the-e-list

Wool You Be Mine at Mix, Guilford

Erica — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:53:48 +0000

Kristen Bachaumard, the creative genius and knitting whiz behind "Wool You Be Mine" makes these witty, hand-felted satchels right here in Guilford. If expensive, cookie-cutter designer purses are just not your bag, here's your answer! The wool exterior, snappy striped interior with a recycled leather belt for a strap are right on for fall. What a find! Just love 'em. $250. Custom designs available starting at $300. Say you saw it on the-e-list and take 10% off through Labor Day.

www.mixdesignstore.com

Trudy's European Shoes, Guilford

Erica — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:52:11 +0000

Trudy's European Shoes

Guilford

Fashion runs in thirty year cycles, so the recurrence of granny boots and oxfords seems just about right. We were all wearing them back in the eighties (remember Joan and David?) but these look fresh again, though you won't see me sporting a Laura Ashley dress anytime soon. The classic leather wingtips, available high or low, have a cushy padded insole and bouncy rubber bottoms, a nice break for the tootsies after a summer of platforms! Boots, $149, shoes, $109.

www.trudysshoes.com

Khaki and Black, Madison

Erica — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:50:05 +0000

This military inspired blazer by Yoana Barashi ($374) reads more Chanel than Private Benjamin. Pair it with a chic, stretchy knee length pencil skirt that you'll reach for every day ($78) and a bow blouse (Tibi, $220) for a feminine flourish. Not just for dress up, this jacket works well with jeans and a tee, too. Loving K&B's new denim line, Vintage Revolution--no holes, no whiskers, just simple, clean jeans with the barest boot cut. Say you saw it on the-e-list and take 20% off all denim through Labor Day. www.khakiandblack.com

Bar Bouchon, Madison

Erica — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:00:17 +0000

Bar Bouchon

8 Scotland Ave, Madison 203.318.8004

no website

You know me. I'm a big blabbermouth. Can't keep a secret. So that's why I'm telling you about Bar Bouchon when, really, I'd rather not. The food? Perfectly executed french bistro fare; a classic menu of trout meuniere in brown butter, roast chicken on a bed of pureed potatoes, steak frites, daube de boeuf; all stuff I'd happily chow every night of the week. The decor? Authentic bistro: bar tables and cracked leather banquettes squeezed along pressed tin walls; the sort of cozy spot where you gab with your neighbors and perhaps share frites while sipping the palest pink kir. Prices? Not what you'd expect from an outpost of Union League: entrees are $19 to $29 (most hover at $20), house wine at $5.50 with plenty of bottles in the $20 - 30 range. You'll want to go every night and this place will be packed to the gills. I won't be able to get a table. So, please, save me a seat.

Here's a copy of the new menu at Bar Bouchon---subject to change, of course.

Fall Trends and Discounts

Erica — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:22:50 +0000

Trend: Blazers and skinny cargos. BCBG 3/4 sleeve cropped blazer ($178), James Jeans skinny, stretch brushed canvas cargos ($172), L.A. Airlines printed tee ($58), and Ann Lightfoot Shell Flower necklace on silk ($175). Say you saw it on the-e-list and take 20% off one fall item through 9/4/10. Kimberly Boutique, Guilford and West Harford. www.shopkimberly.com

Trend: Chunky Fair Isle Sweater by Sita Murt ($380) paired with Fabrizio Gianni's perfect fit stretch mini-wale skinny cord pant ($165). Say you saw it on the-e-list and take 20% off your full-priced purchase through 9/4/10. At Silkworm in Essex.

