About Town in Boston: B&G / No. 9 Park

image2Boston restauranteur Barbara Lynch Gruppo has left a twinkle in my eye. During a brief stay in Boston, I had the pleasure of dining at B&G Oyster and No. 9 Park, two of her eight restaurants in the Red Sox nation. B&G Oyster proved to be the perfect landscape for an afternoon lunch on a chilly winter day in the South End. We shared oysters, a snap pea salad, brussels sprouts and moules frites accompanied by wine. The restaurant is a modern take on the classic New England oyster bar. In the summer, their patio is apparently all the rage. That evening, we braved the cold and went to Beacon Hill and ate at No. 9 Park. Tucked away in a historic townhouse, the restaurant is an elegant jewel box that has rightfully earned acclaim for their outstanding wine collection and French and Italian inspired cuisine. Dare I say, the cheese platter alone outdid some I've swooned over in San Francisco, and lamb accompanied by a decadent gorgonzola fondue was impressive. Both experiences proved to be memorable and I'm looking forward to returning.

Above: a snap from our lunch at B&G Oysters.

Lettermade

image1-2I must have been a good girl this year because Santa was quite generous. One of my favorites included these lovely cocktail napkins from my sister. I love personalized gifts and these blend a perfect balance between the classic monogram and contemporary whimsy. Crafted by Lettermade, the company offers a collection of beautiful cocktail and dinner napkins, a sure thing for your next host/hostess or special friend. Now who is coming over for cocktails??

The Most Excellent Beach Read

image1It's been a while since I've read a book worthy of isolating myself into pure literary bliss. For Christmas, my Mother gifted me with Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. The book is a novelization primarily focused on Zelda Fitzgerald, the beautiful, zany southern dreamer who falls in love with an aspiring literary king, otherwise known as F. Scott Fitzgerald. As the book illustrates in such a brilliant fashion, the pair fall madly in love, dancing around the world on new quests to fulfill Scott's literary inspirations in the height of the jazz age. From their blossoming young romance to trials in addiction and aspiration, this book is truly the most excellent (beach) read. Purchase via Amazon, here.  

Gardenia! Gardenia!

Screen Shot 2014-12-22 at 1.05.33 AM Thanks to a C Magazine read at SFO, I discovered a lovely company called High Camp Supply. The company, ships an elegantly sorted arrangement of gardenia, greens and Laurent Perrier Brut champagne (how lustful!) to your recipient in a beautiful box (white or black). The “Vine and Bloom” box for example (above), includes a nest of loose blooms surrounded by budding “vine” gardenias on 8-10 inch stems. After initial due diligence, it seems Oprah has included this gift on her annual "Favorite Things" list. Perfection, if I must say! See more here. 

A Gray Malin Christmas

gray Screen Shot 2014-12-16 at 12.01.40 AM

Screen Shot 2014-12-15 at 11.59.41 PMI love giving and receiving....art. Thus, I was pleased as punch to see my favorite aerial photographer Gray Malin release his holiday inspired gift wrap. If you're unfamiliar with Gray's work, get familiar. The idea of bringing his lustrous photography to life in the form of gift wrap is just brilliant - who wouldn't drool over the sight of a gift wrapped in a dreamy scene he captured from his handsome lens. Be sure to follow Gray on Instagram in addition to following his blog. 

xx

Screen Shot 2014-12-14 at 10.07.16 PM From the very first moving-picture kiss in 1896 à la Thomas Edison, to the classic smooches we all adore in early Hollywood films, to Freud's theory of kissing as a "perverse act", this NY Times article highlights the history of kissing in film.

Above: A groundbreaking french kiss in film, actress Natalie Wood and actor Warren Beatty smooch in a parked convertible in the 1961 film "Splendor in the Grass".