QCM News

Grub Street Blog Hypes ROOT - March 9, 2010

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Seven Days of Deals Starting Tuesday, March 9

Every Tuesday, we put up a handy guide that includes a prix-fixe menu, special or a value-driven deal for every night of the upcoming week. We've wrangled all of the deals and menus that come our way into one convenient place for you, rather than firing them at you artillery-style as they come in. Click through to see what's on deck for this week, from an outdoor happy hour to free wine on a Friday night.

Seven Days of Deals Starting Tuesday, March 9

Tuesday, March 9: P&K is hauling out the outdoor tables tonight in light of the lovely weather; check out their happy hour $5 wines, $3 beers, $2 snacks and $1 oysters from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 10: Supper allows customers to BYOB on Wednesdays for no additional charge.

Thursday, March 11: ROOT is throwing a happy hour at BAR from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with $4 drink specials (made with ROOT, of course), plus craft beer specials. Parent company Art in the Age will be giving away merchandise. [BAR, 1309 Sansom Street]

Friday, March 12: Blackfish BYOB in Conshohocken offers complimentary wine every Friday from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. and after 9:00 p.m. with a different red and white offered each week. Limit of two glasses per person.

Saturday, March 13: Modo Mio's "turista" menu is one of the best prix-fixe deals in town - pick four courses off of the menu for $33 per person, plus tax and tip. It's available Tuesday through Saturday.

Sunday, March 14: Square 1682, the Hotel Palomar's restaurant, has launched a Sunday night six-course prix-fixe dinner for $45 plus tax and tip from 5:30 p.m. to 10:20 p.m.. Each week chef Guillermo Tellez explores the cuisine of a different Latin country.

Monday, March 15: Check out Bitter Mondays at the Sidecar Bar, where all domestic pale ales and IPAs are $1 off from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Daily Candy features Sailor Jerry

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Here's the Plan

Philadelphia Events and Diversions

Don’t jump ship.

SHOP
Sailor Jerry Spring Collection
What: Anchor-print dresses, high-waisted shorts, and sturdy totes for girls on the go.
Why: Sea-inspired looks that don’t go overboard.
When: Mon.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri & Sat., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., noon-6 p.m.
Where: 116 S. 13th St. (215-531-6380).

SCORE
Swirl, Sample Sales by DailyCandy
What: Our new online sample sale site with curated merch from our fave designers just reopened its membership list.
Why: Tuleste Market, Veda, and Twenty8Twelve are up to 80 percent off retail.
When: We’re giving DailyCandy readers exclusive early access, so shop now.
Where: Online at swirl.com.

RIDE
The Craft Beer Express
What: Buses make a continuous loop to events at eight bars around the city.
Why: Cheaper than a DUI.
When: Book now for Sat.
Where: For more info, go to johnnybrendas.com. Tickets online at ticketfly.com.

TRY
Gel Lacquer Nail Polishes
What: Paint-on hues stay nick free and last longer than standard manis after “curing” under a UV light.
Why: No more hand flapping or paper flip-flops.
When: Tues.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri., 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Honeydew Beauty Lounge, 2116 Walnut St. (215-963-0499).

GROW
Designing Containers for the Small Garden
What: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society offers free tips for for adding a little green to your city space.
Why: Even fire escapes need a little love.
When: Wed., 6-8 p.m.
Where: Free Library of Philadelphia, Whitman Branch, 200 Snyder Ave. (215-685-1754). For info, call 215-988-8872 or e-mail citygardening@pennhort.org.

Getting hitched? We have lots of ideas (brooch bouquets, bridesmaid dresses, honeymoon spots) at DailyCandy Weddings.

