Category: TV

Tidy Potpourri

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DINING FIND

Thanks to our friend Sue, we finally tried Bridge Street Bistro in Bradenton Beach.  If you just walk by, you’ll see and probably hear a noisy set of diners on the ground floor.  But, if like us, you prefer quiet and a more elegant dining room, then head up to the 3rd floor.  Here is a windowed dining room, one side with a view toward the gulf, and an attractive bar set apart from the tables.  Linen napkins, a menu of seafood and Italian fare, and attentive, helpful service.

We shared a Caesar salad and then enjoyed very tasty veal saltimbocca and the grilled salmon topped with spinach and a lemony sauce over saffron risotto.  Both excellent dishes and generous enough that we left with some for the next day’s lunch.  No need for a reservation this time of year, but I make one anyway just to be safe.

SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL

This week’s Thursday concert of performances by several of the festival faculty was another musical treat!  Current festival music director Jeffrey Kahane and former director Bob Levin teamed up on two Schubert piano pieces for four hands, while Leone Buyse on flute and Michael Adcock on piano played the marvelous Sonatine by Walter Gieseking, a work previously unknown to me.  Ms. Buyse was sitting behind me after the intermission, so I got to thank her and particularly compliment her on the lively Vivace movement.

The concert ended with Beethoven’s Piano Trio No.5 with violin and cello which brought down the house.  We’ve vowed to go to more of these concerts next year—some of the best music in Sarasota!

 

SMALL SCREEN

Loch Ness (Acorn).  This Scottish series is quite dark, but once I got past the first episode I was hooked.  Two women are the lead inspectors trying to locate what appears to be a serial killer while the brooding lake of the title is a character in itself.  There is just one season and it’s one continuous story over the six episodes.  Complex characters, small town anxieties and tensions, and lots of twists and turns in the plot.

Lives in Squares (Amazon Prime).  This three-part series from the BBC captures the messy, passionate lives of the Bloomsbury Group, with Vanessa Bell, sister of Virginia Woolf, being the focal point.   This set of talented writers and painters spent a lot of time together and several lived in each other’s pockets.  If you aren’t already familiar with some of the relationships between the sisters and their coterie, you might be puzzled.   Adding to the viewer’s potential confusion is the fact that the actors playing the principals change as they age.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed the series and would recommend it if you’re a fan of this period. Thanks to Patricia for suggesting it.

SUMMER READING—TRACKING TWENTY

#5  Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

This long novel was named one of 2017’s ten best books by the New York Times Book Review.  In it, Lee traces the lives of four generations of a Korean family who move to Japan and yet are never considered full members of the society.  The novel opens in 1910 and ends in 1989, during which time Korea is annexed by Japan, fought over in a war, split in two, and later closed to many Korean Japanese residents who wish to return.  When Sunja, a young boardinghouse owner’s daughter, becomes pregnant by Hansu, her older married Japanese lover, she is offered marriage by Isak, a sickly young minister.  He takes her to Osaka where they raise two sons.

How these sons and the succeeding generations deal with poverty, limited career options, and the need to hide their true ethnic heritage makes for a moving saga about immigration and living as an outsider.  A pachinko is a Japanese slot machine and several characters run pachinko parlors and become wealthy.  I found the novel overly long, but more absorbing in the second half.  Not sure it would have made my list of 10 best.

Note: Photos and coloring by JWFarrington.

Manhattan Notes: Dining et al

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UNEXPECTED EXHIBIT

The exhibit was titled, “Los Alamos” and mentioned to us by a good friend.  She has visited Los Alamos a number of times and was interested, but couldn’t get to the museum before the exhibit closed.  We were also interested and so went to the Metropolitan Museum  to see it.  It’s an exhibit of photos by American photographer William Eggleston.  

Eggleston was an early pioneer in the use of dye transfer photography with saturated intense colors, and this collection of his work is a recent gift to the museum.  But, although he named the collection, “Los Alamos,” it has nothing to do with that site.  Rather it is photos taken in the south and southwest, Memphis, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Georgia, in 1965-68 and from 1971-74.  They are a mix of stark urban landscapes and portraits of careworn individuals.  These galleries evoke a different era, but not Los Alamos.  While in the museum, we took a gander at some other art, hard not to, such as this Klimt of a 9-year old girl!

 

 

 

 

 

 

DINING DELIGHTS

Bistro Vendome

We like this comfortable French restaurant so much, we’ve dined there three times.  Our most recent meal began with oven-roasted bone marrow, not a dish we’d normally order.  But the maître d’ was so persuasive (his French accent and charm didn’t hurt) about how delicious and delectable it was that the Chief Penguin surrendered.  Said marrow was presented on a bed of wilted greens with a piece of toast on the side and for tools, a tiny fork and spoon. The idea was to scrape a bit of the marrow onto a bit of toast.  It was actually quite good!  

