day 52 of 57: The Leopard Queen's Tree

    On day 52 of 57 Days of Dresses, Jason and I enjoyed a sunny Saturday afternoon celebrating his last day being 36! There was also an anti-nuclear plant protest going on downtown, followed by an Occupy GA in Pritchard Park, but we didn't stick around for that. Something about the serious and somewhat dreary tone of a protest and assembly that really doesn't encourage birthday celebration feelings.
    We started with lunch at Papas & Beer, a local Mexican restaurant recommended by a fellow vegetarian friend of ours. As we were walking up to the entrance, something along the lines of "You win this time Mexican" was scrawled on the side of the building. Weird.
    The chips and bean dip was tasty, and the self-serve salsa bar--an all-the-rage attraction at the local Mexican restaurants here in Asheville--had a good selection of sauces ranging from a pumpkin dip to a roasted tomatillo salsa verde to a "kids dip." Our meals arrived; Jason got the Baja fish tacos (he eats fish occasionally) with no sour creams or beans and extra rice, and I got the veggie fajitas with corn tortillas and no sour cream--our usual Mexican fixes. Our food came out fast and we got to grubbing. The quality and flavor profiles were typical of "Califorina" style Mexican restaurants: Unauthentic, Americanized and too salty. Oh, how I miss living in Arizona.
    The meal ended abruptly and, well, crappy after finding a piece of meat at the bottom of my fajita sizzle skillet. Touching and mingling and mixing with what was suppose to be a vegetarian meal. I know these things happen every so often, and it's just the risk a vegetarian runs when eating out at establishments where meat is prepared. But, man, when it happens, it really turns your stomach. Needless to say, we're probably not visiting Papas & Beer any time soon.
    After being fed, we headed to the west side of town to bask and gallivant in the sun, and found this quaint community garden. It was eclectically decorated with oddities, old shovels, hula hoops, glass bottles and a bright blue tree. Definitely a place for a photo shoot, and a future picnic!
    This leopard-print maxi dress is a fabulous piece I picked up at the Downtown Market here in Asheville. It has an empire waist, long sleeves and a U-neck. Being 5'9", I'm happy that maxi dresses are never too long for me---this one falls slightly above my ankles. I decided on a casual Saturday, so I'm sporting knee socks and my trusty chucks. Good thing, too, since Jason and I decided to take a few leisure strolls around the west side and downtown. When it comes to jewels, sometimes too much is not enough, and I went for silver-studded bohemian beauty: A ring on each finger, bangles, earrings and necklaces. The finishing touch was one of my handmade feather hair clips featuring Canada goose and bluejay feathers.
    Sometimes my honey-brown complexion doesn't do well with leopard-inspired prints--the pattern just doesn't pop--so I like the way the cooler tone of this dress works better with my natural warmth. It can be hard finding a good animal print, but when I do, I love it!

Gastronomical Forcast: Old World Bakery brings a little bit of France to Appalachia

                There’s something special about fresh-baked goods. The rich, full aroma of homemade bread—or other delectable pastries—filling your nose invites, perhaps, happy memories of loved-ones or just damn good food. Besides homemade yummies, an awesome local bakery is the next best thing, and sometimes is the only place to get, say, made-from-scratch, artisan French pastries and breads.

                Introducing the Old World Bakery. Located on the second-floor of the Merrimon Square shopping plaza at the corner of Merrimon Avenue and Edgewood Road, the Old World Bakery has relocated from Fletcher, NC, to the old Créme Patisserie space.

                Owned by baker Jacques Delaunay and his wife Miriam, the bakery is stocked with fresh-made-daily breads, including sourdough, French brioche and Jewish challah—all excellent choices for homemade French toast. In addition to breads, the bakery also boasts an assortment of dessert pastries, cookies and croissants. I tried the chocolate lover’s brownie,  the Madeleine, the chocolate croissant, the coconut macaroon and the Napoleon.

                First tasting was the Napoleon. Also known as the “Mille-Feuille,” this pastry is made with layers of flaky puff pastry and thick cream. The top is glazed with a firm black-and-white marbled icing. This flaky pastry was satisfyingly sweet and rich with a pleasant chewy pull to it. Highly recommended.

