A la Carte: Halloween haunting tools
04.10.11
Looking for a new way to frisson your boys and ghouls this Halloween? Here's a trio of new baking tools for the haunting salt:
Witches' fingers baking pan: Nothing says delicious very much like, er, green witch fingers with purple nails. Now you can bake your own crone digits with this nonstick cookie pan ($7.95) from Wilton. The 16½- by-11-inch, dishwasher-OK pan makes eight fingers at a time. Use it for Halloween or save it for your next Harry Fiddle about party. (Professor McGonagall is way too cool to have such frightening, knobbly fingers, but Dolores Umbridge is a whole other condition.) Wilton makes a bone version, too. Available at cake decorating stores, some expertise stores and at www.surlatable.com .
Pumpkin carving set: Turning that excellent pumpkin into a Martha Stewart-worthy jack-o'-lantern takes tools -- saws, scoops and smaller tools for detail employment. You can always repurpose items from your knife drawer and tool bench. But if you're serious about your squash sculpting, this pumpkin carving set ($19.95, www.williams-sonoma.com ) from Williams-Sonoma includes a severely serrated pumpkin scoop (suitable for melons, as well as members of the squash one's nearest), large and small carving saws, and an etching embellish.
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Dapur delivers Pan Asian in a clubby setting
29.09.11
Dapur Asian Tapas & Sitting-room is a surprisingly huge, hip space in a tiny strip of stores on U.S.1 in Fort Lauderdale. From its brick facade, you might look forward a small tavern (its last incarnation was MJ’s Rock and Flow in Clubhouse), but wait till you step inside.
Edi Mulyanto, who founded Galanga in Wilton Manors, pooped eight months transforming this 7,000-square-foot venue into a vibrant, vibey spot. Open just six weeks, Dapur looks like the hot new target in town.
The young and beautiful are here, starting with the staff. You’ll be welcomed by rude hostesses (I’d be surprised if anyone older than 30 is employed here) and clamorous, clubby music. If you’re here to party, head for the causeuse area, where cherry-red couches beckon and a sleek, illuminated bar emits a purple luminosity.
If you want a more subdued atmosphere, head to the dining range farthest from the bar. The 260-seat restaurant is painted in purple and lime unripened, with a gold Buddha standing watch and sheer curtains, sombre tile and warm lighting softening the dramatic decor.
Source: MiamiHerald.com