Delicious Wishes for a Great 2008!

OK...did anyone else notice?

Separated at birth?











The same peanut shaped head..smile...mild manner...whacky!

AND...more on my very Vegas Christmas and visions of the new year to come...

A few of my favorite last minutes things - if you're still looking...

It’s that time of year… Thought I’d offer some great last minute gifts ideas. I’ve organized them in a handy way – they’re designed to go on, go in, and surround friends and family with the best…


ON
One of my favorites. This is a perfect peppermint wake-up and a nod to the holidays – but amazing all year long, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap Liquid is a refreshing gift. Organic ingredients and an eye-opening shower experience, it’s great for face, body, hair…leaves you alert and ready for the day. The 32 ounce bottle is usually around $12.99 and available at Kroger, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and more.

Who doesn’t want happy feet?

British haberdasher Charles Tyrwhitt makes great cotton socks. The navy with pink polka dot socks are a fun accent and, for the moment one sale at $16.00 a pair, not inexpensive, but high quality and uncommon design commands a little higher price. They’re available online. Also available in sky blue with navy dots and navy with sky dots. If you know me – you know I love socks and I love dots. These rock.

Am I dotty? Yes. One of my favorite new retailers Kuhlman has swell polka dot pocket silks.
In black, brown and navy with white dots and other colors with colored dots – they’re currently on sale for $19 and are swell.


IN
POP! Screw the weasel – how ‘bout some moderately priced bubbles to spark the holiday spirit? Good to sip at home with a drop of cranberry juice and a dried cranberry – the Spanish and Italians really bring good sips to market. Sure – Veuve and Roederer rock – but… for less than $20 – and sometimes even less than $10 – these sips shine.

From Italy
Prosecco like the $13.95 bottle from Zardetto or similarly priced Canella Prosecco di Conegliano is great to sip, great with appetizers or fish. The aforementioned two are widely available and are both rather tart with just a hint of sweetness. These bright bubblers both showcase pretty, smaller bubbles. There are a bunch of nice, affordable Prosecco options out there now - from the grocery store to the wine store...

From Spain




Cristalino Brut is a stellar Cava. AND – at around $5.99 or $7.99 a bottle is as easy on the wallet as it is on the palate. It’s available at Cost Plus and Kroger – among other spots. Grab a case if you can, great to have on hand for unexpected guests or for the last-minute hostess gift.




Mmmmm… Ganache! Do you ganache?













Full disclosure – this is a client – but also a GREAT treat to “sip, spoon, spread or melt” as they say. All natural and made without high fructose corn syrup – Chalmers Ganache has come out with a great Taste Trio – a jar of each flavor [Luxe Dark, Ultra Mint, and Mucho Mayan Spice] presented in a swanky brown sueded gift box with a Chalmers blue grosgrain ribbon. Available online and at select specialty food retailers like Naples Gourmet Grocer in Long Beach and Southern Whole Foods Market locations – it’s around $29.99 and makes a sumptuous gift!

Dynamic Dish here in Atlanta has a select few grocery items. It’s an amazingly-curated collection of lovely food items and vintage serving pieces in an organic deli/market on Edgewood Avenue in the historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood. In fact, charming chef/owner David Sweeney clips the fresh rosemary he uses from the bushes at MLK’s Ebenezer Baptist. One of my favorite finds – and at under $5 a great value – is Caber's Seasonello.



From Bologna, Italy - it's an aromatic mix of sea salt, rosemary, garlic, sage and pepper in a shaker jar. The heady blend is just great to sprinkle on veggies before roasting – or to just add a quick seasoning to whatever you’re cooking – this makes a delicious, uncommon gift.


This little treat is more for creating “In” than eating. But the darling ramekin-sized silicone bowls from Le Creuset make a swell prezzy!


Called “pinch bowls” they can be put to use as any ramekin to create the perfect mise en place – and the squeezed to add your ingredients to the dish you’re creating! I found the four-piece set for $9.95 on cooking.com. I am sure they’re also wherever Le Creuset is sold. Neat!


SURROUND
Sights, sounds, sharing…

New favorite person alert!











Not only am I thrilled to be a part of the ATL and love my new home – but – I’ve begun to meet some swell new folks as well. Dejie Johnson is an amazing singer and groovy gal. Her CD is just splendid and ripe with standards. The former voice of both Judy Jetson and Josie (yes – of the Pussycats) – brings it on her CD. Check her out and take a listen. Great gal. Great gift!

