F

Flavorwire

Los Angeles

Your LA Food & Drink Events Roundup

By Karin E. Baker on

One of the best things about living in LA is the never-ending stream of new restaurants to check out. But with a plethora of options, it can be difficult to pin down the next place you should go. To help narrow down where you should eat and drink, Karin E. Baker, Deputy Editor of Flavorpill Los Angeles, suggests some one-off or infrequent food events to indulge in. Read on for her top picks for the next week. … Read More

Architecture

Fascinating Images of America’s Finest Mid-Century Restaurants

By Karin E. Baker on

Historian and author Peter Moruzzi is an expert on mid-century architecture, nightlife, and classic dining. For decades, this resident of Los Angeles and Palm Springs has collected the postcards and paper ephemera that helped form the basis of his books Palm Springs Holiday (a romp through Palm Springs from the early 20th century to the 1960s) and Havana Before Castro: When Cuba was a Tropical Playground. Now, thanks to the images and essays in his brand-new cultural history, Classic Dining: Discovering America’s Finest Mid-Century Restaurants, we can explore what it was like to swagger one’s way into swanky dining establishments in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, and New Orleans during the Mad Men era. Learn about the establishments, some still with us and many long gone, where shish kabobs and bananas foster were grandly presented in flames, Caesar salad was prepared tableside, prime rib was served from fancy carts, and dishes such as oysters Rockefeller and lobster thermidor were the norm. Check out some of the images, along with commentary from the author, after the jump. … Read More

Art

Meet the World’s Most Famous Unknown Artist

By Karin E. Baker on

Though regarded by many as one of the great American pop artists, the late Tom Wesselmann never received the glory of his compatriots. Unlike the usual suspects such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jim Dine, and Claes Oldenberg, Wesselmann’s work was never — until now — the subject of a major retrospective.

Wesselmann began his career making collages, using everyday objects and brand-name products such as Coca Cola and Brillo Pads for their aesthetic appeal, rather than as the typical pop-art critique of American consumerist society, then moved on to his series of Great American Nudes in which, inspired by the odalisques of Matisse, Goya, and Manet, he created his own brand of post-World War II nudes surrounded by stars, American flags, references to classic works of art, and images of American Presidents. He progressed to the large-scale works of his Smokers series, and then conceived what he called “steel drawings” — laser-cut steel that appeared to be drawings on a wall.

At the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts through October 7, Tom Wesselmann: Beyond Pop Art explores the career of the man who has been called “the world’s most famous unknown artist.” Get to know his work in our slideshow preview. … Read More