Approaching the Intangible, and Filling the Void, at Intangible Beauty: Beautiful Women and the Void.

If there is a world where there exists only the random, the unfathomable, the imaginary, the fallen beauty, the disturbed, the trompe l’oeil, then this side room in Kasher | Potamkin is it.  Like artifacts of a lost world of another realm, the inaugural exhibit at this new “boutique-meets-gallery” themed itself of items with peculiar, eye-of-the-beholder beauty, and that’s just how I like it.

 

 

soft, plush, silky, not the words that come to mind when one looks at marble…this trompe l’oeil of a chair gives the illusion of a solid chair carved from white arabescado marble. even the footstool is a pillowtop for your ankles; from Maurizio Galante and Tal Lancman of Maurizio-Galante, there’s some fantastical pieces on their site I wouldn’t mind owning (or borrowing, whichever comes first)

 

not one, but two sheepy ducklings (what beastly legs are these?!), at once my desire to caress/hug/park my behind on one overcame, but quickly I took hold of myself and gave in to just photographic documentations (it’ll last longer)

 

by the Haas Brothers.  go on their site to view (or buy) more beastly creatures of comfort

 

blooms? elephant trunks? rooty explosions? these were a bouquet in their own collective existence; also by the Haas Brothers

 

silk or cellophane done with shrink wrapping process of sorts? by Jessica Janoski (not to be confused with the travel blogger by the same name)

 

gilded animal (Javanese monkey to be exact) skeleton gives natural history museum meets Fort Knox; by John Breed. his is an abundance of carcasses and limbs

 

these marble and wood receptacles of sorts by Michaël Verheyden reminds me of the jewel stand by Zoe Mowat…perhaps they know each other? or all is in the critical mass that is a design aesthetic collective consciousness

 

the reason I was brought to this fantastical kingdom of dream in the first place; true to the nature of this blog (ie. talented friends, uh-hum, I’m talking about you, Soull and Dynasty), jewelry from L’Enchanteur was also featured in Kasher | Potamkin, alongside the other artistry

 

hand-made hairpieces from Tresse Agoche gives BAPS-chic (remember Halle Berry before she was HALLE BERRY?!) and beyond

 

giant orchid ink drop by Yassi Mazandi

 

guess what?! lapin butt. by Ghyslain Bertholon, a French multi-media artist that brings the art of taxidermy into the new world, amongst his swans with penises as heads and other sculptural creatures that busts through expectations of the norm

 

 

left by Vee Speers, right by Conrad Roset

 

photographic documentation of Tresse’s hair sculptures by Delphine Diallo

 

quartz cluster face by Atsushi Tawa, multimedia artist from Japan whose range is beyond description…see for yourself 

 

ceramic mask vases by Bruce M. Sherman

 

wall paper by Calico…jewel stand not included

 

no comment on the comfort of this shelf chair…

 

miniature women in a zipper pod by Kathy Taslitz

 

not your usual Russian porcelain, by Sergei Isupov

 

the backside to the unusual porcelain depicts a woman who slayyyyys…

 

sugar and sprinkles oversized medallion by Fernando Mastrangelo 

 

a close up…I was tempted but I restrained for the sake of art

 

framed this time…also by Atsushi Tawa

 

 

another unusual porcelain by Isupov…

 

the details and realism is only visible in person…by Biata Roytburd

 

my mom’s fondness for ceramic dolls come to mind when I see this eerie work by Jessica Harrison…although I’m sure she would have a much different take on these feminist versions of the women of yesteryears being portrayed this way.  Harrison has a whole series exploiting women and their tendencies to give even their most vital organs away at a constant…a not untrue observation of the structure of womanhood, even till this day

 

more portraits by Vee Spears

 

twin vision with L’Enchanteur creatives Soull and Dynasty Ogun

 

haven’t you always dreamed of caressing a lapin’s butt? well here’s your chance

 

 

The only downside to living in the vastness that is New York City is there never cease to be new things to do/to see/to experience/to get accustomed to.  But to find a space, where surrealism lives so believably, almost reasonably, stradling the subconscious and the conscious mind, where dream and reality merge seamlessly to create another realm altogether, like a second nature, is a rare treat in of itself.  Of course there will never cease to be “peculiarosities” in this town where all the Atypicals come to express their perplexities, but at last, there was a place for them/us, to call home.

 

 

curator Andi Potamkin gets a nod from Cultured magazine…

 

 

a blurb by James Tarmy for Bloomberg.com about the new gallery that is Kasher Potamkin

 

 

all photo by moi – a visual documentist

He Who Works For IT…Sajjad Works.

