May
07

By | Appearance & Style, Blog Posts, Press

It’s not news to learn that the Italians take their shoemaking as seriously as the French take their cheese-making. But it was news to me to learn that the Lucchese brothers brought their Italian craftsmanship to Texas back in 1880. In the 1960s, the founder’s grandson, Sam Lucchese Jr. reinvented bootmaking, handcrafted Presidential kicks for LBJ and made Lucchese the first name in bespoke bootsmanship.

This week, just in time for Mother’s Day, Lucchese Boot Co. is bringing its El Paso stylings to NoLita as Space Cowboy Boots hosts a Lucchese Classic Trunk Show, May 10-11. I’ll be hosting the show…and since mama always said never to go somewhere empty-handed, I’m bringing bubbly and oysters for a Boots & Flutes affair.

Anyone is welcome to pop-by, browse, nibble and sip, but friends, clients and fans of The Modern Gentleman are invited to make appointments for private fittings with Lucchese Design Specialist Tray Gilmore or Space Cowboy proprietors Paul Greyshock and Jaylin Ramer.

Roses are cliché…but boots are a clever and classic gift for Mother’s Day. Why not treat mama or a sweetheart to a day in NoLita? Revel in a sumptuous pairing of Boots & Flutes as I shuck Rappahannock River Oysters and pour Barboursville Vineyards Cuvée 1814 Brut & Brut Rosé while your feet and calves are pampered in shark, stingray, hippopotamus, deer, cow, buffalo or bison hide.

Friday, May 10 & Saturday, May 11. Private fitting appointments require advanced reservations: (646) 559-4779.
Space Cowboy Boots
234 Mulberry Street
New York, NY 10012

To learn more about this boutique and the backstory on its boots, have a peek below.

Bolos in Nolita: And to think that I saw it on Mulberry St.

There’s an old Steven Wright joke about a blonde Chinese girl who digs Jewish cowboys. If Bucky Goldstein hasn’t already found his way to Space Cowboy Boots, he’d better hit it before the word gets out. Hand-made boots have landed, and the Jersey-born proprietress, singer/realtor-cum-cowgirl Jaylin Ramer, has presaged the rise of retro Texas cool. I popped in looking for a pair of Frye boots for my girl, but walked out with some Cafe Glitter, a set of killer kicks that made my wife quiver with cock-a-hoop delight.

As I poured over the ostrich, crocodile, cowhide and python skin, Jaylin explained the anatomy of a boot. We inspected the shaft, the pulls, the vamp, the toe-box and the shank of dozens of boots. From inlays to outlays, single stand piping to roach stomper toes, I had no idea that my Jeffery-West shoe fetish would draw from NYC to El Paso, Texas and the soul of Stallion Boots and Lucchese Boot Co.

But Space Cowboy delivers way beyond rodeo-style shit-kickers and delicate designer models meant more for red carpets than red clay soil. I discovered raw suedes, detailed tooling, crocodile dress boots to rock with a sleek suit, and ankle-high zipper boots with alligator wing tips and brilliant black leather touches that made me wanna give up regular ol’ shoes come the next Lenten season.

 

While I was there, in strolled Kevin Pollak and his sweetheart, Jaime Fox. While he and I talked shop, Jaime picked up a sweet pair of pumpkin ditties that went digital when she tweeted this pic. Also shopping, were a couple of top-hatted cats who turned out to be Lisa Marie Presley’s band, in the 212 to promote LMP’s new album, Storm & Grace, with gigs at Sirius/FM and Gramercy Theatre.

I’ve been to Graceland with those to laughed…and with those who cried, thus I had to check out Lisa Marie’s tunes. As a boy who once slung steak and brew on Beale Street in Memphis’s famed Blues City Cafe while his mama served as masseuse at The Peabody Hotel, I know me some Presley. (Oh, ask me about the time my signature triple disco dip landed a ballerina in my arms for a Jerry Lee Lewis music video.) I’ll bet you an Elvis hologram that there’s a bluesy track you’ll like. Ain’t just a surname; she’s got goods – and thigh-high boots on her album cover.

Apr
19

By | Blog Posts, Manners, Charm & Cool, Press

By now, the Delta Gamma sorority girl email first leaked from University of Maryland to Gawker and Deadspin,has gone viral mainly due to its prodigious F-bombs and assertive, if less than Shakespearean, insults. Writer Susan Howson deconstructs the email’s literary effectiveness HERE, but as an authority on manners, etiquette and social savvy, I’m deconstructing this note from another perspective. Continued

    HERE.

    Apr
    09

    By | Blog Posts, Press, Venerable Vices, Vittles & Vino

    The latest offering from a famed Cognac producer landed in the US last month. Find out what this 150th anniversary spirit is all about. CAMUS 5.150 in Sommelier Journal.

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    Feb
    27

    By | Blog Posts, Press

    “Trust your palate,” my mentoring sommeliers always said. 11 years later, I’m still going with my gut on Virginia wine. Barboursville just earned its 4th Governor’s Cup, this time for Octagon XII Edition 2009, a classic, right-bank Bordeaux–inspired meritage. Read more…. Want to taste it? Join Jason along with Andrea Immer Robinson and some of the top names in wine, cocktails and Southern food at Charleston Wine + Food Festival.