What can I say about the woman who guided me up Mulholland Drive and down in high style? Lisa Shaw, oft a muse for Stellar Spanish DJ Miguel Migs, and her long-awaited solo debut album “Cherry” is just one more addition to lush, sexy deep house from Naked Music. This makes a chill gift for your favorite groovster and the soundtrack for a sexy evening! Listen to samples at naked-music.com and purchase for $16.98 at amazon.com. YUM!

Gift cards – are obvious – but do you have a favorite store that you wish all your friends supported? Check and see if they offer gift cards or certificates. I LOVE Aldi and would LOVE to take everyone there and let them spend a little to get a lot. I even wrote about a special shopping trip I made to this fun Euro import. Introduce your friend and family to your favorite things with a gift card.

Are all great ideas, numbers and notes jotted on bar napkins? One fun gift idea believes so...




At $6.99 from the MOMA store – the napkin note book is as fun as it sounds and a nifty little gifty.




STUFFERS
See above – but the little $3.99 size of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap Liquid would be a great introduction and a perfect stocking stuffer.

And…in the gift card vein – did you know for $4 you can custom-design a Starbucks card for your favorite caffeinator?! Check it out at starbucks.com

Quick, Fun Party Idea - Why Didn't I Think of That?!

Credit where credit is due... I saw this walking down the street this morning on my way to get coffee...

Someone had taken a children's foam, alphabet puzzle mat and spelled out "Alans Party" in the puzzle letters...it was affixed to their balcony along with similarly colored balloons.



LARGE bold type...colorful and fun... What a GREAT idea for your next soiree... Imagine "BRUNCH HERE" or "COCKTAILS" or "BON VOYAGE" Fun!

Not sure Colin Cowie would approve... But - I do!

Sharing a table... Sharing memories...

At the risk of being a me-too on this day, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on meals, emotions, friends and family.

What really got me thinking were two events of the past week… The first that triggered reflection was the passing of Martha Stewart’s beloved mother. Granted – the passing of a 93-year-old isn’t shocking – per se – but this sturdy stalwart was oft at Ms. MSLO’s side and seemed quite vigorous. She also seemed full of joy. Made me pause…

The second event this week that got my gears turning was more sad news I came across online while googling a chef/restaurant I was particularly fond of and learning of his death - too young for a brilliant talent.



Joel and Catherine Findlay owned and operated one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to – 302 West in Geneva, Illinois. Having left Chicago in 1999 I would occasionally think about the striking, simple room – the restaurant was houses in a vintage bank building – one entered the wine room (if I’m recall correctly) through the bank’s giant safe door. The clean, prairie-inspired, Man-Ray-accented room was soaring and deceptively reserved.

This couple, clearly mad about each other, brought the refined part to diners and caring, involved staff, every day – he - the chef – she - the pastry chef and sexy hostess.

Though I never attended their famous [infamous] sybaritic New Year’s events – Chef several times regaled me with stories of thus lush, joyous evenings.

My mother and I shared a fun, indulgent lunch there that I suspect neither of us will ever forget. MMMM…malted chocolate terrine… They were as passionate about dessert and coffee as they were about every part of the meal. "The last flavor you experience is as important as the first," I recall one of the pair telling me.

Today as I prepare a simple meal in my fab new Atlanta digs, I’m thankful for life, laughter and endless opportunity. I’m thankful for hundreds of beautiful meals with loving friends. Indeed – many of my most treasured memories are of spectacular meals with spectacular company.

A quick – though not exhaustive – list of spots where I’ve shared swell times include: Stein’s in Lyons, The Bakery in Chicago, Come Back Inn in Melrose Park, Barrington Country Bistro in, well, Barrington, Zuni in San Francisco, Chanterelle in New York, Nobu and Hank’s in Las Vegas, Tupelo Honey in Sea Cliff, Bea’s and St. John’s in Chattanooga, and sooooooo many more - all tables of joy and memory. Happy Thanksgiving.

Service with a shrug©

Perhaps it’s my Midwestern upbringing…or my years of retail service…that lead me to the brink of exasperation lately.

When did it become acceptable to just bark numbers and instructions at people?

When did it become acceptable for that to be acceptable?

When did it become acceptable to respond to a “thank you” with “no problem?”

I suppose it’s too much to ask that people don’t wear their pajamas to the market. And – I’m sure my father’s lament about “dungarees” on Michigan Avenue is somewhat anachronistic. But – when even basic courtesies fall by the wayside – we’re in trouble.

