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At the Emperor’s Table

September 9, 2014 by sk

Dining with royalty has never really appealed to us (unless it’s with Prince Harry) but, we’ve always dreamed of hosting dinner parties fit for kings. Enough of this ‘rustic barnyard chic’, bring back the vintage silver and crystal!

Luckily the Emperor himself – Mr. Valentino gives us a glimpse into his immaculately stylish and haute-couture-cuisine world. He takes food presentation to another level! We can only dream to one day have table settings so grand.

Valentino: At the Emperor’s Table

by Valentino Garavani, André Leon Talley
Photography by Oberto Gili

Available October 1, 2014 (click here to pre-order now!)

Terrarium revival

July 22, 2014 by mk

There are some disadvantages to living in New York. Not many, but a few. And no, it’s not the trash on the streets – that’s called charm. Unfortunately city living means if you want to grow your own produce, raise chickens à la Martha, or even just have an herb garden, it’s pretty much impossible. Even with a Martha-sized bank account, the one thing we don’t have in the city is fresh air. So it’s no wonder we leave the city in droves at the weekend. We can’t breathe! And neither can our plants.

Which brings us to the terrarium: the fabulously chic climate controlled indoor garden. Albeit a miniature one. Developed by botanist Nathanial Bagshaw Ward in 1829, these “Wardian” cases were elaborate mini greenhouses, showcasing ferns and other tropical plants. Not surprisingly, the Victorians were obsessed with them! (And we are obsessed with the Victorians!)

“Wardian” cases, invented by Nathaniel Ward in 1829 to facilitate transport of plants over long distances.

There are two types of terrariums:
Open Terrarium:
suitable for creating a dry environment, like a mini-desert. Great for succulents and cacti, or other desert plants. Requires lots of sunlight and very little water.

Closed Terrarium:
suitable for creating a humid environment, great for ferns and other types of tropical plants. Requires in-direct sunlight and watering.

Home Depot as a great selection of little plants!

Here are some tips from our first try at terrariums.
1). Be patient – the little plants are surprisingly fragile, and should be handled delicately.
2). Don’t be fooled by the size of little cacti – those little needles are no joke and are very prickly! Handle with chopsticks or oversized tweezers. Ironically the tiniest cactus was the one giving us the most trouble! Some sort of plant Neopolian complex perhaps…
3). Use a spoon to carefully layer the mini rocks, soil, then toppings, either moss, sand or woodchips.
4). The do need a little water, a small spray bottle works wonders.
5). When choosing your plants, make sure to stick to plants that require similar environments, ie. succulents and cacti together (dry), or ferns and moss together (moist).
6). Some people add quirky toys such as Matchbox cars or mini godzillas. But godzilla lives in the city so we would stick to the original rule of keeping everything environmentally accurate. An old neon Hotel California sign (miniature of course) or muscle car would make the Victorians proud.

Our final terrariums will serve as centerpieces for an upcoming private dinner party, where we hope they will become great conversation starters!

Rosé tinted glasses

July 16, 2014 by sk

Photograph by Danny Kim, courtesy of Bon Appétit

The summer is officially in full swing. For us, we’ve migrated to the south from Bordeaux to Provence. Wine regions that is. (Champagne will always be king, especially Krug). With the World Cup over, feel free to change the “olé, olé olé olé!” tune to the more appropriate and clever “rosé, rosé rosé rosAAAYyyyy!” to get in the mood. This version was actually coined in the South of France a few summers ago, so it has been authenticated and free for wider use.

DineGirl Rosé Guide:
As much as we wanted to disregard the Brad+Angelina Miraval as celebrity nonsense, it’s actually one of our top choices this summer. When finances are no option, we reach for Domaines Ott. Otherwise it’s more local rosés such as Wölffer Estate and André Balazs’s rosé, guzzled down out east or during the week when the stress levels hit double digits. Rosé really is a wonderful mood lifter.

General rules of thumb:
1 – should be very cold (add a few ice cubes if necessary, à la French style)
2 – Côtes de Provence wines are lighter than Bandol rosé wines (read more here)
3 – drink the most recent vintage, rosé is not meant to be aged
4 – none of that slurping swirling nonsense… just open and enjoy!

We like to pair rose with anything from cheeses and nibbly things, burgers by the pool, or an elegant, date-night-worthy oven roasted swordfish*.

*recipe to come

Tokyo Style

April 23, 2014 by sk

Properly trenching in Tokyo’s Roppongi Hills… left: Burberry trenchcoat with Sigerson Morrison heels, right: Banana Republic with Christian Louboutin pumps.

