WINE /NAPA Valley Notebook
Published March 2nd, 2008
Quixote Winery Celebration lunch for Monty and Sara Preiser
Quixote Winery, Stags' Leap Ranch, Napa Valley, hosted a Celebration of Life lunch for Boca Raton News wine experts, Sarah and Monty Preiser, Feb. 10. This Wine Country lunch for six was purchased by the Preisers at the Napa Valley 2007 L’Chaim auction. Winery owners Carl Doumani and Pam Hunter joined Kosher cookbook author Judy Zeidler and her restaurateur husband Marvin in the kitchen. Judy Zeidler is the author of The Gourmet Jewish Cookbook, The 30-Minute Kosher Cook and the host of the Jewish Life Television show, Judy’s Kitchen. Her husband and sous chef for the event was restaurateur Marvin Zeidler (Capo, Cora’s, Brass Cap, The Brentwood and Broadway Deli). Guests for the day included David and Emily Miner of Miner Vineyards and James Hall and Ann Moses of Patz and Hall. The volunteer crew was comprised of Christy and Peter Palmisano and Jerry and Amy Giaquinta.
ART & ANTIQUES
By Dr. Lori
A&A:
Eastlake side chair with low relief carvings dated 1890 is valued at $500
Anti-bacterial Antiques: Valuable Eastlake Furniture
I often tell people at my public antiques appraisal events that “You have the Stuff”. This statement is directed at you, yes you. It is you who has the valuable art and antiques right in your house. This is certainly the case when discussing late 19th/early 20th Century Eastlake furniture that has enjoyed a collecting surge in the 21st Century. With values ranging from $250 to $20,000 for individual pieces, this furniture style is a big hit with collectors.
Shotty to Stylish
Eastlake grew out of the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Arts and Crafts leader, John Ruskin, believed that the Industrial Revolution led to the decline of good, honest design. He thought it sparked shotty construction of furniture and poor workmanship. For Ruskin, a revival of the use of quality materials was key. Ruskin’s colleague, the design innovator, author, and architect, Charles Eastlake had new ideas about designs that inspired the furniture style that bears his name.
Eastlake was at the forefront of a 19th Century reform movement that spread throughout the United States. Eastlake published his beliefs about simplicity of design in his 1868 book, Hints on Household Taste in Furniture, Upholstery, and Other Details. He changed the way people thought about decoration, style, and health. Homes were filled with large carved wooden furniture pieces that attracted dust, thick upholstery that promoted the spread of germs, and heavy draperies that kept sunlight out. This 19th Century interest in an “antiseptic” environment maintains my theory that art and antiques are revived in 100-year cycles. Today, as in Eastlake’s time, we focus on creating germ-free environments with hepa filters on vacuum cleaners, air purifiers in bedrooms, and an overabundance of anti-bacterial soap.
Clean design
Eastlake suggested that a home should have a cohesive style where a single decorative influence dominated. Eastlake’s designs called for handcrafted, solid wood furniture with straightforward rectangular joinery. Typically, Eastlake furniture has low relief carvings, incised lines, light varnish, and geometric moldings. Compared to intricately carved pieces, Eastlake furniture was easy to keep clean.
Eastlake encouraged manufacturers of machine-made furniture to explore the decorative possibilities of their machines. The machine carved furniture was more affordable than the fanciful revival pieces of the time.
The owner of this circa 1900s Eastlake chair brought it to my antiques appraisal event and discovered its impressive $550 value. Today, Eastlake Style furniture enjoys widespread popularity and commands high prices. Eastlake’s concept of clean, affordable, and attractive furniture has survived in many contemporary homes whose owners have a flair for the historic.
As seen on Comcast TV, Dr. Lori is an author, certified antiques appraiser, and museum curator with the Ph.D. in art history. To host one of Dr. Lori’s antiques appraisal events for a group, visit www.DrLoriV.com or (888) 431-1010.
BOOKS
By Prudy Taylor Board
There’s a reason why Palm Beacher James Patterson is one of the best-selling authors of the 21st century—he spins a good yarn. And he doesn’t let his readers down with 7th Heaven, his latest offering which he co-authored with New York journalist and novelist Maxine Paetro.
The book successfully and effectively weaves four stories into one. The book, and the first story, opens with a home invasion in which a wealthy couple is robbed, murdered, and their home is burned to the ground leaving behind a telling clue that’s also the murderers’ signature—a book in which the killers have written a Latin phrase.
Then Patterson introduces the second story which involves the disappearance of the son of the former California governor. The son, Michael Campion, was born with a congenital heart defect whose struggles to survive and live a normal life have turned him into the state’s darling, a local version of JFK Jr. He’s been missing for months when Detective Sgt. Lindsay Boxer (of the Women’s Murder Club) and her partner, Rich Conklin, are sent to follow up on an anonymous tip concerning his whereabouts. He was last seen frequenting the digs of Junie Moon, a sweet-faced waif of a prostitute who helped him divest himself of his virginity.
