RC, Author at loveRavayna

0 In festivities/ home/ recipes

home for the holidays

As much as I love latkes, I can’t eat them for 8 nights straight if I want to fit into my clothes. So I make a point of experimenting with and serving other foods with Jewish and Israeli foods as we celebrate Hannukah.

Having made several variations of chocolate babka in the past, Smitten Kitchen’s simplification of Yotam Ottolenghi’s krantz cakes are hands down the best. I decided to up the ante a notch by raiding/catching up on my Valrhona x Trader Joe’s chocolate calendar and including several different dark varieties, and it was a scrumptious life choice.

The cutting and twisting stage can be a little iffy, but refrigerating the dough to stiffen the butter makes all the difference. And as long as you get it into the pan in some fashion, it will rise up just dandy. And yes, I have to use a mug of water to humidify my microwave as a rising drawer- even in sunny SoCal, our house is an icebox.

I lose all self-control around this yumminess- that little pan of ends was history before I’d even finished glazing the loaves. With Hanukkah falling early this year, we’re celebrating the miracle of light as we prepare and decorate for our annual holiday open house, which we’re hosting this weekend.

The babka made for some scrumptious Hanukkah bush decorating fuel. The moist and tender brioche was swirled generously with melted chocolate, and warm slices paired perfectly with glasses of icy cold milk.

decktheh-tulaneorniment

We don’t go too overboard with holiday decor. As much as I love the way it looks, I have limited patience for the untangling and wrangling, putting up and taking down, organizing and storing, and David even less so. My mom is a holiday superdecorator and I’m nowhere near her level, so I’m just grateful that she gifted us the majority of those gorgeous vintage glass ornaments.

But I loooooooveee the smell of a live tree in the house, so every year we wind up at the tree lot. It’s the same story, different year- I try and talk David into a 9 footer or the like, he laughs in my face. Then we inspect no less than a dozen (more reasonably sized) trees until I find the perfect one. And once we get it home, I’m hanging onto the mantle or teetering on the arm of the couch to perch the sparkly fleur de lis on the top.

There’s a lot of love on this little table. The chanukiah was a wedding present, and my mother in law crocheted the tablecloth as a gift for me. We collected the pinecones hiking in Big Bear during our 2nd wedding anniversary getaway, then cleaned and glittered them. I can’t help but smile when I see it all- it’s simple but special.

David got me a new MacBook Air last month, and his new camera body arrived a few weeks ago. Since we’re already using and loving our big gifts this year, we’re exchanging smaller treats each night. Some are useful, like the previous night’s Restoration Hardware foot duvets (graphite for David, grey for me), some are indulgent, like these gorgeous rose gold and brown abalone Kendra Scott earrings, and some are silly, like the box of practical jokes and disguises David proceeded to open.

With all the travel I’ve clocked this year (24 round trips in 2015) it’s been really amazing to have put up the suitcases for the year. To just spend some time around the house, making it fun and festive, just gives me all the warm and fuzzy feelings.

loveRavayna

December 9, 2015

0 In travel

paris museum passing through

The second day of our Paris museum pass, we woke early, with plans to climb the towers at Notre Dame, but we were just too sleepy! So we decided to skip the up-close with Quasimodo in favor of snoozing, and that was definately the right decision.

After a little more rest and breakfast, we arrived at the Louvre museum to begin exploring. Though it was hardly even mid-morning, the museum courtyard was packed, and the line was serious. We were again grateful for line-bypass privileges with our museum passes.

Both having visited the museum previously, David and I had planned and selected a few specific exhibits to concentrate our time on. Otherwise, I could stay all day and he’d be intermittently bored to tears and bouncing off the walls.

We began by exploring Napoleon’s glorious apartments. I was pleased to find them relatively empty, so I could take my time gawking and geeking.

I was a starry-eyed magpie in that glowy wing. I’ve never been a royal, but I’m certain I’d be well-suited!

The most incredible gilt work and cut crystal everywhere? I was obsessed. I was scolded at least three times for touching, but I truly couldn’t help it!

Vintage china is one of my weaknesses, so I spent forever inspecting this installation. I swear, David was so patient with me.

When we headed into the Galerie d’Apollon, after which the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles was modeled, it utterly took my breath away.

And when I finally tore myself away from admiring the incredibly detailed artwork and architecture, the French crown jewels were even more stunning up close!

