Written: February 25th, 2009 | Author: Sylvia Zygalo | Category: Design, Wine | Tags: Aesthetics, Design, Wine, Wine Labels | 6 Comments »
Judging a wine solely by its label is not exactly the most accurate method of delicious discovery, but I personally find it difficult to steer away from being swayed by a classically radiant, clean or witty label that harbors all the elements necessary to lure such a credulous consumer such as myself.
I’m occasionally guilty in extending the benefit of doubt to the design of a product, & invest belief in that the marriage between the wine & the bottle will balance together in a sensory success. I also generally enjoy a product that appeals to a variety of my senses & feel that it adds benefit to the entirety of the experience.
That being said, I don’t always allow myself to fall prey to the aesthetics of a wine label, but at times surrender to what my eyes first tell me. Perhaps I’m shallow that way, but in the end, I’m still drinking wine.
Frank B | Designed by Talia Cohen
In-house design | Magnificent Wine Co.
Michael Austin | Designed by Hatch
Written: February 17th, 2009 | Author: Sylvia Zygalo | Category: Food, Wine | Tags: Carpaccio, Chambar, Food, Meat, Michele Chiarlo, Wine | 2 Comments »
Before yesterday evening at Chambar with a friend, it had been nearly a year that I had consumed any red meat at all. My current logic lays in that until I sort my conflicts of conscience out, that I may as well continue to enjoy red meat to some minimal extent. I really have no environmental or spiritual reason as to why I quit eating red meat in the first place, other than that I went vegetarian for a month last year (well.. more like 2 weeks, 3 days & 12 hours) to give it a go & observe its effects on my body. After breaking my temporary vegetarianism over desperate desires to run through the park & hunt on squirrels, I gave in completely. By completely I mean that I sprinted over to the butcher & bought some lamb to slow-cook over yellow curry. It was delicious, but sadly as I had no enzymes to digest the meat with, I was up for most of the night high on adrenaline. It’s really not the way I prefer to party.
Recently I had planted the seed of meat in my mind again & watered it every so often with ideas on how I was going to re-introduce my body back into the gustatory pleasures of it all. Since I consider myself to be an all or nothing type of girl, we went ahead & ordered the madeira braised rabbit cannelloni, the bruleed venison carpaccio & a bottle of Michele Chiarlo.
It was a beautiful combination & really the ideal way to break back into the scene. The meal really got me thinking about carpaccio & the various ways to prepare it.
The beauty of carpaccio is that there’s little to no cooking involved & flavor can be added simply by rolling the raw fillet in a mixture of finely chopped herbs & finely grated citrus zest before freezing. The trick thereafter is to slice the meat paper-thin, which can be accomplished accurately with an electric knife.
I really love simple dishes like these, which only require the essence of herbs, a drizzle of quality olive oil & some good ole S&P.
Oh, & I slept this time. I thank the copious amounts of red wine.
Written: February 9th, 2009 | Author: Sylvia Zygalo | Category: Design | Tags: Design, Espresso Machine, Makkina | No Comments »
Quality coffee beans are on as much on my consumptive radar as the likes of wine & food, so naturally I am swayed by products that execute them deliciously while still appealing to the design aspect of my attraction. I typically go back to basics in making coffee by utilizing my lovely Bodum french press in the mornings. I have to admit, however, that I am deeply attracted to the mechanical components of an espresso machine, as well as in the various options they offer in serving a multitude of complicated espresso concoctions.
One particular product that aligns with my criteria of both style & quality production is the Makkina by Soren Henssler. This machine deviates from the typical design of an espresso machine by separating the individual product components, thus creating an open platform for the user. Architecturally, I suppose this could be like the loft of espresso machines.
Features of practicality were well implemented by creating a machine that is not only stylistically pleasing, but designed specifically for offices in terms of it being both easy to use & to clean. As well, the focus on design stays loyal to the two most important parts of an espresso machine: the coffee beans & the water.
