with a name like that, what’s not to love?

The clothes are pretty nice, too

 

for all of your chocolate fixes. If you can get to a store, I totally recommend the beverages.

WHAT’S NEW

Julia Bainbridge, Karen Bianchini, Kate Washington, Olivia Wu

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

WARMING TREND: Chic, palate-pleasing hot cocoa options are steaming up the Bay Area.

Cocoa Bella, the Union Street chocolateria that now has a small store in the Westfield Shopping Centre, offers peanut butter, raspberry and mint takes on the drink (all $5), in addition to classic dark hot chocolate ($4). Sales associate and CCA-certified pastry chef Shurry Rollo developed the creative confections after a three-week kitchen lab retreat.

Bittersweet, with its comfortable, quirky mismatched seating, serves a classic, rich hot chocolate ($3.95), and offers a hot and spicy version with a kick of pepper and hint of rose ($3.25), Venezuelan white chocolate infused with cardamom ($3.25), and chocolate chai ($3.95).

Hot chocolate continues to be a popular dessert option at restaurants. Town Hall blends Scharffen Berger with other chocolate, and serves it with biscotti and Chantilly cream. It’s the top-selling dessert at Andalu, the Mission tapas restaurant, which serves the drink Castilian-style, with Valrhona chocolate and doughnut holes for dunking. For an organic option, try Olema Inn.

If you want to enjoy your cup of chocolate at home, Recchiuti Confections in the Ferry Building has a take-home version. To prepare, simply pour hot water over the dark chocolate pistoles and whisk until they come together ($16 for 12 ounces). Beware, though: The Chronicle’s tasters found the flavor and texture a little thin. Back to Basics’ Cocoa-Latte Hot Drink Maker fixed that problem, creating smooth, frothy hot chocolate from a cocoa powder and milk mix (see Page F4 for more information).

Cocoa Bella, 2102 Union St., (415) 931-6213; and 845 Market, Westfield Shopping Centre, (415) 896-5222; both San Francisco.

Bittersweet Cafe, 5427 College Ave., Oakland, (510) 654-7159; and 2123 Fillmore St., (415) 346-8715; S.F.

Recchiuti Confections, 1 Ferry Building No. 30, (415) 834-9494; S.F.

Town Hall, 342 Howard St., (415) 908-3900; S.F.

Andalu, 3198 16th St., (415) 621-2211; S.F.

Olema Inn & Restaurant, 10,000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., (415) 663-9559; Olema.

 

It seems fitting that the last thing that I will ever buy at Tower is the complete collection of my favorite now-cancelled series

It’s like Sleepy Hollow and those pretty plates and a little bit Jane Eyre mixed with coral.

smallthings designs Branch Necklace
Flowers, of course, get all the glory, but they and come and go too quickly. Which is why all women know that good looks only take you so far, and that it is better to have unwavering inner strength that can carry you through anything. Like a tree branch weathering the heat of summer, the cold of winter, the rains of spring. Like a tree branch which remains standing after the colorful leaves and scented flowers fall to the ground.Paying homage to the majestic tree branch, designer Teresa Robinson of smallthings designs, lovingly creates this pendant necklace, hand carved from sterling silver and backed with stained glass. Three-dimensional rectangular pendant, measuring 5/8″ wide and 1 and 5/8″ in length, flaunts a meandering tree branch that reveals contrasting black stained glass. Worn high on the neck, the exquisitely modern pendant is hung from a 14″ sterling silver snake chain that fastens with a sterling silver tubular friction clasp. Each smallthings designs necklace is expertly hand crafted and shipped approximately two to three weeks from the order date.

because I so love this bracelet, but not for $500!!!!!

and I blissfully do its bidding, even buying a sample of something that uses the word “cow” in the description … I’m hoping that the ” hay, grass, earth, herbs (and we detect a subtle wildflower note)” makes up for it!

shadow play hobo

The first fruits of spring, depicted on sturdy hemp canvas. A continuous strip of leather wraps around the photo-printed scene, providing structure and a touch of refinery. Inside zip pocket. Magnetic snap closure. seafoam. 12″l, 13″w, 3.5″d. Imported.

I love the delicacy of the pattern; it reminds me of this trompe l’oeil shadow painted on the wall behind the actual tree

Very beautiful, the both of them, but the art you can admire for free. The purse is on sale at Anthropologie - it’s almost half price (but still $125)

Trust me when I say that I have enough for me and all of my closest friends, but I wandered into Target yesterday and found this one

on the sale rack. I’d noticed it when it came out, noticed it when it was shown in the ads, noticed it when it was shown in magazines and yes, I noticed now because it was on the 75% off rack, marked down to $14.99.

So I have another coat - excuse me, rain slicker. And I feel pretty good about it.

Just a couple of posts ago, I said something about not being an orange sort of person - I think it was in reference to nail polish. Fast forward to shopping in Berlin with one of my more fashionable friends and we wander into this shoe store called Prachtstuck. Good shoes from Spain.

 

I’m looking at some cute beige flats with a thin turquoise band across the toe. She picks up this pair of wedges. Orange. Meh.

I’m lost in thought on the other side of the room when I glance over and see the Shoes on her feet. They’re Curvy and Sexy and Cute and somehow … now … Tangerine. And I want them. I want them Now and A Lot and so she buys one pair and I buy another and it’s a really good thing that we don’t live in the same town because it truly might not be big enough for the both of us.

And at the end of all of that - here’s a totally anticlimactic picture of the Shoes. The color and lack of In Person-ness utterly fails to do them justice.

 

The next time I’m with her, I’ll try to get an action shot.

Behold -

Apparently, this is “Part of the Isaac Mizrahi Ballet Skirt/Bolero Jacket Collection”. Who knew, right? A stylish friend called, raving about the cuteness she’d bought at Target, and so, of course, I had to see for myself. It has all the hallmarks of a quality find:

Basic black? check.

Flattering shape? check.

Quirky edge in the tulle detailing? check.

Totally affordable? check!

In all, wearable comfort with style. What’s not to love?

Except, as you know from the title, I didn’t. And I tried. I bought it in two sizes, explored multiple footwear options, a veritalbe rainbow of tops and jackets and nothing really looked right. It was a little too long (and impossible to shorten - see hallmark #3), a little too big in the waist, a little too A-line. In short, it failed to flatter and so had to go back and I sincerely hope that someone else has bought it and bonded properly.