My Little Black Book {in San Diego}

Having lived here for a good long while, I've had a pretty good chance to suss out the places I like to go to get things done.  Some of these people have become friends by now, but none of them have paid me to plug them - nor would I do so if I didn't sincerely believe in their services! This is just my way of sharing my insider information, such as it is, in the hope that both you and they can benefit.  :)

1. Shoe Repair - Leather Magic in Point Loma - Hugo and his wife Ana do fantastic quality work for a great price.  In fact, he was recently listed in Town & Country magazine as one of the top cobblers in the world.  I took him a Hermes Kelly bag that I'd had worked on by the official Hermes repair person, and he did a better job.  True story.  
2. Florals - Carlos at Green Fresh Florals has a gorgeous shop in Hillcrest, I can buy armloads of flowers there for no more (and sometimes even less) than they cost at Whole Foods.  Also can't quibble with Adelaides in La Jolla - it's where I get my mom's Mother's Day flowers every year.  Occasionally I will also stop by Che Bella, but I don't think it's been the same since they moved.  
3. Dry Cleaner/Repairs - I go to the Hangers Dry Cleaner in Fenton Plaza (the Ikea shopping center) in Mission Valley.  They use a non-toxic cleaning process (no perchloroethylene) and it's worth the little extra money to me to avoid the poisons.  I think their cleaning process is harder on some silk fabrics than the traditional method, but they've never lost my stuff and they give me a 10% loyal customer discount.  They're also pretty good at getting stains out, and they have a seamstress on site for repairs.  
4. Alterations/Seamstress - For more substantial alterations, I like Charlie's Alterations on Adams Avenue.  They can also replicate clothing items if you take them the fabric and the item.  
5. Personal Trainer - For the last year and a half, James and I have been going to Fitness Zone, a personal training studio in Kearny Mesa a couple of times a week. James has lost almost 100 pounds in that time, and I've lost around 20.  I'm in a lot better shape though.  Rob, Kris and Heidi can make you hate life and love them at the same time which is quite a feat - they have a great Pilates studio too.  
6. Yoga - I've been doing yoga off and on for a while now, and over the years I've been to most of the popular studios  in town.  My favorite instructors teach at Prana, La Jolla Yoga Center and The Little Yoga Studio.  Gerhard Gessner is the owner of Prana, Sara Deakin teaches at Little Yoga Studio and Prana, and Carolina Vivas and Amanda McCarroll teach at La Jolla Yoga Center.  I usually go to the Little Yoga Studio since it's just up the hill from my office downtown, but La Jolla Yoga Center is beautiful - like a spa - and has a wide selection of classes.  Prana is a little more basic, but Gerhard, the owner, teaches one of the best classes in town. Jeannie, the owner of La Jolla Yoga Center used to teach there before she opened LJYC. The Little Yoga Studio is tiny, but the effect is cozy, and it has the distinct advantage of being downtown (on Cortez Hill) just a few blocks from my office.  
7. Salon - My relationship with Rebeca and Raquel - the owners of Sashay Salon - goes way back.  We're talking early 90's.  (We also went to the same high school, though not at the same time.)  When I moved back to town from the Bay Area in 1998 I started seeing both of them exclusively, and they opened their own salon on Adams Avenue shortly thereafter - I haven't been anywhere else since.  Adam has been doing my hair for the past couple of years, since Raquel got sick, and Rebeca does nails and skin care.  Love love love them.  
8. Cakes - When I need a birthday cake (or someone else asks me for a referral) Jenny Wenny Cakes is my go-to source.  She does fantastic party cakes with great decorations and does not sacrifice one whit of flavor or quality for appearance.  (She even uses Schaner eggs!)  She's in the process of launching her cake business, so please support her if you can. You will not find a better cake for a better price! 
9. Gifts - I like to keep a little stockpile of gifts on hand, but when I run out or need something quick, I usually head to Pigment in North Park, Vocabulary in Little Italy, or, believe it or not - Extraordinary Desserts in Little Italy.  They have cute kid and baby items, tableware, hand creams, candles, etc.  Not cheap, but good stuff.  Pigment is great for hip housewares, and Vocabulary is a sweet little boutique with good prices - bonus, it's just around the corner from Pappalecco.  :)  
10. Gardening supplies - When I need garden goods, I head to City Farmer in City Heights.  It's a nearly endless wonderland of plants, animals, seeds, soil, pesticides and fertilizers, and just about anything else you could need for your yard - all of it organic.   It's a great place to take kids - they have a veritable barnyard on the property and there are lots of nooks and crannies to explore.  Bill, the owner, is wonderful and full of sage advice.  I'm told he'll "taste" your soil to tell you whether it's in balance and if not, what you need to add to it.  I haven't taken him up on it yet, but I might!
11. Veterinarian - And one more late addition to the list - our veterinarian, Dr. Dorian at Market Street Veterinary Clinic.  We first met Dr. Dorian at the Windansea Veterinary Clinic in La Jolla.  We adopted Bart at the La Jolla Farmers Market, and they handed us their card.  I had no other resources or recommendations, so I called them up.  They turned out to be fabulous, and since then our favorite vet there, Dr. Raffy Dorian, has left and opened his own practice downtown on Market Street.  It's getting harder to get an appointment when you need one, but they are worth the couple of week's wait.  Not many people I talk to say they love their vet. We've only been to one, but we wouldn't go anywhere else. 

