If hankering over canvas is wrong, we don't wanna be right.
We've waxed cravingly over delectable art many times over, but the hyperrealistic oil paintings of Dutch artist Tjalf Sparnaay leave us with hyperrealistic hunger pangs.
Really, have you ever seen a sexier painting of a sandwich? Those yolks, those crumbs! Swoon.
"Broodje Gezond (Healthy Sandwich)" 2009
Sparnaay seems to have aced the details of eggs in general, judging from the mastery of this depiction of a fried version:
"Gebakken Ei (Fried Egg)" 2009
Ah, the palpable frustration of retrieving ketchup from the bottle!
"Ketchup 2011" 2011
And yes, we'd like fries with that.
"Patat (Fries)" 1999
We're dying to pluck a roast potato off of this piece:
"Draadjesvlees (Stew)" Undated
Now, if you'll excuse us, we're off to lunch. All of this art appreciation has made us hungry.
It all started with a watercolor painting of a sticky bun. I almost ate the paper. I've become obsessed with the work of artist, Abbie Zuidema, who splits her time between painting the most deliciously beautiful watercolors (that often have food as the subject) in her art studio and waitressing at one of my favorite Brooklyn restaurants, Vinegar Hill House. If life imitates art, then perhaps Abbie's work imitates life.
Miss Zuidema
I jumped at the chance to sit down with Abbie and get her thoughts on her favorite things to cook, discuss her work, and to see what's cooking in her creative future. Herewith, a Q&A that will leave you wanting to run out and buy paint supplies, lobster, and even Chef Boyardee. Trust me.
Beyond food, what inspires your work?
A lot of my work is about tapping into the nostalgia of childhood that we can't describe with language. It's so integral why we're drawn to the things that we're drawn to, and the things that we desire. Food, smell, taste, I don't know how to totally describe them because they're intangible, but it's what I'm after. Trying to define that for myself and tapping into that for other people through painting is the biggest gift.
We love your watercolor paintings of Crisp Kringle Chocolate Santa and Chef Boyardee. How did these become subject matters in your work?
I started thinking about creating a series of watercolor paintings about people's secret indulgences. So initially, I kept asking myself, "what is the thing that you eat that you can't admit out loud for comfort?" For me, it's a peanut butter and jelly on an English muffin, and no one needs to know about that. For my friend Lindsey, it is a can of Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs. When I painted the Chef Boyardee watercolor, it was a little bit evil and scary looking, but I was also playing with color and keeping things very simple on purpose.
You're currently creating state maps with all sorts of amazing fun facts andimagery. How do you decide on what to include, and what is it about maps that youlove?
I love finding the history of places. In Alaska they have big foot sightings. In Montana, the names of the mountains are just so cool. In each state there is so much information. The more I've done them, the more I find amazing facts and the harder it is to decide what to include in the maps, but as you can tell, food always makes it's way into each one. I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible, but it's challenging because there's so much stuff to include in each map.
It's a collaboration between my dear friend, Lindsey Robinson and myself that encompasses our different sensibilities in the pursuit of procuring any kind of knowledge whether it's history, food, or if you want to know about something in particular. It sniffs out everything, and it goes everywhere, (good and bad smells). The title itself is taken from MFK Fisher's chapter, The Curious Nose, in "The Art of Eating." We're very inspired by her quote from that story, "…taking
pleasure where it is found & loving life with all of it's challenges," which is where we draw life philosophy & inspiration from.
Do you two collaborate on food projects?
Yes. We've done a couple of different things, but one in particular that I loved doing was an illustrative watercolor recipe of making gelatin from scratch (featured in Diner's Journal). It was great because you get to find out about all of this cool stuff that's talking about something that's in cooking trends right now, but is also something from the past, in this case, a classic French technique. I find it reassuring to go back to a practice that's tried and true.
Abbie and Lindsay’s gelatin recipe collaboration, featured in Diners Journal
What do you like to cook at home?
I'm really obsessed with Nigel Slater right now. I like going through his seasonal cookbook and trying different dishes that require marinating. I'm also into salsa verde, chimichurri and fresh herbs because of how they can pop your dish that create an incredible dimension to any dish.
What's your favorite type of food to paint?
I dig crustaceans, and red and pink things.
We've been told that you create customized paintings of people's wedding cakes. Is it true?
Yes, I create customized watercolor paintings of menus, maps and wedding cakes. The personal connection is what drives me. I love collaborating with my clients and coming up with an end result that I could have never envisioned.
Above, wedding cake, commissioned by Abbie's sister in law.
What can we expect to see from you in the near future?
Right now I'm working on a map of Greenpoint because the hurricane gave me plenty of time. It's sort of an ode to Irene. I'm currently collaborating on designing menus for a new restaurant, and my map of Little Thailand in Queens is printed in the new issue of Edible Queens, currently out on newsstands in the New York area.