                Next up was the Madeleine. This simple yet elegant petite cake has a slight shell shape to it and is dusted with confectioner’s sugar. The cake is light, fluffy and tender with a lemon flavor. Again, like the Napoleon, the Madeleine wasn’t overpoweringly sweet like too many of its American counterparts typically are. With a texture and flavor profile like a cross between a lady finger and a lemon pound cake, this unassuming little pastry is great paired with coffee.

                Now for the coconut macaroon; this dessert is probably a familiar one. The chewy, moist shredded coconut was baked to a lightly crisp golden brown and dressed with confectioner’s sugar. Although it had a familiar flavor, too, it was set apart from the familiar by its balanced sweetness, a present yet mild coconut flavor and a hint of lemon tartness that radiated in the back of the mouth after each bite.

                Next was the chocolate croissant. The pastry was light and flaky with a full, buttery flavor and had a pleasant chew and crunchy crust. Inside was a delicious bitter-sweet chocolate spread. But, the chocolate was on the skimpy side, and I would like to see a little more sauce spread  in it next time.

                Last on my sampling platter was the chocolate lover’s brownie. Quite frankly, I’m not big on brownies—unlike my fiancé, who’s a self-proclaimed brownie connoisseur—and I was going to pass this up for one of the tarts or an éclair, but I’m happy I didn’t! This dessert is devilishly decadent and chocolaty. The top is iced with a firm chocolate frosting, and the brownie is studded with chunks of chocolate. Each bite had a satisfying mouthfeel that was rich, dense, creamy and velvety.

                In addition to breads and sweets, Old World Bakery also offers fresh coffee and a small list of breakfast and lunch items. Everything is reasonably priced, and there’s also a yesterday’s bread rack with an assortment of sale loaves. Located at 640 Merrimon Ave., the bakery is open Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. I can only hope that French macaroons will find their way onto one of the bakery’s dessert trays, but until then, treat yourself to French decadence. Bon Appétit! 

Retrospecting the Dress!

    Here's another milestone: there's only six official days left to 57 Days of Dresses! That means only six dresses left to wear for this fashion adventure! The latest six dresses have been dedicated to "winter" fashion, although there hasn't been much of a winter to dress to, and there's been one lost Nashville set, so let's retrospect the last seven days of dresses!

