POCKET LINT.

ONLINE (AND BEYOND): THE BEST CRUMPLED TWENTY

The Best Link Today:

If you're anything like me, you spend significant amounts of time marveling at people's inappropriate Facebook status updates from "Sally is deeply depressed and crying out for help" to "Tom is sleeping on the bathroom floor between puking bouts."

Anyway, I heartily approve of this website's "How To Suck at Facebook" instructions (although maybe he should have added something about the new "post your celebrity doppelganger" trend).  Why does everyone think they look like Kursten Dunst?

Now, I'm off to shamelessly "market" my site.  Become my fan!  Become my fan!  BECOME MY FAN!!!

xo - N.

 

PALM SPRINGS/VA/MT/VT: THE BEST ARTISANAL RESORT PRODUCTS AND THE BEST WAY TO SAY ADIEU TO A YEAR WELL DONE

I know.  I know.  I keep apologizing and then being bad again, but I'm off on yet another jaunt and will not be LINTing Christmas week.  Actually, that's sort of not true.  I'll be LINTing in the sense that I'll be scouting new finds to share (though I still owe some Pittsburgh and NYC stuff), but I won't be posting regularly until January 2, 2010.

Anyway, I thought I'd leave you with a link to my latest little story in Travel & Leisure (see above) about resorts that farm or crush and create their own beauty and food products.  Short and sweet, just like me and my attention span.  And my patience.  And my fuse.  And my family.  And the time it takes me to devour french fries.  And the time it takes me to read a trashy detective novel.  And the time that will pass between now and my next post in 2010.

So, happy holidays of all kinds, folks.  Good tidings to all and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!  (I know I already have my sequined number picked out).  Well, I mean one only has so many sequin dresses from which to choose, right?

Love ya.  Mean it.

xo - N.

LA (THIRD STREET): THE BEST DENIM LEGGINGS

You all know, from that recent ELLE article, that I've got a soft spot for all things J Brand.  Well, I have a soft spot for awesome denim leggings and LA shop Diavolina too (usually for shoes).

Is it me or is "soft spots" starting to sound weird?  I'm like starting to envision baby's heads or something.  Creepy. Whatever.

Anyway, all my favorite "soft spots" come together, as Diavolina has the exclusive on J Brand's new Mulberry, Charcoal and Navy Denim Leggings.  Don't worry non-LA LINTERS, you'll also be able to buy the leggings online at ShopDiavolina.com.

Between these and some of the new Wolford tights, I think I'll have my legs covered for fall.  Punny punny girl.

So, bring on the falling leaves.  Or, in the case of LA, 70 degree weather.

xo - N.

LA (AND BEYOND): THE BEST NEW BLACKBERRY

After a very unfortunate incident with my Blackberry Curve (it experienced a quick painless death and never suffered, I am told and I choose to believe), I went to my corner Sprint store and was quickly talked into a brand new Blackberry Tour instead of the inexpensive replacement.  BAD, LINTY!

I felt guilty for like a millisecond (jeez, thank goodness that's over--I almost broke a sweat).  But then I went for it and since then it's been a love affair of epic proportions: I'm talking sweeping music, feeding each other chocolate dipped strawberries, late night phone calls for hours on end, butterflies in my tummy etc. 

Ew.  "Feeding each other chocolate dipped strawberries"--that is so cheesy and molested and Bachelorette.

Anyway, that's all.  I just wanted to tell you all how much I love it.  The icons are cooler, the design is sleeker, the keypad is this great rubbery consistency and has these impressions for your fingers, so typing on a hand-held has NEVER been easier.  (I find an iPhone very tricky in that regard).  Instead of just Brickbreaker, the thing has a word game (love!) and even Texas Hold 'Em.  It's just the bestest Blackberry a girl could ask for . . . Oh, so dreamy.

xo - N.

LA (AND BEYOND): THE BEST NEW SUMMER TREATS TO TRY AND REPORT BACK TO ME ON

So, I'm too hot to be inventive or to change the sizes of all these great other pics I have in my arsenal.  Instead, I'll just tell you that Claudette and I spotted the above ice cream-filled Rice Krispy treats at Whole Foods the other day and Mike & Ike popsicles at the new shmancy Pavilions.  I'm expanding lately, so I'd really appreciate someone ELSE trying these sweet new mofos for me.  Yup, then I'll ask you to pee for me too.  Also, would you mind cleaning my house?

xo - N.

