The Way Life Should Be

I am just back from a week in Maine and if local everywhere is anywhere it's there. Maine is proud, and rightly so - It is, in many ways after all, the way life should be. Their native lobster and wild blueberries are reason enough to visit. Of course, that is not to mention the breath-taking land and seascapes along the coast. We stay in the town of Bar Harbor surrounded by Acadia National Park. Acadia is over 30,000 acres of mountain, forest, rock, fresh water, and ocean with spectacular views dotted by lobstermen's buoys and small islands in the distance. Acadia is a magical, abundant, and historic place, a place so well preserved it takes you back in time. (You can easily imagine the Rockefellers presiding over the area, and they are still present in the extraordinary generosity of their preservation efforts.) When you are there, you also can't help but feel nature's enormous presence, and that it is very much in charge. Here are some highlights from my trip:

Jordan Pond House and their famous popover - I read that Abby Aldrich Rockefeller used to have tea and popovers there while staying in South West Harbor


The view


The Popover


The Popover with strawberry jam

Thirsty Whale - Lobster Rolls at the Thirsty Whale, our favorite in town


Table full of lobster rolls



Thurston's Lobster Pound - the lobster is amazing, but so is the grilled cheese





CJ's Big Dipper - Blueberry Soft Serve, a nightly event





Jordan Restaurant's Blueberry Pancakes





The Criterion Movie Theater - built in 1932, a throw-back to more glamorous times


Seeing this classic Ingmar Bergman film in the old theater was a real treat



Docksider's Famous Lobster Roll and other fried foods




Overflowing with lobstery goodness


Homemade onion rings, couldn't keep our hands off...


Fried clam roll

The Secret Beach - that's all I can say about that


Beached!


The end...

Wikhegan Old Books, Mastering the Art of Bookselling

At some point during every trip to Bar Harbor, I make it a point to visit Wikhegan Books in Northeast Harbor. This exceptional bookstore, which is also stocked with eclectic antiques as Pine Bough Antiques, sells rare, out-of-print, and used books with an emphasis on the LOCAL Mount Desert Island region. Now in its 33rd year, I know I will inevitably find something special there or that something special will find me. Somehow though, I always do have something specific in mind and serendipitously, they always have what I am looking for.

Last year's mission was Walden by Henry David Thoreau and they had a flawless 1950 Modern Library edition. This year I thought, because I wanted it so much, they would never have Mastering the Art of French Cooking, especially with the current craze which I admit I am participating in. But I didn't want a new copy. And I had other requirements too: gently used, published before the 1980's revamp, not so precious that I couldn't cook with it... So I crossed my fingers and walked into Wikhegan. I looked on the shelf, no Mastering. Then, as you are instructed to do upon entering the store if you can't find what you want, I asked if they had a copy. Five minutes later, like an angel, the store-keeper's wife appeared with a 1963 book club edition of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I almost cried. It's perfect.



This store is kept with so much care. Going there, browsing, and discovering is a such a pleasure that even after I've found what I want, I find it hard to leave.





(Read more about Mastering the Art of French Cooking making it to the best-seller list HERE! It is so exciting!!)

Painting Pine

Pine Shelf, oil on linen, 19 x 22 inches

I haven't stopped staring at this beautiful painting by Josephine Halvorson since she sent me the image. It's hard to tell where the painting begins and ends in this lovely photo. The layers of wood grain draw you right in, and then that window leads you out and beyond. What I love about Josephine's paintings is that they are simultaneously stark and cozy, abstract and representational, and she creates these mysterious and intimate spaces in a thoroughly considered way.

Josephine has a studio in Brooklyn, but is always finding ways to paint in cabins in the countrysides of Massachusetts and New York. She made this painting in a pine cabin in Speculator, NY, in the heart of the Adirondack State park. What an incredible name for a place. And what an incredible painting.

