LottieBlog

This past weekend Marc and I took a little trip to Wilmington, NC, about 2 hours from Chapel Hill. Wilmington is most widely known as the place where Dawson’s Creek was filmed! I was super excited to see where Pacey, Joey and Dawson spent those formative teen years and even more excited to go to the beach.

Our first stop was Wrightsville Beach, which looked a lot like the Isle of Palms in SC. It is also was the spot where they filmed Abby and Jen getting drunk during a Dawson’s Ep and then Abby falling to her death off the docks. HAH. Fortunately, our day there was far less traumatic, we got burgers and fries for lunch, and then did some serious tanning. The beach was just great, good sand, plenty of room between the shore and the dunes to lay out our towels, and not super crowded.

Post beach we headed to downtown Wilmington, to our B&B, The Taylor House Inn. Located on a quiet street in the historic part of town, it was the perfect place for a one night stay. Our room was cozy and clean, the sheets were ironed (a nice touch) and the common rooms downstairs were perfect for lounging.

Most importantly, they had toile curtains in the foyer. Check!

After some relaxing we headed to Front Street, a few block from the B&B, where all the evening action happens in Wilmington. We started with some drinks at a rooftop bar we happened upon called Level 5. It was the perfect place to drink Blue Moons, argue about trips to Asia, hum the Dawson’s theme song, and watch the sun set.

Post cocktail hour we ate dinner at Circa 1922, a tapas restaurant that’s the new hot spot in town. Marc researched and found it, obvs. When we arrived out table wasn’t ready, so we were “forced” to sit at the bar and order Firefly Sweet Tea cocktails. It was my first time drinking the sweet tea flavored vodka and boy was it amazing. Basically tasted like an iced tea. I’m buying some ASAP. You just add a little water and lemon and voila, 3 later you’re good to go!

The menu at Circa was a smattering of Asian, Spanish and everything in between. A lot of times restaurants with such varying menus skimp on some dishes, however, this was not the case at Circa. Our filet mignon and gruyere puff pastry was decadent, our tuna sushi trio was as good as Nobu, and our curry mussels had the most wonderful sauce. It all paired nicely with a reasonably priced Malbec. For dessert we had their Key Lime Pie, WHOAH, I think it might have been as good as Melissa’s Grandma’s!

After dinner we had to keep the party going, so we went to the Front Street Brewery, where after sampling their house brews, we settled on more Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka. Once you start you can’t stop!

The next morning we had a lovely breakfast with the other guests at the inn. One of the reasons we booked the Taylor House was because of the rave reviews their breakfast garnered. The owner Scott, served us fruit, fresh baked muffins, french toast with cherry sauce, and plenty of coffee. It was a hearty way to start the day. We then headed to the Wilmington waterfront and strolled along the Riverwalk, unfortunately we didn’t run into Dawson or Andie, but it was a lovely stroll.

The rest of the day was spent at Carolina Beach, the boardwalk was a little trashier than Wrightsville, but the beach itself was a little nicer. Better sand, more space. But, in a pinch, both beaches were pretty similar. No complaints here!

All in all it was a lovely way to spend the weekend.

Today marks the 1st anniversary of LottieB. One year ago today I came home from Morocco and started this blog, as an alternative to emailing my boyfriend, who was traveling around the world in 80 days. Once he came home I started studying for the GMAT, and had no time for LottieB, just math problems and sentence correction.

But then, on a day in the fall of 2008, I returned to the blogsphere once more. Instead of writing about my daily escapades I began writing of recipes, fashion, places to eat, and other fun things. Most importantly, I write like I talk, using LOTS of commas (yeah I know, I am a sucker for run-on-sentences). I reported on the breaking news of Samantha’s retirement, received national renown for my for my guest bloggers post on the Gossip Girl Summit (235 views to date) and also DC Grocery Crusades, the most viewed post on the site. My favorite post, Lottie’s Favorite Things, was picked up by Oprah and I’ll be doing her annual show from now on, instead of her (I wish).

This fall I will embark on a new journey to business school, where I hope I will still have time to blog. In the meantime I’ll keep up the good work. And, this summer, I plan to take some time off and live a life of leisure, which means even more time to blog. Can’t wait.

Lastly, I will end with a story. Where did LottieB even come from you ask? How did I come up with such brilliant a name? Well, at summer camp circa 1995, my friends started calling me Lottie, short for Charlotte. Then, in perhaps 1996 it was time to create my first AOL screename while I was at a camp friends house in CT for the weekend. She said it HAD to be Lottie, but that was taken, so we tried LottieB, taken too. Then finally, LottieEB, adding my middle and last initials at the end. Though, if written in all lower-case, this is just lottieeb, kinda ehh. When I started my blog LottieB was not taken, but it is now!

