Victorian Style, But Jamaican Hospitality December 28, 2009

Through the years, we have suggested some of the most amazing places for brides to host various events while planning their nuptials.   From grand spaces such as the Plaza Hotel, The May Fair Hotel in London, to Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn New York ,The Victorian.

We had the honor of sharing a meal with the owner Claudia Moran, and the one and only Marc Baptiste joined us as we toured this amazing space.  It felt just right.  The energy, the home away from home feeling that your grandmother made you feel as you sat down in her kitchen as she cooked your favorite dish. 

It was warm watching the legendary Marc Baptiste converse with this elegant lady of style.  Claudia Moran, shared with the wonderful history of this 120 year old mansion that she took on with love.  This old Victorian decorated  mansion was fully furnished with furniture from her antique boutique that she once owned, filled with treasures of everyone’s great grandmothers soulful spirit.

As we awaited her company a guest rang the bell to book this lovely space to celebrate life, love and great company.  Love is definitely in the air of this amazing space.

Eat and Be Marry December 20, 2009

Weddings, holiday, any form of celebration often involves food and spirits.  Food seems to be the universal language for celebration.   

For a wedding celebration how does one go about selecting their menu.  What do you base your choices on, your personal preference or that of your guests.  We suggest you do keep your guests in mind its the hospitable thing to do.   

Usually a caterer will offer tastings for you to sample by appointments for a small fee.  It is then you should ask all your questions.   Budget? Setup? Delivery? Cleanup?

We went to some great resturantes in the New York City area, Thai Restaurant in the Williamsburg Brooklyn area.  When dinning for any reason these are the opportunities you should take to think about your wedding menu.

We went to the book release of one of our favorite caterers Nadege Fleurimond.  This Haitian soul cooks to feed the soul.  From the rich spicy island of the Caribbean your mouth is sure to water as you can’t but devour the delicious dishes prepared for you.  This lovely person comes from a family that loves to feed the human spirit.  Haitian culturally believe in feed the soul to reach the heart.   Go to any Haitian home and the first thing they want to do is feed you.  It is no wonder that Nadege became a chef.  Now this renown Haitian  chef shares her story of love of food and family with you and draws you into her world of food.  Bon Appetite!

Breafast Inn Bed November 29, 2009

Edible Flower Breakfasts
by Vivian Perez
 
        Many bed and breakfast innkeepers/chefs create edible flower breakfast signature dishes by experimentation.These specialty recipes are uniquely made with edible flowers such as cherry blossoms, marigolds, calendula, sunflowers, and chive blossoms. Innkeepers have a desire to create a new recipe that is different than other inn recipes and the ingredients will vary from dish to dish.The AppleBlossom Inn in Ahwahnee, California has a beautiful apple orchard with 90 apple trees. Once the apples fall from the trees, Candy Apple Arthur gathers them and proceeds to make the apple recipes throughout the year. When Candy serves the Apple Blossom Pancakes with bacon bits. Customers say,”Candy, this is the best meal of my entire life.” Candy said “Everyone, especially the children love the flower shaped pancakes.” Apple blossoms have a floral flavor and aroma with a touch of sweetness plus they are rich in antioxidants. 
     When Candice Anne Arthur bought the Apple Blossom Inn, she wanted to set herself apart from the other inns by serving a unique breakfast featuring the inn’s name and theme. It was a natural progression for Candy to experiment with many recipes before creating the best ones. The most popular breakfasts served at the Apple Blossom Inn are the Apple Blossom Pancakes, Candy Apple French Toast, Banana Blossom Waffles, and Candy Apple French Toast Bake. Candy finds the simple pleasures of life when she introduces a new breakfast recipe. As a child, Candy didn’t want an Easy Bake Oven, she wanted real cooking utensils instead. She loved the Betty Crocker books which gave Candy her start in the kitchen. The Apple Blossom Inn guest rooms are called the Blossom Room, Granny Smith Room, and the Red Delicious Room Suite is located in the Carriage House. The Carriage House has two bedrooms, a VCR and television, and full beds and it can accomodate small families.
 
