Bonjour! I was fortunate enough to visit Paris around Labor Day for the Maison et Objet Show, and to do a little trend spotting with our wonderful client at Benjamin Moore. Not only was the weather gorgeous, the Euro was down a bit, and the city was not too full since the Parisians were just returning from their summer vacances. Let’s get this out of the way. Yes, I ate a lot of macarons. I hit Pierre Herme, Laduree, Angelina, and everything in between. I am still not tired of them, and would really like another Pierre Herme olive oil…

I’m back from an incredible trip to Paris (more on my travels tomorrow), and ready now for New York adventures. In that vein, here’s another dispatch from the shadowy underbelly of the bacon world. I just had brunch at Traif, a new restaurant in Williamsburg that delights in serving all of Judaism’s forbidden foods. The restaurant casued quite a stir in the religious world when it opened. Though the owners meant no offense with the cheeky name, many found it pretty disrespectful. Sort of sacrilegious? Yes. Delicious? Also yes. For brunch, there’s a very impressive roster of pork-based dishes, including…

I had big, optimistic plans for getting back on the diet after my week-long getaway to Cape Cod earlier this month (I give myself every permission to eat junk food on vacation–though my roommate might argue that I take a “vacation” every night after dinner!)  Starting last week, I was back in the saddle, eating homemade salads with lots of healthy veggies…until I learned of a little promotion called “The Never Ending Pasta Bowl” at the illustrious Olive Garden. There may be some of you who argue that the good ol’ O.G. isn’t one of New York’s finest, (this is…

It happened practically overnight: Shake Shack has invaded the Upper East Side. With its soft opening this past weekend, my friends and I were already contemplating the massive amounts of working out we’ll need to combat the amazingly greasy goodness of the now-legendary New York burger joint. And can we talk about the new shake flavors featured at the UES location? I can guarantee that I (lactose-intolerance and all) will surely indulge in  the Coffee Bean Brownie (vanilla custard, brownies, coffee caramel, whipped cream)  and Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunchcrete (chocolate custard, peanut-butter sauce, chocolate toffee, chocolate sprinkles). Totally worth it….

Last week, I ventured out to Sin City for my first Coverings 2011 promotional trip. Next year, the tile + stone show will make its first appearance there, and I’m tasked with working with the A+D associations in the area. I know….. such a rough life! Anyhow, enough about my fabulosity. Here are a few fun out takes from the trip. Things started a little rocky. After my plane got a flat tire (I kid you not) and my baggage was temporarily misplaced, I missed my lunchtime meeting. Thankfully, I stumbled across one of my favorite restaurants– which I first…

This week V+P was lucky enough to attend the opening night of House Beautiful’s Kitchen of the Year project in Rockefeller Center. This year, the designer was Jeff Lewis, Bravo’s lovable and eccentric Flipping Out star. (For those of you who may not be obsessed with reality shows… Flipping Out follows Jeff’s trials and tribulations while “flipping” houses in the Los Angeles area.) Since our client Benjamin Moore provided Aura for the interior and exterior of the kitchen structure as well as Arborcoat stain for the 1,000 square-foot deck, V+P got to hob-knob with Jeff and his entourage, a few…

The Caniato family is back from our annual pilgrimage to Tuscany, where we stayed at the beloved Le Torre Alle Tolfe estate just outside of Siena. It’s named for its tall tower that was once the highest look-out point between borders during some of Italy’s greatest battles. Today it is simply a paradise to us and we are lucky to share it with family and friends. How great is a life that revolves around the table?  In Tuscany there appears to be a table ready for dining around every corner, inside the villas and outside. I am now striving to…

Last week, I attended Maison France—a pop-up exhibition by 30 French manufacturers of luxury housewares, including furniture, tableware, lighting and textiles. Organized by the French Trade Commission Ubifrance, the 3-day design showcase gave me several reasons to “ooh-la-la” for French design. Although I got slightly misdirected on my way to Maison, the large banner and–instead of red, purple–carpet signaled that I had made it to the right building: Not only was my welcome colored this royal hue, the whole exhibit was wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling pourpre: I visited quite a few displays, but my three French favorites include an abstract, the letter…

I’ve read the arguments for the city’s best baseball team, and have based my decision on something completely arbitrary (in the spirit of this great debate.) Here it is. Josh wins, because he worked in candy. Nicole almost took the win with a fun spot for cocktails, but Baby Ruth’s sweet, salty goodness tipped the scales in favor of the Yanks. Editor’s note: The origin of Baby Ruth’s name is hotly debated. The bar’s creator, Curtiss Candy Company, claimed it was named for President Grover Cleveland’s daughter Ruth, but that doesn’t make much sense since it was 17 years after…

On a recent weekend getaway to New York’s Catskills, I fulfilled several of my most secret dreams, dancing the night away like Frances “Baby” Houseman and catching a glimpse of one of the rarest of celebrities… well, read on and you’ll see. A Berkshires girl myself, I was lured to the lovely mountain town of Fleischmanns, New York with the promise of a dinner dance and silent auction,  a stay in a quiet bed and breakfast and huge pancakes. I’d highly recommend the beautiful Breezy Hill Inn, which featured a lovely, soothing palette of Benjamin Moore colors (People tell us…