![]() ![]() ![]() I’ve been coveting a collage by Lauri Hopkins, a print by Petra Börner and a psychedelic botanical illustration by Taehyoung Jeon.Ī ring for Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be cliché. Or go straight to the source and buy a work directly from an artist. If you’re looking for ideas, the online platform Wondering People sells editioned prints and original works on paper by emerging artists ( Oriele Steiner’s pencil drawings are some of my favorites) the British company Mount Collective offers framed works including several sketches by the midcentury Italian architect Gio Ponti the London-based studio the Wrong Shop offers pieces by the French Memphis Group artist Nathalie Du Pasquier, among others and the New York gallery Picture Room curates a wide selection of not only frameable works but also ceramics by artists such as Maia Ruth Lee and Phoebe Collings-James. ![]() And given how hard it can be to find good affordable art, the act of buying a piece for someone else feels particularly considerate. I love knowing that she saw it and thought of me - and when I look at it, I think of her. One of the best gifts I’ve ever received is a small painting from a friend. And if you’ve got many lovers, stock up on the latest treat from Los Angeles’s Valerie Confections - a bittersweet bar covered in rose petals and dehydrated raspberries - and make sure to spell those names right on the wrappers, inspired by traditional Valentine’s Day cards. The Berkeley-based Tcho is now selling a Sweet Thang coffer, including all six of its dark chocolate and oat milk varieties, ideal for sharing (or just hoarding for yourself). Where to start? San Francisco’s Dandelion has a great trio, full of 70 percent dark chocolate bars that use cocoa from Colombia, Ecuador and Tanzania, while Compartés, in Los Angeles, offers pretty fruit-inflected sets with flavors like Raspberry Rose and Strawberry Shortcake. It also feels more special, since bars are where some of the country’s top chocolatiers show off, offering variety packs and tasting sets to slowly tear through with your partner as you debate your individual palates and chocolate’s own nuances. Such a gesture is much more romantic, I’d argue, than fighting over a passion fruit truffle or a heart-shaped bonbon in a customary sampler. ![]() But if life is like a box of chocolates, then bars are whatever comes after life: a nice end to a night spent watching “The Last of Us” with a loved one, as you both snap off segments (that pleasing thwack!) until all that remains is shiny foil. Gifts, like all things, follow trends - a fact I thought about when, after the December holidays, my pantry was unexpectedly crowded with chocolate bars. Maison Balzac, the Australian brand that specializes in colorful tableware, has a whimsical selection and, though it’s more suitably sized for chips or dips, I’m partial to the coupe featuring a faux pink prawn perched on its rim.īar exam Chocolate for Sophisticated Sweet Tooths Set the mood with a cocktail - those extending dry January will enjoy Amaro Falso, the newest nonalcoholic offering from the Brooklyn distillery St. To inspire your own special night in, consider gifting your dinner companion a plant-dyed linen apron (the fuchsia-splattered Abstract pattern would be perfect for anyone planning a red dinner). Now, my fiancé and I have started a new tradition of making Meera Sodha’s mushroom bao - a recipe we wouldn’t normally undertake on a weeknight. When I was growing up, my mother would serve what she called a “red dinner.” Beets and salmon (pink was permissible) were usually the stars, paired with cranberry juice and strawberry mousse for dessert. But that doesn’t mean it should feel like any other night. I’ve always preferred to spend Valentine’s Day at home - avoiding crowded restaurants and dressing up on freezing-cold February nights. ![]()
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