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September 2010
The Inquirer
fall fashion lifestyle • home & design food • travel
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September 2010
Our cover model, Paige Chin, 21, of University City, attends the University of Pennsylvania part-time, working on a bachelor’s degree in art history. Previously, she studied at Studio Incamminati, a Philadelphia drawing and painting atelier founded by Nelson Shanks, the famed portrait painter of Bill Clinton, Pope John Paul II, and Princess Diana, to name a few. Paige currently accepts portrait commissions and hopes to continue pursuing her career in art, as well as modeling. A regular on QVC, she models for clients such as Jessica Simpson and Isaac Mizrahi. She also has modeled for Michael Kors, Comcast, Neiman Marcus, and Urban Outfitters.
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The Inquirer The art of living in style
We’re celebrating fall — and that means everything from the hottest runway getaways here and abroad, to the best restaurants for people-watching (or being watched), to inspired design that accentuates personal style. And what better backdrop for our fall fashion spread than the beautiful campus of Bryn Mawr College, where we feature all the layered looks to reflect your full lifestyle. Welcome back from vacation.
fashion
food
10 A little more funkification By Elizabeth Wellington Last year’s fashion forms get fired up with color and fun.
18 Accomplished and comfortable By Rick Nichols Chef Patrick Feury crafts Asian fusion at Berwyn’s Nectar.
6 A surgeon’s style By Elizabeth Wellington How Emily Pollard’s closet operates.
lifestyle Sandra M. Clark Assistant Managing Editor, Arts & Features
The I Staff EDITOR: Cathy Rubin CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Maureen Fitzgerald, Food Deirdre M. Childress, Home & Design Bill Reed, Travel DESIGNER: Sue Syrnick
9 A coach tackles car restoration By Art Carey Dick Vermeil, a mechanic’s son, took it on as a tribute to his dad.
home & design
15 Distilling design from personality By Paul Jablow Michael Herold takes his cues from a client’s personal style.
16 Eateries with elan By Craig LaBan For good tastes, in city and suburbs.
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Donna M. Yannessa
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9
travel
20 Fashion friendly By Amy Laughinghouse In London, Washington, and Paris, runway events bid you welcome. 23 Foreign flair By Howard Shapiro International tailors are a fitting choice.
COPY CHIEF: Bob Caughron PRODUCTION EDITOR: John Gayusky
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table of contents
23
PUBLISHER: Brian P. Tierney VICE PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ADVERTISING: Howard Griffin
Phone: 215-854-4330 Fax: 215-854-4795 E-mail: imagazine@phillynews.com Mail: I magazine,
INTEGRATED SALES DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE: Jonett Conner
Box 8263, Philadelphia 19101
Advertising: Howard Griffin, 215-575-6470, hgriffin@phillynews.com
• SEPTEMBER 2010
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: Jim Tierney
Paige’s jacket, Charles ChangLima, $1,070, at Joan Shepp; skirt, Charles ChangLima, $518, at Joan Shepp; earrings, small hoop with polkadot agate, $25, at Typhaney B. Jewelry; leopardprint bag with red piping, the Grace by MZ Wallace, $425, at Pileggi Boutique. On the cover: Photography: Michael Bryant. Paige Chin (Reinhard agency) wears layered ruffle vest, Rebecca Taylor, $435, at Per Lei Boutique; longsleeve T-shirt, Three Dots, $82, at Per Lei; earrings, $24,000, at J.M. Lichterman & Co.; gray Tahitian pearl necklace on leather cord, $2,500, at J.M. Lichterman & Co.; floral ring, Ocean Suitry, $275, at Per Lei.
hung up
A surgeon’s style “I break the mold,” says Emily Pollard of Ardmore. By Elizabeth Wellington INQUIRER FASHION WRITER Photography by Michael Bryant STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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mily Pollard is a plastic surgeon who doesn’t believe in scrubs outside of the operating room. “It’s disrespectful to my patients,” said the fiftysomething Ardmore doc with the modest closet space — not including her shoe niche and her special place for bags — that she’s packed with oodles of style. Her philosophy is simple: Dresses are best in muted prints. Suits should be bold solids. And there is no point in mixing more than one texture or print within an outfit. Leave that to the style professionals, she said. Still, she’s adventurous in her own way. Accessories are key — beaded necklaces hang neatly on jewelry holders. And belts are important parts of her wardrobe, too. Pollard’s best fashion habit? Eschewing boring business suits and opting for fiery shades like orange. “I break the mold,” she said. “Why should I look like everyone else?” Do clothes make the woman, or does the woman make the clothes? I think the woman makes the clothes. If it’s a great outfit that complements your body, it doesn’t matter of it’s Target, T.J. Maxx, or Piazza Sempione. What are three words that define your personal style? Comfortable, flattering, and interesting. How do you make fashion choices? I’m not a slave to name brands. I look for things that make me feel good. I like a balance of color and design. ... I like to look complete. I am comfortable in solid bottoms and printed tops with belts. It makes me feel put together. What are you looking forward to this fall? I like the plums that are out this fall. I saw a great oversized Marc Jacobs bag, and I’ve been thinking a lot about a pair of plum platform, peep-toed pumps. I think that would look great with an opaque leg with a shorter black skirt. Favorite labels? Piazza Sempione. St. John, Gucci, Fendi. Diane Von Furstenberg. continued on page 8
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• SEPTEMBER 2010
Emily Pollard likes vivid colors and organizes her closet by the hues of the rainbow. “If you have to be dressed and at the hospital at 7:15 a.m., picking clothes is like Garanimals. This is easy and fashionable,” she explains. Accessories, such as belts, are an important part of her wardrobe.
