I’m one of those relatively new wine drinkers that knows next-to-nothing about actual wine, but just enough to pretend that I know what I’m doing when selecting one. If I’m with a group of people who don’t usually buy wine, they defer to me. This is about as good an idea as closing one’s eyes and selecting a wine at random, but hey, I’ll take the extra responsibility.

This is mainly because it lets me do that certain type of wine-browsing–you know the one–where you walk along the racks, picking up certain bottles, turning them over, and muttering comments to yourself that you hope your friends take for informed musings on a particular vintage. If they only knew I was just saying “this one is a red one…” or “this one is from France…”

Despite my solid sommelier credentials, I’m not above occasionally choosing wine based on its packaging. I once bought a bottle of Ontario wine with a twist-off top because it had a bunch of well-designed raccoons on the bottle. It wasn’t that good (at least… I don’t think it was that great), but what can you do when faced with an awesome bottle?

That’s the question I might have to ask myself when I finally happen upon these products in-store, three examples of great design applied to the wine bottle. Our first example is a Shiraz called Boarding Pass, and comes from Australia’s R Wines. It’s a top example of creative packaging design as applied to a pretty constrained medium–if you want to be taken seriously as a wine producer, wild innovations in bottle design and shape usually mean you’ll get looked over by serious buyers. This is a perfect compromise: the design is fresh and original, and the playful luggage tag around the neck is a great touch. I’d go out of my way to buy this just so I could take it somewhere.

The second bottle to catch my eye comes from Spain–it’s the Baud-designed Lazarus Wine, with its packaging done entirely in Braille. Another great piece of work that would have my cash if I walked by it on a rack, no questions asked. Again, it’s tricky with wine, as most innovative design skirts the original/gaudy line, and subtlety is crucial in putting out a bottle that’ll catch the eye without drawing a follow-up groan.

My last candidate isn’t a bottle design at all, but rather these custom wine tags from popptags. They’re funny, honest, and letterpressed on recycled paper. There are tons of well-written, witty cards out there now, but these are both seriously funny and beautiful to look at. I’d go nuts if I got a nice bottle of wine with a tag on it that said “Nothing Says Thank You Like a Bottle of Wine I Know Nothing About.” Plus “The Wine Store Guy Said This Was Good” is a printed version of the exact line I spoke when recently giving someone a bottle. I think my friends and family know what they’re getting this year–yes indeed, a bunch of hilarious tags attached to thick $5.00 bottles full of red liquid.

Diet books are all about marketing, not diets. Find a vaguely qualified nutritionist, come up with some catchy copy (the secret ingredient that lets you lose weight while eating your favorite foods every day! works fine for just about any of the lesser ones), and throw in some recipes. So why not a diet book made by a top ad agency? Can design gurus tell you what to eat better than most? Yeah, I’d say, most likely. And if not, hey, at least it’ll be laid out well.

So: Alex Bogusky and Chuck Porter, two of the top guys at major agency Crispin and Porter, are publishing a new book called the 9-Inch-Diet: Exposing the Big Conspiracy in America.

It’s not actually a diet book, for which we should all be thankful, but rather a handsomely designed book on portion sizes. No recipes in here. Bogusky tells Creative Review how the idea came to him when an old cabinet wouldn’t fit modern plates:

“I was sitting there thinking, ‘What kind of idiot makes a cabinet that won’t fit plates?’,” he explains. “You know, it’s always hard to see your own culture. I realised that no idiot does that, the plates must have grown. So I started looking into it and they had grown a lot over a period of about 40 years. So I thought ‘I’m going to write a diet book’ – it’s not like it’s a goal or something that I dreamed of doing.”

The 9-Inch-Diet means a return to the smaller plates that, apparently, we all used to eat from. Bogusky is taking an approach that often pays big dividends: isolating one aspect of a larger phenomenon (how we eat) and using it as a microcosm for a much larger argument. I hope he pulls it off.

Speaking of food, there are a few books floating around now that use the fundamental “what’s wrong with what we eat” premise, with more on the way. This is a good thing. 10 polemics per year in this vein is a useful contribution. I’d love to see the market saturated with these books to the point where almost everyone has read at least one. These aren’t diet or recipe books in any way, but rather in-depth, fascinating studies about American food culture. Michael Pollan is the tops in this field, and consistently at #1 on the Times best-seller list, and the author of the one essential cookbook everyone should own is working on his own book in the same field (check out a great talk he gave at the TED conference below).

None of them have yet been described, however, as “full of pop culture references and expert advice,” or as “the first diet book that’s as comfortable on the coffee table as it is on the kitchen table.” The design hands behind the book should make it stand out in a burgeoning field–here’s hoping the writing holds up its own end, as Pollan’s deep research and readability have set the standard nice and high.

One thing that’s interesting is that Crispin and Porter have done a lot of work for Burger King: they were behind the subservient-chicken video that was popular online a while back. Burger King serves some big-ass meals, and even bigger drinks. To my knowledge there isn’t a fast food chain around that’s exempt from the push towards bigger serving sizes, actually. Increasing portions is good for business and advertising agencies alike, so the book kinda needs to address that inherent complicity. And it does–these guys don’t run one of the top agencies in the world for nothing. Check out the product description:

Bogusky and Porter run what is arguably the most creative advertising agency in the country, if not the world. With years of experience manipulating the masses, two of the best tricksters in the industry explain how you as a consumer are being duped, and how you are actually a part of the conspiracy to make you fat.

