Maxine’s first price fix 3 course winemaker dinner.

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I was invited to be part of the first winemaker dinner at Maxine’s on Shine (337 Shine Ave, Orlando, FL 32803). Jeff Meyers, the GM, Vice President, and head winemaker at Terra D’ Oro was on hand to introduce each wine that went with each of the three courses. We arrived a bit early, and I found my spot at the end of a long table to take in the scene. People mingled near the bar, as I blocked in the scene lightly in pencil. As people took their seats I inked them into the sketch. 1+1, a jazz duo performed live. Their music hearkened back to the 60s and 70s with a very nostalgic and consistent play list. I tried playing, “Name that Tune”, as everyone got seated for the first course.

The first course, was Saku Block Tuna, seared rare, with a black and white sesame seed crust.  There was a ginger cream sauce to dip it is. There was also Meatballs Wellington in a phyllo pastry on a bed blue cheese and spinach, with Jalepeno cilantro aioli for dipping. The wine paring was a white Terra D’ Oro Miscato. This sweet wine was my favorite of the evening and I indulged in a second glass. 

 

The second course was a southern citrus salad with a mix of fresh fruit, gorgonzola, spiced almonds and vinaigrette. This was paired with a red Terra D’ Oro Barbara. The sweet salad was perfect with the smooth tasting Barbera. Jeff explained that Terra D’ Oro means land of gold. Wines were first created in this area of California starting in the 1850’s by Italian Immigrants. The weather is perfect and the sunshine plentiful.

The opening act was a Florida red grouper with mango salsa and cous cous. It was paired with a Terrie D’ Oro Chevin Blanc Viognier Blend. This pairing was absolutely delicious. My sketch perch was pretty far from my plate, and I had to lean way forward to scoop up fish a cous cous with my fork. I would use my palette as a safety net, as I leaned back and delicately moved the fork to my mouth. Cous Cous kept spilling off the fork onto my palette. There is no refined way to flick food off of an art palette, so I left it where it was, hoping no one noticed. I did another painting today and the cous cous was still there, but now covered in blue paint. Now that I’m writing this I realize I need to take a writing break and get the food off my palette right now. 

The Main Event was a Petite Filet Mignon, medium rare,  with Winter Hunter Sauce, a twice baked potato, and chef select vegetables. The executive chef, George Vogelbacher was on vacation on a cruise ship, so his well trained staff prepared the dinner without him. The woman to my right felt that the meat was over cooked, but it tasted fine to me. After four cups of wine any thing would taste like heaven to me. The filet was paired with a Terra D’ Oro Petite Sirah. This was the wine with the most tannins and it left a dry lingering full bodied after taste. 

Desert was an “Ode to Elvis” with a triple chocolate brownie with bacon pecan brittle, a spiced anglaise, and a fruit compote. This was paired with a Terra D’ Oro “Denver Vineyard” Zinfandel. Kirt Earhart thanked everyone for coming with his signature rhyme that he improvised on the spot. Before the right wound down Maxine took up a microphone and sang with the band. There were selfies and smiles with hugs all around. The evening was a true epicurean delight that celebrated passion and life. The cost was $70 per person all inclusive of tax and tip. 5 courses including wine pairing. Maxine’s will be hosting similar wine pairing events in the future and trust me this will become one of the most sought after evenings in town. This intimate neighborhood venue offers the best in southern urban hospitality. 

ODD6 at Falcon Bar and Gallery.

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Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) ventures to a new bar each month to sample beers and sketch. There is no model fee and no instruction. This is just a chance to get out, meet fellow artists and draw. I’m hoping to sketch in Central Florida’s best dive bars, so suggestions are always welcome. Mondays are usually slow event wise in Orlando so ODD usually happens on the First Monday of each Month. In December I changed the date to a Tuesday since Kirt and Maxine Earhard had a wedding ceremony on Monday. In their honor, January’s ODD will be at Maxine’s on Shine.

Melissa Marie was gracious about letting artists descend on The Falcon Bar and Gallery (819 E Tosh-0, Washington St, Orlando, FL) on December 8th. I never know how many artists will show up, I might sketch alone, or there could be up to a dozen artists who stop out. On route to the Falcon bar, I learned that Melissa
Marie’s sister, Anthea, had just died at the tender age of 32 from a pulmonary embolism.The message appeared in my Facebook news feed and then flickered off to show a more recent post. My heart goes out to Melissa and her family.