The September Issue
Mae Reeves
RETAIL EVENTS PHASHION PHEST
MACY’S BOYDS
knit wit JOAN SHEPP NICOLE MILLER south moon under bridals by danielle
10 DAYS OF
fashion & style
Lagos
FBH AGENCY KIMBERLY BOUTIQUE
Brooks Brothers TRUNK SHOWS
the shops atthe piazza at schmidts Richard Nicholas Hair Studio
Film Screenings & Panel Discussions
rittenhouse row CENTER CITY Mount Airy OLD CITY DISTRICT PASSYUNK northern liberties
CITY OF STYLE
SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 2 | THE PHILADELPHIA COLLECTION.org
continued from page 6
Shoes? Ferragamo. Kenneth Cole. Oldest thing in your closet? This [cream-colored] Episode suit. Episode was a private-label boutique that was popular in the 1990s. When I first got into medicine, I wasn’t adventurous with fashion. I dressed more how people wanted me to dress so I had this simple suit. … Now after practicing for 18 years, I wear what I feel good in. Not what someone else wants to see me in. What is your closet philosophy? I’m a ROYGBIV girl. Meaning I organize my clothes in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Why did you start doing that? Out of necessity. If you have to be dressed and at the hospital at 7:15 a.m., picking clothes is like Garanimals. This is easy and fashionable. … And it helps since I don’t like greeting my patients in scrubs. They deserve to see me at my best. Pulled together and professional. I Contact fashion writer Elizabeth Wellington at 215-854-2704 or ewellington@phillynews.com.
Shoes and bags have their special places. Emily Pollard says she is “not a slave to name brands,” but she has her favorites.
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• SEPTEMBER 2010
lifestyle
Coach tackles car restoration Dick Vermeil, a mechanic’s son, took it on as a tribute to his father, who loved racing. Dick Vermeil at the wheel of his father’s 1926 sprint race car, which he helped to rebuild.
By Art Carey INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Photography by Michael Bryant STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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ick Vermeil, the former Eagles coach who won a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams, is justly famous for his football skills. What few people know is that he’s also a journeyman auto mechanic. He was trained by the best — his father, Louis Vermeil, who operated a backyard garage in the Napa Valley town of Calistoga, where Dick Vermeil grew up. There, the younger Vermeil began working in the garage in his early teens, dismantling things and cleaning parts. He graduated to tune-ups and brake jobs, then rebuilding engines and transmissions. When he was a high school football coach, he was a mechanic during the summer. In graduate school, he worked nights and weekends at a service station. Those skills were essential to his recent labor of love — restoring his father’s race car. “I did it out of respect for my dad,” says Vermeil, 73, who lives in East Fallowfield, Chester County, “because I know how much he loved it.” Louis Vermeil had a prodigious work ethic. He offered 24-hour towing and labored late into the night so regularly that neighbors nicknamed his shop the Owl Garage. By day, Louis Vermeil repaired the cars of customers. At night, he turned to his passion: perfecting race cars. The race cars he fancied were sprint cars, typically backyard-built and designed to be raced on dirt tracks, such as the half-mile Calistoga Speedway. Louis Vermeil owned several race cars, but his first serious one, and favorite, was old No. 7, a.k.a. “Black Beauty,” a non-wing, open-cockpit sprint race car built in 1926. Louis Vermeil acquired the car in 1937 and began racing it in earnest after World War II. Too burly to fit into the cockpit, he delegated the driving to Jack
Detail of a shock absorber on the racer, which is a “three-springer,” featuring a suspension with two leaf springs in front and a transverse leaf spring in the rear.