LA (AND BEYOND): THE BEST WAY TO GET JOLLY

Like a regular Coke (for diet soda drinkers), French Onion Dip (maybe on July 4th or at a Super Bowl party) or cherry Lifesavers, Jolly Ranchers are delectable old standards that one only eats now and again.  Still, each time I come across one and pop it in my mouth, I remember how damn good they taste.  Ah, the flood of (mostly camp) memories: wanting to go home, hating sports, waking up to a horn at ungodly hours.

Jeez.  It's a wonder I still like them.

One of the main reasons I so seldom come across those Jolly old candies, though, is that they come in separate little individually wrapped situations inside bigger bags.  So, when I spotted this new Jolly Rancher packaging a la Orbit gum for something, I had to grab it.  And, seriously, the whole made me so happy yesterday.  Is that sad?  Don't answer that.

Anyway, what could be more genius? Now that. ladies and gentleman (and lint puffs, ahem), is what we call "PROGRESS."

xo - N.

SONOMA: THE BEST SMOKED SALMON SALAD

I do realize that I'm still obsessing over Sonoma like two weeks later.

I promise this is my last "great local Sonoma resto" post for a while (and, no, crossies don't count).  BUT, the above smoked salmon salad has been haunting my dreams like a tasty Freddy Krueger or something, so . . . I had to share.

Sorry.  That was so not a tasty image.  Forget that.  Let's say instead that the salad is dancing in my dreams like sugar plum fairies.  Ahhh.  Much better.

Either way, Barn Diva (home to said salad) is another locavore haunt in Healdsburg that sources produce from Quivira Vineyard.  I feel like you can just see the ingredients' freshness, no?

I wish I had that salad now.  I would tear it to bits with my claw like hands.  BAD, FREDDY!  This is MY blog. Sorry.  That was Freddy, not me.  Sometimes he is so out of control.

xo - N.

SONOMA: THE BEST FENNEL-INFUSED SALUMI WITH PICKLED GRAPES

Did everyone have a good weekend?

I know I did.  So, why am I so damn grumpy now?  Maybe it's because of the ridiculously oppressive temperature in my un-air conditioned apartment or the fact that the freestanding air conditioner that Andre and I just purchased turned out to be, well, not freestanding.  DAMMMMMIT!

When I was a kid and it was crazy hot, my father used to fill the bottom of the bathtub with cold water and tell my sister and me to roll up our pants, sit on the edge with our feet immersed and pretend we were fishing in a river.  But, since the TV doesn't reach into the bathroom and it's too hot to focus on reading Mansfield Park (my current book) and I don't even like handling imaginary bait, I guess I'm stuck lying on the couch with a fan pointed directly at my scowling face.  Grrrrrrrrrr.

Might as well meditate on happier, less sweltering days, like way way back in, well, last week, when I was up in Northern Cali:  Since my trip to Sonoma was all about researching Biodynamic wineries (which basically means uber-organic Rudolph Steiner-style), it seemed only fitting that we eat at primarily farm-to-table spots that grow their own produce and smoke their own meat and that whole shabang.

Soooo, we found ourselves at Zazu, a spot that, yes, has it's own garden and, yes, cures it's own meat and, yes, was recommended by every single Biodynamic wine-related person we met.  Actually, Quivira Vineyard grows some produce for the restaurant in their new Biodynamic garden.

Anyhoo, the food was totally delish, as promised, and above is a pic of my fave of the dishes from an extensive charcuterie menu: fennel-infused salumi with pickled grapes.  I mean, SHUT UP.  I would eat pickled grapes alone and freak out, but with house-cured salumi???  C'mon now.

I would also eat frozen grapes.  But maybe that's because it's SO DAMN HOT!!!!!  It's too damn hot.  It's too damn hot.  What is that from?  Eh, who gives a crap?  I wish I was in an air conditioned movie theater right now.  Any movie would do.  Well, not ANY movie.  Any movie that's a romantic comedy and doesn't require me to use my brain.  Maybe 500 Days of BLISTERING HOT SUMMER. I'm losing it.

[CLICK IMAGES TO EXPAND: Local Brew, Eggplant and White Bean Sides, Salad With Delicious Everything and Peaches and Mascarpone atop Olive Oil Cake]

I think the images speak for themselves.  Plus, I'm too depleted from this stupid heat to bother describing anything.  It was good.  Now it's hot.  The End.

xo - N.

SONOMA (AND BEYOND): BEST WINE STAIN REMOVER

Dude.  Is this genius or what?

At least for the other clumsy asses out there.

