SFBayStyle

Treasures from The Mexican Museum at the Palo Alto Art Center

For those who think it's too far, time-consuming or expensive to get to Mexico, fear not - there are ways to bring Mexico to us. The Palo Alto Art Center will present Treasures from The Mexican Museum: A Spirited Legacy from September 26, 2009 through April 18, 2010. If you've ever heard of The Mexican Museum, maybe you know it's the first and the oldest-operating museum outside of Mexico and the world to exhibit Mexican and Mexican-American art and culture. The collection at The Mexican Museum represents a treasury with a collection of over 12,000 objects spanning thousands of years of art and culture in the Americas. 

The Mexican Museum is located in the Mission District for visits any time, and the Palo Alto Center will highlight this particular collection, featuring five focal areas of acquisition: Pre-Conquest (Pre-Hispanic or Pre-Columbian) Art; Art of Colonial Mexico (1521-1821); Modern and Contemporary Mexican and Latino Art; Arte Popular (Folk or Popular Art,) and Chicano Art over the next six months.

So if you're looking to get inspired, see historical art, or just want to get out of the house, check out the exhibit at the Palo Alto Art Center. It's free -- that's also nice.

Revelation by M.E.

Ready for a night out on the town right after work?  Wouldn’t it be great to just make a few easy adjustments to your garment instead of having to do a complete wardrobe change?  Well, Myrda Monasterial and Eloisa Serrano have your solution.  These hard-working fashion entrepreneurs decided to produce a line of garments that provide you with an easy transition from day to night wear.

Their line is great for the independent women on the go, ready to take the world over and not yet ready to settle down.  For just having started their line a little over a year ago, Myrda and Eloisa have made huge accomplishments.  Adding to their list of accomplishments is the fact that they use a fabric called Modal.  The fabric is environmentally conscious.  The process of producing this type of fabric does not pollute as much as Rayon or other synthetic fabric.  Modal has the feel of cotton and the shine of synthetic fabric.  Not only do they think green, but they also manufacture everything domestically.  Everything is produced in San Francisco.

Cocola Bakery : The Secret Location

 

Tucked away in the industrial zone of Redwood City is a little-known oasis - the French bakery for Cocola.  Foodies who frequent Santana Row and SF probably know the café as another top place to savor pastries and espresso.  And if you're a French macaroon fan, this is your haven.

At my first visit to Cocola, the owner graciously gave my two kids a tour of the bakery behind the tiny retail storefront.  The kids loved seeing the giant-size equipment and the team of bakers turning out the delicacies they had seen in the display cases.  Since then, I've been stopping by whenever I happen to be within a mile of the bakery.

Bebe's Concept Store... A Not So Great Concept?

In January, Bebe, the tight-clothes selling retailer with a price range of about $80 to $200, announced it would open a less expensive concept store in the Bay Area called 2b, with a price range of $29 to $79. This new store wouldn’t exactly appeal to the mid-20s to late 30s clientele who shop at Bebe… instead, CEO Greg Scott said it would cater to a younger demographic (late teens to early 20s). But whoever was looking for clothes similar to Bebe’s in this economy would be a fool to at least not check it out. We can always use more stores like H&M.

So…now that it’s July…what do people think of 2b? 

Fabulous Fashion Fete on Sunday

The Four Seasons Silicon Valley (in East Palo Alto) is quickly becoming a hot spot for events in the Bay Area. Easy to access off 101 at University Avenue, the Quattro restaurant and rooftop pool bar have become popular destinations, so it should come as no surprise that philanthropic events are moving into the Four Seasons now as well.  This weekend, Gala for Giving is hosting a Fabulous Fashion Fete, featuring clothing, jewelry, accessories and home products.

The first 200 guests to attend receive swag bags. $15 is all it takes to get into this great event, and a portion of the proceeds go to BUILD. Show up at 2050 University Ave. at the Four Seasons (note: park anywhere on Sunday) and the event begins at 2:00pm, lasting until 6:00pm.

Seeking Sassy Women Biz Owners for CRAVE Guide 2009!

