Kate and Randy's wedding Oct 2019

Fran had decided to rent a cottage in Niagara on the Lake for a family get-together and it kicked the whole thing off.  Kate and Randy won a weekend at camp and it coincided with Fran's cottage stay so they thought - why not get married then.  Oh, the complications!

What an amazing time it was though.  Months of planning went into this.  The first I remember, weddingwise was going to see Kate try on dresses.  Ali got us organised and Ali, Kate, Daphne, Elwyn, Lucy and I went to Corso Italia to a bridal shop.  They were incredulous that we were looking for a dress for September and we could only choose from one rack and they were all size tiny and very elaborate.  Kate tried some on and had to have the back held together.  Needless to say she didn't find anything suitable on those racks.  Ali was not to be deterred and found another bridal shop further down St. Clair.  We fibbed and said it was for next year and she got to try some on.  It was particularly useful because she came to realise that she liked the boned bodices and ivory satin.

She then went with Ali and Zoé to the Bridal Project where they have donated dresses which you can buy and the money goes to charity.  She found the perfect dress which would have to be cleaned and altered.  Ali found flower girl dresses at H & M and a suit for Randy too.

We made huge crepe paper flowers at great expense.  But they looked gorgeous.  I made some ceramic vases with Kate and Randy's logo stamped on them.  I made two ring-bearer boxes.  Kate had Randy's special wedding drawing made into fabric and I made a tie for Randy and two bow ties for the ring-bearers out of that fabric.  Kate had found her favourite Liberty print (also the lining of her favourite shoes which she wore for her wedding) and ordered a yard of it and used that print as an inspiration for the website and her flowers and also to cover the table at the altar for the signing.  I then also found a long velvet jacket which looked like the fabric in question.  All so perfect.

Kate and Ali conspired to design a camp flag which was gorgeous but, as is tradition in our family, the proportions were wrong and it turned out to be very small (which ultimately was more useful but a bit of a disappointment to the girls).  I had to pick it up in Buffalo because it would have cost $60 to send it (!!??how could that be?  It was light as a feather!)  So I picked it up when I went to get Becky from the airport.  It was very tricky because my Waze refused to work in the US and Fran and I had a bit of a hard time finding the place.  We then went to Wegmans to get provisions for the cottage and then pick up Becky.

Frances arrived in Toronto Thursday 12th September - 2 hours late but we set off for Oakville to stay over in the Hilton Garden Inn.  Had a fun dinner and Moscow Mules and wine and went to bed.  Middle of the night I realised I didn't have my passport to go to Buffalo to pick up Becky.

Friday 13th Sept  Was able to make Kate change her plans in order to meet mer in Etobicoke while she was picking up stuff from Costco and Home Depot and Walmart.  Yikes.  Kate saved the day by finding my passport and giving it to me.  Fran and I went off to NOTL to our air B&B after a sojourn in Oakville and some grub at the Croissant Express and a little visit with Mother.  Weather a little iffy so we didn't linger in Oakville.  Had dinner at the Grill on King inn NOTL and actually sat outside on the patio - lovely flowers and very nice dinner.  Paul arrived in Toronto on the Thursday and spent a couple of nights in Toronto before getting the Greyhound down to Niagara Falls where we picked him up on the Saturday.

Saturday 14th September .  Picked up Paul from the Greyhound and drove back up the Parkway.  Stopped for potential lunch at whirlpool restaurant when I discovered I didn't have my handbag so big panic and had to ditch perfect parking spot and lovely restaurant!  What a hoohar!  Turns out, I hadn't left it on the driveway but actually on my bed.  So we had to re-think and went for lunch at Peller Estates.   But then off I went with Frances to Buffalo to pick up the wedding flag and then Becky from the airport and Kate and the girls drove down after Diane's Celebration of Life.  We all got together that night and had a magical weekend together.

Sunday 15th September.  lunch in the Angel Inn

Monday 16th September   Kate and girls go back to Toronto
There was a bit of a problem because Becky had promised the girls the horse-drawn carriage ride but we didn't think it went on Monday so they set off back to TO but we saw  the horsedrawn carriage and texted Kate and she was able to come back in order to do it.  But not before Elwyn had been distraut and Fran had had to promise them a swim with the Dolphins in Mexico.  And now - haha - they've had their horse-drawn carriage ride a la princesses and still want their swim with the dolphins!!!