Photo: Courtesy of Sailor Jerry

The Hansen Family Blog hypes ROOT

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

ROOT BY ART IN THE AGE

A few hundred years ago settlers picked up the recipe for a beverage called Root Tea, which was the combination of roots, spices and herbs that fermented and became alcoholic. A couple hundred years later prohibition started to kick in so Root Beer was created to fill the gap of this product, recreating the flavor it lacked the alcholic contents. Cut to present day where Art in the Age have decided to start creating Root Tea again, alcohol content and all, calling it simply Root.

Projo.com Features Narragansett Beer

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Food Notes For March 3rd

Attleboro Winter Market organizers Greg Aubin and David Scanlan recently announced that, because of the success of the venture at Attleboro Farms, the market will continue year-round. The Spring Market will move to Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m. beginning April 1 and run through June 24. July 4 will see the return to Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. through Oct. 31, when the Winter Market will resume. For more information, contact Scanlan at dsca995@cs.com or (508) 409-1534.

Ted Newcomer Jr. has been promoted to senior vice president of operations of the Chow Fun Food Group, operators of 10 Prime Steak & Sushi, Rick’s Roadhouse, Luxe Burger Bar and Café Noir. Newcomer, 31, joined the company in 1998 as a line cook and was most recently corporate beverage manager. He is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University.

This week

Laurent Vals Chocolates, 82 Williams St., Newport, (401) 683-2490, laurentvalschocolates.com, will hold a chocolate-tasting class Wednesday, March 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. The fee is $40 for AIWF members and $45 for nonmembers.

Books Are Wings will hold a ziti and meatball fundraiser Thursday, March 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the West Warwick Senior Center, 145 Washington St. Tickets, $7, will be available at the door; proceeds will be used to purchase books for children. For more information, visit booksarewings.org.

Royal Gallery, 298 Atwells Ave., Providence, (401) 831-8831, royalgalleryri.com will offer hors d’oeuvres prepared by Hemenway’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar paired with red and white wines at its monthly “A Royal Taste of Art” program Thursday, March 4, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Gallery director Munir Rihani will offer tours of the gallery, which showcases “Landscapes of Four Seasons.”

Via Roma, 310 Atwells Ave., Providence, (401) 331-1717, viaromaprov.com, presents “Win or Die Trying,” a comedy dinner show, Friday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. The band Reminisce will perform at a dinner dance Saturday, March 13, at 6:30 p.m. The fee of $29.95 for each event includes dinner, tax and gratuity, and valet parking; reservations are required.

The Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island will hold “A Wild Night” dinner and silent auction Saturday, March 6, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Christian Brothers Center, 635 Ocean Rd., Narragansett. The buffet dinner will be prepared by Chef Craig Mitchell of The Christian Brothers and music will be provided by Gary Wright. Gerald Krausse will speak on and give a video presentation of “Filming Rhode Island’s Wildlife.” Tickets are $50 and reservations are required; call (401) 294-6363.

Class

Eastside Marketplace, 165 Pitman St., Providence, (401) 831-7771, eastsidemarket.com, will offer a cooking class Tuesday, March 9, from 6 to 7 p.m. Chef Bill Andrews, director of food services, will demonstrate the versatility of puff pastry in creating appetizers and desserts. The fee is $10; the class is limited to 25 participants.

Coming up

The Cranston Area Career and Tech Center, 100 Metropolitan Ave. (to the right of Cranston West) released its Friday night dinner menus for March, served from 5 to 7:30 p.m., created and planned by senior students as final projects. Appetizers and desserts are between $3 and $5 and entrees, $12 to $20. Call (401) 270-8609 to reserve. They begin March 5 with “Kielbasa Café,” traditional Polish-style foods served à la carte presented by Jessica Suggs, Tiffany Mott, Sarah Kaplan and Stephani Dilorenzo; March 12: “Neal’s Steakhouse,” à la carte items presented by Nick Mancino, Erin Whalen, Alyssa Bottone and Lauren Ruscito; March 26: “Asian Persuasion,” Asian delicacies served buffet-style presented by Aja Scioli, Gianna Picozzi and Erica Rodi.