I didn’t expect Winged Victory, to be petite or anything, but the sheer scale of it awed me in person.

Nearing our fill of artwork (and pushy tourists, tbh), we took our leave, but not without a few more pictures… gotta capture the classics!

Ready for a little sunshine and space, we walked into to the Tuileries Garden.

The lawn was crowded with picnicking Parisians. I can’t imagine choosing to eat lunch at a desk when this is an option! We had a lovely meander through the grassy paths to the Orangerie Museum.

Monet’s Waterlilies was the first art to really elicit a feeling in me, when I saw it on a field trip to the Met in the first grade, and I’ve had a special fondness for the series since. We couldn’t make a day trip to Giverny happen (next time!) but I sat there in that gorgeous space, perfectly designed by Monet to exhibit his masterpieces, and felt allll the feels.

Since we’d skipped Notre Dame that morning, we made a point to pass by that afternoon. The courtyard was a bit of a zoo, and the line was ridiculous, but I wa glad for the short visit. Serendipitously, we were in the perfect location when the bells rang, and enjoying them was enough for me.

We made another selfie stop as we walked through the Île de la Cité in the afternoon sunshine. I spent a long time seriously anti-selfie, but I just couldn’t help it- Paris brought out the shameless romantic in me. I blame that tower in the background!

We came across a plain little bridge, and decided it would be the perfect place to leave our tiny lock. I’d been so conflicted about this tradition, but leaned in the direction of sentimentality for once… teenage dreams and all. My bucket list checked off, we walked back to the Marais hand-in-hand.

loveRavayna

December 7, 2015

0 In pageant/ style

throw what you know

They always say you can’t go home again, but I don’t quite buy that. My childhood home is long sold, but I feel like I’ve gone home lots of places: at my mom’s brownstone in New York, my best friend’s family farm outside New Orleans, my Auntie’s house in Trinidad, and funnily enough, at a large pageant host hotel in Anaheim. After 2+ weeks yearly for over a decade, you start to settle in.

When you’re in the same place, reuniting with the same people each year, it’s fun to have some sassy new stuff to wear. I was so glad to have Mary Olive & Co send me some adorable clothes for NAM Nationals week. I loved the heck out of this sassy polka dotted Sherri Hill two-piece dress.

I’m a big fan of the ornate pearl beading on the top, and it was surprisingly light and comfy to wear. I’m also a sucker for cutaway backs, and any dress with pockets is a smash hit with me. Especially running around at a pageant, I prefer to have the necessities on me rather than trying to keep up with a purse.

I styled myself super-fast after a long morning of clients and headed out to the courtyard to get some shots of this MacDuggal dress, also from Mary Olive & Co. It’s made of a thin scuba material with some good drape, and gives some serious shape. It would have a been a bit much for me in my competition years, as I’m a bit of a modest mouse, but I’m grown now and it was fun to wear.

One of our clients is a Stella & Dot vendor, so I got to raid her inventory and play dress up with all her gorgeous stuff. With this striking cobalt dress, I chose the Eva ear jackets, Zinnia split ring, and gold Becker cuff.

A few of our clients were free, between rehearsal and competition, so we invited them to come down to join me for a few pictures. They came out so stinking cute I could barely handle it.

As obsessed as I am with these pictures, they’re bittersweet- I’m terrible about taking pictures while I’m working, and I wish I had such cuteness captured with all of our girls! But twelve separate competition schedules overlapped with my coaching/styling master, so we could only sync up with a few clients. And with less than a tenth of our total clientele on site at this pageant, there are sooo many smiling faces missing.

I so wish we’d have opportunities to shoot with our entire entourage of girls at once! But then I remember how hard it is to herd pageant girls into group pictures, much less keep all sets of eyes open and on the camera, and I’m good with what we’ve got.

We’ve been working with most of these older girls since they were tiny, and having gotten to watch them grow, it makes me feel old as dirt sending my babies off to college and the real world. I’m also really honored that their parents have shared them with us for so many years, and I swear on earth this #squad keeps me young and hip, and certainly always laughing.

As a former national queen, each year I attend a few alumnae events the pageant hosts for us. As one of the eldest, the meetings are always fun- I love seeing our ranks and the girls grow from year to year. This year, the pageant had some big name judges, and were kind enough to arrange meet-and-greets for us. Like with former Miss USA, Nia Sanchez, who is even more stunning in person.

