Wednesday, March 20, 2013

@434 - Private Practice, CacNo - Beyond Beasts, Stella!, Herbsaint, Royal Sonesta, Yarn Bombing, NOLA

@434 - Private Practice, CacNo - Beyond Beasts, Stella!, Herbsaint, Royal Sonesta, NOLA

March 19 - 20, 2013 NOLA/French Quarter

Ah...just missed Tennessee Williams Festival/TWFest...

Link about this Literary Festival in New Orleans...
http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/

(note: there is a Yelling Contest on Sunday at Jackson Square...for both Stella & Stanley...can't wait for this years YouTube videos to show up...S-T-E-L-L-A! if you recall nothing else from this movie, this will probably be what you do remember...Stanley yelling Stella's name...)

"Stanley and Stella Shouting Contest
Contestants vie to rival Stanley Kowalski’s shout for ”STELLAAAAA!!!” in the unforgettable scene from A Streetcar Named Desire. Women contestants are welcome to try a little role reversal and yell for Stanley. Free and open to the public. Prizes will be awarded."

Sunday March 24, 2013 at Jackson Square, French Quarter, New Orleans 4:15pm - 6:00pm

Link to last year's contest from NPR/Nat'l Public Radio...
http://www.npr.org/2012/03/26/149411816/stella-and-stanley-shouting-contest
(note: that year a Stanley Yell won?!)

2:03 For Marlon Brando...the orig Stella Yell...
http://youtu.be/ZUVeoNCQ26s

2011 Stanley Yell winner...yes she's a girl--UGG!!
http://youtu.be/r-b6BZwfahw




Google photos - I did not take this photo
(nor did I take any photos inside, tho I wanted to very badly...of every dish/spoon that came to the table...oh yeah of all the foods on the dishes too by the way?!)


Stella! restaurant (yes, you have to yell it--as in the movie...)
http://restaurantstella.com/
(note: there is of course, on the flip side - of the business card as well - a Stanley...Stella! tho should have not just an exclamation mark after the name but 4 or 5 dollar signs too...Stella!$$$$)

How I happened to walk in the door...
my friend tells me Oh I've heard of 2 Italian restaurants to try
first we go to Irene's - there's is an hour wait
we decide 'not' to wait, we walk down the street
she says a lady told her about Stella!
so we see the sign, we walk in the door - we do 'not' look at the menu
I have now, since then, learned a valuable lesson--you should 'always' at least look at the menu by the door before entering
So she tells the maitre'd - we don't have a reservation but can we still have a table for 2 for dinner
there is hardly anyone in the restaurant, we are early, there are more waiters than diners
it is all white linen, we have linen napkins put in our lap, they change my white linen one to a black linen one to match my darker clothes (that should of been a warning light)
we are given the menu's - there are only 2 choices...
there is the 4 course fixed/prix fixe or the 7 course fixed - plus a separate Vodka/Caviar menu (more warning lights should of blinked on/off in our heads)
Wow, all the choices for the 4 courses - we start going over all them, I wonder what that is--what do you think that is...at the bottom there is the fixed price...each of our meals will be $85 plus tax/plus tip/plus if there's coffee...it's a wonder we didn't pass out--tho I have actually had less for a higher price whilst living in Norway (so I keep cool...my friend whispers: should we just walk out...no, we're here let's experience it...I have plastic/you have cash--we can do this?!)
On with the 4 courses...and an extra from the kitchen/chef  'amuse' to start off with & later there will be an after dessert dessert (is there a name for that, I don't know...over the top, as in full to the brim, comes to mind...we know before starting we will 'need' a walk after all this & thankfully we have to hike a lot of blocks back to the hotel, which we do in a meandering sort of way as we are in the French Quarter after all...I mean how can you pass up a wander thru the Voodoo Shop, etc...)

