Dish on Design: White Dog Cafe

White Dog Cafe opened a second location recently outside of Philadelphia, with a new owner and a new look.  Originally conceived as a small cafe in University City, the owner of the new Wayne location wanted it to look like it had been around for over 50 years.   The restaurant is divided into small rooms, like in a home, each with a distinct personality.  Extensive millwork, antiques, and accents culled from around the world create its cohesiveness.

The bar area with its coffered ceiling, wing back banquettes, and commissioned portraits of dogs lining the deep red walls give it a clubby feel.  Antique bottles and bottle dryers were crafted into clever light fixtures.

The Garden Room has a decidedly feminine feel.  Recycled shutters, assorted light fixtures, and floral prints make you feel like you're dining on a veranda in the Spring.

The Library, with its leather topped dining game tables, houses books on the shelves, but whimsically they also float thru the air!

The restaurant's simple Farm to Table philosophy is best expressed in the Kitchen Room, with it's reclaimed exposed wood, copper pots, and fixtures made from mason jars.   Dog references still abound, and the contemporary American cuisine shines. 

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WHITE DOG CAFE LENTIL SOUP

1 pound (2 cups) French or regular lentils, picked over (I like the French Puy lentils because they hold their shape better)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups diced yellow onion
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons mustard seeds (I used brown but yellow would be fine too)
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 can (14 oz) plum tomatoes, undrained
3 cups tightly packed spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems, for serving

Place the lentils in a saucepan and add water to cover by 4 inches.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the lentils are just tender, 20 to 30  minutes.  Drain the lentil, reserving the cooking liquid separately.
In a nonreactive stockpot set over medium heat, heat the oil until it ripples.  Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, adn cayenne and cook for 1 minute. Look at these beautiful spices!! Stir in the tomatoes and their juice; break the tomatoes into large chunks with the back of a wooden spoon.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the cooked lentils and add 3 cups of the lentil cooking liquid.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Stir in the spinach and cook until completely wilted.  If the soup is too thick, add more of the lentil cooking liquid or water.  Add the salt and pepper.
To serve, divide the soup among 6 warmed bowls. Top with cilantro. If you like, top with chunks of feta cheese as well. Sometimes I'll put a little plain yogurt on top



photos: Vance Bell & Around Main Line
receipe:Washington's Green Grocer

Cristobal Balenciaga: A Spanish Master

 I recently attended the Balenciaga exhibit at the Sophia Spanish Museum in NY for a beautiful retrospective of the designer's work.

      

Suzy Parker, Vogue cover 1953

Cristobal, heavily influenced by Spanish culture, art, religion and religious uniforms was a consummate  tailor and "explorer of new ideas".  He designed for Royalty and the Spanish Aristocracy until the Spanish civil war forced him to move to Paris.

Gazar (a stiff silk gauze) was created for him so he could create sculptural forms with minimal seaming.

Infanta evening dress and a noble look

The cape of the evening coat was influenced by Cardinals robes.  The simple cut of the dresses below were a contrast in austerity and extravagance that he saw in the church.

 Maids ( the white apron) and monks (robes) inspired Balenciaga.  He took simple shapes and festooned and exaggerated them.  Balenciaga's ceaseless explorations ensured that his work would remain intriguing and influential years after his death.

You cannot speak to Spanish culture without referencing Bull fighting, the Matador and the rituals associated with the bullfight.

Trim and cut similar to a Matador's jacket

Other significant influences were the beautiful ruffles of the flamingo dancers skirts, the elaborate, colorful embroidery indigenous to the Spanish culture and the nomadic spirit of the gypsy.

Tossing roses into the ring is customary, it became the focus of a hat

"A fashion designer must be an architect for perspectives, a sculptor for shapes, a painter for color, a musician for harmony and a philosopher for a sense of proportion"

                                                                 ~ Christobal Balenciaga

THE SAME RINGS TRUE FOR AN INTERIOR DESIGNER

I see a lot of similarities in the work of Cristobal and Carolina Herrera.  She is also, obviously, influenced by her heritage and maybe by him.

photos:the coveted, Huffington Post, Telegraph UK

More is More: Holiday Gifts

Every year Neiman Marcus comes up with the most extravagant gift ideas for the person who has everything.  In this year's catalog, Dale Chilhuly, one of the best and most commercially successful glass artists, will do a 22 x 12 foot glass installation at the bottom of your pool for a cool $1,500,00.00.
If you want to be even cooler ~ take the whole house.  It is being offered for sale with the installation already there, as well as one of Dale's famous light fixtures for a mere $24,000,000.00.  More on Dale in another post.

Aqua Liana, the name of the home in Manalapan, FL means "Water Flower" in Tahitian.  After seeing these pictures it does look as if you're on a Tahitian Holiday on the Atlantic Ocean.

You need not worry about deciding whether to have beach front property or be on the Intercoastal  to park your yacht; you can have both!

This 15,000 sq. ft. house boasts 7 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and 2 glass elevators.  There is a 2,000 gallon salt water fish tank that winds around the outside of the kitchen and creates a wet bar.  There is also a separate catering kitchen.

The bedroom alone is 2,180 sq. ft. with a wrap around view extending into the his and her bathrooms.

Below is the very large garage that allows you to peer into the  pool.

 There are even swimmable water gardens.  The house is LEED certified.  Exotic woods and "the best of everything" were used throughout, including an ultra smart automation system; a smart home, with built in biofeedback.  How does that work?

Any Takers??

(When I started this story the house was for sale, now it appears to have sold for a secret,  record price).