Tuesday 17th September.

Wednesday 18th September.    I set off back to Toronto to do wedding prep.

Thursday 19th Sept  I pick up flowers from Hofland.  Then Waze doesn't work so I contact Kate and Joe in the U-Haul and am able to follow them.  We stop in Flesherton to pick up chrysanthemums and Ali and kids join us there.  Much fun.  Off to camp.  Kate and I returned the U-Haul and go to Peasmarsh Farms to pick up some food (even though they had just closed, they let us in!)  I start prepping flowers.  Others turn up.  Tent gets put up.  We have dinner at camp in cookhouse.   Fran and Becky & Paul go to the B&B to check in.  They go to dinner at the Flying Chestnut.  It was really good. I organise the flowers, unpacking them and cutting the ends.  Gretchen and Zoe were helping me.  I sleep over in cabin at camp because it is late when I have finished.

Friday 20th Sept. I start prepping the flowers.  Carol and Don join me and we are making bouquets and boutonniers.  Fran and Becky and Paul go to Owen Sound to check it out and come back to camp for the rehearsal dinner and more flower making. 
Rehearsal dinner in the tent.

Irene and Emma arrive late, having found a kitten and it becomes the focus of the evening.  Becky drives us home and I leave my car at camp.

Saturday 21st.  Glorious weather.  I'm a little late getting to camp because I need a lift.  Finish the flower making.  Get ready.  It's really hot.  Eveyone arrives and the ceremony starts.  It is so much fun and really joyful.  The pictures tell the tale.

In the backyard - July 2019

I'm sitting here in the backyard...it's July.  The upstairsers have been at camp all week.  Joe took me to dinner on Tuesday and I fed him dinner on Thursday.  He had maintained he was going to be vegetarian but he couldn't resist the chicken at Flock on Tuesday.  Then on Thursday I said I was making lamb burgers and I mentioned cumin..."I hate cumin" he said.  "Too bad I said"  Then I said I was making a tahini sauce to accompany it and he said he hated tahini.  He ate 3 helpings of burgers with tahini and I had no leftovers!

It is a very warm night and I am sitting on my deck avoiding the holes in the deck....everything is falling apart.  But as I look around I love that I can see a wagon, a stroller, a swing, monkey bars, all sorts of kids stuff.  Nevertheless, I have a vase if wild flowers,  a crossword and a vanilla candle...and of course, some white wine.....

I can hear music - sounds of merriment, various air conditioners (not mine - I turned it off), a barking Poppy (what can she want?  She only went in 15 mins ago!)  When you stop to contemplate all the sounds you hear, it's very noisy.  What must it sound like in the country?  During the day there is much wildlife sounds but not now...but wait...what is that?  Shriek....shriek....shriek.  It's 10pm.  Would that be a bird?  There are still airplanes about and the odd honk of a car.....

Frances' birthday trip to the Magic Castle with Becky July 2019

Pick a Card, Any Card (and an Entree) at the Magic Castle

Our critic visits a secretive, sometimes silly Hollywood restaurant where the real wizardry happens after dinner.

Ed Ellis performs a card trick at the Magic Castle, a private club for magicians in Hollywood where dinner comes with a show.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

Image

Ed Ellis performs a card trick at the Magic Castle, a private club for magicians in Hollywood where dinner comes with a show.CreditCreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

By Tejal Rao

• July 22, 2019

LOS ANGELES — At a table by the stained-glass window, an off-duty magician sat alone, working his way through a rare steak until, finally, it disappeared. When his dessert arrived with a small, dripping candle, I wished him a happy birthday, but he didn’t want to chat.

Instead, he pulled a silver dollar from his pocket and leaned toward my table. “Want to see a trick?” he asked.

Everyone who comes to the Magic Castle wants to see a trick. A Hollywood mansion built in 1909 as a family home, for decades it’s been a private club attached to the Academy of Magical Arts, an order of magicians and a school devoted to the mastery of props like coins, cards and silks.

The castle was originally built as a family home, but opened as a club in the 1960s.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

Image

The castle was originally built as a family home, but opened as a club in the 1960s.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

The place is not exactly known for its food, but it got a new chef in April. And because diners are not allowed to take pictures inside the castle, the restaurant maintains a level of mystery that is increasingly rare.