I’m popping my Gruet Rose and toasting to 365 days of being like so 2.0.

xoxo

The other day I was on Facebook (obvs) and noticed that my friend Alix recently starred in a short film directed by Joseph Zentil. I watched the preview she posted and was enthralled.

The film, entitled, The Motel, is about a girl (Ms. Alix) from a middle class wholesome upbringing who meets a guy from the wrong side of the tracks. She falls hard for him and decides to rebel and leave her suburban life, accompanying said guy on his escapades through suburban towns robbing little convenient stores and bodegas (I hope they didn’t rob Metro K in DC). After a big robbery made by the guy, the girl has high hopes and suggests flying to Vegas and getting married. The guy scoffs at this suggestion. Irritated and annoyed the girl steals some of the money from the latest robbery. The guy finds out, yells and her and then leaves her.

They’ve submitted the film to Cannes. So, hopefully Alix will go, meet Adrien Grenier, get his number, and invite me out the next time she hangs with his entourage.

Joseph Zentil, the director, attended the New York School of Visual Arts, majoring in film of course. After school he did some photography and then started directing music videos in Toronto, where he grew up. Recently, he’s gotten into film and is definitely on his way to being big time.  More importantly, Alix is going to be big time too, she began her film career as an extra in The Devil Wears Prada (one of the first scenes, at a restaurant, major camera time, way hotter than Hathaway). She auditioned for the Motel and of course, won the female lead. Look for her in the next Bond movie or Judd Apatow flick, she’s on her way up!

Kermit the frog once said, “It’s not easy being green.” But, you know what it kind of is. There are little things all of us can to prevent the planet from imploding or melting or something before our children reach adulthood. So, in honor of Earth Day, I’ve compiled a list of simple things us 20-somethings can do to be green.

RECYCLE: Sounds simple, but most of us really don’t do this. My Mom used to yell at us for putting our yogurt cups in the trash, and plastic in the paper basket, but it paid off. Recycling is simple and really does make a difference. If you’re lucky enough to have an apartment building, trash collection service, or city landfill that recycles, it’s easy. At home I have a cute wastebasket where I throw all my paper waste, a grocery bag where I put bottles, cans, and empty plastic tubes of my products. Then,  in the building’s trash room, they have bins for paper, for plastic, and for cans. It takes no time, and it’s good for the planet. Recycle your paper and cans/bottles at least! Especially at work where they usually have paper baskets right next to the printer, or in your cube/corner office!

Cleaning Products: Most cleaning products we use are pretty toxic. They are not only harmful to the environment, but also to us! A lot of that eco-friendly stuff is indeed more expensive. However, Method, sold at Target, is a great low cost line and it’s good for the environment!

Lightbulbs: Last year I purchased a pack of those weird looking “green” light-bulbs. And guess what, I haven’t changed any light-bulbs in my lamps since. They last a long long time, and the light they produce is the same, if not better, than your regular old bulb. They did cost a little more than the standard ones, but you save in the long run since you change them half as much. Some lights in my house, like the bathroom ones, aren’t conducive to them, but that’s okay. Green it one step at a time!

Waste at Work: I don’t know about you, but at my office, they stock napkins, plastic cutlery, paper plates and bowls, Styrofoam cups etc. I probably use at least one to two of each a day. Finally I started bringing in my own mug, when I was told they bought Styrofoam cups because they were cheaper than recycled paper ones. So, be conscious of how much you use at work, and try to cut back. Even one less plastic spoon a day makes a difference!

Washing Machine: Washing your clothes on “hot” uses a lot more energy than warm or cold (think about it, it takes more electricity to make water hot). Using warm or even cold really makes no difference. Also, be sure you select the right load size, don’t wash 3 towels on the “large” setting.

Unplug the Toaster: This one I just started doing recently thanks to Allie. Toasters and other household appliances like KitchenAids and CoffeeMakers are electricity suckers. I use my toaster maybe twice a month, so unplugging it when not in use doesn’t cramp my style. Give it a try and maybe you’ll even save 69 cents a month on your electricity bill!

Dishwasher: If you’re lucky enough to have a dishwasher in the city, make sure it’s nice and full before you run it. I know this can be hard if you’re living alone, but just rinse your plates before you load. That will keep them from getting yucky while you fill the washer. It’s a waste to let it run when it isn’t full. Until they invent dishwashers with different settings based on size, fill ‘er up.