Mary Olive & Co sent me this sassy striped MacDuggal as well, and I mitchy-matched my lipstick to the bodice, and collected compliments on it all day, even after I swapped my heels for flats.

We also got to spend a little more time visiting with last year’s Miss America, Kira Kazantsev. I remember her from her competition days, and she’s become a firecracker of a woman and a fab role model for young girls.

I took the opportunity to tell her about some of my little ones, and their immense (and rightfully due) cases of hero worship. They were falling over themselves in excitement to see her on their panel, and I couldn’t help but share a few of the best stories.

This is the last of the pageant talk for a while, so if you’ve come across this post in search of pageant and image consulting, you should just email me directly- we’re returning to posts about Paris soon. But the older I get, the more sentimental… I guess I should count myself lucky to have so many things to be sappy about!

loveRavayna

December 5, 2015

0 In life

so very thankful

I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. –Thoreau

Like most typical American households, my alarm rang obnoxiously early this Thanksgiving morning, and I was up long before the sun. Most times, us early risers are cooks, waking to tend to a turkey or its accompaniments. Instead, I turned on bright lights and various hot irons, because by noon I had styled and loved on dozens of sweet, talented, beautiful (inside and out) young ladies. As a full-service pageant consultant, Thanksgiving nationals makes for one of the busiest weeks of our entire year. We move into a suite of rooms at the host hotel near Disneyland for ten days to support our girls and their families as they compete, and workdays often run into the eighteen-hour vicinity. It is madness in the best, sparkliest way, and my Thanksgivings have always been that way! In true #tbt spirit….

First as a longtime contestant and queen, now as a consultant, pageantry is my most longstanding Thanksgiving tradition. There are only a handful of years across my lifetime where I didn’t start the holiday season in or around lots of crowns.

Though it doesn’t behoove a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, we’re used to it. We get our turkey fix in a few weeks when I do the whole spread and then some, for our annual Chrismakkuh party. The pageant hosts a lovely formal black-and-white Thanksgiving, and we’ve attended in the past, like when I was competing or royalty, most recently about 7 years ago when our kid sister gave pageantry a (brief yet successful) swing.

We’ve occasionally had one of our mommies organize lovely pageant family Thanksgiving dinners. We invite all of our clients and their families, take over part of a nearby restaurant, and make quite the raucous bunch… one year there were fifty-odd of us having a dance party in the private room at Ruth Chris between courses!

And over the years, we’ve developed our Coe thanksgiving tradition… All-you-can-eat Korean bbq. Sometimes it’s just us two, other times we bring a few, or many, clients with us. We are beyond casual about it- I’m generally barefaced and in leggings, so we head into Garden Grove, where you never need a reservation at Cham Sut Gol.

We eat banchan and grill pounds of delicious meats and seafood, until we are full and slightly smoky. We always discuss what we’re thankful for, and the evening is full of toasts and jokes- very festive, but low key comparatively, and a nice escape from the formality of pageant land. And then we head to the self-serve freezer, to dip ice cream cones for dessert! The flavor selection varies, but it’s always several yummy options… It’s amazing how I manage to make room for a double cone after gorging myself on bulgogi.

I make a conscious effort to live my life with gratitude, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share some things (beyond K-bbq) that I’m especially thankful for this week, from the pageant trenches.

L’Oreal Elnett. I’m on can number 3 for the pageant thus far, and I’m appreciative of its pageant-proof hold, brushability, and mostly inoffensive scent, since I’m sometimes in a cloud of it for hours. I’ve been using it since it needed to be imported, and I love that you can get it anywhere nowadays.

Fashion tape, e6000, and good old fashioned needle-and-thread. Between these three go-to’s, Mrs Ravayna can make most anything work! On that note, I’m especially grateful for zippers cooperating on evening gowns today, which is not always the case, and that I haven’t had wardrobe issues drastic enough to use the sewing machine I always bring.

David, who’s generally a beast, but really steps his game up this week. We run in lockstep, except for when he shoulders a burden completely (like building the master schedule, or steaming dozens of gowns) to ease my workload. He helps our girls express the most amazing charisma and heart, and when I see the relationships he has with our sweethearts, my heart is warm and fuzzy to know what a fabulous dad he will be someday.

