Hasta La Ideas

A fine selection of rare brews and comfort foods from the owners of NYC’s art gallery and pub

Hidden among the slender streets of NYC’s Lower East Side, Culturefix stands as a haven for beer snobs, foodies, art aficionados and really just anyone looking for a good time. The slightly labyrinthine multipurpose space splits its talents among three floors, starting with an impressive selection of nearly impossible-to-find beers and curious dishes at the bar downstairs. A ramp at the back of the bar leads you to the ground floor, which is home to their event space and gallery. Work your way upstairs from there and you’ll come across the Recession Art at Culturefix storefront, which peddles a discerning range of original works by an array of emerging artists.

Within moments of exploring the space it’s easy to see owners Cole Schaffer and Ari Stern have a firm grasp on the finer things in life, namely food and drink. To take advantage of their vast knowledge and overall generosity we asked Schaffer to suggest five of his favorite rare beers from Culturefix’s rotating selection of international craft brews. Stern, a “retired chef”, balanced that out with insights into what would be the perfect dish to accompany each ale, all of which we highlight below.

Professor Fritz Briem’s 13th Century Grut Bier

One of the most interesting beers found at Cutlurefix, Professor Fritz Briem’s Grut is soft, smooth and incredibly delicious. Dating back to the 1500s, before the widespread use of hops, the traditional grut brewing style leaves little more than locally grown flora like bay leaves, ginger, caraway, rosemary for flavoring— remnants of which can be found in each unfiltered bottle.

CS “This sour, gingery and floral beer has found its way into many dishes and our hearts since the very beginning.”

AS “It goes great with our Miso-Mussels, the base for which is made with Korean fermented miso, grut, chili paste, onions and garlic. The slow cooked mussels retain their tenderness while soaking up the delicious liquid.”

Bayerischer Banhof Berliner Style Weisse

Another ancient beer, the weissbier style originated in the 1600s, leading to a time where an estimated 700 weissbier breweries existed in Berlin alone. The unconventional brewing process renders the beer extremely acidic, which is commonly cut with a syrup mixer.

CS “The Bayrischer Bahnhof interpretation is a slightly softer, more mellow version of the “Berliner Weisse” style with a beautiful balance of tartness, fruitiness, and sweetness. Mellowed only by a mixture of Guava puree and honey—its a great spring and summer refresher. “

AS “Along side our Goat Cheese polenta with tomato braised mushrooms, the Berliner Weisse becomes a relief from the richness of the polenta and the earthiness of the mushrooms, making each bite and sip combination a new treat.”

Bayerischer Banhof ‘Leipziger’ Gose

Falling out of favor over the last 30 years, the Gose style is extremely difficult to find outside of the two German cities where it originated, Goslar and Leipzig, although it is currently experiencing a small resurgence thanks to three European breweries. One taking it up again is Bayerischer Banhof, which produces a top-fermented wheat beer made only from traditional ingredients—oats, coriander and salt for flavoring.

CS “Salty and Citrusy, the Gose is Ari’s favorite summertime beer. I think of it as hard lemonade for someone who hates hard lemonade. “

AS “This beer goes well with any food, which makes for an easy pairing, we usually will suggest our empanadas with homemade sofrito as a natural choice. The peanuts and raisins in the empanadas are brightened by the citrus notes of the beer, and the crisp dough is lightened by the bitter finish of this southern German classic.”

Brasserie Die Du Ciel

Earning it’s beautifully rich color and soft, slightly acidic fragrance from the use of hibiscus flowers in the brewing process, the Rosée d’Hibiscus is a humble wheat beer with plenty of body.

CS “On first sight, this beer looked thick and viscous, but it drinks light and refreshing with only a hint of hibiscus sweetness (not to mention the most beautiful color a glass has ever held). Its the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day.”

AS “This combination of sweet and sour, goes great with our XO marinated shrimp and kimchi bok choy. The ultra-savoriness of the shrimp and intense spice of the bokchoy and tempered by the weight of this beer. The hibiscus flavor seems to lessen the spice and allow the eater/drinker to do more of both.”