Turn off the Water: There’s this one boy I know who keeps the water running while he’s brushing his teeth, shaving, just about anything. In a Barney episode I watched when I was a little old for it (I was watching with my younger siblings okay), the kiddies were singing a song that when something like this: “Oh when I’m brushing my teeth I’m having so much fun, but I never let the water run.” The song stuck with me, and from that day forward I heeded their advice. TURN OFF the water when you don’t need it. Then, turn it back on to spit and rinse.

Public Transportation: I take the bus to work every morning. That’s in part because I can’t afford the $175 a month parking fee, but that said. If you live in a place with public transportation, take advantage of it. Or, if you’re going somewhere nearby, walk! It saves you gas or bus money, keeps at least a little pollution out of the air, and you get some exercise.

Humor: And, lastly, send your friends a Someecard Eathday Card. Who said going green can’t be humorous.

Even just doing one of these things will help the environment a little bit. So go and BE GREEN. Your unborn children and the planet will thank you. So, will Kermit.

Happy Earth Day!

To vote for Marc’s picture (see post below), simply go to THIS page and post a comment on the photo. The comment box is at the bottom of the page, you just have to give your “name.” A comment equals a vote. You can read all the others for inspiration.

Gracias, Marc and Torres del Paine thank you!

Marc has entered a photo contest to win a trip anywhere in the United States. Hosted by Richie Goldman, the founder of Men’s Warehouse, the contest is part of the promotion of his new book Luck By Design.  Richie is the guy who coined the phrase “You’ll love the way you look” for Mens Warehouse. Ehhh I didn’t see the commercial either. 

Go to Marc’s contest page and simply comment on his photo, say whatever you like (positive I hope because they are filtered through Richie). The person with the most comments wins.

VOTE HERE!

The Washingtonian’s daily news-feed alerted me that it is Spa Week around the country. Translation: Spas in a lot of places are offering $50 treatments. I got on it and just booked myself a Stress Melter Ritual (it involves a body wrap, exfoliation and a massage) at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa in Chevy Chase. For $50 we all deserve it, even in a recession. Go and book now, stimulate the spa industry!

Luxurious.

This post was written in conjunction with Ms. Carly, a manners and etiquette expert living in DC by way of Boston.

Ask any well-bred pearl-clad, dignified lady how she likes to celebrate special occasions and she will reply “With Tea!”.  Formal tea services are indeed a very special way to celebrate bridal showers, baby showers, birthdays, springtime, Mother’s Day, and “just because” special treats.  Carly and I have been enjoying afternoon tea since we were little ones and our mothers took us to the Ritz in Boston for special occasions. Thus, I felt a review of some of the most luxurious spots for afternoon tea this side of the pond was a perfect addition to Luxury Week on LottieB.com.

The Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC (and the Mayflower):
 
Carly recently celebrated her birthday at the Mandarin Oriental for their afternoon tea.  She had heard varied opinions of tea at the Mandarin and was excited to try it out.

About 8 of my lovely ladies and I met in the Empress Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental mid-way through their tea service.  We made reservations weeks in advance as tea is quite popular at this lovely hotel!  We were seated by a gracious host in a line of round tables and parlor chairs.  I have to admit the set-up was not conducive for conversation so we broke out into small talk as we ordered our tea.

The Mandarin Oriental has a wide range of teas and specialty coffee drinks. Unfortunately they were out of one of the teas many of us wanted to try but thanks to the recommendations of our host, we all ordered up a cup of herbal or Colombian brew.
 
Soon our tummies started to growl and we headed to the buffet table.  Unlike many tea services in which each guest or table is provided a tiered trey of morsels, the Mandarin Oriental sets up a lovely buffet of finger sandwiches, pastries, muffins, and the piece de resistance– the chocolate fountain.  We loaded our plates and headed back to try it all out. 

My personal favorite was the fruit tart and the chocolate covered strawberries, hand-dipped by moi thanks to the chocolate fountain.  We all vetoed the salmon finger sandwiches but gave high marks to the egg salad.  The scones were dry (mark of authenticity) but cookies, tarts, bars, and cakes delicious!  I also raved about the lemon curd, one of my favorite condiments. 

 
In addition to an extensive tea menu and enough sweets to send your Dentist into early retirement, the Mandarin Oriental has a fabulous view of the Potomac.  It was beautiful on the day we partook in tea even though it was pouring, windy, and totally miserable outside.  Good thing we had tea to warm us up!
 
The tea was lovely and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly until it was time to pay our bill.  Apparently our host’s extensive knowledge of tea does not extend to mathematics as he proceeded to take a good 30 minutes to figure out our bill.  He also temporarily lost a credit card in the process. Good thing he had 9 ladies with sharp math skills and/or blackberries with calculators to set him straight.
 
