Red Carpet Ready?

Is anyone else excited about the Oscars this Sunday? I am and it has nothing to do with the actual awards. Usually I come into it having seen maybe one or two of the nominated movies, so I never really have dog in the fight. I also find the "humor" of the show too safe and the musical numbers dull if you want to know the truth.

What excites me is all of the hype and fun that surrounds the night. I am all about making an event out of anything even slightly meaningful (Boxing Day, anyone?) and the Oscars is a perfect example. Why NOT dress up, drink champagne and pretend you're a movie star on a random Sunday night? Exactly.

While I'm not actually going to a full-blown Oscars party this year (although a lot of you are and that's fabulous!), I will be attending a special Oscars-themed family dinner with the in-laws and it promises to be a good one. There are so many options for making the night special from red carpet dresses to lively cocktails to - my personal favorite - Oscar Bingo!

 First of all, the dresses. It's too late for this year, but if you're in the market for a true red carpet dress for next year's Oscar party or ANY event this year, check out this site: 

www.renttherunway.com

I haven't used it yet but have heard nothing but good things about it. Rent a designer dress for a fraction of the cost of buying one? It's genius! I have a slew of weddings (and one Vegas bachelorette event!) to attend this year and can't wait to try it out. Don't get me wrong, I will always love my $20 Forever Ho dresses that I pick up at the Vegas mall, but thinking about wearing a designer gown - if only for a night - makes me happy .

And it would be a CRIME to wear a beautiful dress without a glass of something bubbly in your hand, am I right? So I did some research and found this cocktail recipe that looks a-mazing. For those in the know about White Linen cocktails, you will LOVE this drink:

The Starlet

Ingredients

• 4 mint leaves
• 3/4-ounce good quality silver tequila
• 1/2-ounce elderflower liqueur
• 1/2-ounce simple syrup
• 1/2-ounce lime juice
• 3-ounces champagne or Prosecco
• 1 slice star fruit

Directions:

1. In a cocktail shaker, combine simple syrup, lime juice, and mint leaves.
2. Use a muddler or a wooden spoon to muddle the mint leaves.
3. Add tequila and elderflower liqueur and fill shaker with ice.
4. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds; strain into a glass and top with champagne; garnish with star fruit.

The food for me is much less exciting than the pageantry, but nevertheless, I am pretty in love with the idea of a Popcorn Bar. I've seen it a million times on Pinterest and what better excuse to make it happen than the Oscars!?! The possibilities are easy and endless! Mix up a big batch (or a few small ones to keep it fresh), set out some melted butter with savory toppings (herbs, cheese, hot sauces) and sweet toppings (caramel, cinnamon & sugar, M&Ms, chocolate sauce) and you've got yourself a party!

Last but not least, an Oscars party would not be complete without an Oscar Ballot for everyone to fill out (which may or may not involve a little wagering) and an Oscar Bingo card. Trust me, the game is fun for everyone and makes the otherwise dull hours much more enjoyable to watch. It's not technically a drinking game but there's no rule against it. Just sayin'....

What are your plans for the Oscars? And more importantly, what will you be wearing??

~ Sara

Back to the Wine.Dine Part: Stax & A New Wine!

It was recently brought to my attention (thanks, $$!) that my the name of my blog is misleading. One hoping to find musings about food (or wine or love, for that matter) are at first drawn in by the name but then quickly disappointed by the one restaurant post and small handful of wine posts. True, they are rewarded with the adorable picture of Sheriff Rocky, but I was quickly made aware that I'm lacking in that department as well.

Well, my hungry friends - ask and you shall receive.  

 

It just so happens that I went on an epic tear, eating my through the Central Coast last weekend and could literally spend the entire night discussing the embarrassing amount of food I ate. Good thing for you, I won't. But I will  highlight one of my fav's which happens to include a mind-blowing new wine discovery.

