Inspiration: Old Tarot Cards

The dynamic duo has done it again. In the works at Dolce & Gabbana is a new set of eau d'parfumes inspired by tarot cards.
Each of the five scents retails around $65, I believe. They're all such pretty little colors in the bottles that I'm pretty certain that I wouldn't want to stop with just one! I would most definitely need the complete set to display on the counter in my powder room.

The pair told Vanity Fair that when brainstorming with the deck of tarot cards, they went through and picked out characteristics that fit everyone in the group (including the juggler, the lover, and the wheel of fortune... le bateleur, le amoureux, et le roue de la fortune respectively). Now I don't know if that's the truth, or if it's good marketing... but whatever it is... it's brilliant!

Listen mister... can't you see... I've got to get back to my baby

Get me a ticket for an aeroplane. Aint got time to take a fast train. Lonely days are gone, I'm-a going home, to my baby... she wrote me a letter.

I've had this song stuck in my head all day. I want to get home so badly.

Steinbeck Plaza

Steinbeck Plaza is the only place I know of where you can buy a copy of Grapes of Wrath and a handle of Absolut Grape.
What an awesome liquor store, eh? Go down to Monterrey, CA. You'll find the store near the old canneries.

silk ties look good on guys

Today, I was out shopping with my little brother in Carmel and I saw these beautiful silk ties by Ted Baker. My favorite was the little purple one in the middle.

If I had a boyfriend right now, I probably would have bought it for him... and he would have looked so good wearing it. If only.

Where to buy: Club at Red Haute Carmel, CA

Oh boy, Olallieberries

Saturday, my family flew into San Francisco to meet me so we could have a little family vacation. We spent the day in the city and then drove down Highway 1 to Monterrey, CA. The most amazing thing happened on our way there. We saw whales off the coast swimming in the water. I don't think I've ever seen a whale in the ocean before! It was a truly unique experience.

On our way there, we stopped in Pescadero for dinner at Duarte's Tavern. (Apparently it's a pretty famous little place... and we had to wait forty-five minutes to be seated even though the rest of the town was dead.) I'm so glad we waited though! For dinner I had blackened catfish with grilled vegetables (yum), and when it came time for dessert, we decided to try a piece of their Olalliberry pie (because they're famous for it).

Now me, I'm not really a big fan of pie. I can see why some would like it, but I kind of really love cake. Well, the waitress explained that Olalliberries are a hybrid blackberry (and I love blackberries) so I decided to try it. OH MY GOODNESS, IT WAS AMAZING! I can't even explain to you the bliss my tastebuds felt. The crust was perfect! Flaky, but not dry, and it had a yummy buttery undertone. Oh and the Olalliberries were so yummy! They were big and tasted a lot like blackberries, but they were shaped more like raspberries and they were nice and warm. I made sure to get a little bit of vanilla ice cream in each spoonful. I probably could've eaten an entire piece by myself... it was that good.

Since Saturday, all I've been craving is Olalliberries.

Today we came to Carmel, and ate lunch at a little cottage tea room called the Tuck Box. It was so picturesque and was built in 1927 by the designer, Hugh Comstock. (There are a lot of these little cottages in Carmel... all built by him... and apparently the whole reason he built the first one was so that his wife could have a place to keep all of her dolls... hmm).
We had lunch and then they brought us scones with what? Olalliberry jam! I was so excited! Oh I wish I could eat scones with Olalliberry jam every day! But I'm sure, if I did that, that I would become rather large. So it's probably a good thing that it isn't an option for me.
Mmm... so sweet and so succulent. If you ever come across Olalliberries. Try them! You will be so glad that you did! (And then... buy some and bring them back home to your friend, Hayley).

Connor comes to Cali

Connor's in California! I love my little brother. Or should I say... big brother. I've missed his mischievous little smile. These pictures were taken at Coit Tower yesterday. I'm so glad he's here to go on adventures with me!

Beretta

Earlier this summer, a girl I work with shared her favorite restaurant with me. It's called Beretta, and is in the Mission. It's kind of like an Italian tapas bar, and they're famous for making old fashioned, amazing drinks. I decided to try it out, and in the past week, i was finally stopped by for dinner. Twice.

One night I went with Melissa as a sort of "last hurrah" dinner to say goodbye since my internship was almost over. It's her favorite restaurant, so she pretty much knows the menu well. We sat at the bar and were able to watch the bartenders make pretty drinks. Dinner was amazing! Here's a little list of what we ate...

I started with a drink called "Airmail" and which is basically a rum, lime, honey, and prosecco. It was so pretty! It was a little green color with a mint leaf on the top. It was so fun watching the bartender slap the mint leaves! I thought that part was so fun! And the bartender who was closest to us shook the drinks in a really funny way.

We got two different kinds of bruchetta. Bruchette with fava beans and pecorino and then bruchette with crescenza and broccoli, yum! They were both so good! I think I liked the bruchette with crescenza and broccoli the best, though.

Then we had zucchini parmigiana and charred radicchio with saba... Oh My Goodness. The charred radicchio was absolutely fabulous! I don't know if I've ever had my taste buds so tickled! If you ever get the chance to try something like this, make sure you do!

After dinner we got vanilla gelato that was drizzled with olive oil and had sprinkled sea salt on the top like sprinkles. The dessert was amazing. It was just like eating really cold, sweet butter! I really wish I could've had a whole scoop for myself.

The other time I came to Beretta, I brought my sweet friend, Gracie, who was visiting San Francisco with her family. We were seated at the communal table in the middle of the restaurant, which was a little awkward at first, but I think we god used to it by the time the evening was over. We both got Hemingways (which are drinks with white rum, lime, grapefruit, cane syrup, and maraschino), and we both agreed that it tasted kind of like flavored beer... but it was still good, i guess. (Honestly, the Airmail was better).

We also ate the bruchette with fava beans and we got a pizza with spicy Italian sausage, panna, and onions.
I think I would now recommend this restaurant to anyone. Go if you ever get the chance, okay? And try the radicchio!