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Photo by Alison Conklin

Just a quick post to thank all of the incredible vendors who helped execute the most outrageous reception of all time – OURS! Phil and I have decided that it’s impossible to say thank you as many times as we feel it’s necessary, so here is our one big thank you:

To all of the couples out there planning a wedding, USE OUR VENDORS! Seriously, use each and every one of our vendors. You will not be disappointed!

Let Edge host your affair in their stunning dining room and lounge. They’ll also serve up insanely delicious food and perfectly mixed cocktails.

Have Sarah at Allium Design take over flowers and decor. She’ll create an atmosphere you thought only possible in your dreams.

Call up Jesus at Pure Mix DJ and have your guests dancing ALL night long (like from the second they walk through the door to the very last song .. and then two songs after that!).

The Flour Shop will fix your sweet tooth with an oh-so-yummy wedding cake and any miniature dessert you can think of. Try their butter cookies!

And last, but absolutely not least, ask Alison Conklin to capture the magic. How can one person see ALL OF THIS in one night?

So once again, thank you thank you thank you. You mean the world to us.

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This was the start to a fabulous weekend in Washington DC; celebrating engagements and family with my sister, Kristen, and her new fiance, Matt. I had spent the good part of a month thinking of engagement gifts, racking my brain for that one unique present that they surely had not received yet. Finally, it came to me. Phil and I would simply do what we do best – wine and cheese! So we packed up the cooler, jumped in the VW and told Kristen and Matt to get ready for the most memorable gift of all – a wine and cheese tasting on their DC rooftop, courtesy of Sauced!

If this sounds like a gift idea you’d love to give, but simply don’t have the time to organize, contact us. We love to help people celebrate!

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Double-Double Animal Style in Vegas: Here we are hitting up our favorite burger joint on the west coast, In-N-Out. We order them the only way you should eat them – double meat, all the traditional fixings, extra “spread” and grilled onions. Yea, that’s ANIMAL style!

Freezing our buns off in Zion National Park: We weren’t exactly dressed for a snow day, but hiking through this magical scene was the perfect way to work up an appetite for more burgers. We picked up a nice bottle of red before leaving Vegas to help with the chill in the air

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So we’ve decided to take in two nights of “Sin City” and spend a day or two in the mesmerizing back-country of Utah. Many don’t realize, but Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park are within 2-4 hours of Vegas. In fact, I didn’t realize it until I checked out the map. You also get the experience of the drive itself. You know, renting the cheapest car possible for a ballpark $20 a day and speeding off legally into some of the quietest parts of the continental United States. In doing this, you need an Atlas, a good old road map. In the days of GPS technology, we miss the subtle beauty of reading a map and following a road into a large patch of land, color coded green with a variety of elevations attached to it.

Jill and I have a thing for stopping in midst of beautiful landscape equipped with copious amounts of wine, potent cheeses and crusty bread. What better place to indulge than the magnificent panoramic lands of Utah’s famed National Parks.  As much as we both like to go out to eat, we equally enjoy this sort of engagement. We’ve actually cooked pancakes over sternos on a windy beach in Georgia one morning and watched the sunrise with an off-dry bubbly. I didn’t produce the best pancakes that morning but the experience was unforgettable.

This time, in addition to the wine and cheese, I want to make something warm and delicious, cooked from scratch over minimal flame with meticulous simplicity. I want smells and flavors to permeate the crisp Utah air. All the while, looking intently into the distance of some of the best scenery know to man. I envision wild, earthy mushrooms cooked crisp and creamy in the best butter I can find with floral herbs and coarse sea salt. Maybe even finish it with some creme fraiche or mascarpone. I want to spread that on some crusty bread and as I bring it towards my mouth, I want the smell and steam to weather my face.  I want to nosh on that and wash it all down with a peppery Zinfandel from the Sierra Foothills. What else should I make?

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Ironically, we’ve never actually purchased falafel – together, that is – until today. I don’t know what made today different .. Maybe it was the crisp fall air? Maybe the yummy drinks at 202 gave us the kick we needed?  Who knows. The stars aligned and 20 minutes after business was wrapped up for the day, we found ourselves standing outside Taim Falafel & Smoothie Bar in the West Village.

I went with the traditional green and Phil chose harissa (Where’s the fun if we both get the same thing?). Honestly, it might have been the best falafel I have ever eaten – no lie. And to top off the sheer deliciousness of our lunch, they were perfectly constructed too. This means that I not only bit into freshly fried and perfectly crispy falafel when I started my lunch, but there was also freshly fried and perfectly crispy falafel at the bottom of my pita. Brilliant! Just when I thought I was down to lettuce and dressing, Voila – more freshly fried and perfectly crunchy falafel!

So the next time you’re in the city TALKING about falafel, do yourself a favor and hit up Taim at 222 Waverly Place. It’s so much better than just TALKING about falafel.

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