Elephants Stomping on Eggshells

Passo a due - A Short Film by Cafe Twin

2011-12-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

here's an article I wrote in 2006

2011-11-26T19:20:00.000-08:00

Renaissance at the Red Geranium

(originally written for Evansville Dining, 2006)

In the town of labyrinths and legacies lies an inn and restaurant like no other. The New Harmony Inn and award-winning Red Geranium Restaurant are nestled on the wooded banks of the Wabash River in a community that began almost two hundred years before its time.

New Harmony was first a spiritual sanctuary that later became a haven for international scientists, scholars, educators and free thinkers who sought equality in communal living and an opportunity to share their ideas with like-minded individuals.

New Harmony continues to provide a refuge for intellectual thought and spiritual reflection and at the center of this cultural rebirth is the New Harmony Inn and Red Geranium Restaurant.

Robert Dale Owen purchased New Harmony, Indiana from Harmonist Father George Rapp in 1825 with the intention of building a new social order, emphasizing educational and social equality. In 2005, Owen’s descendants, who still handle the business and character of New Harmony, hired veteran hotel executive Manfred Gerling as general manager to conceptualize and execute a plan to reposition the New Harmony Inn to increase tourism while maintaining the restful and spiritually rejuvenating spirit of the town.

The New Harmony Inn was built in 1974 and is designed to reflect the soul and history of the community. The inn features ninety guest rooms, including eighteen with fireplaces, three with kitchenettes and four with sleeping lofts. Reconstruction was completed on April 8, 2006 with complete room renovations featuring modern amenities while preserving Harmonist simplicity.

The New Harmony Inn also offers several historic and unique guest rooms that are available for rent on a nightly basis and conveniently located throughout town. Guests of the Inn can enjoy complimentary wireless internet, 300-thread-count bedding, premium pillow-top mattresses, new bathrooms and furniture, a glass-enclosed and heated pool, Jacuzzi and sauna, walking trails, workout facilities, tennis courts, complimentary weekend carriage rides, golf carts and the culinary bliss of the renowned Red Geranium Restaurant.

The Red Geranium restaurant began in the summer of 1960. Mrs. Jane Owen employed Ms. Celia Turner to serve her freshly baked bread, hot tea and lemonade to people visiting New Harmony. The location of the tearoom in the Barrett Gate House (located next door to the present restaurant) became a popular destination for locals and travelers. Two years later the operation moved to the Green Gothic (located at the entrance to the restaurant) with business continuing to grow as guests wanted to refresh themselves after touring the historic town. The following year the Red Geranium Restaurant officially opened for lunch and dinner serving 135 guests on opening day. Today, the Red Geranium Restaurant continues to delight travelers and guests with world-class, Seasonal American Cuisine.

Chef Jeffery Bauer joined the culinary team as head of kitchen affairs at the Red Geranium Restaurant in May 2006. He inherited a passion for food from his grandfather, a professional baker, and his uncle and father, restaurateurs in Springfield, Missouri. Bauer has over a decade of experience working in restaurants, country clubs and anywhere he could find a kitchen, including such notable places as the St. Louis Hilton Frontenac in St. Louis, Missouri and the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. His dream of attending Culinary School finally materialized and he and his wife Jamie packed their bags and moved to New York. As a recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Bauer understands what it means to follow a dream and he is proud to bring his vision to the new dawn of the Red Geranium Restaurant.

While at the Culinary Institute, Chef Bauer honed his skills and began to recognize his own individual style. He enjoys incorporating many different cuisines into his own unique creations with a flair for Asian, French and Classical American.

The menu at the Red Geranium Restaurant features the freshest possible local ingredients and many regional organic products, including Indiana goat cheese, yogurt and available produce, and it changes quarterly to reflect the seasons. The restaurant now offers heart-friendly items, daily Chef’s Features and a wine-paired, four-course menu that changes everyday with interesting, appetizing dishes such as Portobello mushroom pesto stuffed pork loin over apple cider-braised root vegetables with French green beans, crispy parsnips and a wild mushroom infused demi-glace paired with the concentrated structure and delicious character of California Zinfandel from Wild Hog Vineyards. The Red Geranium’s popularity and reputation for original culinary art and great wine has grown over the years, leading to the recent opening of a new wine bar.