This is what I attempted to eat, in one long delicious sitting with separate waitstaff for each item I swear too (even  my precious little spoons, that I want to find to buy one day--have never seen anything like them, even they were lovely...)

an 'amuse'

1st CourseDeviled Egg, North Star Caviar & Champagne Gelée *

2nd Course
not on the webpage menu

3rd Course
Prime Beef Tenderloin, Bone Marrow, Glazed Short Rib, Cabbage Embeurrée,
Brussels Sprouts, King Oyster Mushrooms & Pomme Dauphine *

4th Course
Winter Citrus Verrine, Honey Custard,
Chamomile Meringue & Pistachio Ice Cream

after dessert 'dessert' sampling

an espresso - in an attempt to digest

*altho everything was more than the word 'delicious' can describe...these 2 items stood out:

1) I have never had such a deviled egg & I've had a few picnic types in my lifetime--the champagne gelee was really a foam on the side, have not a clue how they could whip it up like that...also am not a huge fond of fishy tasting anything so was not so sure of any type of caviar, but this one with the combination of other tastes...Oh my my--my poor unaware tastebuds, were in for a lovely too short a tasty surprise...

2) Both of us ordered this course--it came out on a warm tile for a dish...to the side of the beef we found a small white to clear ball of veggie that was so tasty the both of said at the same time, that's so good what is it? my friend thought it was a turnip--we did not remember all the descriptions from the menu...now with the luxury of looking back & reading the menu description from the webpage I still can't say which it was...the cabbage embeurree or a brussel sprout center or a king oyster mushroom or a pomme dauphine...it was just such a power packed tiny taste that you wanted more...then I hate to describe meat as being 'melt in your mouth' but this is as close as I can come to describing my prime beef tenderloin--tender even when I went with medium well done...

Foodie Heaven on Earth...



a different way to look at brussel sprouts
I like it when someone uses something in a new way
there must be an abundance of brussel sprouts for someone to make a wreath of them
is it a waste of food, perhaps not if there's an over abundance & it's gonna go bad
was our mystery veggie at dinner a de-leafed center/heart of a brussel sprout? hmm...

