* Majorelle Garden was designed by the painter Jacques Majorelle in 1924 and revived by fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent and his partner, Pierre Berge, in 1980.

I N S P I R A T I O N

When Feehan first learned he was to create the hot garden splendor of Majorelle from an old brick patio in Boston, his first thought was, “Where the heck am I going to fit a 20-foot reflecting pool?”

B E F O R E

Feehan managed to incorporate similar architectural elements, as well as a water feature. The first order of business was to paint the preppy green lattice with flat black paint, so it would recede. (They didn’t want to remove it since it hides the air conditioner condenser.)

A F T E R

The gorgeous cobalt blue glass mosaic tile panel is actually an 8-foot-tall fountain. Water runs down the surface in uneven rivulets (the tiles are different thicknesses), and lights shine upwards to make it glisten. Look carefully—mirror panels are installed on either side of the trellis on which the fountain is mounted.

Feehan hung three horizontal strips of wood painted a deep cobalt blue around the perimeter of the space. They add color and emphasize the length of the patio. Also, the homeowner hangs votives and flower pots from them. Antique Chinese doors echo the lacy Moroccan scrollwork found at Majorelle.

The long table is great for dinner parties, but when she’s not entertaining, the homeowner can easily remove and store the top to reveal a much smaller, round table. The ottomans serve as extra seating during parties, and side tables otherwise.

Other than the fountain, the fixes aren’t extravagant or over-involved. That just may be more inspiring than Marrakesh.

What: Barrio A pop-up dinner party
Who: Chefs Wheeler del Torro + Matt Drummond
When: Saturday, April 28th at 9 p.m.
Where: Boston (We’ll tell you where if you win!)

Matt Drummond, chef de cuisine at Brasserie Jo, is joining forces with Chef Wheeler del Torro next Saturday night at Boston’s latest clandestine pop-up restaurant, Barrio.

TO ENTER: “Like” StyleCarrot on Facebook AND leave a comment below noting if you’ve ever had Afro-Cuban cuisine. Be sure we can easily get in touch with you since the dinner is next Saturday. Opportunity to enter ends this Sunday at midnight Boston time.

Chef Wheeler del Torro

Jamaican-born Wheeler del Torro is best known in Boston for Wheeler’s Catering & Frozen Dessert Co., his vegan and liquor-laced ice cream company, though these hearty dinners will fuse Afro-Cuban flavors with each guest chef’s cooking style.
Past Barrio dinners have included slow-cooked yuca with citrus-garlic sauce, a ragout with a trio of mushrooms, sweet peppers, and tomatoes, corn cakes with a guava glaze and grilled pineapple,  black and white truffle crostini, and spicy white truffle squash soup.

Cast Iron Menorah designed by Josh Owen

$150 at Areaware

Todd English and his daughter Izzy, a senior in high school, will finally be debuting the Beacon Hill shop dedicated to the cupcakes he created and named after her, Isabelle’s CurlyCakes. The storefront is at 81 Charles Street (formerly Ritz Camera), and like Sweet, the décor balances sweet and strong shades of pink and brown.

The space, designed by architect Andrew Falkenstein of Brookline-based Concise Design Architects, is pretty darn cute. Falkenstein, together with project designer Jennifer Glickman infuses the traditional Beacon Hill feel with modern sentiment. Just three paint colors are used  – Benjamin Moore White Chocolate, Strawberry, and Fresh Brew. The countertops are Carrera marble and the floors are porcelain tile done to resemble old, wood planks. The backsplash behind the counter is back-painted so it can double as a menu board. And for the bathroom (teeny, tiny, as it goes on Beacon Hill), there are pink penny round tiles.

A photo accent wall, which faces opposite the counter, will showcase photos of the neighborhood and cupcakes, shot by Isabelle. The photos are interchangeable,   mounted between integral paneling/picture framing.

As for the cupcakes, the emphasis is on wholesome. The menu on the website touts six flavors: Tahitian vanilla bean, Valrhona chocolate, carrot cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting, toasted coconut, southern red velvet, light and fluffy lemon with pomegranate vanilla frosting.

Maybe if I wish really hard someone will deliver a taste to my doorstep.

Concise Design Architects, Andrew Falkenstein, AIA

Concise Design Architects, Andrew Falkenstein, AIA

poached pears and bleu cheese tarte

chocolate stuffed soft pretzel

white chocolate strawberry parfait

milk chocolate pumpkin torte

dulce de leche

macaroons

cotton candy

truffle toppings

the truffle chefs

Chocolate Bar, Saturday (September 11 – June 25), 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., adults: $38, children 5-12 years old: $25.

