I recently went to the most amazing launch of the GrubTok app at Hinoki in Greenwich. I have been using the GrubTok app for a while now and love it so much. It is so informative and I love seeing the video menus come to life. I am constantly checking restaurant menus before I go, sharing them with friends and deciding what I might order way before I step through the door. GrubTok had answered my prayers!! Following please find a bit more information about GrubTok but first download the app HERE.
GrubTok is a video platform that was built with foodies in mind. The first of its kind, the platform helps restaurants by giving them a space for customers to link videos to individual menu items and also post meaningful video reviews. GrubTok is the brainchild of avid foodies mixed with restaurateurs who embrace social influence, tech, and local food culture.
The GrubTok community highlights menu items, rewards, perks, and events in an efficient way but also helps diners discover the best dishes to satisfy their taste buds. All are welcome to join the GrubTok community of foodies and restaurants – we encourage you to connect with those who share our passion! GrubTok also provides verification badges to the ultimate foodies and options for restaurants to claim their businesses and tools for enhanced success.
“GrubTok is the most effective way to help diners decide on where to eat and what to eat.”
– GrubTok Co-founder, Nitesh Pundra
There is nothing more I love than a good bracelet stack. And so do you all, judging by the questions I received about creating and buying one. My amazing blog sponsor, Tatiana of Tatiana M Designs makes the most stunning bracelets and creates the best-looking stacks. I love the way she mixes metals and colors and different textures. Whether you are looking for only a few bracelets or a set to go all the way up your arm, Tatiana can help you find your perfect arrangement. I have included some of her tips for stacking bracelets perfectly below…..
And how exciting is this….Tatiana M Designs was awarded the BEST OF WESTCHESTER Winner for Gemstone Bracelets.
Check out her fabulous website HERE to see all of her wonderful jewelry and to place your order
When it comes to styling your stack, follow your own rules!
- Make it your own by Mixing and Matching your favorite colors to coordinate with your look!
- Adding in a gemstone piece allows you to connect with your intentions based on the meaning behind the gemstone.
- Let your mood and/or outfit inspire your stack.
- Play with mixing metals, different bead sizes and gemstones
- Mix it up with some charm bracelets with symbols with purpose, like our elephant for luck or evil eye for protection!
- The bigger the stack the better, create that stack envy!
- Wear bracelets on both wrists! Complete your look by adding in a watch or your other favorite pieces.
- Want a more luxurious look try wearing an all-metal stack, either in all gold or all silver to elevate your outfit!
Most importantly, have fun and let your unique style shine through!
If you’ve ever read an article about boosting fitness, losing weight, or becoming healthier, you’ve probably seen protein mentioned regularly. We’re often told to eat a high-protein diet. You can buy high protein foods including dairy products, diet-friendly meals, and foods targeted at vegans and vegetarians. You can also buy protein powders, which are often popular with people who exercise frequently. But you might not know much about the benefits of all of this protein. Here’s a look at some of the reasons to increase the protein in your diet.
A High Protein Diet is Very Filling
Protein is often added to foods and snacks aimed at both dieters and fitness enthusiasts. Part of the reason for this is that protein is very filling. Protein is more filling than other macronutrients because it reduces the hunger hormone in your body. This means that you feel fuller faster, but also that you are less likely to overeat, snack between meals, or eat late at night.
Protein Helps You to Increase Muscle Mass
Protein helps us to build muscles. Eating more protein is very important for people who practice strength training as it helps muscles to grow, but also to recover and repair after a workout.
Protein is also important for this reason if you are trying to lose weight. When you lose fat, you usually also lose muscle. A high protein diet helps to minimize this loss, and makes gaining muscle back easier, helping you to achieve a toned and healthy body, not just a slimmer one.
Protein is Great for Your Bones
People who eat a diet rich in protein can have a greater bone mass and fewer problems with their bones than people that don’t.
Eating More Protein Can Lower Blood Pressure
Some recent studies have shown that a diet that’s high in protein can reduce blood pressure, lower heart rate, and improve cholesterol levels.
A Diet High in Protein Can Help You to Recover from Injuries
Protein is great for your bones and muscles, and it helps your muscles to heel and build after a tough workout. So it’s no surprise that it can also help you to recover from injuries, particularly things like muscles tears or strains.
Eating Protein Makes It Easier to Keep Fit as You Get Older
Stronger bones, healthier muscles, improved heart health, and a faster metabolism are all key factors to staying fit and healthy. As we get older, we can start to struggle with these things more, and so fitness levels are hard to maintain. Eating more protein makes all of these things less of an issue, which can make it easier to keep fit as you age. In fact, along with aging, your body experiences a decline in nad+ level. It will make it challenging to gain or maintain muscle mass. So, it would be best if you worked to improve your nad+ level.