Fantôme Saison

Founded in 1988, Brasserie Fantôme has gained international attention and somewhat of a cult following among craft beers enthusiasts for its secret combination of herbs, spices and fruits that fall in accordance with the season, allowing each beer to be unique and made only once.

CS “Far and away the best beer we have ever had, always consistent, always incredibly complex and different from year to year. The First year we carried the Fantome summer saison, it was smooth with light hop and berry notes. This year, we are carrying the Hiver, and it is more aggressively hopped and less fruity, as if the brewer knew how MY tastes changed and created a beer for ME. “

AS “Pairing food with such a complex and rich beer can be challenging, and for its size we needed to think of a dish that eats a bit ‘longer’, our enchiladas made with a traditional salsa verde from puebla, roasted chicken and its crispy skin, and queso cotijo was the perfect fit. The richness of the corn tortillas, and the ‘brown’ flavor of the cheese, makes for a great combination with the real ‘King of Beers’.”

Photos by Graham Hiemstra

Japanese materials form an ultralight blazer and insulated vest for a tech-driven twist on the traditional sport coat

Always one to challenge the norm in lifestyle and performance outerwear, NYC-based Isaora has once again taken a conventional piece and transformed it into something truly their own. With the 2.5-Layer Tech Blazer with removable Pertex Insulated Vest Isaora reworks the traditional sport coat for a tech-driven alternative. The unique construction of the combination piece calls on multiple innovative Japanese fabrics for an incredibly lightweight and highly waterproof foundation.

The blazer itself is constructed of a 8,000mm waterproof, breathable nylon that makes for a matte texture and color, loaning the blazer a uniquely futuristic look. In a good way. The underlying vest is made of a nearly transparent ultralight Pertex ripstop with PerimaLoft ONE 40g insulation and Aquaguard waterproof zippers—a simple design touch we’re always happy to see. The ultralight material and soft coloring makes the vest sleek enough to be worn on its own, while the modest bit of insulation is both impressively warm and comfortable.

Snapping together with more than a handful of snaps throughout the yoke and flank of each piece, the intriguing blazer and vest make for a definite statement piece that’s sure to ease the transition from winter to spring. The 2.5-Layer Tech Blazer and Pertex Insulated Vest are made in NYC with Japanese materials and are now available separately or together online from Isaora. The combo sells for $469 while the blazer and vest can be found individually for $289 and $199, respectively.

PDT’s Jim Meehan mixed the perfect Manhattan

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We recently hosted a series of parties in five U.S. cities to bring the Subpop Showcase at SXSW to those that couldn’t make the trip to Austin. To ensure the highest level of sophistication to the bar, we enlisted our friend Jim Meehan of NYC’s famed speakeasy PDT to mix something special. As a pioneer in the mixology movement and author of The PDT Cocktail Book, Meehan fit the bill to concoct our very own signature cocktail.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, Meehan drew on his classic style and the event at hand for inspiration. With a Kentucky Rye and orange bitters, Meehan just slightly dressed up the classic Manhattan. Meehan describes it as “a Perfect Manhattan—made with both sweet and dry vermouth—that takes cues from MasterCard’s logo in the garnish: an orange disc and brandied cherry.”

Tap Into Austin Signature Cocktail

2 oz. Bulleit Rye Whiskey

1/2 oz. Vya Dry Vermouth

1/2 oz. Vya Sweet Vermouth

2 Dashes of Miracle Mile Bergamot Orange Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe

Pinch an orange twist over the surface of the drink then affix it to a cocktail pick with a brandied cherry.

Photography by Nick Brown

Stan Douglas’s recent photographic work features dancers and refugees

Opening his 11th solo show at the David Zwirner Gallery in New York City, photographer Stan Douglas has once again assumed the persona of fictional photographer. His last show at Zwirner, Midcentury Studio, comprised a series of mock press photographs documenting the post-war period. For Disco Angola, Douglas is playing the role of a ’70s photojournalist in New York’s disco scene and the recently liberated Angola. From the geographically and culturally disparate communities comes a unique dialogue about liberation, self expression and dance.