The Four Corners Art Center, 3850 Main Rd., Tiverton, (401) 624-2600, FourCornersArts.org, will present a free showing of “Food, Inc.,” a documentary that explores the food industry’s effects on health and the environment, Wednesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. at the Meeting House.

Rhody Food Tours will present “Immigrant Cuisines, Part II” Saturdays at noon on March 13 and 27 and April 3 and 24. Meet the chefs and owners of Dominican, Korean, Senegalese and Vietnamese restaurants and enjoy meals prepared there. The fee is $50 for all four days plus the charge for each meal (not to exceed $15). RSVP by e-mail: tours@rhodyfoodtours.com. There is limited seating; the last tour was sold out.

La Laiterie at Farmstead, 184-188 Wayland Ave., Providence, (401) 274-7177, farmsteadinc.com will host a Winter Cheesemix –– part cocktail party, part disco, part wine and cheese tasting –– Sunday, March 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. Wines from the MS Walker collection will be featured. The fee is $30; call for reservations or e-mail matt@farmsteadinc.com.

Great Tastes of Narragansett, the official kick-off event to the annual Narragansett Restaurant Week hosted by SO Rhode Island and the Narragansett Chamber of Commerce, will be held Thursday, March 18, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at The Towers, 35 Ocean Rd., Narragansett. Arturo Joe’s, Trio, Mariner Grille, the Coast Guard House, Spain of Narragansett, Hanson’s Pub, George’s of Galilee, Cheeky Monkey, Narragansett Beer and Pier Liquors prepare some of their favorite dishes to sample. Entertainment will be provided by Miss Wensday and the New Medicinals. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at narragansettcoc.com or at the Chamber of Commerce office at 36 Ocean Rd. All proceeds will be donated to the Jonnycake Center of Peace Dale. From March 19 to 28 over two dozen area restaurants will offer dining specials, multi-course deals and expanded hours. For a complete list visit the Web site.

The Stadium Theatre will hold an all-you-can-eat breakfast fundraiser on Sunday, March 21, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Elks Club, 380 Social St., Woonsocket. The menu includes eggs, sausage, ham, home fries, beans, French toast, coffee and juice. Tickets, $8, can be purchased at the door, at the theater box office, or by calling (401) 762-4545.

Wine and beer events

Langworthy Farm Winery, 308 Shore Rd., Westerly, (401) 322-7791, langworthyfarmwinery.com, will pair its wines with flavored jonnycakes provided by Kenyon Grist Mill Saturday and Sunday, March 6 and 7, from noon to 5 p.m. The fee of $10 includes a free logo glass.

Pizzico Ristorante, 762 Hope St., Providence, (401) 421-4114 will hold a wine and cuisine pairing featuring William Hill wines Tuesday, March 16, at 6:30 p.m. The menu is sea scallops with Napa Valley Chardonnay, duck confite (Napa Valley Merlot); grilled filet mignon and Maine Coast shrimp cake (Cabernet Sauvignon) and pastry chef’s choice for dessert (Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon). The fee is $65 plus tax and gratuity.

Shelter Harbor Inn, 10 Wagner Rd., Westerly, (401) 322-8888, shelterharborinn.com, will hold a gourmet dinner and wine tasting featuring Terre Rouge and Easton wines Wednesday, March 17, at 6:45 p.m. The entree is loin lamb chops with French lentils with stuffed endive and peppercress salad. The fee of $60 excludes tax and gratuity; a special lodging rate of $96 is offered to wine dinner guests.

On the menu

Castle Hill Inn & Resort, 590 Ocean Drive, Newport, (401) 849-3800, castlehillinn.com, presents three new tasting menus for the winter prepared by executive chef Jonathan Cambra. Its three-course menu ($69, tax and gratuity additional) features main courses choices of Scottish salmon with hedgehog mushroom-leek ragout, vegetable strudel and pan-roasted loin of Texas antelope. The entree choices offered in the five-course tasting menu ($89 or $135 with wine pairings, tax and gratuity additional) are Griggstown farm quail, filet of Hereford beef and Georges Bank cod loin. The eight-course “Degustation Menu” ($110, $175 with wine pairings, plus tax and gratuity) features an array of local and organic offerings including Matunuck oysters, Elysian Farms lamb and Farmstead’s artisan cheese.

