We each returned home with a little something nice.
For me: A super-soft plaid Jack BB Dakota dress with a wool-lined hood.
For Kendrick: Sriracha chili sauce (he is obsessed).
For Lucy: An ugly doll (Kendrick had to hold her back while I took this photo).
Oh my goodness, did I love the decor at Robin des Bois Sherwood Cafe, where we stopped for a drink before boarding the train back to Manhattan. Inside the brick-walled cafe a swordfish soared across the ceiling, a single red Christmas tree ornament dangling from its bill, while a life-sized Virgin Mary stared down at a young couple drinking Duvels. I’ve just never seen anything like it.
Outside the market
Vintage microscope slide-pendants
I frequently get made fun of when I whip this thing out, but I don’t care: I love my purse hook madly, as it saves me from either having to sling my much-adored Kooba bag (a birthday gift from my mom) over the back of my chair (where it could easily be swiped), plunk it down on the table, or sit hugging it throughout the meal like it’s a small child. You can find a good selection of purse hooks here.
We decided to spend Saturday on Smith Street in Brooklyn so that we could check out the Brooklyn Indie Market, but first stopped into Apartment 138 for brunch. $12 gets you a sizeable meal and either a mimosa, a bloody mary…or a PBR.
I had a delicious steak sandwich - not-too-fatty meat, sweet caramelized onions, and perfectly garlicky mayo - while Kendrick had the poached eggs with portobello mushrooms and potatoes. The fries that came with my sandwich were exactly what fries should taste like - crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and just a little too salty.
GARLIC MAYO
You can make garlic mayo without going through the hassle of making your own mayonnaise (which, as any Julia Child fan knows, is quite an undertaking). First mince a small clove of garlic, and then make it into a paste either by mashing it with the side of a knife over and over or using a mortal and pestle. Spoon about a cup of regular mayo into a bowl, and slowly whisk in a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, alternating with the paste until it’s garlicky enough for your liking. Finally, add a squeeze of lemon and a little fresh-ground pepper.
We started our Saturday morning with Vanilla Nut Cream iced coffee at M. Rohrs’ House of Fine Teas and Coffees. I do not exaggerate when I say that this is the best coffee I have ever tasted in my life. I don’t even really like coffee all that much, and I can drink this stuff like water. Their website has a really nice gift bag selection; you can browse by price range and category (e.g. cocoa & coffee, honey & tea). I really like the “Brew the World” gift basket, which is a miniature burlap sack filled with coffees from famous coffee ports around the globe.
Gap Body henley, Forever 21 vest, True Religion jeans, Kooba bag.
In this episode of “Domestic Bliss,” Rebecca Shepherd teaches me how to make the perfect holiday centerpiece…in just about five minutes.
Friday night was low-key, to say the least. My hairy-legged husband and I ate linguine carbonara, balsamic tomatoes, and Duncan Hines brownies straight from the pan, caught up on Grey’s Anatomy and Bored to Death, and relaxed like professionals. Good times.
That rocking chair in the background is a hand-me-down from my grandma Bea, and, like my grandma’s piano, has traveled around the world, taking up residence in New Jersey, California, Costa Rica, and now New York. It’s one of my most prized possessions.
Check out a cool video about how to pick an antique rocking chair here.
On his way home, Kendrick stopped into Willy Wonka’s factory and bought me some flowers.
Anyone have any idea what these things are called? They were a little awkward to arrange because they’re so sparse, but once we located a narrow-necked vessel (a Dom Perignon bottle that Bevan - an incredible photographer and a lovely woman - brought to a dinner party I hosted over the summer) they transformed the table. So unusual, and so beautiful.
I think they’d be gorgeous tucked into a fall wedding bouquet to add an exotic pop of color. Just an idea.
This salad is almost embarrassingly simple, but so delicious…and it works alongside just about anything (tonight it’s accompanying linguine carbonara, because a couple of readers wrote in today to say that they made it and loved it, and got me wanting some). This is also my go-to dish for when a friend pops in unexpectedly between meals - it’s done in about thirty seconds, and I serve it alongside a little sliced salami and parmigiana.
Literally all you need for this salad are some great tomatoes (yeah, tomatoes are better in the summer, but if you go to a good market you can find flavorful specimens all year round), a splash or two of good balsamic vinegar, a few shakes of sea salt crystals (as distinct from the finer version of sea salt, crystals give this salad a wonderful crunch), and a few torn-up basil leaves. Toss, done.
Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best ones.
