Field Trip: Patrick Mimran in the rainforest

When you travel to little villages in the rainforest to meet indigenous people, it is advised to bring a few things along with you they can use. Especially prized are notepads, pencils and... tee-shirts. I still had a few x-small t-shirts from our Patrick Mimran exhibition a few years ago during Art Basel, so it seemed like a good opportunity to help these guys out and get Mr. Mimran's message out as far as possible. The kids, for their part, were so grateful they put them on immediately and thanked me with a handmade necklace.

..at least the best in west South America

Field Trip: Peru Day 2: I Caughta Piranha

My second day in Peru, in the heart of the Amazon,  I was taken by the wonderful guides at Aqua Expeditions, to do a little piranha fishing. I have to admit I went through A LOT of bait before I stopped feeding him and finally caught one of those silvery suckers. What did we use as bait? Raw meat. Nothing draws them like a little fresh blood. They're not very big - but their teeth are insane. On land he could snap and take your finger off. In the water he and his little buddies will eat all the meat off your bones in seconds, so don't get in the water if you have even the tiniest cut!

A side note: Some people think having a piranha as a pet is bad ass, but it's a very bad idea. Many states have outlawed it because people (who should know better) release them or flush them, they wind up in local lakes and ponds.  Piranha from aquariums has been found in the Potomac River and as far north as Wisconsin. If you or anyone you know has a piranha and doesn't want it just take it out of the water and throw it away - or eat it. The locals here love them!

Let's Go Dutch!

 One of this season's hottest new restaurants in Miami Beach is The Dutch. It's located in the W Hotel where Solea used to be. Owned by the same team as the famous one in New York (Andrew Carmellini, Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom) along with locals Karim Masri and Nicola Siervo. The food is delish, Yannick had Blue Point, Royal Miyagi and Kusshi oysters first, then some fried chicken- which was a divine take on the omnipresent comfort food. I had a snapper with curry sauce that was great - it just missed a little rice or something starchy to soak up the juice.  The atmosphere totally light and fresh and definitely worth a trip day or night.

Perfect Fried Chicken

A happier new decor

Assortment of different types of oysters

Snapper with curry sauce and bok choy

Open Kitchen

Might as well buy their wine, corkage fee is $45!

Field Guide: Land Lubbers hit South Beach

Young Ones

I am constantly fascinated by the flora and fauna I find in my little South Beach back yard, and the insects are no exception. These grasshoppers congregating on a dead rosemary plant caught my attention the other day. Knowing next to nothing about bugs, I looked it up and discovered they were Southeastern Lubbers. While the name might not ring any bells for you, it was interesting for me to discover they were juvenile versions of some grasshoppers I'd photographed two summers ago! These guys don't jump much, and cannot fly, so they just sort of walk around very slowly. Hence the name "Lubbers." And, although they can do a lot of damage to plants, I haven't had any problems with them. I could never exterminate them- they're too cool looking. See for yourself.

Hello there!

Southeastern Lubber / alien life form

crawling very, very slowly

Happy New Year

I want to wish a happy new year to all my Persian Peeps (there are many) who are celebrating New Years today (usually on March 20 or 21st). It's a pre-Islamic custom that clerics frown on, but who cares, it's the start of the vernal equinox! And, it's full of great "rituals" that we do anyways: spring cleaning, buying new clothes and setting the table. Only this table is decorated with seven symbols of life, health and beauty using stuff like hyacinth plants, rosewater, coins, candles. There should also be a gold fish in a bowl, a mirror for cleanness and honesty, decorated eggs for fertility.  It's not green beer or anything, but you might want to get down with a little Persian cuisine which only be found at Rice House of Kabob in Miami Beach. It's not quite as good as Moby Dick in DC, which I'm sure it was inspired by, but it's pretty darn good for a basmati rice fix. Enjoy!

Jujeh and Kubideh combo with sumac sprinkled on top

The Fox Finds a Home

Ever wonder how contemporary art looks when it gets home? Following up on my earlier post in which Stephen commissioned a Shawn Smith fox sculpture for my mom, the finished piece has finally arrived and found it's home in a sumptuous Delray condo. The original fox sculpture was called "Skulk" and sold at Aqua Art Fair's opening night to a hot shot collector. This piece is very similar, a balsam wood sculpture made up of hundreds of little blocks that give a pixalated look when close and a fluffier look from a distance. It also shows movement and different character depending on the light. Pure genius. It's a bit of contemporary art in Marcia and Steve's more traditional place and it looks fabulous! 

Broken Shaker Madness

 I finally made it to the Broken Shaker, a cute little pop-up bar in the Indian Creek Hotel. It's on the site of a former favorite restaurant of mine, Creek 28. As much as I liked the restaurant, the bar, with it's eclectic speakeasy music, creative old timey decor and games galore, is a better fit. Drinks don't cost too much ($11) and the place is packed with an eclectic mix of funksters, locals and hotel guests. Complex craft cocktails are on the whim of the 'tender and on a menu that changes daily, so forget about asking for a Cosmo or some such dreck. You're more likely to find sage, passion fruit or bitters in these 'bespoke' cocktails. Definitely come check it out soon if you haven't already as this limited engagement ends in June.

