Tidy Tidbits: Music & Food

LIVE MUSIC

Sarah Hicks (datebook.sfchronicle.com)

Last week for the first time in two years, we attended a symphony concert.  It was such a joy to hear the music in person and not be glued to a small screen!  This was the Sarasota Orchestra’s Be Mine concert, part of their Great Escapes series.  Guest conductor Sarah Hicks was a lively and informative presence on the podium, and in honor of Valentine’s Day, the musical theme was love.  We heard Gershwin’s Overture from Girl Crazy, two selections from Carmen, and Mendelssohn’s Wedding March, along with several other works.  This was a short concert, just an hour, and perfect for the pre-dinner hour.  

ENGAGING DRAMA

The Gilded Age (HBO Max)

Marian & Peggy (smithsonianmag.com)

The reviews of Julian Fellowes’ latest series have been mixed. But, I like historical drama and am especially fond of the 19th century so, I decided to subscribe to HBO Max to see The Gilded Age.  It’s set in New York City in the 1880’s and is rife with snobbery, social climbing, and meanness, coupled with large fortunes.  Newcomers, albeit wealthy ones, are not well received unless blessed by the formidable Mrs. Astor. 

Young Marian Brook comes from Pennsylvania to live with her aunts, Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook, after the death of her father.  She has no resources of her own, and in her directness and naivete, questions and challenges the ways of society.  One fascinating aspect of this series is its inclusion of educated affluent Blacks.  They are exemplified in Peggy Scott and her parents.  Peggy befriends Marian and is hired as secretary to Aunt Agnes.  

Overall, it’s a darker drama than Downton Abbey.  Denee Benton as Peggy is very well played, and it is fun to watch Christine Baranski as the acerbic, dictatorial Aunt Agnes.  There are four episodes, and it’s already been renewed for a second season. I’m hooked!

LOCAL EATERY

Pesto

I’m slightly reluctant to blog about Pesto since this neighborhood restaurant has become very popular!  We dined there twice in the past two weeks, once with visiting family, and it’s now a favorite.   There are three dining areas (the one in the back has a bar) plus tables and heaters outside.   The food is Italian, and there’s a wide variety of pasta and meat selections.  

We enjoyed the veal and chicken Milanese preparations and their veal scaloppini and have sampled the shrimp-cargot and several of the salads.  The wine list is extensive, and several beers are also available.  Prices are moderate, portions are substantial, and the food is good! 

Note: Header photos of foursome dining out from istock.com.

Tidy Tidbits: Motherhood on Page & Screen

READING

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

O’Farrell (irishtimes.com)

In Hamnet, O’Farrell has created the world of William Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, at the time of the bubonic plague.  While 11-year-old Hamnet is present in the early chapters, he haunts the remainder of the novel after his death.  In many ways, the novel is a story of motherhood, marriage, and grief with a focus on the mother.  Agnes, Hamnet’s mother, is a creature of the woods, a skilled herbalist, yet unconventional and socially inept.  She chafes under her mother-in-law’s strictures, misses her husband whom she sent to London to get him away from his abusive father, and mightily grieves for her son, seeking and seeing him everywhere.  

The descriptions of the environs are so graphic one can easily picture town life in Stratford and life on the farm where Agnes grew up.  O’Farrell lists, annotates, categorizes, and catalogs the implements of home life and the branches, leaves and blossoms in the wood; at times, the writing is staccato-like.  It’s a beautifully written book about a horrible pandemic—timely and richly deserving of its several literary awards.  Highly recommended! (~JWFarrington)

WATCHING

The Lost Daughter (Netflix)

Colman as Leda (polygon.com)

I am not familiar with the novel by Elena Ferrante that inspired The Lost Daughter, but I’m a big admirer of Oliva Colman and would see her in almost anything.  Here, she is a comparative literature professor on a beach vacation in Greece.  Leda is alone and prepared to work, but she becomes fixated on watching a young mother, Nina, and Elena, her little girl, romp and play on the shore.  Leda exchanges brief pleasantries with Nina and her aunt and interacts with Lyle, the apartment caretaker, and Will, an engaging college student.  In flashbacks, she begins reflecting on her own experiences decades ago as an ambitious academic with two young daughters and a busy husband.  As she said to Nina earlier, “motherhood is a crushing responsibility.”

When Nina’s daughter goes missing, the extended family and friends fan out to search for her.  Leda finds Elena with her doll.  What happens afterward is puzzling and strange with an even stranger, more mystifying ending.  I wondered whether Leda was truly unbalanced and what state we find her in in the last scene.  

It’s a slowly paced film with sparse dialogue, yet the camera lingers on the physical:  limbs, breasts, and bodies. Colman is superb as 48-year old Leda while Jessie Buckley is marvelous as Leda, the young mother. The depiction of motherhood is both joyous and wrenching with greater emphasis on the demands of being a mother.  Painful to watch at points, this may be film fare for a more selective audience. (~JWFarrington)

DINING 

Whitney’s

Located on the northern end of Longboat Key, Whitney’s is a former gas station turned into a casual restaurant.  Seating includes tables on the gravel outside as well as booths and tables inside.  Open for lunch and dinner on a first come, first-served basis, it’s a welcome addition to the LBK dining options. 

A friend and I ate at a small round table outside.  Our waitress was friendly in the nicest way, and we enjoyed shrimp Louie and the mixed greens salad with tiny cubes of manchego and a choice of dressing and protein.  I opted for the salad with champagne vinaigrette and grilled shrimp.  Both dishes were excellent.  Whitney’s also serves burgers, fish tacos, crab cakes, tuna tartare, and other fish entrees.  Wine and beer are also available.  Several days a week there is live music, so you might want to plan accordingly.  