There are no streams of dishes shot from overhead or blurry cocktails on Yelp. No influencers leading walking-tour videos of the rooms on YouTube. Social media doesn’t ruin a place, but something about the Magic Castle seemed unspoiled to me, protected as it is from camera phones.

The restaurant is for members, but commoners can wangle their way in; politely emailing current performers often works, as does accompanying a member. I got a reservation through a friend, and my plan was simple: to keep my phone away and to pay attention, to take in as much magic as possible.

This started at the door, where my friends and I were instructed to say, “Open sesame” to a mechanical owl perched on the bookshelf.

Image

The castle is a maze of rooms, including the Owl Bar, decorated with a mechanical owl named Archimedes.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

Image

Evan Lai, a server at the Magic Castle, surveying the Houdini dining room during dinner service.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

After we paid our respects to the owl with the flashing eyes, the bookshelf opened, revealing a passage into the house. It was a touch of theme park staging, but it set the tone exactly right for what was ahead.

The décor throughout the castle is charming and gothic, with every wall covered in arcana, newspaper clippings, posters and portraits of long-gone performers, one-time players in the history of magic. The odd googly-eyed portrait will follow your gaze menacingly.

Guests speak magic words to a mechanical owl, and a door opens to reveal a passage into the castle.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

Image

Guests speak magic words to a mechanical owl, and a door opens to reveal a passage into the castle.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

The door fee is $25 to $35, depending on which night you visit, and with simultaneous performances going on in every room, paying attention to one means you miss out on another. There’s no way around it: You experience the castle in fragments.

The dining room is upstairs, paneled and tasseled and flickering in the way of a Victorian parlor midseance. Because of the strict dress code — everyone is in suit jackets and ties, or flowing dresses — the room has the feel of a first-class cabin on a ghost cruise line.

The light in the dining room is dim and flickering, in the way of a Victorian parlor midseance.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

Image

The light in the dining room is dim and flickering, in the way of a Victorian parlor midseance.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

The laughter is loud and drunken, and any spills are absorbed into a dark, patterned carpet. The menu is à la carte, and servers are quick to remind you that every diner is required to order an entree.

ADVERTISEMENT

The new chef, Jason Fullilove, has updated presentations and added a few flourishes here and there: local peas and kumquats, wild prawns from the Pacific. But the menu is still rooted in vintage steakhouse and club fare.

Image

Nick Dopuch, a magician and bartender, performing a card trick in the Hare Pub.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

Image

The chef Jason Fullilove took charge of the kitchen in April.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

The short rib ($40) holds a large, decorative, Flintstone-esque bone. The shrimp cocktail comes with more sauce than you could possibly use. Mr. Fullilove, who used to run the soul-food pop-up Barbara Jean, felt compelled to preserve the restaurant’s history. He held onto the menu’s most beloved old-fashioned dishes, like the fat slices of medium-rare beef Wellington ($48) wrapped in thin, buttery pastry, served with mashed potatoes and demi-glace shining like a dark mirror.

The menu has been updated, but a few classics like the beef Wellington remain.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

Image

The menu has been updated, but a few classics like the beef Wellington remain.CreditAdam Amengual for The New York Times

The magic happens, officially, after dinner — up the narrow stairwells, in the hidden rooms, on couches in lounges and on a stage known as the Palace of Mystery, where Luna Shimadaopened parasol after parasol and made sweaty, deferential doves appear out of thin air.

In a small room dedicated to close-up magic and sleight of hand, Juan Luis Rubiales performed a card routine, taking bets on the four cards he placed face down on the table, showing off how he could roll a card back and forth around his hand like a ball.

Mr. Rubiales revealed that he had hidden coins under each of the four cards without our noticing. And when he asked us to guess each card, the guesses proved correct. The audience gasped and cheered.

Subscribe to Five Weeknight Dishes

Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly.

It wasn’t over. The idea was to keep wandering around the castle, drink in hand, and to sip while we took in the shows, moving from room to room, starting a new tab in each.

But I wondered later if it was a bit of misdirection: When a man is trapped, juggling handkerchiefs inside a giant balloon and attempting to light a cigarette, you’re less likely to notice a few ice chips in your martini.

The Magic Castle 7001 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood; magiccastle.com