TREND: Plaid. Plenty of plaid shirts out there this fall, but if you're not mad for the lumberjack look, here's a fun option: a cozy wool/acrylic fleece swing jacket from Free People ($298) at Ella Where She Shops in Guilford. www.myellastore.com

Trend: Sophisticated dresses: Tracy Brent in Guilford nails the dress category with a Kirribella trunk show through August 28th. Plan ahead for fall events and take 20% off special order (your size, your color) Kirribella dresses through 8/28/10. www.tracybrentcollections.net

TREND: Ponchos. This rayon challis paisley version (half poncho, half wrap) with a vaguely hippy vibe ($48) will see you through the first cool days of fall. At Scensibles in Essex. Say you saw it on the-e-list and take 10% off your purchase through 9/4/10. www.scensibles.com

The Suburban, Branford

Erica — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:37:07 +0000

Fans of Roomba and Bespoke will love this new iteration by the previous owners of the popular New Haven spots. Suburban? Hardly. Rustic urban is a better description, from the communal table to the handmade light fixtures and lending library of cookbooks lining the walls. (Hey Suzette, where'd you get the cool faucets in the loo?) Popovers make me happy, so I knew we were off to a good start, accompanied by a potent, summery grapefruit cooler (grapefruit juice, grapefruit vodka and cranberry), and grass-fed carpaccio piled with slim slices of manchego and teeny, lemony greens. If you have trouble making dinner decisions, be forewarned, you'll want everything on the seafood-centric, latin-accented menu. It's a bit quirky, too: an unusual sardine bruschetta flavored with kumquats, fantastic mussels with bits of bacon and corn in the broth, frites with housemade ketchup, and the irresistbile chocolate three ways: a pot de creme, semi freddo and souffle. Yum! Few restaurants get everything right: food, drink, decor, ambience. The Surburban does.

www.thesurburbanrestaurant.com

Cafe Flo, Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme

Erica — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:35:21 +0000

For me, this is the best thing to happen in Old Lyme in a very long time. The newly renovated Landscape Center at the Flo Gris has been repurposed for the season into River Tavern's only outpost. Have lunch in the barn, or grab a blanket and basket and head down to the banks of the Lieutenant River. The menu is classic RT: their famous guac or hummus, an assortment of fresh-from-the-farm salads, and a few lucious sandwiches, like the ginormous lobster roll on brioche, pictured above. My order doesn't vary: the grilled summer vegetables with fresh mozzarella, pesto and a surprising grilled peach. Friday, Saturday, Sunday; lunch only. While you're there, don't miss Connecticut Treasures, a rare opportunity to see exceptional works from private collections.

www.flogris.org

Matunuck Oyster Bar, South Kingstown, RI

Erica — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:31:35 +0000

Matunuck Oyster Bar

South Kingstown, RI

My friend, Kate Hines, jewelry designer extraordinaire , has great taste in all things, so when she recommends a restaurant I rush over. That's how we landed in South Kingston, Rhode Island, slurping oysters from Matunuck's very own oyster farm (talk about farm-to-table), and feasting on this large and scrumptious appetizer of clams, chorizo and white beans in a tomatoey wine broth. Once a year I indulge in a plate of fried clams and this seemed the place to try them. I was right. Crisp and delicate on a mound of fries with a salt pond view. Bring your sunscreen.

www.rhodyoysters.com

Shoe Dreams by Suzanne Levine

Erica — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:06:57 +0000

Join Chester poet, Sue Levine for a reading from her new collection of poem's, Haberdasher's Daughter, at 7 pm, August 11th at RJJulia.

Shoe Dreams

Sometimes I recognize the arch

of a foot when shadows

take shape. Once

Dad’s wing tip swung

out of the dark

into light and back again

as though keeping tempo

with a tune only

he could hear. Mother’s

lizard pump has a habit

of showing up, dangling from

a nylon toe when her strand

of pearls, lustrous with age

encircles my neck.

Peach Crisp

Erica — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:47:52 +0000

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

5 to 6 cups thinly sliced peaches or nectarines. (I leave the skin on, but you can peel if you must).

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

For topping, combine oats, brown sugar, flour and spices. Cut in butter till mixture resembles course crumbs. Place fruit in

Place fruit in 11 x 13 baking dish or oval casserole. Sprinkle oatmeal mixture over fruit. Bake in 375 oven for 35 minutes. Serve with ice cream.