Adorable Aussie filmmaker Rick Mereki traveled through 11 countries over the course of 44 days and brought back the best souvenir to share - footage of the delectable dishes he and his two buddies feasted on throughout the jaunt.
Mmm, Wanderlust. Mereki made two other lovely videos on his voyage that are equally enjoyable - Move and Learn. While they don't feature food, we still consider them Eye Candy. xxGG
It's no secret - we love cake like... well, like a fat kid loves cake.
But serving it has always been a debacle. You practically have to be a food stylist with the world's steadiest hands to get a slice from platter to plate intact. Too often, the slice topples over, and the luscious strata collapse. Still delicious? Sure. But we're aesthetes, after all...
Leave it to some savvy Scandinavians to devise an elegant solution.
Magisso, a Finnish design house, created the Cake Server, a stainless steel wave that cuts a perfect slice, then seamlessly transports it to your waiting plate, fully intact. So simple, yet so brilliant.
Ooh!
Turns out you can ogle your cake, and eat it, too.
We are ladies of the G&T - perhaps a leftover from our days spent in England. It's one of our staple cocktails, always classy always refreshing. But more often than not, after a few we feel more of the syrupy quinine than the gin, which is a damn shame if you ask us.
We were recently invited to try head bartender Linden Price's new libations at Madame Geneva - a refreshing new take on the G&T, made with homemade tonics. Yes, that's what we said. Homemade tonics. [swoon] For those of you who are not familiar with Madame Geneva, it is a handsome side bar of the restaurant Double Crown, soon to be Saxton and Parole - a gem of a bar that is sexy and sophisticated at the same time. A perfect place to settle in over a proper cocktail!
Mr Price pairs Gins with homemade tonics, each one carefully developed to compliment the flavors in each distinct gin. We had the Plymouth Gin cocktail with a lemongrass and lemon tonic that was light, refreshing, and yet had the bite we were yearning for after a long day. It is clear that this is a very special creation - not the typical two ingredient stuff that comes out of a gun or a can. These tonics take weeks to make, a tedious process, but one that yields a product that is natural and more healthy than its sugary counterpart.
It got us thinking - how difficult could it be to make our own tonics? We did some searching around the internets, and found this recipe from Imbibe Magazine:
Homemade Tonic
4 cups water 3 cups pure cane sugar 3 Tbsp. quinine (powdered cinchona bark; available in some herb stores or online) 6 Tbsp. powdered citric acid (found in the bulk section of most well-stocked grocery stores) 3 limes, zested and juiced 3 stalks lemongrass, roughly chopped
In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil until the sugar dissolves, then turn the heat down to low. Add the quinine, citric acid, lemongrass, lime zest and lime juice. Stir well and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the powders are dissolved and the syrup is thin and runny. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out the large chunks through a colander, then filter through cheesecloth or coffee filters to refine. This step can take a while—and many filters—as the bark is a very fine powder, so be patient. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out the large chunks through a colander, then filter through cheesecloth or coffee filters to refine. This step can take a while—and many filters—as the bark is a very fine powder, so be patient. Funnel the syrup into sterilized glass bottles, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.
British Troops taking their daily Quinine - as will you
Before you dash off to make your own making your house Tonic - here are a few tips from Mr Price himself:
“The key to making your own tonic is to get your hands on good quality, full flavored quinine. Generally speaking good health food stores and naturopaths stock quinine and personally I prefer when it comes in the liquid form.”
“Beware to start small with the quinine - it is a big full flavor, and very bitter. The more you put in, the less subtle your other flavors will be. However, you rely in that edge to make the tonic water what it is!”
“Then essentially it is about you creating the flavor profile you like. Personally I love the aromatics of lemongrass, grapefruit zest, lemon peel, orange blossom, rose, cucumber, mint. But you can really take this in any direction. Especially with fresh herbs.”
All this aromatic talk has us lusting for one of his creations as we type!
Side note: we're super excited for the opening of Saxton and Parole - the new AvroKo restaurant on the Bowery. Those graphics are not messing around.
Craving a G&T? So are we.
Madame Geneva
4 Bleeker Street
New York, NY 10012
212-254-0350
We're always really excited to see the revival of craft in this digital age. Too often to we depend on our computers, our phones, or our ipads, and we too are guilty as charged. That's why we love seeing talented "analogue" artists such as Dana Tanamachi being celebrated and their work being supported.
Miss Tanamachi is a talented chalk letterer whose work can be seen at the Ace Hotel, Garden & Gun magazine, and Rachel Ray Magazine. She is an alum of Louise Fili - powerhouse of restaurant and food branding in New York, and another firm that gets us all kinds of excited.
We love all of Miss Tanamachi's work, but are especially giddy over her designs for Nagging Doubt wines. Wine labels can often have too much noise on them without saying so much, but these are so beautiful and they give useful information such as flavor notes and suggested pairings. Brilliant, we say.
