We just were chosen one of the 2011 Best Stores in Texas! Please have a look at this very charming and savvy site. Our humble thanks and gratitude to all of you.
Cristiana & Betty
August Dining
We were in Ne
w York for the weekend approving our cashmere samples. August used to be no man’s land in the city, but due to the huge tourist industry, the restaurants were booming. (Luckily, we missed the horrific heatwave.) We decided to try 3 restaurants that had opened with in the last six months. Friday night we had dinner at Casa Lever which replaced Lever House. It is Italian (owned by the Saint-Ambrouse group) nonetheless, it reminded us of Terminal 1 at Charles De Gualle Airport! It is quite mod to say the least. We found the food to be good, but expensive. The wine list was amazing. We had a delicious bottle of rose. The waiters are charming and extremely handsome. Casa Lever, 390 Park Avenue, (212) 888-2700
Dinner Saturday was at Colicchio & Sons (Top Chef Tom Colicchio’s newest.) We loved everything about it from the food to the wine to the service to the decor. The Yellowfin tuna appetizer was divine, as were both our main courses. You simply can’t go wrong with anything on this menu. After dinner, we strolled the Highline. (See our previous post for photos!) 
It was a lovely night, but all we could think about was how we finished off dinner: a tasting of 6 sorbets. Yum. Colicchio & Sons, 85 Tenth Ave. (at 15th Street) (212) 400-6699
Lunch on Sunday was at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s new ABC Kitchen which is located in the basement of ABC Home Furnishings. This store has always been one of our favorites, and the restaurant is sure to become one too. They specialize in fresh organic and local ingredients, and it was quite evident from the menu – as well as the flavors of everything we ordered. Peekytoe crab toast, tuna sashimi, followed by a spinach and goat cheese pizza and the wild striped bass…for a minute, it felt like we’d been whisked off to the Hamptons! abc kitchen, 35 E. 18th St. (212) 598-3020
Check this out!
Exciting news! Our dear friend, fashion and lifestyle guru, Roz Pactor is putting together three fabulous seminars at Tony’s. See the details from Roz below.
Welcome to the first ever Chic Sheet Speaker Series, featuring nationally acclaimed speaker, Karen McCullough. This special series will be exclusive to Tony’s Restaurant, where the food is guaranteed to be scrumptious and the conversation lively!!!
This not-to-be missed series of three dynamic speaking engagements promises to be not only informative, but chocked full of fun.
- Sept.1: Attract, Engage and Profit From The Next Generation will enlighten you as to what makes each of our generations tick and how we can best learn to work and live together. You’ll love it. Karen is hilarious!
- Sept. 29: Social Media, Not Just For Kids; learn what all the hype is about and how you can benefit from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Nov. 30: Karen talks about her fascinating new book, The Seven Women Project with a fashion accessorizing presentation by yours truly with accessories from à bientôt. You can see the latest accessories trends and how they can help change your basic look 7 different ways……just in time for Holiday Shopping!
Looking forward to seeing you and your friends at this first ever exclusive Chic Sheet Happening!
Click here to register.
Loop Scoop
We just had the best visit with our friend and very creative journalist, Emily Kelly, who writes for The Loop Scoop.
Check out the article about the shop that she’s just posted!
Maialino
We popped into Danny Meyer’s new “Roman Trattoria”, Maialino, in the Grammercy Park Hotel. We looked. We listened. We learned.
Here’s our tip for the day: don’t worry if you can’t make a reservation. We went at the last minute (plane delays…don’t talk to me about it) and were thrilled to settle in at the bar where no reservations are needed. We dined on wonderful cured meats, Italian cheeses, fresh bread and split an order of Spaghettini alle Vongole and my favorite, Carciofi Alla Romana. (Brings back fond memories of Roma!) The place is fabulous. Reminds us of some of Danny’s other fine establishments (Union Square Cafe, Grammercy Tavern) with its casual-yet-sophisticated tone. That was me in Irving & Fine, Jimmy Choos and an armload of gold chains.
Reservations: 212-777-2410. Bar Maialino welcomes guests on a walk-in basis.