Pacheteau. By the late ’40s and early ’50s, the car was considered an antique, puny and obsolete compared with its competition. Powered by a Model A Ford four-banger with an overhead valve conversion, it could achieve a top speed of 90 m.p.h. — “going downhill,” Vermeil quips. What it lacked in speed, it supplied in stamina. “There were several cars that were much faster, but lots of times they didn’t finish,” said Dick Vermeil’s brother, Stan, 72, who rebuilds vintage engines in California. “You could always count on No. 7 chugging along and being there at the end.” During the racing season, Black Beauty rarely won outright but often finished second or third in races of 25, 50 or 100 laps. In 1950, by placing high many times, the car won the American Racing Association championship. Overmatched by cars with big six-cylinder engines and V8s, No. 7 retired in 1954. In its last race, a 500-miler, it finished eighth, winning $875 — the biggest check Louis Vermeil ever earned on the racetrack. For decades, the car was sheltered in a lean-to next to the Owl Garage. After Louis Vermeil died in 1985, it was stored by Dick Vermeil’s sister and, later, a
nephew. In February 2007, Vermeil transported it from California to his 114-acre ranch. He converted a woodshed into a garage and mounted his dad’s original “Owl Garage” sign over the door. He began taking the car apart, stripping it down completely. He used his John Deere tractor (a housewarming gift from the late Eagles owner Leonard Tose) to remove the engine. He collaborated with Dave George of D.L. George Coachworks of Cochranville. (“They work on a car like it’s a Rolex watch,” Vermeil says.) Eventually, George gave him a spot in the shop. There, the crew tackled the body, straightening and painting the sheet metal, as well as jobs that required a fine machinist’s touch. Vermeil undertook such tasks as replacing bearings and shock absorbers. He rebuilt the engine and reassembled the car. For nearly two years, the project absorbed much of Vermeil’s free time (and about $225,000). The result? A gorgeous souvenir and family heirloom. “I know how pleased he would be if he could see it,” Vermeil says. “I know he would also tease me because he would not be so pleased by all the shiny nickel-plated metal.” Indeed, Black Beauty is now a show car and trailer queen. In March 2009, No. 7 won first place in its class at the prestigious Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Vermeil also has shown the car at the Louie Vermeil Classic, a sprint-car racing extravaganza at the Calistoga Speedway. In late July, Vermeil shipped the car to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in Knoxville, Iowa, where Louis Vermeil’s name is enshrined and where the car will be displayed for the next 10 months. “Every day was an emotional experience,” Vermeil says of the restoration process. “I would touch something and remember watching my dad make it, the nights working with him in the garage and regrooving tires during race season. It was almost like talking to him.” I Contact staff writer Art Carey at 215-854-5606 or acarey@phillynews.com.
I The Inquirer
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Looking hot in hallowed halls: Denim and leather jacket, Rick Owens, $1,233; plaid skirt, Y-3 Yohji Yamamoto, $330; long-sleeve black and gray leopard T-shirt, AT2, $94; tights, Wolford, $45, all at Joan Shepp; 18-karat white gold diamond pear and round diamond earrings, $9,000, at J.M. Lichterman & Co.
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• SEPTEMBER 2010
fashion
A little more
funkification
Last year’s fashion forms get fired up with color and surprise flickers of fun.
A
llow us to introduce the two of you: Last year’s silhouette? Meet this year’s funk. When these two characteristics come together, you get the mash-up look of fall 2010 — simple shapes, all glammed up. Chunky belted cardigans remain a must, but they take a stylish turn with crocheted flowers blooming on the lapels. Fitted shrunken jackets are still to be paired with pencil skirts. But instead of muted neutral shades, think fiery reds, teals, and even mustards. O, happy day. Those somber monotone shades signifying uncertainty have been replaced with the
sparkling details of optimism. And at the same time, there’s no pressure to spend too much. It’s all about mixing oomph with ooh la la and searching for that basic signature piece. Thankfully, long, lean looks continue to be in for bottoms, but this season they have more embellishments. Look for extra touches like an exposed zipper along a calf, or unexpected shimmery fabrics on what otherwise would be classic black. “Go bold,” said Ellen `Shepp, co-owner of the Joan continued on next page
Story and styling by Elizabeth Wellington INQUIRER FASHION WRITER Photography by Michael Bryant STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
continued from previous page
Shepp boutique on Walnut Street. “The strengths are in the unusual detail. This makes the silhouettes stronger.” Take last season’s boatnecked sheath dresses in herringbones, shades of gray, and basic blacks. They were cute, but plain. This year our favorite womenswear designers, from Milly to Nanette Lepore to Rebecca Taylor, have added tucks, ruffles, zippers, and stitching to the simplest of dresses, upping their sophistication a notch or two. “We hope these details will make women splurge,” said Candice Caprice, owner of Per Lei Boutique in Media. Yet you don’t need to dress up to be stylish. A lululemon yoga ensemble makes a beautiful statement, too. That’s because fashion isn’t about either/or anymore; it’s one big and. These days, our choices are dictated by lifestyle, not trends. So where to begin? Start by purchasing these two pieces: “Tissue-soft floral print dresses are so cute layered under chunky cardigans,” said Ann Gitter, owner of Knit Wit. The Center City boutique is home of the
Getting a yoga groove: Black pant, Groove by lululemon, $98; red jacket, Define by lululemon, $99; Align Ultra mat, $28; all at lululemon athletica. Earrings, large gold drops, $32, at Typhaney B. Jewelry.
filmy frock a la Ulla Johnson and Alexander Wang. Don’t forget those patterned tights and chunky boots. Closed? Peep-toe? It’s up to you. With all these options, it was hard for us to feature only one predominant look. (Although we are partial to layering floral dresses with chunky cardigans, the honest truth is, that’s only part of the fashion story.) So we decided to go to a place where multiple looks, and personalities, reign: a college campus. Punk partyers hang with prepsters. Casually sporty professors nosh with suited-up deans. Serious athletes mingle with the seriously studious. They all meet here, where fashion, rightly so, follows lifestyle’s lead. I Hot for teacher: Navy dress, Rebecca Taylor, $365, at Per Lei Boutique; agate earrings with matrix small drops, $20; asymmetrical faceted ball necklace with Brazilian stone accent, $65, both at Typhaney B. Jewelry.