Sweet is now open on Newbury, and it’s just as sweet as the Mass. Ave. and Harvard Square shops. Same pretty wallpaper (Studio Printworks Grille Modern in a custom pink) and fixings – design compliments of Annsley McAleer. My son and I popped in on the way home from a friend’s on Saturday night. Though I wasn’t splurging on an 8pm cupcake, we indulged in frosting shots (him vanilla, me cream cheese) for fifty cents each. Genius.

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Treat cupcakes

While we’re on a sugar high . . . there’s another new cupcakery in town. Well, not really in town, it’s out in Needham, but it sounds so amazing that I’m almost tempted to make the drive. (Almost, not actually. Hoping Sam at Marlo Communications, their PR agency, will import a cupcake to the Back Bay.)  It’s Treat Cupcake Bar and the concept is make-your-own cupcake.  I put in my order for a chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting and a chocolate covered pretzel topping.

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One totally lucky (and probably tipsy) drinker will win a pair of martini-set diamond earrings worth $7,500 from Shreve, Crump & Low.

You see, every Statement martini from BOND at The Langham Hotel in downtown Boston comes with a sparkly diamond. One is the real. Bring it to Shreve’s in Back Bay to see if its yours.

THE STATEMENT MARTINI
Ketel One Vodka
Watermelon Liqueur
Orange Juice

Other new cocktails (some named for bank robbers) from the mixologists at BOND:

The Equity
Oxley Gin
Vanilla Simple Syrup
Grapefruit Juice
Caramelized Grapefruit

The Getaway
Belvedere Vodka
Navan Liqueur
Chambord
Pineapple Juice

The Baby Face Nelson
Cold River Blueberry Vodka
St. Germain
Lemonade
Soda Water

The John Dillinger
Patron Silver Tequila
Simple Syrup
Mint Leaves
Lemon Wedges
Lemon Lime Soda

Boston chef and restaurateur Barbara Lynch‘s new Fort Point restaurant Menton (rhymes with Vuitton), opened on Saturday. Yesterday her publicist sent along some official interior photos. (You can see the artsier shots on photographer Justin Ide‘s  blog.)

As fitting for a high-end, special occasion spot (she’s hoping diners will wear jackets), the décor, designed by Cheryl and Jeffrey Katz, is subdued. Looks like the entry has some nice details, and the Moroccan style lighting in the dining room keep it from coming off as dull.

It’s named for a small French village near the Italian border, and according to the press kit, “The cuisine is a marriage of refined French technique and soulful Italian cooking.”  There are two menu formats: a 4-course prix fixe menu for $95 and a 7-course chef’s tasting menu for $145. Pricey.

Photo: Justin Ide

The palette is composed of earthy greens, grays, and browns, with accents of silver, bright white, and black.  A Murano glass chandelier hangs above a silver leather reception desk. Iranian carpets cover the floor of the lounge.

Photo: Justin Ide

The main dining room features Italian wood veneer-clad walls, traditional black slat back chairs, glittering banquettes, and natural linen and white cotton table cloths

Photo: Justin Ide

The main dining room features paintings by Matt McClune, an artist and onetime bartender at Lynch’s No.9 Park, who is n ow based in the Burgundy region of France.

Photo: Justin Ide

Painter Matt McClune, who has a BFA from Mass Art, is represented locally by the Howard Yezerski Gallery at 460 Harrison.

Photo via Grubb Street Boston

The kitchen has marble mosaic floors and a stainless steel Molteni cooking suite, imported from France. Apparently it was a huge deal to get it into the space, since it’s all one piece.

There’s a view of the kitchen from the chef’s table, a glass-fronted room at the back of the kitchen. The space includes a silver banquette runs the entire length of the room, Philipe Starck ghost chairs, a faux-bois floor, malachite wallpaper, and stark graphite drawings of trees and flora by Dean Brown. Nineteenth-century reproduction French garden mural wallpaper covers the hallway leading to the private dining room. I wish I had a pictures!

Photo: Justin Ide

M E N T O N

354 Congress Street
Boston, Massachusetts

617.737.0099

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Read my interview with Lynch on her new cookbook Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition on eBay’s new style site The Inside Source, where Lynch names her must-haves for every kitchen.