Seeking Sanctuary in Art

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. We'd tried and failed once, here, Danny and I, and we were ready to give it a second shot.

Walking into Aurora, Danny began to ooh and ahh over the sleek black and white decor; he understood better once I explained that the place is a club on weekend nights.

Once in our booth, he continued the appreciative noises about the menu. Ooh, schnitzel! Ahh, fresh salmon! I brought him back to reality by reminding him that we had nerdy plans afterwards and that he was the one on a tight schedule.

So we went with sandwiches, he with his first-ever Muffaletta (he'd had bites of mine at Xtra's and Lamplighter and was ready for his own) and me with the roast pork with Swiss cheese, coleslaw, sliced pickles and Dijon mustard on ciabatta.

The only thing wrong with my sandwich was its height, so I wasn't able to actually eat it as intended. Still, even with a knife and fork, the flavorful pork and crunchy coleslaw were a tasty combination.

Apparently Danny's occasional bites of my Muffalettas hadn't prepared him for how salty a sandwich it is.

Hello, olive tapenade? I suggested he thin out the amount of olive spread and that was all it took for him to be more than satisfied with his choice.

One of the benefits of lunch at Aurora is that the chef is a master pastry chef and dessert arrives unbidden.

Today it was two rectangles of classic cheese cake. No razzle-dazzle flavors, no add-ins, just rich cream cheese flavor with a hint of lemon zest in a perfect sized portion.

Bellies full, we headed the four blocks down to St. Paul's to continue our quest to see all the Tiffany windows in central Virginia together.

For a church originally designed to be simple and devoid of religious symbols (iconography being much too Catholic for the, ahem, Episcopal church), St. Paul's is positively museum-like now, rich in art and objects. Which was exactly why we were there.

As we entered the church, the bells rang out the hour overhead; it was very cool to hear them from within. With our "Walking Tour of St. Paul's" brochures in hand, we did the full tour.

And, as we did so, we realized how familiar we've become with Tiffany's style; we can spot a non-Tiffany window from fifty paces across a nave or chancel.

Only one non-Tiffany window impressed us and that was for reasons completely opposite from those that make us Tiffany groupies.

Henry Holiday's "Moses Leaving the House of Pharaoh" had none of the luminosity of a Tiffany, but the richness of its jewel tones was breathtaking.

Since we'd come for the Tiffany windows, we were surprised to discover that St. Paul's foremost work of art is the mosaic Anderson Altarpiece: The Last Supper.

We knew from the VMFA exhibit that mosaic was also a specialty of the Tiffany Studios and here was magnificent proof.

The reproduction of Leonardo's fresco of the Last Supper could be an afternoon's viewing in and of itself. The rich, gold background set off the classic composition and up close it was mesmerizing to see all the tiny pieces that made up the greater picture.

For historical purposes, we took note of pew #63 (Jefferson Davis) and pew #111 (R.E. Lee and fam).

As a long time-lapsed Catholic, I had to laugh when taking note of the cushions in most of the pews. So it's okay to have creature comforts but not religious symbols in a church? Too funny.

But it wasn't issues of religion we were there for, it was art. And that surrounded us at every turn.

Luckily for us art lovers, the church wasn't closed today.

Aurora Scratched My Bakery Itch

When I was in college, I told my boyfriend Curt that I wanted to open a bakery when I finished school.

He thought it would be a bad idea and his reasoning was that I would end up the size of a house if I baked for a living.

Being young and gullible, I believed him and gave up on that idea pretty quickly, but my love of baked goods grew exponentially anyway.

Needless to say, I don't need much of an excuse to visit a bakery, so when a friend mentioned that she hadn't eaten much of anything today, I suggested an impromptu trip to Aurora and their bakery over at Fourth and Grace Streets.

How better to improve a Monday afternoon?

When we got there, the place was empty except for an employee at the bar and Aurora's baker Scott Davison who, when asked if we could get some baked goods, insisted we start with a sample.

He told us the story of the Sarah Bernhardt pastry, created by culinary legend Escoffier to win the favor of the actress.

It was an almond macaroon topped with a bulb of dark Meyers Rum-spiked chocolate whipped cream which was frozen and then dipped in chocolate pate glace.

Oh. My.

We each scarfed one down in an embarrassingly short amount of time and that was only the beginning.

When Scott found out I was from D.C., he regaled us with stories of places there he had worked, including the Hay-Adams Hotel, the Ritz Carlton and one of my favorite off-the-beaten track restaurants, the 50-year old L'Auberge Chez Francois.

All the while we were eyeing the case for what we were going to buy and take home.

So many choices in individual servings!

Mini Boston Creme Pies, Chocolate Truffle Tortes, Apple Strudel, Harlequin Italian Shortbread cookies, Lemon Tarts, Lithuanian Tarts.

After much deliberation, I got the Linzer Torte and the Tuscan Filberts; my friend got a half dozen goodies to share with her main squeeze.

By the way, for you caffeine junkies, coffee is complimentary when you buy a bakery item.

As we left half an hour later with our little white boxes and bags, it occurred to me that Curt may have been right about me and baked goods.

Besides, with a bakery the likes of Aurora a half mile away, I think I'll let Scott get up at 2 a.m. and do the baking while I sleep.

These days, that's more like when I'm going to bed.