p.s. - I'm going to do a food version of this list soon, with my favorite farmers market vendors, kitchen ware sources, cheese shops, bakeries, etc. Stay tuned!

The Rose Bowl Flea Market

Entrance - Antiques are to the left!

You might remember, if you're an attentive and diligent reader of this blog, that I mentioned a few weeks ago that I went to the Rose Bowl Flea Market. I'd been wanting to go to this flea market for YEARS - quite literally.  Like 10 of them. It's held the second Sunday of each month at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, so it does require a bit of thinking to plan a trip around it, and for one reason or another, I just couldn't get around to it until April.  I'd heard a lot of mixed things about it - it's overpriced, Long Beach is better now, it's too crowded, all the good stuff is gone after 9 AM, etc.  -  but for someone like me, just looking for some entertainment and a few cool things, the Rose Bowl was more than adequate.

In doing my usual over-zealous research, I might have actually screwed up a bit. I had heard that the best bargains were to be found in the farthest parts of the market - across the bridge, so to speak.  Yes, there was plenty of cheap stuff over there - but there was also a reason why it was cheap.  It was - for the most part - junk.  (Except for the vintage clothing, more on that later.)  Meanwhile, people were flooding into the grounds and heading straight for the good stuff - acres and acres of antiques located just to the left of the entrance.

Assorted and sundry... junk. 

By the time we made it back there, we really only had the time and stamina to circle the perimeter.  As such, we missed aisles and aisles of vendors, selling furniture, artwork, all KINDS of stuff - in the middle.

That's not to say we didn't find plenty of good stuff.  We were both on a bit of a budget, and neither of us were in the market for furniture, so we didn't feel like we missed out on much there.  Most of the furniture vendors with nice stuff also seemed to have cards out for their online or brick and mortar shops - and their prices were not much if any less than ordinary retail.

I had my eye out for interesting artwork or paintings and a vintage leather bag, and found both.  The dark brown vintage 70's bag was a serious bargain at $35, this poster from a 1956 Louvre exhibit was $100. but I kind of love it, it's nicely framed, and it was half the amount the seller originally quoted me.  That's the thing about bargaining.   When you offer and they accept, it's pretty much yours.

I actually found the bargaining a little annoying.  It's obvious that they jack the prices up - then they stand around and say "we can do better than that."   What that really means is you have no idea what something is going to cost you until you've agreed to buy it.  I think the only thing I bought without bargaining was the bag - they said $35 and I said "Sold!"  I also bought a vintage Tyrolean men's jacket - wool, really cute.  They asked for $50, I offered $40.  Sold!  Earrings, they asked for $30, I offered $20... Long story short - it's a good idea to make sure you actually want something before you start haggling.