Link to the original photo - this makes me want to try 'n make one for the holidays...
http://i-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/sf/12-09-08%20brussels.jpg
~~~~~

@434 Arthur Roger Gallery
Stephanie Patton - Private Practice Exhibit
Tony Dugas - The Shape of Relics



photo credit: from Stephanie Patton's webpage, it may be my fav portrait of her
Oh she's the one on the right, do not know the girl on the left

Link to Stephanie Patton - visual artist - webpage...
http://www.stephaniepatton.com/

Link to Blogspot Art e Walk...Wednesday, March 6, 2013 - Pain, Healing, Relics...
http://arte-walk.blogspot.com/
(note: Pain, Healing...Stephanie Patton - Private Practice...Pain - Conquer video...
Relics...Tony Dugas - The Shape of Relics...they are indeed mindful of madalas...
Blogger: NEMO...in NOLA...fav movie: Fifth Element--already I like 'em?!)

Link to NOLA Art Gallery - Arthur Rogery Gallery webpage...
http://arthurrogergallery.com/

















next block, cross this side street...
the Children's Museum--follow the stars...




















walk on...thru the Warehouse District
toward the French Quarter/Vieux Carre




















after art gallery/before coffee
Yarn Art Yarn Grafitti or String Art String Grafitti
just outside the Glasswords/Printmaking Studio

My first...I've never seen it for real before, only in photos
then I wondered what it was...makes me think of a kite...

Ooo...I am corrected--it's "Yarn Bombing" ;o)
or that is per Wiki...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing




















Bittersweet
(the name of the coffee shop/confectioners)
Machiato
Barista girl made it
menu
inside table
I am in love with this espresso cup/saucer
closing time, no time to chat
use local NOLA Roaster
handmade confections
yes, I did get choc dots with pistachios on top
(when there's no coffee energy at hand, there is choco energy?!)

Link to Bittersweet Confections webpage...
http://www.bittersweetconfections.com/


Royal Sonesta hotel
French Quarter
(note to self...remember to always/Always forever more ask to "not" have a room on Bourbon Street side of the building...hard lesson learned, past midnight, past 2 am, heard it was 3 am when the street shuts down...ugh...shoulda known better...)



























thumbs up - cushy bed/pillows/robe 'n slippers in the closet
thumbs down - window view over Bourbon Street
(bad sign when the radio is left on for you when you enter the room)

thumbs up - real roses in the bathroom with lovely bath lotions/potions
thumbs down - bottle water is $6.50 each (I'll dehydrate & go elsewhere, thank you but no...)

note: I have never understood this--why oh why does hotel room water need to cost this much...
hotel room mini bar/snacks also, but especially water & especially when you're traveling (& say elsewhere in the world, if not here, you don't really have a lot of trust in the tap water...)

flowers were everywhere, the lobby smelled like freshia's...then there's a courtyard--I thought it too garden/geeky of me to start taking photos of every plant/flower/bush/treee out there...lovely...

Link to hotel webpage...
http://www.sonesta.com/royalneworleans/





















there's a automobile wreak of a beast in the museum window...
then I find out it's the Beast directors sister that made this creation (Eliza Zeitlin)
had read that she was behind the houses that Hushpuppy & her Daddy live in in The BathTub in the movie--Beasts of the Southern Wild...

Link to Beyond Beasts: The Art of Court 13
http://www.cacno.org/visualarts/exhibition/2013/03/beyond-beasts/


"On view in Press Play gallery
The Supreme Fisherman
The Supreme Fisherman is an original art installation by Court 13 that incorporates sculptural works created for use in their short films, alongside printed materials that have provided inspiration for Court 13’s art. More on the installation, from the artists:

Suspended from the ceiling, a boat made of reeds and fishing nets floats high above our heads. Peering down from it are five sloth-like giants, dangling bamboo fishing poles over the side. The strings dangle into the center of the room, and at the ends of each are balls of light. They fish for all the lost kingdoms: Atlantis, El Dorado, juke joints, arctic plains, Amazonian canopies, and innumerable populations of deviant wild men crushed by the urge for exploration. They reach down for something that emerges from the audience itself; a part of them is drawn to an irresistible bait and reeled in by the giants who harvest only what is worthy. They pile it in their boat, moving on to create a new world.

Before “Beasts”: The Short Films of Court 13
This exhibition includes a continuous showing of the six major short films by Zeitlin and fellow Court 13 director Ray Tintori over the last several years, plus previously unseen film material and behind-the-scenes footage in themed presentations on four screens.


On view in The Corner gallery

For Slightly
For Slightly is an original art installation made from found materials by Eliza Zeitlin, whose work is heavily featured in Beasts of the Southern Wild. More on the installation, from the artist:

