How Jessica Jones absorbed the Anxieties of GamerGate
Some relevant points from our classes - also, I should mention that this show is really fantastic AND this article contains a few spoilers.
Edit - really, no native html conversion? Allllrighty, I'll fix it.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Ascending Into Love
Short Talk on the
Sensation of Aeroplane Takeoff
Well you know I wonder, what if it’s love running towards
my life with its arms up yelling let’s buy it, what a bargain!
-
Anne Carson, Open
Field. New York: Persea Books, 2005. p. 69
We don’t really “fall” in love. It’s a metaphor, and
maybe it’s dead.
Maybe “aeroplaning” into love is a better one.
The plane lifts off the ground.
You’re pressed back in your seat.
Your insides are doing weird things.
You hit a pocket of air
And it’s like, holy shit, you’re everywhere!
No matter how many times we fly,
We still get that sense of Whoa.
You’re in a tin can 45, 000 feet above the water.
You’re doing something
Extrahuman.
-
Dr.
Bart Vautour, Lecture, Nov. 26, 2015
I’ve been thinking a lot about where creative inspiration
comes from. It never comes out of nowhere. Every work of art is made in
response to the ones before it, and intended to provoke a response from someone
else. By talking about Ms. Carson the way he did, my teacher made the metaphor his own, and by arranging it the way I did, I added something too.
Does anyone have a quote, a song, a picture or a link to
something that they enjoy? You could post it here. We could start a whole
string of them.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
A Digital Dossier
I am creating this blog entry in order to consolidate my digital dossier blog entries. Feel free to comment on any of my thoughts!
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Which Direction Should I Go?
Theatre is a medium enjoyed by many. Theatre is a performance art that can include singing, acting, dancing and/ or movement. As I grew up, I was always that kid involved in school plays and community theatre. Even before I arrived at Dalhousie, I started exploring what it’s like to be on the production side of theatre as the opportunity to work behind the scenes of an amateur theatrical production was presented to me.
Elements of theatre such as stage and production management, musical direction and choreography are just a few of the functions I have had the opportunity to contribute to during the many stage productions I have been involved in. Although I am glad to say I have developed some experience in many of these subject areas, in no way do I consider myself a professional in any of them. I am still learning – I probably always will be - and I am here to share with you some of the things I have learned along the way, specifically with respect to directing.
“Director” is a word that can seem daunting to many of us in the theatre world. A director is totally in charge of every creative aspect of a production and while a musical director oversees the music aspect and a choreographer handles the dance numbers, the director is the one who ultimately has the final say in everything that has to do with the production and what happens on stage. It can be very exhilarating and exciting to be fully in charge and have total creative control of a production but if you’re directing alone, it can by lonely and there are a lot of shoes for you to fill – especially if you don’t have a lot of experience like myself.
To some, the “co” that sometimes appears before the word “directing”, or sharing the role of the director, can help to make this role seem a little less daunting. Having had some experience as an amateur director and a co-director, I can say this is completely true. Along with being less daunting, the process can be more fun and more collaborative when you have someone to bounce ideas off of. Co-directing can be a very positive experience unless you are working with a director who shares a very different vision than you do. When choosing a co-director, the most important things to focus on are:
1. Find someone who shares a similar creative vision
Although it’s nice to have different ideas and to be able to bounce those ideas off of each other, it will be harder to work with someone and feel successful about your work if you have totally different ideas. It’s bound to happen that you and your co-director won’t agree on every little detail, but agreeing on the big picture and artistic vision is a must.
2. Find someone who is easy to work with
This almost goes without saying. You’ll be working very closely with your co-director so its best to know if they’re someone you know you can work with. You want them to understand, respect and embrace your creative ideas. All of your ideas will not end up in the final production, but working with a collaborative co-director can help make the artistic process more enjoyable and less stressful for everyone.
3. Communicate with each other and focus on being a person who is easy to work with
You too have a role in making the process work. You have to choose and focus on being someone who is easy to work with if you want respect from your co-director. You are always entitled to your own opinions but you must always remember that he/she is too. Disagreement in the artistic process is inevitable but you must talk through these and be able settle on what’s best for the production. There will be times you must compromise, but if you share the same creative vision, compromise will not be hard or necessary in a lot of cases. You won’t know what each of you are thinking if you aren’t able to communicate well together.
