What are you all doing for the long weekend?
I’m hoping to make it out to Cafe Habana which just opened earlier this week in Malibu for some of the delicious grilled corn and a Cuban sandwich. I didn’t have a chance to get my fix when I was in NYC a few weeks ago so this is perfect timing.
I also want some yummy cold treats. Maybe Beachy Cream - or any of these recipes from Martha Stewart? I love affogato!
{images from martha stewart}
Wear some purple to show your love! They’ve gotta pull it together tonight.
But I still heart you, Steve Nash.
{photos by friends & lovers}
I’ve been wanting to throw out my bookcase {an Ikea Expedit} which I’ve also been using as a room divider to separate my breakfast bar cum nook and the rest of the living room. I’m kind of tired of this set-up so I’ve been looking for a less bulky bookcase that will go against the wall.
Not much luck so far but this custom one by Seesaw is dreamy. Just dreamy! The closest thing I could find to it was this one by Restoration Hardware but who has an extra $1300 lying around for a bookcase? Not me. Sadly.
{l-r: seesaw custom shelving unit; restoration hardware industrial etagere}
My trip last week was a lot of fun but kind of threw me for a loop. I’m kind of surprised at how tired I still am. It’s been an exhausting week so all I really want now is to curl up in bed, sleep for more than 6 hours, and eat some good home cooking.
I had so much American food while in NYC - grilled cheese! steaks! lobster rolls! - so I was craving rice and some Chinese dishes yesterday. I didn’t have enough time to drive to my Mom’s so….
I did it the poor man’s way. I whipped up some of my own creations! Chicken with shishito peppers: pan fry the peppers until they start to look blistered and marinate the chicken with some rice wine vinegar. I also cooked up some of my favorite Asian greens - the kind with hollow stalks. Throw in few cloves of garlic and some shrimp paste…YUM.
Travel is amazing but being home is pretty great too.
Happy Friday!
{photos by friends & lovers}
I’ve been searching for cool paper clips recently. I saw a simple yet lovely rose gold one on J.Crew.com {I love all things rose gold} as part of their new Turks & Caicos shoot and have had my eyes peeled for some cool ones.
These number clips are super cute though making them rose gold would be even better.
{photo from parcel post}
True that. It’s like you read my mind.
Too bad they didn’t have these in stock yet when I visited their booth at the Brooklyn Flea last week. But I picked up their artist edition no. 2 which is a goodie too.
{available at book city jackets}
Being back in New York always makes me happy. Everyone always asks me if I would ever move back but it’s a hard choice. I love both New York and LA. I will say, however, that New Yorkers are some of the most interesting people you will ever meet and that is one thing LA seems to fall a little bit short sometimes.
Some of the things I saw, ate, and would recommend:
Brooklyn Flea Market, Fort Greene - my first time! Some great vendors including vintage furniture, clothes, handmade jewelry, and delicious food. I picked up some book covers from Book City Jackets. My friend L and I had a lot of fun at the vintage glasses booth. Benjamin Button, anyone? The curly-haired, bespectacled man at the Blue Marble Ice Cream truck deserved a snapshot too - he was adorable.
Kumquat Cupcakery, mobile - the maple bacon cupcake baby is SO. FREAKING. AMAZING. I had the banana caramel too but trust me - it’s all about the bacon. Pigs rule.
Milk Truck, mobile - having just experienced Grilled Cheese Night at Campanile recently, I didn’t think I’d be wowed. But I was wowed. The Milk Truck Classic: gruyere on Levain Bakery sourdough. Oh, lord.
AsiaDog, mobile - banh mi style and pork belly-topped hot dogs. I loved the banh mi one, Sriracha and chopped peppers that made my tongue a little numb with joy. I wish there was one in LA because Pink’s just doesn’t cut it.
Little Owl, West Village - piping hot beignets and service sweet as pie.
Mermaid Oyster Bar, West Village - yummy seasoned fries, really good crabcakes and lobster rolls {on a brioche bun, mmm}.