The Grapevine Bar, located inside the entrance of the Red Geranium Restaurant, seats thirty guests in a romantically lit nest with rustic wood wainscoting, hand-painted walls of lush foliage and a vaulted ceiling. The knowledgeable wine staff can help you select a glass or bottle from the extensive, always evolving, world-class wine collection. They also encourage guests to choose from their wide variety of specialty bourbons, single-malt scotches, bottled import and craft beers, or one of three draft beers hand-crafted by Schlafly of St. Louis.

Ms. Audrey Hinderliter is now overseeing the operations of the Red Geranium Restaurant. The young and vibrant new restaurant manager spent several years as bar and dining room manager of the Petroleum Club in Evansville, Indiana before joining the New Harmony Inn in June 2006. She brings a fresh and dynamic new approach to the tradition of fine dining. Her youthful ambition, coupled with extensive wine training and culinary understanding will serve to elevate the establishment to an even higher plateau of excellence and outstanding service.

This year also brings the return of former Wine Director and founder of the New Harmony Wine Society, John Campbell. In 2003 Campbell came to New Harmony to reconstruct the wine program at the Red Geranium Restaurant and implement a new agenda with special events such as the New Harmony Wine Festival, Vintner’s Dinners, wine education seminars, food and wine pairing, live entertainment and much more.

The Red Geranium Restaurant emerged from humble beginnings as a small tearoom to the cornerstone of an historic American community, frequently visited by restaurant connoisseurs and wine aficionados from around the world. It has received wide recognition for its cuisine and wine cellar and was recently voted the most romantic restaurant in the region, but this is only the beginning.

The annual New Harmony Wine Festival has featured winemakers from France, Spain, Australia, California and Washington State. It was the first international wine event in Southern Indiana and set the foundation for a series of experiences that would change New Harmony into a destination for winemakers, vineyard owners and wine enthusiasts worldwide. The New Harmony Wine Society was established in July 2004 with 120 people attended the inaugural event. The New Harmony Wine Society is celebrating its second anniversary with over 500 members from more than a dozen states in America and several countries abroad.

With more than forty years of hospitality industry experience, General Manager Manfred Gerling looks at the bigger picture. As previous vice-president of development for such corporations as Hilton Hotels, Radisson Hospitality Worldwide and Princess Hotels International, Gerling recognizes the unique vision and talent of his staff and understands the cultural and spiritual significance of New Harmony. He foresees a rebirth and unparalleled future for the New Harmony Inn and Red Geranium Restaurant that will continue to draw international praise while maintaining the quiet serenity and rejuvenating qualities that have long been known as the town where the world comes to find harmony.

Nothing Left to Prove

2011-11-26T14:14:00.000-08:00

Chuck Ragan opened for Social Distortion last night in Louisville. It was a great time spent with some great friends, new and old.

my head hurts

2011-11-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

Blackouts can generally be divided into two categories, "en bloc" blackouts, and "fragmentary" blackouts. En bloc blackouts are classified by the inability to later recall any memories from the intoxicated period, even when prompted. These blackouts are characterized also by the ability to easily recall things that have occurred within the last 2 minutes, yet inability to recall anything prior to this period. As such, a person experiencing an en bloc blackout may not appear to be doing so, as they can carry on conversations or even manage to accomplish difficult feats. It is difficult to determine the end of this type of blackout as sleep typically occurs before they end. Fragmentary blackouts are characterized by the ability to recall certain events from an intoxicated period, yet be unaware that other memories are missing until reminded of the existence of these 'gaps' in memory. This phenomenon is also termed a brownout. Research indicates that fragmentary blackouts, or brownouts are far more common than en bloc blackouts.

Social Distortion in Louisville KY Tonight

2011-11-25T13:24:00.000-08:00

I became a fan when I was 13, about a year after Mommy's Little Monster was released. Several years later, I was listening to their just released Prison Bound album when I was pulled over in a stolen car. It always seemed that we shared the same ups and downs, the same struggles and broken hearts. Tonight, I'm going to see them play live for the first time. It's hard to believe that it's been 27 years since I bought my first Social Distortion tape.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day, Nov 28,1986 first appeared in the chapbook Tornado Alley, with illustrations by S. Clay Wilson.
Gus Van Sant later made a short film of Burroughs reading the text.

Exploring the Photographs of Dmetri Kasterine

2011-11-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

www.kasterine.com

Imagine a blog post full of words rather than youtube videos...