Bar Maialino: M-F 7am-Midnight, Sat-Sun 10 am-Midnight
Trattoria: Breakfast: M-F 7:30-10, Lunch: M-F 12-2, Brunch: Sat-Sun 10-2, Dinner: Sun-Th 5:30-10:30/Fri-Sat 5:30-11
Friday Greetings!
We are busy at the shop today, with a wonderful Irving and Fine trunk show!
Come by today, Friday, May 14th and tomorrow, Saturday, May 15th from 10:00 am until 5 pm to see their lovely tunics and caftans.
See you at the shop!
Betty and Cristiana
New York, February 2010
Greetings and Happy 2010! We were in New York last week for the Gift Show. We must have walked 20 miles a day, and we have the merchandise to prove it! (It should be in the shop by the end of the month, so come visit us soon!) We did almost as much eating as we did shopping.
Several days we dashed out from the Javits to lunch at our favorite French bistro, Artisinal. Everything on the menu is divine, but we always seem to gravitate to the fondue and mesclun salad. We alternate with the cheese plate for 2 and the salad frisée. Cristiana discovered a wonderful rosé with enough body for the winter, Chateau de Pourcieux.
Artisinal
2 Park Avenue (ent. on 32nd street) 10016
(212) 725-8585
Now, dinner was a different story. We both have family and old friends in New York, so we decided to “divide and conquer” the restaurant scene. We covered lots more ground this way, and we’re happy to report that we can recommend every place we went. We hope you are in New York soon to try some of these fantastic spots!
Friday night, Stephen and I had dinner at an old favorite, Cafe Boulud, in the newly renovated Surrey Hotel, which was designed by Houston architect, Lauren Rottet. Joining us for dinner were our dear friends designer, Cathy Chapman and her husband Paul, the badminton pro. We were given a wonderful tour of the very hip and gracious guest rooms. We ended the tour with a drink in the fabulous new “it” spot, Bar Pleiades. (Great people watching here.) Dinner was fantastic, especially the wild mushroom ravioli and pork tenderloin.
The Surrey Hotel, 20 East 76th Street New York, New York 10021 (212) 288-3700
That same night, Cristiana dined at a the hot spot, Le Caprice (newly arrived from London) which is in the lobby of the Pierre Hotel. If you have never been to this classic NY hotel, this is an excellent reason to visit. In the midst of all that old world style, Le Caprice has a very fun atmosphere, with especially good people watching. The menu was rather straightforward and not too innovative but the food was excellent. C. notes the watercress and beet salad followed by tagliatelle with wild boar ragu. “Our table was not quite ready when we arrived, so they brought me a glass of champagne on the house…very nice touch!”
Le Caprice at the Pierre, 795 5th Ave. (212) 940-8195
Definitely one of the dining highlights of this trip was at Robert, on the 9th floor of the Museum of Arts and Design. We were out with some old fashion friends from our Paris days, and found the atmosphere truly inspired, modern chic. The meal was memorable, but not as memorable as seeing Michael Kors a few tables away. Not that we drop names or anything. Oh yeah, the scallops were terrific.
Robert, 2 Columbus Circle, (212) 299-7730
Casual yet chic, Perilla is our latest favorite. We especially loved the brussel spouts, risotto, roasted speck-wrapped organic Chicken, Baby Lola Rosa salad and the young egg yolk ravioli. The desserts were INCREDIBLE. Of special note are the chocolate-covered doughnuts and chocolate souffle. Pack some stretch pants!
Perilla, 9 Jones Street (at West 4th) New York, New York 10014 (212) 929-6868
Sunday we ate at Mario Batali’s Lupa Osteria Romano, and dined on fantastic pasta dishes, inventive salads, and incredible bread. The decor is warm, charming and especially welcoming. It’s like dining in an old, favorite neighborhood joint. (One where you might run into movie stars and celebrity chefs.)
