new food obsession: scratch and cronuts

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Okay, I can’t really say that these are obsessions because I have experienced neither. I know, this totally discredits this post but read on and you will change your mind.

Two trends as of late that I am backing: Scratch and Cronuts.

The two together sounds like a cartoon about two scrappy neighborhood dogs, or a documentary about a new street drug and the junkies that do it, but they are actually two of the best new things to hit the food market.

habanerosweetsbundle

 

via scratchdc.com

Scratch is actually a company in DC (ScratchDC) and it is more so the concept than this one business I am supporting. If I lived in DC I would totally support them, but for now, I support the concept and want to see someone take this idea and run with it in Richmond. The concept is making a meal from…scratch. They post a meal (for two) of the day and if you like it you can order it and they will deliver all of the ingredients to your door in 20 minutes. Just to wet your appetite, past meals include: Pan Seared Sushi Grade Tuna Wrapped in Wasabi and Phyllo over Edamame & Shiitakes w/ an Herby Garlic Chili Sauce, Vegan Habanero Sweet Potato Patties in a Coconut Spinach Callaloo Sauce, Super Fancy (and Cheesy!) Caramelized Onion, Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza, Baked Fried Chicken, Homemade Bacon Flapjacks, Tangy Collard Greens & Maple Syrup, the list goes on.

You get to make dinner without having to do the two worst parts: going to the grocery store and prepping your ingredients. You still have to clean up but let’s be real…that means recycling a few containers they gave you and washing 2 place settings and a pan or two. Other amazing things about ScratchDC? They source locally, they deliver, you don’t have to subscribe and buy multiple meals like similar pre-packaged dinner services, if you don’t know how to cook-you can call and a chef will walk you through the recipe, meals are less than $30, you’re cooking at home so you can drink as much wine as you want, they’re funny. If that isn’t enough for you then I just don’t know how to please.

cronut

via cronut.org

 

Cronuts. Odd name. Makes me think of a prehistoric bird. However, the idea is irresistible  Apparently, it became a star overnight in NYC and has taken the city by storm. A croissant and a donut had a baby. How come this idea hasn’t stuck before? We have taken the chic-ness of the French and married it with the American tradition of frying and dousing everything in extra sugar. Genius!  Now, if someone could just start making them in Richmond, I’d be much happier. Oh and we could finally contribute to the internet’s latest obsession www.cronut.org  

Do you have any new food obsessions? Please, share.

RVA Happenings: Single in the City

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One thing I love about this little city? There is a lot going on. Most of the time I think I know exactly what is going down for that week and weekend and then I am always surprised to find out that I really only knew about half of what was happening. There is something for everyone almost every night and I appreciate that especially since Richmond is a small, southern city.

This weekend there is an ultra-fabulous event hosted by bravo! at Richmond’s Center Stage: Single in the City, Saturday, May 18th, 6 p.m., Rhythm Hall

single-in-city

 

“Now in its second year, SINGLE IN THE CITY 2013 will feature a live auction with some of Richmond’s most eligible men and women and their fantastic date packages available to the highest bidder. Packages include fabulous local experiences, shopping sprees, great dinners at some of Richmond’s finest restaurants, the very best in the local arts scene and many more surprises. The event will also feature a silent auction.

All proceeds help to support the Artistic and Educational programs of Richmond CenterStage – including the BrightLights Education Programs, housed at the Genworth BrightLights Education Center.” -Center Stage website

You can read bios on the lovely bachelors and bachelorettes and all the dirty details of their fabulous dates they have prepared for you here. Hope to see you there!

online obsessions.

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“Being well-dressed is a beautiful form of politeness” -Parisa Fowles-Pazdro

i have a few websites and blogs that i follow religiously. they are my energy source. they remind me to be creative, be expressive, be happy. one of them is Refinery29.com and the featured couple today is just one shining example of why. i know that most of my friends and family do not understand my obsession with style and fashion. some may think it is self-indulgent or superficial but i see it as something deep and meaningful. your personal style speaks volumes and this couple has stated that very elegantly.

Parisa and Max Fowles of the line Maxfowles. See the slideshow on Refinery29 here.

and if I didn’t love them enough already…they also own an english bulldog. bulldog owners can’t not be friends.

unpredictable and very memorable.

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Fashion is exciting for me, as I assume it is for many of people. However, the thing that is most exciting is the excitement that is layered on top of that initial excitement. That is, that it is a different experience and type of excitement for everyone for varying reasons but we all kind of get it. Like love. No one can really define what that feeling is, as it is a different experience for everyone, but somehow we all know what we mean when we talk about love. My personal experience with fashion is that it is two things, the first being unpredictable. I read a statement from Garance Dore on The Coveteur that hit the nail on the head. She something along the lines about a piece in her closet, that she had loved it so much on the rack but she rarely ever wears it. You can think, “I have got to have that! I have to or I’ll just be so sad!” I may even save and save and then fork over two or three months rent to get it and then…crickets. Then I can buy a simple little nothing from a thrift store or H&M and want to wear it every single chance I get. Funny isn’t it? I also love those moments when you tell someone to try on something they’d never wear much less buy and when they step out of that dressing room you see a sparkle in their eye. They just received a little surprise gift. A moment of enjoyable shock perhaps. Sure enough, they buy it, love it, and never doubt your wacky suggestions again. It is this unpredictable game that is only too dangerous to pay if you refuse to buy anything other than high-end designer.

