Great Zeus! I didn’t think I would be gone so long, but no worries, I can bring this blog up to date in one post...At the end of March I was busy tending to Brownie (our chocolate lab) while she recovered from unexpected surgery . She did very well , but then I was under the weather for a spell; for all of April I was reduced to eating teensy little bland meals with tiny sips of herbal tea.
Thankfully all that passed, and during the first week of May I celebrated my return to the land of the living by attending a few shows - Eddie Izzard and Cirque du Soleil - and a five-course feast at Lacroix, a renowned French restaurant on Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square. It was an exquisite morel and wine pairing prepared by Executive Chef Matthew Levine and hosted by Sommelier Eric Simonis. Highlights for me were the white morel stock with smoked salmon, tempura and mint, and the wild turbot with tomatillo, licorice and lavender. The dessert was vanilla star anise panna cotta with honey poached morels, sweet pea sorbet, and lime gelee. The setting was exclusive - a small gathering of foodies in a private room - but the conversation was inclusive so it was like dining with a group of old friends.
It was truly an enchanted evening.
Morel season came and went, but spring took its time. The weather finally warmed up a few weeks later after a huge storm that ended with two rainbows over my neighborhood; you can see the second one in the photo at right that I shot from my deck. They inspired me to design the colorful freshwater pearl and oxidized sterling silver necklace and earring set at the top of this post. The pieces in the photo have already sold, but I can make more if any of you would like your own personal rainbow.
Where there are rainbows, unicorns are bound to follow, and this post is no exception. Those of you who have purchased, won, or received my jewelry as a gift over the past few years are familiar with my purple packaging and boxes that are always embellished with gorgeous butterflies. Until lately that is. At the end of May I ran out of butterflies, so now I am topping my boxes with faeries, flowers, and for a limited time, vintage unicorn stickers by Otters and Others.In June we attended a dinner with Sopranos actress Lorraine Bracco who was in town to launch her line of wines at Chima, a Brazilian steakhouse with table-side service. We were seated with reporter Len Lear and his lovely wife who recently celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary. Mr. Lear wrote several pieces about me years ago when I was a child performer – it was nice to be able to thank him again and catch up after all this time. Magically, neither of us have aged a bit.
Also in June, my jewelry shop celebrated its first birthday. I joined Etsy.com - your place to buy and sell all things handmade - on April 15 in 2007, and opened my store there two months later on June 21. I am enjoying this odyssey immensely - thank you all for a memorable year.
Last Sunday we were back on Rittenhouse Square as Stephen Starr's guests at his new French bistro called Parc. It's an elegant space with a splendid view and a sumptuous menu created by Chef Dominique Filoni. I've written before about how much I love Starr's restaurants - Buddakan, Pod, Morimoto and Barclay Prime to name a few - and Parc is equally exceptional. The meal started with bread that was baked in-house and appetizers of beet salad and a delectable steak tartare, and that was followed by main dishes of organic salmon and coq au vin. We finished with three decadent desserts: a warm peach tart with blackberry ice cream, creme brulee, and pot de creme. Through it all our wine glasses were never empty. The staff was fabulous, the setting was glamorous, and the food was fit for the gods.
I am definitely having an epic summer.
Gems and Findings
- A few months back I posted with heavy heart that Harp Magazine had folded. Now I'm happy to announce that the Harp staff including Mr. Glamorosi (aka journalist A.D. Amorosi) have launched BLURT , an online mag with the same impeccable taste and great writing that made its predecessor a favorite of musicians and fans alike. Stop by and read Mr. Glamorosi's interviews with John Lurie, Zooey Deschanel, and Shane West. He also had an interesting conversation with Top Chef's Tom Colicchio for Philadelphia City Paper; you can read it here.
- Two of the designer contestants on this season of Project Runway have shops on Etsy: you can see Leanne's fabulous frocks at Leanimal.etsy.com, and check out Kelli's edgy ensembles at AntiLabel.etsy.com
- My next post will be a GlamorInky - stay tuned!
A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.
~Elsa Schiaparelli
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