Easy Ways to Increase Your Protein Intake
The good news is, unlike some other things that you might want to add to your diet, increasing your protein intake is easy. Meat, eggs, oats, fish, and nuts are all high in protein, and supplements are readily available. Delicious protein snacks from eatproteinstore.com can be a fantastic way to increase your protein intake. Eat Protein offer some delicious food and powders to help you with whatever your goals are.
A high protein diet can have many advantages to your health and fitness, and it’s usually fairly easy to achieve. Look at making some small changes and add protein powders if you exercise regularly.
I am so excited about this week’s book club choice. It is THE DELMONICO WAY: Sublime Entertaining & Legendary Recipes from the Restaurant that Made New York! By Max Tucci. I love reading about old New York and especially from such an iconic location. My dear friend Max is allowing the walls of Delmonicos to talk by sharing the incredible story of the incredible restaurant his family built. The book is available for pre-order HERE. I cannot wait to get mine.
Located in the heart of Wall Street, Delmonico’s from 1827 to the 1980s shaped New York City’s restaurant scene. Under the original ownership of The Delmonico Brothers, Pietro and Giovanni, Delmonico’s introduced the first farm-to-table concept, à la carte dining—complete with white tablecloths and menus—but most notably created the phenomenon called the “power
lunch.” Despite Delmonico’s triumphs, the impact of World War I and the era of Prohibition caused the family to cease operations, shuttering the restaurant in 1923. In 1926 a new era for Delmonico’s arose. Oscar Tucci, a Tuscan immigrant, took over ownership and re-established Delmonico’s first as a Speakeasy and then he continued the Delmonico brothers’ tradition, transforming it into a beacon of fine dining. Oscar developed a strict code of hospitality, etiquette, and operations coupled with legendary libations and superb fare known as the Delmonico way. After six decades of operations, The Tucci
Family closed Delmonico’s in the late 1980s, however, the Delmonico way still lives on today because of Max Tucci.
THE
DELMONICO WAY: SUBLIME ENTERTAINING & LEGENDARY RECIPES FROM THE RESTAURANT THAT MADE NEW YORK! by Max Tucci, Oscar’s grandson, opens the double doors of his family’s Delmonico’s, welcoming us to a world when dining out was a glamorous affair. Max along with his celebrity chef friends offers timeless recipes and Max, shares his tips for recreating the magic of the Delmonico way at home.
Royalty, celebrities, socialites, U.S. presidents, foreign dignitaries, and business tycoons all frequented Delmonico’s. Elizabeth Taylor, President John F. Kennedy, and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Rock Hudson, Marilyn Monroe, Lena Horne, Gypsy Rose Lee, Eva Gabor, and Zsa Zsa Gabor, King Umberto II of Italy, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, President Richard Nixon, Chubby Checker, Christine Jorgensen, and Joan Crawford were among some of the most notable names that Tucci welcomed to his tables which were famously adorned with Ginori, Baccarat, Lalique, and Christofle.
Each chapter is organized around a style of dining that Delmonico’s pioneered or perfected under Tucci’s proprietorship, including how to host an impressive power lunch (featuring Oscar’s creation, the signature wedge salad); a glamorous cocktail soirée before a night on the town, complete with oysters Rockefeller and shrimp cocktail; and the perfect romantic dinner for two with a show-stopping seafood tower and ribeye Bordelaise. THE DELMONICO WAY includes over 70 recipes, including two from the restaurant’s most famous alumni, Sirio Maccioni’s Pasta Primavera and Tony May’s trademarked Uovo
Raviolo. In addition to the fine fare, “The Bar” chapter features sophisticated cocktails that include the classic Delmonico, legendary Negroni with a “Delmonico way” twist, and the festive Spencer cocktail created by artist Ashley Longshore’s grandmother.
Renowned designer Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich expertly layers vintage era photographs, ephemera, menus, and countless other gems featured in THE DELMONICO WAY that remind us that entertaining with style, elegance, sophistication, and intention remains just as relevant today as it did during the height of the era.
Some Delmonico’s trivia to have in your back pocket:
• Between the 1950s to the 1970s Delmonico’s had a NO PAPARAZZI rule inside the restaurant, allowing
patrons to have a truly private dining experience.
• Delmonico’s, during Tucci’s’ proprietorship, was neither a steakhouse nor did it identify as a steakhouse.
Countless dishes on the menu were inspired by India, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, and other
international destinations.
• Gypsy Rose Lee danced on the table at Delmonico’s.