In the glass room of the museum lurks an enormous mechanical beast. It crouches behind the glass, watching the cars pass by with patience and cunning, poised to burst through the glass and crush them in its jaws like mice and moles. It is a predator of the highest order, a car-killing war machine, a Trojan lioness filled with the ghosts of so many destroyed on the road. An intestinal staircase winds through its insides, and we look out through portholes in its skin, eyes, and ears, sensing its impending vengeance from the inside. It is in honor of a great friend, a beloved beast killed by a car.

In Soundscape gallery
An original sound installation by Court 13.

www.court13.com

Exhibition Sponsors:
 
Press Play gallery is dedicated to works in new media, film, & video.


Soundscape gallery is dedicated to the ongoing exploration of audio as a medium.


The Corner is a gallery dedicated to sculpture...

  
CAC CONTACT | Visual Arts Dept | 504.528.3805 |
visualarts@cacno.org "




 
inside the museum, behind the window
looking into the beast/the automobile wreak creation
or is it an most unusual tree house
you can & are allowed (if you're over 12 yrs old) to climb up into it & sit up on the 2nd level
I didn't do that, may regret that (but there's time before the exhibit leaves in June?!)
also inside there are wind chimes made of pipes & auto parts, a tire rim for example...
so you can make noise too--could it get any better than that?!
 
 

 
 
here in an alcove there is a bench
to contemplate
I would of liked to sit there, to write
...sigh...who wouldn't love this in their backyard...
or in the woods to go visit when you could
oh my if you were a kid you'd be in treehouse heaven
(oh they were letting school groups come in, by the bus load & they could pretend just that...along with going upstairs to make a lot of nose with drums & such--don't know what that was all about, but they sounded good with their drum/adult leader...kinda wish I were a teacher or had a kid in school to join in too?!)
 
 
Link to various Beasts of the Southern Wild pages...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
etc etc etc...
 
 

 
other amusements at the museum
inside the cafe/coffeeshop
again using local Roaster - yeah
Support Local Coffee
 
 
there is a cigarette machine that is no longer one
it's been repurposed to be an Art Machine
it is an Art-o-mat
I love it
I have to buy a $5 token coin
I can hardly choose which box
there is art on/in every one
could be 20 handles you can pull
we are told it's all made in North Carolina
I must find out more...
 
I have chosen, pulled the handle out, thinking just the box/art was the thing...
but inside there is more--in this one there is a playdough type creature/dino with eggs inside...
(oh my can I really give this away...I have taken photos in hopes that I can keep them & still give the gift/art box away...)
oddly/or not it is the size of a box of cigarettes
we are told some of the boxes are indeed wooden boxes & there's nothing inside
in that case the art on the outside is it & you can put it on your desk or hang your wee art box up
it's a weird feeling going up to a once cigarette machine, which I never did, put a coin/token in & pull the handle out, hear the plunk of the box land in the tray below...and 'not' get a pack of cig's but a box of art?!
 





 
 

Link to Art o mat webpage...
 
 
Artists in Cellophane, 5000 Rushland Drive, Winston-Salem NC 27104
 
Link to Wiki - Clark Whittington, Artist behind Art of Mat... 
 
 
I applaude/bow to Contemporary Art Center New Orleans for having one of these in their cafe/coffee shop...thank you Thank you THANK YOU!!! (there is only 1 machine...ONE Art of mat...in the whole state & it's in NOLA?!)
 
90 Machines worldwide - we have 1 in Louisiana, in NOLA
(or per Wiki...on their webpage it says there are 100 plus active machines)
400 plus Artists involved in 'cellophane art'
 
Who thinks we need 1 in Lafayette too?!
 
 
 
 
 
lunch at Herbsaint
not on the menu, surprise
brought over from the kitchen...just because...
mussels & french fries on top in a sauce--well we can't figure it out...
but that salt potato chip/fry eaten with a mussel pulled out & drizzled with that sauce...
Oh My My--Foodie Heaven...
me who is not fond of mussels--I ate 4 of them, then had to stop...
because? there's a whole lunch coming yet?!


I love being a Foodie Guinea Pig...mmm...now to time it right to return for dinner, another time...

Link to Herbsaint restaurant...
http://www.herbsaint.com/
(note: I cannot believe the luck, but my friend's son works in the kitchen...but only during dinner hours, so must return when he's there for sure--Oh the things yet to look forward too...sigh...)






 
 
 
Royal Sonesta - French Quarter - NOLA
next day, morning, quiet, cloudy, rainy sprinkles, then the sun returns
the rooftop lights are still on across the street
they are hosing down the sidewalk
I think I have heard a street sweeper machine pass earlier
there are Mardi Gras beads left bunched up the roof over there too
 
one of the many flower wonders in the courtyard...
it's a red/white Bird of Paradise--I have never seen this color before...
 





 


Harlequins 1925
down a hall way between R'evolution & Desire
in the Royal Sonesta
there are framed tiles on the walls, what is there story
I took a photo so I would remember to find out
are these Mardi Gras theme's perhaps
so this one from 1925 & all the floats/costumes were Harlequins?
hmm...
 
Link to the 88th Harlequin Ball...which would be 1925...Wow, am I good guesser or what?!