4. Be organized
I am currently working with a co-director and we meet an hour before every rehearsal to talk about the blocking (otherwise known as “staging” to people less familiar with theatrical terms). When we talk about and prepare for the scene we’re about to rehearse, we can go into rehearsals already on the same page. This is not to say we don’t allow for some experimentation in our rehearsal room, but when we have taken the time to prepare, rehearsals are more organized and structured. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us, or our actors, if we came to rehearsals with completely different ideas.
5. Share your actors together
The part I enjoy most about directing is getting to see how the actors develop their characters. We often hold mini workshops with actors just to discuss their character. It is crucial that both of the directors are present for this process. Discovering a character is a journey an actor goes through with the help of the director(s). The character journey should be made together.
Throughout the making of a stage production, there will be times when you’ll feel intense emotion. Maybe you’re dissatisfied with an actor, who for whatever reason, isn’t take direction, or you are having a level of disagreement on an artistic choice with your co-director. The flip side brings you the most rewarding moments. There’s no feeling like the opening night of a show when the intense pride and happiness we feel as the curtains rises can be felt throughout the cast and production crew. When the curtain closes for the last time after months of long preparation, the flood of emotions of the entire crew is summed up in the tears you usually see on closing night. Co-directing is a learning experience you’ll be able to draw on when you work on your next production!
Break a leg with the theatre making!
Elements of theatre such as stage and production management, musical direction and choreography are just a few of the functions I have had the opportunity to contribute to during the many stage productions I have been involved in. Although I am glad to say I have developed some experience in many of these subject areas, in no way do I consider myself a professional in any of them. I am still learning – I probably always will be - and I am here to share with you some of the things I have learned along the way, specifically with respect to directing.
“Director” is a word that can seem daunting to many of us in the theatre world. A director is totally in charge of every creative aspect of a production and while a musical director oversees the music aspect and a choreographer handles the dance numbers, the director is the one who ultimately has the final say in everything that has to do with the production and what happens on stage. It can be very exhilarating and exciting to be fully in charge and have total creative control of a production but if you’re directing alone, it can by lonely and there are a lot of shoes for you to fill – especially if you don’t have a lot of experience like myself.
To some, the “co” that sometimes appears before the word “directing”, or sharing the role of the director, can help to make this role seem a little less daunting. Having had some experience as an amateur director and a co-director, I can say this is completely true. Along with being less daunting, the process can be more fun and more collaborative when you have someone to bounce ideas off of. Co-directing can be a very positive experience unless you are working with a director who shares a very different vision than you do. When choosing a co-director, the most important things to focus on are:
1. Find someone who shares a similar creative vision
Although it’s nice to have different ideas and to be able to bounce those ideas off of each other, it will be harder to work with someone and feel successful about your work if you have totally different ideas. It’s bound to happen that you and your co-director won’t agree on every little detail, but agreeing on the big picture and artistic vision is a must.
2. Find someone who is easy to work with
This almost goes without saying. You’ll be working very closely with your co-director so its best to know if they’re someone you know you can work with. You want them to understand, respect and embrace your creative ideas. All of your ideas will not end up in the final production, but working with a collaborative co-director can help make the artistic process more enjoyable and less stressful for everyone.
3. Communicate with each other and focus on being a person who is easy to work with
You too have a role in making the process work. You have to choose and focus on being someone who is easy to work with if you want respect from your co-director. You are always entitled to your own opinions but you must always remember that he/she is too. Disagreement in the artistic process is inevitable but you must talk through these and be able settle on what’s best for the production. There will be times you must compromise, but if you share the same creative vision, compromise will not be hard or necessary in a lot of cases. You won’t know what each of you are thinking if you aren’t able to communicate well together.
4. Be organized
I am currently working with a co-director and we meet an hour before every rehearsal to talk about the blocking (otherwise known as “staging” to people less familiar with theatrical terms). When we talk about and prepare for the scene we’re about to rehearse, we can go into rehearsals already on the same page. This is not to say we don’t allow for some experimentation in our rehearsal room, but when we have taken the time to prepare, rehearsals are more organized and structured. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us, or our actors, if we came to rehearsals with completely different ideas.
5. Share your actors together
The part I enjoy most about directing is getting to see how the actors develop their characters. We often hold mini workshops with actors just to discuss their character. It is crucial that both of the directors are present for this process. Discovering a character is a journey an actor goes through with the help of the director(s). The character journey should be made together.