Following that starter, I sampled the grilled large shrimp served with a spinach flan on a puddle of lobster sauce.  The shrimp were excellent and the sauce rich while the flan would have benefited from a tad more nutmeg.  The C.P. indulged in hanger steak with fries and a tangle of arugula. The steak was tender and tasty, the fried the perfect thickness and crispness.  A lovely meal!

El Porron

This Spanish tapas restaurant has become another favorite.  It’s an attractive space and the staff are always most welcoming.  You can order full size entrees, but we’ve stuck to the tapas and been sated and satisfied.  The Serrano ham is lovely, the white asparagus a treat, the sea scallop treatment something different, and the patatas bravas (spicy potatoes) a must for the Chief Penguin.

Imli Urban Indian Food

If you have vegetarian tendencies or vegetarian friends, this contemporary space, which never seems to be crowded, is a great find.  We went on our own and then again with visiting family.  The samosas are some of the best I’ve ever had (the right ratio of flaky dough to filling), the saag paneer (spinach and that Indian cheese) silky and tasty, the potato stuffed peppers spicy, and the chicken curry, comfort food at its most soothing.   Lots of choices on this menu from small plate tapas to entrees.

EJ’s Luncheonette

This is a 1940’s style diner on the Upper East Side.  Formica tables, booths, and classic posters on the wall.  Service is friendly and there are daily blackboard specials like the meatloaf sandwich that the C.P. dug into!  

It came with truffle fries, very au courant, while my open face tuna melt included tomato slices; smothered with melted cheddar, it brought back memories of tuna melts of yore.  I think this restaurant rivals the Lenox Hill Grill and I’d be happy to return!

Bar Room at The Modern

For elegant dining and special occasions, The Modern offers exquisite cuisine.  You can dine in the restaurant proper, but we have usually opted for the Bar Room.  Both are pricy, but the restaurant is pricier.  The Bar Room is so popular, it is always full, and I have to admit, very loud at night.  There is an actual marble bar, and then bar seating adjacent to it which generates some of the buzz, but the floor is bare, the surfaces hard, and there is no fabric to dampen voices.

However, the food is marvelous!  We came this time for a belated birthday celebration and re-appreciated the quality. The lobster en croute with spinach and the chicken with foie gras tortellini were both delectable as was a starter of fennel and smoked salmon whimsically topped with chips.

ON THE SMALL SCREEN

Striking Out (Acorn)

We binge watched this Irish legal series.  Tara Rafferty leaves the Dunbar law firm after she finds Eric Dunbar, her fiancé, in a compromising situation, and strikes out on her own.  Her first office is the back area of a coffee shop.  When that becomes untenable, she shares office space with George, a brusque, opinionated female lawyer.  Although not her specialty, Tara takes up family law and finds herself in court, often opposing one of her former colleagues.

Figuring in the series are her mother, a former legal secretary; her father a judge; Ray, a petty criminal turned office manager for Tara; Richard Dunbar, Eric’s father and head of the firm, and Meg, a private investigator who doesn’t hesitate to work one side against the other.  Set in Dublin, it’s an absorbing look at the law on the other side of the Atlantic, complete with romantic entanglements.  Amy Huberman, who plays Tara, is likable and tougher than one might first think.  There are only two seasons thus far and Season 2 ends with a cliffhanger during Tara’s good friend Vincent’s big corruption case.  We want more!

 Note:  All photos by JWFarrington.  Header photo is Medallion quilt (1960) by Loretta Pettway in the Metropolitan Museum.

 

Manhattan Viewing

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This blog post is all about seeing, and in Manhattan, there is so much to see–scenes of nature and water, famous art works, fabulous live theater, and even the occasional television program.   We had it all this week!

LIVE THEATER

Three Tall Women by Edward Albee (on Broadway)

Having the opportunity to see Glenda Jackson live on stage would have been reason enough to see this play.  I loved her performances in Sunday, Bloody Sunday, and as Elizabeth I in that early Masterpiece Theatre offering.  She then left the theater world for more than 20 years to serve in Parliament, only recently returning first to play King Lear (she always was an audacious actor) and then this role.

Jackson here is a crotchety, difficult, physically frail 91-year-old woman with a fulltime caregiver and a young lawyer.  These three women spar and verbally joust as A, the old woman, relives memories of her past.  Later we see that the three are the same woman at 26, 52, and 90+ years of age and, we hear how their experiences and their take on life shape what they become at each stage.  

It’s a powerful play about the ideals of youth, the disappointments along the way, marriage and infidelity, anger and bitterness, and the ravages of time and old age.  And it’s a superb production with a fabulous cast—Laurie Metcalf, of recent fame for her role as the mother in the film Lady Bird, and Alison Pill, a talented newcomer (to me)—join the inimitable and indomitable Glenda Jackson.  On a side note, I loved their purple and mauve dresses in the final scenes!

RETURN MUSEUM VISIT

It’s been some years since we last visited the Frick Collection and I’d forgotten how lovely an experience it is!  We began this visit by watching two videos, one on the museum’s collection of enamels (mildly interesting unless this is “your thing”), and the other, an introductory video about Henry Clay Frick, the man, and how he came to build this grand and glorious mansion.  It’s excellent and sets the stage nicely for viewing the art.