The show’s eight pieces are arranged in pairs that face each other on opposing walls. Each of the pieces explores a particular “event”; as Douglas explains, an event is “not just something that happens, but something that happens that’s so unfamiliar, so strange, so horrifying that it challenges the nature of truth at the time.” Pairing disco scenes against revolutionary moments, the event and its ramifications are further dramatized.

“Capoeira” is a photograph of a circle of Angolans practicing capoeira—the Brazilian art form that marries martial arts with dance—and is hung opposite “Kung-Fu Fighting”, which shows a disco dancer performing moves learned from Bruce Lee’s pioneering films. Together, the images break down the close relationship between conflict and dance, as well as the kinship between recently liberated Angolans and members of the New York gay community. At its heart, Douglas sees the connection between the Angolan Civil War and disco as both blissful periods that were ruined by the outsiders—both in the form of photojournalists and curious “scenesters”.

Explaining a bit of the history that informs the work, Douglas mentioned the long and bloody civil war that preceded Angola’s Carnation Revolution. “New York, in the 1970s, was almost a third world state,” elaborates Douglas, seeing the similarities between the war and the scene in NYC. “The federal government was not interested in supporting it. It was almost bankrupt. The subway system was dangerous, the parks were dangerous. It was in this condition that the ‘Disco Underground’ first appeared.”

Douglas brilliantly employs contemporary costuming and props, successfully transporting the viewer in to the respective scenes. Many of the works are inspired directly by a found photograph or are composites of several sources that serve as inspiration. While Douglas shoots on digital and avoids mimicking the photographic appearance of the the era, the casting and art direction are fully convincing. By discarding traditional photography’s notion of the “decisive moment” and the time stamp, Douglas opens up the medium to infinite possibilities.

Disco Angola is on display at the David Zwirner Gallery starting tonight, 22 March through 28 April 2012. See more images of the exhibition in our slideshow.

David Zwirner Gallery

525 West 19th Street

New York, NY 10011

Images courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner, New York

Alex Prager explores drama and death through new eyes in her upcoming exhibition

Since exhibiting “Week-End“—her last solo show at NYC’s Yancey Richardson Gallery in 2010—photographer Alex Prager has been busy at work, but mostly with projects outside her own personal endeavors. Whether shooting the 1960s-inspired Missoni for Target campaign, villainous celebrities for the New York Times’ annual Hollywood issue, or lending her talents to Bottega Veneta’s “The Art of Collaboration” campaign last spring, Prager keeps her signature cinematic style at the forefront of her work while successfully bringing to life a new vision for each commercial and editorial assignment she takes on.

Prager’s work returns to gallery walls next month, in a new solo show called “Compulsion”. Simultaneously taking place in New York, London and Prager’s hometown of LA, the three-city exhibition will include an array of photos that reflect her interest in the emotion expressed solely through a person’s eyes, and the powerful foundation they provide for provoking mystery. The eyes show how the young photographer has evolved since “Week-End” without departing entirely from her penchant for heightened drama and voyeuristic compositions. In “Compulsion”, the eye close-ups also allude to the anonymous characters found within her tragic scenes, titled like newspaper reporting, such as “1:18pm, Silverlake Drive” or “11:45pm, Griffith Park”.

This strong interest in emotive eyes is perhaps inspired by the intense baby blues actress Bryce Dallas Howard worked for Prager’s camera in her short film “Despair“, several stills of which were exhibited at MoMA as part of their “New Photography 2010” group show. “Compulsion” will feature a new short film as well, one that also toys with the idea of death. “La Petite Mort”—a French phrase for orgasm—stars actress Judith Godrèche, who is, according to a description of the film, “experiencing the boundaries of her body and those of this world”.

A soft-spoken self-taught artist who fell into photography after a little soul-searching and a life-altering trip to the Getty Museum (where she came across the work of William Eggleston) just a decade ago, Prager has since become an exciting and integral part of contemporary art. Her latest series, combined with her commissioned projects, really showcases her growth within her chosen medium and her ability to constantly push herself in new directions.

“Compulsion” opens 5 April and runs through 19 May 2012 at Yancey Richardson Gallery (NYC), then follows with openings at M+B (LA) and Michael Hoppen Contemporary (London).