Throughout the making of a stage production, there will be times when you’ll feel intense emotion. Maybe you’re dissatisfied with an actor, who for whatever reason, isn’t take direction, or you are having a level of disagreement on an artistic choice with your co-director. The flip side brings you the most rewarding moments. There’s no feeling like the opening night of a show when the intense pride and happiness we feel as the curtains rises can be felt throughout the cast and production crew. When the curtain closes for the last time after months of long preparation, the flood of emotions of the entire crew is summed up in the tears you usually see on closing night. Co-directing is a learning experience you’ll be able to draw on when you work on your next production!
Break a leg with the theatre making!
By Carly Rae
Thursday, October 22, 2015
The Types of People You Meet Travelling
Blog Post: The types of people you meet travelling
If you’re like me and caught the travel bug then you have for sure run into a good chunk of all different types of travellers on your adventures. In fact, I bet you’ve even run into them in just in your daily life at home. I spent 8 months travelling around Australia recently and at one hostel I was staying at we proceeded to play a game going around in a circle and naming all the different types of travellers that we have run into, seen, or were. We had about ten people playing and we thought of fourteen. We thought it was so funny we drew pictures and wrote down each type or traveller on a board and the hostel hung it up. It was comical and so very accurate. So if you plan to take a gap year, do an exchange, or just travel sometime soon, here are some people you should plan to meet:
1.Budget Traveller: Pretty self explanatory, loves to travel but has a strict budget. Will stay and eat the cheapest way possible, involves a lot of cheap ramen and goon (very cheap boxed wine).
2. The traveller in the Camper Van: They have been sleeping way too long in their van so probably smell great! They are fun to make friends with because they can take you adventuring and exploring around the city you’re in and bring you back to the hostel.
3. Tight Arse Traveller: Take a budget traveller and taking away half their money and dignity. According to the Urban Dictionary a tight arse is “Australian slang for someone who is so careful with money they are like raccoons with acorns.” They have often been to South East Asia and brag about the fact that they were living there for weeks on less then ten dollars a day. They often look a little malnourished but will always have a smile on there face.
4. Trust Fund Baby: Going in the opposite direction is the rich traveller. They have basically no obstacles and they’re really fun and always down to adventure, yet choose the more pricey activities and tours that budget travellers just cannot do. They also will probably have the most expensive phone plan, and will be snap-chatting and instagramming when you wish you could, but hey you BOTH get to see it first hand!
5. Gone Native Traveller: These travellers have been in one place or country for over a month. They know the slang, and don’t hesitate to use it. They think that they are superior to Sometimes they think they own the place and maintain an air of superiority over other travellers, wearing used/ worn out clothing mostly.
6. Hypochondriac Traveller: Like the definition, this traveller is constantly worried about their health and the costs of dealing with it. Not too fun to hang out with if you’re a risk taker and like setting off into the unknown outback.
7. Scheduled Traveller: These travellers have had it all mapped out with from the beginning and they won’t stray from their schedule. Not very spontaneous, and when something goes wrong (and it will) they won’t be happy.
8. Party Animal: They love to party anytime, anywhere. They like to group together at the hostel and if there is a beach, they will be drinking at it early in the hot sun. They don’t usually take days or nights off and they usually end up travelling together.
10. Photographer Traveller: Always has a camera in their hand. These people love to capture kodak moments, make sure you get their contact information because often these travellers take pictures just to take pictures, and they won’t end up in your hands if you don’t ask!
12. The Old Man: There is always one at every hostel and be nice to them! They usually will share with you the coolest stories and basically live at the hostel. They can take you on cool adventures and although kind of creepy…they know the ins and outs of where to go since they’ve been there for so long.
13. The Gap Yearers: Whether they’re going home to go to school, to a job, or just sadly going home after, these travellers will try to make the most of their time travelling and are very spontaneous.
14. The Traveller who Shouldn't be Travelling: This person will constantly be alone and on there phone or laptop, skyping and talking to people at home. It will seem like they don’t want to be there but they are. It will take a lot to make them come out of their shell and they won’t appear very friendly.
Even though you often will loose touch with most of these people you will hang out with while you’re passing through, talk to people. Everyone has travel stories that you won’t get to anywhere else. You probably can fit yourself into one of these categories like I can, and that's all part of the journey. These different types of people is what creates the unique experience of travelling, even the people that seem a little off to you still will make you want to keep exploring and travelling, and hey a beer with a stranger never hurt anyone, enjoy!