I would certainly return to the Mandarin Oriental for Tea.  I also highly recommend tea at The Mayflower as each guest gets their own tier of goodies (I am an only child so sharing is not exactly my forte!). The Mayflower is also the most economically sensible of the options in DC so you can partake in tea and thumb your nose at the economy simultaneously. And what could be more high brow than that!

Blue Duck Tavern, Washington DC:

You would never think of going to afternoon tea at this restaurant known for it’s amazing and expensive dinner service, but Blue Duck proved to be a lovely and relaxing afternoon oasis. My co-worker and I took a few clients here for a ladies afternoon. We were shown to a large area in the back of the restaurant with comfortable booths and lounge chairs, with plenty of table space. It was like out own private room, which was perfect for the occasion. However, there were many other small tables scattered throughout the space that would have been great for “tea-for-two.”

The tea selection was enormous and almost overwhelming, however our server was quite helpful in choosing some varieties. We actually ended up ordering a few different varieties for the table, since nobody could choose what to get. This is usually a big no-no for afternoon tea, but it worked out, since the atmosphere itself was a little more “modern.” Adding to the vibe, all the tea was served in clear glass pots, so trendy!

Just like the Mandarin, the service was buffet style, with finger sandwiches of the classic variety (cumber) and the trendy (ahi tuna). There were scones that melted in your mouth, along with clotted cream, but no lemon curd. The selection of mini desserts and cookies was overwhelming. I wanted to try one of each, but there were too many, you name the variety, it was there. And, each one was quite good. I find that sometimes when there is a large dessert selection, some are lacking, but this is certainly not the case at Blue Duck.

When we went on a Thursday afternoon in the late summer the place was empty and we whiled away the afternoon. Bottom line, relaxing, decadent, and amazing, but not your classic “tea” experience.

The Taj Hotel, Boston MA:

The Taj Hotel, which used to be the Ritz, has one of the most classic afternoon tea services in the United States, perhaps second only to the Plaza in New York. They basically have taken the afternoon tea service the Ritz used to have, and spiced up the menu. The architecture remainspretty much the same, classic, elegant and old-world. The furniture is basically the same as well, perhaps with new upholstery. I didn’t notice a difference.

As I mentioned above, the big change is with the menu. It still has your traditional scones, sandwiches and pastries, but the tea selection is larger. There are more cocktails, and you can even order a cheese plate.Plus high tea comes with a lobster profiterole, so New England. The high tea with pastries and sandwiches is $30 and a simpler tea with just pastries (but still A LOT) of food, is quite affordable at $22 a person. Also, they still use the China from the Ritz, classic and classy.

When I was there they did not have a harp player, which the Ritz always had, but perhaps I was there on her day off! It’s a classic Boston institution, make reservations far in advance.

If you need me at 4pm I’ll be having high tea on the south win veranda with Carly and Buffy, we’ll be wearing pearls and argyle, obvs!

The other week on Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, my culinary idol, whipped up some Truffle Mac and Cheese. She took a comfort food dish and added a luxurious twist, truffle butter. Being the Mac fan I am I had to think of a reason to re-create this masterpiece, Easter dinner was the perfect excuse. Comfort, luxury, and the resurrection all in one, yes please!

The main ingredient is truffle butter. Ina likes D’Artagnan White Truffle butter, but that was $12 for 3 ounces, so I opted for D’Artagnan’s black truffle butter, not much of a difference and it was $6. Still luxurious, right? You also add cremini and shitake mushrooms. For cheese Ina chose gruyere and sharp cheddar.

The recipe is as follows (it makes a 10×13 inch pan full, or a 9X12 pyrex and 2 little Le Cruset heart ramekins full, grac bf):

• 1/2 lb Cremini Mushrooms
• 1/2 lb Shitake Mushrooms
• 3 oz White (or black) Truffle Butter)
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1 quart (4 cups) milk
• 8 oz Sharp Cheddar
• 12 oz Gruyere
• Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg
• 1 box pasta (Ina used Tortiglioni, pictured below)

Topping:

• 3 slices White Bread (or breadcrumbs)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• Handful of Chopped Parsley

First, grate all the cheese, being careful not to cut yourself, which I always seem to do. Then, clean and slice the mushrooms lengthwise. Add 2 tablespoons regular butter (don’t use the truffle butter yet) and 2 tablespoons olive oil to a pan and saute the ’shrooms for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender.