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Contact fashion writer Elizabeth Wellington at 215-854-2704 or ewellington@phillynews.com.
A party, you say? Magenta dress, Adam by Adam Lippes, $275, Gramercy Boutique; shoes, BCBG, $250, Per Lei Boutique; Millianna gold cuff, $240, Gramercy Boutique; Millianna gold necklace, $150, Gramercy Boutique.
Check out this book: Dress, Ulla Johnson, $345, at Knit Wit; sweater, Piazza Sempione, $1,150, at Knit Wit; tights, Look from London, $45, Joan Shepp; shoes, silver Barron flats, BCBG, $225, at ViVi G; natural leather cord necklace with Tahitian pearls, $1,100; diamond and South Sea pearl earrings, $12,000, both at J.M. Lichterman & Co.
CREDITS: Special thanks to Bryn Mawr College and its staff for the use of its facilities including the Rhys Carpenter Library and registered historic landmark Thomas Great Hall. Also thanks to Mark Barksdale for pitching in as style assistant. Hairstyling courtesy of Kristina McCue, and makeup courtesy of Becca Morris, Bernard’s Salon and Spa, 100 Springdale Rd., Cherry Hill, 856-795-1707. Jewelry courtesy of Typhaney Shanker of Typhaney B. Jewelry, www.typhaneyb.com; and J.M. Lichterman & Co., 802 Sansom St., 215-922-6965. Clothing courtesy of Gramercy Boutique in the Eagle Village Shops, 503 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, 610-225-1770; Joan Shepp, 1616 Walnut St., 215-735-2666, www.joanshepp.com; Knit Wit, 1718 Walnut St., 215-564-4760, www.knitwitonline.com; lululemon athletica, 1527 Walnut St., 215-563-4806, www.lululemon.com; Per Lei Boutique, 2 E. State St., Media, 610-566-1254, www.perleiboutique.com; Pileggi Boutique, 715 Walnut St., 215-922-3526, www.pileggiboutique.com; ViVi G. Shoes in the Eagle Village Shops, 503 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, 610-688-6732, www.vivigshoes.com.
home & design
Michael Herold in a New Hope kitchen he designed. “I love new, clean lines, things that are fresh, but I also love history and old pieces. All my own designs have a history.”
Distilling design from personality Michael Herold likes to get to know a client’s personal style and take his cues from that. OK, but what if you were designing a place with no specific buyer in mind, or for yourself? I love new, clean lines, things that are fresh, but I also love history and old pieces. All my own designs have a history. There’s always warmth and a sense of time. Right now, I’m into midcentury modern. I’m a big collector of midcentury modern furniture. I’d never design a place that’s 100 percent modern.
By Paul Jablow FOR THE INQUIRER Photography by Akira Suwa STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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he founder and principal of Michael Herold Design in New Hope is a Long Island native who moved to this region as a teenager. Michael Herold received an associate’s degree from the Art Institute of Philadelphia and a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University. In May, his work was featured in show houses in Princeton, where he designed the entrance hall and second floor gallery, and in a farmhouse in Furlong, Bucks County, where he designed an upstairs sitting room. We sat down for a chat about the dynamics of design in Philadelphia. How did you get your start? I was, I don’t know, 10 years old. We were living on Long Island and I’d be painting rooms and moving furniture. My parents were very understanding of my passion for design and they pretty much let me do what I wanted. There were constant experiments going on. Their support pushed me in the right direction.
“I’d never design a place that’s 100 percent modern.”
Were your parents in the design field? Not at all. My dad was a bond broker on Wall Street. My mom was a homemaker. We moved to Yardley when he retired. I was 14. When I was still a teenager, I got two internships with local designers. I accompanied them to clients’ homes, really got a taste of the design world.
How would you characterize your design philosophy? My philosophy is to find out what the client’s personal style is. I want to take their personality and steer it toward good design. In the process, the clients find out a lot about themselves. A lot of the time, they say they don’t know what they want but when you dig deep, they have a lot of opinions. Sometimes, I’ll go into their personal closets and look at their wardrobe. Are they colors and patterns? Are they neutral, black and white, clean lines?
I noticed that your degree from St. Joseph’s is in business. Why is that? I’ve always been a self-starter, wanting to have my own business. I started my own firm in 2005 and I specialize in residential work. My business partner,
Federico Carbonell, joined me in 2008 and specializes in the commercial end, mostly health-care and fitness facilities. He’s actually a registered nurse by trade, so he really understands their needs.
