You Can't Always Know Who the Good Guys Are

After a tour of duty in Afghanistan, former rock star wannabe Vin Sarno returns to his Savannah homestead to figure out where he wants to spend the next chapter of his life. Shortly after returning home he decides to kill time by helping with his father’s “Ghost Tour” business. Doing midnight walking tours through Old Savannah brings back memories of Kabul, including a bad experience with some real spooks he encountered during a short prison stint in that shattered land.

You Can't Always Know Who the Good Guys Are is journalist Gerald Flanagan’s first novel and once it gets going it’s a riveting nail-biter. The pace at first feels like the angst of an existential stain squeezed from an over-sized abscess. But once Flanagan paints the setting, the story is a runaway train and though you’ve been down this track before the only thing you know for sure is that your hero will never be the same.

In the midst of everything is an unrequited love with ambiguous possibilities. Aliyah is the daughter of a Taliban chieftain who finds it impossible to believe Sarno can bring her the deliverance she so longs for from this insane life she’s endured. There are few places on earth where it is more difficult to be a woman.

Flanagan, who served as an embedded journalist in the Iraq war also lived in Karachi, Pakistan and Kabul where he reported on the hunt for Osama bin Laden for two British magazines and the Washington Post. With ease he paints the scenery which serves as backdrop for the story.

The Savannah portions of the book have just enough levity to release some of the tension readers will experience. The graveyard and ghost stories that have become entertainments today contain kernels of horror that find echoes amongst the Taliban. The manner in which the author takes the impossible and convinces readers that it is probable is quite astonishing.

Perhaps at the root of the story is Sarno's pain at knowing that his future with Aliyah can never work out, and that the entire mission of his life has been an epic struggle in futility. Nevertheless he knows no other path.

What I like most about the book is when Flanagan causes the story to intersect with real events, including when Pat Tillman was killed by "friendly fire" and the first attempt on Osama bin Laden near the caves below the Khyber Pass. The net result is to create the impression that this fictional adventure/drama may actually be a true account of events that journalists are restricted from writing about.

Ultimately, if you can't find the book at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble, the reason might be that this review is itself a fictional review of a fictional book. If you like fiction, especially the kind where you have trouble discerning the line between real and improbable, you may enjoy my own books of short stories, especially Unremembered Histories and Newmanesque.

This review was originally published in January 2012

Unless otherwise noted, all paintings and illustrative material at this site has been created by Ennyman.

If You Haven't Seen It Yet, Go See Chef (A Movie Review)

Chef Micah's Duck Breast with Risotto

I don’t know when I first became aware of it, but in recent years I began noticing more and more magazine stories about chefs, restaurants and recipes, especially in those in-flight magazines. The mouth-watering photos and terminology conspire to induce palpable sensations of desire.... for cuisine.

Because my son has been in the restaurant trades, I’ve now become aware that there are a whole battery of cooking shows, including competitions like The Voice, except for chefs. Every time I mention that he is now a head chef in a four-star restaurant, the reply is nearly a predictable, “He should try to be on Top Chef Cook Off," or some other reality show featuring chefs and cooking. I just roll my eyes. Being a chef at a four star restaurant is a profession, not a game.

For what it's worth, this isn't the first film to feature exquisite cooking. Babette's Feast took us there. Ratatouille (I know, it's a cartoon) features the kitchen life, too. The film Vatel (a favorite of mine) provides an inside glimpse into how a gifted master can take ordinary things and make them extraordinary. But Chef is the first film that I know of that not only features delicious food and Twitter. Yes, in addition to the stellar cast we also have social media flexing its muscle on the silver screen.

For some reason I found the movie review in our newspaper to be misleading. It stated something to the effect that this was a movie with likeable characters but no real plot until the end when it finally decides to become a story. I couldn't disagree more. Yes, the characters were indeed likeable, and you enjoyed being with them throughout the film. But there was a storyline. The story flowed out from the characters and the situation.

Chef Micah's Spicy Red Snapper

The stars are many here. Jon Favreau, who also directed this entertaining food frolic, is Chef Carl Casper, head chef of a four star restaurant that has a packed house every night, chiefly due to his reputation, a reputation earned years earlier when he was "discovered" by major food critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt). The high profile food critic shows up at Casper's restaurant and doesn't like having his high expectations disappointed, so he writes a bad review.

Chef Casper's life situation is complicated. He has a twelve year old son Percy (Emjay Anthony) and a wealthy ex-wife (Sofia Vergara) with difficulties and expectations there, too. What happens next requires a little backstory.

Percy's part of the new-gen of kids growing up with smartphones and social media. Early in the story he begins to teach his dad about Twitter. This stream of Twitter training tips actually turns the film itself into an edutainment. That is, if you wish to learn why people like and use Twitter, this is the film to watch. The new social media is fraught with perils as well as possibilities.

