One Thing L.A.

One carefully chosen thing once a week from an online food and news editor (Yahoo/TakePart.com) turned creative writer. I'm Sarah Fuss Kessler, fanatical researcher and lifelong Angeleno. I spent too damn long finding these things to keep them to myself.

[onethingla]

* One Thing L.A. is on pause, since I’m out of town this year. Thanks for visiting! Sign up, and I’ll let you know when I’m back at it. *

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The Hidden Gallery That Is Some Sort of Alternate Universe

Art by Clare Graham. Bottom right button-mirror photo by sorinphoto.com

MorYork Gallery on York in Highland Park will blow your socks off and then roll them up into flower origami, with thousands of other blown-off socks, mount them on a tabernacle, and make you understand your socks—and by extension, your life—in an entirely new way. MorYork is the studio and gallery of artist Clare Graham, in whose hands collections of buttons are reworked into chandeliers; colored pencils become folding screens; and tin-can tops are made into optic coverings for shelves and dining tables. He calls it obsessive compulsive order.

Since MorYork doesn’t have a sign, I’d walked by it many times, thinking it was just another concrete structure shedding paint. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The gallery is immersive, wondrous, and about the size of a roller-skating rink, which is what it was in the ‘50s. The space also hosts shows of unrepresented visual artists, as well as performances. These can be a great way to get inside the gallery, which is open only sporadically. There's an upcoming concert with Dorian Wood performing 10 David Bowie songs on February 26 and 27. Also, MorYork is sometimes open on the second Saturday of each month during the Northeast L.A. (NELA) Art Walks, or try calling to set up an appointment.

MorYork 4959 York Blvd. Highland Park 90042 [phone]

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6 Restaurants and Bars With Secret Compartments

1. Of all the Los Angeles restaurants and bars I know with hidden compartments, the private party room at Covell, a wine bar in Los Feliz, is the most secret. That’s because it’s concealed the way all great secret spaces are concealed, that is, behind a bookcase.

2. 55 Degree Wine, a wine shop in Atwater, has a little-known downstairs cellar with a small wine bar that serves charcuterie and cheese boards.

3. In Venice there’s the most beautiful apartment upstairs from Gjelina available for dinner parties. It includes a roof space, a small bar, and even a bedroom and bathroom, where you can stay overnight.

4. Behind a door at the Vietnamese restaurant Blossom on Sunset, stairs lead down to a cavernous candle-lit floor (with bar) where the vibe’s much more moody than in the main room.

5. The upstairs area at the Silverlake seafood spot L&E is totally visible from the street, BUT what is sort of secret is how the menu up there is different and more casual, and what I’m trying to get at is that they serve lobster rolls, which cannot be had downstairs. (Don’t even ask!) Go early because it fills up fast.

6. Also there’s that hidden party room at Golden Road Brewery called Chloe’s, but you already knew that.

Anyone got any other secret places to spill?

Photos clockwise: Gjelina x 2, Blossom, Covell, Chloe’s

[onethingla]

Genius Valentine’s Day Gift That Seems So Obvious Now

My husband isn’t big on dancing, which is what made his gift of a six-week series of ballroom dance classes at Third Street Dance all the more surprising and meaningful. Third Street Dance is a 35-year-old L.A. institution that knows exactly how to make dancers out of couples who only know how to bounce to rap music or maybe went to cotillion once. Mike and I—really, I swear—had no foundational knowledge of legitimate two-person dancing, but the ballroom dance teacher at Third Street was easy to follow. (You can also take swing, salsa, and more, but ballroom seemed simplest.) Since it’s a structured series, you come out learning a lot more than you would at a one-off dance class or dance workout. And most importantly, we had even more fun than we’d anticipated. Kind of like we were on our very own non-competitive sports team. 

To all the single ladies and gentlemen, if you want to take classes, the studio will work to find a dance partner for you—or try the Hip Hop class. Engaged couples, maybe a little wedding boot camp is in order?

The bonus is that a four- or six-week series will commit you to one fun night out weekly. From class, walk down 3rd Street to the lovely bar at A.O.C. for exceptional small plates and wine or keep it casual with beers and an extra-good artichoke appetizer at The 3rd Stop.