Pipa, Flatiron - best white wine sangria ever! Get a pitcher and share some Patatas Bravas {crispy potatoes with spicy aioli}, Bistec Cocas {skirt steak flat bread}, and steak skewers. Skip the calamari though, it tasted like sweet & sour pork. Restaurant is gorgeous with antique chandeliers hanging from the ceiling {all for sale if you have some money to burn}.
Bar Americain, Midtown - I am a Bobby Flay fan but the only thing I really loved here was the hot potato chips with blue cheese dip. Addictive little suckers!
New York, I still really love you!
{photos by friends & lovers}
I’m off to NYC for work so posting will be sparse to non-existent until next week.
Hopefully I will eat and see some new things worthy of sharing with you all!
{photo from flickr}
TOMS Shoes held this contest awhile back, putting a call out for TOMS lovers to submit their own designs for a chance to get their shoe produced. It’s pretty awesome to see people get their creative juices flowing.
I was browsing their site today and am psyched to see that my favorite is the winner {shh, I voted more than once}. Colorful, feminine, and inspired by the designer’s travels to India - very cool. Can’t wait until the Fall when they release these bad boys for purchase.
{images from toms shoes}
It’s a trip to look at photos of your parents when they were young. It’s hard to imagine them as small, mischievous, or anything OTHER than responsible adults.
Isn’t this photo great? Even as a kid, my Mom was meticulous and very particular about everything. Holding her little wicker purse out like that - no one touch it! I’ve had many a good laugh over this photo. It’s my favorite.
Happy Mother’s Day everyone!
{top row, second from left: Grandma; bottom row, left: my Mom}
Color and pattern that make you say “yay, oh happy day!”
Pretty little bags from Bagatelle & Co.
{photos from bagatelle via mint design}
I’m a big foodie but I don’t always follow the big name chefs. I have, however, heard of Mark Peel and his famed restaurant Campanile. The wine list is legendary and I love their theme nights.
I met up with my friend E for their Grilled Cheese Night. We met in undergrad at Berkeley and our campus landmark is the Campanile so it was a serendipitous but perfect choice.
I picked the Autostrada: cured meats, provolone, and peppers. I didn’t try E’s traditional grilled cheese but it look ooey gooey good. I might go for that next time because mine was a bit salty.
Dessert was perfect. We had the Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler. Oh my goodness! It made my stomach sing. Sweet, slightly tart, and so creamy. I love crust.
Best of all, the service was sweet as pie. Taylor, the wine director, was just about the nicest sommelier ever. Our servers Sabino and Garrison also couldn’t be friendlier.
I love this place!
{photos by friends & lovers}
Love these Italian bicycles from Abici. Not only are they handmade {leather saddles and tiny headlights!} but their designers make full use of the Pantone system for some very unique colorways. C’mon, they have purple!
I’m kind of geeking out over these right now.
{l-r: grandturismo uomo; grandturismo donna}
Porto’s is an LA institution. It is bakery mecca. But it’s all the way in Burbank so I’ve never mustered the energy to drive on over just for a pastry.
My mistake. I stopped by when I was in the neighborhood for work last week and I was starry-eyed from all the treats. There is a lot to chose from. I picked out enough to feed a family: 3 cheese rolls, 2 red velvets, 1 italian cheesecake, 1 creme horn, 2 meat pies, 2 potato balls, and 2 chicken croquettes. I know it’s a lot, don’t be appalled.
The highlights? The desserts, hands down. The red velvet is not your average cupcake. Moist and the frosting - think whipped cream and cream cheese frosting combined - is so airy. Dare I say it’s one of my favorites in LA {Buttercake Bakery is still near and dear to my heart}.
The italian cheesecake was light and studded with fruit. Reminiscent of Chinese bakery-style cheesecake, it’s not too sweet and the cheese is more custard-like than NY cheesecake. Mmmm…
The cheese rolls {not pictured} were also delicious.
{photos by friends & lovers}
…interesting books with gorgeous cover art.
This is why I refuse to get a Kindle. To me, reading without having to turn real pages or being able to circle big words to look up in the dictionary later just isn’t really reading. Just don’t tell the Santa Monica library staff that I do that.
{images from amazon}