• Carol Channing, Barbra Streisand, and Bette Midler all sang about Delmonico’s in Hello Dolly!
• The only customer ever turned away from Delmonico’s was Fidel Castro. Castro was in New York City in
1960 as part of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations. Oscar would not allow Fidel in because of his politics; Mario (Oscar’s son) would not allow Castro in because of his attire.
• Iconic restaurateurs Sirio Maccioni (Le Cirque) Tony May (The Rainbow Room, San Domenico and SD26), and Harry Poulakakos (Harry’s) started their careers at Oscar’s Delmonico.
About The Author: Max Tucci is an award-winning producer and host of Max & Friends. He is a writer and a TVand radio personality. Max is known for being a food and entertaining enthusiast. He is a philanthropist and a historian of the Delmonico legacy. Max owns the largest collection of Delmonico’s memorabilia. He resides between New York, Florida, Colorado, and Florence, Italy
The California-inspired fast-casual rotisserie restaurant by former Sweetgreen and Starbucks’ culinary leader Ben Pote opened in Cos Cob last week.
The concept of this fantastic eatery, both in cuisine and design, is inspired by California with a thoughtfully curated menu that offers something for everyone.
Rotisserie chicken and slow-roasted cauliflower are at the heart of the menu, complemented by entree-style salads, plant-forward sides, and sauces that are made in-house daily, with thoughtful pops of flavor throughout. The chicken, for example, is rubbed with bay leaf, oregano, and fennel pollen, giving it an herbaceous, savory flavor, while the whole-roasted cauliflower is sprinkled with za’atar, a Middle-Eastern herb blend. Wildacre’s salads are hearty enough for lunch and dinner, or to eat alongside a whole roasted chicken or cauliflower. Guests can order a la carte or select a bundled meal, which offers the choice of either a rotisserie chicken or slow-roasted cauliflower main plus two sides and two sauces. Side dishes range from french fries to roasted brussels sprouts, and the majority of the menu is gluten-free. The California influence shows up throughout the menu, which features ingredients like fennel pollen, Meyer lemon, and avocado, and flavors inspired by the Mediterranean, Central American, and Asian cuisines.
Wildacre thoughtfully sources its ingredients. The rotisserie chickens are from Cooks Venture, which raises a slow-growth, heirloom chicken called the Pioneer, taking into account the health of the animal and the health of the environment. Core to their mission is advancing regenerative agriculture, and their chickens are pasture-raised, heirloom birds fed a diet of non-GMO feed. Other menu items will be local and organic when possible.
Like the menu, Wildacre Rotisserie’s design has a California flair. Crisp white paint and contemporary light fixtures give the space a modern vibe, and tiles in varying shades of green represent the different greens one might find walking through the woods. Throughout the restaurant are images of poppies – the state flower of California. These beautiful, delicate flowers turn the Pacific coast orange every summer and are a fixture of the brand design. Seating will be available indoors, where diners can take in the views of Mill Pond.
Pote has over a decade of restaurant industry experience and an extensive background in culinary operations and menu strategy. He has held leadership positions at a number of nationally-renowned food brands, including Director of Development at Souvla in San Francisco, Director of Culinary Innovation at Starbucks, and most recently Director of Culinary Strategy and Culinary Program Manager at Sweetgreen. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Washington University in St. Louis in 2008, Pote cooked his way through the kitchens of multi-unit restaurant groups like the Hillstone Restaurant Group (Hillstone, Houston’s) and The Florence Group (led by the Food Network’s Tyler Florence), before graduating from the French Culinary Institute in New York City in 2010.
Pote said, “We’re thrilled to bring a taste of California-inspired cuisine to Cos Cob, and to become part of the vibrant Greenwich food scene. We’re reimagining the traditional rotisserie with thoughtful ingredients and unique flavor profiles to bring you food you can feel good about for any meal of the week.”
Guests will have the option to order and dine in, or order for pickup or delivery. The restaurant is located at 147 E Putnam Avenue and will be open Tues-Sat from 11am-8pm.
I hope everyone had a great 4th last weekend. I had such a good time celebrating with my friends and family. The one thing I noticed more and more was that dresses are more popular than ever for day and night and especially long dresses. Gone are the days when I would see a sea of white jeans. It’s all about the dress. And I love it. Here are some of my favorite choices. I am dying for #6. I love the high-low look. However, I am not ready to hang up my white jeans yet so I gave you a fab floral blouse as well…..Click on the numbers below for more information or to order!
one//two//three//four//five//six//seven//eight//nine//ten//eleven//twelve//thirteen/fourteen//fifteen