In the "back lot" section of the market they do have some good deals on vintage clothing and textiles - and lots of smaller household stuff.  Some of it was overpriced - but it varied quite a bit from booth to booth.  If you're in the market for trendy wool blankets, Mexican embroidered dresses, Hawaiian shirts, vintage concert tees and denim, etc. it's definitely worth strolling back there.  No matter where you are, you're a lot more likely to get a good deal from someone with a bunch of random assorted stuff than a vendor who is specializing in a particular category.  The blankets and leather bags in the specialized booths in the front section of the market were waaaay more expensive than random ones.

The best part, is that you just never know what you're going to find, and chances are if you don't buy it, you'll never see it again.   For example, you won't find this poster at Z Gallerie -  though I guess whether or not you think that's a good thing depends on how you feel about clowns...

Nor will you find this inflatable Peter Max pillow - which sold while I was mulling it's $45. price tag (firm.)   It's probably just as well.   I really don't know where I would have put it.

A few tips and things I learned:

1)  Take a large bag or a cart - We took big tote bags from our Lucky Shops adventure the day before. People were also hauling those market carts around all over the place. You can rent one there for $15.
2)  Wear sunscreen, a hat and comfy shoes, and bring water - You will be walking around for at LEAST three hours - we were there until 1.
3)  Eat before you go and be prepared to hold it  -  There were very few bathrooms and one or two hot dog vendors in the section where we were.   Even trash cans were few and far between.
4)  Don't worry about getting there for the early admission - Just get there close to 9 and you'll be fine.  Most of the vendors were just finishing setting up at 9 and there is so much territory to cover, it can't possibly all be gone before you get there. I also can't help but think the vendors' willingness to negotiate increases as the day wears on.
5)  If you really want something, buy it - You'll probably never see it again.
6)  Don't expect miracles -  You're better off at garage sales if you're looking for steals - though I hear the chances of furniture bargains increase at the end of the day, since you'll be helping them out by hauling it away.
7)  Keep the five year rule in mind -  Anything you can't imagine keeping for at least 5 years, walk on by.  Makes those wobbly decisions much easier!

Rose Bowl Flea Market 
1001 Rose Bowl Dr
Pasadena, CA 91103
Held the second Sunday of every month. Next on July 10!

New Orleans Part II {Crawfest, Stein's Deli & Shopping on Magazine Street}

There are a lot of festivals in New Orleans that involve music and food - Jazz Fest comes to mind - but this one was even better in a way. The Crawfest at Tulane might not have involved headliners like Sting and Bon Jovi (?) but it was easy to get in and out of, the music was good and the crawfish even better. To get some, you have to get a wrist band, which entitles you to two (or maybe three) trips to the crawfish trough.

They were boiling up the buggers in the back and dumping them into what looked like a boat on the table, along with corn and potatoes. We brought our own beer (one of the advantages of New Orleans, you can pretty much take it anywhere) and had a lovely picnic on the grass listening to the Baby Boyz Brass Band - featuring high school students (hence the name.) Very good stuff.

The crowd was pretty sparse when we got there around 11. It's a good idea to go early. They run out of crawfish by 1 or so.

These kids had the right idea. Crawfish and a gallon of daiquiris.

In the afternoon, the girls split from the boys, and while they went to the WWII museum, we headed to Magazine Street for some browsing. Mid-afternoon, we we were walking down the street when I spotted some folks eating a fine looking sandwich at a table outside this deli, called Stein's.

We walked inside and I was smitten - with the rough floor, the chalkboard menu, the refrigerators full of delicious ice cold beverages, the works.

Of course we had to order something. This was the "Sam" - hot pastrami with cole slaw, swiss cheese and Russian dressing, on toasted rye. It was every bit as good as it looks. Maybe even better.

I didn't buy anything on Magazine Street - I was sort of tapped out from the Rose Bowl Flea Market (which I still haven't told you about) but we saw some pretty cool stuff. This shop called Neophobia had a nice selection of mid-century modern items at good prices.

Margie and I also fell in love with this art deco solid brass chandelier. I would have seriously considered it if: a) I had any place at all to put it, or b) it wasn't $995.00.

