots, and artichoke bottoms topped with asparagus tips.

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Frosted Genoise: Garnished with candied oranges and cherries.

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Food and Art: “Cochon Prodigue”

The Accidental Wino — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:47:53 +0000

"Garçon" means boy; "cochon" means pig.

Question: How have I not already stumbled across this jaw-dropping, early-20th-century French advertisement? Wow, the ticklish glee of the pig’s smile really says it all: Fresh, delicious sausage, happily sliced to order. When you’ve got it, flaunt it. There’s certainly no shame in acknowledging the source of your food, and besides, what a splendid way to ward off vegans and vegetarians. Bon appetit!

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Food & Art: “L’Art et Les Biscuits”

The Accidental Wino — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 07:08:18 +0000

A few weeks ago, I found an odd little book titled “L’Art et Les Biscuits,” which features the historic advertising and marketing campaigns of Lefevre-Utile, the French biscuit company known as LU here in the United States (originally founded in Nantes in 1846, LU was purchased by Kraft Foods in 2007). “L’Art et Les Biscuits” captures LU in its heyday, documenting the company’s ad campaigns from 1897 to 1914, the same era that marked the Golden Age of French lithography. As one might expect, the lithography movement influenced a large portion of Lefevre-Utile’s advertising and packaging, and many of these lavishly-colored materials remain highly collectible today. Published in 1978, “L’Art et Les Biscuits” offers dozens of pictures, though very little text (save for a brief introduction and an index to the artwork itself). The cover of the book is pictured above, with the reverse side pictured below. A few images from the book follow.

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Plate 70: Paper wrapper for “Flirt” tins.

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Plate 71: Paper wrapper for “Lacté” tins.

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Plate 15: Poster by Alphonse Mucha for “Champagne” biscuits.

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Plate 14: Poster by Alphonse Mucha for “Flirt” biscuits.

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Plate 16: Poster by Luigi Loir for “Iceberg” wafers.

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Plate 49: Benjamin Rabier autograph promo card (Rabier was an early cartoonist who also contributed a few legendary ads of the era).

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Food & Art: “The Natural Cuisine of Georges Blanc”

The Accidental Wino — Fri, 07 May 2010 03:53:24 +0000

While killing some time between meals the other day, I finally turned up a copy of “The Natural Cuisine of Georges Blanc” at a used bookstore in Berkeley. It was a nice find, and one of the best discoveries that I’ve recently made “in the field” (as opposed to trolling eBay for such an item). Originally published in 1987 — just six years after the eponymous author earned his third Michelin star — “Natural Cuisine” earns its stripes for its lavish photography, with the pictures outnumbering the recipes by almost three to one. Although long out of print, the book remains a prescient example of the cookbook-as-coffee-table-book concept, an approach to food-related publishing that has become increasingly popular over the last 25 years. In the case of Blanc’s “Natural Cuisine,” however, the photography itself is rather straight-forward, although maybe that’s actually for the best: Blanc’s classic geometric designs and vivid color contrasts ensure that his plates will shine on their own artistic merit, no outside assistance necessary. Here’s a taste (photography by Christopher Barker):

Zuchini Flans with Sliced Zucchini and Salmon Cream

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Pineapple with Raspberry and Kiwi Sauces and Pineapple Sorbet

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Sauteed Eggplant and Baked Whiting in a Butter Sauce

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Tomato, Red Pepper and Olive Tart

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Pineapple Fritters with Macerated Kiwi Fruit

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Label Deconstruction: Ridge

The Accidental Wino — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 03:41:57 +0000

I was doing some research on Ridge, when I finally learned that Optima is the font that the winery has used as its brand for the last 40 years. I’ve always admired the look of Ridge’s packaging, and the wines themselves have delivered so much personality, they have remained a perennial favorite as well. In an age when a lot of frou-frou and slick packaging can be used to sell wine, Ridge retains a classic look, and offers a lesson in elegant simplicity.

In my recent interview with Aurajo winemaker Matt Taylor (also of Taylor Cellars), our discussion of the Eisele Vineyard led to the mention of the wine pictured to the left. This historic bottling by Ridge was the first to feature “Eisele” on a wine label, and was also one of the first vineyard-designated wines produced in California (even predating such legendary cult labels as Diamond Creek, which made its debut with the 1972 vintage). What really struck me about the look of this label, however, was the fact that it looks like every other Ridge label that I’ve ever seen.

