Café Jacqueline—A Living Treasure of San Francisco

In the city where so much depends on good luck, you are lucky if you’ve already been to Café Jacqueline, and you are lucky if you still haven’t. Those who tried chef-owner Jacqueline Margulis’s dreamy soufflés, will cherish the sweet (and savory) memories for a long time, maybe forever, and those who are planning their special occasions there, will have a rare opportunity to get in touch with the sweetest side of the city’s history herself. Opened in 1979, this one-of-a-kind intimate restaurant consistently delivers the most romantic evenings for couples in love, birthday girls and boys, and anniversary veterans by putting up its one-woman show night after night in its tiny kitchen. Disguised as an unassuming storefront eatery, the single room with only a dozen tables opens up into a fairy-tale experience. Everything speaks to the very soul of a French food lover. The ambience is simple and heartfelt: wood floor, white tablecloths and napkins, intricate chandeliers, candles and fresh roses on every table. You surely will wash your hands before eating, so on your way to the washroom, located in the back patio, you’ll have to pass the gnome-size kitchen, and that’s where you’ll have a chance to see her—the fairy God mother, clad in white chef’s coat and toque, standing behind the enormous wooden bowl, filled with eggs, holding a magic wand, whipping her cloud-like soufflés, to deliver cloud 9 to your table. Her menu is concise, yet exceedingly tempting. Some items have been on it for decades. Café Jacqueline’s salads and daily soups are notorious for their seasonal freshness and careful execution, and its onion soup is probably the best in the world, but various main course and dessert soufflés are the main draw. Most are made with Gruyere, while some use Brie in delectable combinations of seafood, mushrooms, asparagus, and what not, always bursting with freshness, always unforgettably tasty. Yesterday, on my beloved daughter’s B-day, Matthew Weimer, our waiter, set the mood by greeting our small party at the door, offering to keep our flowers watered, pouring champagne, and asking if we wanted to keep it refrigerated until the next toast. We had a wonderful time catching up, while waiting for our lobster soufflé (serves 2, but enough for 3), which was silky-smooth, with chunks of lobster meat incorporated in it. An apricot soufflé for dessert (serves 2-4) came with fresh apricot slices on top, and adorned with a birthday candle. Jacqueline works her magic in so many subtle ways: you wait for your heavenly food, and it becomes a feast, you share, and your love for each other grows with every bite, you come here for a special occasion, and you meet several other beautiful people, born on the same day as you. A word of warning though: please come in piece, bring only the people you love, don’t rush, forget the outside world, and be happy. If you are lucky, you’ll have a chance to tell your grandchildren one day, I was lucky enough to see Jacqueline cooking, and to taste her soufflé. Café Jacqueline serves dinner Wed-Sunday, 5:30-11 p.m., offers a well-selected wine list, and recommends reserving your table in advance. Street parking is difficult, but worth every step from a far-away location you can find within 2-4 blocks. 1454 Grant Ave., at Green Street. 415-981-5565.

Rex Ray’s Colorful Prints at Zinc Details

Well known through his distinctive designs for books, magazines, posters, and album covers, the San Francisco artist Rex Ray has exhibited his original artwork locally and internationally for more than two decades. His most recent solo show was exhibited at Gallery 16 in San Francisco. Currently, selections from a series of limited-edition prints of his best known work continues at the Zinc Details at 2410 California Street in SF through June 30. A reception for the artist at this location will be held on Wednesday, June 11, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. “We’re elated to have Rex Ray back with us,” says Zinc Details owner, Vasilios Kiniris. “His work builds excitement, and he’s one artist that people clamor after.” For 17 years, Zinc Details has been a destination for the art-and-design-conscious to explore contemporary classic home furnishings and accessories, as well as the work of contemporary painters, photographers, and graphic artists at two San Francisco locations—on Fillmore and on California Street. Zinc Details – 1905 Fillmore Street and 2410 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94115, (415) 776-2100 – info@zincdetails.com; Hours - Mon-Sat, 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, noon – 6:00 p.m.