Price: A 4-week series is $125 per couple (not per person). Tip: Arrive early to nab a parking spot in the back lot.

Third Street Dance 8558 W. 3rd Street West Hollywood 90048 310-275-4683

Photo: Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, You Were Never Lovelier, Columbia Pictures

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The Roasted Cabbage Wedge Is the Hot New Foodie Side

One time I served a wedge salad to some dinner guests and it blew their minds. I guess because it’s something you only expect in restaurants. So, I totally recommend doing that—cutting a head of iceberg lettuce in quarters and sprinkling it with halved grape tomatoes and possibly bacon. For that, I recommend this homemade blue cheese dressing. (< I’m made to be onscreen.) But the recipe I’m really getting to in this One Thing is an altogether new variety of wedge. It’s the extremely delicious roasted cabbage wedge with dressing, which is a thrilling new veggie side in my dinner rotation. I’m not overstating it when I say thrilling, because it’s great and if I have to keep eating so much sautéed kale I might maybe die. I haven’t been this excited about a vegetable recipe since the forget the bacon holiday green beans from Christmas...

ROASTED CABBAGE WEDGES WITH DRESSING Cabbage Prep -Preheat oven to 450.  -Cut 1 head of cabbage in quarters, so that the stem/core holds each together. I’ve only tried green cabbage so far, but I think red would also be super. The size of the cabbage should suit the number of guests and the amount of food being served. As the only side dish, a small cabbage was great for two. -Lay one flat side of each wedge onto a baking sheet. Cover in olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and generous salt. -Bake on a middle rack for 10 minutes. (In the meantime make the dressing.) Next, flip wedges to other flat side to bake for another ten minutes. If the cabbage is bigger, you may want to leave them in longer so that the center is slightly cooked. Burning on the edges is good!

Dressing Options Option 1: DIJON - I adjusted the recipe from AnOregonCottage.com -Instead of 3 tbsp butter, I did 1 tbsp plus about 5 tbsp olive oil. I wanted to cut down on the butter and add volume since there’s never enough sauce in recipes. Adjust for the size of your cabbage. -Instead of 2 tbsp minced onion, I did more like five. -1 tbsp Dijon mustard (or whatever mustard you’ve got). -Salt and pepper to taste. -Mix together in a saucepan over low heat. -Pour over wedges after they come out of the oven and if you’re feeling fancy, garnish with chopped chives, parsley, or green onion.

Option 2: BLEU CHEESE - The dressing I mentioned above would be good here too, because it’s always good.

Option 3: Something you figure out and tell me!

[onethingla]

Your Guide to an Unparalleled Day of Peacocking in Palos Verdes

photos: upper, Gregg Segal for Los Angeles mag; lower, Nelson’s at Terranea

It all started when Mike began investigating a spate of peacock murders for Los Angeles magazine. (That’s right, illegal and serial peacock slayings.) Together, we went to check out a tiny, three-street neighborhood in Rolling Hills Estates where 200 peacocks have taken up residence. Two-hundred! What we found there is best described by Mike in his new story, Fowl Play: Who’s Been Killing the Feral Peacocks of Palos Verdes? 

Drive into the community between dawn and dusk, and you’ll spot a peacock before you can straighten your wheels. Then you’ll see more: peacocks strutting down streets, peacocks pecking worms from lawns, peacocks passing the hours on roofs and fences or the hoods of luxury cars, peacocks standing on the branches of pine, eucalyptus, and pepper trees, their long, listless tail feathers refracting filtered sunlight.

Some things get better as you get older, like peacocks. I was transfixed and realized this high-density pocket of peafowl was a great reason to visit the Palos Verdes Peninsula and its stunning ocean views. Here’s how to make an afternoon of it:

Arrive mid-afternoon and drive or walk around Dapplegray Lanes to appreciate the peacock activity.

Take a walk over the water on Seascape Trail in the Vicente Bluffs Reserve.

Have a casual dinner or drink oceanside at Nelson’s in the Terranea resort (which used to be Marineland, fyi).

