I had a serendipitous encounter yesterday in Buenos Aires. Walking along the street, my eye was drawn to a little “boîte” of a shop, dark and lush with a center table set with gorgeous glass, dramatically spotlit. Enchanted, I stepped through into a magic kingdom of scent.
Fueguia, I was told by Julian Bedel, the “nose” and one of the world’s great perfumers, was a Patagonian Indian who joined an indigenous resistance to colonial powers and jumpstarted independence – at least that is what I remember of the story. What stayed with me was that Fueguia changed the score. And Bedel seems to have done the same. With scores of scents composed of 800 or more essences, this is a remarkable man of obvious talent but, on top of that, a man of poetry, of vision, of heart.
Start with the scents.
They come as extract of perfume, eau de parfum and room scents atomized in beautifully Japanese designed atomizers or burned with his gorgeous candles. And what scents they are! Mixtures of odd ingredients (think pink peppercorns) and usual ones, the strands are layered atop and alongside each other so that you can journey with the scent along olfactory pathways that lead to destinations that are pure feeling, ambiance, dreamscape. Along with each scent purchased comes a private letter to you describing, in a few poetic lines, the feel of the scent and then the ingredients.
Unbelievable. Beautiful.
How could I have been so fortunate as to enter the shop just when a charming guy in straw hat was on the floor? It took a while until I realized that this was the force, Julian Bedel, and then we spent almost an hour together. He guided me through the world of scent and then we talked of other things: the boxes which are made in Patagonia by a community they support; the other philanthropic work he does; the Latin American initiative he has launched to promote sustainable building practices; his vision to encourage local communities to understand, use and thereafter protect their botanical resources; his brand strategizing for individuals and companies. The man is a creative force.
Metta, Norberto Piattoni's Fort Green neighborhood restaurant[/caption]
Francis Mallmann, the revered Argentinian chef made famous by his many restaurants around the world, a couple of books on his cooking style and a hit television series, Chef's Table, has ensured his legacy with a diaspora of chef proteges, two of whom have rolled up in New York. Norberto, better known to his friends as Negro, recently opened Metta, a neighborhood restaurant located on a quiet corner two blocks from the Fort Greene farmers market in Brooklyn. It offers sustainably sourced, vegetable-forward dishes all cooked in a custom designed, open-fire kitchen, using South American asado techniques, utilizing all aspects of the fire (smoke, flame, ash and embers) to create layers of flavor in dishes. Packed with happy diners the night I went, it is relaxed, delicious, interesting and fun.
[caption id="attachment_8248" align="alignnone" width="500"]
Flora Bar, Ignacio Mattos' third opening in New York[/caption]
Ignacio Mattos was born in Uruguay and learned to cook in the kitchens of Mallman and Slow Food legend, Alice Waters. His two other restaurants in New York, Estela, with its bold, Mediterranean-inspired cooking, and Altro Paradiso, with its Italian cuisine, are favorites of mine. Now, Ignacio has come with his team to the Met Brauer on 76th and Madison, offering small bites as well as main dishes in a comfortable setting either indoors or on the open terrace. Service is superb, wines delicious and the food captivating. The space, in my opinion, could do with some tlc - easily accomplished. If you can serve food like that, a bit of flower planting and decorating should come easy.
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