Note: Header drawing of a harried mother is from Time Magazine (time.com).

Tidy Tidbits: The Local Scene

CONCERT EXPERIENCE

Frisson Ensemble

We ventured to Sarasota for a Christmas musical performance in the Sarasota Opera House last Sunday evening. We felt comfortable going since the production was following the SafeArtsSarasota protocols requiring masks and either a negative Covid test or showing your Covid vaccine card.  We thought there might be a line to get in, given the document checking, and were surprised there wasn’t one.  Also, we were disappointed that such a small crowd overall was in attendance.  Plenty of empty seats and no problem with social distancing!

The performers were instrumentalists comprising an ensemble called Frisson from New York.  Violin, viola, cello, string bass, clarinet, oboe, flute, and bassoon were all represented.  Except for the leader/conductor, these were young musicians, rising stars.  I was particularly taken with the playing of David Gallant, oboist and conductor, and Remy Taghavi on bassoon.  The pieces ranged from dances from The Nutcracker to a selection of familiar and lesser-known carols.  Unfortunately, the lack of a captive audience made for a somewhat flat event despite the talent on display.  

DINING OUT

Rosemary & Thyme

It had been a while since we last dined at Rosemary & Thyme, and we were pleased to return.  This time we opted for an inside table rather than outside, but noted that their outdoor patio was full, nicely lighted, and with heat lamps against the evening’s chill.  Elias was our enthusiastic waiter, and he took good care of us.  The guys sampled specialty cocktails while J. and I had chardonnay.  Among the four of us, we ordered Caesar salads, battered mushrooms, and fish chowder followed by fried calamari, halibut, salmon, and the fresh catch which was swordfish.  The fish entrees were on a bed of mixed vegetables and risotto.  All very tasty!  The restaurant is located on Orange Street, Sarasota, in the Rosemary District and serves breakfast and lunch.

FOOTNOTE

I commented on Huma Abedin’s memoir, Both/And in an earlier post before I had finished reading it.  It is excellent!  She is one smart, savvy woman and her account of her professional life working for Hillary Clinton is impressive and fascinating.  She provides a much warmer, richer portrait of the former First Lady and Secretary of State than has often been the case.  Abedin does not stint on sharing her own mistakes and faults either.  Raised in and practicing her Muslim faith, she somewhat naively gives husband Anthony Weiner the benefit of the doubt several times as their marriage unravels. One gains an understanding of why she was initially compelled to stay with him.  It’s a long book but a rewarding one.  I look forward to watching how the rest of Abedin’s life unfolds.  Highly recommended! (~JWFarrington)

Note: Header photo is the Sarasota Opera House (hungarytoday.hu)

Art & Eating in Manhattan

CURRENT MUSEUM EXHIBITS

Surrealism Beyond Borders

One of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s current exhibitions brings together Surrealism works of art from around the globe from Egypt to Mexico to Europe.  Most of the artists I did not know.  I also don’t know that I liked these paintings and objects but they are different, often provocative, and sometimes chilling.  

Body Snatcher in Switzerland by Enrico Baj

At least one, Salvador Dali’s black telephone, has some whimsy.

Lobster on Telephone by Salvador Dali, 1938

Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror

The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art are jointly presenting the largest retrospective ever of Jasper Johns’ work.  Prolific since the 1950’s, he is 91 and still producing.  There are many rooms of paintings on display at the Whitney.  I agree with the critic who stated that the Whitney might have showed two-thirds of what is here.  

Flag above White with Collage

Lots of American flags in different color combinations; several maps of the U.S., some multi-colored, some black or gray; and various paintings including real objects (tableware, used paint cans) or string and pieces of wood.  I especially liked the colorful version of the United States, the placement of tableware along a frame, and the fifteen monotypes of a Savarin coffee can filled with paint brushes.

Map, 1961
Frame detail, Dancers on a Plane, 1979
Savarin, 1982, one in a series

Seeing gallery after gallery, one appreciates Johns’ recurring themes and recognizes the repetition of certain elements. I wish we’d been in Philadelphia long enough to see the other half of this massive exhibit!

EATING AROUND

Marwin Thai

A nice addition to the Upper East Side, Marwin has about five tables and offers on site or takeout dining for lunch and dinner.  We enjoyed a satisfying and modestly priced meal from the special lunch menu.  Between us, we had Thai dumplings and spring rolls to start.  The Chief Penguin tried pad Thai while I sampled the green curry with chicken.  His pad Thai was good and my curry very satisfying.  It’s a brothier curry with less coconut milk and lots of green peppers, bamboo shoots and basil.  And since Happy Hour runs from 11:30 to 7:00 pm, we decided on beer—Singha and Stella d’Artois—$5.00 apiece.  

Canyon Road

Occasionally, I have a yen for some good Mexican food and prefer to patronize a restaurant that isn’t part of a chain.  Canyon Road on the Upper East Side fit the bill for a recent casual dinner.  It’s decorated with colorful square flags and strings of little white lights and has a comfortable feel.  

We ordered the requisite original margaritas and the house guacamole.  Both were very good, and the guacamole had a lively kick.  I tried the chicken tacos (three small corn tortillas on a board and plenty of food).  The Chief Penguin, who’s a fan of quesadillas, had the shrimp and jalapeno one which came with salsa, sour cream, and a bit of guacamole.  We went early so there were only a few other diners.  Service was excellent.  It’s now on our yes, return list.

Note: All photos by JWFarrington. Header images is Squash with Pan de Muerto by Maria Izyquierdo, 1947.