Of course if you have taken in any of my previous posts you would have gathered the notion of that this-here “blogging” for me is one of the ways I choose to outwardly celebrate the creative energies that surround me, many of whom I resplendently call my FRIENDS.  So it wouldn’t be a surprise that this man here, one who have been a constant fixture in the shit-disturbing, ruckus-inducing, all in the best positivity-promoting way possible, circle of “fr-amily” that reisdes in the greater area of Fort-Clint-Stuy, Brooklyn, a creative soul who I gladly admit friendship with, chose to annunciate his own brand of art, in some greatness no less than what you’re about to see.

Take it in, my soulful comrades, and make a screensaver of it (or ALL of it) while you can, because this man is about to take you on a journey through his whimsical visionary mind…here he is… Sajjadworks.com.

 

 

an accompanying soundtrack that is food for the soul, by King avriel.

 

maybe it’s my own propensity for anything architectural and out-of-this-world, this one speaks to me as its familiarity sums up all of my preferred dwelling choices in one go…

 

out of this world…as sometimes frolicking in love can feel like…

 

 

 

another favorite…can you guess why?

 

a woman’s mind is like a galaxy…she needs more than one observatories to admire her beauty and wonderment…

 

jumping into the hydrant of life…

 

I hear the song Nothing Even Matters by Lauryn Hill and D’Angelo when I see this…in the chaos that is life, we can still choose to see and feel and exude love and embrace each other…

 

 

Sajjad’s work took me out of this world, with a perspective that is at once refreshing yet soulful.

 

 

for more artistic interpretations of the future of humanity, dig in here at sajjadworks.com

 

 

all photo NOT by moi (but usually is) – a visual documentist

Sweeeeet Jesus (forgive my profanity here) For Sweetgreen.

So even though I proudly call myself a fried-chicken aficionado, I still do the most to keep up the other end of the bargain and that is choosing healthier (if not healthiest) intakes of all sorts…edibles, drinkables, information, self-talk and with any luck, all otherwise too.  So sometimes what this means is ingesting not as yummy, not as scrumptious, not as sensory-explosive, as it’s “evil-er”, fuller-fat, sugar-ier counterpart. However, there are exceptions to the rule, I’ve discovered, that doesn’t necessitate the usual, “oh you’ll get used to the green-y earth-y taste soon”, or “mmm this beet is totally “beeting” (haha I just couldn’t help it) out the red velvet cake I was craving!”  It means that, in this big yet small (big as in size-big, small as in how it can feel like there-just-isn’t-a-whole-lot-of-choices to choose from) world of ours, there are still choices that are equal parts healthful, and equal parts mouthwatering.  And today I share with you, maybe not a secret at all, but it is my go-to, whenever I feel like I need a breather, in life/in food choices/in anything at all, I come to this little, large-for-New-York, spot, namely Sweetgreen, to nourish and cleanse my soul, and palate.

 

 

even the font feels clean…just reading it makes me feel healthier.

 

 

Visually, this place gives varsity cafeteria meets urban juice bar meets upscale interior-designed artist loft.  In the midst of NoMad (clever real estate names be damned…not the area though, it does house several of my favorite K-town nosh spots, so I do actually have notable fondness of the area by association), where it is home to wholesale repositories that peddle bejeweled accoutrements by the truckloads, where the sidewalks are littered with stands of halal meats and spicy mangoes and good ol’ New York hotdogs, the existence of a “salad bar” can seem out of place.  But a closer look at the area one can immediately understand the choice made by SG (aka Sweetgreen) to situate the first of itself in the middle of what is seemingly an endless parade of razzle-dazzle budget embellishments and economical street eats.  Just next door to the New York flagship of SG is the new(ish) NoMad Hotel, and only a few more steps to the mainstream-approved originally-hip hotel of Ace.  But enough of this geographical talk, let’s get right to the non-meat of things and tuck into some nosh.

 

 

the ambience is minimal, so is the hassle.  the white line directs traffic to form a line, from end (choose a salad/grain base) to beginning (toss salad+pay).  not a moment behind the scene, all up-front and personal.

 

 

There was something about this place that made me stay longer than my usual meal time of 20 minutes maximum (I tend to inhale my food, working on that though).  Maybe it was the high ceilings, maybe it was the loftiness of it all, the minute I entered I slowed my pace down, taking in the aromas of warm grains, and the zest of fresh kale, it felt like this could’ve easily been my own living room, except for the continuous new arrivals served as reminders that it really wasn’t; nonetheless I felt cocooned by the warmth that is wellness and refuge, all at once, yet I did none of the work to make this happen, ergo the linger and begrudging departure that always seem to follow each meal.

 

 

do excuse the less-than-optimal photo, but don’t let the blurriness fool you, these teas and -nades are the bee’s knees.

 

the idea to include sweet potaters in human mulch shows aptitude in salad making.

 

any place that wall-stencils an inspirational quote from Christopher Wallace is B.I.G. in my book.

