wisteria restaurant, atlanta

great meal tonight at Wisteria, in Atlanta, GA.
a low-key, neighborhood restaurant.
barbecued pork belly with beans was already over-the-top.
my companions had skate wing; and flounder. i had beef tenderloin with a crazy, rich mac & cheese.
cobbler of blackberries and cherries for dessert.
green tea mojitos to start things off; a bottle of bonny doon "cigare volant" 2001 was tasty but ultimately kind of light; 2004 achaval ferrer "quimera" (malbec/merlot/cab/cab franc) was delicious; and paul hobbs "cocodrillo" was chocolaty and rich.
thank heavens for places like this that don't carry a ton of attitude but give you excellent food and warm service.
we were happy and made to feel at home.

tomorrow, i will try to run (need it) and check out the Atlanta botanical gardens.

for now, good night

Live Dates to Year's End

Here are my upcoming confirmed and to be confirmed tour dates, through the end of November

Diana Krall summer tour continues into September:

JULY
16 --- Vienna, VA. WOLF TRAP
18 --- Atlanta, GA. CHASTAIN PARK
19 --- Nashville, TN. SCHERMERHORN SYMPHONY CENTER
21 --- Detroit, MI. FOX THEATER

Break from 22 July to August 6.

AUGUST
3 --- Los Angeles, CA. CAFE METROPOL w/ SUSAN SINNER
7 --- Bend, OR. LES SCHWAB AMPHITHEATER
8 --- Eugene, OR. CUTHBERT AMPHITHEATER
9 --- Portland, OR. KELLER AUDITORIUM
11 & 12 --- Woodinville, WA. CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE
14 --- Lake Tahoe, NV. HARVEYS OUTDOOR AMPHITHEATER
15 --- San Francisco, CA. DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL
17 & 18 --- Los Angeles, CA. HOLLYWOOD BOWL
19 --- Santa Barbara, CA. SANTA BARBARA BOWL
21 --- Temecula, CA. PECHANGA CASINO
22 --- San Diego, CA. BAYSIDE
23 --- Phoenix, AZ. DODGE THEATER
26 --- Santa Fe, NM. GEORGIA O'KEEFE MUSEUM
27 --- Morrison, CO. RED ROCKS
29 --- St. Louis, MO. FOX THEATER
31 --- Milwaukee, WI. RIVERSIDE THEATER

SEPTEMBER
2 --- Highland Park, IL. RAVINIA
4-17 --- TBC: US SHOWS WITH CHICO PINHEIRO
21 --- Monterey, CA. MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL w/ AW NONET
22 --- Monterey, CA. MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL w/ GERALD WILSON ORCHESTRA and DIANA KRALL QUARTET
week of 24 --- TBC: NYC SHOW(S) w/ AW NONET

OCTOBER
13 --- Dallas, TX. MEYERSON SYMPHONY HALL w/ DIANA KRALL & ORCHESTRA

NOVEMBER
3 --- TBC: ACARAJAZZ FESTIVAL, SALVADOR, BAHIA w/ ANTHONY WILSON TRIO
4 through 26 --- TBC: BRAZIL TOUR WITH CHICO PINHEIRO

afternoon in the garden

I spent a couple of hours today wandering the gardens of Dumbarton Oaks, in Washington, DC. An immense, rolling landscape of breathtaking diversity and beauty. There are 10 acres of formal gardens which took 20 years to complete, between 1921 and 1941. Not only are the trees and plants stunning, but all the pathways, fountains, and outdoor areas such as the Orangery, Ellipse, and the "Star Garden" (with its astrological inlaid themes) were painstakingly constructed and a marvel to behold. I walked among sunflowers and hibiscus with butterflies and bees everywhere around me. It brought me back to my senses, and into sync with present time.

al forno

dinner at famous "al forno" in providence.
ordered well until the main course.
the grilled margherita pizza was "off the chain"...
calamari, good.
grilled chicken "agro dolce" was boring and a bad choice. i was left unsatisfied.
desserts were killer, all.
wines: 2003 domaine de monpertuis CDP, 2000 argiano brunello, 2004 zisola mazzei nero d'avola.
that's it.

providence

a day off in providence, rhode island.

slept in, dragged my ass out for a 3 mile jog in the misty heat. in a very old part of the city, near RISD & Brown University: summer gardens, almost English in their fullness, much different than what we have back home.

running felt great, stretching & crunches, and then a walk to the italian section of town: Federal Hill, very near the hotel. lunch at "venda ravioli" --- perfect. textbook italian sausage and broccoli rabe with garlic, chilies & parmesan; a peroni beer; espresso macchiato. after, walked around the neighborhood getting the feel of things. avoided gelato.

nap time now. dinner tonight at "Al Forno," a much-lauded Providence restaurant where Suzanne Goin picked up much of her earliest and most formative experience. we're excited.

yes we do play music.

john hartman

see some of john hartman's paintings at www.johnhartman.ca

this painting of lower manhattan was in the exhibit i saw

the west

the north american west from california to canada at this moment bakes under the punishing sun... summer is full-on now. in calgary, the citizens and tourists prepare for this weekend's "stampede"... a western-themed celebration, a "Carnaval" of the canadian prairie. all the lovely ladies, so many of them, wear short denim skirts, cowboy boots and hats. lovely women, blooming like desert flowers.

in the art gallery of calgary, a stunning show of oil paintings, watercolors, and sketches by john hartman. studies of cities, such as calgary, halifax, toronto, vancouver, london, and new york. some huge paintings that must be seen from at least ten feet away to begin to take in the complete tableau. hartman is a bold colorist, and some of his visual gestures recall two favorites of mine: philip guston and cy twombly.

a corporate fundraiser tonight with diana, and tomorrow, travel day to atlantic city to continue the tour.