Girl Power indeed. Seems small businesses and mostly female entrepreneurs are going to be the ones to get us out of the economic crisis, by everything I've been reading. And what better way to not only promote small business but celebrate the sassiest, boldest and most innovative women biz owners in the Bay Area than with The CRAVE Guide 2009: An Urban Girl's Manifesto. This 2nd edition has been completely redesigned and it looks gorgeous. This book highlights the women you need to know across the Bay Area and their businesses: shops, boutiques, salons, online marketplaces, interior designers, stylists, photographers, graphic designers, B2B businesses, etc.  It's an amazing (and cost effective) way to invest in press and marketing so that you are ripe to take advantage when the economy recovers. And the book will be seen in all the most fashionable shops and businesses around town, as well as Barnes and Noble and Borders!

Here's a peek at the Seattle one that just came out - how lovely is that?!: http://craveparty.com/book/seattlepeek.htm

New Vegan Restaurant in Palo Alto: Loving Hut

There's a new vegan restaurant South of San Francisco and West of Berkeley...and that's big news for veg*ns from my neck of the woods. Last week, this vegan visited Loving Hut at 165 University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto.

Now, I'm still waiting (and wishing) for a veg*n restaurant that's more along the lines of Greens or Millennium...more gourmet, more than vegan Chinese food...and I can keep hoping that someone will open that kind of restaurant South of, say, San Mateo.

But in the meantime, restaurants like Loving Hut (think Garden Fresh in Mt. View or Happy Bamboo in San Jose) are also really welcome.

At Loving Hut you order at the counter from a still-small selection of menu choices. Don't be fooled by the menu on their web site [PDF]...it is way more extensive than the choices offered in Palo Alto.

Caffe Del Doge, Palo Alto

I go through phases where I obsess about a particular food or beverage. For a while it was oatmeal.  I had to try oatmeal all over the Bay Area. (Four Seasons still may be my favorite.)  I have been eating a daily dose of frozen soy yogurt.  (Fraiche.)  Then there were the drives into San Francisco for Bi-Rite ice cream and Blue Bottle Coffee.

Now, thanks to my French friend Muriel, I need to have a daily soy cappuccino at a local cafe, Caffe Del Doge in Palo Alto.  Doge is not French, it is an Italian company, with Palo Alto being the only location in the United States.  The cafe started in Venice, and while sititing in the cafe, I truly feel as if I have escaped to Europe.  This is no Starbucks, take it to go, drink in the car kind of place.  You want to sit at a table, take your time and drink from a real ceramic cup.  The croissants, which are flown in frozen from France, are a favorite of many of my French pals. (My kids devoured them this afternoon alongside a cup of cocoa) I have to say, the soy milk was sweet and frothy, and even had a design in it!  I am not sure why the coffee is so outstanding, but it truly is.  If you can not make it to Venice for an hour, but find yourself in downtown Palo Alto, pass by the Starbucks, and indulge in a coffee at Doge.

A Vegan Visits Lavanda

When the evening started out one rainy night a couple of weeks ago I had big plans to try a new vegan restaurant in downtown Palo Alto. Named Loving Hut, it is like many of the other vegan restaurants around the Bay Area: fairly low key, and very focused on Asian-style cuisine with faux meat readily available. The S.O. and I were meeting another couple who had agreed to drive all the way down from San Francisco in the rain to eat vegan food with me. I was pretty excited.

You can imagine my shock and dismay when a little hand-written sign in the window told me that Loving Hut had decided to close early that day. This on a Saturday night!

My friends were already waiting at the bar in Lavanda Restaurant on the corner of university and Emerson, a half block from Loving Hut.

Feeling a bit put out and not a lot like walking around in the rain I asked the hostess at Lavanda if they could accommodate a vegan. Two minutes with the chef, and she was back...of course they could take care of me. And she said the absolute magic words: he can make a vegan version of the risotto.

Sold!