 

 Stax Wine Bar: Morro Bay, CA

 

 

Nestled under the towering - you guessed it! - stacks of Morro, sits this bustling wine bar that also serves up delicious and savory bites. Stax features a special of 5 tastings of pre-selected wines for $10 as well as an expansive list of wines by the glass and bottle and even beer and sake for the non-winos. A group of us girls all ordered the tasting and while the "skeleton crew" service left us with MORE than ample time to enjoy each small taste, we were happy with the company, good food and entertainment provided by our Nervous Nelly waiter. ;)

Cheese Plate, Meat Plate and Imported Olive Plate

In sticking with the "tasting" theme of the evening, we opted for (my favorite) shared plates of meats, cheeses and olives all served with the BEST crostini I've ever had. Warm, buttery, soft, grilled bread was the perfect base for everything served. The gouda and bleu cheeses were to die for. The meats were anything but boring and included aged chorizo and smoked duck breast. Even the olives were amazing! I felt like I was right back in Italy. :)

The wines that were poured were all very nice but the highlight was the closer :
Confectioner's Chocolate Red Wine

 

I've never met a "chocolate" wine that I could stand but this one had me at hello. It is the perfect blend of rich cocoa flavor, bright cherry and subdued sweetness. Obviously it's a sugar bomb, but not as much as you would expect. It screams romance and sexiness and really is quite fun to drink. Had we stayed for a bit longer I would have happily ordered a glass and considered my dessert taken care of. Alas, I did not, but I did the next best thing: I found where to buy it! And get this - it's less than $10 (or online using the link above). That's what I call a sweet deal (HA!).

The Central Coast is filled with nice little places like this so I highly recommend everyone make a visit. You might even find a surprising wine or two!

What wines have you found that you are surprised to like???

 

Last but not least, I leave you with a little Sheriff Rocky love!

 

 

~ Sara
  

 

 



Polka Dots & Pearls

It's official: Hell has frozen over. 

I'm wearing polka dots. 

After roughly 32 years of hating the little buggers I finally broke down and caved into the evil trend. Call it a moment of weakness, but what I realized is that it is actually part of a much bigger issue I seem to have.

You see, each January when I start to get the spring fashion mags in the mail and the damn bikinis start popping up in Target (January, people, really?!?), I immediately start hating everything I see. I don't know if it's because I dislike spring in general or if it has something to do with my brain still being shrouded in the fog of winter neutrals, but I always write off the new year of fashion trends without a second thought. Neon? Floral jeans? Chunky heels? Over my dead body!

Then, around September usually, I find myself drawn to the exact things I poo-pooed in the beginning of the year and sporting them like I magically discovered a long lost treasure. Don't get me wrong, I will NEVER come around to the aforementioned catastrophes, but this year I'm getting ahead of the curve and jumping on the polka dot bandwagon BEFORE it hits the "So Last Year" list.

 I've come to the conclusion that I am a little (ok, a lot) slow to figure this fashion thing out and it takes my brain a while to accept new things. This is coming from the girl who thought tucking jeans into boots made you look like a pirate and that bootcut was the only style of jeans on the planet. I've come to terms with it, though. I know I'm not alone and I actually think it helps to keep me away from those trends that you look back on and wish had died a little quicker death.  

I'm actually quite enjoying my new (mint!) polka dot sweater and looking forward to finding other ways to fit it into my wardrobe.

Blazer: The Limited (Similar)

Sweater: Old Navy (Shop)

Jeans: Banana Republic

Shoes: Steve Madden (Similar)

Pearls: Forever 21

Sunglasses: Ray Ban (Shop)

What trends are you avoiding this year? Remember, you never know!!

~ Sara

Lodi Wine & Chocolate: The Good, the Bad and the Drunk

 Michael David - The BEST winery in Lodi

We both began and ended our day here and in doing so learned a very important lesson: always end at Michael David. When the light of day starts to fade and the Lodi faithful become more and more inebriated, Michael David becomes a safe haven in the middle of a s**t show. Far from the chaos of drunk cougars and aging cover bands at the downtown locations, we sat in Adirondack chairs basking in the sunshine and playing lawn games in peace until the festivities were over. It's a must do from now on.

 Their Gluttony and Lust Zins and Rapture Cab are to DIE FOR. They were pouring Gluttony and Lust this weekend which is an example of how MD always seems to one-up the other wineries who never offer their best wines for tasting.

I'm also a fan of their Sauvignon Blanc. It's the perfect light summer wine - nice and fruity but not too sweet and not too dry.