What are some recent projects you are proud of? I’m working on a full home renovation in East Hampton, New York. It’s about a yearlong project. We gutted the entire house and designed everything. It’s a townhome. In Newtown [Bucks County], I’m working with a client on two boy’s bedrooms that will be child-friendly but very sophisticated. They could be for anyone from a 15-year-old to an adult. Are there any designers now working whom you particularly admire? Yes. Kelly Wearstler in Los Angeles. She’s very daring, takes a lot of risks. I like that in a designer. And Barbara Barry (also in Los Angeles). She’s at the other extreme. More clean lines, more classic. Kind of two extremes. What’s your dream project for the future? I’d like to design a hotel. I Paul Jablow is a former Inquirer editor and writer from Bryn Mawr.
I The Inquirer
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food
Eight eateries with elan For good tastes, in city and suburbs. By Craig LaBan INQUIRER RESTAURANT CRITIC Photography by Michael Bryant STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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obody puts on a suit and tie anymore to go out to eat, as formal dining continues its quick fade. But Philadelphia’s restaurants still have some serious style. Here are eight great destinations, from cutting-edge city hot spots to cool suburban classics, a Paris-style boite, and a parkside perch where the people-watching is as prime as what’s on the plate.
Adsum
(not yet formally rated) 700 S. Fifth St., 267-888-7002; www.adsumrestaurant.com This fall’s hottest no-reservations table comes courtesy of ex-Lacroix chef Matthew Levin, whose debut as an owner-chef is refining contemporary bistro style in Queen Village with a menu that’s both cutting-edge and affordable. The largely sub-$20s prices should appeal to a young neighborhood crowd. But this is also an adventure eater’s dream, where the cocktails come infused with smoked fruit, the already decadent poutine (of duck-fat fries and gravy) is crowned with foie gras, and spare-parts cookery (roasted marrow bones; KFC-fried sweetbreads) is elevated to a pedestal most local foodies will want to experience.
Blackfish
ooo
119 Fayette St. Conshohocken, 610-397-0888; www.blackfishrestaurant.com There’s a reason the spare white rooms of this contemporary Conshohocken storefront are perpetually filled with crisply pressed, pastel-wearing, fine-wine-toting Main Line devotees. Chef-owner Chip Roman’s BYOB easily remains one of the most sophisticated places in the western burbs to dine, with a focus on seafood that is both refined and inventive, whether it’s sublime sashimi laced beneath heirloom radishes with sweet and spicy Japanese sauce, perfect grilled tuna, or Cape May oysters topped with fizzy clouds of frozen Meyer lemon soda that are the ultimate raw bar fantasy.
oo
Kraftwork
541 E. Girard Ave., 215-739-1700; www.kraftworkbar.com Hipster style is displayed in all its pierced and tattooed glory in red-hot Fishtown’s newest gastropub, a corner beer bar fitted with curly maple communal tables and a tool motif that’s an ode to industrial days past. The seasonally minded kitchen had its share of stumbles, but some exceptional sandwiches, specials, and charcuterie, plus one of the area’s best new draft beer lists and a good-energy room, make this pub a keeper.
Lacroix at the Rittenhouse
oooo
210 West Rittenhouse Square, 215-790-2533; www.lacroixrestaurant.com The blowout gastro-brunch at this green velvet perch overlooking Rittenhouse Square remains one of the best reasons to put on your weekend finest. There are also value-worthy prix-fixe menus and occasional half-off wine-list discounts to keep the tranquil room humming the rest of the week. A recent a la carte meal, though, was a fine reminder of this young kitchen’s talent, with items such as halibut over ravioli filled with cauliflower cream, and octopus with smoked hoisin and spicy Crenshaw melon, that meld elegance, innovation, and top-notch ingredients as artfully as any restaurant in town.
Nunzio’s Ristorante Rustico
The “sashimi-style” yellowtail belly appetizer is a sample of the inventive seafood at Conshohocken’s Blackfish.
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• SEPTEMBER 2010
oo
706 Haddon Ave., Collingswood, 856-858-9840; www.nunzioristoranterustico.com Chef Nunzio Patruno’s trattoria in the heart of downtown Collingswood has rightfully remained one of South Jersey’s go-to spots for a fine family meal built around classic dishes. The big and bustling Italian Village space can sometimes feel stretched to its limit (as can the service), but a recent meal also gave us several reminders why
Patruno has long been one of the region’s most respected cooks, with spot-on renditions of tender osso buco and risotto Milanese, Dover sole filleted tableside, fantastic gnocchi, excellent amatriciana, and a tiramisu just like Nunzio’s mama used to make.
Rouge
oo
205 S. 18th St., 215-732-6622; www.rouge98.com Parc may have sapped some of Rouge’s 18th Street see-and-be-seen mojo, but Rittenhouse Square’s original parkside cafe can still put on a worthy feast for the eyes and palate. There’s an
The flavors are still fine at Rouge, and its sidewalk is a runway for fashionistas.
updated menu from consulting chef Matt Levin that’s added some smart new flavors (sweet corn soup; scallops with chanterelles and chorizo) to Rouge’s classics (the famed big burger). And on a fine summer day, that skinny strip of sidewalk between Rouge’s cafe tables is still Philly’s premier public runway for the fashionistas to strut their stuff.
