Wednesday, April 16, 2008

inspired



Spruce restaurant in San Francisco is a fairly swanky place. It has the kind of huge( that spell fancy) door that require your full attention to open.Once inside, the restaurant is plush, modern with warm touches like chocolate brown banquettes and peccary leather chairs.The art on the walls is bold and interesting: big pencil drawings of the back of a man's head for instance.It was to be an early birthday dinner for moi, followed by a talk with Jhumpa Lahiri, one of my adored writers. The meal was sublime, sophisticated and restrained. The service was gracious, and numerous servers came and went.carrot soup with cardamon foam and sliced almonds, celeriac raviolis with truffles,followed by a trio of deserts, one being the "call it beignets when it is really doughnut holes" which were puffy clouds of golden dough sugar coated to a heavenly crush when glazed with a little creme anglaise.The chocolate dacquoise was as sinful and very pretty to look at. Then, off to Jhumpa, looking poised and lovely, a graceful vision that matched her exquisite and deceitfully simple style. She talked of identity, moments of life that she called crossings, and how she inhabits her characters like an actor would on stage, but for her it is on the page.
I got a couple of wonderful presents, one being given with the purpose of may be inspiring me... so here is my inspiration, a new painting, a crossing of the seasons,in more way than one.(click on it to see it bigger and tell me what you think)

1 comment:

  1. Oh oh oh! Those donut hole hole holes! I think I may just request my own late birthday dinner there.

    Your painting is smooth and gentle and caressing. I love it.

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