LINDNER FA MILY CAFÉ | BRUNCH MENU
CURRENT EXHIBITION
Bijoux Parisiens:
French Jewelry from the Petit Palais, Paris
February 11–May 14
Sparkling gems, luxurious materials, elegant
designs, and superb craftsmanship distinguish
works by the great Parisian jewelry houses.
Exploring the intersection of French art, fashion,
and history, Bijoux Parisiens presents 75 glorious
pieces of jewelry by Cartier, Lalique, Van Cleef &
Arpels, and others.
Featuring jewelry from the early 19th through
the mid-20th centuries, the exhibition traces
changing styles from stately Neoclassical pieces
through lavish Second Empire and Art Nouveau
adornments to modern Art Deco designs. Additional
design drawings and prints illuminate the jewelry’s
place and significance within French history and
culture. Drawn from the collection of the Musée
du Petit Palais, one of Paris’s great museums, these
brilliant creations reflect the work of dozens of
talented artists, designers, and entrepreneurs who
collaborated to create extraordinary works of art.
Tickets available at www.taftmuseum.org.
Free admission for Taft members!
IMAGE: Georges Fouquet (1862-1957), design by Charles Desrosiers (dates unknown), Sycamore Maple Pendant, about 1905. Gold, enamel, diamonds, two peridots, and baroque
pearl. Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. © Patrick Pierrain / Petit Palais / Roger-Viollet. Droits d’auteur © ADAGP
EXHIBITION-INSPIRED MENU
Croque madame 13.00
Shaved ham, Emmental, and Alouette
cheese, roasted and topped with Mornay
and a poached egg
Bijoux gargouillou 13.00
A composed salad of prepared
and raw vegetables, leaves, fruits,
and chèvre mousse
Nutella banana crêpes 12.00
With vanilla granola
Anjou pear salad 12.00
With blue cheese and toasted walnuts
Eggs Sardou 13.00
Two poached eggs, artichoke ragout,
toasted baguette, finished with Hollandaise
Baby spinach salad
11.00
with bacon, grape tomatoes,
red onions, and herb croutons
For image credits, please refer to the back of this menu.
TAFT CAFÉ FAVORITES
Quiche du Jour
CHILDREN’S SELECTIONS
11.00
The Taft’s famous quiches change daily –
ask your server
Grilled cheese with cheddar
4.00
Peanut butter & jelly
Choice of apple juice box or milk
Daily selection of soups
cup 3.50 | bowl 5.50
Pick Two: soup, sandwich, or side salad
10.00
Cup of soup, side salad, or choice of
tuna or chicken salad on a croissant
Anna Sinton
9.00
A classic salad of mixed greens with
tomatoes, English cucumbers, red onions,
and balsamic vinaigrette
Add chicken to any salad
DESSERTS
Please ask your server about our seasonal
desserts, including homemade and local
selections.
Bread service available upon request.
3.00
Please note: One check is issued for parties of eight
or more with an automatic gratuity of 20% added.
Join the Taft Museum of Art today and receive a 10% discount
in the Lindner Family Café and the Gift Shop.
Ask our Café staff about planning your private dining experience. Tours and custom menus are
available for group lunches, and we also offer memorable catered lunches for corporate events.
R A M B L I N GS BY E X E C U T I V E C H E F LU K E R A D K E Y
As I began writing the menu for the Bijoux Parisiens
exhibition, I went through the photos of the pieces
and was immediately struck dumb. The meticulous
extravagance of them! My breath was taken away.
Two images erupted in my mind. The first was
the single memory I have of my father’s mother
Virginia. I was a baby sitting in her lap, and it was
like I was literally swimming in a pool of her long
white braids, each braid intertwined with intricate
silver sculptures. If I had had words back then I
would have thought she looked like a matronly
Valkyrie, her wheelchair a boat, the jewelry in her
braids a crown. Virginia had been a silversmith
and sculptress and regardless of the enchantment
with which I remember her, the silver pieces were,
to my grandmother, just things lying around her
small Chicago apartment that now, as an old
woman, she chose to braid into her much-toolong hair.
The second image evoked by Bijoux Parisiens is of
a jewel-like plate of simple leaves and vegetables
elevated by Chef Michel Bras to the level of meticulous
extravagance: a dish he calls Gargouillou, meaning,
loosely translated, “garden varietals” or “from the garden.”
This will be the fifth French menu our Café team
has executed. As a tip of the hat to Cartier, Lalique,
Van Cleef & Arpels—and to Chef Bras as well—we
will be focusing on our own version of meticulous
extravagance, both in our technique and in our plating.
I have chosen some dishes to reflect the 300-odd years
this exhibition covers: food from as far back as the 17th
century with modern twists, updating French café standards.
Whether you’re a child remembering his relatives as
fairies, a three-star Michelin chef and culinary guru,
an artist or designer—please let part of what you
take away from this exhibition be the acknowledgment
of the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that goes
into every meticulously extravagant endeavor.
H I S TO RY
The Baum-Taft House, now known as the Taft Museum of Art, is
a National Historic Landmark. It was the home of Cincinnati’s
leading citizens for several generations. Martin Baum, a merchant
and Cincinnati’s first millionaire, built the house in 1820. Arts patron
Nicholas Longworth occupied the house from 1829 until his death in
1863. Around 1850, Longworth commissioned Robert S. Duncanson
to paint landscape murals in the foyer. These are considered among
the most important 19th-century works by an African American artist.
Iron magnate David Sinton bought the house in 1871 and lived there
with Anna, his only surviving child, and her husband, Charles Phelps
Taft, after Anna and Charles’s 1873 wedding in the house’s Music
Room. Taft was the older half-brother of William Howard Taft, who
accepted his party’s nomination for the U.S. presidency from the
house’s portico in 1908 and went on to win the election.
After David Sinton’s death in 1900, Anna and Charles Taft began
to assemble a renowned collection of fine and decorative arts—
items acquired not only for their beauty, but also to teach and inspire,
thus helping their community grow culturally and economically. In
1927, the Tafts signed papers bequeathing their home and collection
to the people of Cincinnati. Charles died in 1929, Anna in 1931,
and the Taft Museum opened to the public in 1932.
In 2004, the Taft completed a major expansion and renovation
that provided new spaces for exhibitions, education, programs, and
visitor amenities.
TOP: Charles Phelps Taft, 1922. Cincinnati History Library and Archives, Cincinnati
Museum Center
BOTTOM: Anna Sinton Taft, 1922. Cincinnati History Library and Archives, Cincinnati
Museum Center
I M AG E D E TA I L S
Inside left, from top to bottom:
Auguste Fannière (1818–1900), Pendant, about 1860. Graphite and gouache on card stock, for execution in gold,
emeralds, pearls, and enamel. Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. © Petit Palais / Roger-Viollet
Georges Fouquet (1862–1957) after a design by Charles Desrosiers (dates unknown), Headband, about 1910.
Diamonds, aquamarines, enamels, and gold. Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. © Petit Palais
/ Roger-Viollet. Droits d’auteur © ARS
Lucien Falize (1839–1897), Gothic Bracelet, about 1880. Gold, diamonds, and turquoise. Petit Palais, Musée des
Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. © Patrick Pierrain / Petit Palais / Roger-Viollet