Our girls and their families. As they are in and out of our suite all week, I’m sometimes awed by how lucky we are to be entrusted to help these girls grow and dream, then be able to watch them succeed. Our girls are classy on and off the stage and though the goals we pursue are of personal grace, not perfection, they never cease to blow me away. Many of our clients are not in attendance this week, and we are missing them terribly! I’m so thankful to have clients, who became friends and grew into our family.

And for pageants on the whole. Despite the media brouhaha, a lifetime of pageantry has been so, so good to me. It honed my communication and stage skills, instilled a work ethic and servant’s heart, and taught me to both win and lose with grace and class. Winnings paid for a large portion of my college education, and we’re now employed in the industry. Pageants created and strengthened some of my longest, most trusted and most treasured friendships- the girls in those ancient pictures are my ride-or-dies still, so many years later. I learned to be confident in my authentic self, to be brave even when I didn’t feel that way, and to tease hair to the heavens. Crowns may dull, but being a firecracker lasts a lifetime, and I’m so appreciative of all this and so much more.

Wishing you warm hearts and full bellies this thanksgiving!

loveRavayna

November 26, 2015

0 In travel

dinner, drinks and the dead

Back on our bikes, we rode from the Marais towards Montparnasse. We’d planned to return our bikes then, but found the Velib stations all full. We checked several before deciding to just park and lock them so we could adventure on, joining a short line that would lead us into the Catacombs of Paris.

We descended into the catacombs, and I was immediately glad we’d gone home to change. Despite the nearly 80′ day, it was damp and chilly deep underground Paris- the catacombs are consistently 57′ and wet, regardless of weather.

The sheer size of the catacombs was just astounding. It felt like we were walking around underneath Paris for hours, party to an endless bone parade. I’m not easily spooked, and I didn’t find the catacombs all that creepy, but I was totally intrigued by the logistics of creation, and impressed by the design.

After communing with the dead, we needed to get the graveyard off us before supper. Riding towards home, we finally found openings to return our bikes, so we walked the last little bit back to our apartment. It was a quick turnaround, and before we knew it we were off to dinner at le Relais De l’Entrecôte, as recommended by my good friend Dana.

They serve exactly one entrée, steak frites, and the line is always out the door (at several locations), because they do it incredibly. The meal began with classic green salad with walnuts, and our dinner quickly followed.

And just when we’d polished off a plate of perfectly cooked steak, crispy fries, and the most delectable savory sauce, the adorably uniformed waitress whisked it away to refill it. I hadn’t realized it was AYCE, but promptly adjusted my thinking and made room for two more servings.

We were full and happy as we left dinner and headed to the Arc de Triomphe to gander at the city’s skyline. So it was a bit of a letdown when we found that they’d closed the ticket booths earlier than advertised, and we’d missed it by minutes. As you can see, there was a good sized crowd of disappointed folks, but no drama materialized.

We admired the Arc from underneath, and decided to find the silver lining. After such a long and busy day, a little low key time was welcome, so we snagged a bottle of wine and spot by the Seine to indulge in an after dinner drink.

We sat and talked and laughed and smooched- I swear Paris brings out public displays of affection in people! The romance is real, and I was seriously smitten with my sweet husband as we strolled along the banks of the Seine and headed home for the night.

loveRavayna

November 19, 2015

0 In travel

a Paris museum day, via Velib

We couldn’t start our first full day of museums without securing our transportation, so once caffeinated we headed to pick up our wheels. I was super excited for us to get Velib day passes and bike around Paris!

I pink puffy heart love museums, so I wanted to go go go to them all, but David not so much. So we compromised on a two day pass, with daily agendas of musts and maybes, and intermittent snack and sightsee breaks. It was a positively dreamy experience to ride down streets like these.

We purchased our museum passes at the Rodin Museum, our first stop. The gardens were so stunning and sunshiny, with the statues gleaming and glinting in the sunlight, I couldn’t help but thank Mother Nature. I’ve seen Rodin’s sculpturework before, but the collection all together and the atmosphere were really beautiful.

I cracked up when I saw this picture David snuck- totally unposed! Even though it’s a little blurry, it’s too funny not to share. #bootylicious

Riding all through Paris was so exhilarating! I loved exploring the city in the sunshine, and my body appreciated moving differently from all the walking we had been doing. That said, I wear a helmet at home, so riding through traffic bareheaded was more than a little terrifying. We shared lanes with buses and taxis, so I was just super cautious as not to become Regina George 2.0. We rode to Pierre Herme for some snacks and sweets (more on that later), and then to the Musee d’Orsay.