We also saw a lot of rustic garden wares. This one shop had about a thousand of these rusty red chairs sitting around - perfect for your overgrown "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" courtyard.

This is the kind of stuff you expect to find in New Orleans antiques shop - gold, white, French, looking like something out of Interview With The Vampire.

Magazine Street is full of great little boutiques, cafes, bars and gelato shops, so be sure to give it a stroll if you are in the area. You can get there fairly easily from the French Quarter on the St. Charles streetcar - just walk south through the Garden District - which is worth a walk around in itself just to peek through the gates of the mansions!

Coming up next - Cochon and Cochon butcher shop - our main dining out adventure in NOLA!

Huzzah!! Casa Robertson has a Guest Room!

I am pleased to announce that Casa Robertson at last sports an honest-to-goodness guest room!  It was a long time in coming, but when we go, we go all out.  A fan and a gumball machine are among the many amenities you'll find.   There's an Ace Hotel robe hanging on the back of the door, and I've even ordered one of those folding luggage racks.

This project began when a friend of mine happened to mention that she had an heirloom wooden double bed she needed to store. I have two nieces who visit not infrequently, who were fast outgrowing the single daybed they slept on head to toe. I'd also been meaning to re-do this room for a while now. It's still primarily my office and dressing room, but since I don't work at home much anymore, I didn't really need as much work space. It was also high time something was done about the furniture, which consisted of two dressers I had been using since seventh grade, and two white folding tables for a desk.

My friend gave me the bed to store for at least two years, and the rest just grew from there.  I wanted the room to be fun and kid appropriate - since my nieces will undoubtedly stay in it most often - but stylish and comfortable enough for adults too.  Luckily the bed fit right in with what I was going for.  I covered it with Ikea linens and hung a vintage wool blanket over the footboard. 

I still liked the robins egg blue, so we just repainted the walls the same color.  The bookshelf and desk chair came from West Elm and I picked up the bedside table at a vintage store in Riverside.  I could not believe how lucky I was to find the dresser on Craigslist.  It was only $250. and the seller lived less than a mile away.  The mirror is from the original 7th grade Ethan Allen furniture set.   

I already had this linen bulletin board and when we had our first houseguests a couple of weeks ago I wanted to get it covered.  I pulled out a box of thumb tacks and a box of art and travel postcards and mementos I've collected *going back almost 30 years* and went to work.  It was sort of strange handling things that are vintage because *I* bought them when I was 12.  (For a closer look, click here.)

I trolled Craigslist for a couple of months looking for a wood bookshelf until I finally caved and bought this one from West Elm. It was a little pricey, but it works perfectly and I needed to get something in there.

So there you have it - reserve now for best availability!  We have Traders chocolate croissants in the freezer, and we always have plenty of coffee on hand!

Tell Tale Preserve Co. Update

 

A few months ago, I told you about a new enterprise in San Francisco called the Tell Tale Preserve Co.  Pastry Chef William Werner anticipates opening his cafe this Spring, but in the meantime, he is selling sweet and savory pastries, confections and jams through his monthly Tell Tale Society subscription bags - and a weekly stand at the local farmers markets in San Francisco:

 

The big news though, is that through the month of December, he's also running a "popup shop" - called the Tell Tale Trunk Show,  at Big Daddy Antiques in San Francisco - which looks like a pretty cool place all on its own... 

 

Open 9-5 Monday - Saturday through the month of December, the shop will offer the pastries, confections and jams Chef Werner is becoming known for, as well as coffee service.  A few people I know have ordered the Society bags and sampled items from the farmers markets, and the reviews are universally positive. 

 

I finally broke down and ordered one of the Society bags for myself for January - a little treat to help alleviate the post-holiday letdown...  :)

 

There's a chance the Trunk Show could continue if it's a success, so if you're in the area, get on over there and check it out (and please report back if you do!)   If you're not in the area, you can always order a subscription bag.  You can't pick your items, but that's part of the fun of it, and I can safely say that out of the four or five that have gone out so far, there hasn't been one I wouldn't be thrilled to get!

Photos via Dessert First  - where you can also find more detailed information and background.