Elsewhere Gallery Displays Monthly Themes

Open merely months ago, Elsewhere Gallery in Fairfax, just north of San Francisco, showcases local artists and pursues a different theme each month. Every first Friday of the month, the gallery holds a party with a new theme. For the month of May, the theme is “Nude,” while in June the “Animal Talk” will feature paintings, photographs, sculptures, and other media “to appreciate our mammalian and reptilian friends.” At the gallery party on June 6, a former Fairfax mayor Larry Bragman will deliver a speech raising awareness about the upcoming Bay Area Checkmate aerial spray—a chemical cocktail designed to control brown apple moth population—that has been reported to cause health complications in humans and animals. Upcoming themes: July “Body Beautiful,” August – “Get Outside,” September – “Cool Colors,” October – “Music is Magic.” Elsewhere Gallery is located at 1828 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Fairfax, CA, 415-526-2855 or: http://www.elsewhere.com

Birth of the Cool at Oakland Museum of California

It was a cool crowd in tuxedoes, little black dresses and pearls, strolling through the Oakland Museum of California gardens and terraces during a cocktail reception on Saturday. The Board of Trustees’ Golden Gala 2008 celebrated “Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture at Midcentury” exhibit, which features painting, architecture, furniture design, decorative and graphic arts, film, and music that launched 1950s modernism in the United States, and established Los Angeles as a major American cultural center. With more than 150 objects on view, Birth of the Cool examines the dynamic community of artists who played a germinal role in the development of the iconic style of high modernism. Inspired by Miles Davis’s album Birth of the Cool, the exhibition “captures an era in post-war Southern California when exploration in architecture, art, music and design coalesced to form a modern sensibility based on living well,” said Philip Linhares, chief curator of art at the Oakland Museum of California. “With roots in Bauhaus Germany, and inspired by European immigrant artists and architects and young American designers and avant-garde jazz musicians, the ‘cool’ aesthetic flourished in the LA landscape and climate. Wartime industrial innovations were adapted to peacetime use—steel, glass and concrete houses, and molded plastic and bent plywood furnishings.” In the late 1930s and 1940s Hollywood provided employment and a safe haven for artists and intellectuals fleeing the war in Europe, who carried with them the tenets of international modernism. Attracted to the favorable climate, optimistic spirit, and relative prosperity of post-war Southern California, a disparate group of painters, filmmakers, designers, and musicians came from all over America to develop new strains of American modernism. The work of important modernist architects Richard Neutra, Pierre Koenig, and Craig Ellwood, among others, is examined in the context of their projects for Arts & Architecture’s Case Study House program. Their designs for residential dwellings are among the iconic mid-century architectural gems captured in Julius Shulman’s photographs (featured). Considered among the most influential American designers of the 20th century, Charles and Ray Eames exemplify the joining of American ideals of creativity, optimism, and hard work with the rigors of international modernism. The exhibit showcases early and rare examples of Eames furniture, films, and archival materials. It is accompanied by a 300-page illustrated book (published with Prestel Publishers, 2007), which provides a thorough reassessment of the era. Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design and Culture at Midcentury was organized by the Orange County Museum of Art’s chief curator Elizabeth Armstrong. The exhibition continues through August 17 at the Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak at 10th Street, in Oakland. For more information, call 510-238-2200 or visit www.museumca.org.

Iyemon Cha Launches is San Francisco

Japanese green tea from Kyoto, Iyemon Cha, comes to San Francisco retail today, all fresh and pretty in two varieties: original green and roasted green (which looks more brown). The original green has a mild refreshing taste and is made of quickly dried smaller leaves, selected for freshness, color, and uniformity. The roasted green has a smoky flavor and a toasty aroma. San Francisco is the first stop on a planned national tour of Iyemon Cha, introduced in Japan back in 2004. Produced by Suntory food and beverage company, and distributed by Calistoga Beverage Company—a subsidiary of Nestle Waters North America—the new ready-to-drink bottled tea is free of preservatives and sweeteners and all-natural organic. The tea is blended by Master Green Tea Blender Ryozo Taniguchi of one of Japan’s oldest tea companies, Fukujuen. Iyemon Cha Original Green Tea is the only bottled tea in the world to add a touch of matcha—the finest green tea cultivated, for extra richness. Iyemon Cha will is available in Japanese and other restaurants and premium retailers.

Open Air Exhibit of Jean Lannen Altered Photography

Jean Lannen—a photographer/conceptual artist, who lives in Pacifica, creates her moody art by using altered real photographs and multimedia. Besides working as a portrait and party photographer, she often turns to images of dolls, flowers, hands, and hearts to produce her original artwork in a hard-to-define genre. Tomorrow, as every third Saturday of the month, her work can be seen in an outdoors exhibit “Art on the Fence” on the Octavia Blvd. chain link fence between Hayes and Fell Streets in Hayes Valley, San Francisco from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The monthly show is presented by The Hayes Valley Art Coalition (HVAC) co-founded by Madeline Behrens-Brigham and Russell Pritchard—long term Hayes Valley residents and merchants who formed HVAC in August 2007. Over the past decade, Hayes Valley has developed from a seedy area into a place for haute couture and art. Where the crack houses and tenements once stood, now there are trendy fashion boutiques, art galleries, high-end interior-decorating shops, top restaurants and hip nightspots.
To view and buy Jean Lannen’s work online, visit http://www.theotherjean.com/