 

its varsity-ness to the fullest.

 

more than run-of-the-mill juice bar selection, this juicery boasts unusual use of bok choy (a great source of protein, which is great for maintaining muscle mass and keeping your hair and skin healthy and strong) and isn’t shy on using multiple greens in one go. 

 

finally! the grub!   I made my own with a kale/quinoa/farro/wild rice base, with corn, sweet taters (duh), alfalfa sprouts, and apple, tossed in a miso sesame ginger dressing, with a ton of course (cuz I like it like dat) cracked black pepper and a smiley face of sriracha sauce, healthyheartyearthy all in one bite…all the meat texture without the meat (I mean the protein choices are there if desired too)!

 

 

It is not unusual that I dive into something without looking behind what started it all, but nowadays with a more intentional self I wondered the objectives that prompted the serendipitous notion that is Sweetgreen; with not-a-whole-lot of digging I find out this consortium commenced in 2007, with a few college friends, in a small bungalow in Georgetown, Washington D.C..  This small dream where locally sourced organic ingredients all come to party on your plate/in your bowl, snowballed into what is now inclusive of all things sustainable (meaning recycled, reused, compostable, reclaimed, gentler carbon footprints, solar-paneled, the list does go on-and-on-AND-ON and cover all it’s tracks in all things consumable), a Brobdingnagian of a music and food festival, and a give-back program that educates young students about plant life and it’s many consumable benefits, on top of partnering with local DC farmers to accomplish allllllll that.  Besides getting on board with it all I’m not quite sure what else is a choice in this matter…it seemed all too-good-to-be-true, yet it is…<3…and I couldn’t be gladder.

 

 

On a total side note at the time of post the frozen yogurt was taken off the menu at the NoMad location (a very, VERY sad face from me, because it finally delivered a taste that what is FROZEN and YOGURTY should and would taste like in your imagination and mine), something about it taking away from the main mulch selection (who what WHYYYYYYY??!) was the explanation I was given (side-eye).  Anyways, if you get to DC and other parts of the country that luckily has a Sweetgreen, be sure to try the very delectable fro-yo made with Stoneyfield yogurt (why this was never conceived before may be beyond our best sensibilities).  Mmmmm I can still recall the deliciousness six months later and having only had it once in my life!  Bring it back SG!!!!!!!

 

 

 

as if I needed a reason to stay longer…a mélange of reading materials underpin the ideology behind Sweetgreen.

 

walked in daytime, and walked out night.  time flies when one enjoys the company it keeps. and this company is a keeper, that’s for sure.

 

 

What once was my stumbled-upon and now a destination, this urban oasis in the otherwise non-descript area that is now chicly named (by the renaming lords of real state agents as expected) NoMad (North of Madison Square, for those of us unfamiliar with all the new geographical names of nieghborhoods in New York and it’s five boroughs), is truly for the nomad in us…I wondered in a lost soul, and left found and profoundly nourished.

 

 

all photo by moi – a visual documentist

 

 

this year’s festival is already sold out, but one can gather that it is not to be missed next year ’round…

 

many-a good quotes that is at once a pick-me-upper and a life-long inspiration, found on their Instagram

 

here’s what Washington Post had to say about the first ever SG.

Plan to Check It Out at Plan Check.

Since I’ve clearly stated my disdain for any meat white on a chicken, it is not impossible to understand why I might have skipped this meal at Plan Check altogether, yet despite my condescension, I somehow allowed myself room to be proved wrong and gave this particular piece of poultry another chance.  And boy was it worth it, and I have my own nosh intuition and the very gracious committee of hosts and servers at Plan Check to thank.

 

Moving past all that, let’s get into the meat of this post (hah well you know I had to do it), Smokey Fried Chicken at Plan Check.  This impossibly-succulent (I say impossible because in my opinion chicken breasts of today’s America has no flavor, no texture, no tone, basically no way of tasting good) piece of meat was the exact opposite of what is true all elsewhere in at least the whole of America.  Oh did I mention I might be slightly biased because I grew up eating chicken of all colors, young and old, ones that have ran mountains and cliff-sides, chased their youngs from egg-state, good ol’ school farm with other animals such as ducks and cows and horses and pigs?  Yup that’s why I say what I say about American poultry.  Anyways that’s besides the point (sort of) and we will forgo this topic for the sake of moving this article along.

 

the jidori breastessess in all of their glory; side of sweet potato waffle fries, baby kale “caesar” salad, and smoked milk gravy, yam preserves, and spicy pickled okra that comes with the jidori chicken boobies.  also a pint of sage beer (no longer on the menu) to wash it all down.

