Category: Food & Lifestyle

Eataly, NYC

New York City, overflowing with people and experiences, is also home to one of my favorite shopping and dining experiences: Eataly, located at 200 5th Ave.

New York City, overflowing with people and experiences, is also home to one of my favorite shopping and dining experiences:  Eataly, located at 200 5th Ave.  A collaboration between culinary icons Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, and Eataly founder Oscar Farinetti, the NYC location aims to bring artisanal Italian foods to its clientele.

image from Happy Healthy Life

This is not your average grocery store.  It’s a market for true food lovers, those who want to know where their food came from and how it made the journey from field to shelf.  The feast begins when you enter the market and take in the sight of high ceilings and marble, displays of exotic produce and crusty breads, tempting gelato and cheeses, Italian pastas, and other delights not typically found in American supermarkets.

image courtesy of: need to know
photo by Evan Sung

If the idea of cooking up these culinary delights overwhelms you, Eataly offers a variety of cooking classes.  Or, you can enjoy a meal in one of the restaurants located right inside the market.  From the steakhouse to the vegan cafe, Eataly is sure to have something to tempt everyone.

Before leaving, be sure to check out the wine store.  The staff are helpful and knowledgeable, an invaluable combination when it comes to assisting wine shoppers.

photo by Bryan Hood

To learn more about Eataly’s philosophy, products, or classes, visit their website or look them up on Facebook.

Looking Forward to Flowers!

There’s nothing like a bunch of colorful flowers or artful greenery to brighten any area, inside or out.

So far this winter, Mother Nature has spared us from a typical New England winter.  Even still, by the end of January it’s hard to avoid wishful thoughts of warmer breezes, green buds on trees, and those first flowers to signal the start of spring.  It’s the flowers in particular that I look forward to, not only for the season they symbolize but for the memories and sentiments they evoke.  There’s nothing like a bunch of colorful flowers or artful greenery to brighten any area, inside or out.

We can’t hurry spring along, but here are some examples of arrangements and flowers I love.

I love this floral composition.

 

Just greens.
Alliums are the initial start of spring for me.
Hydrangia - all time favorite!
Sunflowers remind me of my first date with my husband.

 

Hearty yet simple.
Tulips: One of my favorites in any color.

Odds are you live near a florist or flower shop, which means there’s no reason to wait until spring to enjoy a beautiful bunch of flowers.  Why not treat yourself to some cheerful blooms the next time you go out?

cover photo source

Great Britain’s Winter Gardens

Many English gardens have areas specifically landscaped to take advantage of the bare branches, snow, and ice of winter.

Have you ever watched a period piece set in England, like Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre and wished you could take a stroll through one of those elaborate gardens?  Believe it or not, those incredible gardens exist all over the UK and are typically open to the public for most of the year.  Many gardens have areas specifically landscaped to take advantage of the bare branches, snow, and ice of winter.  Even gardens not designed with winter in mind have their own chilly charm.   When you look at the photos below, it’s not hard to see why gardens have such a monumental place in the hearts of Britain’s citizens.

Stourhead Gardens
Kew Gardens, London

 

Dunham Massey, Cheshire
Globe thistle at Kew Gardens
Pagoda at Kew Gardens
Holly at Kew Gardens

 

 Cover photo (icicles) source

 

Cover photo (bridge) source

 

 

 

 

 

NY Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show

Set in the beautiful Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the Holiday Train Show features model trains running through replicas of famous New York City landmarks.

This year marks the 20th Annual Holiday Train Show at the NYC Botanical Gardens.  Running from Nov 19, 2011 through Jan 16, 2012, this is truly an enchanting show for all ages.

Set in the beautiful Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the Holiday Train Show features model trains running through replicas of famous New York City landmarks.   As you walk through the conservatory, you  have the pleasure of watching the model trains chug their charming way through the lush greenery and around such well-known sights as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.  As if that weren’t a fun enough concept, the NYC replicas are constructed from parts of plants such as bark, leaves, and nuts!  Imagine the city transformed into a woodland fairy world and you get a fairly good idea of what the Holiday Train Show has in store.

I just love the detail and artistry of these buildings!
It isn't hard to imagine this city populated with sprites!

It’s hard to imagine the scale of the train show from just these pictures, but the next two will give you a better idea of the size of the displays.  In addition, this year the Holiday Train Show features a new attraction called the Artists’ Studio.  It allows visitors to see the process involved in construction of the NYC replicas.  You’ll be able to see buildings in various stages of completion, from start to finish!

Visitors admire some of the replicas.
You can walk right under the Brooklyn Bridge!

Whether you’re looking for a family outing or a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, the Holiday Train Show is an excellent option.  Take a leisurely stroll, admire the creativity and ingenuity of the replicas among the vibrant flora, enjoy hot chocolate and gingersnaps, and lose yourself in a magical world!

Visit the NYC Botanical Garden website for ticket information and show hours.

Artisan Chocolates

Few people can resist the dark allure of really good chocolate.

Few people can resist the dark allure of really good chocolate.  We associate chocolate with rich desserts, lavish Valentine’s Day gifts, and decadent holiday treats, but what we now call chocolate began as a very different kind of concoction.

Mankind’s love affair with chocolate began a staggering 4,000 years ago in the Amazon when cocoa beans were roasted, ground, and made into an unsweetened, bitter drink.  In the 16th century Spain, the brilliant step of blending chocolate with sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon created a fashionable beverage for the nobility.  It wasn’t until 1830, however, that a process for developing solid eating chocolate was finally developed, and another few decades would pass before the inception of milk chocolate.

With the holidays quickly approaching, I want to focus on gorgeous artisan chocolates.  Odds are, a gift box of these beautiful chocolates would make someone on your gift list a very happy person.  I’ve found that local chocolatiers often combine exquisite craftsmanship with high quality, fresh ingredients for the kind of chocolate experience a mass-produced chocolate company cannot compare with.

Truffles

 

 

 

Connoisseur Collection

 

For example, DeBrand Fine Chocolates is a family-owned chocolate company in Indiana.  Each piece of chocolate is meticulously hand-crafted from the highest quality ingredients.  These chocolates taste as incredible as they look, with traditional as well as exotic flavors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another noteworthy artisan chocolate shop is Alma Chocolate in Portland, Oregon.  Chocolatier Sarah Hart creates traditional truffles, bon bons in a variety of tempting flavors, and unique molded chocolates decorated with edible gold leaf.

Thai peanut butter cup
Quan Yin Icon

 

Christopher Elbow Chocolates in Kansas City and San Francisco, sculpts tiny works of art into delectable chocolate creations.  Each confection is as much a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds.

Christopher Elbow Chocolate Collection

In my experience, the ideal chocolate shop offers hand-made chocolates made from fresh ingredients on a small scale.  If you aren’t lucky enough to have a small chocolate shop that makes their own artisan chocolates, all of the examples here ship chocolates anywhere in the U.S.  For gifts, dessert or favors at your next dinner party or event, beautiful little works of art like this can please on every aesthetic level.