On your way home at twilight, take a quick loop back through Dapplegray Lanes to hear the crazy hoots of peacocks before they roost for the night. Note: To see this particularly awesome peacock mating dance live, go from spring to mid-summer >

Video: SFK

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Secret 1940s Gangster Casino Turned Dreamy Wedding and Event Venue

Photos: Matthew Tammaro

Happy new year, everyone! Over the holidays I saw joyous photos posted of a whole new slew of engagements. Made me think about a great tip I’ve got for anyone who’s about to plan (or help plan) a big event. Of all the items in our wedding spreadsheet, the venue was what Mike and I really went on a balls-out investigative extravaganza for. After looking and looking and driving and clicking, The Mountain Mermaid in Topanga was the little-known venue that answered all our hopes (which had bloated to unreasonable proportions no thanks to so many too-perfect wedding blogs). 

We were looking for a natural setting but also a little fanciness, along with a bunch of other even less interesting requirements. The Mountain Mermaid met most of those expectations and charmed us out of caring about the rest. The historic estate was built in 1930 as a country club and by the ‘40s was a gambling house run by gangster Mickey Cohen. Our ceremony was in the low canyon backyard, surrounded by green and more green (willows, palms, ivy, bamboo, succulents), a pool, and the attractive art deco house itself. Dinner and dancing were upstairs in the great hall under rustic wood beams. The owner is an artist, so every detail has been thoughtfully restored throughout his 20 year ownership. The prices of L.A. wedding vendors are lunatic, so I’ll only say that the caterer-included package makes the cost competitive. 

For a smaller wedding nearby, check out my Topanga Mini-Vacation post as a most excellent possibility. While I’m at it, figured I’d include some of the places we looked or glanced at during our long investigation. More Mountain Mermaid photos below all the text. 

L.A. AREA WEDDING AND EVENT VENUES

LOS ANGELES Elysian, Elysian Park Carondelet House, Downtown La Venta Inn, Palos Verdes Estates Millwick, Downtown  Smog Shoppe, Culver City Temescal Canyon Park, Pacific Palisades  Franklin Canyon Park, Beverly Hills Desconso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge Orcutt Ranch, West Hills

MALIBU Rancho del Cielo Malibu Nature Preserve Malibu Family Wines Zuma Beach (permit through city)

PALM SPRINGS Korakia Pensione Smoke Tree Ranch Ace Hotel & Swim Club The O’Donnell House Midcenturypalmsprings.com

JOSHUA TREE Sacred Sands Bed and Breakfast 29 Palms Inn

SANTA BARBARA WINE COUNTRY Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse Gainey Vineyard Sunstone Winery Sognio del Fiori Coquelicot Estate Vineyards Tres Hermanas Winery (barn) Lafond Winery and Vineyards Firestone Vineyards Roblar Winery

OJAI Twin Peaks Ranch Ojai Valley Inn and Spa (barn option) The Dent House Calliote Canyon

OTHER El Capitan Campground, Santa Barbara (glamping) Historic Santa Margarita Ranch, Santa Margarita (barn) Cayucos Creek Barn

MORE LISTINGS Los Angeles Conservancy for historic locations Eventup.com - our 2nd runner up was a house rental we found here WeddingWire.com

[onethingla]

The Natural Answer to Better Face Lotion and Sunscreen

Even though it’s been raining, the heater stays on and on, making it deserty and wintery and way too dry up in here. The subject of lotion has been taking up a growing portion of my thoughts. When it comes to non-toxic face moisturizers, the green game gets tricky because natural face lotions rarely include SPF. The reason seems to be that it’s extremely difficult to make a somewhat-light, natural moisturizer, let alone add mineral-based sunscreen to it. The ingredients that enable lotions to be both as light as unicorn clouds and effective turn out to be synthetic. After a bunch of reading around the Internet and trying some products out, this is the combo I’ve chosen and happily used most of the year.  (Note: I only use the sunscreen when I anticipate more than 15 daytime minutes outside, which is the approximate amount of time recommended to absorb your daily fix of Vitamin D.

FACE LOTION: Bioelements All Things Pure Moisturizer $36.79 / 2 oz. EWG Rating: 1, limited data. Organic ingredient breakdown. I’ve been using this Bioelements product for about a year and like how non-greasy yet effective it is for its category, that category being non-toxic and under $50. I was using a more expensive oil blend before that, which soaked in quickly and I’d often have to reapply. Note that I have “combination” skin that skews dry, so this might be a bit much for skin that leans the other way.