The third story deals with Boxer’s personal life. Her handsome, sensitive live-in lover Joe has just moved to San Francisco to be with her, but she’s also turned on by Conklin who’s a 30-year-old, six-foot-two hunk. Such a problem.
And the fourth story features Yuki, an assistant state attorney who’s also a member of the Women’s Murder Club. She’s the prosecutor when Junie Moon goes on trial for Michael’s murder and Yuki’s also the target of Jason Twilly, a best-selling true-crime writer who woos her to get the inside story of the trial. Claire, the M.E. and a member of the club, is pregnant and her fecund condition adds to the stewplot.
Patterson, as usual, delivers a good story and there’s no question he’s a master of his craft. This reviewer found it very interesting that he skillfully switches from first person point of view to third person, multiple points of view so that the main story is told through Boxer’s eyes, but we have many scenes revealed through the eyes of other characters including the killers. In short: An engrossing read.
(7th Heaven. Hard cover. 376 pages. Little, Brown Publishers. ISBN 978-0-316-01770-1. $27.99)
Sign off
TRAVEL
Bt Scott Grody
A FOOD LOVERS GUIDE TO ITALY
When in Italy, fashionistas migrate towards Milan, sun-worshippers luxuriate on the Riviera, and history buffs steep themselves in Rome's splendid past. But for epicureans, choosing an Italian itinerary is a more complex process. Should you head north in pursuit of a Piedmontese white truffle? Travel to Tuscany for a rustic Florentine steak? Or stay in the south to sample Sardinia's tasty tuna bottarga? And the decisions don't stop there. It's also crucial to determine which trattoria locals swear by if what you crave is an authentic experience.
One of the country's premier food and wine events takes place in La Morra (in the Cuneo province) on the last Sunday of August: The Mangialonga (its name is a play on the marcialonga, a 70-kilometer cross-country ski competition) is a gastronomic tour of the Barolo and Piedmontese vineyards. Participants hike through wineries and neighboring farms, stopping often to sample wines that are paired with a wide variety of regional dishes. If you're planning a visit to the region during the summer months, it is an event not to be missed
The food and wine of the Piedmont region are possibly the most elegant in all of Italy. It's the home of the white truffle, best enjoyed when shaved over pasta, rice, or raw meat. Other regional specialties include agnolotti egg pasta and braised meat and poultry. Torino chocolates and pastries, including gianduja (a chocolate hazelnut paste) are exceptional.
For fantastic restaurants and wineries off the beaten path, I suggest exploring the less-trafficked Monferrato area, situated north of Alessandria. Stay at the shabby-chic agriturismo farm Dre' Caste', which means "behind the castle" in the local dialect (a curious misnomer, since there is no castle nearby). The farm produces and sells its fine wines and preserves (try the cherry chili peppers stuffed with anchovy-wrapped capers) under the name Mongetto.
When you visit Venice, the "Queen of the Adriatic," the lagoon will inevitably flavor the sights, sounds, and tastes of your sojourn—a promising incentive, since fish and seafood from Venetian waters are likely the sweetest in Italy. To find the freshest catch, head to the bustling Rialto Market—where fishermen and cooks have converged for nearly a millennium. A must for any fish- and food-lover's itinerary, it boasts stands lined with superfresh soft-shelled crabs, mounds of still-moving gray shrimp, as well as seasonal regional vegetables (squash, wild mushrooms, artichokes, red radicchio, and white peaches). Arrive early for the freshest produce and to sample some authentic culinary history.
Ciao!
RECIPE
Gold Coast Potato Salad
A thoroughly up-to-date picnic potato salad.
Jalapeño Dressing
2 jalapeños, seeded
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil
Salad
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1/4 cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 large bunch scallions, julienned
1/4 cup chopped parsley
For the dressing, chop the jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper in the food processor. Add the olive oil gradually, processing until smooth.
For the salad, boil the unpeeled potatoes in water to cover in a saucepan until tender. Drain and cool. Cut into quarters.
Spread the corn kernels on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast at 400 degrees until the edges of the kernels begin to brown; cool. Combine with the bell pepper and scallions in a bowl. Add the potatoes and chopped parsley. Add the dressing and toss to coat well.
Serves eight to ten
Resort & Retreats
Harrington House Beachfront Bed & Breakfast Inn, Holmes Beach
Boca residents wanting a change of beach scenery in the height of the summer may want to consider Harrington House Beachfront Bed & Breakfast Inn on Holmes Beach, near Bradenton on Florida’s gulf Coast. BnBFinder.com, a leading online B&B directory, awarded the Harrington House the Guest Favorite Award for 2007.
The inn received high guest ratings for beautiful location and personal touches. Guests described the inn as a mix of “intimate charm and casual elegance.” It offers warm hospitality and a new breakfast selection every day from its collection of recipes. All rooms have private baths, color cable TV and air conditioning. Most have French doors leading to balconies, overlooking the pool and the Gulf of Mexico. The inn even provides home made cookies for sunset watchers!
For full details and to make reservations, visit www.BnBFinder.com/HarringtonHouse.
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