 Lucas

 Another one of our favorites. At Lucas you are greeted at the front door by Mr. David Lucas himself and the ladies are given a single rose. In back they layout tables with paints and brushes for everyone to decorate their glass. 

This year they were only pouring 4 wines - their Estate Chardonnay, C'T'Z'N Rose, Zinstar Zin and C'T'Z'N Zin. All are good but the Chardonnay sticks out to me, mainly because I'm so ruined by the Michael David zins that all others pale in comparison.

 

 Langetwins

If Micheal David is the classic quaint Lodi winery, this is its

behemoth brother. Driving up it looks like a cross between a prison and Lawrence Livermore Lab. But as soon as you walk in to the new "Press Room" tasting room, it's feels like you've transported to a modern upscale winery in Napa. Surrounded by barrels of wine and art from local artists, it becomes almost cozy.

Their featured wine was Caricature, which is a new blend of Cab and Zin. It didn't knock my socks off but I did quite enjoy their Midnight Reserve red blend and Sangiovese Rose, which was on the sweet side.

 Macchia

 I'm not going to lie, I can only think of one wine I tasted here, their 'Righteous' Barbera, which was very bright and fruit-forward but again, nothing to write home about. 

Aside from the wine, the draw for Macchia is the wood fired pizzas you can buy to soak up some of that wine, the lively and sunny patio to relax on, the yummy meatballs and best of all, the photo booth. Who doesn't love to throw on a crazy hat and some oversized glasses and make a fool out of themselves? 

 

Klinker Brick

 This is the second time we've chosen KB on our W&C tour since they opened up a tasting room last year. Their Old Vine Zin is very highly decorated and gets love from some of the most well known wine critics and bloggers out there, which is pretty cool for a little local winery. The 2010 vintage stays true to the Lodi tradition if bold Zins and then throws in a little pepper to make things interesting. 

They also have a lively patio with an outdoor tasting bar and a little lawn, but the mood more party than relaxing. Not a bad thing, just good to know when you're planning your W&C route.

 The Dancing Fox

 Known as a quaint restaurant with good food in downtown Lodi, apparently they are pretty proud of their wines as well. I'm sure the wines are great, but trying to cram into a tasting area the size of a prison cell makes one reluctant to stick around and try them all. They also were pouring a few ports accompanied by some decadent-looking brownies, but my impatience didn't let me get that far.

I may revisit the kitschy establishment again for brunch, but I would recommend steering clear of it for W&C.

 The Cellar Door 

Remember my earlier comment about drunk cougars? Well, welcome to The Cellar Door. To be fair, this was one of the last places we visited and it was late in the day. But honestly, does that give the woman pouring (dressed as a giant heart, no less) the right to greet me with "We have a white and couple a' reds"?? After shouting over the music for a minutes, we made a speedy exit and fled to the comfort of Michael David. 

The Cellar Door is a nice wine bar in downtown Lodi, but like The Dancing Fox, it made us realize that sticking to the wineries for W&C is the only  way to go.

I hope everyone heads out to Lodi for Wine & Chocolate next year and has enjoys it as much as I do!

~ Sara

Something Annual Wine & Chocolate

 Another successful Wine & Chocolate is officially in the books! 

My sister and I were trying to figure out how many years we have been attending this holiest of all oenophile festivals but found that we lost track somewhere along the way. I'm betting it's somewhere around 7 years or so. However long it's been, it never fails to entertain and this year was no exception. 

For those of you not in the know, I highly recommend you give it a shot: http://www.lodiwineandchocolate.com/

Some might consider Lodi the poor man's Napa, but I'll take the laid back, country vibe over pretentiousness any day. Lodi is full of nice people (even if they do wear bedazzled jeans and Affliction shirts, God bless 'em) and even better wine. 

Tomorrow I will post about the different wineries and wines we enjoyed.For now, my outfit.  For the event I chose the following ensemble which featured my new wine-colored bubble necklace. It which was my nod to the theme of the day. My own version of the rhinestone "Forgive me Lord, for I have Zinned!" shirt.