SUNSCREEN: Burnout Kids SPF 30 $12.50 / 3.5 oz. EWG Rating: 1, limited data. Ingredient breakdown. Burnout takes a little more effort to rub in than mainstream brands because it’s zinc-based. But it takes a lot less effort than some of the other natural brands, like Badger, which is awfully waxy. On the other hand, Badger has a few less ingredients that fall into the questionable zone, but both come out on top of the Environmental Working Group’s ratings.

Illustration: Rocky Mountain Flowers by Edith and Frederic Clements *Note about the product link.

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The Holiday Green Bean Recipe That Makes Bacon Irrelevant

Green beans aren’t much of a conversation piece, so when people kept talking about the ones I made for Thanksgiving, I knew I’d found a recipe I could commit to longterm. I’m trying to eat fewer piggies these days, so I'd looked for a side that was every bit as wonderful as those that call for pancetta or bacon. I came across nothing I wanted online then turned to my bookshelf. That's where I found my old 2009 edition of Food & Wine’s Best of the Best Cookbook Recipes, an ongoing, annual series that combs through the year's recipes for you. In it was a dish called Green Beans With Shaved Onion, Fried Almonds, and Parmigiano-Reggiano by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox, but there's more to it than that...

Green Beans With Shaved Onion, Fried Almonds and Parmigiano-Reggiano

Serves 4 (for a holiday table stuffed with food this is enough for 7 or 8)

Ingredients 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup whole raw almonds 1 teaspoon medium-course sea salt 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed (I used the smaller haricots verts) 5 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, rind removed, cut into 1/3- to 1/2-inch irregular chunks (I recommend crumbling it much smaller than that) 1 small red onion, thinly sliced or shaved on a mandoline or vegetable slicer 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves Optional: 1 lemon Directions 1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and cook, shaking pan back and forth occasionally, until nuts are golden and start to pop, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir. Remove nuts from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels then coarsely chop. 2. Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Add beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, transfer to a large bowl, and immediately toss beans with remaining 1/4 cup oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3. Add cheese, onion, and parsley; toss well. Let sit for a few minutes, then toss with almonds and serve.

Optional: Squeeze  lemon juice on top to bring out flavor.

Illustrations: Nasjonalbiblioteket and Kronheim

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The New Year’s Eve Plan for People Who Don’t Want to Go Out or Stay In

The older I get, the less I want to be somewhere crowded on New Year’s Eve. But I’m not so old that I don’t want to do anything at all. Last year my foodie friend cracked the nearly impossible code on what the hell to do. He located a company with a stable of talented chefs and had one sent to his kitchen, where she cooked a gorgeous dinner for ten. I always assumed such a luxury cost $100,000 a head. But no. She worked out the menu with us then made an outstanding, upscale, family-style Thai meal for $50 per person (plus tip, 10 person minimum). This included an inspired drink mixer and the sticky-rice and black-cherry dessert pictured below. Have I mentioned I was a food editor for six years? The meal was really great. And it cost less than if we’d thrown elbows for a reservation somewhere—especially the alcohol, which was BYO.

The catch? The company that connected us with the chef is no longer in town. The save? They put me in touch with some of their L.A. chefs. I’ve reached out to these talented people to see who’s still available for New Year’s Eve. And yes, a few of them are—including the chef my friends hired last year, whose cooking is also influenced by Panamanian, Latin-Caribbean, North African, and Mediterranean cuisine. Another chef I talked to specializes in high-end New American food ($125/person plus tip, 12 person minimum) and used to work at Connie and Ted’s and Gordon Ramsay. Those are her grilled artichokes above. If you think a super chef in your kitchen might be the best way to have a laid-back yet extra-special NYE, just email me at [email protected]. I'll help make it happen. First come, first served. (You can ask about other dates, too.) Here's to 2016! 16? 16!

*Booking note

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The Holiday Gift Basket Other Gift Baskets Want to Be

Remember when your parents used to get Hickory Farms cheese and cured meats baskets for Christmas in the ‘80s? I do, especially the mini smoked Gouda logs. A little salty but they really rang in the season. Holiday baskets have come a long way since then. Gratitude Collaborative is a new Los Angeles company collecting gourmet treats into picture-perfect gift baskets trimmed with floral arrangements (fresh for local delivery or dried for long-distance shipping). More importantly, a share of each sale provides meals to hungry kids.