City Girl Cupcake, (401) 580-1271, citygirlcupcake.com, now offers Grove Stand Organic Lemon and will soon offer an English Lavender cupcake with a fluffy buttercream frosting. CGC just moved its baking facility to 99 Weybosset St. in Providence, where City Girl Cupcakery will open in early spring.

Costantino’s Ristorante, 265 Atwells Ave., Providence, (401) 528-1100, vendaravioli.com, focuses on the foods of Sardinia for this month’s “Passport to Italy” three-course dinner plus a glass of wine for $25. Sardinia is known for its seafood, grilled meats and hearty stews infused with wild fennel, fresh herbs and local sheep’s milk cheese.

Flare, a Brick Oven Bistro, 577 Tiogue Ave., Coventry, (401) 615-8577 offers a new three-course dinner menu for $12.77 from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It features a choice of three entrees, soup or salad and dessert; the selection will change daily. Flare also offers half-priced appetizers at the bar from 4 to 6 p.m. Lunch, beginning at 11:30 a.m., will be offered the restaurant starting Tuesday, March 16.

LeFoyer, 151 Fountain St., Pawtucket, (401) 725-8530, LeFoyerRI.com offers a seafood menu Fridays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. All-you-can-eat pasta night continues every Wednesday from 4 to 9 p.m. along with the seafood menu during Lent. On Wednesday, March 17, a corned beef and cabbage dinner prepared by Emery’s Catering will be featured.

Luxe Burger Bar, 5 Memorial Blvd., Providence, (401) 621-5893, luxeburgerbar.com, has Lenten specials, including the “De-Luxe” fish sandwich served on a classic bun with lettuce, tomato, tartar sauce and hand-cut Idaho friends and Chipotle mac ’n’ cheese with Gouda, Parmesan and Cheddar cheeses.

Pinelli’s Café at Night-Deli by Day, 701 Quaker Lane, West Warwick, (401) 821-8828 offers Chef Michael Moreno’s fish and chips in panko coating on Wednesday and Friday during Lent. The dinner portion will feature the chef’s house-made chips.

Tyler Point Grille, 32 Barton Ave., Barrington, (401) 247-0017, tylerpointgrille.com, each month will offer four “Seasonal Sensations” entrees for $13. Two different monthly wine pairings will also be offered at $13 per bottle. This month’s entrees feature Mexican white gulf shrimp.

Contests

Men Who Cook/Women Who Judge is seeking men who love to cook at a competition open to amateurs and professionals to be held Sunday, April 11, at 4 p.m. at the Rhode Island Center for the Performing Arts, 848 Park Ave., Cranston. Proceeds will benefit the Culinary Education program at Amos House in Providence. Contestants create their favorite dishes and ethnic specialties which are judged on taste, originality and presentation. The categories are appetizers, entrees and desserts. Call Anne Edmonds Clanton at (401) 258-1910 for entry forms and additional information; the deadline for entries is Thursday, March 18.

On TV

“The Best of Costantino’s Roundtable” will feature George Germon and Johanne Killeen, chef-owners of Al Forno, on the episode airing Wednesday at 7 p.m. on WSBE Channel 36.

“Cooking With Class” features chef Frank Terranova, an associate instructor at Johnson & Wales University, who prepares recipes using different spices next week during the noon and 5 p.m. newscasts on WJAR, Channel 10.