Jacket: Anthropologie (Similar) - Shirt: Old Navy (Shop) - Jeans: GAP - Boots: Michael Kors (Shop)- Necklace: ILY Couture (Shop) - Watch: Michael Kors

What is your favorite outfit for wine tasting??

~ Sara

I'm Back (!) with a little Burberry Love

I have officially woken from my winter hibernation and am once again gracing the interwebs with my presence. It is by no means a coincidence that this rebirth coincides with a number of exciting happenings in my life:

1) I got a ton of really good Xmas presents (See: Burberry scarf!!) that have become absolute staples in my wardrobe and I'm super excited about sharing them with you.

2) One of those really exciting Xmas presents was a tripod for my camera! Hopefully I can get that 3-legged puppy up and ready so that the grainy, yellowed iPhone photos will be a thing of the past.

3) Oh, that reminds me. I upgraded my phone so even if the tripod fails me at least the photos won't be soooo crappy.

4) Tomorrow is one of my all-time favorite days of the year and it seems like the perfect event to get the blogging back on a roll: Lodi's Wine & Chocolate Weekend!! To me, this event signals that winter is over and it's time to drink. It's going to be a fun one, friends!

5) Finally, I'm pretty obsessed with the outfit I'm wearing today and it's practically begging to be put on the blog. So here we go....

Sweater: GAP (Similar) -  Jeans: Old Navy (Shop) - Scarf: Burberry - Shoes: DSW - Watch: MK (Shop) - Bracelet: t&j Designs (Shop) - Sunglasses: Ray Ban "Bubble Wrap" Aviators (Shop)

It took me a while to get the courage to wear these red pants but now I'm kicking myself for waiting so long. They are fabulous! As long as I stick with classic neutrals for the rest of the outfit I feel safe and timeless and very Kate-esque.

What do you think of bright red pants? Would you wear them?

The Perfect Xmas Present. You're Welcome.

If there's one thing I love more than clothes, it is beauty products. I'm a beauty product whore and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Product monogamy is not in my vocabulary. I cheat on every product I buy with absolutely no guilt whatsoever. And I'm not alone.

 

I know a LOT of gals who share my obsession so this post is dedicated to those very gals. But don't fret if you're not (for some unfathemobale reason) into eye shadow and eye cream in all possible incarnations. Keep reading because I present to you the PERFECT Christmas present for the women in your life: girlfriend, wife, sister, best friend, mistress, whatever.
 

 

It's called Sample Society from BeautyBar.com & Allure Magazine and it's freaking genius. Every month a box of deluxe-sized, luxury brand beauty product samples arrives in the mail all sparkly and new like a Red Ryder BB Gun on Christmas morning. No more trudging through the hobbit-sized section of Target pretending like you're exited that Herbal Essences came out with a new travel-sized shampoo or that some genius put half an ounce of Vaseline in a tube and called it a "new product".

For $15 a month you can get a fancy box filled with 5-6 samples from brands like Philosophy, Diptyque, Dermalogica and Kate Sommerville. We're talkin' perfume, makeup, face cleansers, serums, shampoos, hair products, you name it. And get THIS....it comes with a $15 off code you can use to buy a product that's in the box, so if you like something the month is free!

Sample Society is not the only game in town. In fact, the sample subscription business is going crazy right now. Another favorite is Birchbox.com. I have currently managed to not sign up for every service I can find, so I can only speak to Sample Society, but in general I'm a pretty big fan of the concept.

You get where I'm going with this? Not only is it a MUST for beauty product whores like myself, it's a great present. Head to the website and you can buy a gift membership - 3 months, 6 months or 12 months. Trust me, you'll be the hero of the day if you get this for your little lady.

Here is the "reveal" of this month's box. Check back for reviews in the next week or so as I use the products.
 

 

Delaney Wellness Rejuvenating Eye Cream, Deluxe Sample

              

• Hanskin Super Plus Perfect BB Cream SPF37 PA++                  

• Hanskin Premium Perfect Super Magic BB Cream SPF30 PA++                 
                 
                    

• Murad Age Reform Time Release Retinol Concentrate Deluxe Sample
                  
                

• Philosophy Living Grace Gel, Deluxe Sample
   

• Vapour Organic Beauty Elixir Lip Gloss

 

 Ciao!

~ Sara