We're also smitten with the time-lapse of Miss Tanamachi working on these gorgeous labels.
It's already feeling a bit like fall in NYC, and we've been missing the heat of the summer already. It's going to be a long winter, we believe. While we usually find ourselves piling on the sweaters prematurely and getting excited about cider season, this year, we are still craving everything lime and that sweet summery feel of freedom.
In an effort to relive our days under the sun, we share with you our Gastronomista pool party - a celebration of meat and libation. We took to the suburbs armed with 3 chickens, boar sausage, pork chops, a goose, and lots of delicious spreads and tapenades.
We kicked off the weekend with a delicious Gastronomista Solerno Cocktail:
2 oz. Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
4-5 dashes Angostura Bitters
Top with soda water
Garnish with orange peel
Served over ice
Solerno makes a surprisingly good in a simple cocktail, which can be credited to the all natural ingredients - sweetening from beets, and of course, those gorgeous Italian Blood Oranges.. It's such a lovely liqueur (and don't even get us started on that bottle, or we'll be here for days gushing on about red glass).
We hit the pool - which is where we spent most of the day paddling around and enjoying the sun (as it should be). But we know you don't visit Gastronomista to see us float around in pools - on to the food:
As you know, we are suckers for packaging. Yep it's true. We've been known to purchase things solely for its handsome label, graphic lettering, and whimsical illustrations. Our mothers may have told us not to judge a book by its cover, but why would anyone want an ugly book in their house? But I digress...
Speaking of handsome labels, we're completely smitten with this student project by Jessie Harris for an identity package for a Fishmonger. He completed the project while at the Edinburgh College of Art.
We're looking forward to seeing more from Mr Harris - exciting things to come, we're certain.
Labor day may have come and gone, but it's still summer people! We have 12 days to enjoy summer before the official start of Fall. Which means, most importantly, it is still Margarita season (although, for this Gastronomista Girl, every season is Margarita season).
But you're tired of your traditional marg, you say. Well do not fret, we have a perfect cure to your cocktail woes. Enter the Mercadito - a fresh lime juice Margarita spiked with Jalapeños and Cilantro. Yes please, the people say.
Mercadito Margarita with Jalapeño and Cilantro
1.5 Oz Milagro Silver
.50 Oz Green Chartreuse
1 Oz Lime Juice
.75 Agave Nectar
4 Cucumber Slices
1 Pinch of Cilantro
1 Jalapeno Slice
2 Dashes Celery Bitters
Muddle, shake and strain over fresh ice in Rocks glass. Garnish with a cucumber wheel.
The Mercadito Margarita is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser - and more importantly, the most important ingredient to enjoying these precious last days of summer. Cheers!
Dearest readers, we would like to share a little secret of ours with you, one of our favorite restaurants in all of Brooklyn. Sometimes all you want is a healthy, fresh, sophisticated meal with out all the hype and chaos that New York City often brings with its restaurant scene. The two hour wait just gets old sometimes, especially after a long day working for the benjamins. But more so, sometimes we want to feel like we're getting away - away from the chaos, away from the hustle and bustle of New York, and instead back in Italy where we hailed too many summers ago.
New York has a lot of great food. New York has a lot of bad food as well, and more importantly, bad Italian food (we're lookin' at you, Little Italy). Which is why, this gem we hold close to our hearts. It's the closest thing we've found to jumping on a plane and going to Italy for a great meal.
River Deli. Brooklyn Heights. Owned by Andrea Mocci and Giovanna Fadda - Sardinians relocated to Brooklyn. The menu features traditional Italian fare - Caprese, Bruschetta Mista, Tagliatelle al Ragu, or our personal favorite, Pappardelle ai Funghi (pappardelle with mixed mushrooms) and Cozze in umido (mussels in garlic and white wine). But believe us when we say, the real deal is in the specials, all favorite Sardinian recipes recreated here in Brooklyn for your staycation.
Just a few of the specials:
Macarronisi de Busa with Bottarga and Clams ("Bottarga is a typical Sardinian product, dried raw eggs of fish is called Sardinian gold taste is difficult cause quite strong of sea")
Branzino alla Vernaccia (branzino fillets cooked with Vernaccia wine and black Sardinian olives)
Fregola con le arselle (Traditional toasted Sardinian pasta cooked in fish broth, sauteed with clams and sun-dried tomatoes)
Pane Frattau (a very old Sardinian dish made with the typical Sardinian flat bread, pecorino cheese, tomato sauce, and poached eggs)
We adore this place.
When you're desperately feeling the need to escape - just walk to the end of Joralemon Street in Brooklyn, and let the food take care of the rest.
The menu (click for a larger, and therefore better view):
32 Joralemon St
(between I-278 & Columbia Pl)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 254-9200