Lupa
170 Thompson Street New York, New York 10012
(212) 982.5089
We love The Breslin for its authentic-feeling New York charm. This place feels as if it’s been here for 75 years, yet it’s only 6 months. What’s not to love about comfort food? In mass quantities, yet? Fried chicken, onion and bone marrow soup with parmesan toast, “huge” steaks, pork belly roulade, and yes, pig’s-foot-for-two. All served in “medieval proportions”. It sounds kind of over-the-top, and it is and we loved it. For those with a milder palate the grilled cheese is great! Order some scrumpets at the bar while you wait for a table.
The Breslin, Ace Hotel, 16 W 29th St at Broadway (212-679-1939)
We loved Marea, which is the most talked about new fish restaurant on Central Park South in the space vacated by San Domenico (see below.) It is slick, sophisticated and perfect for an expense account! The Ventresca (bigeye toro tartare, ligurian olivada, fried capers) was excellent, as was the Passera (Long Island fluke, lemon thyme, ligurian olive oil). Also of note are the Branzino (seared wild striped bass, marinated salsify, roasted brussel sprouts, fresh pancetta, saba) and the Mezzaluna lobster ravioli, with chanterelles, asparagus. No room for dessert, but next time the panna cotta!
Marea, 240 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019, (212) 582-5100
On the same night, Cristiana ate at the new impossible-to-get-in San Dominico, SD26, near Gramercy Park. The food was wonderful, the wine list was great, and the atmosphere is modern with cool lighting and artwork. The different seating areas break up the big space quite nicely, and there’s a vibrant bar scene. The open kitchen creates a lot of atmosphere and hustle and bustle as well. She recomends the watercress, carrot and pomegranate salad (very nice), the beef cheeks in a red wine reduction sauce (lovely) and the tiramisu.
SD26, 19 E. 26 on Madison Square Park, 10010 (212) 265-5959
Bon appetit!
New York City’s High Line
A few weeks ago, we visited New York’s recently refurbished High Line. If you’ve never been, we suggest you get there before it gets cold! In nice weather, it’s a lovely afternoon stroll and a great break from the hustle bustle of the city.
Gansevoort Entrance
This long-abandoned, elevated strip of railroad track has recently been brought back to life, in the form of a beautiful park. The tracks, built in the 1930s, were used until 1980. Elevated 30 feet in the air, they eliminated dangerous trains from the streets of Manhattan. The trains traveled through three busy, industrial neighborhoods: The Meatpacking District (once home to more than 250 slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants), West Chelsea (where large factories and warehouses still line its streets and avenues) and Hell’s Kitchen(recently renamed Clinton) which once figured prominently in New York City’s underworld.
Nowadays, The Meatpacking District attracts those in-the-know and their insatiable appetites for cutting edge fashion and food, West Chelsea is the home of many of the city’s finest art galleries, and Hell’s Kitchen, with its proximity to the theatre district, is home to many actors, wannabe actors, and some of our favorite pre-theater restaurants.
The Standard Hotel
We started our High Line walk at the southen entrance, on Gansevoort Street. As soon as you get to the top of the staircase, you feel as if you’ve left Manhattan. Beautiful trees greet you, and with one look to the north, you know you’ve arrived someplace special. The Standard Hotel, jutting out over the park walkway, is anything but standard. Their website gives you a hint of just how cool this place is.
Strolling high above Washington street, you have a view of some of the most innovative designer shops, with their storefronts facing the High Line. When you get to 14th Street, you’ll see the sign for one of the area’s earliest innovative, trail-blazing, eyebrow-raising fashion favorites, Jeffrey. Here’s a link to some shopping ideas for this area.
When it comes to eating around here, we still love Pastis (the Sex and the City perennial favorite) but if you’re looking for something new, here’s a link to some more great eats. (But alas, Florent is no more!)
As we walked north, we were fascinated by the walkways, and how the park designers integrated the old railroad tracks (yes, they’re still there!) with new materials and lovely landscaping. Along the way, there are planted “woodlands” and “grasslands”, the walkway widens and thins, and at one wide spot in the park, there are chaise lounges set up for reading and relaxing. It was a lovely day, and we saw sunbathers, people eating lunch and visting. The High Line is a breath of fresh air in a city where few stop to smell the flowers. (Or the grasslands.)
