Nikki Beach (South Beach)

While in Miami I had two things in mind: sun and tanning. Living in San Francisco has made me become obsessed about enjoying sunny weather to its most. Being born and raised in Brazil, I used to not understand why people would request a table in the sun - are them crazy? I silently thought making a weird shock face.

Now that the days with temperatures that rise above 80 degrees a year can be counted in one hand - mind you, I am talking about San Fran, if you go 10 miles in any direction you'll have hot Californian weather- I am almost like a lizard sun worshiping and soaking in each ray.

So when my parents were clueless about what to do on a beautiful sunshine morning in Miami, I had the answer - let's head to Nikki Beach (I had previously talked about it here.) Ready, set, go!

First thing to keep in mind is that parking is horrid. Everybody obviously wants to be there, the valet is full by 11 am, so if you can take a cab do so. We were not that smart and ended up going around quite a bit before finding a spot - obviously my dad was complaining through the entire process.

The turquoise ocean, the lazy lounge chairs, the beach umbrellas, the white sand - oh paradise, I had missed you so much!

I knew that Nikki Beach South Beach was not as VIP as its sister in St Tropez, so I dressed casually and added a little hat for the cute factor (and also to protect my skin from the sun).

The food was actually not bad. I really liked that they had fresh fruit and their tres leches (hello, Miami!) was divine!

The drinks were good too. I had a couple of virgin mojitos which were quite refreshing. My mom had strawberry mojitos and my dad the average guy drink - bud light.

After Nikki beach, and the food and the drinks, I decided to soak in some more sun (hey, enjoy it while it lasts!) and just chilled a little more by the pool.

Overall it was a fun family beach experience which was just perfect.

Thank you for reading and I hope you've enjoyed it!

The Villa by Barton G aka the Versace's House - Part 2

Dinning at The Villa was, in my opinion, a feast for the senses. Everything aspired to activate the senses. From the beauty of the dining room which were almost overbearing for the eyes, the perfect temperature of the champagne which left a soothing feeling, the flavors and presentation on every dish all combined with the graceful service made this an unique experience. You are at Gianni's. 

You are greeted by a fabulous set of china and obviously by the waitress. The amuse bouche was sent straight in by chef: shrimp with a punchy note of cilantro.

With a champagne glass on hand we selected our appetizer and main courses. A bloc of foie gras to begin with... there were notes of chocolate and compote = yummy!

My main course was a beef duo, and the filet mignon with the foie gras on top was just scandalous. Divine!

The desert was also something to write home about, an assortment of beignets ready to be dipped in a cinamon- coffee foam. Sumptuous!

Overall, this will be an evening to remember. Lots of pictures taken and a very pleasant time spent with my parents.

Thank you kindly for reading! I really hope you've enjoyed this post.

The Villa by Barton G. aka the Versace House

For those of you following me on facebook or twitter, you already know I went to Miami to spend Easter. The weather was perfect and seeing friends and family was wonderful.
In addition to that, I had the opportunity to go places in Miami I had never been on my previous trips. One of those places is the restaurant on The Villa by Barton G most commonly known as the Versace house. Gianni's house in South beach remained with mostly all its original decor even though the home was turned into a small hotel (10 rooms) and a fabulous restaurant.
The dining room is intact and everything from the mosaics on the walls to the china used is absolutely gorgeous. The meal becomes an experience, a feast for both the eyes and the palate. Champagne is brought out at just the perfect temperature, the flavours of all courses are like an explosion in the mouth, the service is very attentive and the grounds ... (have I mentioned the mosaic on the walls?).
Since I knew the business atire was smart casual, I wore a bandage dress and added some color in the accessories - necklace and shoes.

Dress - Stretta

Shoes - Jean-Michel Cazabat in black here

Necklace - Anthropologie (sold out), similar here

 

Thank you for reading and I'll share the menu details with you on my next post - Yum!

Le caro de Lyon - an institution

Lyon is a city known for its beauty, history and specially its cuisine. It is the home of the world famous culinary school Paul Bocuse and several Michelin starred restaurants. It is also the home of Le Caro de Lyon, a traditional brasserie that has been open for the past 30 years.

