Hot chocolate!!!

After we get the fries we head over to my favorite chocolatier's restaurant. I first saw Jacques Torres on the food network a few years back and he made "cloud puffs". I thought it was a simple but interesting dessert and bought his book "Desert Circus at Home" and got busy. So we're in the restaurant eating cookies, truffles, and sipping hot chocolate. After a few minutesbof chasing Kingston around Jacques Torres walks out of the back room and starts serving hot chocolate!!! There I stand in amazement! I grab my camera and ask if I can take a photo, which he obliges, and he gives Zoee a white chocolate heart for having such a cool and awesome dad! I know, I know, he must've gotten the fax before I got there... I suggest you guys head out to NYC and get some chocolates from the master. Click the title above for a link to the website and menu.

Pomme Frites

Every time I go to New York I make it a point to go to Pomme Frites. I love french fries and this Belgian eatery only sells fries with over 50 different dipping sauces. While I waited in the car to avoid being towed again (see previous post), my wife went in and ordered a batch of tuber goodness. She returned with a couple new dipping taste testers. We have malt vinegar, mexican ketchup which is salsa with ketchup substituting the tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and sweet chili sauce. The mexican ketchup was different but good. If you don't care for cilantro I suggest you pass. Sweet chili sauce is still my favorite and I keep a bottle of the stuff at home! If your in the city take a trip down to Pomme Frites and enjoy. Click the title for directions and the menu.

Stewart + Brown

Here's a line that I've been following for quite some time. I really love their knits and cashmere. Their tee's are pretty cool too! While at the trade show I got to get a look at the fall '09 collection and feel some of the organic fabrics they use and I was impressed with the softness of the collection. I'm a very tactile person so I have to touch everything and make sure it's worthy of my clients taste. Stewart + Brown delivers! You can definitely bet that Stewart Brown will be in the Fall line-up at JG-Smith.

Preloved fall '09

Today I went to Designers and Agents trade show and found some really great clothing lines. A company called Preloved has a really cool concept. Based out of Canada, they make all their clothing from recycled clothing such as old sweaters and men's trousers. Their fall'09 collection is pretty cool and has a lot of interesting colors for the winter season. I think it's good when you can make use of recyclables in such a fashionable way. Take a look at the collection by clicking the title at the top of the page.

Steven Alan

So I'm driving down Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn and something catches my eye... the Steven Alan boutique! Yessir!!! As soon as get a free moment I'm headed back down here to get a look at the store. A few hours later the fam and I take a tour of Atlantic avenue in which I head in to get a closer look. I'm greeted by two ladies eager to show me the goods... clothing goods that is! I love the fact that everything is neatly spaced and easy to get to. The men's shirts are awesome and have a nice feel. I like my stuff stripped down and raw. Just plain and simple cotton. No extra stuff. Checking out the women's section I spot a pair of plaid undies that are pretty hot! Mmmmm Mmmmm! Again, stripped down and raw. Anyway, you know what to do. Click the title.

Khaki's are on the way

While I in New York I got a chance to visit Save Khaki. Designer David Mullen was voted GQ's "Best New Designers In America". I have to admit, I'm a denim fanatic, but visiting the store brought me back to reality. One of the things I liked about khaki's when I worked at J Crew were all of the colors and hues they came in. The khaki's at Save Khaki are cool because they have a great feel. They're not over designed or embellished with a ton of embroidery. Just plain and simple quality cotton. The button down shirts are great too. Already hanging with the "rumpled" look they come across as casual and refined. Cashmere Sweaters and hoodies also round out the line-up for a must have addition to the closet.
At maybe 400sq feet or so, I was surprised at the size of the store. I read reviews on Yelp.com that talked about how small the place was. After leaving the store I got to thinking that when you have a great product you really don't need extra space at all. Just enough to showcase what you have to offer plus a fitting room. I guess in this case size doesn't matter! Though the prices are a little more than your average pair of khaki's, I guarantee you they will repay you in longevity. Click the title and visit the website when you get a moment.

p.s. You'll see them in JG-Smith this fall.

Where the *^&%$ is my car?

Ok so I'm with the fam in Manhattan trying to find clothes for the Mrs. and we decide to go to H&M and look around. We park on the street and pay the muni-meter. There are other cars around so we figure things are cool. We have no idea what's about to happen. We're in the store for roughly 30 minutes and find nothing. Let me say this, I hate the cold!!! I grew up in Detroit so I'm no stranger to the cold, but I still don't like it. Therefore, we drove our '05 VW Passat with heated leather seating and the climate set on "toasty". Anyway, we come out of the store into the frigid NYC wind and my ride is GONE! I look around, walk back to the store and start over... Again, no car! AW naw, somebody took my $&@%# car.
You know that feeling you get when you eat too many hot wings. Not sure if you need to vomit or take a dump? That's how I felt. After the shock wore off we head to the nearest train station and it's cold! I see a traffic enforcement vehicle and ask him if my car had been towed. Between his laughing and my still trying to decide to vomit or not, he gives me a number to call to track my vehicle. Once we get back to Brooklyn to meet with our friend Lorin, we finally find the car and head out to the 79th pier to get it. After a $185.00 tow and impound fee, and a $115.00 parking ticket we are once again happy and warm. And Broke!

It's Snack Time with Niecy

Today we're headed to The Village of Croton on The Hudson to see Niecy!!! Niecy is a school chum of my wife's from 7th grade I think. Over the last 8 years she and I became close through the mutual admiration of snacks. Chips, candy, pop, appetizers we knock 'em down. True to form, when we get there she's got the goods ready to cook. We take our time and enjoy the finer things in life and chase it down with grape pop! Next time Niecy comes through the Carolina's we're gonna do it "country style".

S'Mac

After a day of visiting museums and such it's time to get some grub. Before we left Charlotte my wife found a new place for us to check out. This place only sells macaroni and cheese. You can make your own combination or order off the menu. I ordered the buffalo wing style macaroni while my wife was a bit more daring and got creative. In all, it was pretty good, but by the end I was Cheesed out. The macaroni is served in cast iron skillets piping hot. For some reason Zoee was not diggin' the cast iron skillet. If you're in NY anytime check it out and tell me what you think.

Sarita's Macaroni & Cheese
345 East 12th Street, NY, NY 10003
212-358-7912, 212-358-7917

Walking Wednesdays

Today, my wife Wendy and I, are walking Zoee to school. Once a month Davidson Elementary has "Walking Wednesday" so that children can get outside and experience the great outdoors. Growing up in Detroit my sister and I would walk to school everyday even in the winter, backwards during a blizzard while carrying life-saving anecdotes for the people of a small pigmy village!!! Just kidding... Anyway, it's a great idea because it gives the kids a chance to see things they would normally miss on the bus, and ask questions about nature and such.

I'm heading to New York

Every now and then I like to go to New York and look for clothes. I bypass the larger trade shows and go to the smaller ones that feature independent designers so that I can give my clients pieces that are over-produced. Which means the chances of you seeing someone with the same dress is highly unlikely! In addition to clothes, my wife and I are foodies. I like junk! Fries, wings, ice cream, and CANDY. Keep a look out for the new items coming to JG-Smith in fall '09.

return of the "man bag"

  So often us man fellows get unrelenting laughs for carrying a bag.  Well guess what?  We need portable storage too!  We have laptops, paperwork, and shave kits...thus, the need for the man bag.  Granted, I don't need a $75k Hermes bag, nor do I need a Louis Vuitton back pack.  What I need is a messenger bag by Tanner Goods.  Clean, sleek, and classic.  Behold the "man bag" in all it's manly glory!  Arriving at jgSmith  fall '09.