Berkeley Rep to Broadway, All the Way to Tony

Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s production of “Passing Strange,” which now shows on Broadway, has been nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Musical, after it has already won four Audelco Awards and nominations for three Drama League Awards, three Lucille Lortel Awards, and one Outer Critics Circle Award. "From the beginning, we knew that Stew had something important to say in a fresh and unusual way, so it was an honor to support the development of Passing Strange and to host the world premiere,” said Tony Taccone, artistic director of Berkeley Rep. “These artists truly deserve recognition, and we're thrilled to have been a part of bringing this play to Broadway. As we celebrate Berkeley Rep's 40th birthday, it's gratifying to know that a wider audience is now enjoying the adventurous work that's been seen on our stage for years." Co-commissioned by Berkeley Rep and The Public Theater, Passing Strange is a rock musical that follows a young musician's journey - from '70s Los Angeles through free-loving Amsterdam to the anarchy of '80s Berlin - in his search to feel something Real. Winners of this year's Tony Awards will be announced on CBS during a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, June 15. The Passing Strange cast is expected to perform two songs during the ceremony: "Amsterdam" and "Keys." Few plays developed at Bay Area nonprofits have ever been nominated for Tony Awards. Passing Strange on Broadway. Book and lyrics by Stew; Music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald; Directed by and created in collaboration with Annie Dorsen; Designed by David Korins (sets), Elizabeth Hope Clancy (costumes), Kevin Adams (lights), Tom Morse (sound), and Karole Armitage (choreography); Starring de'Adre Aziza, Daniel Breaker, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Chad Goodridge, Rebecca Naomi Jones, and Stew; Featuring a band with Christian Cassan, Christian Gibbs, Heidi Rodewald, and Jon Spurney. Produced by The Shubert Organization and Elizabeth Ireland McCann in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre and The Public Theater. The Belasco Theater, 111 West 44th St. at 6th Ave., New York, NY 10036. Eight shows every week. Tickets and info:1-800-432-7250 or http://www.telecharge.com/
Berkeley Rep. 2008/09 season subscription is now open. It includes the world premiere of Itamar Moses' Yellowjackets and another collaboration from Ruhl and Waters: the world premiere of The Vibrator Play. For details, call 510.647.2949 or http://www.berkeleyrep.org/

Wild Ceramics at SF Museum of Craft+Design

“Within Two Hands: The Eye of The Collector” exhibit presents more than 70 works from the Fred Marer collection, which this math teacher from LA started back in the 1940s. At the time, Peter Voulkos was leading a “revolution in clay” by creating non-utilitarian, large, abstract, sculptural works and leading his students from the Otis group (LA County Art Institute) and later the ceramics dept. at UC Berkeley, in this new direction. Marer bought works from the outstanding artists, like Laura Andreson, Robert Arneson, Hans Coper, Phil Cornelius, Shoji Hamada, Jun Kaneko, Kenneth Price, Billy Al Bengston, Jim Melchert, Henry Takemoto, Michael Frimkess, Marylin Levine, James Lovera, and Magdalena Suarez-Frimkess, and stored them in his house, in his garage, and finally, donated his 900 pieces to Scripps College, where Otis’s graduate, Paul Soldner developed a ceramic program. The exhibit is on view through June 29. SFMC+D is located at 550 Sutter Street, SF. Call 415-773-0303, or visit http://www.sfmcd.org/. Photo by Yuri Krasov.