2011-09-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

My friend, John Wurth, and I started a website called LouisvilleBeer.com. Our intention was to provide a source of information and entertainment for the craft beer community in our city. We both contribute equally in different ways, but I try not to write. I used to write for magazines and for fun and I once hoped to write a great work of fiction someday, but now I simply try not to write. However, Pat Hagan, owner of the Bluegrass Brewing Company Brewpubs in Louisville, Kentucky, asked me to cover a story for him. He wanted our website, LouisvilleBeer.com, to have the exclusive scoop and announce BBC's hiring of Dogfish Head's Brewer, Jeremy Hunt. For the local craft beer scene, this is big news. For this, I came out of retirement. Here's the press, originally published as: BBC Hires Dogfish Head Brewer

Pat Hagan, owner of the Bluegrass Brewing Company Brewpubs, is ready for some fresh air. In a bold move to revitalize the BBC, Pat has hired Jeremy Hunt, Head Brewer at the famed Dogfish Head Brewery. Jeremy’s interest in craft beer sparked in college with his first beer - a Sam Adams Scotch Ale. He learned early that a 6-pack of well-crafted beer trumps a 30-pack of cheap lager every time. Later, he had an opportunity to study in Austria where he stumbled upon the Orval Brewery.

“It blew my mind that monk’s brewed beer,” he recalled during a recent telephone interview. “I think that’s where it all began for me.”

Jeremy returned home and began brewing his own beer. “I had to nail the style. I would try and try until I felt like I nailed it. Once I nailed it, that would become my recipe for that style and I would move on to the next one.”

Jeremy was winning medals and having a fun as a homebrewer when he realized that he wanted to pursue a career in brewing. During his senior year he started sending job inquiries to breweries that shared his goals and interests. To his surprise, he received several offers. After careful consideration, he chose to begin his venture under Ron Martin at Mercury Brewing Company in Ipswitch, Massachusetts. Like most brewers, Jeremy started his career cleaning kegs and working on the bottling line, but quickly moved into the brewhouse. He left Mercury to take a job as Lead Brewer at the Red Hook Brewery in New Hampshire. It was there that he passed the Brewer’s Exam at the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and discovered what commercial brewing was about.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” Jeremy said. “I learned a lot about brewing. I learned how to brew beer that was consistently the same. That’s a remarkable feat. That’s the hallmark of a good brewer, being able to brew the beer you want consistently the same each time.”

“Brewing is like architecture,” he continued, “it can be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, but it has to stand.”

Jeremy has been brewing professionally for nine years, the last three at Dogfish Head Brewery. He is proud of his involvement with the Sam Adams/Dogfish Head Collaboration Brew and helped with several other recipe developments.

“Sam (Calagione) is the mad scientist, but all of us helped tweak the recipes so they would work on a 100 barrel system.”

His own exclusive Dogfish Head creation was a Belgian-style Double IPA appropriately named “Le Kabouter de Guerre” or “The Gnome of War”. While La Chouffe's mascot is a happy little gnome, this homage to Houblon Chouffe is an angry one that weighed in at about 92 IBU's and 8.9% alcohol by volume.

Jeremy has enjoyed his time working for Sam Calagione and his experience at the Dogfish Head Brewery, but he is ready to add a new chapter to the story. Brewing on a 100 barrel system for a company like Dogfish Head is an education in itself, but with rapid growth comes repetitive motion. Dogfish Head is slated to double production in the next year and that means cranking out batch after batch just to keep up. Jeremy is ready to embrace the creative side again, the architecture of brewing.

Jeremy’s first goal as brewer at the BBC is to familiarize himself with the beers and brewing operations at the brewpubs. As a self-proclaimed foodie, Jeremy wants to focus on beer and food pairings as well as creating new food-oriented beers. He is excited about the opportunity to expand the Bourbon Barrel beer productions and offer some new twists inspired by his time at Dogfish Head. Together, he and Pat have new ideas in mind and big plans for the future of the Bluegrass Brewing Company.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to the root of things and back to the nitty gritty. It’s time to make my own beer again.”

Jeremy starts work at the Bluegrass Brewing Company’s Shelbyville Road location on November 1, 2011.

My 1971 Honda CB350

2011-09-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

I bought this 1971 Honda CB350 in August. I'm going to rebuild it over the winter, so I thought I should post photos of how it looks now:

In Bb 2.0

2011-09-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

In Bb 2.0 is a collaborative music and spoken word project conceived by Darren Soloman and developed with contributions from users.

The videos can be played simultaneously - the soundtracks will work together, and the mix can be adjusted with the individual volume sliders.

Click on the picture and kiss the rest of your day goodbye.