It was absolutely striking in there, from the arching glass ceilings to that glorious golden clock. Strike me down and call me gaudy, but I love me some ornate antique gold. And the light streaming everywhere was just heavenly.

I had researched exhibition lists while selecting museums to visit, and really did want to see it all- I love Impressionism. So I went from area to area, inspecting displays and reading every informational card- I’m nerdy like that, but I was loving it!

Looking out through the giant clock gave us gorgeous views of Paris. I would have loved to enjoy it longer and see if I could pick out places, while David snapped away. But the area was crowded with rude tourists and unattended children, and I couldn’t handle the fracas for very long. I sound like I’m turning into my granny, but it’s so true!

We escaped to the relative quiet of the the rooftop for a little bit, and enjoyed the birds-eye view, before heading back down and wandering through the museum once more before heading out to our bikes and back into the boulevards of Paris.

We rode across the Seine, just having the best time! We couldn’t help but pull over for a few minutes to admire the river, attempt our typically awful selfies, people watch, and assess the map and agenda. (For the record, this phone charger was clutch on days like this.)

We arrived at this beautiful courthouse, where we parked our bikes and walked around to enter Sainte Chappelle. I was glad for the cut-the-line privileges of our museum passes, because the line was crazy long. Once we walked in, though, I totally understood why.

Pictures really cannot capture the magical quality of Sainte Chappelle. The light through all that brightly colored glass was just incredible, and I nearly broke my neck admiring the gorgeous ceilings. I inched around the perimeter looking at the statues and admiring the gilt work, and marveling at the sheer volume- the architecture amplified the tourist hubbub.

I knew our next activity would be chilly, and wanted to change into something warmer. So we rode our bikes back towards the Marais, grabbing falafel (again) on Rue de Roisers before stopping at our apartment. It was nice to recharge and refresh briefly, but we had one more attraction to see that afternoon, so were on our way again soon…

loveRavayna

November 18, 2015

0 In travel

breakfast and blooms

Another beautiful day in Paris began with a refreshingly crisp morning. We started our day in Les Invalides, gearing up for a full day of museum gawking and a bit of exercise.

There’s no better way to wake up than with flaky goodness and a side of caffeine, in my opinion. Pain et Chocolat provided my early morning fuel- a namesake pastry and a grand crème. After the bottomless wine brouhaha the night before, I was grateful for the option to supersize my usual café crème.

As I build travel agendas, I allow plenty of extra time for wandering, inspecting, and loafing about. Taking the scenic route as always, we came across a beautiful little pocket park. Square Samuel Rousseau was an oasis along our walk, perfect to sit for a few minutes.

So many flowers were in bloom in the small garden, the air was fragrant as the sun began warming them. The hyacinth were especially heady, and I was just astonished at what gorgeous weather Mother Nature was gifting us.

We admired the design of the Army Museum’s exterior as we walked past. It looked so distinguished, with rows of antique cannons, I had to check the map and identify it. I was highly caffeinated, giddy on sunshine, and beyond excited to spend the day nerding out at museums. I swear I giggled every time I spotted the Eiffel Tower, falling more in love with Paris by the moment.

loveRavayna

November 14, 2015

0 In beauty

the friday five 003 a braid-y bunch

When I wrote my #15in15 earlier this year, I set a goal of learning to dutch braid. It took a decent amount of practice, but I’ve learned and then some! I’ve been wearing a variety of different styles and shapes of braids, while in Europe, at the farm, and pretty much all the time.

David even papped me braiding on the go- I thought he was taking pictures of architecture, but not so much.

I’m not claiming to be any kind of braid guru, I’m just a beginner. But today I’m passing on a little guidance, as I acquaint you with some of the hair vloggers from whom I’ve picked up my fancy braid skills.

Twist Me Pretty

Abby actually wrote a braiding ebook- girl really knows her stuff. She also introduced me to a favorite product for braiding, Kenra Platinum Texturizing Putty. As someone without a ton of hair, I don’t always want to wear my extensions, and most of her styles don’t need them. Her upbeat but not saccharine attitude and stinking adorable family (especially those twin baby boys) are also points in Abby’s ‘pro’ column.

