Bulletin Board 31

A dispatch from Ralph’s epic Hamptons show, a highly covetable aughts Boucheron and the perfect late-summer caponata recipe.

While summer is very much at its tail end (although it’s 85 degrees here in Rome, where I’m writing from) and fall swiftly approaching, besides my excitement for my favorite season, I’m also thrilled to be back after some down time. Today I’m sharing a late summer recipe from Sicily that is perfect for the market’s bounty of summer’s end, a watch from one of my favorite watch collectors who is always ahead of the curve, and our man in the field Zach Weiss’ dispatch from the much anticipated Ralph Lauren spectacle in East Hampton (complete with a reconstructed on site Polo Bar!). I can’t wait to switch out the linen for flannel, although that will have to wait a couple of weeks as I’m squeezing in one last beach visit—a quick (and first) trip to Sardinia. Hopefully Barbour season arrives soon after. During our August break, a lot of great intel was gathered—style/travel/food/cocktail/wellness discoveries—all coming your way this month.

DISPATCH FROM… RALPH LAUREN’S HAMPTONS RUNWAY SPECTACULAR

I’m not a frequent Hamptonite, Whenever I head “out East” — as Manhattanites say when going to The Hamptons for the weekend — I find myself battling traffic, struggling to secure dinner reservations, and overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that flock to the shores of Long Island’s famed South Fork. But on Thursday night, Ralph Lauren offered lucky runway show goers the chance to see his version of the Hamptons; the Hamptons of yesteryear that has inspired so many of his collections and one that is devoid of these painful and privileged trappings.

The scene unfolded at Khalily Stables, an equestrian compound in Bridgehampton, where guests arrived to find the world of Ralph Lauren had come to life in spades. Seasoned equestrians on their prized ponies cantered around a paddock and an equally prized collection of Mr. Lauren’s automobiles were on hand for us to admire, positioned cleverly throughout the cocktail hour to feel as if they belonged to someone who was just swinging by the stables. 

In total six cars were taken out of the designer’s famed collection of 55 museum quality specimens housed in Bedford, New York, including a 1948 Ford Woody, a 1958 Mercedes Benz 300SL Roadster, a 973 Ferrari 365 GTS4/Daytona Spyder, a 1950 Jaguar XK120 Alloy “Works,” a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Volante DHC, and the showstopper, a 960 Jaguar XK150 3.8S DHC. “Look, but don’t touch,” I was told as I deigned to take a step toward its front bumper, and as the sun set, we were asked to make their way toward the open air runway. 

Here, the Ralph Lauren design teams across Purple Label, Polo, women’s collection, and kids showed what they do best; over 100 looks all steeped in coastal Americana. For men there were the classic, sharp suits, pops of pattern, a smattering of the brand’s signature deep hued primary colors, and one impeccable navy blue robe with white piping that I suspect Mr. Hranek and I will be fighting over next season. Ralph, sporting a racing jacket from the brand’s Olympic collection, took his bow and beckoned us all through a doorway as Christy Turlington-Burns and Naomi Campbell followed in his wake. 

Jaws hit the floor when we were shown into a replica of The Polo Bar, constructed over the past two weeks for one night only. Every detail, down to the lighting, stemware, paintings, and polo paraphernalia adorning the walls had been recreated under the exacting eye of Charles Fagan, the brand’s Head of Hospitality, who watched as the scene unfolded. “This is surreal, I really can’t believe it,” Nelly Moudime, the Polo Bar’s head maître d’, told us with a smile.

Esquire’s Michael Sebastian and I spotted Jude Law with a gin Martini in hand, so we did the right thing and followed suit as we partook in some Olympic-level people-watching.

I was lucky to be seated with Architectural Digest’s Madeline O’Malley and not one but two real-life American Olympians, volleyballer Chiaka Ogbogu and swimmer Bobby Finke, both of whom arrived sporting their medals fresh from the Paris Olympics. Dining on burgers, Montauk black bass, and — shocking, I know! — another Martini, the medals eventually made their way around the table and we joked that the only Olympic sport I might excel in would be social climbing. 

Sterling silver trays serving up miniature versions of Ralph’s favorite Polo Bar desserts, including my favorite, the coconut cake, arrived to the table, signaling the end of one lucky night in Ralph Lauren’s picture-perfect world out East as the man himself, alongside his wife Ricky, admired the scene proudly from a corner banquette. - Zachary Weiss

WRIST CHECK 

The Watch: A 2000s Boucheron Reflet 18K Yellow Gold with a pink crocodile strap.

The Owner: Elias Marte, Manhattan-based Real Estate Agent and Alfargo’s Marketplace organizer. 

The Story: I usually collect the watches that people are not paying attention to. I don’t care about the complications. I like time-only watches and I usually go towards watch brands that are also jewelry houses. The Boucheron Reflet is the perfect example: 18 karat solid yellow gold case with sculptured gadroons and sapphire cabochon. The yellow dial is in a gadroon texture that blends well with the rest of the case. Pink exotic leather strap. An interesting fact is that the Boucheron Reflet was created in 1947 and was the first watch with an interchangeable strap system. This my second Reflet in my collection and I picked it up just in time for my birthday. The watch is the perfect combination of horology and jewelry.

A MAN AND HIS KITCHEN

Caponata is to Sicily as ratatouille is to the south of France. Caponata is the sweet and sour Italian cousin of the French ratatouille. I first discovered the dish on a trip to Sicily years ago, Italians serve it with fish and meat or simply on its own—good with grilled bread! It can be served warm, but I like it room temperature, or even better, chilled through after a couple days in the fridge, where the flavors really begin to meld and become deeper. It’s way more complex than ratatouille, thanks to that balance of sweet and sour that develop because of the sugar (I use honey), raisins (which I omit because I’m not a fan of their texture), and the vinegar. Both dishes make good use of summer market vegetable surplus, and adding in unexpected ingredients like fennel work well as a riff.

Caponata (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 large onion, diced

1 shallot

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large eggplant, diced (I chose not to fry here but you can. I just cube it, drizzle with olive oil , season and put it on a baking sheet for roasting, flipping around once for even cooking in a 375 degree oven until roasted golden)

3 tomatoes, diced

2 red bell peppers, diced

1 fennel bulb, chopped (optional)

¼ cup olive oil

1 8-12 ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons capers, chopped

Fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 whole bay leaf

3 tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar 

1-2 tablespoons honey 

Pinch of red pepper flakes 

¼ cup chopped small pitted green olives (ideally Castelvetrano)

Salt and pepper to taste

Steps

1. In a large enamel or cast iron pot in a bit of oil, saute the onion, shallot, celery and bell pepper and fennel, if using.

2. Add garlic, followed by crushed tomatoes.

3. Add olives, vinegar, capers, honey, red pepper flakes and bay leaf.

4. Stir in the roasted eggplant, followed by a handful of fresh chopped basil.

5. Meld all flavors by cooking down 20-30 minutes. The dish is even better at room temperature or chilled in the fridge the next day with fish, sausages, roasted chicken or red meat. I have even seen caponata made into sandwiches!