by W.E. Moranvile, Des Moines Register Datebook, September 2, 2004
When dining in Chicago, I've found that some of the more trendy restaurants have made the necessary restroom visit a worthy diversion in itself. Whether it's the edgy and elegant minimalism of glass-slab sinks or a more lively, rococo spirit at other hotspots, you can hardly wait to get up and go.
Sam and Gabes is taking a step in the restrooms-worth-visiting direction with its beautiful mosaic-framed mirrors above the sinks in both the men's and ladies' rooms. The pique assiette mosaic works are crafted by Des Moines artist Melissa Miller, daughter of former Des Moines Register cartoonist Frank Miller. Embedded in the frame is an engaging pastiche of broken artifacts from restaurants past: a waiter's corkscrew here, genteel silver spoons there, matchbooks, bits and pieces of ashtrays, sugar bowls, pizza cutters and salt shakers -- even an Iowa liquor permit from 1962-1963. Some pieces are anonymous; others bear names longtime Des Moines residents will recognize: Vic's Tally-Ho, Guido's -- there's even a tip of the hat to good-old, ever present Gino's.
It's a strangely moving effect: You stand there amidst the dreamlike jumble of all that remains of good times shared at bygone restaurants. And yet, with your own image in the center of the frame, the artwork goes beyond nostalgia. You're here now, it seems to say, and (as the song goes), "These are the good old days"
Pique Assiette Mosaic Mirrors, bowls, boxes, musical instruments, pendants, shovels and other mosaic garden art.