I had heard of this place back when I lived in Lyon, but had never had the opportunity to pay a visit. So when my friends Rodolphe and Thy-Anh Prebois invited us for lunch, we were very excited.

The decor is gorgeous, library style and the food is simply amazing.

We had a great time! And I definitely recommend this place, if you are in the neighborhood please stop by.

Le Caro de Lyon

25 rue du Bat d'Argent

Lyon 69001

+33 4 78 39 58 58

http://www.lecarodelyon.com/

Thank you so much for reading and hope you enjoyed it! Bisous!

New Years eve - The party

I have very high hopes for 2013, as I've said on my previous post: I am fully convinced that it will be the best year I've experienced so far and I wish the same to all of you.

We've entered 2013 in style drinking champagne and eating delicious French food. We've celebrated with close friends and had a blast till 6 am! Wow! It had been a long time since I've party-ed that late.

Cheers!!

This is the family of friends that had as over: a lovely couple and their two beautiful little girls

On the menu foie gras feuillete: simply delicious.

The preferred drink of the night was Billecart- Salmon champagne (brut for the appetizer and rose for the dessert).

And the heavenly dessert I brought: buche de noel. Believe it or not, it was purchase right on the boulangerie next door. Yes, some things only exist in France!

Again, Bonne Annee to all of you!

Travel Guide - Les Carroz D'Arraches/ Annecy

Happy new year to all of you! I am currently in France and I just came back from the French Alps. It was my first time up there and I have to confess I quite enjoyed my time and felt really blessed to have been able to see such a beautiful region.

We went specifically to Les Carroz, which is about 2 hours from Lyon by car. There we met some friends and had a lot of fattening foods! It was a diet suicide but totally worth it.

The temperature was quite low and I was really thankful to have a warm coat on me. For those who are against fur, I sincerely apologize and do not mean to be offensive at all, the coat was a gift from my wonderful beloved friend Traci Peace-Greco and it belonged to her grandmother.

We stopped at this Chalet-restaurant called Le Marlow, where I had the Patates a la facon Lulu and a gigantic Hot chocolate with whip cream. Both of them were heaven!

If you are ever in the area, do stop by, I am sure you too will enjoy the flavors of the local Savoyard cuisine and the friendliness of the staff.

Le Marlow

5 Place Ambiance

Araches-la-Frasse, 74300

We stayed at this cute and secluded hotel-chalet called Haute Combe and it was absolutely fabulous! Here is a picture of me walking in the snow to get there. The view was absolutely breath taking. I would recommend this place to anybody:

Haute Combe

Chemin de la Sarbotte

Les Carroz, 74300

+ 33 4 50 90 32 91

On our last day, we drove down to Annecy which is about 50 minutes away. Annecy is a pearl in the lake, absolutely beautiful. We walked around the lake and then had a hearty meal (another one!)  at one of the little restaurants in the Quai.

And to close our sejour, we went to the local restaurant Les Molliets where we shared yet another meal with our friends. On the menu: fondue and raclette.

Thank you very much for reading and I wish you a fabulous 2013. May you be blessed and all of your dreams come true!

L'Occitane

This past summer I had the opportunity to travel to the South of France for the very first time. I have been to France many times and have lived in the city of Lyon as well, but for some reason I had never been to the famous Cote d'azur.

So this summer I gave my husband and ultimatum, we have to, have to go. So we got a rental car and drove from Lyon all the way to Monaco and back. Since I've heard of the beautiful Provence and of the spectacular Couvent des Minimes (aka the L'Occitane's Hotel and Spa in their home region of Provence), I've decided to book a night and a couple of treatments there.

We drove from Lyon to Mane en Provence and I was in heaven! The hotel is simply amazing, the staff, the facilities and the spa, oh the spa! I had a treatment entirely using L'Occitane products and my husband pampered himself with a massage also using L'Occitane oils.

