"art of the table"

Snap shot of glasses, parrot tulip and tempra painter Fred Wessel.  He has been married to his wife LeAnn for thirty seven years.  She paints teeny tiny reproduction beauties that can fit into the center of your hand.

This was a cloud of goodness.  Think truffley broth, fresh pasta stuffed with goat cheese and watercress.

Olive oil cake with poached pears and powdered sugar.  A nice, not too sweet ending.

Beautiful Julie curled her hair and wore a beautiful and interesting blouse with full sleeves.

This was a fish course that truly worked.  A soft buttery fish resting on strong flavors of olive and kale.

Fred Wessel is a remarkable artist with a big, open heart to boot.  This is one of my favorites from his collection.

So last Friday night was a fairy tale. I dined and wined it up at Art of the Table, an incredible "community" supper club spot in Wallingford. The food came out in courses (five / six ish total) and the maker of the food, a handsome man named Dustin, cutely talked about his ingredients and concepts while we sipped the wine that inspired it. I wore my peacock blue pumps and lots of Black Orchid perfume / orange apricot lipstain. I enjoyed the good wine. I ate the out-of-control food and delighted in the truly spectacular company of my dining mates; it was my great fortune to meet (and love!) two fascinating artists.  I got to hear their measured thoughts on the public school system, traveling in Italy and why they decided to get married to one another.  I blew my tongue out of my mouth with delicious ness like a super subtle nettle bisque, decedent pork belly and prettae basil ice cream... hopefully you can feel a glimpse.  

Dustin Ronspies is the chef and co owner of Art of the Table. Yes, he is handsome. Noticably. And yes, I google imaged him to find this pic. Random stalker moment of the week.