The bar was empty when I arrived around 6pm except for the bar tender. I ordered a cider and started sketching. An open mic night was scheduled to begin at 8pm so I hoped some of the stools would fill up by then. Brian OHalloran who has attended past ODD events stopped in. I told him the news about Melissa Marie’s sister and then he did a black somber sketch of the Falcon Bar o his iPad. The only color in his sketch was the red candles which to him represented sacred funeral candles. My sketch, has a similar dark feeling. All the art on the walls was by local artists. The theme seemed to be pop culture, super heroes and manga. Perhaps there was no theme.

The bar tender was watching a show called Tosh-O on TV. There was an insanely long clip of a woman tweaking, so I sketched the gyrating butt on the screen. Another sine, sh shouted “gross! and I glanced at the tube to see a weight lifter vomiting as he lifted the dumb bells over his shoulders. I wished I hadn’t looked up It seems a sad commentary on what Americans need to see to be entertained.

Brian and I chatted for a while after our sketches were done. I had missed a sketch opportunity he had given me a tip about. It was a candle light service at an angel statue for women who had lost children in childbirth or at a young age. He and his wife Maggie attended and he said it was one of the most emotional experiences he has ever had.

I had brought in a stack of paper for an ODD sketching concept I wanted to try out. I call it a $ketch Off. Artists face each other on bar stools and are given 5 minutes to sketch each other. Neither artist is posing, so it is a bit hectic and the results can be unexpected especially after a few drinks. Since there were just two artists, it was a chance to try it out. I switched to pence and paper since me tablet battery was low. Brian was game, and he worked on his iPad, although he said he was a bit intimidated at first. He is an architect, so people aren’t his specialty. While doing the sketch, he laughed off his concerns, and the result is far more interesting than a realistic depiction. Asking people to pose for five minute is actually outside my comfort zone as well. I tend to usually keep my distance and watch a seen unfold from afar. At some galas and costumed events I should start asking people to pose so I can capture some quick close up sketches.

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Maxine’s on Shine

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I had an exhibit at Maxine’s on Shine, 337 Shine Ave, Orlando, FL. After the exhibit came down, I returned to tie up some loose ends. Kirt Earhart and I met at the bar and the I stayed for dinner, drinks and a sketch. As I recall, Maxine was at some Gala. A young lady at the bar had her laptop perched open on two books, and her friend spent more time on her iPhone than she did eating or conversing. Since a sketch takes two hours, there were several shifts of couples that came an went. People in America don’t linger in a restaurant the way they do in France. of course not as many people will be going out considering the terrorist attacks. My heart goes out to all the people who were out to enjoy an evening’s entertainment, only to be gunned down.

Nudes were hung on all the walls with care. If you ever nee advice on picking a goo bottle of wine, Yo u need to go to Maxine’s and talk to Kirt. He is an expert sommelier. His “Jedi Master Approved’ wine case is a goo place to pick up a bottle to take home. If you are looking for fine food and entertainment today, Sunday November 22,  Alex Cole is performing for the Rejuicination Brunch, 11am to 2pm. Then, Peyote Moon will perform for the Sunday Serendipity Supper Club, from 7pm to 9pm. Sunday Serendipity Supper Club at Maxine’s provides an ever changing
weekly eclectic mix of Orlando’s best from the live music scene. From
indie to classic rock to folk to everything tasteful in between, enjoy
the laid back sounds and intimate staging while savoring Maxine’s tasty
offerings. It’s the perfect way to christen the end of your weekend.

Socialites and Dinosaurs at the Neanderthal Ball

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Patrons partied like it’s 100,099 B.C. at Orlando Science Center’s 9th Annual Neanderthal Ball on Saturday, November 7. The Gala benefited the Orlando Science Center and its mission to inspire science learning for life, the event was part of the year-long 60th anniversary celebration and it was an evening of prehistoric fun for everyone! New this year, Mayors Jewelers presents: Champagne on the Rocks with the chance to win a diamond necklace by purchasing a $60 glass of champagne to toast the Science Center’s 60th anniversary.

