List 76

Love: A brilliant film or television show title sequence.  I was very happy to find the Art of the Title website, which goes deep with directors and the artists who create title sequences to dissect their inspirations and thought processes. A sampling from their pieces on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Mad Men:

http://www.artofthetitle.com


Like: To shop local, and a regular stop is Oakland's Bella Vita.  It's a good resource for vintage jewelry and purses (like this color block purse I picked up), vintage and new clothing from small area designers, and kids' clothing and gifts. 

Discovery: Bouche, a fairly new restaurant next to the Tunnel Top on Bush. It's super tiny - the size often described as "jewel box" but really "cigar box" seems more appropriate given its stripped-down, more masculine vibe - and incredibly good.  That everything we ate elicited a sigh should not be surprising given chef Nicolas Borzee's pedigree (Coi, and time with Alain Ducasse, Michel Troigros and Joel Robuchon back in his native France.)

Obsession: Graham and Green's Odyssey Writing Desk, based on a 1940s Italian design, which might nicely fill a spot in the back of the living room.

Complaint:  Why did I go 5 years without a watch?  After my last watch broke in 2006, like so many people these days, I had fallen into using the ever-present cell phone to check the time.  That is until last weekend, when I finally and very happily got a new timepiece: Nixon's The Time Teller in matte black with dark tortoise.  

List 68

Love: This chalkboard map of the United States, which I got for Stella's birthday from etsy seller "shopdirtsa". I'm working to pass onto my girl my love of maps and geography (see List 37).

http://www.etsy.com/listing/67747744/chalkboard-united-states-map

Like: SFO's art exhibits. As much as Virgin America and Terminal 2 are the way to go, I always enjoy the long hallway to the United gates and the ever-changing exhibits there, like the current one featuring vintage televisions and TV show artifacts.

Discovery: Cotogana makes a non-alcoholic version of a Negroni, the, wait for it, n/a-groni. It is really lovely and perfect for lunch, since I work at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in 2011, not at Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce in 1965.

Obsession:  Brussels Sprouts.  While many people are haters, I adore them, and look forward to their coming into season every Fall. I usually roast them in the oven (sometimes with pancetta and thinly sliced lemon) at least once a week, but also look forward to having them out, like at Berkeley's Cesar or even stir-fried in place of the usual green beans at Kirin, our neighborhood Chinese joint.

Complaint: Why, exactly, did it take me 4 years to get around to watching David Fincher's Zodiac?  No good answer to that, but I really dug this taut, gritty 1970s-set, 1970s-style film.  Plus it was cool to see a representation of San Francisco in that era. (The freeway along the Embarcadero! Yowza.)

List 58

Love: The Utilitarian Franchise's surreal silk-screened canvas pillows, which I found when poking around Etsy.

Like: The rustic + industrial feel of CB2's Victory Pendant, which is now hanging in the backyard studio.

Discovery: Ohmega Salvage. Discovery is pretty much the name of the game here. I always like looking at the sea of pastel-colored tubs, toilets and sinks, and all the old leaded-glass windows. It was a good place to find old doors and hardware for out back.

Obsession: Martha Stewart's paint colors at Home Depot. So many great colors, so little square footage.

Complaint: That my friend TG scored these vintage chairs at Urban Home Consignment Furniture before I did. They are in his office at work and I'm jealous.

List 52

Love: BillyKirk. (Actually, William Kirkland and Chris Bray). Based in Pennsylvania, they work with Amish leathermakers to create what are, in my opinion, the perfect work and weekend bags.

Like: Patricia Wells. Her version of a Cobb salad will be going into heavy rotation in our house. She uses a super simple and healthy dressing, consisting of plain low-fat yogurt, fresh lemon juice, and a homemade lemon salt made from combining lemon zest and sea salt and letting them steep together for a bit.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Patricia-Wellss-Cobb-Salad-Iceberg-Tomato-Avocado-Bacon-and-Blue-Cheese-364872

Discovery: Sean Thackery. He's an off-the-beaten-path winemaker (based in Bolinas) whose Pleiades wines never disappoint. I love Wendy MacNaughton's illustrated profile of Thackery, which was done for Pop Up Magazine as part of SFMOMA's "How Wine Became Modern" exhibit, and published on The Rumpus.

http://therumpus.net/2011/03/meanwhile-the-bolinas-winemaker/

Obsession: Deborah Bowness. She designs and handprints trompe l'oeil wallpaper. We have a strip of her bookcase wallpaper mounted as a piece of art in our bedroom.

Complaint: Peter Dinklage. And not so much a current complaint but rather a complaint that's been taken off the table, at last. Dinklage is a brilliant actor and ever since I saw him in The Station Agent I've wanted to see more of his work. He finally has a big, juicy, ongoing role suitable for his talents: Tyrion Lannister on HBO's Game of Thrones. I'm halfway through the book series the show is based on and know what lies ahead for his character and cannot wait to watch Dinklage do his thing.

List 45

Love: Plum, Daniel Patterson's newish spot in Oakland. It's a study in approachable artfulness. The interior is warm and inviting, and the food is delicious - high end, yet never stuffy (and organized into categories like snacks, starters, vegetables, animals and desserts). Go with four people so you can sample the whole menu.

Like: Pillows from Jonathan Adler - especially his modern take on old grandma needlepoint pillows. I particularly like his British Flag pillow and his one for Flint, Michigan (which is where my Mom grew up).

Discovery: Pickle-brined chicken. I tried this recipe last year for the first time and loved the super simple brine idea, which imparted an interesting, but not overpowering, flavor to the chicken.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pickle-brined-chicken

Obsession: Painting walls and floors black. This hasn't made the jump from thought into action yet, but I'm considering trying one wall in our bedroom (which is similar to the walls in the first room below). And perhaps the floor in the backyard guest studio will be an old salvaged wood floor painted black instead of a new grey hardwood floor, as originally planned.

Complaint: The Permit process at the City of Berkeley has pushed back the start of our backyard construction project by 8 months. But we're finally starting in a week. This is a before shot of our all-but-falling-down garage. By mid-summer, it should be replaced by studio with French doors to the garden.