The perfect day in Portland starts at Standard Baking Co. Opened in 1995, it is the best kind of French-style bakery — gorgeous food created with fresh, simple ingredients; a relaxed, friendly vibe; and absolutely no pretension, in the space, the baked goods or otherwise. It is straight up and straight forward and we adore it. And, we were thrilled when they published their first and very beautiful cookbook last year, Standard Baking Co. Pastries. We now always have a batch of chocolate walnut biscotti (page 122) at the ready, although it is certainly not the same as being there!
Standard Baking Co., 75 Commercial Street, Portland, Maine
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| Winslow Homer Studio, Prouts Neck, Maine |
The Portland Museum of Art is another of our favorite stops in Maine. Besides the impressive permanent collection which includes some 17,000 works of American and European fine and decorative art from the 18th through 21st centuries, we have seen some fantastic exhibitions in the summer months when we visit. This summer we very much enjoyed The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism. Organized by MoMA, it features 61 works by modern masters such as Picasso, Matisse and Gauguin from this wonderful private collection. Paley, of course longtime president and chairman of CBS and husband of the legendarily stylish Babe, began assembling these works in the 1930s. The Portland Museum of Art is the only New England stop on the show’s 2012-2014 tour. On our wish list for next summer is a visit to Winslow Homer’s Studio. Acquired by the museum in 2006 and carefully restored since then, it opened to the public in September 2012. Homer lived and worked in the studio from 1883 until his death in 1910, painting many of his masterworks on the property. Now a National Historic Landmark, it is a true American treasure.
The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism is on view until September 8. www.portlandmuseum.org
Last summer we discovered the most exquisite handmade ice cream in Maine. Rococo Artisan Ice Cream in Kennebunkport uses local ingredients in their traditional Argentine-style ice cream which they describe as “rich in cream, full of flavor, and frozen slowly; with less air and served warmer to enhance the flavors.” Those flavors, totaling nearly 60, are stunning. Made in small batches, our favorites so far include olive oil, rosemary infused caramel and toasted pepitas; sweet avocado cayenne; strawberry basil; and coffee pow! — truly the best coffee ice cream on earth. The ice cream bar has definitely been raised, in fact we think it is now off the charts.
www.rococoicecream.com
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| Vintage-inspired postcard from Daytrip Society, Kennebunkport, Maine |
Last week we spent several glorious days in Maine, certainly one of our most favorite places. Still thinking about our time there, we feel compelled this week to share some of the spots that we tend to visit again and again. Of course at the top of our list are the magnificent rocky beaches — so unique to this great state, and quite indescribable, we feel, in words alone. You must experience those for yourself. When we’re not at the beach, however, we find we eat incredibly well (we have already posted on some exceptional Maine food here and here), we try to see some art, and we always manage to do a bit of shopping. Daytrip Society in Kennebunkport is one of the best curated and stylishly-arranged shops we know. Owned by two native Mainers who after a stint in New York City in the music industry were drawn back home, Daytrip Society features special items made in Maine, and those inspired by and for the woods, the sea, and nature at large. They also have a lovely collection of vintage books and pennants scattered about. But we’re really just skimming the surface here. A perfect balance of whimsy and really good design has definitely been achieved in this establishment. And they have a store for kids, Daytrip Jr., right around the corner! Best of all, Daytrip supports local nature conservation organizations including the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge.
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| The perfect lobster roll, Port Lobster, Kennebunkport, Maine |
A brilliant installation is happening right now at one of my favorite shops in Paris — Merci. The Dutch design collective Droog is celebrating its 20th anniversary with the transformation of the boulevard Beaumarchais store into Hôtel Droog — a very cool, modern living space. The most ingenious part of this idea is the fact that three lucky winners got to spend the night at Hôtel Droog with a guest and have all of Merci to themselves. I can’t even imagine…
Hôtel Droog at Merci, 111 boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris through June 15, 2013
www.merci-merci.com, www.droog.com
With Venice on my mind this week, I have been thinking about one of my favorite spots in this wonderful city — the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Located right on the Grand Canal in her beloved home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, it houses her renowned collection of modern masterworks as well as special exhibitions — a Robert Motherwell show just opened this week. Peggy lived at Palazzo Venier dei Leoni from 1949 until her death in 1979 and opened it to the public every summer in order to share her growing collection. I love the Palazzo and all of the works of art therein, but I especially love the sculpture garden which is also the buriel site of Peggy’s many dogs and Peggy herself. I find it the perfect place to sit and imagine the extraordinary life that was lived there.
www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/news.php
Today begins the previews of la Biennale di Venezia — the 55th International Art Exhibition in Venice. We love Venice best at just this time, at the start of the Biennale, when the city is full of the contemporary art world’s most notable figures and an energy and vibe that is almost unmatched. The Director of this year’s exhibition, titled Il Palazzo Enciclopedico (The Encyclopedic Palace), is the New Museum’s Massimiliano Gioni — perhaps making for the most impactful Biennale yet.
The Biennale is open to the public from June 1 – November 24, 2013.
We have just made our summer travel plans to Maine which now always include dinner at one of our favorite restaurants — Petite Jacqueline in Portland. Named after owner Michelle Corry’s grandmother, Petite Jacqueline is my kind of perfect. The casual, light-filled space seems always lively, the carafe wine is exactly right and the food is outstanding. In fact, I have had the best escargots of my life at Petite Jacqueline. Not in Paris, but in Portland. I so wish this was my neighborhood bistro and, the truth is, I think about it all year long. If you find yourself in the great city of Portland, you must give a try.
www.bistropj.com
Before our minds drift completely back to New York from our lovely trip to warm and sunny Sarasota, Florida, we wanted to say a few words about the very special John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. This wonderful waterfront estate was purchased in 1911 by John Ringling, a member of the Ringling family of circus fame and fortune, and his wife Mable. In 1924, they began construction on Ca’ d’Zan, the Venetian Gothic mansion inspired by their travels to Italy, that was to be their winter home. The most magnificent part of the house is the back where Sarasota Bay stands in for the Grand Canal — truly spectacular. Completed at the end of 1925 and considered to be the last Gilded Age mansion built in the United States, they only enjoyed Ca’ d’Zan together for a few short short years due to Mable’s untimely death in 1929. Incidentally, it was at Ca’ d’Zan that the 1998 movie Great Expectations with Ethan Hawke and Gwenyth Paltrow was filmed.
Today, the property includes two Circus Museums, the Museum of Art that houses the Ringling’s world-renowned collection of Old Masters as well as special exhibitions; the Historic Asolo Theater, an 18th-century palace playhouse from Asolo, Italy that was dismantled in the 1940s, brought to the estate and lovingly reconstructed over the course of several years; numerous gardens and the glorius Millenium Tree Trail. All of which is not to be missed.