MIKKI CATANZARO

and GAIL CIAMPA

gciampa@projo.com

All Plaidout Blog Features Art in the Age & ROOT

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Steven Grasse of Art in the Age

Art in the Age is a store in Philadelphia’s Old City named for one of German essayist Walter Benjamin’s most famous works. It is the brainchild of advertising executive Steven Grasse. After reading two interviews with him this week, Mr. Grasse has fast become a hero of mine.

The man whom Philadelphia Magazine called, in the same breath, a Legend and a Mad Man, had some very inspired things to say.
“The new luxury is knowing where the stuff comes from and knowing that the person who made it got paid,” Grasse says. “That is the new luxury. Not the fancy packaging, or the glam, but the ethics of it, the sustainability and goodness of it.”

In addition to the fantastic profile in Philadelphia Magazine, Mr. Grasse was recently interviewed by Printeresting’s Jason Urban, where his opinions were more transparent.

“AITA is a reaction against the Walmartization of the world. Cheap shit from China is killing us. This is why we make soap, preserves, and small batch organically certified liquor… There is an art to living. If you live in a McMansion and spend your days at a strip mall buying cheap shit from China, dude, you have lost your fucking aura.”

In November, I had the opportunity to visit the store with Joe Gannon, and while we just missed an in-store performance by one of my favorite bands, White Denim, we were there in time for a tasting of Grasse’s most recent project, Root Liquer, a delicious organic, root-beer-flavored liquer made by a California distillery exclusively for AITA. There was even some artwork on display from Billykirk’s Kirk Bray. The store is very well laid out, and it showcases a well-thought-out curation of products, many of which are of their own creation.

If you haven’t yet, read the two profiles of Mr. Grasse. They explain his brilliance better than I ever could. For more of his worthwhile insight, follow Mr. Grasse on Twitter, @StevenGrasse.

For more Art in the Age, see their channel on YouTube.

Culture Mob features Art in the Age & ROOT - March 3, 2010

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

1. Yelp was founded in 2004 to help people find great local businesses like dentists, hair stylists and mechanics
2. As of December 2009, more than 26 million people visited Yelp in the past 30 days
3. Yelpers have written over 9 million local reviews, over 85% of them rating a business 3 stars or higher
4. In addition to reviews, you can use Yelp to find events, special offers, lists and to talk with other Yelpers
5. Every business owner (or manager) can setup a free account to post offers, photos and message her customers
6. Yelp makes money by selling ads to local businesses – you’ll see these yellow, clearly labeled “Sponsored Results” around the site
7. Paying advertisers can also promote a favorite review at the top of their Yelp page, but can never change or re-order their other reviews
8. Yelp has an automated filter that suppresses a small portion of reviews – it targets those suspicious ones you see on other sites
9. You can Yelp on your phone at http://m.yelp.com, or use Yelp for iPhone, Yelp for BlackBerry, Yelp for Palm Pre, and Yelp for Android
10. The Weekly Yelp is available in 30 city editions to bring you the latest business openings and other happenings

First and Foremost Yelp is a website where you can write reviews about the businesses that you love and hate. But you can also go on talk threads where you can ask questions about things that you want to know about in your city or beyond, rant and rave about interesting topics, or just talk pop culture and music with like-minded people. Take it a step further and post local events like concerts that you want to see, host your own Unofficial Yelp Gathering, or even attend regular events like Film and Book Clubs. Do enough of all the above, have a photo, and use your real name, and you might qualify for Elite status; where you can enjoy perks like free parties and lunchboxes.

Yelp is a site that has a lot of interesting things going for it.But on Saturday March 20th Philadelphia Yelp is set to take it one step further with it’s Homegrown Party!

Envision yourself in a grand, historical 3-story mansion built and designed by the masterminds behind City Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Wandering through its nooks and parlors to discover Philadelphia’s craftiest, most organic, and creative businesses. Getting to sample fresh food and delicious cocktails, all while getting your cuticles done, your mustache trimmed, your shoes shined, and your hair consulted in the grand Beauty Parlor room.

