Name The Menil Cafe
The new Menil Cafe needs a name: How about......
The Menil Collection plans to open a long-rumored cafe in a converted bungalow near the world-famous museum — and they want you to name it. The museum has announced a contest to come up with the perfect name for the cool-and-breezy restaurant — and the possibilities are endless.
Wanting to do our part to aid such a beloved civic institution, Team CultureMap battled around a lot of suggestions (we thought of "Do" in honor of founder Dominique de Menil and all the bread that could be baked there) before narrowing the list down to these six suggestions:
1. Ceci n'est pas une Cafe
René Magritte's masterwork, The Treachery of Images, shows a pipe with the phrase "Ceci n'est pas une pipe," French for "This is not a pipe," below it. Therefore, our top suggestion is to name the restaurant "This is not a cafe," although we admit doing so may cause Google problems for would-be diners. (By the way, the famous painting will be on display at the Menil beginning Valentine's Day 2014 as part of the blockbuster exhibition, Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary 1926-1938.)
2. The Food is Not Free
Admission to the museum is free. Food at the cafe is not (we assume). Best to clear up any confusion about that ahead of time, no?
3. De Schlum Burger
De Menil was a member of the Schlumberger oil family, so it's a perfect fit. (It could also be a cool menu item.)
4. Don't Eat Here
The Menil is known for its extensive collection of work from the Surrealism movement. Thus, an appropriately Surrealist cafe name.
5. The Rothko Diner
Mark Rothko has a chapel in his honor, why not a diner? It can be a place to brood.
6. Twombly's Table
Located close to the Cy Twombly Gallery, the restaurant would have to have chalk and paper tablecloths, so anyone can scribble a masterpiece.
If any of these suggestions win, we promise to donate the prize, a table for two at a V.I.P. preview luncheon, to whoever is having the most fun on the Menil lawn on the day of the event.
Got ideas of your own? Share them in the comments or email CafeNameGame@Menil.org. Submissions will be accepted through Nov. 25, and the winner will be revealed Jan. 6, 2014. But really, you're all competing for second place. Ceci n'est pas une cafe is totally going to win.