For instance if you send the Little Sweet Something box below ($75 plus $20 for local delivery only), you’ll provide 10 meals to hungry kids in the U.S. The Sweet Winter Box above ($150 plus $20-$25 delivery or shipping) includes even more gourmet gifts and doubles the meals provided to 20. And 100 percent of the purchase price of the pretty options at this link go to the Downtown Women’s Center. Gratitude Collaborative also puts together custom boxes and has prepared collections for other occasions, like man birthdays and when babies show up. Same or next-day delivery for L.A.

Photos courtesy of Gratitude Collaborative

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Non-Toxic Dishwasher + Dish Soaps That Work Real Good

Dishes seem to be a good topic for the Thanksgiving aftermath. When I started purging toxic cleaning agents from my house, dish soap was one of the first items I wanted to replace. Since, you basically eat it. It was a challenge to find one dishwasher detergent that got top marks from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) AND cleaned well. I went through a lot of brands. The best option I landed on was Earth Friendly Products Wave Auto Dishwasher Gel. (The Free & Clear and Organic Lavender varieties both get an A grade from EWG, meaning they have "Few/no known or suspected hazards to health or the environment.”) Honestly, mainstream detergents are stronger, but in the green category this one shines. Depending on your dishwasher, it may help to use a more thorough setting. Best price seems to be online at Walgreen's, where it's 40 ounces for $3.99.

For hand-washing dishes in the sink, a lot of products you think are green actually get schlubby grades from EWG. Like Mrs. Meyers and J.R.Watkins both get Cs. So rude. Instead, I suggest Planet Ultra Dishwashing Liquid. Best price for it seems to be 25 ounces for $3.65 on Thrive, a new online store that sells natural and organic products at wholesale prices. 

Hope everyone out there had a good holiday and a good team to help you clean up. 

[onethingla]

Not the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer

That sneaking suspicion you have every time you laboriously chop kale or saw a slice of bread— that your knives have gone dull—is about to have serious ramifications, because Thanksgiving’s in spitting distance. The solution I’ve got might be better than you're thinking. The last time we had our knives sharpened, we had to pack them all up in rags like Charles Dickens characters and haul them to a farmer’s market. It was a pain. That’s why we were excited to find Gary’s Knife Sharpening Service, which makes house calls! Like doctors used to! Like why don’t they still? And it only takes about 30 minutes, depending on what you’ve got.

You can check Gary’s price list to see if your needs meet his minimum for a visit, which is normally $45. But if you tell him One Thing L.A. sent you, he’ll take 20 percent off (which brings the cost down to $36). Anything over that gets the discount, too. I hope you feel thankful.

Gary’s Knife Sharpening Service [email protected] 310.560.3258

Oh, were you wondering where you can buy those rainbow Laguiole steak knives? Try BlissHomeAndDesign.com. They’ve got some kind of deal going right now, too.

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The Lost Art of the Shredded Potato

Photo: Hash browns at Commissary by Danny L., Yelp

Lots of good things happened when frozen foods went out of style, but the one tragedy for me was how shredded potatoes (in the form of hash browns and tater tots) were subbed out for big chunked potato sides. If it were my choice, no matter how upscale the breakfast was, I’d have the option to order shredded potatoes on the side. I’m so grateful that I’ve come across these restaurants that know what I mean.

1. Commissary. It makes sense that in Roy Choi’s kitchen of high and low art, finely shredded and perfectly browned circles of hash browns arrive alongside breakfast sandwiches, chorizo & eggs, and brioche eggs Benedicts. If you haven’t been to this beautiful greenhouse of a restaurant on the roof of The Line hotel in K-town then now’s the time to go, and daytime’s when it really shines. 3515 Wilshire Blvd, Koreatown 90010

2. The Alcove. Breakfast may be the Alcove’s strongest meal next to dessert because of their smoked salmon breakfast stack, which is two shredded potato pancakes topped with lox, poached eggs, and a dollop of creme fraiche with a sprig of dill. 1929 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz 90027

3. Umami Burger. It’s not breakfast and it’s not on the menu, but you can order a side of housemade tater tots at any Umami. Locations in Santa Monica, Downtown, Studio City, etc...