Say Cheese at The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot fondue restaurant in San Mateo is one busy place on a Saturday night. Couples, families, and groups or friends happily occupy cozy booths and tables for two, and no one seems to mind doing the cooking themselves. “When you serve raw food, you can’t get away with anything but the best,” says Rob Sanchez, who opened the restaurant with his partner Andrew Clark merely months ago. Speedy waiters, who would heat a pot of seasoned bouillon, broth, or mixed cheeses right on the table top, bring raw meats, seafood, and vegetables for dipping, and pour wines from a well-selected list. Chocolate fondues include dark, milk, and white varieties to cover strawberries, apple slices or cubes of sponge cake. Sanchez considers his restaurant—a part of a franchise, spread out in the Bay Area and beyond—a special occasion place, where flowers can be delivered to a celebratory table, and a card can be handed to a birthday boy/girl on request. “I was number 124 [nationwide],” said Sanchez about his franchise, where he and Clark invested their own labor and creativity in decorating the high-ceiling train station building, now adorned with granite tabletops, blown glass light fixtures, and original wine-themed paintings by Leane Laine. Upon entering, the first thing one sees is a glass-encased streaming water feature over the head of a hostess, Bianca Ratti, or her equally charming colleagues. On both sides of the entrance, and straight ahead, there are long and narrow dining halls, which create an intimate space for every party. On a second floor, there is a party space for a larger group, and a Lover’s Lane with tiny tables just for two. On a nice day, a heated courtyard provides plenty of air and a close view of the trains passing by. At the bar, Quin O’Hara and other bartenders not only mix cocktails and give wine pairing suggestions, but serve food, and heat those shiny fondue pots, creating delectable mixtures to dip some baguette slices into. All this sipping and dipping takes time, though. “People come here to spend two-three hours,” said Sanchez. “Sometimes, they have a babysitter at home, or have to go somewhere after dinner, and they don’t realize that time flies here.” When you are having fun that is. The Melting Pot San Mateo is located at 2 North St. Call 650-342-6358 for reservations, or visit www.meltingpot.com Photo by Yuri Krasov. Rob Sanchez invites you to The Melting Pot.

Coconut Grove on Sutter

Far from your usual coffee addicts’ watering hole, the Coconut Grove, just opened last Friday on Sutter, sports leopard print carpets, framed mirrors, and faux impressionists on the walls of a lofty lounge with disparate glass tables and semi-antique chairs and ottomans. Behind the store window, adorned with light bulbs and golden-painted palms, you’ll find a cozy sofa, upholstered in monkey-and-tiger patterned fabric, quality coffee and pastries, fresh papers to read, and a full lunch if you so desire. If you are lucky, Chantelle—this fantasy place’s charming owner—will offer a tour of her facility, which has in its depth a sunny Italian-style patio with a wall fountain, a women’s clothing shop leaning toward Vegas show-girl style, and a back room, that will turn into a piano bar any day now. And you said you’ve seen everything in San Francisco by now! Visit Coconut Grove at 540 Sutter, SF. Call 415-399-1839 or www.deedee-chantelle.com

Survivor of Eating Disorder Creates Spoon Art

To fight a nearly 20-year-long eating disorder, Karin Collins started turning actual spoons into bite-sized wearable art as part of her therapy. Fully recovered, she continues to create those sparkling pendants to spread awareness of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). Her designer company, SpoonFed Art, now helps others to heal. In this month’s first-ever giveaway, SpoonFed Art will select a winner to pick up a free pendant design. “Visit the News page at http://www.spoonfedart.com/ and simply sign up for the SpoonFed Art mailing list anytime during the month of May,” says Collins, “and you will automatically be entered into a random drawing for a pendant of your choice. If you’re currently on the mailing list, you're already entered in the drawing. No purchase is necessary, of course, but anyone who places an order on the site during the month of May will also receive an extra entry for every pendant they purchase.” One winner will be chosen at random during the first week of June and given a choice of any available design on the website, including free shipping and handling. The winner will also receive one of SpoonFed Art's brand new chains. Collins has just replaced her suede cords with 16- or 26-inch brushed metal chains with lobster clasps. The exclusive limited-edition pendant that Collins has designed for NEDA's online fundraising store can be found at http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ For more information, visit SpoonFed Art new blog at http://www.spoonfedart.blogspot.com/!

Ask Emma

Q: I have a good friend who has unexpectedly and suddenly found herself single again. She is very beautiful and intelligent, and is therefore not accustomed to being unattached. I love love and I love being in love, and have been, in one way or another, for most of my adult life, but I also feel very strongly that the best thing a woman can do for herself is to learn how to be alone. I think my friend is afraid to be alone, but I think she NEEDS to be alone. On the other hand, I have noticed that she is very unhappy when she is single, and when she is dating or attached, she is suddenly herself again. Are there people in the world who should just NOT be single, or is she stuck in a cycle of dating and depression from which she could possibly escape, the way some people wean themselves off of drugs? I do not think she will have any trouble finding "a replacement," so that is not the problem. Maybe it is just the case that some people are not meant to be single? In that case, are there just some people who are not meant to be in love? And what should I advise my friend, or do I not have to advise her at all?
A: No matter how hard we try to learn to be alone, we are social animals, and feel the happiest when happily attached. This goes for both men and women. To be the best we can we need an appreciative audience, even if it’s an audience of one. The benefits of being in a relationship are too many to mention, while maintaining a relationship is a full-time job, and not all of us have the stamina to do that. When a woman finds herself single again, there is always just a tad of her own mismanagement, besides the fact that plenty of men refuse to invest enough labor in their love lives. Unfortunately, like a sugar cube that melts in your coffee, love quickly dissolves if not being saved. The silver lining is that as teachable animals, we can learn from our misfortunes. Every broken relationship adds to our experience, all we have to do is become wiser and use it next time. If your good friend will spend some painful lonely hours contemplating her relationship management skills, and how she can improve them next time around, it might let her avoid her past mistakes. It helps to remember that our partners want our love, support, forgiveness, and attention as much as we want theirs. It also helps to remember that we all want to be trusted and need our own space (yes, yes, to be alone once in a while). With that said, advise your friend to never stop seeking love--the only thing worth living for. It is up to her to make her next relationship work better than the last one.