Over the years I’ve peddled goods and food at retailers and restaurants including:
-a Kimball organ store (Yep – I played the organ in the center court of Springfield’s While Folks Mall)
-McDonald’s
-Target
-Ardan’s (a sort of Service Merchandise knock-off)
-Le Bistro Café (OY – don’t ask about “Le Café Café”)
-Younkers (Iowa’s department store)
-Things, Things, Things (a true Iowa City original and one of the coolest mini-department stores I’ve ever encountered)
-Charmers Market (one of the best gourmet shops I’ve ever seen)
-Von Maur (a small delusional department store company)
-Neiman-Marcus
-Marshall Field’s
-The Sock Market (a debacle best undiscussed)
-Williams-Sonoma
-Barneys New York
I’ve mostly given good, informed service. I’ve always worked hard.

SO – I am taken aback when placing a drive-thru order and all that’s barked at me is a number. “One Fifty.” Is the young person on the other side of the talking box guessing my weight? Alas…she’s way off! Is that the total of my purchase? Is it that late already? How much harder would it be to say “Your total is one-fifty, please pull around?”

What’s most troubling is that the fast food service standard is permeating upward. Not that one expects stellar service at mid-level restaurants or stores – but when cashiers at Target are conversing with each other rather than greeting customers – it’s time to rethink.

I am a HUGE Target fan. Their come from is entirely different from the filthy mess that is most K-Mart stores and the maddening monster that is Wal-Mart. I expect no service at the latter two – but – I do at Target.

Target came from department store roots. Dayton’s (Minneapolis’ flagship retailer) has sadly been gobbled up by Federated and been Macy’d. Dayton’s – which when Target really got wings - was dumped along with Hudson’s and Marshall Field’s by the Dayton-Hudson Corporation – now Target Corp. - was a fine retailer. Along they way they decided to delve into a lower-price strategy. Target was the result. But – it was created with a department store mentality and philosophy – which is still evident today. Laura Rowley – in her energetic book On Target tells more about this stellar player in the retail world.

What sets them apart, like Whole Foods Market [though they'd better keep an eye on customer service as the grow so large] and The Container Store – is that though you may be shopping for essentials – you still end up spending more time there. It’s pleasant. Conventional grocer Publix is on this track. Conventional grocer Kroger, however, is not.

But what really sets anyone selling anything apart is service. Period. Anyone can sell groovy goods in a pleasant environment. Unless the service is up to snuff, will people return? I don’t know.

I do know that it seems lately when you encounter good service it comes as a tremendous shock. We’ve become so accustomed to the barking and disinterested indifference (alas – even our local IKEA suffers from this service malaise in most areas) that when someone is polite or even a little professional it’s jarring.

Which is why I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by a couple of experiences of late. One – that with a little thought – makes sense. One that’s a real surprise. I’d forgotten the superb service standards that the American monolith (no, not Wal-Mart – the other one) has when I pulled up to a local [newly remodeled] McDonalds to get a Diet Coke. The “please” and “thank you” responses were like a symphony to my weary ears! So – despite Supersize Me – I will be returning for a beverage now and then and even try their upcoming coffee drinks - AND perhaps a nice salad now and then... AND... can't beat their fries!! The wild surprise was at my local Taco Bell – at the corner of Ponce and Crack – which is indeed whack! What a delightful experience at their drive-thru (yes…I do eat fast food – it’s really handy when you’re just starting a new business and a little cash-poor). The pleasant welcome... The informative recap… The invitation to pull around... I was in customer heaven. Cheers to this particular location for getting it right.

So as we work on our business plans, marketing strategies and all that – remember – it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing. Well – you get the idea. Slick packaging and hot store design don’t add up without service. Spend the time and energy to hire service-oriented people and train them. Train them. Train them!

What I would've said...

SO...I always think of the best things that I'd like to shout out my car window - or bellow at a passerby on the sidewalk... Since the timing just seems to be off... this will be my forum for the occasional outburst!

#1 - HEY ANGRY "PUNK" YOUTH...you're scowl and bravado is hard to take seriously as you speed off in your champagne-colored Buick Century!!!!

There. I feel better.

Stay tuned.

Monday Monday...

just a little light on a crisp Monday afternoon...

"Our deepest fear is NOT that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, NOT our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you NOT to be? Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory...that is within us. It is not just in some of us, IT IS WITHIN EVERYONE! As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

-from Nelson Mandela's 1994 Inaugural Address