Remember, we are travellers not tourists!
Types of Facebook Friends
Most people on the internet in the twenty first century have a Facebook account and with the use of this site comes a whole catalogue of Facebook friends. Whether you like the people who appear on your newsfeed or not it has become commonplace to hoard a number of people on your friend list for reasons you are unaware of. Is it to make ourselves appear more popular? Are we too guilty to delete the friends in which we have lost touch? Or are we just too trigger happy when meeting new people that we just have to add them to our growing list of friends two seconds after meeting? Regardless as to what the reason is many of these friends fall into different categories as to what type of Facebook friend they are.
The Foreign Friend:
This friend you may have acquired several different ways. Whether you met them whilst “finding yourself” in Bali or felt bad for the shy exchange student from Italy that came to your school for a week you now have a regular stream of foreign articles and indecipherable status’ clogging up your timeline. Additionally you get to see all their friends comment on their apparently hilarious post, or at least you think it is, really, you have no idea, or see them tagged in the often gloriously sunny beaches of their homeland. Although you ignore much of their posts you can’t fully bring yourself to delete them. Maybe it’s your aspirations to learn another language as you murmur to your computer screen “one day I’ll understand” (fun fact: you won’t), or seeing pictures of their country’s leader makes you feel somewhat engaged in global politics (another fun fact: you’re not), or maybe it’s just your desperation to experience a culture other than your own. Nevertheless they are here to stay.
The Animal Lover:
This is one of two people: Usually it’s your friend’s well intentioned mum that you added on Facebook because “Jan just gets me!” It is their mission to find a home for every poor animal they encounter. Literally every animal. Ever thought about adopting a toothless baby crocodile? There’s a link for that. Thought about housing a gassy ferret? There’s a link for that. How about caring for a blind badger? There’s a link for that. Although this bombardment of adorable animals can be a useful form of procrastination, through time it gets tiresome and often makes you feel guilty for not caring (Sorry Jan!) Alternatively, the animal lover, or more specifically horse lover, can come in the form of that girl you went to school with whose family owns a stable. You regularly find her posting pictures of her and her “bae” Fudge or “the only man she needs in her life” Brownie, her stables sound more like a pantry rather than a place to house her horses. With the constant stream of photo’s you begin to feel ill at the site of jodhpurs and have developed a severe allergy to hay.
The Selfie Star:
Whilst we indulge in taking selfies this person takes it to the next level. Their Instagram is directly linked to their Facebook page and no picture is complete without #blessed. So whilst you are whiling away hours on Facebook when you should be doing your essay that is due tomorrow you are scanning through pictures that make you feel worse about yourself as you seethe with jealousy over their holiday snaps or become tempted to try a pumpkin spiced latte just once (bonus points if you drink it with sunglasses on), they even look good at the gym! With the assistance of Instagram filters this person can make their life seem infinitely better than yours as well as appearing infinitely better looking. Really this person’s function is to test you will power as you curb your temptation to call bullshit on their #nofilter.
The Political Poster:
This person is passionate about everything it seems. No subject can be discussed without their opinion being interjected. Whilst you appreciate some of the articles about how terrible Seaworld is (free Shamu!), how our current voting system just isn’t effective or reports of human violations that are taking place in some corner of the world their stream of political status’ become exhausting. As well as this, it is not uncommon to get a notification alerting you to the fact they have commented on some video or post and are now in an intense debate with a complete stranger. Yet, despite this, you are grateful someone is doing it because really you’re just too lazy to do it yourself and it is handy knowing that you can scroll down their Facebook page and pretend that one of the posts they have shared is relevant to the thing you are meant to be studying.
Although you complain, there is a reason we keep these people as friends on Facebook. They serve some purpose in our technological space. Whether it is for vapid entertainment, adorable pictures or something to aspire to you collect these people for one reason: To distract yourself from doing what you are supposed to be doing. And if you can’t find at least on friend who is one of these archetypes, it’s probably you.
