Blog Archives

Westport Uncorked!

10/28/2015

Fairfield County "It" had a delicious wine & dine time at the Westport Sunrise Rotary Charity Gala - Westport Uncorked!

Westport Sunrise Rotary hosted the wine tasting and live auction event at Christ & Holy Trinity Church to raise money for various local and international charities.

Castlekeep Investment Advisors sponsored the event!

Harvey Skolnick of Liquor Locker of Westport provided the wines. Pictured here, with a friend, is Cory D'Addario, wine manager of Liquor Locker. She chose over 60 wines and a variety of craft beers to pair with the 4 courses catered by FESTIVITIES. D'Addario's wine pairing skills are first-rate, as one might expect from a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America.

I started off at Table 1, the beginning of a memorable wine journey, with a taste of the Le Domaine Paul Thomas Sancerre which pleased with its classic minerality, herbal undertones and citrus.

We decided to stay in France, as we headed to Table 2, where we sampled the Chateau Coussin Costes de Provence Sainte- Victoire Rose. It was delicious!

The vineyards of Sainte Victoire are lined by tall limestone ridges and said to have inspired both Cezanne and Picasso.

Soon after we descended upon the Early Autumn Farm Table created by caterer FESTIVITIES where we enjoyed a variety of tasty bites. They also offered butlered hors d'ouevres. My favorite was the Goat Cheese Truffles with Lavender Honey & Strawberry Preserves.

We were very pleased to bump into Jack Mullen of Summer Street Advisors and the legendary Roy Fuchs.

For our main course we enjoyed Petit Sirloin Beef on Gratin Dauphinois in a Cabernet Reduction Sauce with a side of Asparagus.

The Petit Sirloin Beef was superb with the Parusso Barolo DOCG.

One of the generous donations from members of the Westport Sunrise Rotary was a wine wheelbarrow full of quality wines such as the 1982 Chateau Cos d'Estournel St. Estephe and the 2004 Chateau Latour- Pauillac.

Here is the winning bid for an amazing assortment of wine!

The finale of the evening was a raffle. Maria Lourdes Vilas, chair of the Taste of Westport gleefully discovered she held the lucky ticket - 3 more fabulous bottles of wine!

It was a fun evening of delicious wine & food pairings, and a live auction in support of the Westport Sunrise Rotary's fundraising for the less fortunate.

More soon,

"It" Woman Kyle

0 Comments

Delicious Italian Luncheon at Ristorante Firenze in Greenwich!

10/17/2015

0 Comments

What an extraordinary culinary day!

Fairfield County "It" had the pleasure of dining at Ristorante Firenze, in Greenwich, Connecticut. We all were impressed with the delicious authentic Italian cuisine!

The dining room of Ristorante Firenze is bright with light and has a minimalist contemporary feel with impressionistic Tuscan paintings on the walls.

Many of us ordered off of their great value "Prix Fixe" Lunch Menu, where you have the opportunity to choose two courses:
an Antipasti and a Primi Piatti for only $20.
Here is the picturesque Antipasti Roma - Arugula with Pear, Pecorino Cheese, Walnuts & Honey.

Another Antipasti favorite was the Carpaccio di Bresaola made of Cured Beef, Arugula & Shaved Parmigiano.

Below is their housemade pasta dish
Casarecci alla Ragu di Cinghiale - Fresh Pasta in a Wild Boar Ragu.

I ordered off the special menu of the day and was rewarded with this exquisite Spaghettini con Fruiti di Mare. The pasta was cooked al dente and the mussels, calamari, shrimp and other seafood were tender and desirably sized. I was so pleased!

Here we are having a fabulous time!

Chef Francesco Casu from Florence (Firenze) came out to meet us and discuss his techniques and passion for Italian cuisine. He joined Ristorante Firenze after working at two Michelin rated restaurants: Cafe Royal in Piccadilly Circus - 1 Michelin Star and (as sous chef) at Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence - 3 Michelin Stars.

Bravo! A wonderful Italian luncheon at Ristorante Firenze!

Ciao,

"It" Woman Kyle

0 Comments

Westport, Connecticut Inspires "767" Covers for The New Yorker!

10/17/2015

0 Comments

Over 200 people flocked to
The New Yorker in Westport opening reception at the Westport Historical Society!

Fairfield County "It" excitedly attended the opening reception for "The New Yorker in Westport" exhibit. During the 20th Century, Westport was a magnet destination for numerous artists. Local sights and scenery provided inspiration for many of the 767 covers created by Westport artists for The New Yorker magazine.

The Westport artists featured in the book include Charles Addams, Perry Barlow, Whitney Darrow, Jr., Edna Eicke, Arthur Getz, Alice Harvey, Helen Hokinson, Albert Hubbell, David Preston, Garrett Price and Charles Saxon.

One example of the similarity of Westport then and now is the 1935 cover influenced by the Westport Country Playhouse when it was located in a historic barn. The recently taken comparative photograph by Westport resident Michael Goss, shows the current rendition of the theatre is true to the look and feel of the original barn.

Here is The New Yorker cover that features Westport's beloved Compo Beach. Goss spent countless hours waiting for the perfect cloud/sky moment to illustrate the timelessness of this delightful beach!

Despite dreary weather, a side effect of Hurricane Joaquin, the place was packed with enthusiastic supporters intrigued by the history of Westport artists and their contribution to The New Yorker.

Here is a picture of co-author Eve Potts. She lived in Westport for almost four decades. Potts realized when browsing through “The Complete Book of Covers from The New Yorker, 1925-1989” that many of the covers were recognizable scenes in Westport and created by artists she knew from living there!

Andrew Bentley of Westport, entertained us with stories of co-authoring the book with Potts and some of the photographic adventures of Goss. Bentley kindly signed my limited edition book.

"The New Yorker in Westport" coffee table book is $40. To order a copy click here.

Not only do scenes in Westport still look similar to when The New Yorker covers were created, but even people in Westport match the covers!

Here is "It" Tech Finance Guru Michele in front of the "Train over the Saugatuck River".

All of the proceeds from the book sale that evening went to the Westport Historical Society to further its mission of preserving, presenting and celebrating the history of Westport, Connecticut.

The evening at the Westport Historical Society was an artistic blast!

See you soon!

"It" Woman Kyle

0 Comments

Westport Uncorked!

Delicious Italian Luncheon at Ristorante Firenze in Greenwich!

Westport, Connecticut Inspires "767" Covers for The New Yorker!

Author

Archives

Categories