Tokyo Slo-Mode

2011-09-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Awesome video by Alex Lee on Vimeo. Japan caught in slow motion. Music by Flying Lotus featuring Thom Yorke, And the World Laughs With You

Handmade Portraits: Liberty Vintage Motorcycle

2011-09-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

A vintage motorcycle mechanic's lament for the future.

Snow Days, February 2010

2010-02-09T13:24:00.001-08:00

Damn it, Apple

2010-01-04T14:09:00.001-08:00

David Lynch on Ideas

2010-01-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

I keep hoping to find something meaningful to write about, but it's beginning to seem like all of the big fish have been taken...

Steven Soderbergh's Che

2010-01-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

This was my favorite Christmas present. (Thank you, Leilah!) I haven't watched it yet. I want to experience it in one sitting and it is so hard to find 4 hours of uninterrupted freedom. Soon...

New Albanian Brewing Co. Draft Truck

2009-08-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

My friend and local beer distributor, Ryan Burke, sent me a link to a broken old 1973 beer truck that he found on Craig's List last December. I fell in love, went to bat, begged, pleaded, and finally scored one for the team. Here she is on her maiden voyage...

"It's like an ice cream truck for grown-ups."

Control

2009-07-28T15:33:00.000-07:00

Between the ages of 19 and 21 I lived my life to the sounds of Joy Division. It was my my introspective, post-punk, post-rehab, post-sanity(?) soundtrack. As far as Joy Division goes, I was behind the times. I had already lived a full skater/punk life through the likes of Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Social Distortion, Agent Orange, Naked Raygun, etc, etc. Traveling backwards in time to Joy Division was a way of slowing down and reevaluating what I already knew to be a fucked up life. I liked what I heard and the words that Ian Curtis wrote. The first songs I learned to play on my Peavey T-40 Bass were covers of songs from Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album. My musical career was short and sloppy and folded to Goldman's Pawn Shop in exchange for a quick fix, but the music never left my head.

Tonight i watched Control for the first time. It grabbed my emotionally-crippled-from-birth-side-of-life and forced me back to a time that I thought I'd forgotten. I thought this blog might lean towards "the random, wonderful things", but, yeah, no.

If you haven't watched Conrol, do. If you grew up with any kind of punk influence you'll appreciate the film. If you didn't, you need to see it anyway. Me? I don't know what just happened. Ian Curtis is an asshole, New Order sucked, and I feel happy and angry and sad at the same time, again.

The artistic crime of the century

2009-07-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

Man on Wire was released in August of 2008. I missed it when it showed at Baxter Ave. Filmworks, but it must have been stunning on the big screen. It was one of those movies that I kept swearing to see in the theater. I even marked the calender when I found out it would be playing in Louisville, but, you know... Anyway, I finally rented it a few weeks ago from Wild and Wolly Video and I still can't get it out of my head. At one point, I thought this guy was just another egotistical, jack-ass, thespian, but goddammit, he did it. He really did it. It's an awesome story and a fantastic production, one of the best documentaries that I've seen. I hope you have an opportunity to watch it. I can't wait to see it again.

Creatives grow better in the South West

2009-07-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

Rodenbach Ad Campaign

2009-06-30T20:10:00.001-07:00

After working as a promotions and brand development guy, I love artistic, creative ads - especially when it involves my favorite beer being endorsed by mythological and historical martyrs.

I admit that I smile nearly every time I hear one of the stupid Anheuser Busch “Here’s to you, Mr. (insert occupation) guy”, but, seriously... Rodenbach had the courage to take the martyrdom of St. Sebastian, spin it with a smiling, trendy-looking, guy pinned to a tree by arrows, and put a Rodenbach in his hand.

Another nod of the head to Euro fairytales, martyrdom and mythology. The daughter of Herodias was fabled to have asked Herod for the head of John the Baptists on a platter.

The term figurehead, or masthead, originated from the carvings at the prow of ships of the 16th to 19th centuries. In Germany, Belgium, and Holland, it was once believed that spirits/faeries called Klaboutermannikins (water mannikins) dwelt in the figureheads. The spirit guarded the ship from sickness, rocks, storms, and dangerous winds. If the ship sank, the Klaboutermannikin guided the sailors' souls to the Land of the Dead. To sink without a Klaboutermannikin condemned the sailor's soul to haunt the sea forever, so Dutch sailors believed.

and of course, we all know Joan of Ark.

Creative, intelligent, tastefully done advertising. Thank you, Rodenbach, as if your beer wasn't good enough.