By Grace Martin
The Foreign Friend:
This friend you may have acquired several different ways. Whether you met them whilst “finding yourself” in Bali or felt bad for the shy exchange student from Italy that came to your school for a week you now have a regular stream of foreign articles and indecipherable status’ clogging up your timeline. Additionally you get to see all their friends comment on their apparently hilarious post, or at least you think it is, really, you have no idea, or see them tagged in the often gloriously sunny beaches of their homeland. Although you ignore much of their posts you can’t fully bring yourself to delete them. Maybe it’s your aspirations to learn another language as you murmur to your computer screen “one day I’ll understand” (fun fact: you won’t), or seeing pictures of their country’s leader makes you feel somewhat engaged in global politics (another fun fact: you’re not), or maybe it’s just your desperation to experience a culture other than your own. Nevertheless they are here to stay.
The Animal Lover:
This is one of two people: Usually it’s your friend’s well intentioned mum that you added on Facebook because “Jan just gets me!” It is their mission to find a home for every poor animal they encounter. Literally every animal. Ever thought about adopting a toothless baby crocodile? There’s a link for that. Thought about housing a gassy ferret? There’s a link for that. How about caring for a blind badger? There’s a link for that. Although this bombardment of adorable animals can be a useful form of procrastination, through time it gets tiresome and often makes you feel guilty for not caring (Sorry Jan!) Alternatively, the animal lover, or more specifically horse lover, can come in the form of that girl you went to school with whose family owns a stable. You regularly find her posting pictures of her and her “bae” Fudge or “the only man she needs in her life” Brownie, her stables sound more like a pantry rather than a place to house her horses. With the constant stream of photo’s you begin to feel ill at the site of jodhpurs and have developed a severe allergy to hay.
The Selfie Star:
Whilst we indulge in taking selfies this person takes it to the next level. Their Instagram is directly linked to their Facebook page and no picture is complete without #blessed. So whilst you are whiling away hours on Facebook when you should be doing your essay that is due tomorrow you are scanning through pictures that make you feel worse about yourself as you seethe with jealousy over their holiday snaps or become tempted to try a pumpkin spiced latte just once (bonus points if you drink it with sunglasses on), they even look good at the gym! With the assistance of Instagram filters this person can make their life seem infinitely better than yours as well as appearing infinitely better looking. Really this person’s function is to test you will power as you curb your temptation to call bullshit on their #nofilter.
The Political Poster:
This person is passionate about everything it seems. No subject can be discussed without their opinion being interjected. Whilst you appreciate some of the articles about how terrible Seaworld is (free Shamu!), how our current voting system just isn’t effective or reports of human violations that are taking place in some corner of the world their stream of political status’ become exhausting. As well as this, it is not uncommon to get a notification alerting you to the fact they have commented on some video or post and are now in an intense debate with a complete stranger. Yet, despite this, you are grateful someone is doing it because really you’re just too lazy to do it yourself and it is handy knowing that you can scroll down their Facebook page and pretend that one of the posts they have shared is relevant to the thing you are meant to be studying.
Although you complain, there is a reason we keep these people as friends on Facebook. They serve some purpose in our technological space. Whether it is for vapid entertainment, adorable pictures or something to aspire to you collect these people for one reason: To distract yourself from doing what you are supposed to be doing. And if you can’t find at least on friend who is one of these archetypes, it’s probably you.
By Grace Martin
Montecito T.O. – Two Vastly Different Experiences in the Same Restaurant
In the world of fine dining, the choice to
give a restaurant a second chance is often problematic. When the average price
of a main exceeds $20, consistency is key. When you are paying a particular price for food, the
expectation is not only that the plates are executed with precision, but that
you are delivered a certain quality of experience. Too often have I been to restaurants where the diner is made
to feel rushed. Repeated visits by
the server within the first fifteen minutes of being seated are indicative of a
desire to process and complete the respective order as fast as possible. These are restaurants that experience a
high volume of customers regardless of the day of the week.
Their modus operandi is efficiency manifest
in their turnover rate, translating into greater profit. In principle, they are concerned with
delivering the diner an experience that is satisfactory to the extent that it
will not serve as a cause for complaint.
In my limited experience, I would classify these types of restaurants as
“tourist traps”, that is a restaurant in a busy city, on the tip of the tongue
of every concierge, in which tourists frequent and overpay. To diners with their eyes locked onto
every fine detail of the experience, the food is inadequate based on the price,
and the service is generally mediocre.
Indeed the restaurant has seemingly succeeded in attracting such a large
number of customers based on an illusory atmosphere or ambience, and a bloated
reputation based on the reviews of those who simply don’t know better. I have both dined and cooked in restaurants
deserving of my “tourist trap” classification.
