Jihyun Ryou

​Living without a refrigerator can be hard. Indeed, this one appliance alone accounts for at least one sixth of our electric bill. But Amsterdam designer Jihyun Ryou has devised a way to kill the refrigerator from the electric bill with using a non-electric set of five wall-mounted devices that help keep food fresh.

Said devices are designed from something resembling pre-industrial revolution era stuff. They consist entirely of natural materials such as wood, glass, rice and water. The base material for each device is made from maple wood treated with beeswax. They are so low tech, that with the right amount of craftsmanship, anybody could presumably build something similar.
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Open 24/7, Little Managua's Yambo serves large portions of authentic Nicaraguan fare at exceptionally modest prices. Aside from the finger lickin' quality and enormous size of the platters, the ambiance and the décor makes this labyrinth a destination-place -- it feels extremely homey while transporting you to a tipico Central American village eatery.More >>

The holidays are here and what better excuse for some additional overindulgence than some edible decorations. We've picked five of our favorites, some more delicious than others....

Edible Wreath

courtesy of Apartment Therapy

​Martha Stewart watch out - this labor intensive brussel sprout wreath is sure to impress guests. But we think the best part is when you take it down and throw it in the pan with some butter and bacon. Go to Apartment Therapy for  step-by-step assembly instructions.
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Yesterday we met Karen Hanlon, a restaurant designer whose work can be viewed as dining art. Today she talks Sugarcane, Houston's and sphinxes.

Vibe Lounge

​New Times: What is the most extravagant design you have worked on?

Karen Hanlon: I designed the Hard Rock Cafe in Myrtle Beach, SC.  It was a pyramid complete with 2 sphinx fountains and an awesome entry.  The opening party came complete with "Hunky Egyptian slaves fanning the people walking in".  The entry is about 2.5 stories above the dining room and the stage and you feel so powerful looking down on the whole scene.  But I prefer creating the neighborhood joints - a place to hang your hat, where you want to keep going back because you feel at home but totally stoked to go every time. That is my joy.

Looking back, what have been some of your favorite projects and why?

I loved working on Houston's in New Orleans and The Atlanta Fish Market in Buckhead.  Early in my career I got to work with industry greats like George Biel - the owner and creator of Houston's, as well as Panos Karatassos from Atlanta.  Both of these men were heavy influences of my career.  I learned from the best.  I also truly enjoyed working  with Tim Petrillo on YOLO and VIBE in Fort  Lauderdale so much.  The team was amazing and the results have been a huge success.
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Karen Hanlon

​For most diners, selecting a restaurant boils down to food and ambiance.  The menu is created by the chef but the real world of victuals stars may be interior designers, who touch all your senses and keep you in your seat. With Art Basel upon us, it's appropriate to showcase Karen Hanlon, an accomplished woman who has left her mark on the South Florida dining and entertainment scene for more than a decade.

Whether she's working on a corporate chain like Houston's or her recent project in Aventura -- Zuckerello's --, her focus is on the customer's five senses.  She's worked with some of the most innovative restaurateurs in the industry and her career has taken her from Chicago to NYC to South Florida where, 13 years ago, she started her own firm; Karen Hanlon Design Inc. Her insights give us a new appreciation for our surroundings.

New Times: How did you get your start in designing restaurant space?

Hanlon: As a kid I was always drawing and building "models" of the buildings.  When I ran out of Legos, I built models out of cardboard, paper, and whatever else I could find.  Our living room was always full of my construction projects.  I spent my high school and college years working in restaurants and was truly fascinated by them.  I graduated from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration but spent my first year in the School of Art, Architecture and Planning there.  After transferring to the Hotel School I "designed" my own independent study program in facilities management and design.

Can you take us through the main parts of the design phase?

We always start with the menu as that gives the "flavor" of the space.  The next two most important influences are the space itself and the clientele -- the local market.  You can't design in a vacuum -- take a concept and design out of NYC or Las Vegas and expect that it can work in a place like South Florida.  People have very different expectations in different places.
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John Zur

Christian Awe in front of his painting "All Life Comes From the Sea. Only Graffiti Comes From the Streets."

​Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, set to open on November 26, has been a work of art shrouded in secrecy; so much so that although we were granted access inside to speak with artist Christian Awe about the pieces he was hired to create for the restaurant's dining room, we weren't allowed photos.

The space is contemporary, minimalist, and a palate of grays -- from the exposed cement floors to the gun metal grey booths and chairs. So the vibrancy of Awe's 20' by 7' abstract piece, titled "All Life Comes From the Sea. Only Graffiti Comes From the Streets," hits you. There are pale blue and midnight blue layers, smooth streaks of white, and touches of green on the east wall. None of the three pieces are overwhelming. "I wanted to make the guests feel welcome... free to associate," Awe says.
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​A good restaurant experience is always about the food. But sometimes you can't help but notice the artwork on the walls, and Erni Vales, contemporary urban artist, knows just how to draw you in. His larger than life murals cover the walls of several Miami restaurants, so whether you're biting into your tacos al pastor at Mercadito or a two-timing tuna roll at Sushi Maki, the colors and images tantalize your eyes as much as the food does your tongue.

Erni, a charismatic and enterprising artist, has had an illustrious and captivating journey. From his early days as a subway graffiti artist in NYC to his recent collaborations with David LaChapelle, Erni's story is full of buildings, painters, clubs, filmmakers and lots and lots of paint. He is best know for his 3D graffiti style that has influenced thousands worldwide who follow his technique, and the restaurant murals are a culmination of 30 years hard work and self discovery.
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John Zur

​Burger & Beer Joint opened to rave reviews over a year ago and is home to, among other things, inventive and mouth-watering burgers named after rock n' roll songs, There's the recycled shot, the mother burger, and now a growing collection of brassieres in the rafters over the sports bar.
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​​​​On any day, at any given time, nearly 200 "people" can be found lounging around GreenStreet Café in Coconut Grove. Some of them pose near the bar. Some hang from chandeliers. And others stand on the ceiling in the main dining area. Luckily for the Grove and, well, society, the mob is not a group of drunken University of Miami undergrads flashing their fake IDs for beers. The "people" are art -- a display of unique miniature figures made of white plaster. And they play a key role in the eatery's décor.

Three years ago, GreenStreet owner Sylvano Bignon waltzed into a Key Biscayne art studio belonging to Parisian Benedicte Blanc-Fontenille. The artist uses the small sculptures she calls "personages" in much of her work. All of it is centered on movement and the expression of the active human body. The figures are even used to create silhouettes in her paintings. The price for one: $250. Bignon says he quickly became enamored with Fontenille's work and commissioned a couple hundred of the personages. The artist recalls the day the two crossed paths. "He just walked up to me and asked, 'Can you do more?'" she says in a strong French accent.

Asked what made him think to use the bodies as restaurant décor, Bignon says, "I don't think about what's going to work; I just think about what I like."

It took several months for Fontenille to create the little white-person army. She then worked with Bignon's wife, Maida, to strategically place them in the dining area. Each personage has a signature stance and position. The artist says their placement is part of the art. And they are all androgynous. "We don't know if it is a man or a woman," the artist says. "The most important part is the movement."
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"Live every act fully, as if it were your last." -Buddha

​You wouldn't expect a small, hidden cafe on Biscayne and 76th to be a place of lofty idealistic thought. But with its quote-filled chalkboard and bookish bathroom, Gourmet Station inspires its guests.
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