 

If you see on the menu of Plan Check Kitchen+Bar Fairfax location, under Dishes, you can find the first item of order to be the topic in line, SMOKEY FRIED CHICKEN, and underneath that it explains, jidori chicken, smoked milk gravy, yam preserves, spicy pickled okra.  At the time of consumption I had no idea what jidori meant nor did I really think much about it.  But in writing this post commemorating jidori’s glory through the above rant about why this breast is a must-eat got me curious if the term jidori meant anything at all.  So I did a little digging: into what it means to be a jidori chicken, and why it tastes so good, like the poultry of my childhood.  And apparently that is exactly what it is!  I still remember how the chicken tasted when I consumed them in mass quantities in Taiwan…fresh, muscley, tender, juicy, basically the definition of delicious.  And without going too deep into the whole name thing and how it came about, jidori is a label for chicken that equates to what kobe is for beef…extra-fresh, extra-exercised (they got pecs they should use them!), a whole new level of poultry (when that’s how they really should be…not this big chicken farm/slaughter house approach, but that’s another topic for another day).   But I bet you already know all about “the jidori”, so let’s get back to talking about the rest of the dinner, one that makes me salivate even now, even through nostalgia.

 

I guess besides the chicken, the rest of the meal was up-to-par also.  No not I guess, it WAS pretty darn delicious and I would order it all over again if I’m ever near the place again.  Quite the clever idea to replace good ol’ hearty romaine with resistant chewy baby kale, both bitter, but different afterbite, the baby kale “caesar” salad includes red caesar dressing, parmesan cheese, pickled hearts of palm, croutons, the usual works, but just changing the green changed one’s view on the classic salad from the Italian chef in 20’s Mexico, from mundane to extraordinary.  Overall, Plan Check’s insertion of pickled textured stuff (the pickled hearts of palm here, the spicy pickled okra that comes as part of the chix dish) really elevates their whole approach to the menu, homey yet complex, simple yet soulful, the food gets right into your guts and heart, all at once.

 

 

the Last Tango: the drink that costed more than my main course, but well worth the extra bucks; maybe it’s nothing new to pair balsamic with strawberries, but to top it with st. germain foam?! whaaaaaa this drink blows it out the water, quite literally, I will never think of gin quite the same way again.

 

personally I like yeast doughnuts better, just in general I prefer food with texture, that requires chewing, but not too much, and not just fall apart in the mouth once bitten, even for dessert, unless it’s a crème brûlée-something, or a molten-something.  I can’t complain too much here since I didn’t pick it and it was a restaurant birthday pressie so we didn’t pay for it either.  a nice idea of the doughnut in cream and fruit, I just could have done without the cruller part (or the fruit didn’t have to be sweet mushy ‘nanas either…I need some puck and texture damnit!).

 

 

all photo by moi – a visual documentist

 

 

see what Huffington Post has to say about this jidori…the way poultry should alway be…tasty

 

Good vs. Evil — the Leftover edition.

When do we decide to choose something “good” versus something “bad”?  When do we decide if that something “bad” is “evil”?  I know I have my own definition of what each of these labels mean, but one thing is universal, fried food is EVIL for your body.  But since I cannot nor want to un-choose fried chicken, clearly one of my favorite indulgences in the world (and I have more than a few), I  saw this as an opportunity to dress up the “EVIL” with something gorge & green like that Christian Dior gown on Lupita!

 

crunchy-crunch-crunch!

 

So this “opportunity” came about after I went on a lunch date yesterday at the local southern eaterie Maggie Brown on Myrtle ave, and since their portion of the fried chicken was basically fit for two meals (to my been-juicing-shrunken-portioned stomach, as my good friend Cool Chris likes to point out), I had some boxed up for a later occasion, and that later occasion became lunch today.  What I normally would’ve done is heat up the fried-somethin in my toaster oven, both sides of course, get it nice and crispy like it just came out of the fryer, and chomped it down ten-fingers-lickin-good . But lately I’ve been on a health kick so hard, that I decided to add a lot of “GOOD” to this not-necessary-but-very-loved “EVIL” that we called fried chicken. To make this “GOOD”, I decided to put in a bed mixed with fresh kale and baby spinach, mostly because I just had it in the fridge, waiting to be juiced, but really because I do crave the taste and crunchiness that fresh kale lends to any dish. Next I crumpled up some rosemary crackers that I had in the pantry, they’ve been left there untouched because I rarely choose wheat anymore, but for this occasion they came in perfectly handy, and some roasted sea salt almonds to amp up the texture. For the dressing I used this maple vinaigrette I found in the Adirondacks mountains, but I’m sure maple+white wine vinegar+olive oil can achieve similar results. And voila! My lunch is served! And while I don’t think I will ever be able to fully un-choose fried food, I can certainly choose more of that “GOOD” stuff to go with it!

 

all photo by moi – a visual documentist