Everyone has experienced the frustration,
letdown, and even regret associated with dining in restaurants that fail to
deliver on promises of exceptional quality of food and experience. That is why I, like many others I know,
only choose to dine at restaurants where specific factors guarantee exceptional
quality of food and experience beyond reasonable doubt. In the case of Montecito, it was a
fascination and minor obsession with the head chef and co-founder.
Jonathan Waxman, commonly referred to as a
pioneer of California farm to table cuisine, is one of America’s best chefs,
based on accolades and reviews from the toughest and most renowned American
food critics. His style is rustic
Italian and his menus are influenced by seasonal ingredients. Like many others before him, he honed
his craft in France, but the concepts for his restaurants are largely based
upon setting. Waxman’s food is
unique because it is simple. His
menus are not meant to wow and generate buzz. He seeks to deliver balance, roundness of flavour, and
visual elegance by means of limited ingredients. As any food critic or judge from your favourite culinary
television show will tell you, simple is by far and away the most difficult to
execute. Err on the side of
caution and the dish will fall flat.
Heavy handed or clumsy execution will result in the loss of the very
essence of the dish. To find a
balance and season to perfection with limited ingredients is to produce the
perfect bite.
When I found out that Jonathan Waxman was
going to open a restaurant north of the border it was not a question of going,
it was only a question of when.
Waxman opened Montecito in Toronto’s entertainment district with famed
Hollywood director Ivan Reitman.
Reitman envisioned the space as a main attraction for celebrities during
TIFF and consequently the walls are full of hallowed images of Reitman with the
likes of Harrison Ford, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd to name a few. There are also digital displays
featuring varying images of Montecito, California landscapes, a tribute to
Reitman’s home and Waxman’s cooking style. The space is divided into a more casual bar section, and a
beautiful large dining room featuring well-spaced tables and very comfortable
chairs. Perhaps my favourite
aspect of the dining room is an angled, rectangular mirror placed above the
heat lamps, so that diners can watch as the chefs plate and apply finishing
touches to dishes.
As the tone of the title and introductory
sentences of this post may suggest, my first experience at Montecito was
underwhelming and disenchanting. I
was taken aback by the atmosphere and general grandeur of the place, but the
food and service were completely unbecoming of a Waxman restaurant. The music was very loud which made
conversation very difficult between my dad, my girlfriend and me. Our server while friendly, appeared to
be flustered and disinterested.
The gap between our apps and mains was uncomfortably long. I am usually a proponent of offering
diners an extra 20 minutes or so in-between courses, something you will never
experience at a tourist trap restaurant. It allows the diners to enjoy their
drinks and the experience, especially if they are at the restaurant for a
special occasion. Our wait however
was long enough to infer that it was a product of a backed-up kitchen rather
than the charm of the front of house staff. Finally, when our mains came out, we were missing the
signature JW or Jonathan Waxman chicken.
Our server had neglected to ring that item in after we had ordered it,
leaving us hungry by the end of the course. The mains that did come out were disjointed and poorly
executed. In particular, the
bavette with caramelized onion and pepper puree was overcooked and chewy, and
the onions had barely been roasted, let alone caramelized. The only redeeming quality of the meal
was a masterful kale salad with anchovy and pecorino.
The most shocking part of the evening was
the response of the front of house manager. He had been alerted of our unusually long wait and missing
dish, yet exhibited an unwillingness to show initiative and resolve the
situation. Instead, he asked us
what we wanted him to do about it.
This was startling for me and spoke to the inexperience of that particular
staff member. I had never seen or
heard of a restaurant manager putting a diner in an awkward position in this
context. Given the stature and
average price point of the restaurant, it seemed even more inappropriate. He should have come to the table with a
solution rather than blabbering on expecting us to make a proposition.