And why shouldn’t it? I admire the fact that, stylistically, Ridge’s wine label has remained the same for all these years. There’s definitely something to be said about getting things right the first time. I’m not sure who was responsible for Ridge’s label design, but I can tell you that the font itself was designed by renowned typographer Hermann Zapf, who created Optima in 1958. To put this particular font into other familiar contexts, it’s the one used on the National Vietnam Memorial, and Estée Lauder has been using it for decades as well.

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In Photos: Tafoni @ Salt Point State Park

The Accidental Wino — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 05:09:18 +0000

I was hoping that this warmish December weather would tease out a few late-season porcinis at Salt Point State Park this week, but I couldn’t find anything edible today. Mushrooms are often mysterious, but I suspect that once the first frost of winter occurs, porcinis may go dormant for the year (in which case, their off-switch had already been tripped at least two weeks ago). Either way, I was skunked at Salt Point for the first time in 2009, and it will be a long, patient wait before my next fresh porcini. Still, the weather was perfect this afternoon, and I was able to snap some photos of tafoni.

Tafoni is the name given to these reticulate patterns in sedimentary rock, and Salt Point State Park is one of the few places on earth where this phenomenon exists. Although geologists have not fully explained how this unique weathering pattern occurs, the influence of salt crystals is thought to be a factor. All three photos were taken in Gerstle Cove, just a bit south of Stump Beach (which, by the way, does not feature any tafoni).

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Ton Kiang Dim Sum & Andy Warhol at the de Young

The Accidental Wino — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 07:15:56 +0000

My tendency to pair dim sum with trips to the de Young Museum is two-fold: (1) there are some noteworthy dim sum restaurants in the Richmond District, just a few blocks north of Golden Gate Park, and (2) since I have very little will power with dim sum, the de Young is a great venue to wander around while the bloating slowly subsides. Last week, I stopped in at Ton Kiang before heading to the “Warhol Live” exhibit, which began three weeks ago and runs through May 17.

The dim sum at Ton Kiang is exemplary, and while I’m totally content to put up with surly attitudes at many dim sum venues, I’d have to say that the service at Ton Kiang is exemplary as well. In some ways, Ton Kiang represents the bridge between the fancy restaurants with the dim sum carts and those that sell steamed pork buns from behind a glass display case: with Ton Kiang, dim sum is offered on small trays, which often appear in rapid-fire succession.

Back when I was studying Eastern philosophy during my days as a UCLA undergrad, I remember a very insightful text, titled “Entering the Stream,” which borrows its title from an ancient Buddhist metaphor. I’m always reminded of this title when I visit at a restaurant like Ton Kiang, which has so many delicious items circling the dining room, already in full swing the moment you walk in the door. For this, the order in which your lunch arrives is essentially unpredictable.

Most recently, my lunch began with a delicious stack of Chinese long beans with mushrooms, perfectly stir-fried and glistening with a thin coat of oil. After the green beans, the session became more of blur — baked pork buns arrived alongside Chinese doughnuts (addicting), shrimp-stuffed crab claws, slices of roast duck, pot stickers and myriad dumplings. Each item proved to be a worthy example of its type, and together, a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon in San Francisco.

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Photo: Mandina’s, New Orleans

The Accidental Wino — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:42:43 +0000

Mandina’s is probably my favorite restaurant in New Orleans, at least when I’m in the mood for a shrimp poboy and a bowl of turtle soup. I found this photo online at wikimedia.org, and I really like how the neon pops against the dark background. Following its demise after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the restaurant finally re-opened during Mardi Gras 2007, a week I happened to be back in the Crescent City. Seeing this place up and running was a highlight of my visit.

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Food & Art: More Janet Fish Paintings

The Accidental Wino — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:06:28 +0000

Here are a couple more scans from the book “Janet Fish: Paintings” by Vincent Katz. As you can see, Windex bottles were a whole lot sexier in 1972 than they are now (I do realize that, technically, Windex is not food). Jars of mustard pickles, on the other hand, haven’t seemed to change a bit.

As always, I have tried to include scans of paintings that are not widely available on the web. Please click here for my link to other Janet Fish paintings. Or, click this link for even more great work by Janet Fish.

Janet Fish, Windex Bottles, 1972

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Janet Fish, Mustard Pickles, 1970

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