Mixologist Barista

Yan, Nuria, and Lester Kuan

Lester and Hadley

Note the single large cubes

She looks happy but that was before the Henriettes beat the Kuans 10-4 in Fooseball

Field Trip: Inside the Miami Herald

I've been doing a bit of writing for Miami.com  (and consequently The Miami Herald). An interview with Wilmer Valderrama needing to be played and transcribed from a special set of Mini tapes necessitated a trip to the iconic Miami Herald building on the Biscayne Bay. It was built in 1960 and is every inch mid-century modern. Unfortunately the land was sold to Genting last year, a Malaysian resort developer who planned to put a mega-casino there until the gambling bill was shot down in the state's capital. Gambling may be a no-go for now, but the Herald will move next year to new digs in Doral. So I decided to shoot some "film" of the building, including the colorful printing presses. BTW - get on online subscription of the complete newspaper here!

circa 1960

Hellooo...

Trerrazo!

Printing Press

Green!

Candy-Colored presses

Old-Timey Buttons

The papah!

Sticky with Ink

Yesterday's News

My Olivier Martinez and Halle Berry Story Blows Up!

Olivier Martinez confirms engagement to Halle Berry, clears up ring debate, opens Villa Azur on South Beach this weekend

 

Actor opens Villa Azur on South Beach this weekend

Photo: Bridefinds.com

 

By Hadley Henriette3/10/2012

French actor and heartthrob Olivier Martinez is in town to promote his new restaurant, Villa Azur, which opens tonight (Saturday, March 10) on South Beach. While Halle Berry may or may not be on hand for the opening, Martinez finally confirmed their engagement rumors once and for all with a simple “Yes, of course it’s true.”
But there is another rumor he’s not so keen on.
“There is a jeweler taking credit for doing the ring and it’s a lie! They have nothing to do with this,” he said.
Indeed he was most displeased with not only the quality of this line itself, but their attempt to falsely capitalize on the couple’s engagement. For those yearning to know, the ring was actually designed by Robert Mazlo, a jeweler from the actor’s chic Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood in Paris. According to Martinez, Mazlo is “a real artist,” whose family has been designing jewelry for “kings and queens for many centuries.”
Only the best for the future Mrs. Martinez, who has been spotted wearing the unique emerald and yellow gold ring since January.

Villa Azur309 23rd St.
Miami Beach
305-498-8135

A Little Life Food

I finally made it this week to Life Food Gourmet on Miracle Mile. I've been trying to make it there for two years, but I never knew exactly where it was (it's in the building right across from Beber Silverstein, facing the Mile). When I got there I found a cute, clean little place to have healthy, mostly organic, raw food or just grab a quick smoothie, fresh juice or lemonade.

The truth is, raw food isn't good just any old time. You can't really go straight from having Lucky Charms or Denny's for breakfast to this - it will be a shock to your unhealthy system! It's really best when you're coming off a cleanse, trying to loose weight, or better yet - in the midst of eating a raw diet. I was in neither of these categories, but I did enjoy my lunch, served with a serious ginger lemonade out of a old-timey fountain. I had the "Italian Plate" with a delicious warm zucchini pasta in a creamy nut sauce and a cannelloni made with a flax wrap. I ditched the wrap and just ate the sauteed mushrooms in the middle (wait, that's not raw!) and the rest was great. I will be back - especially when I'm going raw or veg for the week (it's been known to happen.)

Lunch!

My piece on Miami.com

Cavalia’s horses return with Odysseo

The horse show of acrobatic proportions returns to downtown Miami

• “Odysseo”
  When: Through March 25, 2012
  Where: Bicentennial Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd.
  Tickets: $29.00 - $199.50
  More Info: 866-999-8111 or cavalia.net
  

By Hadley Henriette

Cavalia returns with Odysseo, a new Cirque-style show that takes the horse and human act to another level. They’ve brought in the world’s largest traveling big-top tent, 70 horses of 12 different breeds and a magnificent, state-of-the-art set that takes the audience around the world with vivid colors and projections. One minute they’re on the Savannah with an African troupe of insanely acrobatic men, the next, on Easter Island with 20-something unbridled, riderless horses galloping across lush green hills. The horses, luxurious manes flowing, appear totally wild and free until they break into perfect color-coordinated formation. The whole visually stunning scene is an exercise in beauty and grace, a study in perfectly sculpted muscle both human and equine.

In another scene, men ride at full speed hanging from the horse by one arm. In fact, there are so many impossible equestrian feats, it’s easy to forget how hard regular riding really is. But this is the genius of Cavalia, which takes the connection between man and horse to new heights, and brings the audience along. “The horse has been a partner of humanity throughout the ages,” explains Normand Latourelle, President and Artistic Director of Cavalia.

It’s Montral-based Latourelle who is responsible for giving Cavalia the look and feel of a horsey Cirque du Soleil show complete with spired tents, similar, dreamy live music and operatic singing. He began with the original Cirque du Soleil but left in 1990 to pursue other projects before launching the original Cavalia on his own in 2003. Like Cavalia’s first visit to Miami in 2010, the production is partnering with the Adrienne Arsht Center.

To get a closer look at the real stars of the show, ante up for “The Horse Lovers Package,” a post-show trip to the stables to witness the “four-legged artists” under their own bright-white big-top. There, a handful of the human performers who hail from 10 different countries, are busy lovingly braiding the star’s manes to keep them looking magnificent for the next night’s performance.

Where In Miami?

Sometimes I'm taking a field trip around Miami and just see something too marvelous.... guess where this is. Inhabitants of South Point don't get to play because they probably know... ;)