The Second Line

This last weekend my brother drifted on over to Memphis for some brother sister bonding. It's hard to believe that for the greater part of my early years he hated me.

Saturday I made Jared put down the chocolate donuts and we headed over to Midtown to dine at Memphis' newest restaurant, The Second Line. I had tested the waters for Kelly English's newest venture a week before at book club and was pleasantly surprised after mixed reviews. The atmosphere and cuisine called for round two and worthy of a blog post.

This is your ewwy gooey, delicious, greasy paws, New Orleans kind of chow. Who doesn't love a poboy packed with flavor served with all the fixins'? 

The restaurant is nestled in Midtown disguised as an old home. As soon as those doors swing open you feel right at home with the bustling of the bar and old friends catching up over some good grub. The space is filled with old wood, aged brick, vintage light fixtures, and copper accents. I have never been to Louisiana, but I strangely felt transported to a local eatery deep in the heart of New Orleans.

It was a packed house, giving us a solid excuse to blow off time at the bar.

Obsessed with the copper countertops.

 Somebody was hungry. I have to say the wait was a tad bit on the long side.

 For starters, Gulf shrimp bathed in some delectable bbq-type sauce.

We were drowning our bread in this stuff. So good!

Please feed us...

 Jared got the Johnny snack poboy - ham + cheese with gravy.

 And a side of perfectly, crisp fries.

I had the oh so traditional New Orleans staple, roast white oaks pasture beef with gravy + swiss. Oh and onion rings, for the ticker.

Blazing hot!

Thank heavens for towels which was far better served than some flimsy paper napkin.

Clean plate club.

This is the, I ate way too much face.

 Nap time?

Happy to be your taste tester. Until next time.

XO,
Bee

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Top Frocks: 2014 Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards combine two of my favorite thing, music and fashion, all wrapped into one. This year sure didn't disappoint from the surprise Beyonce/ Jay-Z opening to Taylor Swift's incredibly intense hair flipping. I'm always interested in the Grammy red carpet because musicians tend to throw in some funky, eyebrow raising looks. Here are my top picks.

5. Giuliana Rancic in Alex Perry

    G always has great dresses for her red carpet hosting gig. (Yes, I call her G because I think I've

    watched enough E! news to feel like we're friends). My favorite part of this dress is the halter neck.

4. Katy Perry in Valentino

    I had to include a little funky. Normally I wouldn't have been so interested in this dress, but I just saw

    it in Valentino's show from Paris couture week and seeing on the runway gives a whole different 

    perspective. That, plus my nerdy, piano-playing self formed a weird attachment to the sheet music

    skirt.

3. Chrissy Teigen in Johanna Johnson
    Very glam and lots of sparkles. She looks like a Grammy award herself.

 2. Taylor Swift in Gucci
     So sparkly and chic. I love that this dress is a simple silhouette but with intricate beading.

1. Taylor Swift in Alberta Ferretti

    Yep, I did it. I had a long internal debate as to whether I could put Taylor as my number 1 and 2, but

    then I realized it's my own blog post so I can do whatever I want :).  I am a big Taylor fan, but that's 

    not why I picked these two. In fact, I'm often pretty underwhelmed by her fashion choices, but I 

    genuinely loved both her Grammy looks more than any of the other gowns. The draping and jewels 

    on this dress were perfection and it was the right choice for her dramatic performance.

XO,
Lo

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Librarian

I was hopelessly wandering and traveling there for a bit, but I am back in Memphis still trying to get back in my groove. 

Recharging and laying low I found myself meandering through a book store with a heaping stack. 

I mean there is nothing quite like getting lost in a book, taken to another world. The nerd in me finds them to be utterly magical. 

First up on my must read list is Z, which comes highly recommended by my dear friend Alex. You have seen her pop up on here a time or two. Her taste is impeccable, so I have no doubt this will be a riveting tale of F. Scott Fitzgerald's leading lady set in a wildly romantic era . 

Apparently I have been living under a rock because I did not learn about this heroine until just a mere few weeks ago. Malala Yousafzai's courage will be remembered for the ages.