The main conflict in the first segment of the film is between Chef Carl and Riva (Dustin Hoffman) the restaurant owner. The bad review is the result of Chef Carl having to make the food the owner wants rather than push the boundaries of culinary delight the way he did years earlier when he caught the attention of the food critic.

Chef Carl's first mistake was to send a Tweet to the critic calling him an a**hole. He learns, from his son, that the Tweet went viral. He quickly learns what viral is, and the difference between a regular tweet and a private message. He challenges the critic to return in order to prove he's still got his mustard, but then Riva intervenes and demands that Chef not alter the menu. As a result, Carl quits, but does return to the restaurant to give the critic a piece of his mind.

This is where he learns another lesson about the meaning of viral social media. There in the restaurant as he crumbles Michel's lava cake and goes on a rant, we see half the other patrons with smartphones capturing it all on video, which immediately rolls in waves across the Twitterverse. Yes, there are lessons here.

Shankalicious Porketta

Jon Favreau's background includes being director of big-budget high on SFX films like Iron Man. So this film is something of a departure, but it's evident from the caliber of the cast that he's a guy people want to work with. Robert Downey Jr. is here, as is Scarlett Johansson, each of them in surprisingly interesting ways.

As a result of Chef Carl's exit from the restaurant he has to find something else to do, and in Miami he rediscovers his roots and ends up cooking Cuban sandwiches on a food truck with his son. A road trip follows and so does the Twitter universe.

A few reviewers at imdb.com were critical of the film calling it simplistic, but I bought into it. One reviewer called it "undercooked with the wrong ingredients" but I liked the ingredients, and I don't like my films overcooked. It's designed to be a feelgood, with great food, great music and characters you really enjoy being with. And did I mention, good food? I was told one shouldn't go to the film hungry, but it was just after work and... I violated that rule. Indeed, it did make me hungry... hungry to go back to my son's restaurant in Savannah.

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Since we're talking food, I thought I'd close with one of the reviews from Yelp regarding A.Lure where my son Micah is chef. This is from July 5th, two weeks ago today.

The meal that my husband and I ate at A. Lure last week was the best meal we ate during our whirlwind 4-day stay in Savannah. We started the sultry evening off with a fabulous suggestion from the bartender--Blood Orange Martinis. Expertly made and the perfect drink to cool us off.

For starters, I enjoyed the Balsamic Peppered Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad. Served over mixed greens, this was a delightful light appetizer. My husband ordered the Foie Gras special which he swears is hands-down the single best taste appetizer he's ever had! Imagine a light duck pate whipped up with sun-dried tart cherries and served as a generous portion with toast points. A taste explosion! This could be a late night light meal in itself with a glass of Pinot. Another evening perhaps......

I ordered the Peas and Carrots signature entree and was not disappointed. Sea scallops perfectly seared on risotto stirred to perfection served with roasted carrots and a sweet pea coulis. Absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious! The hubby ordered the Seafood Pasta special of the day which was a combo of scallops, shrimp, grouper and crayfish in a light Dijon cream sauce. Equally delicious. This is not your typical Low Country Cuisine by any means.

This is a restaurant I will definitely revisit on my next trip to Savannah. Not only was the food sublime, the waitstaff was attentive and the decor delightful. Local art hangs on the walls and the seating is comfortable and the noise level reasonable. Don't miss it!

Meantime life goes on all around you. Taste it!

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To follow on Twitter: @ennyman3

If You Happen to Be in Savannah Next Weekend: Sidewalk Art and Another Lure

One of the great features of a trip to Europe is its history. Especially noteworthy is its art history, from its centuries-old architectural wonders to the manifold statues and frescoes preserved for present-day appreciation.

When I was a young art student I went through a phase where each painting I worked on had to be the most significant statement, story or object I'd ever made, as if it were going to be my last. The idea behind this was the belief in the importance of permanence so that if the painting was going to be around for a long time it should be worthy of this, like the Sistine Chapel, for example.

The natural bi-product of such a philosophy is that it became a rather weighty proposition. Instead of just painting for the sheer enjoyment of expression or discovery, one is bound by a conviction that stifles rather than invigorates.

How liberating it is, then, to discard these shackles and go back to just having fun and sharing what you make, no matter how impermanent. Last summer I did about a hundred such paintings on 22"x 34" sheets of paper that will almost assuredly not last a decade. Half ended up in the trash, but there were quite a few pieces that were quite striking and I even sold a few.

Well, guess what? When it comes to impermanent art there's nothing quite like the Savannah College of Art and Design's Sidewalk Arts Festival. Next Saturday, April 27, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. SCAD Students will once again be filling Forsyth Park with chalk paintings, a tradition almost as old as the school itself. Admission is free and taking photos is invited.

This Restaurant Has Artists, Too

It's ironic that when my son was looking at colleges, one of the schools we considered was the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Micah was into claymation (clay-animation) at the time. Instead the career he pursued is another form of 3-D art. He's a culinary artist. That is, art you can eat... and even more impermanent than chalk on a sidewalk. As it turns out he ended up in Savannah by an alternate route, the restaurant trade.