Dress Day 45: Vintage Dress from Local Honey in Nashville TN

Dress Day 46: Vintage Dress from Goodwill in Black Mountain, NC

Dress Day 47: Another fabulous find at the Asheville Rescue Mission Thrift Store

Dress Day 48: Local couture piece by Angie, Asheville NC

Dress Day 49: Vintage find at the Patton Ave. Goodwill in Asheville, NC

Dress Day 51: Bodycon dress from the Nashville, TN, Free People store

Dress Day 51: Vintage bodycon from the beloved Local Honey in Nashville, TN

Day 51 of 57: Dinner and a Dress to Kill

    Day 51 of 57 Days of Dresses. Jason and I went out to Avenue M for dinner. It was out first time visiting the restaurant, and we weren't too impressed, but willing to give it another try. The drink list was suitable, although the special was a dill pickle martini that might suggest a tangy and salty flavor profile those lovers of dirty martinis with extra olives might enjoy, but for me it suggested the kitchen had a surplus of pickle juice the restaurant wanted to do something with.
    We got the Modern Mediterranean sampler for our appetizer, which was a medley of sun-dried tomato basil hummus, baba ganoush, falafels, olives, grilled veggies and pita. It was delightful pleasing and the emerald green inside of the golden-brown fried falafels was a telltale sign of made-from-scratch.
    For dinner, Jason got the House-Made Veggie Burger with Swiss and a side of sweet and russet potato fries, and I got the Garbanzo Salad with tofu instead of garlic goat cheese. Dinner took a little longer to come out, but the wait was occupied with fun conversation and chit-chat between the two of us.
    The restaurant's decor is modern, eclectic, minimalist and slightly rustic. The high vaulted wood-panel ceiling and exposed steel beams with brightly colored paper flowers hanging from them were very cool. The warm lighting also accentuated the darkly stained, oddly shaped tables.
    At last, our meals arrived.
    Jason's burger only came with sweet potato fries, instead of the sweets and russets liked he asked for: A minor setback to our dining experience, seeing that the sweets were absolutely delicious. The veggie burger was dressed with lettuce, tomato, carrots, avocado, zucchini, parsnips and a red pepper Veganaise. The patty had a full, rounded flavor and satisfyingly heavy mouthfeel, but it was very messy and fell apart too easily--sadly a common problem with homemade veggie burgers. The kaiser roll was typical and didn't do it any service. Overall the veggie burger was maybe slightly above average.
    My salad had crispy fried chickpeas, grapefruit segments, almonds and golden fried tofu atop a bed of arugula and spinach with a champagne vinaigrette on the side. The salad was, unfortunately, lacking. The presentation was a little sloppy, the tofu was completely bland, and the spiciness of the arugula greatly overpowered the savoriness of the spinach. The fried beans--a culinary fad I desperately hope goes away soon--did add a much-needed crunch but had a bitterness to it; the scant sprinkling of almonds were a neutral element, and the grapefruit was kind of out of place. However, the mildly sweet champagne vinaigrette was pleasing and somehow tied all of the oddly matched flavors together. Still, I wouldn't eat it again.
    After diner, we were ready for a photoshoot.
    This vintage teal bodycon is another fabulous find at Local Honey in Nashville. This mini has a turtle neck and long sleeves. The dress itself is cut to an hourglass figure, so it hugs the contours of the bust, waist and hips perfectly. The dress is a very simple style, and gives the wearer legs for miles when matched with pumps or booties.I have it paired with a an intricately-patterned jacket I got from Free People, Messaca "Julietta" booties and my trusty pink pocketbook, also from Free People (like I said before, I have way too much Free People stuff). This is the type of dress that really brings a sense of physical self awareness to the wearer--hence the namesake of these skin-tight "body conscious" dresses--but if you got it, it's nice to flaunt it every once in a while, and this is just dress to do it in.

Day 50 of 57: River Arts, Graffiti High

    Today, Day 50 of 57 Days of Dresses, marks the last week of this fashion celebration I've endeavored in. Today Jason and I visited pawn shops in search of guitar gear, had lunch at the local Himalayan restaurant, Kathmandu, when on a country cruise up the mountain side and admired the rolling hills, walked along the French Broad river, browsed the local firebrand bookstore, and check out the artist studios in Asheville's River Arts District.
    The River Arts District, or "RAD," as some local factions call it, is a run-down industrial side of town down by the river that I guess artsy types built up and created studio spaces and other creative spaces there. In addition to folksy, fine and forgettable artist studios there's antique shops, coffee bars, a dog wash, performing arts stages and the Bharatanatyam dance studio I go to. There's also an abundance of graffiti on everything, which--during these bleak winter months--adds a much-appreciated splash of color on dreary early twentieth-century industrial buildings.
    Despite the blustering wind, the day was rather sunny and reasonably warm between blusters. Granted today wasn't like the 70 degree springtime preview weather a couple of days ago, I'll take sunny and windy in the mid-40s on a February afternoon.
    I got this bodycon dress at the Free People store in Nashville. I've probably spent way too much money there in the past year, but now it's out of driving distance, out of mind! This dress is long-sleeve, which is great for windy "winter" weather, and looks awesome with a part of thick, warm leggings underneath. The dress has a ruched side and a crocheted decolletage that accents the boat neck nicely. The raw hems on the sleeves and the miniskirt add a deconstructionist element that juxtaposes the detail of the crocheted decolletage. I love bodycons, and I love this dress!

Please excuse the tag!

 
 

 

day 49 of 57: Country Slickin'

    On Day 49 of 57 Days of Dresses Jason and I were on our way back from our maiden trip to Charlotte. We pulled of on an exit in the middle of nowhere to switch driving duties, and saw this cool country house. Since we didn't find anywhere in Charlotte (?) to do a photo set, we were very please with the simple country surroundings and pine cones. It's the simple things that can provide a rare opportunity to see the Beauty is Truth.

It takes a pine cone 5 years to open up and fall off a tree

 


    This is a vintage shirt dress I found at an Asheville Goodwill for 5 bucks.The top is short-sleeved and has double-breasted buttons running from the lapel to the waist. The skirt is tea-length and it has belt loops that I have put a white cinch belt through to set off the waist. The material is soft and  matte yet slightly luminescent, which leads me to believe it's silk, but the material tag is long gone. What a great find!