The 9-Inch-Diet comes to stores in December. And here is Mark Bittman’s fantastic 20-minute talk at the TED conference on What’s Wrong With What We Eat:

For all the attention that Los Angeles seems to attract the world over, there’s one shining culinary luminere that stands out amongst the buzz. Ortolan, by Christophe Émé; has captivated the French honed taste buds of the Southern California fine dining set, in a few very short years.

On Forbestraveler, Donald Birnham writes “Although Los Angeles has plenty of French food, there are few posh French restaurants. A signal exception is Ortolan, not only because of the highly creative haute cuisine Chef-Owner Christophe Emé serves—it was Esquire Magazine’s pick as one of the top 20 new restaurants of 2005—but for presence of a glamorous Hollywood celeb crowd that includes Emé’s wife and business partner, actress Jeri Ryan.”

Chistophe Émé presents signature dishes from his days at L’Orangerie and a penchant for innovation, creating ons of L.A.’s best French restaurant since the early days of Bastide. The cuisine is superb, with contemporary concoctions like Panna Cotta “Caviar” and Cucumber Sorbet. One of his sought after signature dishes, the duo of squab entree, is superbly tender – and his desserts are simply phenomenal.

This food-lovers haven successfully blends contemporary and elegant design concepts. A dark-blue Moorish patio gives way to the cream-colored dining room, with low-hanging ornate chandeliers. In the back, a greenhouse lounge features rows of potted herbs on walls and a roaring fireplace. Waiters are uniformed in perfectly pressed white shirts with teal ties and provide some of the most professional table service in Southern California. The sommelier is a genius, his recommendations were spot on.

The fact is, Ortolan is probably the best French cuisine you’ll find on the west coast. If you’re a local, it’s a must – be sure to plan ahead and reserve a table.

About Christophe Émé

With a remarkable resume that extends across much of Europe, Christophe Émé, executive chef and owner, is making quite a mark on the French dining scene in Southern California. He’s a talented young chef who’s cultivated his skills at some of the finest restaurants in the world, and is hoping to make Ortolan, his creation with actress Jeri Ryan, the preeminent Los Angeles hotspot for chic French food. Christophe intends for Ortolan to fill a niche of serving haute cuisine in a relaxed, informal atmosphere.

The road to Ortolan began nearly twenty years and many Michelin stars ago at fine dining establishments in France, England, Spain, Switzerland and Germany. Christophe began as a culinary apprentice at Hôtel de France and quickly established himself as one of the country’s leading chefs, honing his skills in the kitchens of several elite restaurants including Auberge de l’Eridan, Laurent, Taillevent and Auberge des Templiers. Throughout his career, Christophe has worked with such luminaries as Gerard Rabaey, Marc Veyrat, Michael Rostang, Philippe Braun (Joel Robuchon, consulting chef) and Philippe Legendre.

Perhaps the most critical step in the road to Ortolan was Christophe’s tenure as executive chef at L’Orangerie, an L.A.-area restaurant widely regarded as the finest French restaurant in town. Christophe enhanced L’Orangerie’s reputation with his contemporary menu design, featuring elegant dishes that focused on simple preparations and fresh ingredients.

About Jeri Ryan

Many fans of striking actress Jeri Ryan may not have been aware of her passion for fine cuisine, which has taken shape at Ortolan. Ryan attended Northwestern University, graduating with a degree in theater. After college, Ryan moved to L.A. to pursue acting, landing roles in popular TV shows Matlock, Melrose Place, as well as made-for-TV movies. In 1997, Ryan was cast a Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager, followed by the role of Ronnie Cooke in David E. Kelley’s critically acclaimed Boston Public, which enjoyed a four-year run. Ryan’s movie credits include Men Cry Bullets, Disney’s The Kid, Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000, The Last Man, and Down with Love. Ryan met her current fiancé and business partner, chef Christophe Émé, while he was working at L’Orangerie. Temporarily putting her acting career on hold to open Ortolan, Ryan has fulfilled her lifelong dream of opening a restaurant; a dream that she and Émé share. The couple collaborated on everything from Ortolan’s concept to its design, and Ryan devotes much of her time to the restaurant, both behind the scenes and out on the floor. Together they have created a stunning environment that is at once elegant, comfortable and unique, the perfect complement to Émé’s exquisite cuisine

CHEF’S SPRING MENU

$125 per person

Foie Gras
Confit / Pear Chutney
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Tomato
Parfait / Granité / Water / Cucumber Sorbet
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Egg
Whipped Cream / Caviar
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Langoustine
White Asparagus / Morel / English Pea
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Scallop
Mandarin Soup / Spring Vegetable / Fiddlehead
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Bass
Parmesan Crust / Quail Egg / Swiss Chard
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Duck
Fennel / Rosemary Panisse / Kumquat
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Cheese Plate
Herbed Goat Cheese / Olive Oil
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Pre-Dessert
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Strawberry
Panna Cotta “Caviar”
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Citrus
Gelée / Confit / Powder / Parfait / Chocolate Sorbe

Bauer is the newest edition to Södermalm — “Stockholm’s Soho” bar / restaurant scene. Opened on February 28, 2008, Bauer was originally a cosy neighborhood watering hole on Götgatan’s northern end, which is packed to the brim with the edgy/style set. The creatives behind the Bauer execution was Stockholm-based Dizel&Sate, known for their ability to fuse street-art subculture in to the retail and hospitality sector. Their works include Hotel Birger Jarl, and several stores for H&M and Huge Boss. Their outlandish and bold wall executions have become a Dizel&Sate signature.

Bauer, takes its inspiration from the Bauhaus style and from Berlin’s bar and gallery culture. Big bold graphic images depicting various forms of cartoonic prints creating a casual and fun feel but still tame with the all black and white table settings.