'wich Lunch

Deborah and I took Friday off and, after seeing the divine movie Julie and Julia, we lunched at 'wichcraft. Dedicated to local farms and artisinal food producers, their sandwiches, both the savory and the sweet, speak for themselves (see below) and the 2nd story rooftop garden seating at the 20th Street location is the cherry on top. We ordered the meatloaf and the white anchovy 'wiches. We also had to have cookie 'wiches, which we altered, from plain old chocolate and plain old peanut butter, to the brilliant combination. So delish! Read about 'wichcraft's passion for the local HERE.









seriously, divine!

Transmitting Transmitter Park

On July 4, where Greenpoint Avenue meets the East River, Transmitter Park opened to the public. In Spring 2010, park improvement to the tune of $10 million dollars will begin including waterfront access, a public pier, landscaping, and more. In the meantime, there are picnic tables and an incredible view. I'll take it!

New York's Bounty

The most beautiful and unique fruits and vegetables are growing in the northeast despite the blight. These are some highlights from this past Friday's Union Square Green Market. The peaches are gorgeous, there are hot pink beans, a twisted squash, and a cheese display that makes me melt, literally.

Early Late Blight

This year, the northeast is being hit hard by an early late blight, "a plant disease that attacks potatoes and tomatoes." Chef and Owner of the Blue Hill restaurants, Dan Barber writes eloquently about the heartbreaking subject in The New York Times this Sunday. (How pretty is that accompanying illustration?!) Tomatoes in small gardens and large farms are rotting and dying. The very wet summer we are experiencing is, unfortunately, perfect for spreading blight. Also, sadly, it could be due in part to the current renewed interest in home-gardening. Firstly, home gardens dotting the area create fertile ground and easy travel between shorter distances for the disease. Additionally, a number of super-stores like Home Depot, imported infected tomato plants from the south - Without knowing what to look for (or knowing to look at all) these stores and the new home gardeners would not recognize the present blight. (Barber also makes the good point that buying imported starter plants is really not so different from buying imported tomatoes.) Barber says that in our (wonderful) renewed interest, it is vital to be vigilant. Keep gardening! But grow from seeds or buy seedlings from local growers.

My good friend Ben has done exactly that. Though some of his plants have been affected by the blight, he maintains a handsome rooftop garden with many healthy tomatoes (and he is growing the most delicious Thai Basil in Brooklyn).

Playing Now

Last night, like many other nights, we went to Photoplay, our amazing local video store (yes, they still exist and thrive and no, we don't belong to Netflix!) and inspired by finishing season 2 of Mad Men (I am obsessed) we asked for a movie from the late 50s/early 60s. Photoplay's owner Michael Sayers, an encyclopedia of film knowledge who is always generous and thoughtful with recommendations, gave us The Sweet Smell of Success in which Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster capture the debased world of public relations in the gritty city with fervor. It is perfect food for thought as we count down the days to August 16.



For more on Michael and Photoplay, read the wonderful interview Dan Redding (graphic designer, blogger, and long time Photoplay employee) did with Michael HERE.

Jeanne Threw a Party

in Frankies back yard...

Savoring Saveur

I wait anxiously every month for Saveur magazine to appear in my mailbox. When it arrives I devour it from cover to cover. This month's "Burger Issue" is genius. Including a wonderful short piece in the "Home Grown" section - now that I've read about the Chase family in Belfast, Maine, I am so excited to stop at Chase's Daily on our way up to Bar Harbor in two weeks.

Sweet Drink, Sweet Tax

There is a proposed new tax on sweet beverages, like sodas and energy drinks - the ones filled with corn syrup and loaded with terrible calories. This tax is meant to help fight obesity and go toward paying for health care reform. While it is problematic, it's a step in the right direction.

As an alternative and refreshing treat, I recommend brewing iced tea in your refrigerator (an idea inspired by Larissa). Celestial Seasonings teas are great, but just use your favorite. Put 2-3 tea bags in 4-5 cups of room-temperature water. Let it get cold in the fridge. Sweet!

I Scream

I literally scream for ice cream. I LOVE it. And I still can't believe that the DUMBO-based, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory set up shop in Greenpoint. In the middle of sleepy, industrial Commercial Street, this has to be some of the best ice cream in all of the five boroughs. We walked up there yesterday and ordered butter pecan with caramel sauce - a dream - and two scoops of chocolate chip on a cone.