DJ QiCommand will be skillfully mashing up your favorite songs, and if you feel so inclined, have a game at the ping pong table or try your artistic hand in one of the many interactive workshops.

Mix and mingle with the city’s finest local businesses and move and shake with folks in the know.

This party is free to attend!! Must be 21+

*Complimentary rides from the party courtesy of Zipcar!

Saturday, March 20, 2010
8-10pm
CITYSPACE
2200 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Food:
Supper
National Mechanics
Elevation Burger
Fuel
terra
The Pita Pit

Drinks:
The Franklin Mortgage and Investment Co
ROOT Liqueur
Organic Spirits
Canadian Club Whiskey
Victory Beer
Honest Tea

Retail Installations and workshops:
Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Sugarcube
Square Peg Artery and Salvage
TrickGo
Magic by Trickzone

Beauty:
Plume
2 B Groomed Barbering Studio
Tierra Mia Organic Nail Spa

Photography:
Michael Ferry Photography
Thomas Robert Clarke Photography

Donations to benefit:
Mill Creek Farm

*Carpooling necessary and we can’t promise everyone a ride!

RSVP now, but stay tuned as we add more action to the party!

The Homegrown Party is free, and all it takes to attend is having a Yelp Account. To Learn more about Yelp, and the Philly Homegrown Party, check out the Event Listing.

The Daily Loaf Blog Hypes Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Review: Ybor’s Cigar City Tattoo Convention celebrates the ink-on-skin art medium (with pics)
March 3, 2010 at 11:30 am by Amber Mcdonald

Expanding through the four floors of downtown Ybor’s Cuban Club, The Second Annual Cigar City Tattoo Convention was an enticing art exposition that celebrated the ink-on-skin medium with three days of tattoos, contests, music and more.

Visitors were served a buffet for the senses. Taste was covered as food and beer were provided, and the unmistakable smell of burning incense lingered through the drafty air of the historical building all day on Saturday. Anyone getting tattooed or pierced was definitely in touch with the feeling of their epidermis and all associated nerves, and background music could be heard everywhere. However, the most distinct sound was the unfading and everlasting “buzzzzz” of the collective tattoo guns, which could be heard humming throughout the two upper levels of the club.

Sight was probably the most indulged of the senses, with a kaleidoscope of artistic tattoos sprawling across the bodies of almost everyone in attendance – a multicolored sea of skin. The Miss Cigar City contest was also a tantalizing sight for the eyes.

A musical and artistic haven where tattoo parlors thrive abundantly, Ybor City was a perfect Tampa locale for the convention, and the Cuban Club’s neoclassic architecture conjured up a vintage atmosphere unique to any hotel-housed tattoo event I have attended.

Aaron Reber of Lost Art Tattoo came to the Tampa tattoo gathering from Salt Lake City. He gave props to the venue and said he was having a good weekend at the “tight knit” convention.

“Conventions are always good for meeting up with people you haven’t seen in a while and meeting a few new clients is never a bad thing,” Reber said. “And when the conventions have cool after parties like this one that makes it even better.”

(See our tattoo gallery after the break)

For anyone who was not an artist that joined in on the adrenaline-rush-art-form fun, there was plenty to see and do. On the first floor, amateur boxing brawls were put on for spectators by Fight Factory of Tampa . The Miss Cigar City pageant and films like Stoney Knows How and Hori Smoku, both which document the old school style of tattooing, were shown in the venue’s second level theater room. A girl with purple hair rollerskated into the Atomic Tattoo piercing room on the third story, where she got a “microdermal anchor” piercing. This is a popular, somewhat new piercing trend, which punctures the skin and inserts a microdermal anchor below the surface, leaving part of the jewelry visible and poking out of the skin — sounds gnarly.