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    Feb
    06

    By | Blog Posts, Press, Vittles & Vino

    TASTEBUDS & TUXES. Tapped to co-host the 2013 Elby’s, Tesauro will take to the podium with Richmond magazine Food Editor, Brandon Fox, to honor excellence in the Richmond region’s restaurant community. Sunday, February 10, Cheek Theater at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

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    Feb
    04

    By | Blog Posts, Press, Vittles & Vino

    Super Bowl XLVII may be over, but Brew Bowl I lasts through Tuesday night. Chef Robert Wiedmaier and Jason Tesauro will spotlight Brew Bowl tournament beers and welcome Brewmasters Jon Zerivitz of Baltimore’s Union Craft Brewing Co. and Mike McGarvey of DC’s 3 Stars Brewing Co. Join us for this free craft beer tasting, 6-8pm at Brasserie Beck DC.

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    Feb
    01

    By | Blog Posts, Press, Vittles & Vino

    A winner is crowned in the Brew Bowl I Finale: Washingtonian magazine’s Super Bowl of craft beers. Representing Atlanta vs Houston: Terrapin Beer Co. Rye Pale Ale vs Saint Arnold Brewing Co. Belgian-Style Pale Ale.

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    Jan
    31

    By | Blog Posts, Press, Venerable Vices, Virtuous Vices, Vittles & Vino

    Want to taste the tournament beers? Join us for a Brew Bowl I Replay at Brasserie Beck DC with Chef Robert Wiedmaier, Union Craft Brewing Co-Founder & Brewmaster Jon Zerivitz and 3 Stars Brewing Co.’s Brewmaster Dave Coleman. Tuesday, February 5, 6pm.

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    Jan
    30

    By | Blog Posts, Press, Venerable Vices, Virtuous Vices, Vittles & Vino

    Want to know which suds to serve for Super Bowl XLVII? Check out Washingtonian magazine for Tesauro’s Brew Bowl I tournament, Part 1, featuring head-to-head match-ups of craft beers representing cities with NFL teams that made the playoffs. Part 2.

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    Dec
    14

    By | Blog Posts, Press

    For holiday entertaining Modern Gentleman style, expand your cocktail repertoire and explore aperitifs and digestifs. Below is quick tutorial.

    Aperitifs: The “Before” Drink

    Like cocktails, aperitifs are the “before” drink: it’s that first quaff of an evening, a refreshing about-face from workday to leisure time. It marks the starting line before an affair: guests have only to arrive sometime between the uncorking and the last drop before they’re considered tardy. Plus, the nature of aperitifs – lighter-bodied, higher-acid – whets the appetite and prepares the body for food. Since aperitifs are typically a transition to another activity (dinner, taxi to the show), stick to small glasses to both keep things moving and regulate intake. Without appetizers in one’s belly, oversized aperitifs go straight to one’s head.

    When looking for clues of what to serve, remember the Five M’s of Imbibement: Mood, Manner, Menu, Month and Map. These five variables help you to dial-in the most appropriate quaff. For instance, you may be in the mood for something warming after a snowy Friday, but the pre-opera fête and fancy dress dictate something more civilized than tequila shooters. And given the salty olives and tapas, there are flavor and textural components to consider. Add in the nearness to Edgar Allen Poe’s January birthday and a nod to tonight’s performance of Carmen, and you’ve got ideal conditions for that Spanish classic, a pale, dry Amontillado Sherry.

    Dry Sherry (Fino, Amontillado) and dry Madeira (Sercial, Verdelho) are elegant and less-than-ordinary choices. Other can’t-miss aperitifs include champagne and other dry sparklers as well as crisp, minerally whites like Grüner Veltliner and Albariño. Also consider diminutive cocktails (read: no fishbowl margaritas) made with aromatic bitters or amaros (Aperol, Cynar, Campari) that literally make one’s mouth water.

    Incidentally, when your budget or home space can’t accommodate a group for an entire evening of entertainments, offer to host Opening Ceremonies at your place. For the price of a few bottles of bubbly and an hour’s worth of electricity, you can make a major impression and set the whole evening’s tone.

    Digestifs: The “After” Drink

    Digestifs are the “after” drink and the beginning of closing ceremonies. This final course offers the soft-landing and a last hurrah before goodbyes. Follow the Five Ms once again, but don”t be afraid to go eclectic. Set a tray with a motley of small glasswares and pour a variety of snorts. Vary the spirits by color (Creme de Violette, Yellow Chartreuse, ruby Port), flavor/texture (sweet, herbal, creamy), and potency, and encourage guests to share around. Or, consider the communal bottle and uncork a sipping gem (Madeira, Armagnac, Scotch) that accompanies a more contemplative mood. After a full menu of cocktails, dinner wines and dessert, again look to keep the volumes smaller but the flavors intensified. Whether neat or on the rocks, digestifs ought to be those liquors, fortified wines and straight-up spirits with higher alcohol content and smooth viscosity that soothe a full belly and calm a wired mind,

    Nice touch, let your selection of digestifs speak to travels and predilections. Recently returned from France, pour a snifter of Benedictine. A fan of coffee and licorice, look for anise-based correctos, spirits that ‘correct’ an espresso with expressive shot.