So, if you make it to the SCAD Sidewalk Art Festival and need a place to eat afterward, I recommend a.Lure, a four-star gem of a restaurant in the City Market district. Here are a few online reviews about a.Lure that capture the spirit of the place.

(1) This restaurant does everything well. The service was friendly and professional (thanks Emily!). The decor is attractive. And, most importantly, the food is very good! I had the shrimp and grits and my wife had the seafood ravioli. Both were excellent. The wine selection is good and covers a range of prices. We would definitely return.

(2) Excellent food, diverse menu. Felt the food/experience matched the price range. Was a "splurge" for us. We usually are a little more of "budget travelers". Server was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and professional. 

(3) Crab cake appetizer was excellent. Low country boil and carrots and peas (scallops) dish were both tasty. Wait staff is very good, ambiance is very pleasant, with paintings and a variety of tables. Goat cheese souffle was incredible, with a variety of flavors all of which complemented each other. Wine is indeed on the expensive side, but worth it for... 

Here's my take on a.Lure after stopping there in March to see my son the sous chef. Everyone was friendly, the atmosphere suitably upscale and the menu utterly inventive. The wine list was very select, and though pricy the connoisseur does have real opportunities here. And if you just want appetizers at the bar, the barmaid was nice, too, warm and attentive without being too aggressive.

While I was there I had the pleasure of meeting Dan Berman, the owner, who stopped in briefly while we were whetting our appetite. Here are a few insights about the restaurant and the restaurant trade I gleaned from him.

EN: Savannah has a fairly extensive number of restaurants. How does a.Lure set itself apart?

Dan Berman: a.Lure is unique in its quality of local ingredients, prepared and served with an inventive, sometimes whimsical approach. We are also the only contemporary LowCountry restaurant in Savannah specializing in local seafood.

EN: How do restaurants get ranked? Is there some kind of "authority"?

DB: Unfortunately, there are only a handful of credible, non-biased food based rankings. Most of them are national, i.e. Zagat. Since so many food blogs and rankings websites are out now, I believe asking a local is the way to go!

EN: How do restaurants devise their menus? Yours has some quite alluring dishes.

DB: We wanted to present traditional LowCountry cuisine that emphasized quality of local ingredients as well as a creative new approach to their interpretations. So much of Savannah's restaurant scene serves Southern food, which as you know, covers a large swath of the U.S. Our cuisine is more appropriate to the lowcountry area.

EdNote: Savannah is one of those places what a lot of history of its own. So if you're serious about making a few memories while you're here, and want a restaurant to match the rest of your Savannah experience, this is the place.

P.S. The scallops are to die for. 

Kehinde Wiley: Mastering the Classics

During the holidays I had the opportunity to visit Savannah for the first time. I'd heard it was a beautiful city, and it did not disappoint. Savannah is famed for its history, its food, its riverfront, its architecture and its graveyards. It is also home to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

Though the aim of our three night stay in Savannah was to visit my son, who is a manager in one of the city's many nice restaurants, I also very much desired to take in the SCAD Museum of Art. It was worth the visit.

Among the exhibits on display at this time is the work of a New York-based portrait painter named Kehinde Wiley. His paintings are very large, and in the style of the classic masters, except they are different.

A museum staff member said that Wiley takes people off the street (for example, Harlem) and has them choose a classic pose, but he paints them in their contemporary garb. My guess is that he is cleverly introducing these ordinary people to extraordinary slices of culture and art history. The piece here on the left is titled, The Three Graces.

This weekend I went online to find out more about Kehinde Wiley. On his website I found the following Artist Statement.

Kehinde Wiley’s portraits of African American men collate modern culture with the influence of Old Masters. Incorporating a range of vernaculars culled from art historical references, Wiley’s work melds a fluid concept of modern culture, ranging from French Rococo to today’s urban landscape. By collapsing history and style into a unique contemporary vision, Wiley interrogates the notion of master painter, “making it at once critical and complicit.” Vividly colorful and often adorned with ornate gilded frames, Wiley’s large-scale figurative paintings, which are illuminated with a barrage of baroque or rococo decorative patterns, posit young black men, fashioned in urban attire, within the field of power reminiscent of Renaissance artists such as Tiepolo and Titian.

What impressed me was not only the conceptual fusion of art history and Black American experience, the paintings themselves were masterfully produced. Wiley's brushwork demonstrates nothing short of wizardry.

I've forgotten how long the Wiley exhibit will be up but for now through the end of January you can see the paintings photographed here at the SCAD Museum of Art. To see additional works by Wiley, visit his page at the National Portrait Gallery website.

For what it's worth, this very young artist in his mid-thirties has a lot of years ahead of him. He'll be someone to keep an eye on in the 21st century.

Click images to enlarge.