The top level of the historical building was where approximately 60-plus tattoo artists spent the weekend doing work in booths stocked with ink bottles of blues, yellows, oranges, pinks and purples. Portfolios and sliding photo screens were set up to show off individual tattooing skills as well as original artist paintings and merchandise like t-shirts with thermographic transfer machines printed on them – an industry staple. In addition to all the tattoo-themed goods and supplies, each booth had at least one anticipating client, sitting as patiently as possible while they let the artists drill ink into their skin.

As I walked the rows of buzzing needles, I saw fairy-nymph scenes with elaborate flowers being put on as entire back pieces; inspiring, lyrical language being etched onto rib cages; and medieval drawings of fearless knights being inked into upper thighs.

Just like everyone has an opinion about tattoos, everyone has a different reason for getting one, too. When I made my way past the Epic Stories in Skin stand, artist Heather Maranda was in the midst of putting a portrait of RuPaul on Monica Cieszynski’s upper arm.

“RuPaul is my new obsession,” Cieszynski said. “I’m obsessed with Drag Race and her ‘You Better Work’ song. Why not get a tattoo of Rupaul – she’s fabulous.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the convention, Vinni LaCava was two hours into her tattoo session with artist Ricky McGee of Savannah’s Anonymous Tattoo hard at work.

LaCava’s was one of my favorite tattoos of the day. She was getting a raven and it was placed on the upper portion of her back, with the body and head placed on her spine and the bird’s wings spreading majestically out from shoulder blade to shoulder blade. The design, mixed with McGee’s realistic style, made me smile with Edgar Allan Poe delight.

LaCava explained that she grew up in Alaska where Native American culture is introduced and studied beginning in elementary school. She said the raven is a part of the culture’s mythology and is viewed as an important and powerful animal to the Native Americans, which is what inspired her tattoo.

The raven was something LaCava had been thinking about getting for some time, but she was determined to have McGee put the art on her skin.

“I saw his work here last year and I was immediately caught by it,” LaCava said. “So basically, I’ve been bugging the shit out of him for an entire year about this piece and now, finally, here I am.”

And there, on her back, her tattoo shall stay evermore.

ROOT Featured in Fader Magazine February-March 2010 Issue

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Root Liqueur
If I were to make a time line of my drinking history, it would get progressively more legit, starting with sickly sweet malt liquor mixtures and then moving to classier gin and whiskey. But Root throws a wrench in the works, tasting like designer root beer gone flat (in a good way) and can be mixed with anything, including apple cider. I took my bottle to a party, and you would have thought I was throwing money around the way people flocked to it.

By the end of the night, I was holding court on the couch until random dudes came up to me to ask me what the deal was. I wouldn’t tell them. Instead I drew a map on the back of the label and told them to follow it. No One has yet, but when they do it is going to take them to the bank to deposit money into my checking account. SHS

WGSN.com Hypes Art in the Age At Pool Trade Show, Las Vegas

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

WGSN TRADE SHOWS

Pool
CAROLINE ATTWOOD, ALLYSON REES, JACQUI MA AND ELLE HANKINSON, WGSN 26.02.10

Graphics trends seen at Pool where less radical than those at other tradeshows; key themes
were domestic and graphics colours were more muted than those seen elsewhere.

IN BRIEF
Key trends
Animals
Funny animals
Skeletons
Macabre
Hand gestures
Pattern
Type
Page layout
Linear illustration
Multi image
Emotive photo
Analogue
Faded and worn

Type:

-Branding resembles an optical eye poster is
-Chunky stencil lettering is key
-Traditional fonts remain popular
-Character font humorously displays a brand name

Bar Biz Magazine.com Features ROOT

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

ART IN THE AGE

Art In The Age ROOT - Recipe: ROOT 76 from Art In The Age on Vimeo.

Check out Barman Doug Fitz, from one of Rittenhouse Square’s Snackbar, show off his skills and demonstrate making the ROOT 76 using ROOT, a certified organic pre-Temperance Root Tea.

Click here to find out more about ROOT and it's history, along with more videos featuring Doug Fitz.