Table Mountain, South Africa

Yep, we did it… in 1 hour. pretty awesome.

a view of the mountain from our hotel room

The real deal

While we were observing all these beautiful animals in the bush of South Africa I kept thinking how much they have inspired fashion trends over the years… and it was so obvious why. These animals get to wear such vibrant, sharp colors that are so vivid and take on these shapes and lines that are truly inspiring. These photos don’t do justice, but have a look!

Paris. Love.

Weekend in Portland

Recently, we headed up to Portland for the weekend and completely fell in love with this “foodie” city.  We were impressed by the food culture, the attention paid to local foods, organic farmers and seasonal flavors.  The trip was planned around an Outstanding in the Field dinner we attended at Cameron Winery, in beautiful Dundee Oregon.  The evening was magical, sitting at a table with 150 other guests in a hazelnut grove, tasting local veggie’s and game, and learning about the local farmers, wine makers, artisans, cheese makers and chocolatiers that put the meal together. The meal was served family style.  We sampled seasonal apricots and local prosciutto, wild smoked salmon and fennel, and spit fired lamb with cherry tomatoes and zuchinni. Next year we are planning to attend one of the dinners at the beach!

A few of our favorite stops in Portland over the weekend…

1. Ace Hotel – unpretentious, chill, fun and affordable. Stumptown coffee is attached to one side, awesome coffee. The other side has Clyde Common, a great restaurant for lunch or dinner.

2. Pok Pok – seasonal Thai food with a local, laid-back feel.

3. Farmers Market @ the University

4. Brewery tour – Favorite part of the trip!  Rent bikes and venture around to some of Portland’s great Breweries. Some of our favorites included Lucky Labrador (where we had an interesting ginger beer), BridgePort  Brewing Co., and New Old Lompoc (go for the tasting flight)!

5. Beast – 2 seatings per night, pre fix menu that will leave you extremely satisfied. Every course was outstanding, it was a really fun experience, felt like we were at someones home.

6. Gravy - great brunch spot… all american style breakfast, go hungry…..huge portions.

We also got some great tips from 101 Cookbooks, be sure to check it out before you go.

Carrots featured on GOOP!

We were so excited to discover that CARROTS has been featured on Gwyneth Paltrow’s clever lifestyle website, GOOP, today!  We are all huge fans of her fabulous tips on style, food, and travel and feel so flattered to be included in her San Francisco guide.  Be sure to check it out!