Kid's Sample Sale in Palo Alto

I often miss out on the many great sample sales, as they tend to be in San Francisco. However, a bit of S.F. style will be coming to Palo Alto this Thursday.  San Francisco based designers Glug, and Dagmar Daley will be joining Peninsula childrens designer Wati for a sample sale. Laurie of Lobrid papers will also be there showcasing her vintage inspired personalized stationary. This sale gives suburbanites like myself a chance to dress their kids like hip urban youngsters. I do not have to trek to the boutiques in the city, I can find parking and get some great deals as well. A percentage of sales will benefit Second Harvest of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

Here are the details you have been waiting for :
Sample Sale, Thursday Nov. 13th, from 9-3
100 Island Drive (home of Kelli Glazier) Palo Alto

I plan to get there early, as supplies may be limited. I guess I can not ask you all not to purchase the items I may want in my kids' sizes !

Politics In Palo Alto - Fall 2008

This has been a tough political season in the U.S. and the Bay Area. It is good to see that politics in Palo Alto have taken a serious turn.

Eileen Fisher Special Event

Eileen Fisher  has always been passionate about empowering women to feel good about their bodies.  Eileen creates simple, elegant designs that are truly timeless in appeal.  Her commitment to improving the lives of women and girls is evident by the many organizations the company supports through the grant-making program and special fundraisers.

This Saturday, September 27th, from 12-5 Eileen Fisher will be hosting their fall event to benefit Girls Inc. of West Contra Costa.  Ten percent of all of sales will be donated.  There will be goodies and special gifts with purchase.  You can support Girls Inc. and check out the latest  designs at Bay Area Eileen Fisher Stores :

San Francisco: 2216 Filmore Street
Palo Alto: 114 Stanford Shopping Center
Walnut Creek: 1171 Broadway Plaza.

Sprinkles Is Open!

The economy may be hurting, but people on the Peninsula just can't get enough of cupcakes. Kara's opened a few weeks ago in the Town and Country shopping center. Lines are out the door. Sprinkles opens today in the Stanford Mall. Sprinkles held a grand opening party this Sunday, and reports are that the cupcakes were just amazing. I was impressed by the invitation, a box of two beautiful cupcakes that my family devoured. My kids were quite upset to miss the festivities, but I assured them I would be picking up some cupcakes today!  Now for my personal plea..will one of you cupcake makers please make some dairy free cupcakes so people with allergies can enjoy these goodies too?

Spared from the Storm, in its last month at Stanford

Don't miss your last chance to see Spared From the Storm: Masterworks from the New Orleans Museum of Art, now on view at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University through October 4, 2008. Over 80 drawings, paintings, and sculptures by some of the most significant artists in history are included, representing only a portion of the New Orleans Museum of Art's diverse and comprehensive collection which was spared from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

It comes as no surprise given the history of New Orleans that the exhibit is undoubtedly rich in French works, including such artists as Bucher, Vigee-Lebrun, Degas, and Braque, but the exhibit also includes equally interesting works by Picasso, Magritte, O'Keefe, Cassatt, Cornell, and many others. The artistic range and profound variety makes this exhibit particularly fascinating.

Spared From the Storm: Masterworks from the New Orleans Museum of Art
on view now through October 4, 2008
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University
328 Lomita Dr (at Museum Way)
Stanford CA 95305

Free tours of the exhibition on Thursdays at 12:15 pm and Saturdays/Sundays at 2pm.
This exhibit was organized by the New Orleans Museum of Art to benefit its Katrina Recovery Fund.

Walker and Bowes Glass Pumpkin Patch

The San Francisco Bay Area is sweltering at the moment. With temperatures in the double digits Fall should not be on my mind. I am resisting buying cashmere, and winter clothes, as I am too hot too carry the shopping bags.Then I stumbled, luckily just figuratively upon the Walker and Bowes Glass Pumpkin Patch at The Stanford Mall. Thousands of one of a kind glass pumpkins are on display throughout the mall. The pumpkins look as if they have just sprouted up in front of the shops. Pumpkins will be available for purchase on Aug. 29- Sept 1, Sept. 5-7, and Sept. 12-14. Proceeds from sales benefit local charities. Hard to believe that fall is just around the corner.

There will be an artist reception on Sept. 5th, from 5- 7:30 in Bloomingdales on the second floor.

Shop For A Cause - Philanthropy and Fashion

There are many ways to shop for a cause.. Shopaholics like me can feel justified in our purchases knowing that our purchases are actually doing some good in the world. I can never pass up a good "shop for a cause". One of my family's favorite, has been the Gap Product Red line. We are all eagerly awaiting the fall designs. Local companies like Tea Collection, and Los Angeles based Neige regularly support children's charities. This appears to be a growing trend.