One of Central Florida’s most generous philanthropists and fascinating fashionistas, Harriet Lake sponsored the Caveman Couture Contest. Patrons became an icon of stone age style by rocking a killer leopard print scarf with your outfit or wearing full-on Neanderthal garb! Prizes will be awarded to those who exhibit the most flair with their “caveman couture.” I had a brief conversation with artist Josh Garrick, and I believe he won a well deserved price for his skull inspired couture.

I spent most of time sketching the Jeremy, Freddy Quartet. They Jazzed up the evening although no one took to the dance floor.  By the time I was done, most of the foot had been devoured. I did grab a few chicken nuggets before I left. Maxine and Kirt Earhart had a thriving speakeasy bar set up in the back of the room. A giant woolly mammoth of a man blocked the door was but I squeezed in around him.  Every seat at the bar was taken. Although I had my own seat, I decided not to stay.

With the new construction I couldn’t find the exit. I ended up in the basement with live alligators and turtles. of the silent auction items, my favorite was a ticket and VIP seating at the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. Terry and I went last year with my family and we had access to the police family viewing section. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.  As I left the Science Center, I wondered if I should stay and do a series of quick close up sketches of the best costumes. That is on my bucket list. There are only so many hours in the day to sketch.

Maxine’s for the Holidays.

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Maxine’s on Shine, 338 Shine Avenue Orlando FL, is an intimate restaurant where discerning locals go to taste fine wines and have a great meal. The owners, Maxine and Kirt Earhart are always there to meet and greet. Maxine shoots photos of regular customers and Kirt has a wonderful way of addressing everyone and making them feel at home. The restaurant recently won the title of the best neighborhood restaurant and the title is well deserved. If you ever want advice on a wine selection, then be sure to ask Kirt because he has a refined since of taste and he knows his wines.

Each week there are themed dining experiences. Every Tuesday is Maxines neighborhood perks which half off on bottles of wine worth $40 or more. Wednesdays are Maxine’s Girls Night out which provides happy hour all night long for the ladies. Thursday has Parlor Nights which focuses on guitar, baroque, flamenco, and or blues depending on the performer. It is a great date night out, On the second Thursday of every month,  Maxine’s takes part in Thornton Park’s Art and wine Walk . You can meet the artist whose work in hanging in the restaurant and you can sample wines from a featured winery. Friday nights the main stage comes alive with the best from Orlando’s live music scene. Satiation Saturday has a full rejuicication brunch from 10 am to 3 pm. Happy hour is all day long until A pm when college football hits the tube.  The evening then features live music. Sunday features a rejuicication brunch from 10 am to Up m and then there is Serendipity Sunday Supper Club which features weekly acoustic music hand picked by WPRK’s Jessica Pauli.

Keep in mind that reservations are highly recommended because this place fills up fast especially on weekends. I’ve had dinner at the bar several times and the food has always been great. This is the place in Orlando to see and be seen.

Maxine’s is a geat place to experience art.

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I met with Maxine Earhart at Maxine’s on Shine (337 Shine Ave, Orlando, FL) to figure out the logistics of mounting a show. We sat at the end of the bar to talk and I stayed for diner and a sketch.

Hanging on the walls was intricate and sensual collages by local artist, Maura Lucchese. Images of lovers and beautiful women were created with thousands of cuttings from magazines. Lettering mingled among the scraps relay hidden meanings to the bold images. Maura was unloading her show along with her friend, Kelly Herzberger on the day that I loaded my show in.

It was fun getting to meet an artist as we attempted to avoid crashing into each other going in and out of the restaurant’s front door.  Maura and Kelly also came to the opening of my show which shows that artists do support each other in Orlando. I was a bit intimidated that Maura sold several pieces in her show. Nothing sold from my show, but Kirt and Maxine ultimately coveted several of my sketches done in their restaurant for their collection.


Maxine’s has great food and there are often live performers as well to compliment the dining experience. Hours are Tuesday to Friday 5pm to 10pm. Saturday 10am to 10pm and Sunday 10am to 10pm. Reservations are a must because this place always gets packed. Come out and enjoy the Max Scene. It is a place where I’m always able to get a fun sketch. I’ve heard that one of my Maxine’s sketches might be used on fashionable women’s scarves. The details haven’t been ironed out yet.