 
       During the spring time, the orange blossoms begin to bloom in the State of Virginia displaying a spectacular beauty.  
 Eating breakfast at the L’Auberge Provencale Bed and Breakfast Country Inn and Restaurant is a delicious experience. Executive Chef Alain Borel prepares a wonderful Orange Blossom Waffles with mangos and nutmeg cream recipe. Guests think it is a true delight to taste the orange blossoms. The Orange Blossom Waffles are made with real orange blossom water. Customers say,”This is an unbelievable breakfast. It is full of flavor!” Celeste Borel is the innkeeper at the L’Auberge Provencale Bed and Breakfast who sees to the guests and the operation of the inn. ”We also grow hyssop at theinn for our hyssop sorbet.”says Celeste Borel. Hyssop is a herb with a minty taste used in culinary purposes and it is known as the holy herb used in ancient times. A few benefits to eating hyssop is it helps regulate blood pressure and it reduces indigestion too. The 11 rooms at the inn have special theme names in French with a English translation. For instance, the La Suite Enchanteuse (The Enchanting Suite) is a charming French Country style room and the La Chambre Accueillante (The Welcoming Suite) is decorated with a bright soothing color displaying the natural hues of spring. 
 
 

Venue Fit for a Queen September 28, 2009

Location, location, location.  When planning your wedding it may not be easy to find the space, let alone the perfect space, that may be even more challenging.

But it doesn’t necessarily have to be if you take some of the following things into consideration:

Personality of both you and your beloved

The amount of guests expected

The theme of the wedding

Then of course budget

Due to the economy one might find it more practical to find a space that can accommodate everything, wedding ceremony and reception.  We went a step further and found a space that not only set the tone for some of the worlds most royal personalities but can be the most amazing quarters for your traveling guests.  The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT, United Kingdom.

It was during our visit to the UK to cover Fashion Week, our director of events recommended we host our International launch party to the European market.   We decided to visit this amazing structure of a place, which is not only breath taking from the lobby up, the ambiance is magnificent, the staff charming and the executives “Amazing”.  Hospitality, great customer service is “Priceless”.  Regardless of what direction the economy is going  no one should compromise courtesy, and proper etiquette.

Mayfair is an up-market, yet discreet location, in the heart of London’s West End. Often referred to as ‘London’s luxury quarter’, The May Fair 5 star luxury Hotel is moments from London’s chicest shopping areas, Bond Street, and just a few minutes’ walk from the equally famous Regent Street. Some of London’s most beautiful green spaces are also on your doorstep, with Green Park a two minute walk from the luxury hotel and Hyde Park, no more than a ten minute stroll.

As we shuffled down London’s tube to get to the May Fair Hotel from our modest hotel which was also charming in its own rights.  The lobby was breath taking as we walked into the modernly decorated sleek space.  The guests were just as beautiful as the space itself.   The mixed cultured staff were brilliant.  The decor breathtaking.  The art work fit for a museum. From their Crystal Ball Room, Casino, Spa, and “AMAZING” Bar Restaurant you won’t go wrong. The food, there are no words that can describe how we salivated over the menu, the table service was unbelievable. Drinks monumental -Mojito , mojito ahhhhh.  I guarantee it.

For brides living in the UK area it is imperative that the May Fair Hotel is on the top of your list of venues to consider.  With the various space that the Hotel has you won’t go wrong.

For further information and other May Fair property please visit www.themayfairhotel.co.uk/home.

Things We LOVE About New York: Jacques Torres Chocolate August 31, 2009

Strolling through the DUMBO area of Brooklyn, you’ll come across beautiful new structures, amazing art galleries and breath-taking architecture. Walking amount the cobble-stone road of Water Street you’ll also happen upon Jacques Torres Chocalate and Jacques Torres Ice Cream. Quaint in design and reminiscent of a vintage ice cream store, we tasted the best ice cream for miles. With waffle cones, brownies and scoops of vanilla on belgian waffles, we just couldn’t get enough. Look at one of the tasty treats we had, a chocolate brownie with chocolate rum ice cream that was so tasty we couldn’t wait until after the picture was taken to have a bite. 

