I was very happy to learn a few weeks ago that Dennis Scholl was joining Knight Foundation’s permanent staff as the Miami program director, not least because he cares very much about the food and wine communities and is a wine importer (half of the Betts & Scholl powerhouse that I first read about in this Food & Wine article last January).
At lunch at Michael’s Genuine today, the fried egg on top of crumbled duck terrine and toasted bread spread liberally with homemade Dijon was a good order (it’s next to impossible to order badly here);
Dennis ordered what reminded me of a warm Andalusian gazpacho,
and we were both happy to be at this restaurant run by Michael Schwartz,
who stopped by the table and is up for the James Beard award for Best Southern Chef (the nominee list) next week (as Michael mentions, this is an example Dennis’ work with Plum TV as a culture correspondent).
Before we left, Michael confirmed when Dennis asked if he was celebrating Grilled Cheese Month (as we have here on kthread) that every month at Michael’s Genuine is Grilled Cheese Month. Fellow Miamians, rejoice! (And everyone else, come visit. More grilled cheese in just a bit…)
And while we were in the Design District, we stopped by the Wynwood gallery Dennis owns with his wife Debra, World Class Boxing, where the current Mitzi Pederson exhibit, “I Think I Was Looking at That Before” has thin, shaped wood sculptures like bows of painted silver leaf that are strung not for arrows, but hang high on walls and around blocks on the gallery floor reminding me of simplified Aeolian harps.
And in the untitled piece Pederson refers to as a “ground drawing,” cinder blocks glitter playfully as you move about them, winking back as you accept a clever invitation to circle the piece, subtly engaged in this gallery in a city of unironic sequins…
Austin is always filled with music, but especially so this week. And each of the sound experiences here is a gift; the below are for you.
For the PBS Engage SxSW video studio, I interviewed sound sculptor Trimpin on Sunday; below, one of his pieces uses Dutch shoes that begin glocking in rhythms he has algorithmically devised (other pieces use plastic children’s guitars and miniature player pianos, always creating natural sounds structured by mathematical technology layer):
Of course, to me, even mixing chocolate chips into local Amy’s ice cream feels artistic and rhythmic:
Musicians here for the SxSW festival practice on the street (this casual moment captures that Austin feeling for me):
And others fill bars; Sunday night, my friend Paul Dateh (who has a new album you should buy) played hip hop on the violin as only he can with Ken Belcher at the PBS Engage SxSW HQ on 6th:
And last night, I developed a new musician crush on David Kitchen. First, “Walk With Me” stole my heart:
and this is the sweet song I want to sing to someone who I think just might know the signal. We’ll see.
Alejandro Escovedo followed brilliantly, gave me hope that I will “get there someday,”
but, for now, since every once in a while (as he sang last night), you have to let yourself go, I’m off to find the lights in Marfa…
And slightly delirious from the brisket deliciousness, Laura and I somehow found ourselves in front of a piñata shop (when in Austin):
The owner happily explained what we should fill piñatas with:
and I hoped my unicorn piñata might carry both of us on to the parties as we walked along the highway. Instead, we hailed a pedicab,
and scooted over to a karaoke “Cogaoke” contest at the Scoot Inn, slightly behind Kevin.
Ah, alternative transportation. To add to the excitement, we were hit by a cab while racing to catch up to Kevin’s pedicab—we didn’t, but we did make it safely to the party. And the adventures continue…
I will always let my friend Nina kidnap me. Last night’s adventure was eating Taw in Shaw:
A DJ and owner of the alternative record label Hoss, Nina has been a purveyor of knowledge for me since I worked with her at PBS. I miss being down the hall from her and sitting next to Cameron there, where he continues to lead the PBS video efforts—these two are reasons enough to live in D.C.
We ate stunning pumpkin curry along with drunken noodles, spring rolls, and salmon.
When someone cooks for you who truly loves cooking as Taw does, you taste the respect for the ingredients. Complicated Thai spice combinations from the kitchen continued as the fish tank burbled behind me, Cameron–in his usual Zen-like way–resisted batting the hanging plant tendrils out of his hair, and toward the dessert, the bird woke up in the cage next to me.
Silently, we unwrapped the banana leaf to find glistening sticky rice (look closely for the little fruit jewels mixed in) and mango. I think I convinced Nina to visit me in Miami when the mangoes begin to fall from the tree outside the Magic Cottage.
After Cameron narrated an incredible iPhone slideshow from his recent travels, we three talked about our work in what feels like a public living room of sorts. And we were reluctant to leave this place of good smells and wonderful food, finally walking out into the quiet street full of the knowledge and responsibility that the future of public media is what we make of it, beginning now…
Kat, I made you a podcast (song details are at the bottom of this post) that is almost as random as the music I played during that rambling road trip we took across the country last spring. You always teach me about music, but I’m hoping maybe the Sin Fang Bous is new to you. I am so lucky to have you as a sister.