Palo Alto Jewelry Designer Appeals to European-Americans

Elfi Altendorfer, born in Austria and educated in Munich, Germany, came to design her own jewelry after exploring several other careers in architecture, interior design, and high-end lingerie retail. Based in Palo Alto, notorious for its university town demographics, sunny weather, and overpopulation of designers and jewelers, Altendorfer stand out as a follower of distinct European traditions. For her intricate pieces, the artist uses semiprecious stones, Swarovski crystals, Czech glass beads, gold and silver chains, and other materials of high quality and eye-catching sparkle. Each piece of jewelry is unique and handcrafted in mixed media, which is true not only for her customized designs made to order, but also for the items she creates following her own imagination. Her often asymmetrical, light-weight, colorful yet tasteful adornments appeal to women of European descend who inherently seek quality materials as well as playful and graceful designs in their quest for self-expression. To learn more, visit www.TresChicFashionJewelry.com or call 650-868-8875. Photo by Emma Krasov. Elfi Altendorfer, at right, with her customers, all wearing necklaces designed by her.

Ask Emma

Q: My husband is the biggest pack rat there is. We have a two-car garage, but our cars are parked on the street. All his previous jobs, hobbies, trips and sports are still with us. There is no room to drop a pin in the garage. The house is filled with boxes upon boxes of stuff, collected throughout his whole life. We have a spare bedroom, but guess what is in there? More stuff! I told him, one day I would take my purse and leave him for good. He does not do anything to remedy the situation. What should I do? A: I feel for you. Lack of space and air would drive anybody crazy. Stuff, stored in people’s dwellings not only collects dust, but makes one’s home unfit to leave in and function properly. Interestingly enough, for a person, who stores everything for future use, it appears too hard to find something when it’s needed. Pack rats end up collecting more of the same stuff just because they are not able to locate a thing they already have. Please help your husband to donate his valuable possessions to a school, library or charity, and plan to do so in several small steps, so it would not be too traumatic for him. Threats are not the best way to deal with the problem, while gentle participation and encouragement might do the job.

Thai Buddhist Monks Visit Castro Valley Restaurant With Blessings

For its second anniversary on May 1, Top Thai restaurant in Castro Valley invited a group of Buddhist monks from a Thai temple in Fremont to bless the establishment with the traditional chants. “I feel like a two-year-old,” said Greg Miller, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Tianngam. “Today we celebrate with the monks, which is our tradition since the opening. We’ll serve traditional Thai food prepared as always from the freshest vegetables, the best meats, and rice noodles that we cut in-house,” said Miller, who goes shopping every morning before the restaurant opens. Tianngam, the chef, used to cook for several restaurants in Oakland, Berkeley, and Pleasanton before she met her future husband. While working seven days a week, serving lunch and dinner for the local regulars, the Millers visit their second home in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for several months every year. Before the blessing ceremony, the monks unfolded a small golden shrine with a statue of Buddha on the top, then lit candles, and placed tea roses in front of it. “We do the chanting in our temple every morning from 6 to 7,” said the head monk, Agahn Prasert. “In the evening, too, from 7 to 8, and then people are welcome to join us. We have discussions on Buddhism on Wednesday nights, and on weekends we teach Thai culture, have discussions on Thai life, and teach Thai language.” The temple, Wat Buddhanusorn, home to seven monks, opens its doors for those who are interested in Thai culture, and even invites dancers and musicians from Thailand to give lessons in the temple. The monks leave the temple on occasions like this one, to bless homes and businesses by performing the millennia-old chanting of haunting beauty. Top Thai restaurant is located at 3837 Castro Valley Blvd., 510-538-4400. The Thai Temple in Fremont is located at 36054 Niles Blvd. 510-790-2294.