Cute Girls Hair

Mindy is mom to four daughters, and therefore has lots of hair to do. She and her girls span ages, hair length, and hair texture, so there are lots of diverse styles demonstrated. Their specialty is styles that can be done in less than five minutes, which is awesome for any girl on her hustle, regardless of age.

Kirsten Zellers

She’s strikingly beautiful, and has the most amazing mane of icy lavender-silver hair- it makes me want to race to the salon, bleach my hair out and rinse it pale pastels. With that gorgeous color, I’m pretty sure she could tie it in knots and it would still be swoonworthy, but it seriously upgrades her braids to fairy tale status.

The Small Things Blog

Kate was one of the first vloggers I came across. She seems incredibly down to earth, and breaks things down into manageable steps really effectively. It sounds ridiculous to even watch the tutorial, but her lived-in messy bun video is super useful for a topknot that appears full and sloppy, but isn’t tangled into an actual knot below the surface. She teaches in-person braiding and curling classes near her hometown in Raleigh… I’ve always thought attending one would be so fun!

Barefoot Blonde

With a sheet of long, blonde hair, Amber incites hair envy with fat, lush braids. But she owns that it’s comprised of lots of extensions, and I appreciate knowing that from the outset. Her tutorials can be a bit rambly, but it’s nice not to have to rush to keep up with a hyperspeed video. Her directions for hiding my extensions within braids were really useful, and I wear what she calls a fishhook braid often.

I follow all of these lovely ladies on Instagram as well. I love speedy braid videos and micro-tutorials, plus the eye candy of some simply beautiful braids. And I’m still learning- working on a dutch fishtail now, but it’s tangly going!

loveRavayna

November 13, 2015

0 In travel

more than montmartre

We took no pictures at the Shoah Memorial. While it is elegantly designed, it was too heartwrenching of an experience to even think about photography. We were solemn from the start- the knowledge that the museum exists as a World War II reparation and that anti-semitism is still common enough in France to necessitate a fleet of armed guards and metal detectors set that tone.

Some portions of the memorial haunted me, then and now. The way the bronze cylinder echoes the chimneys of the death camps, how the room of “fichier juif” (the Vichy police files identifying Jews) had a special section for detained children, seeing the only photographs in existence of the crematoriums and graves, taken from the inside of the camps, and reading the stories of those few who survived- it all unsettled my soul. I’ve never been a more reverent place than the crypt, where a black marble Star of David contains the ashes of unknown martyred jews from the death camps and the Warsaw ghetto. Ner tamid, an eternal light, burns in memoriam.

And then the Wall of Names in the courtyard undid me. Being surrounded by the names of French citizens who perished at the hands of, or fighting against, intolerance was an overwhelming experience. Our last name was once Cohen, changed when David’s ancestors emigrated. Multiple sections of the wall memorialize those who shared our name.

I’ll be honest- the Shoah shattered me. My eyes were swollen shut from crying and I was just an emotional mess. As we left the memorial, we were relieved that the rest of the day’s agenda was happier. We were pretty quiet on the way to Montmartre, and decided to make a cafe our first stop.

After a few cocktails and some conversation across from the Moulin Rouge, I was feeling a little less like a basketcase. Never underestimate the power of a stiff drink to help you pull yourself together. Eager to explore, we hit the cobblestone.

I was excited to come across Cafe des Moulins, as Amelie was one of the movies we watched on the train from Barcelona to Paris.

We wandered Montmartre aimlessly, planning only to end at le Refuge des Fondus for our dinner reservation. We arrived ready for bottomless baby bottles of wine and all the cheese we could eat.

They served our glasses of dry rosè with a chunky sugar rim, which I love and now do all the time. Our predinner snacks were generous, with quality charcuterie, and a scrumptious spicy potato salad I’m currently tweaking here at home.

And the baby bottles were hysterical. It felt odd for the first minute, but then seemed totally normal. They helpfully facilitated my drinking- they had cut the nipples to increase flow, and refills were frequent. As throughout our trip, we found the house wine to be rather good. L’chaim!

I’m picky about my fondue, and this was seriously yummy liquid gold. Refuge is known to be more touristy than my typical foodie choices, so I was glad when the caliber of food was unaffected by the festivities. As the night progressed, my minimal photography skills further deteriorated… it all got a bit blurry.