Twenty Manning Grill
o
261 S. 20th St., 215-731-0900; www.twentymanning.com Audrey Taichman and chef-partner Kiong Banh have given their decade-old resto-lounge a homey
makeover, replacing the once-trendy Asian fusion fare and black-leather chic with a warmer yellow bistro look and a broader menu with lower prices and neighborhood appeal. Order carefully, as this menu has rough spots in between hits such as the dumplings, iceberg salad, pork chop, and half-baked Toll House cookie. But this cheery corner space finally feels like the relaxed Rittenhouse hang it was meant to be.
Zinc Bistro a Vins
(not yet formally rated) 246 S. 11th St., 215–351–9901; www.zincbarphilly.com You could be at a hideaway Parisian boite once
you step inside this pocket bistro where the corner zinc serves classic aperitifs (like refreshing Lillet), the Pernod-splashed snails mingle with melted leeks and walnuts, and the house special call-ahead duck gets pressed in a silver antique vise for one of the richest birds in town. This gem’s kitchen has finally improved enough to match the cozy room’s charm. So cue the berets and Hermes scarves, and come hungry. I Contact restaurant critic Craig LaBan at 215-854-2682 or claban@phillynews.com. LaBan’s reviews can be accessed through The Inquirer’s archives at www.philly.com
I The Inquirer
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food
Accomplished and comfortable Chef Patrick Feury crafts Asian fusion a la Foo at Berwyn’s Nectar. And rosemary’s his baby.
Patrick Feury on Susanna Foo: “I wouldn’t even know how to make a good pad Thai … or use the wok if I hadn’t worked in her kitchen. I wouldn’t be in a restaurant like Nectar if it wasn’t for her.”
By Rick Nichols INQUIRER FOOD COLUMNIST Photography by Michael S. Wirtz STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
H
e is installed now at the David Rockwell-designed showpiece called Nectar, its Buddha tapestry soaring, its sushi bar hopping, a rare moment of urban chic so far out the Main Line (in Berwyn) that you can almost hear the buggy wheels grinding in Lancaster County. It’s an odd amalgam that chef-owner Patrick Feury, 46, presides over — the striking un-rural palette, the meticulous Asian-fusion plating, the bounty of some of the richest farm country on the Eastern seaboard. But you get the impression that not only is he comfortable — this chef who started out washing pots at 15 at a pork butcher’s near his North Jersey home — but also that maybe he planned it this way, or would have if he could have. He sticks his garden herbs in the craft beer (Fists of Feury) that he created with his brother, Terence, 43, now the celebrated top chef at Fork, the Old City bistro. He coos over the wild Arctic char his fishmonger flies in. He salutes his farms on the menu — Windy Acres baby vegetables, Branch Creek salad greens. He was trained in New York (at the Waldorf-Astoria and Le Cirque), and Paris (Les Olivades), and by the French-Asian master Susanna Foo. But his new roots are here. Quite literally. Beside Nectar’s parking lot you see his own crop of peppers, squash, Thai basil, parsley, sage, and Feury’s personal favorite — rosemary, the secret in his breads and the Feury family brew.
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• SEPTEMBER 2010
Rick Nichols: What’s up with the beer thing? Did you just hop on the happening craft-brew bandwagon? Patrick Feury: Nah, I’ve been fooling with it since high school. My brother Terry bought me a beer-making kit. R.N.: But this golden pale ale, Fists of Feury, isn’t a hobby beer. It’s pretty polished stuff, Nectar’s best-seller. P.F.: Well, when I moved out here to open Nectar, I got in touch with Bill Covaleski, who runs Victory Brewing in Downingtown. He did all the beer menu for us; I did the food pairing. We got to be great friends. We both have young kids about the same age. Later I got to know brewers at Allagash up in Maine. R.N.: Speaking of young children, you told me your 5-year-old son is into oysters, and your 7-year-old daughter comes to Nectar on your day off to bake bread with you. Isn’t she also an ice skater? P.F.: I used to play ice hockey as a kid. And my wife Tina was a nationally ranked figure skater. When we were dating, we used to go to the Wissahickon rink. Now our daughter is off to the rink in West Chester all the time. R.N.: And you’re also a skilled ice sculptor? P.F.: I actually ran the program when I was starting out at the Waldorf. And that’s how I made my first connection to Le Cirque. Daniel Boulud, the chef at the time, needed ice sculptures for the photographs in his first book. I told him I’d do them for free if he’d let me work for free in his kitchen. He wasn’t about to turn that down. You can still see them in the background; they sort of look like ice mountains behind the grouper, black bass, and mushrooms.
