The Detroit Institute of Arts had just opened up a new exhibit and we made an afternoon at this grand museum, one of the finest in the country. The exhibit of Claude Monet and Frederic Church showcased two distinct artists and genres. The “Monet: Framing Life” centered around the Institutes only Monet piece “Rounded Flower Bed” which was formerly known as “Gladioli” and the name was changed after new research. There were ten other paintings including works by his fellow friend and Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir during the early years in Argenteuil. The “Church: A Painter’s Pilgrimage” focused on one of America’s most famous and financially successful painter of the mid Nineteenth Century; and the working vacation that he and his family took to the Levant. Two completely different styles of painting in a grand setting. I knew that my Bride was an avid Monet fan, as she fell in love with his work when she discovered some of his greatest pieces on a vacation that she had in Paris, long before we met.

After we toured the exhibit, we decided to stop and have a quick bite to eat, as we were going to try a new restaurant (to us) that was across the street from the DIA. The museum has two cafes and we decided to dine at the Kresge Court, which is now enclosed and protected from the elements, but when I was a youth and I sometimes skipped a day of high school, I would spend the day at the museum and have a bite at this same court, and my Bride used to go here for their Brunch with Bach events. The Kresge Court is named for the philanthropic family that started with Sebastien Spering Kresge who formed the S.S. Kresge stores, one of the original “dime stores” and in fact the first one was located on Woodward Avenue between Grand River and State Street, just a few miles from the DIA; the company eventually ceased the “dime stores” after the success of their K-Mart stores. In this beautiful setting we decided to share a “Midtown” which was Capicola, Bavarian Ham, Genoa Salami, tomato, arugula with Dijon mayo on a ciabatta with some house-made chips.

We had also developed a thirst as the environmentally controlled atmosphere in the museum had us feeling a bit dry. So, we had to have some ice water and we also shared a couple of splits of wine. I mean this trip would not have even been mentioned if we only drank water. The splits were Cavit Lunetta Prosecco Brut NV, and Lunetta means “Little Moon.” Cavit is the largest producer of Prosecco and they own the largest facility in Italy strictly devoted to the production of sparkling wine. Since this was Prosecco it is all Prosecco grapes, or as it is known outside of the Prosecco region as Glera. The wine is made in the Charmat Method, and the secondary fermentation takes thirty days in Stainless Steel. The wine was just perfect for the sandwich and then we spent a couple of hours looking at some of the other galleries at the DIA, before we went off for dinner.