Schiller's Liquor Bar NYC

Many of you may already know how much I loooove brunch so I cannot even begin to explain how delicious the french toast was at Schiller's! Located in the lower east side of Manhattan and part of the Keith McNally empire that includes Balthazar's, Odeon, and Pastis (among many others) this was a perfect weekend brunch spot. The design details were a cool retro-antique, the crowd was nicely mixed, and the food, well, the pics speak for themselves. Not a drop of liquor was ordered but indeed I left feeling drunk off deliciousness :-)

Schiller's Liquor Bar, 131 Rivington St., New York, NY 10002

NYC Farmer's Market

I love farmer's markets. They're a great place to learn about fresh new foods like when I found purple carrots and these honeycrisp apples. I'd never tried them but thought their coloring and patterns were nice (yes, I even notice on food, lol) and they quickly became a favorite. Speaking of apples, anyone ever try farm-fresh apple cider donuts? Delicious! I think next time I'll make sure to go ready to photograph everything I see...

Big Sur's Best Views

The best views in Big Sur are served with food, particularly the one above that comes with Nepenthe Restaurant. No trip is complete without stopping in to see what might as well be a painting. It was such a dramatic landscape that I had to stop eating to go outside and take pics of the spectacular display of sunset colors, shadows and fog. You can actually see the clouds roll in low over the ocean and across the mountains while the shades go from blue to pink to purple. Bea-u-ti-ful!!

Sweet Heaven : Day 2 Monterey Bay California

I looove sugar.. chocolate, caramel, cupcakes, peanut clusters – you name it and I probably like it. Sooo to my delight I found this old fashioned candy shop, Carousel Fine Candies in Old Fisherman's Wharf to satiate my sweet tooth. How fun are these swirl lollipops! After getting our sugar fix we headed to Cannery Row which used to be 'sardine canning' central therefore the name Cannery. Chilly morning but luckily it warmed up a bit and I peeled off some layers. Cool beach art right?

Canadian Culinary Travel

If you have in interest in culinary travel or food, definitely check out The Wanderfull Traveler. Canadian resident Murissa Shalapata shares her tasty experiences around the globe through her delightful blog and also authors the Bon Appetit section of Vécu magazine. The food shots make me instantly hungry :-)

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Taste of Napa - A Toast to Summer

Summer, you say hello and goodbye too quickly. You know how much I love to eat out and enjoy your warm weather, just as I did during my last meals in Napa when I had lunch at the Culinary Institute at Greystone and then dinner at Tra Vigne. Could your al fresco dining and refreshing, fruity drinks really be over so soon? Sigh.. Yes, I know, you've already said your farewells, so I raise my mocktail (no alcohol cocktail) to you and bid a final adieu for now. We have a dinner date next year, don't be late!

For more on Napa Valley visit my posts on Castle of Love and Vineyards & Chateaus.

Gelato in Miami

I finally got my gelato, strawberry for meee! What's your favorite??? Btw, this small strip in SoBe called Española Way had some really interesting little galleries but unfortunately, were already closed by the time I got there :-( ... Shot with the hipstamatic app on iPhone! I seriously need to get one already.

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Summer Brunch at The Surf Lodge

While visiting the Hamptons a few weekends ago, we stopped at the The Surf Lodge in Montauk, co-designed by an old colleague of mine. The brunch was beyond deeelicious! I'll let the photos give you a "taste" of it all, lol.

(My good pal Maurenice of Villa Bisono, took all these fantastic pics, they appeared previously on her site so make sure to check out her page for all things interior design and inspiration!)

View original post at Villa Bisono for more details on the brunch and The Surf Lodge!

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I Want Gelato!

I'm so craving a raspberry gelato right now! The ones that are all fruit and no milk. If I could just fly over to Santini's gelateria and buy 2 cones with 4 scoops. It may be in Cascais, Portugal but it's 100% authentic Italian gelato and no trip is complete without it! I wish I could have some right now.. Anybody else wanting gelato now that summer is here, or is it just me? 

(second image from here)

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Brunch in New York

The Pink Pony in the Lower East Side is my all time favorite place to have brunch in New York. For one, it's cheap. Two, it's the only place I know of that makes their french toast with sliced baguette bread and it tastes dee-lish-ous with a side of fruit. For only 9 bucks. And three, the brunch menu is available all week long until 4pm, not just on weekends. Sooo craving that right about now...

The Pink Pony Cafe, Litteraire & Cine Club, 176 Ludlow Street, New York, NY 10002

The Egyptian Bazaar - Istanbul's Spice Market

After the Grand Bazaar, I hit the Spice Bazaar, another crazy madhouse. But it smelled delicious, made me want to buy all sorts of cooking things I'd never use. I was looking for a spice called sumac which I'd never heard of and was completely addicted to after trying it on some pizzas. The real highlight of the bazaar though was the 'aphrodisiac for sultans' shop and a wooden camel named 'Jose'... hahaha

fresh black pepper, turkish saffron, sumac

I was never a black pepper fan but the Turkish version is soo fresh and flavorful! I still had a month left on the road and since the spices don't spoil they made the perfect take-away. 

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