After the relaxing treatments, chilling by the pool and having an outstanding lunch, we headed to L'Occitane - the factory! I have to confess we did get lost while trying to get there and ended up in this isolated Lavender field (I know, I know, there are worst places to get lost).

We did end up finding the factory and the museum and the factory store. I was mind blown to know that this company started during the 70's with a man that sold soap in one of Provence's local markets (does this sound crazy to anyone else?). Here are some pictures of me enjoying the museum and ultimately the store, which gives you a heavy discount since you are shopping within the region.

Thank you so much for reading and hope you've enjoyed this little travel tip. I do strongly advise anyone that wishes to go to the Cote d'Azur, do take a detour and enjoy this amazing place called Mane en Provence.

Travel Guide - Bouchon Bistro LA

One of the places I probably enjoyed the most in LA was a fabulous French bistro style restaurant called Bouchon Bistro. The outdoor tables under the sun umbrellas, the red and white menu, the properly dressed waiters, the very present and very charming sommelier, everything had a special detail-oriented touch.
We came to have a late lunch after chilling by the hotel's rooftop pool all morning, lingering with our over-sized cappuccinos and our sunnies. I wasn't sure on what to expect, since we have so many different style French places in San Francisco and I was very pleased with this delightful surprise.
On the menu anything from escargots to french fries. We were greeted with a branch shaped bread and butter, the sequel was their charcuterie plate which was the perfect combo of dry sausages and prosciutto. The main course was a quiche so light that melted making chewing completely unnecessary. The grand finale was the oven cooked pear with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream. A true feast for the taste buds.

Doesn't all look Yummy????

Now onto my look:

Top - Hunter Dixon (old), similar here

Skirt - H&M

Ballet flats - Tory Burch

Bag - Chanel

Sunnies - Tiffany & CO

Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed the culinary critique.

Travel Guide - Opening Ceremony LA

The talk of town both in New York and LA is one of the coolest stores in the country: Opening Ceremony. Conveniently located on one of LA's most famous streets: La Cienaga boulevard (where antiques meet furniture meet hairdressing salons), this store is a true gem. There are two whole floors of the latest trends, and most importantly, the yet-to-be trends.

Here you'll find Kenzo latest collection, Proenza Schouler's leather clutches, Repetto ballet flats, books, cosmetics and great souvenirs your friends you'll love. I have to confess this store may be a little to avant gard for some, the salesman in the long grey knit skirt was a bit of a shocker to my husband, I just nodded.

The accessories store entrance

The main store window display, love the bunny!

The upper floor, mmm and that yellow leather jacket is still on my mind

My husband found some serious shoe material

Opening Ceremony

451 La Cienaga blvd

West Hollywood, CA 90048

Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy the Opening Ceremony store!

Travel Guide - Petrossian LA

After waking up to beautiful sunshine, chilling by the pool with my capuccino in hand, and reading my book: The Gospel according to Coco Chanel, I started to get quite hungry (and trust me, hungry on Paula's dictionary is not a good thing!).
So we drove to a fabulous area called West Hollywood and had a fabulous lunch at Petrossian. For those who don't know, Petrossian aka caviar heaven, has only 3 restaurants in the world: Paris, New York and LA.
They specialize in caviar and elegant sea food (salmon, oysters, smoked trout...). For the meat lovers, they do offer the occasional burger and fries. But being in this amazing place, we had to go along with the theme! And boy, everything couldn't be more perfect! From the food flavors, presentation to the service and location of the restaurant, everything was five stars. Can't wait to come back!

Inside seating

Outside seating

Caviar display

The Hibiscus champagne, one of their signature drinks

Blinis with caviar and salmon roe

Salmon rilletes, omg!!!

Oyster in a half shell (which I didn't partake of - hate oysters!)

Profiteroles for desert - Yum!!!

Now onto the look I was wearing:

Dress - Valentino (RED) old - similar here

Scarf - Hermes

Bag - Louis Vuitton

Ballet flats - Giorgio Armani old - similar here

Sunnies - Tiffany & CO

Jewelry - Tiffany & CO

Thank you so much for reading and hope you have enjoyed the Petrossian LA!