One room was built as a gallery and at 96 feet long and thirty-some feet wide, it’s an impressive space filled with oversize paintings and highly decorated furnishings.  In his collecting, Frick favored portraits and landscapes and there are several Turners and a number of Gainsboroughs, as well as works by Holbein, Van Dyke and Rembrandt.  He liked to pair paintings, individual portraits of a husband and wife either side by side or flanking another work or a fireplace. One example is the pairing by a fireplace of arch enemies Sir Thomas More and Oliver Cromwell, both painted by Holbein.

The soft green dining room  where Frick regularly hosted dinners for 26 (all men) is also pleasing, as is the room created solely for the purpose of displaying the 18thcentury Fragonard murals.

Except for in the Garden Court, no photography is allowed.  This enclosed space is serene and beautiful with marble benches and a fountain.  Perfect for when you need a break from all the marvelous art.

SMALL SCREEN

Unforgotten (Masterpiece Mystery).

This British detective series is thoughtful and not flashy.  Detective Chief Inspector Cassie Stuart and her team are tasked with determining the circumstances of death surrounding individuals whose bodies have been found unidentified and often forgotten.  Frequently, the death has occurred decades ago.  Cassie and Sunny (Sanjeev Bhaskar), her detective partner, must unearth family history, trace the individual’s travels and follow up in person with anyone and everyone with whom he might have been associated. If the death is suspicious, and indeed, they always are, then charges may be brought. 

Nicola Walker, the star, will be familiar to viewers of Last Tango in Halifax  while co-star Bhaskar was in Indian Summers.  Here Walker is the guv and the one with the responsibility for bringing a case to closure.  This is a series full of patient and methodical tracking and questioning as it delves into the psyches of both the deceased and his family.  I found it fascinating with the last episode extremely sensitive in its portrayal of the life-changing and lasting damage from sexual abuse.

Note:  Header photo view from Central Park and Garden Court photo ©JWFarrington.  Women photo from playbill.com and Unforgotten image from pbs.org.

Tidy Tidbits: Arts & Video

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SUNNY ISLES

We made a brief trip south this past week to visit some very good friends who spend about two months on Captiva.  Captiva and its larger, more commercial neighbor, Sanibel, are lush with greenery, crowded during this season, and strung out between a bay and the Gulf of Mexico.  Pretty great venue for escaping winter’s grip and wiggling your toes in the soft sand.

We enjoyed a relaxing 24 hours which included a stroll on the beach, browsing the Tuesday farmers’ market for breakfast pastries, and dinner at The Mad Hatter.  This popular restaurant was packed with diners and the food was fabulous.  From tasty Caesar salads, we advanced to rack of lamb, black truffle dusted dayboat scallops, and gulf snapper in a stew of cherry tomatoes, artichokes, and little neck clams.  It was a memorable visit!

CULTURE NOTES

The Global Affairs lecture this week was a winner with former U.S. Representative Mickey Edwards speaking on the topic, “Does the Constitution Still Matter to Us?’  The Chief Penguin and I had heard him several times in Aspen and found him thoughtful; he delivered again.  Later in the week, we were at a Sarasota Orchestra concert.  Michael Balke, a young German guest conductor, was very good and seemed in sync with the players, but we were underwhelmed by violinist Midori’s performance.  We didn’t particularly care for the Bernstein piece she performed, and she seemed disengaged from the audience.

ON THE SMALL SCREEN

Sticking to my daily treadmill routine requires an engaging series.  Here are the latest two I’ve watched.

Morocco:  Love in Time of War (Netflix)  

This series is set in the Spanish city of Melilla bordering Morocco.  The year is 1921, and the Spaniards are at war with the native Berbers.  It focuses on the dame nurses and the doctors who work in the Melilla’s Red Cross hospital.  The nurses, overseen by a stalwart duchess and friend of the queen, are from upper class families in Madrid.  Working in a war zone requires a level of stamina and flexibility they could never have conjured up.

The series is dubbed, and the dubbing takes some getting used to, but I enjoyed this slice of Spanish history and all the romantic entanglements between nurses and doctors.  Fiancés show up, engagements and marriages are tested, and all the while, injured soldiers continue to be brought to the hospital.  The duchess does battle with the colonel in charge of the base and even the queen shows up to inspect.

Love, Lies, and Records (Acorn)  

This British series takes place in the records office in Leeds.  (Apparently, people in England need to come in person to register births and deaths, something most Americans can do online.)  I liked this series but didn’t love it.  Some of it is funny as much of life in this office is chaotic and crazy in the most unprofessional way.  Interim registrar Kate Dickinson deals with a transgender colleague, engaged couples with immigration issues, and a distraught young widower.  In her personal life, she is torn between Rob, her longtime partner and father of her children, and Rick, her colleague and lover.  I watched it all, but don’t know that I’ll return if there’s a Season 2.

Notes:  Morocco image from Netflix, Love, Lies image from next-episode.com