R.N.: Later you worked for Susanna Foo in Philadelphia and eventually the now-closed Suilan in Atlantic City. I notice her influence in Nectar dishes like roasted foie gras sushi with black summer truffle and pear, and lo mein with smoked wild boar and Chinese sausage. Was she a major inspiration? P.F.: Let’s just say I wouldn’t even know how to make a good pad Thai or lo mein or use the wok if I hadn’t worked in her kitchen. I wouldn’t be in a restaurant like Nectar if it wasn’t for her. I’d be in a place much more American-European. R.N.: Your dad taught sixth-grade math, history, and social studies in the town of Rumson, N.J. But his passion seemed to be his 21-foot Sea Ray, and birds — the osprey he nurtured as a park ranger in Sandy Hook during the summers. P.F.: Yes, that was a bit of an in-joke. Even if you took math or history from him, you learned about birds. R.N.: Isn’t Ellen Yin, the owner at Fork, from Rumson? P.F.: She was telling me once that we grew up in neighboring towns. And I said, “Did you go to school in Rumson?” She said yes. And I said, “Then you had Mr. Feury.” And she said, “Oh, you’re that Feury?!” R.N.: You got started humbly enough, washing pots at Valencia Pork, the Italian butcher shop in North Jersey. How did that end up? P.F.: The boss didn’t want me to leave until I found someone else to take my pot-washing job. So, I found someone: my younger brother, Terry. I Contact columnist Rick Nichols at 215-854-2715 or rnichols@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/ricknichols.
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Fashion friendly The hautest shows may be off-limits, but some runway events bid you welcome. By Amy Laughinghouse FOR THE INQUIRER
D
esigner collections debut on catwalks this month, with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week starting things off today in New York. Although it’s nearly impossible to snag a seat at top shows such as Chanel or Dior, here’s a guide to three runway getaways where you can make the fashion scene. London Fashion Week — Sept. 17-22 www.londonfashionweek.co.uk See: The Regent Street Festival 2010: A Mile of Style will host catwalk shows that are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis on Sept. 26. Shops along this elegant promenade are getting in on the action, too, offering champagne and refreshments, style advice, in-store DJs, and a gift with a purchase. Talent spotters will also be scouting the crowd for model material. www.regentstreetonline.com. Through January 2012, Kensington Palace becomes the Enchanted Palace, a dreamlike realm where fashion designers and artists such as Vivienne Westwood interpret tales of the princesses who called this place home. www.hrp. org.uk/kensingtonpalace, 011 44 20 3166 6000. Shop: Check out the hip mix around iconic Carnaby Street (www.carnaby.co.uk). Need a shopping sherpa? Book a complimentary “bag boy” or “bag girl” to carry your purchases as they guide you around Seven Dials in Covent Garden (www.sevendials.co.uk/bagboys). Dine: “Prêt-à-Portea” at the Berkeley hotel is a chic treat, with cookies and cakes shaped like shoes and accessories; about $55. www.the-berkeley.co.uk, 011 44 20 7235 6000. Sleep: Claridge’s new accommodations by Diane von Furstenberg lend this classic hotel au courant cachet. Doubles from about $769. www.claridges.co.uk, 011-44-20-7629-8860. The May Fair, Fashion Week’s “official” hotel, boasts a buzzy bar, spa, and casino. Doubles from about $306. www.themayfairhotel.co.uk, 011 44 20 7629 7777. Info: www.visitlondon.com, www.visitbritain.us
Regent Street Festival
In London, catwalk shows in the Regent Street Festival are open to the public on a first-come basis.
The French Embassy will be one venue during Washington, D.C., Fashion Week. DAMION MILLER
Washington, D.C. Fashion Week — Sept. 20-26 www.dcfashionweek.org See: Bridal collections, menswear, international couture and other spring and summer styles by designers from around the world will be showcased at venues such as the Textile Museum, the embassies of Indonesia and France, and Tabaq Bistro. Admission ranges from free to $150. Visit www.dcfashionweek.org or call 202-271-7235 for ticket information. Shop: Take a walk along Wisconsin Avenue to Sassanova for shoes and accessories (www.sassanova.com, 1-877-471-0070), Urban Chic for a mix of up-and-coming and established designers (www.urbanchiconline.com; 202-338-5398), and Filene’s Basement (www.filenesbasement.com, 202-966-0208) for designer discounts. Dine: Mie N Yu combines dishes from Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean in themed spaces that are as exotic as the menu. www.mienyu.com, 202-333-6122. Sleep: The 183-room Hotel Monaco marries bright, bold patterns with 19th-century architectural details. Doubles from $369. www.monaco-dc.com, 1-800-546-7866. Info: http://washington.org
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• SEPTEMBER 2010
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Paris Fashion Week — Sept. 28-Oct. 7 www.modeaparis.com See: Enjoy guilt-free fashion at an Ethical Fashion event, featuring a knitting workshop and runway show, on Sept. 26 at the Cité de la Mode et du Design (Docks en Seine). Designers are committed to fair minimum wages and a maximum 48-hour work week; some use recycled or organic materials. Tickets cost about $13 at the door. More info: www.ethicalfashionshow.com, 011 33 1 43 48 94 68. You can also reserve a seat for a free half-hour fashion show at 3 p.m. each Friday at Galeries Lafayette, a glass-domed, 10-story upscale department store on Boulevard Haussmann. E-mail welcome@galerieslafayette.com or call 011 33 1 42 82 36 40 for reservation. More info: www2.galerieslafayette.com/international/index.do. Shop: The Champs-Elysées, Avenue George V, and Avenue Montaigne form the Bermuda Triangle of bank accounts; you’ll marvel as your money miraculously disappears. Dine: Feast your eyes on the latest styles as models glide through the bar at Hotel Le Bristol’s Fashion High Tea, usually held once a month. Past events have featured Chloé, Christian Lacroix, La Perla, and Versace. From about $73, including your
meal. www.lebristolparis.com, 011 33 1 53 43 43 00. Sleep: Hotel le Bellechasse by Christian Lacroix offers 34 boudoirs with delicious details such as butterflies on the ceiling and zebra print bathrooms. Doubles from about $234. www.lebellechasse.com, 011 33 1 45 50 22 31. Info: www.parisinfo.com. I
A stylish spot to stay in Paris is Hotel le Bellechasse, with designer details by Christian Lacroix such as butterflies on the ceiling.