Secondly, fashion is very memorable. I probably have more vivid memories surrounding fashion moments than anything else. They say that memories that stick with you are due to heightened emotion like excitement, fear, elated happiness, agony. That says something, doesn’t it? It says to me that fashion is not just about labels, high prices, coveting pieces, or just the clothes you wear every day. I have always felt it is an extension of a person. An expression on the outside of what is going on in the inside. It is also a two way street, which just adds another layer to the complexity of its excitement. What do I mean by a two way street? I mean it has the ability to express how you are feeling on the inside and it has the ability to change the way you are feeling on the inside. I can wake up one day and feel very bold and dramatic, like a southern movie starlet (I associate my emotions with different characters I’ve created in my head). I will dress to fit that persona that I am feeling. I either do that to dress the part or maybe to intensify the emotion. I don’t know, but it happens. On the other hand, I can wake up and feel like shit. I don’t want to get dressed or brush my hair. I can’t stand the idea of looking at my reflection in a mirror. I just want to sit and be a puddle of pathetic by myself, but you can’t do that whenever you please. So I put on pieces in my closet that make me feel amazing and empowered. I brush my hair and put on make-up, not for me, but out of respect for my favorite piece that is “holding my hand” for the day. Viola! Attitude is transformed. Style is a relationship for me, like a dear friend you can count on and friendship is very similar to that two-way street that fashion walks. You can feel amazing, have a lovely day and it is all due to spending hours doing whatever with your best friend. Or you can feel down in the dumps, lowest of the low and the only person that can you pull you out of the wreckage is your best friend. Having those feelings parallel…it makes me believe that my love of fashion and style is real and important.

love+lust: black boots

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i am cursed when it comes to black boots. i am convinced.

funny thing is as much as i love wearing black-give me an all black ensemble anyday-i can barely keep a high heeled black boot or black pump in my closet. you would think with my preference of all-black ensembles these would be key pieces in my closet. meh. nope. it is not that i am not looking…trust me, i am looking. maybe i am looking too hard. twice i have lusted over a black boot online and twice have they slipped away from me because i thought too hard about it and didn’t pull the trigger otherwise known as clicking the “buy” button. both of those boots haunt me to this day. i remember agonizing over them. one was a vintage Ferragamo boot. beauty and vintage for just $75. *sigh* idiot move.

the other was a distressed black boot by a designer i had never heard of and still haven’t come across. probably a small time designer who has since been gobbled up by a big label or went bankrupt. i watched the price of that boot get slashed once, twice, three times! and i still wouldn’t just click confirm on my order. i am back at it again, searching for the perfect boot. here are a few styles i may settle for. 

1. Diane von Furstenburg. i know, who says “settle” when talking about DVF? I am just not nuts over all that stitching on these boots but i like the hidden platform and the wider stance on the heel. not too skinny for everyday wear and not too chunky.

2. MICHAEL Michael Kors York Boot. i actually LOVE these. they may just be the one for this year. my only hesitation is that heel height and width for any/everyday wear. i work for a conservative non-profit and sometimes i push the envelope as it is with my clothes. i don’t want to be known as hooker boots around here…because that might just be how they are perceived by my superiors (not me).

3. Sam Edelman Empire Boot. these are playing it safe. no crazy stitching or hardware. small hidden platform. i could get down with these although i do find them slightly boooorrrring.

can you see my problem? i don’t know what i want. i want fun and edgy but can’t get too crazy. my problem with picking out boots sounds like my pickiness in men. what i could really use is a closet full of black boots. however, a closet full of men isn’t as acceptable and not nearly as enjoyable as boots. talk about a headache.

look at that…3 styles in the love section and 5 in the lust section. not a surprise. that old phrase “champagne taste, beer budget” rings so true in my ear.

i play this game when flipping through magazines, where i will look at all of the dresses or shoes on one page and cover the copy with the designer info and prices with my hand. i try pick the one i like the most by what i see on the page not because i know it is “so-and-so”. then i look over at the side copy to see where my pick ranked among the others on the page. my favorite is always the super high-end designer that costs a few months rent for me. hmph. i chalk up my expensive taste to an inherit gene. i can’t help it, i was born this way.

 

1. Jimmy Choo Mirage. when I worked at Roan last year we sold a similar boot, the difference is the style from last year had a thick gold zipper up the back of the calf. i really miss that detail from this boot. i drooled over those boots every single day. they are a perfect boot. great heel width, nice buttery leather, tasteful platform.

2. Gucci. i don’t know if i’d ever actually wear a boot like this. i find them so interesting and some people really pull this look off without looking witchy. however, this might take me back to my Hocus Pocus-inspired days when i wanted to be a witch. Bette Midler in Hocus Pocus or not…they’re still fabulous.

3. Miu Miu Biker Knee Boot. there are very few styles that miu miu puts out that i do not love/lust. nice balance of a classy leather boot with leather straps and hardware that straddle the line of classic and badass. if anyone is looking for a gift for me…i’m a size 7.5/8.

4. Alexander McQueen Suede and Perspex ankle bootie. okay, not a full on boot so i kind of messed up the theme but i just had to share these. that ombre heel, hello?!

5. Yves Saint Laurent mirrored-heel boot. YSL rarely disappoints me. i am kind of obsessed with the mirrored detail on this boot. very sharp. not super into the ruched leather, but that mirrored-heel totally makes up for it.