When it was raining last week, I saw : 


-2 plays 


"The house of blue leaves", a play by John Guare, with Ben Stiller, Edie Falco and Jason Jason Leigh. Overall, it's not good except for Edie Falco who is absolutely amazing in her portrayal of a mad woman married to a zookeeper (Ben Stiller) who dreams to be a Hollywood song-writer pushed by his mistress (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ben Bratley poorly reviewed the play in this morning NY times and I agree with him.. But fortunately, two days later I went to see "Good people" by David Lindsay-Abaire (who wrote "Rabbit Hole") and that's a excellent play  with a great cast led by Frances McDormand. The dialogues, the actors are brilliant ! The clash of two worlds when two high-school friends reunited after  twenty years and very different lives..


-2 movies


"Meek's Cutoff"by Kelly Reichardt takes place in 1845 and it's the story of three families getting lost while crossing Oregon. The cinematography is beautiful, the cast is good but there is no much action so I wouldn't recommend it !
"The Double Hour" by Giuseppe Capodonti is a first feature that won best Italian movie and Best actress and actor at the Venice film festival in september. It's a really good thriller that starts off as a love story. I really enjoyed it !


-2 shows twice !


David Altmedj, a young Canadian sculptor based in New York, had a powerful  show at the Andrea Rosen gallery (it closed sadly on april 23rd). "The Vessel" is a giant-plexiglas box filled with swans and jelly-fish made of plexiglas and colored strings, tiny  bees wrapped in gold chains and much more... It's so creative and beautiful, a real treat for the eyes and the imagination!


"L'amour fou : Picasso and Marie-Thérèse" at the Gagosian Gallery (522 west 21st street between 10th & 11th avenue) fortunately runs until June 25th. It's worth of a museum exhibition with many paintings from private collections that have never been show before. 


... I checked and liked 


-My jewelry designer friend  Tam Tran's blog : freestyleobsberveandshare.blogspot.com. 




-a new restaurant Upper East Side : 
Jones Wood foundry (401 East 76th street between 1st and York avenue, 212-249-2700, www.joneswoodfoundry.com) with a young  talented English chef, Jason Hicks, nice settings (pub in front, restaurant in the back and a tiny garden)and good menu. He offers a $60 royal weeding breakfast from 5:30 to 8:30 am  on friday ! 
I tried the tomata-egglpant soup with basil croutons and a smoked mackerel salad with shaved fennel, arugula and horseradish and it was delicious !