Amy Laughinghouse is a freelance writer based in London.
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Tailored Suits Paris
Matt Salignac of Tailored Suits Paris in the Bordeaux château where the firm is based. The French tailor uses only Italian fabrics and delivers clothing within 15 business days.
Foreign flair International tailors are a fitting choice — and for some of them, no passport is necessary. By Howard Shapiro INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
or tuxedo costs $255 to $400; skirts and trousers, $100 to $175.
s you walk along a bustling street in a foreign city, a smart suit or fashionable dress in a store window catches your eye. But what if it doesn’t look as good or fit as well when you get home? Thus, the foreign custom tailor — insurance, more or less, that you get the clothing you want with the fit you should have. And thanks to the Internet, you can get impeccably tailored clothing long after your trip — or without ever leaving home — for the same price as quality U.S. clothiers charge: $300 to $500 for a man’s suit, $100 to $200 for a woman’s skirt. Here are four foreign tailors that give you an idea of your options. Remember that many “bespoke” tailors — those who make custom clothing — occasionally come to the United States so customers can order in person.
Vinnie’s International Hong Kong Custom Tailors Tim Sha Tsui Kowloon, Hong Kong www.vinnieshk.com For 21 years, Vinnie’s has made everything from women’s dresses to men’s topcoats, with about 5,000 fabric choices and annual visits to other countries — New York and Washington were among recent trips. The finished products arrive within four to six weeks. Shirts start at about $50; suits, $400; and dresses, $300. A six-shirt package, with choice of fabrics, begins at $270.
A
Tailored Suits Paris Château Beausejour 4 Route Libardac, Bordeaux, France www.tailoredsuitsparis.com Founded by two tailors from Paris, this shop is based in a château in Bordeaux. Because customers “are most times very busy,” tailors work with them online and in person, going to hotels in Gironde, Aquitaine, and sometimes Paris to show options and conduct fittings, says the company’s Matt Salignac. The company works only with natural Italian fabrics — more than 500, plus custom linings — to create suits, shirts, and coats for men and women. It takes 15 business days for delivery. A two-piece suit
suits cost about $3,350; jackets, $2,240; trousers, $1,120. Hitchcock has expanded his U.S. clientele by traveling to New York three times a year.
Ravis International 1091/67 Soi 33 New Petchburi Rd. Bangkok, Thailand www.ravistailor.com Political unrest has curbed American travel to Bangkok this year, but hotel occupancy rates continue to climb and normal back-and-forth between the United States and Thailand will presumably return. Even so, Ravis makes many trips to the States for fittings — just this summer, to Richmond, Va.; Washington, Steven Hitchcock D.C.; Stamford and Hartford, Sherborne House Master Tailor Conn.; New York; Detroit; A suit on display in Steven Hitchcock’s tailor Sherborne House Chicago; Seattle; Los Angeles; shop on London's famed Savile Row. 13 Savile Row, London, England and San Francisco. www.stevenhitchcock.co.uk Fabrics for men’s and As a teenager, Hitchcock apprenticed on Savile Row, women’s clothing range from pure cottons and London’s fabled clothing district, and has never left. linens to cashmere, wools, and silks. In addition to “My shop is a working tailor’s shop, suits hanging single-item sales (shirts, $65; suits, $275), Ravis ready for clients who have placed an order, waiting offers seasonal packages. Recently, three blouses for them to be tried on,” he says. Suits “are all cut and a silk scarf were $180; five shirts and two by myself and handmade by my experienced neckties, $240. I tailors” in a time-honored London tradition that commands top prices. Contact staff writer Howard Shapiro at Fabrics come from all over the world. Two-piece 215-854-5727 or hshapiro@phillynews.com.
I The Inquirer
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