 

Jacques Torres Chocolate

 

Finders, Keepers… August 26, 2009

 On Thursday morning, August 27th, 2009, the Luxe Hunt will begin! There will be an official sticker bearing the Luxe Hunt logo placed somewhere about New York City. The person that finds this official Luxe Hunt sticker will win a rare bottle of Mendis Coconut Brandy, valued at 100,000 USD. Mendis Coconut Brandy is crafted from a singular natural ingredient with absolutely no additions. It is an intrinsically pure product that is an elusive rarity. The bottle is signed, dated and numbered by the founder of Mendis International, Mr. Chris Richardson, and sealed in pure gold leaf.

The hunt will begin at 9:00 a.m. EST on August 27th, 2009, and end when the official Luxe Hunt sticker is found or at 11:59 p.m. EST on that same day. The Clues to the location of the official Luxe Hunt sticker will be provided via Twitter (www.twitter.com/luxehunt), starting at 9:00 a.m. EST on August 27th, 2009.

 

John Lucas

A Piece of the City: Miso Restaurant in DUMBO, Brooklyn August 4, 2009

We love finding new sights, sounds and seasonings around the city, the state, the country and beyond. Today we wandered into DUMBO, which for non-newyorkers stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, a quaint little piece of the Brooklyn borough filled with art, architecture and luxury. Upon our many sightings was a small sushi restaurant tucked beneath an eye-catching yellow structure. We just had to go inside and boy were our taste buds glad we did.

 

We were far to hungry to think to photograph the adorable presentation that came to our table but thankfully after taking a bite of just a few rolls we were able to get this picture of our light dinner. The menu was moderately priced, the ambiance soothing and the service impeccable (I believe I’ve found my new fave sushi restaurant). We’d recommend Miso as a great place to grab lunch or a light dinner. Its conveniently located right next to Starbucks allowing for a nice coffee to top of your meal. Our total for two California rolls and an order of Miso soup came to just over $10, I think we might be on to something

Baked goodies July 30, 2009

So you’re looking for the perfect cake: a stunner, a centerpiece for the entire reception and one that your visitors will never forget. Who says your dream cake has to be three-tiered with a makeshift bride and groom atop? Look what we found!

 

No its NOT a wedding dress. Its both a beautiful and non-traditional wedding cake that’s good enough to eat and adorable enough to wear! We found this masterpiece at Ruthy’s Bakery. Nestled in the meat packing district of New York, NY the small shop is filled with adorable cupcakes and fancy treats that are so perfect they make you nervous to eat! Once you get passed not wanting to bite into the perfectly crafted frosting of one of Ruthy’s fabulous cupcakes, you’ll get a mouthful of yummy goodness. I stopped in to try a few cupcakes with a friend, I loved mine so much I decided to take pictures of even more. Get ready to drool, don’t worry, noones watching

 

Ruthy’s Bakery

Chelsea Market

75 Ninth Ave

New York, NY 10011

Give Thanks June 19, 2009

Leaving your guests with a lasting impression is easy when the parting gift is memorable.   The favor gurus of Beau Coup offers delicious giftings that tell your story in such a delightful way.  Choose from favors suitable for every occasion, taste and budget.  A few of thier  unique features are the bride and groom pops that come as either apples or brownies.     The Wedding Ring wine toppers are both packaged elegantly and then personalized.  Wedding cake once cut and ready to go placed in a beautiful honey comb colored box. Whatever you decide.. it is sure to be a hit. Shop on-line  www.Beau-Coup.com

A Taste As Smooth As Ice June 16, 2009

NYC’s Meat Packing District was all a buzz for the New York launch of the ultra-premium vodka “IS’”. (Pronounced “ice”) The launch was held at the fabulous STK bar and restaurant in The Meat Packing District and the sheik and fabulous showed up to welcome this new arrival. Is’ Vodka is featured at some of the hottest clubs on the West Coast and is finally making it’s way east. It’s unique blend of Icelandic water, non-genetically modified European wheat, and it’s seven times distillation process make it an ultimate hit. With a suggested retail price around $39.99, IS’ Vodka gives you smooth luxurious taste for a great price. The cocktail possiblities are endless and there is something for everyone in IS’ Vodka. Cheers! www.isvodka.com

Is Vodka-Pure Luxury

Is Vodka- Pure Luxury