Tokyo can be overwhelmingly sensory overload, but there are pockets of surprisingly relaxed and serene spots to spend the day. There are some amazing little neighborhoods where the point is to walk around, absorb the environment and enjoy being lost in translation…

clockwise from top left: Space Invader in Daikanyama, Omotesando Koffee located a few streets behind Omotesando Hills, the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi, and the famous Shibuya crossing

Here’s our neighborhood guide for great shopping in Tokyo:

Daikanyama: great for quiet neighborhood cafés, bookshops and restaurants. After a few hours of leisurely shopping around the area, relax at XEX Daikanyama and head up to the stylish Italian (Salvatore Cuomo Bros.) or Japanese (Aburiyaki & Sushi An) restaurants for a bite. The Bar is also open until 4am for cocktails.

Shibuya: loud, crowded but totally hip. After paying your respects to Japan’s beloved dog Hachiko, check out Loft and Tokyu Hands for cool household goods and gifts, and enjoy the hustle and bustle.

Aoyama / Omotesando: Omotesando Hills – home to cutting-edge designers and other high end brands. Graniph is great for graphic tees.

Strawberry daifuku from Akebono, Ginza

Ginza: super high-end. Old world posh Japan meets Chanel, Gucci and beyond. Recently renovated Mitsukoshi Ginza is great for post lunch browsing, and old world sweet shop Akebono is a must to try some seasonal sweets. On our trip the highlight was strawberry daifuku mochi which was divine. A great lunch spot for the ladies is Sala Amabile. Reservations are a must for the 10 course lunch, which is all you can drink for around $70 US. (Tokyo insider’s secret!)

Roppongi: You can spend your entire day here enjoying the shopping, architecture, booming art culture and then dinner and cocktails at any number of the sparkly new buildings. Check out Louise Bourgeois’s spider sculpture in Roppongi Hills before you head out to the expat bars in the area.

Tokyo night sky… view from our friend’s amazing pad in Tokyo Midtown Residence

Shinjuku: Home to Isetan – the mecca for everything fashionably fabulous.

Harajyuku / Yoyogi: hipsterville. Explore the back streets and you’ll find Beams and United Arrows. Great people watching around Harajyuku for teeny bopper eccentric anime style. Yoyogi has some great little restaurants and bars in the beautifully designed indoor / outdoor space called Yoyogi Village. Check out the Music Bar for great DJs who spin all vinyl.

Grand Prix de la Baguette (de New York)

February 26, 2014 by sk

Disney’s Ratatouille

“How do you tell how good bread is without tasting it? Not the smell, not the look, but the sound of the crust. Symphony of crackle!”

Americans have an odd heritage with bread. Most of us grew up surrounded by a world of Wonder Bread, Twinkies and packaged meats with a six month shelf life. When we were little, bread normally came from the supermarket wrapped in plastic stamped with an expiration date of 2025. Hey, not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s economical, all-American, and we’ll need something edible when the end of the world arrives. Luckily in the meantime, the culinary evolution has brought back the old ways of bread making, and we can enjoy some beautifully packaged perishable baguettes alongside the nuclear safe ones.

Special carrier bags just for your baguette! From Cyan.

In France, bread is serious business – to the point of religion. In fact, we hear they still send people to the guillotine for baking sub par baguettes. The annual Grand Prix de la Baguette de la Ville de Paris is a serious affair. (See behind the scenes from last year.) The great thing about such deep rooted traditions is that mortals such as ourselves get to enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labor. Win-win really.

Baguettes waiting to be judged… winner of 2013 was Paradis Gourmand in 14eme

Wandering around France you can find beautiful baguettes practically raining from the skies, but in New York it’s a little bit more of a mission. The local supermarket faux baguettes are basically just big lumps of warmed dough, and must be avoided at all costs. If you really want to savor the good stuff, it’s worth waiting in the proverbial communion line at the following bread shops. The key is to go when the bread is being freshly baked, and you’ll usually see a line of people waiting patiently with Saturday morning’s Le Monde.

Here’s a short list of decent baguettes attainable here in New York. Warm it up in the oven for about 5 mins at 325 degrees and tear like a savage, or cut properly with a bread knife. Oh, and always have proper butter on hand – left out at room temperature for easy spreading. Enjoy with coffee in the morning, or wine and cheese in the evening.

Top Pick: Maison Kayser – expensive, chic, and the beautiful pastries and cakes are also an expensive must. Our French friends flock to this place for baguettes and croissants.

Photograph by Max Falkowitz

Second best: Amy’s Bread – their baguettes have that perfect crust and lightness inside. Reminded us of France.

Third: Balthazar – their baguettes are available throughout the city in various cheese and specialty shops, convenient if you can’t get to the original location.

Honorable mention: Le Pain Quotidien – the baguettes here are too doughy for our liking, but their mini baguette is perfect with an organic chai latte after you’ve killed it at SoulCycle.

Check out a more serious review of New York City baguettes here.

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