Art plays a huge role in and around The 
High Line. Aside from installations in around the park, The New York Times reported recently that the Whitney Museum has signed a contract to take over a site next to the southern end of the High Line, where they plan to open a new museum that will be nearly twice the space of the Whitney’s Madison Avenue location.
You can read a complete history of the area, and learn about the High Line’s renewed life here:
A weekend in Maryland
My husband surprised me with a weekend getaway to the beautiful Victorian resort town of St. Michaels located on the Eastern shore of Maryland. I had no idea what to expect — what a beautiful and most relaxing spot it turned out to be! We drove from Baltimore in pouring rain to the Inn at Perry Cabin…a magnificent historic mansion dating back to the 1800’s and converted to a hotel in 1990. It is part of the Orient Express group and is situated on the Miles river, a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay.
308 Watkins Lane
St. Michaels, Maryland
410.745.2200
We arrived late and went straight to dinner at the lovely hotel restaurant. We feasted on crab bisque, their infamous crab cakes and so much more! There was so much to choose from and the service was impeccable. Our room was situated in the historic part of the hotel, which was charming and very comfortable. We had a private patio, as all of the ground level rooms do. This is a perfect place to stay with dogs — it’s a pet friendly hotel, so we saw many four-legged guests running around. I was most content!
The next morning we explored the beautiful grounds and gardens of the hotel. They are extremely well-manicured with gorgeous views on the water. It is a perfect setting for a wedding and apparently the hotel does have a large wedding business. (In fact, several scenes from the movie, The Wedding Crashers, were filmed here.)
After breakfast we strolled through the town of St. Michaels with its beautiful historic streets lined with homes and shops built in the 18th and 19th centuries. The shopping is limited to many touristy yet cute stores filled with all kinds of souvenirs.
We lunched at the St. Michaels Crab & Steak House with all-you-can-eat blue crab brought to the table on paper-lined trays. I opted for a scrumptious BLT sandwich instead as I had had my fill of crab the night before! It is on the waterfront overlooking a myriad of boats in the marina and was truly delightful.
St. Michaels Crab & Steak House at the St. Michaels Marina
300 Mulberry Street St. Michaels, Maryland 21663
410.745.3737
Just outside of the restaurant we saw a sign for a St. Michaels Harbor/Eco Tour and Water Taxi. A water taxi arrives at the dock right by the outside bar every 30 minutes. These water taxi tours are a fun and quick way to get the lay of the land. All kinds of other boat tours, cruises and fishing trips are available here. Go to www.stmichaelsmd.org and click on Boating for information and bookings.
A swim in the glorious infinity pool at the hotel followed by a Planters Punch on an Adirondack chair overlooking the water and sunset were a perfect way to end a very busy day and prepare for our next meal!
At the recommendation of the hotel, we dined in town at Bistro St. Michaels, which is in a charming historic building that must have been somebody’s home once upon a time. We had a fabulous meal of crab cocktail and mahi mahi.
403 S. Talbot Street
St. Michaels, Maryland 21663
410.745.9111
Our last day was very relaxed and included more swimming, walking and a bike ride to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum next door to the hotel. It has an indoor/outdoor collection of items related to commerce and trade, navigation, fisheries and waterfowling. The museum is made up of 10 buildings that sit on 18 waterfront acres. It features the world’s largest collection of traditional bay boats along with many other changing exhibits. One of its historic building is the Hooper Straight Lighthouse.
213 N. Talbot St.
St. Michaels, Maryland 21663
410.745.2916
If you have never been to St. Michaels, I recommend you see for yourself what a charming town it is. Book a room at the Inn at Perry Cabin. You will not want to leave!
Labor Day Weekend in Chicago
Our eldest, Elizabeth, is going to college in Illinois. We’d been thinking of meeting her in Chicago for some time now, so we headed up for a few days of shopping, eating and taking in the sites of the city. What a fantastic trip! Not only did we escape a few days of Houston summer heat, we managed to pack in about 7 days of Chicago in just 3 days!
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