Set the mushrooms aside and start the pasta. Ina likes to add salt and olive oil to the pasta water right when it starts to boil and before you add the noodles. You can do whatever you like, but make sure it’s slightly al dente.

While the pasta is cooking make the white sauce. First, bring the milk to a simmer in one pot (don’t boil). And, at the same time, add the truffle butter to another pot, once it’s melted whisk in the flour and keep whisking constantly for about 2 minutes, until everything is combined. Then, slowly add the milk and stir constantly until the mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes, you’ll know when it’s nice and thick! Yay, you’ve made a roux, as the French Chefs like to call it. You are so culinary.

Next, add about 1 and a 1/2 tablespoons salt (Ina says it’s not to much), 1 teaspoon of pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg (you can omit if you don’t have on hand). Then, add all the CHEESE and mix it in until it’s nice and melted. Then, take the pasta, cheese, and mushrooms and mix em all together in a big huge bowl, or in your 9×12 or 10×13 baking dish!

For the topping, put the 3 slices of bread (crusts cut off), 2 cloves of chopped garlic, and parsley in a blender or food processor and blend until it’s crumbly (thank you readers). Or, you can use bread crumbs and just blend those with the garlic and parsley instead. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the macaroni and then bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and sort of browned. However, you like it.

Let the goodness cool, turn on Luxury Travel with Varun, and enjoy!

First off, my apologies that I have not kept up with luxury week. It was busy, luxury fell to the wayside… I’ll be extending it into next week!

I may not be the NY Times, but I still can write a Check In, Check Out. Since it’s luxury week I am going to write about the most luxurious hotel (in my humble opinion) that I’ve ever stayed in, the Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville, Spain.

The Basics:

The Hotel Alfonso XIII, named after of course, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, was built to house dignitaries during the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition. The ornate richness of the building is remarkable, which is mainly why it’s one of my favorites. Recessed ceramic friezes and Mudejar-style accents, inspired by Arab architecture, are similar to many other buildings in Seville and Andalucia as a whole. Guests of the hotel have included Prince Charles and Princess Dianna, Sophia Loren, Ernest Hemingway and even Shakira (her hips don’t lie). For me what really made it luxurious was the architecture. I felt like I was a Spanish Princess in a palace the whole time!

The Location:

The Alfonso is located smack in the center of the historic area of Seville, between a pedestrian street called Avenida Roma and Calle San Fernando. Next door is a building of Seville University that used to be the citys main tobacco factory. The Cathedral and it’s famous tower, La Giralda is a 5 minute walk. Shopping, restaurants and more are across the street, there’s even a Starbucks down the block. Basically it is walking distance from almost everything historic Sevilla has to offer.

The Room:

My mother and I stayed in a double room, with two twin beds (it’s Europe, even the luxury hotels haven’t jumped on the two doubles bandwagon). Though not as luxurious as the suites, our room had a patio that looked over the Calle San Fernando complete with lounge chairs. The room itself had tiled marble floors (that did get a little cold, not heated, tisk tisk), a large chandelier and a red color scheme, very relaxing. The furniture was antique, but in like-new shapel, and a minibar area was built into one corner. Thanks to the hotels Mudejar style we also had large windows, that shut tight at night, making the room nice and dark. The linens of course were soft and cozy, at least 400 thread count! The closet was also very spacious. Turndown service happened every night as well, with a treat on our pillows.

The Bathroom:

The bathroom was covered in marble, with two sinks and a separate toilet room. We had a large marble bathtub which doubled as a shower as well as a pretty decent hairdryer that doubled as a clothes and Judith Lieber sunglasses pouch dryer when we got caught in a monsoon rain storm! The products in the bathroom were some of my favorites, made specially for Starwood Luxury Collection hotels by Ultimate Well-Being. They smelled of freesia and roses, amazing, especially the bath salts. There were also robes and slippers, duh.

Food:

One big selling point of the hotel is that most reservations include a full breakfast. The breakfast area overlooks the hotels huge central terrace. I would describe the dining area as opulent to say the least. The food selection is chock full of goodies. Pastries of every kind, meats, cheeses, caviar and also your normal breakfast items such as eggs and cereal. But when you can have caviar, manchego, jamon serrano and a chocolate croissant to start the day would you really go for the cereal?

One evening we also had a drink in the hotel bar. It was good, but nothing to write home about. Breakfast really is the main event.

Bottom Line:

If you want to splurge in Seville this is the play to stay, the building is a histroic attratction in and of itself. You can actually find pretty decent rates if you do some searching online. In the summer the pool is a relaxing oasis after a day of being a turista, and the rooms, terraces and customer service, make the Alfonso XIII worthy of its five stars.