We ate and drank unreasonable quantities, making friends and toasting with the other guests, since we were all together at the communal tables. The boisterousness was the perfect antidote to the earlier part of the day, and we really let it wash over us.

I was a total tourist and insisted on autographing the wall before carefully climbing out of my seat. Did I mention that the path to seats near the wall is over the table, holding the hand of the waiter? It was far wobblier on the way out than in- I was glad we were closing them down.

As we walked along the boulevard and back through Montmartre to take the metro home to the Marais, the Moulin Rouge (and every cheesy wannabe night or gentlemen’s club) were all aglow in a gloriously tacky neon spectacle. It felt almost like Parisian Vegas, and we found it all very amusing.

loveRavayna

November 10, 2015

0 In travel

shopping à Paris

I told y’all all about our flea market excursion, but that was just the beginning of my Paris shopping- I made more than a few store stops as we explored the city. We began at Orange to get a French SIM card for my iPhone- an absolute necessity.

The BHV was right by our apartment, and became a running joke- I have a terrible sense of direction, but it was like my magnetic north. I loved browsing books and stationery, housewares and decor, and dug the mix of designer and high street brands.

Part design exhibition, part gorgeously styled boutique, it’s easy to see why merci is popular. The clothes and objets and decor were all impossibly chic, even down to the garden tools, the washing machine installation wall was interactive, and the cute and yummy cafe on the garden floor was packed.

The red car out front is photobait, and rightfully so! I brought home red gingham fabric napkins that tear off the roll like paper towels, and wooden cutlery carved to look like fancy silverware.
We loved Deyrolle, where no pictures are permitted. It’s a taxidermy shop with a sense of humor- literally, the lion lays down with the lamb. They have so many diverse specimens, exploring the store is a true adventure. We had no intent to purchase, but this is some seriously cool window shopping, and would recommend it highly (as long as you’re not vegan or squeamish about stuffed game).

When it came pharmacy time, I had a to-buy list ready to go. I take skincare and such really seriously, so I had done my research on the offerings. Bioderma and Embryolisse are standbys for me, so I was happy to stock up without the import tax, as well as on anti-inflammatory patches that are spendy at home, Homeoplasmine and la Roche Posay sunblock.

I’m always really into foreign grocery stores, and Paris was no exception. David had to stop me from trying to buy way more cheese than we could reasonably eat. And I loved how the Monoprix had food and family shopping all in one space, like a French Target.

But for serious foodie shopping, we went to Les Halles.

David Leibovitz has never once led me wrong, and E. Dehillerin was no exception. I lusted after the gorgeous copper pots and new knives, but made more reasonable purchases. After eating with tongs at Tickets, we got some for home. I also picked up new biscuit cutters, and I should have gotten a canelé mold- I became obsessed and wish I could make them myself!

G. Tetou is nearby, so we headed there next. This immaculate shop is filled with the most amazing assortment of food and sweets- the wall of chocolate made my mouth water. Valhrona is my preferred major chocolate brand, and their dulcey (32% caramelized white chocolate) is pretty much crack. David’s eyebrows went sky high when I requested the 3 kilo package from from behind the counter, but it’s been so delicious!

I really tried hard have some self control in there- I wanted to buy and try everything! Along with excessive quantities of chocolate, I purchased Puy lentils, chestnut cream and paste, duck pate, harissa, and puree de piment d’espelette.

I also did a fair bit of solo shopping in Paris, which is obviously less documented. David was not about to complain if I went to a boutique as he lingered over his cocktail for a few or waited in a line. So I went to Galeries Lafayette for Longchamp Le Pliage totes (navy for myself, red for a girlfriend) and also nabbed that cute cobalt convertible crossbody. I checked out Antoine et Lili, bought my favorite summer sneakers at Bensimon, grabbed some incredible tea at Mariage Freres, and stopped at more than a few well-recommended vintage boutiques. On the whole, I found them beautifully-curated but rather overpriced. That said, Atelier Catherine B is truly a little jewel box of vintage Chanel and Hermes goodies, and worth the visit just to drool.

And I peeked into lots of other stores in passing- pretty much anytime I saw something tempting. I’m good at speed shopping so David doesn’t get too impatient. There were dozens of other shops I had mapped that I didn’t get to- there is just SO much good shopping in Paris! Just another reason to return to the City of Lights…

loveRavayna

November 8, 2015

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