I find Malcom Gladwell books to be mystifying. I really just cannot get enough. They give me brief moments of courage to take risks. 

A classic for the repertoire. Who doesn't love a great American writer?

An inspiration to be unconventional.

These were just the few that made the short list. I am sure these little treasures will not encourage early bedtimes. Nothing a second or third cup of Joe can't fix when the morning comes.

XO,

Bee

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Top Frocks: SAG Awards

Admittedly, I take award show red carpets way too seriously. I think I made that obvious with my Golden Globe post. So when I tell you I was very underwhelmed by the SAG Awards red carpet, you can imagine how disappointed I really was. There were of course several beautiful dresses, but just not as many wow moments as I had anticipated. Luckily, the Oscars are coming up and everyone will be going all out. In the meantime, here are my favorites from this past weekend.

5. Michelle Dockery in J. Mendel

    Like I said before, she always makes my favorite red carpet looks. Maybe I should become her 

    stylist? I think so.

4. Sofia Vergara in Donna Karan

    True glam. I'm especially a fan of her necklace. When I started watching for my favorite dresses, this

    was the first one that caught my eye, maybe it was all the sparkles.

3. Malin Akerman in Naeem Khan

    I'm a huge Naeem Khan fan and I feel like he isn't worn enough on red carpets. He always uses

    interesting fabrics and embroidery that have a very tribal/bohemian feel. I gave this look bonus points

    for adding some individuality to an otherwise underwhelming red carpet.

2. Lupita Nyong'o in Gucci
    I looooooove this color, not to mention the interesting floral details. The fit is perfect on her as well.

1. Isla Fisher in Oscar de la Renta

    The dress itself is beautiful, but it was really the overall look that made me pick this as my favorite. 

    Not to mention, she was styled by Rachel Zoe, who I'm only just a little bit obsessed with.

XO,

Lo

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You've Got Mail

Jordan's final day here had a lot of build up. We had saved the best for last. She's a MASSIVE You've Got Mail fan. Not to say that I'm not a fan, but I haven't watched it multiple times and memorized lines as she has :). I had planned brunch at the adorable cafe that's in the film, Cafe Lalo, but Jordan took it a step further by finding a website dedicated to the movie and all its filming locations. So on a cold and icy morning, we headed all the way up to the Upper West Side for the grand You've Got Mail tour.

Really though, the cafe is quite charming. I'd like to sit next to these windows on a sunny afternoon with a book and endless coffee.

The cafe is very European feeling and has international brunch selections such as the Italian, Dutch, Moroccan Delight, etc. 

I had the Italian, of course.

They were apparently feeling very festive, rocking New Year decor along with their poinsettias from Christmas.

After brunch we hit up some of the other filming spots like their neighborhood Starbucks, grocery store, and some other things I can't remember. After all that we got to my favorite part of the day, a nice meander through Central Park. 

Not really feeling like I'm in New York City at the moment...I like it though.

I still don't know what this building is, but it's in every shot you see of Central Park and I love it. It appears on my iPhoto a ton because I take a picture of it every time I'm in the park.

 

I like to think you have a pretty charmed childhood if Central Park is your neighborhood sledding spot.

Quite the change from the last time I visited this spot in the fall.  Everything in the park seemed to be covered in a secret layer of ice. It took us a solid ten minutes to get down the stairs without wiping out.

There's a group of singers that are always in this little area. The acoustics are awesome and I always have to stop and listen to them.

 

Playing in the snow, duh.

It was a bit too cold to have lunch on the steps of the Met like Blair Waldorf, so Jordan will just have to come back in the summer to fulfill our Gossip Girl dreams.

We hit up the Met's gift shop. I could spend hours in it alone, to go through the whole museum I'd need an entire day!

Where to start? 

No one can leave NYC without going to Laduree, so I had to take Jordan for her first experience. They're getting ready to open another location near my neighborhood, which means I'm in trouble.

Look at how adorable this little family is! Yes, they were all together even though they don't look like it in the picture. I know because we stalked them all the way down the path since they seemed like the perfect little fam.

One of my favorite spots of Central Park.

The best way to end the day: cupcakes and wine

Happy weekend!

XO,
Lo

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