I was once a bit drunk at an annual day long wine tasting with an ex-boyfriend's family, when his sister accidentally spilled a glass of red wine on another woman's black leather purse.  She panicked, gushed apologies and proceeded to sop/wipe up the mess with a white cloth napkin.

Only it wasn't a cloth napkin.  It was my new beige cotton sweater, but I was too frozen in shock (and, well, intoxication) to let her know.  It took her about 20 seconds to realize her mistake and she began gushing apologies in my direction.  Of course, she intended no harm and was super sweet, but what could we do?

We got home (well, back to their house) and the guy's kind mother sprayed some stuff (I think that industrial Fuller sitch in the hot pink spray can) on the stains and MIRACULOUSLY they all came out.  Kind of crazy.  But, all I'm saying is, I wouldn't have even stressed that shit, if I'd known that this Wine Away stuff existed.

I'm going to pour red wine everywhere.  Seriously.  Why not?  A dribble here, a dribble there.  It's genius!  Genius.  Just like me.  But mostly when I'm not intoxicated.  Which is from 10am to 1pm on Thursdays and alternate Mondays.  Just KIDDING.  Jeez.  I'm not even intoxicated right now.  Seriously.  Unless Cherry Coke Zero can make you buzzed, which--with my bizarrely low tolerance for caffeine--might actually be plausible.  Am I slurring?

xo - N.

SONOMA: THE BEST SUMMER COCKTAIL RECIPES

Truly, there are few summertime treats more delectable than 1) fresh watermelon juice and 2) steamed blue crabs atop newspapers with Old Bay seasoning.  The fruit juice takes me back to an idyllic moment poolside at Rio's Copacabana Palace (!) and the crab feast (with wooden hammers in tow) reminds me of beachy east coast summers and, more recently and specifically, of a sandwich I've referenced before, found en route from Delaware to Dulles.

Still, silly old me: I never thought I'd actually get to have the watermelon juice and Old Bay simultaneously, much less in the same cocktail.  But this past week, I headed with a pal to Healdsburg's two-Michelin starred resto Cyrus for some pre-din din cocktails.  Who knew we were in for such a sublime treat?

Though mixologist Scott Beattie has now left the premises to book tour or some such thing, the famed cocktails are still top tier.  And the new summer additions had just been added less than a week before, including the "Down By The Bay" with, yes, Old Bay seasoning and watermelon juice.  The cocktails were out of sight and we just had to sample all four, so without further ado: summer cocktails . . .

[CLICK IMAGES TO EXPAND: (From left) Down By The Bay, Summer Thyme, Figaro & Upstairs Neighbor]

Interestingly, the Upstairs Neighbor (which tastes like a savory tomato basil salad dream) is named for the person who force fed Scott Beattie tomatoes as a child and ultimately is to blame for his hatred of the veggie.  (I know, I know, all you know-it-alls out there: it's a fruit).

Summer Thyme:
Cucumber Slices
Sunflower Petals
3/4 Oz. Thyme Lemoncello (made on the premises)
3/4 Oz. Plymouth Gin
3/4 Oz. Lemon Juice
1/2 Oz. Thyme Simple Syrup
3/4 Oz. Seltzer
Shaken on the Rocks

Of course, they did something incredible to the cucumbers that made them more than just your average vegetable . . .

Figaro:
Dash Balsamic
1 1/2 Oz. Pampero Rum
3/4 Oz. Lime Juice
1/2 Oz. Orgeat
1/2 Oz. Contreau
1/2 Oz. Fig Puree
Shaken Up
Cardomom Foam
Bruléed Fig Slice

Down By The Bay:
Salt and Old Bay
Cilantro
3/4 Oz. Smirnoff
3/4 Oz. Buddhas Hand Citron Vodka
1/2 Oz. Lime Juice
1 1/2 Oz. Watermelon Juice
1/4 Oz. Simple Syrup
Shaken on the Rocks

Upstairs Neighbor:
Salt
Balsamic Vinegar
Basil Chiffonade
Halved Cherry Tomatoes
1 1/2 Oz. Hanger Clear Vodka
1 1/2 Oz. Tomato Water
1/2 Oz. Lemon Juice
1/4 Oz. Simple Syrup
1 Squirt Chipotle Vodka
Shaken on Rocks
Red Salt Rim

I would definitely say that the Figaro's fresh fig and coconut cream top was amazing, but the cocktail itself was my least fave out of the four.  Otherwise, I really can't say.  They were all delish.

In fact, sitting on my couch sans air conditioning right now, I'd pretty much take all four.  At once.  Yeah, I said it.

xo - N.