There is a venerable factory in France that produces, to my taste, the perfect white ceramic plate, bowl, pitcher, vase.  The glaze is imperfect, the lines simple or fanciful.  To borrow the Japanese concept, Astier de Villatte reflects the philosophy of wabi sabi.  If my life could reflect Astier’s ceramics in all of its aspects, I think it would be simpler,  more pleasing, better balanced.

And yet there are those who begin to yearn for a bit of color, a little fantasy.  Perhaps John Derrian, whose two shops in New York are among my favorites, felt this way; or perhaps he was urged on by his passion for collaboration, by his innate creativity which had found its perfect canvas.

Voila!

Astier de Villatte and John Derrian have created a collection of charming plates, cups and platters that perfectly marry the shape and glaze that make Astier so collectible and the flower, animal and bug designs that we adore in Derrian’s world.

They are charming, all of them.  I love his ladybug, in particular, for, like his flowers,its little red body is startlingly rich and satisfying.

And just plain sweet.

http://www.johnderian.com/index_home.html

Going to New Orleans is like going to another country. The city has a style and a sense of self utterly its own.  Never is the generous character of New Orleans more on show than during the ten-day period of Jazz Fest when the headliners read like a who’s who of music.

But the night!  Oh, the New Orleans night!  It is in the backstreet bars and in the backyard gardens that the city shows its seductive self…crawfish on the grill, soul music drifting through an open door, the sweet smell of oleander hanging on the hot, still air.  The night goes on forever…

And for a delicious dinner, Dante’s Kitchen serves up spoon bread – molasses cornbread with honey butter – shrimp and grits, roasted gulf fish and local veg. To complement this delicious menu, their in-house flavored vodkas are the perfect libation.

http://danteskitchen.com/

My good friend, Laura Aviva – she with the sublime eye matched only by huge curiosity and courage – has sourced this gorgeous, vintage crepe-de-chine, Uzbek fabric and created stunning scarves from them.  The design is pure Uzbek, that watery flame with which we have become familiar in recent years, but the palette is new – softer, wearable, alternatively deliciously mouth watering and exciting.

Laura found the fabric on one of her many trips to the region where she has been working with artisans to create a collection of Shirdak rugs, the traditional felt textile of Central Asia.  The felt palette is beautiful but sober; suddenly the designer found this burst of sunshine and returned home humming a new tune.  The scarves join her other compelling offerings from artisan friends around the world on her beautifully curated website, L’Aviva  Home.

http://www.lavivahome.com/

I look forward every morning to NOWNESS, a quirky, diverse, engaging blog. I recommend it. Take a look at today’s offering..if it doesn’t lift your heart then it must be a very gray day indeed!

http://www.nowness.com/day/2012/4/30?ecid=ema1689&CID=

Exquisite, formal, detailed, respectful, restrained
The complexity of Japan is puzzling yet bewitching
Calm, warm, sensual, organic, poetic, quiet
Because I meet Japan at this moment, I am at home

Photograph: Ben Simmons/AsiaQuestJourneys

Our new watering hole…

Our newest shopping venue…

But the important things remain the same.

On Manhattan’s LES resides a moment - an experience of quiet, meticulous proportions that surprises while it comforts.  Enter a an oasis of calm on a gritty east 9th street and find a long sushi counter and a scattering of butcher block tables.  The interior is not as beautiful as it should be but, perhaps, that is not the point.

Here you will be offered Shojin cuisine, an ancient Japanese cuisine developed in Zen Buddhist monasteries. Following the Buddhist principle of not taking life, Shojin cuisine does not use meat or fish. Meals are prepared from fresh, in season vegetables, legumes, wild herbs, seeds and grains, chosen at the moment in the season that best reflects their flavor.

The offering is kaiseke here..a series of small dishes that have been designed seasonally by the chef.  There are two menus – Hana and Kaze – and each can be paired with sakes.  We chose Kaze, the smaller of the two with four dishes, and enjoyed a meal that told the story of seasonal transition.  My favorite dish was the Spring Vegtable Sushi with Cherry Leaf, a composition of thinly sliced vegetables nestled against fragrant rice and covered by a salted, fried cherry leaf.  Each of our courses was interpreted for us and here we were told that the cherry leaf is winter’s overcoat (the salt crust on the leaf did indeed look like ice) and, once eaten, it reveals the stirrings of spring underneath.

Nicest of all were the sake pairings – the  Denshini being my favorite – that came with each dish.  And, yes, my inexperienced palate could actually detect the marriage of the ingredients with the different sakes.

Delicious.  Tantalizing. Transporting.

http://kajitsunyc.com/

Smorgasburg makes it’s triumphant return to the Williamsburg waterfront this Saturday, offering creative prepared foods from purveyors throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn and fresh produce from local rooftop gardens and small farms Upstate. Try Brooklyn Oyster Party‘s local oysters, homemade soups from La Buena Gazpacho, and the famous Blue Marble Ice Cream, with flavors that change season to season. Those with bigger appetites must try Cemita’s Mexican sandwich, stuffed with your choice of meat, veggies, pickled onions, Queso Oaxaca, chipotle spread, black bean puree and avocado…native to Puebla and absolutely delicious. Perfect pair to the nice weather coming this weekend…

http://www.brooklynflea.com/smorgasburg/

Reported by Rebecca MacGregor

A new dawn appears to have come to Burma.  After years of stultifying inaction, thick obfuscation, an iron hand on the head, Burma is emerging from its prison walls into the sunlight.  Aung San Suu Kyi, my hero – the world’s hero – prevails. Quietly, patiently, peacefully, Suu Kyi, embodying the best in us, has proven that good can outlast,  outwear and overcome the negative around us.

They speak of a numbing cultural sameness spreading inexorably
across the world.

It may be so.

But there still persists the custom of the country,
curious, frequently humorous to the traveler’s eye, and often intoxicating.

Photo:  Jonathan Blitz/South India