4. Yet to try: Akasha (breakfast) in Culver City and Petrossian (happy hour) in West Hollywood. See below.

On a very closely related note, latke season is fast approaching. Since deli potato pancakes tend to have mush in the middle of theirs, a couple Hanukkahs ago The L.A. Weekly picked out restaurants making a better breed. These restaurants confirmed with me that they’d be frying up latkes this year, too: Petrossian (available year-round at happy hour and sometimes all day), Akasha (always on the brunch menu and will probably be served for dinner over the holiday), Got Kosher?, and The Larder (probably will offer on their take-out menu).

If you know any other great places to taste the art of the shredded potato, please share a comment!

[onethingla]

Orange Wine Has Nothing to Do With Halloween

I’ve been planning to do an orange wine post for a while, so it wasn’t meant to be a Halloween thing. But the color connection is now hard to deny. I'll still try. As you may have seen, orange wines have been popping up on lots of menus over the past year or so. The first one I tasted and enjoyed was at Elf, the consistently terrific and charming vegetarian restaurant in Echo Park. So, that’s where I started asking about affordable bottles. They led me to Lou, the wine store in Los Feliz (1911 Hillhurst Ave), where I was directed to this bottle of Ravan, a delicious 2011 orange wine by Kabaj, a Slovenian winery that’s received nods from the Times and others.

The Ravan is $20.50, but Lou’s giving us 10% off though next Thursday (11/5/15), so make that $18.40.

I don’t recommend it just to be trendy—although we can admit it’s fun to serve something surprising to guests, right? It was actually a new taste for my tongue that my tongue liked. Orange wine is white wine that has macerated with grape skins instead of being immediately separated from them, which creates different flavors and textures. Ravan is made with sauvignon vert grapes and smells beautifully fruity (apricot, pear, peach), but the taste is not that. There’s a crispness but also a body that’s like a hint of after-dinner wine muted enough to be really nice with fish. Look, it’s hard to describe. One glass is perfect for me, so buy a bottle to share with friends. And a bottle of something else for after.

Tip: Serve the Ravan at about 55 degrees. And let it decant—yup, I said decant—for about an hour in the fridge. Just don’t decant like this...or do.

[onethingla]

Halloween Decorations That Don’t Make You Want to Stab Your Eyes Out

It’s not like I’m walking around judging people’s Halloween displays. I like when our culture syncs up to do something fun, and I in no way want to detract from that. It’s just for my own house, I can't take all that orange vinyl. So, when my cousin posted a picture of her door looking haunting AND artsy, I wanted details.

The Grim Wreather is powered by Pasadena artist Andy Alexander, who has created an array of darkly beautiful door ornaments, from the more abstract to the more monster specific. The piece pictured seems to have two names, Yellow King and Pagan Rights. I like both. Now, the thing about buying art is that it has art prices, so the low end here is $150. However, Andy’s offering us 10% off, so tell him you’re a reader. Keep in mind that no two are exactly alike (even two of the same design) and that you’ll spend at least that much on plastic junk over a couple years of running to Target. These are wreaths you’ll take to the grave.

P.S. Another stylish Halloween tip: I picked up this old-fashioned-ish string of glass lights below (made by Noma) at a hardware store last year. Lured the kids right in.

[onethingla]

Hand-Painted Bike Helmets That Will Win You Friends and Influence People

The helmet scene is generally bleak. You’ve either got those dorky techtronic helmets or one of the black skater-y helmets that are cooler, but not any more attractive. Not attractive, that is, unless a talented painter got her hands on them. It took my friend Claire forever to unearth this company in her search for an awesome bike helmet and it took me a stupidly long time to choose my favorite nine helmets (from so many amazing ones) to show above. Inkwell Helmets is the company that makes them, and I love all of what CEO and founder Danielle Baskin paints for one reason or another – whimsy, design, color, exactness, humor.  She’s got geometric patterns, buffalo, bears, fruit, maps, skies, and lots more. Based on the intricacies of the art, helmets range from $85 to $300. Clearly, they’re the raddest helmets in existence.