Another trend that I am thrilled to see, is the not-for-profit retail store. Thanks to the generous and creative spirit of some Bay Area folks, we can shop locally for a cause. In Her Shoes in Palo Alto donates all of the proceeds above operating costs to The Global Fund For Women. The boutique carries an amazing array of shoes, including my favorite, Reppeto. They now also carry clothing. Labels such as Chan Le, and Johnny Was are available in the back of the shop. San Francisco will have a boutique that donates all of their profits to local charities. (Thanks to S.F. Magazine for the tip.) Located in Presidio Heights, set to open this fall, is Philanthropist Boutique. Shoppers will be able to shop for designs by Zac Posen, and Rag & Bone without any guilt.

Inspirational Tuscan Gem in Hillsborough

Monique Lhuillier is known for her fabulous wedding gowns, interlaced and intricate. What is less commonly known is that her family - one of the wealthiest in the Philippines - had a home here in the Bay Area, in Hillsborough, where they would gather together. Whether the home had any inspirational influence on her as a designer we don't know, but she did spend time there. Since then, the Tuscan villa overlooking a wooded canyon peeking out to the Bay has gone through two owners, the second set of which renovated it entirely and it's breathtaking to see.

When Stephanie and Ray Hood first stumbled on this 6770 square foot Hillsborough home, it contained a wide range of styles, most notably Georgian and Meditteranean. Stephanie, had already managed renovations of five previous homes, so after they bought this one, she began working on her sixth. "Every surface" was redone, including floors, walls, lighting, even bannisters. The project took three months including flying in workers from Texas who the Hoods knew and trusted from their previous homes. The floors have been hand scraped, and antiques were specially purchased to fit into the rooms among other key pieces brought from their previous homes.

TechCrunched for Time

Friday evening's annual TechCrunch and August Capital Meet-Up challenged the laws of physics as hundreds of people flocked together onto the deck at the offices of August Capital in Menlo Park to view demos of young companies, meet, mix, drink, nibble and mingle. Standing in long lines to gain entrance, partygoers waited in the heat, generally upbeat, greeted by members of TechCrunch and August Capital as they made their way down the steps barely a half hour after I received my first tweet from a friend making his way to the party.

David Hornik, Partner at August Capital and husband of SFBayStyle cofounder, Pamela Hornik, greeted my husband and I at the door. Once inside, we found people from Sequoia Capital, Facebook, techbeat, Wired, SugarCRM and of course Google. As a veteran of three tech start-ups and with my husband now on his third, we felt right at home. Dire Straits and a house mix played in the background while guests, clad mostly in denim, sampled wine and software - only in Silicon Valley could you ever find a party like this.

Cool Cafe

I love art, and I love good food. That is why I can be found spending many lunch hours at The Cool Cafe.
Peninsula Chef, Jesse Cool's dishes, combined with view of Rodin sculpture garden at the Cantor Museum is pretty hard to beat.

Cool's menu consists of organic, sustainable and local food. I am a big fan of the natural turkey breast sandwich, with carmelized onions, sundried tomatoes, spinach on an organic baguette. (For those of you not allergic to cheese, there is a selection of fine, local cheeses to choose from too.) My son enjoys the grilled grass fed burger with carmelized onion, chipotle aioli on a baguette. I am not a food critic, but I know when something tastes good! Cool's dishes are tasty, and good for you and the environment. If the weather is nice, grab a table over looking the Rodin sculpture garden, and order from the the local wine list.

Then take a peek into the museum...it is free! The Cool Cafe is open from Weds- Sun. 11-5, and for dinner on Thursday nights from 5-8.

Glug Sample Sale in Palo Alto

If you missed the Glug sample sale in Marin and San Francisco, you have one last chance to score some Glug designs at wholesale prices. My kids love the shirts!  Glug is available at select boutiques throughout the Bay Area, and designed here in the Bay Area. Here are the details :
   Glug Sale, Friday June 27, 10- 1
   2005 Park Blvd.,Palo Alto
Happy Shopping!