At this point in the evening I was
immediately reminded of a documentary I had watched earlier in the year called
Three Stars, about ten chefs around the world and the three star Michelin
restaurants that they run. The
Michelin guide is only in a few American cities, but there are so many lessons
that can be gleaned from the standards by which those chefs and managers run
their respective restaurants. The
documentary showcased nearly every chef and manager sitting with their teams
prior to the start of service discussing every customer or group in the
reservation book. If that customer
had dined at the restaurant before, the restaurant had notes or knowledge of
their likes, dislikes, and even what drinks to bring them on their
arrival. Service to such an
extraordinary extent is implausible at restaurants of a lower stratum than
those earning the honour of being recognized by the Michelin guide. Nevertheless, restaurants seeking to
overcome the threshold existing between classic tourist traps and genuinely special
restaurants must endeavour to provide service as close to this benchmark as
possible, of course in addition to a food of a superior quality. While Jonathan Waxman does not have any
James Beard awards or Michelin stars to his name, his culinary prestige is such
that you would never expect that kind of service at one of his
establishments.
Before returning, I questioned whether I
should ever put a restaurant up on a pedestal as
I did with Montecito. I asked myself if any restaurants were
really capable of providing a once in a lifetime type experience, and if it was
ever worth it to spend so much money in attempt to find out. Luckily my faith in transcendent restaurant
experiences was restored when my dad and I returned to Montecito in late
August. Between our first and
second visit to Montecito, they had hired a new front of house manager, and he
got in touch with my dad hoping that we might come back and give the restaurant
a second chance. We arrived at the
restaurant suspecting that they might cover a portion of the bill, but we had
no idea what they had in store for us.
That night I was able to fulfill one of my culinary fantasies.
The two of us were seated in a large corner
booth that could have comfortably sat eight. The new manager, Dan, came to visit us after we had settled
and saw to it that we were given drinks and offered us some choices as to how
we wanted to break up the meal. My
dad, understanding my fervent and borderline excessive passion for food left it
up to me. The choice was obvious
for me. I had literally dreamed of
experiencing a tasting menu, after reading and watching so much of otherworldly
restaurants like Alinea, Faviken, or Attica that offer similar
experiences. The best part of our
tasting menu experience at Montecito was that we left all of the decisions up
to the chef, and had no knowledge as to what might come out next.
As the dishes kept arriving I felt as giddy
and excited as I had on Christmas mornings when I still believed in Santa. The plates were visually stunning and
were executed to perfection. We had a swordfish carpaccio, mussels,
heirloom tomatoes with yogurt and basil oil, lamb with a ragout of squash and
zucchini, and the famous JW chicken among other plates. The JW chicken, which
we were robbed of during our first visit lived up to the hype. It was crispy, succulent, roasted
chicken at its finest, doused in a caper salsa verde and
served on a bed of baby spinach.
For dessert our server brought out a homemade chocolate bar with toffee
popcorn and salted caramel. I had
never before enjoyed a sweet and savoury combination, but on this occasion the
pastry chef had managed to put on a clinic in balance and texture.
The service that night was attentive, sincere,
and consummately professional. We
had a variety of servers looking after us in addition to Dan returning to our
table every so often to inquire about our experience and chat about his journey
in the industry. Everyone had
knowledge of our personalized menu and there were no gaps or blunders. It was like watching a fine and ordered
symphony, with diverse elements acting in harmonious unison. It was honestly how I expected the
standard of service to be for such a restaurant, but simultaneously exceeded my
expectations after a disorienting first impression.
The moment that took the experience to
another level was the presentation of our bill. As I gazed down attempting find the potentially astronomical
total all I could see was line after line of $0.00. Not only had they taken care of the many courses that we
enjoyed, but had also treated us to two bottles of wine. It completely reversed my understanding
of the phrase “let us make it up to you” within the context of a less than
ideal restaurant experience.
Obviously there is a motivation and an expectation that in return we may
not only come back to the restaurant, but also refer others, or bring a
group. Nonetheless, that
experience will be unforgettable in terms of the food memories and the manner
in which my dad and I were taken care of. It will likely be years until it is supplanted, but
one can hope.
Relatively speaking, so called make-up
experiences such as these are few and far between. The traditional, conventional response of any manager is not
to offer their maligned customer a free meal, it is more likely to offer a free
dessert or in place of that, remove an item from the bill. We were incredibly lucky to be treated
to such an experience, and should probably distinguish it as an anomaly to
avoid future disappointment. Thus,
I must raise the question again. Is
it worth it to give these fantastically extravagant and expensive restaurants a
second chance? If you are as captivated and crazed about food and the ever
evolving concept of the traditional restaurant meal as I am, then the answer is
yes.
(Pictures of the plates at Montecito. Some my own, others collected from
Instagram, but indicative of my experience)
by Creston Mathews
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