Bon Appétit Hot 10

[trip style = food & wine] 

It's the third week of August and that means one thing for gourmet globetrotters: the release of Bon Appétit's Hot 10 list of the best new restaurants in America. This annual list is our go-to source for first-rate restaurants from casual luncheonettes to approachable fine dining. When we're looking for a great restaurant in a city we're visiting, we always reference the Hot 10 list, as well as the magazine's list of top 50 nominees from the past few years.

One of my most memorable dining experiences—and my number-one recommended restaurant in San Francisco—was in Bon Appétit's best new restaurant of 2012, State Bird Provisions. At this gorgeous hotspot in the Western Addition, food is served dim sum style off carts rolled past your table by friendly servers. With unique dishes and a great wine list, this restaurant is way more than a gimmick and definitely worth the inevitable line-up!

As a Trip Styler team we've dined at several other hot 10 restaurants: Luce, Ava Gene's and Måurice in Portland, Westward and The Walrus and the Carpenter in Seattle, Grand Central Market Los Angeles and Rolf & Daughters in Nashville. All Trip Styler approved!

Trip Styler Tip: If you can't make it to San Francisco, Seattle, Indianapolis, Austin, Chicago, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Davidson, NC this year, bring these award-winning restaurant meals to your kitchen with these recipes.

What better reason to explore a new or favorite city for a weekend getaway than a few outstanding meals? Is San Francisco calling? Or is it North Carolina? I can't wait to sink my teeth into Austin. Check out this year's Hot 10.

#1 - AL's Place / San Francisco

#2 - Gjusta / Los Angeles

#3 - Petit Trois / Los Angeles

#4 - Semilla / Brooklyn

#5 - Parachute / Chicago

#6 - Dai Due / Austin

#7 - Kindred / Davidson, NC

#8 - Rintaro / San Francisco

#9 - Manolin / Seattle

#10 - Milktooth / Indianapolis

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
San Francisco :: Eat
Spotlight :: Miami
Oregon Travel Diary :: Feasting on Portland
LA, Seriously

[top image and photo collages by @heatherlovesit, all other images via bon appétit]

Postcards from Portland

[trip style = urban + beach & sun + food & wine + weekend getaway]

Portland is one of our most requested cities for Trip Styler-approved recommendations. As I tend to visit the City of Roses between the fall and spring, I decided to venture down for a summer getaway in the Pacific Northwest. Known for its award-winning restaurant scene, easygoing lifestyle and friendly locals, Portland offers a guaranteed good time. Besides the usual brunches, happy hours, bike rides and tax-free shopping, I set my sights on two spots I'd been meaning to visit: Sauvie Island and the Multnomah Whiskey Library. Together they make the perfect Portland day. We all know about après-ski and the nineteenth hole—let's make après-beach part of our social practice!

Things to know: Hotel rooms and Airbnbs are pricey and hard to come by during the summer, so plan ahead, stay outside town or snag a last-minute room on Hotel Tonight. I booked the Ace in late April for a July stay, and the rate was twice what I've paid during the winter.

Hot dogs or legs?! We chased the sun to Sauvie Island {pronounced saw-vee or soh-vee}, about 30 minutes north of the city, on a 37°C day. The most popular beaches, Collins and Walton, face the Columbia River. The northern end of Collins beach is clothing optional. Beware of sand so hot it will burn your feet ... etc. ;-)

Pack a picnic basket and stop for berries at one of the many farm markets and pumpkin patches on the island. Looking for a hike? There are a several 2-3-mile trails on the island. Can't get enough? Plan your trip around one of several long table dinners over the summer or stay in this modern farm cottage.

Things to know: Purchase a daily parking permit {$7 usd} on the east side of the island from the Reeder Beach RV Country Store or just north of the bridge from the Cracker Barrel Store to park in all beach and wildlife areas.

"I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany." I couldn't help but quote Ron Burgundy while sitting in a tufted leather couch in the Multnomah Whiskey Library. As I watched bar-backs climb rolling ladders like Belle in Beauty and the Beast to access one of the 1,500 bottles of liquor, including 900 whiskeys, I marveled at the attention to detail and spectacle of the place.

One of the most unique features of the bar is the personal touch. Your cocktails are mixed and your whiskey is poured right in front of you by a bartender who wheels over a bar cart. I started with a 12-year-old Ezra B single-barrel bourbon that my bartender selected for me after I told her what I liked and my price point, followed by a delicious cocktail. Their most popular cocktail is the Old Fashioned, which my friend called the best she's ever had. Two drinks and a few hours later, we pulled ourselves off the leather couch and into the warm evening, passing dozens of people waiting to get inside.

Things to know: Anticipate a long wait for this popular, seated bar. Put in your name and wait in the new Green Room bar below the Library as you sip on a low-proof cocktail designed to open your palate while you wait to be seated upstairs.

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
Oregon Travel Diary :: Feasting on Portland
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Pant-Stretching Portland
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[images via @heatherlovesit & dana avila photography]

How to Look French

[trip style = urban]

Editor's note: This guest post is written by Katie Mogan Graham, a Canadian expat who is spending a year in Provence, eating her weight in discount Monoprix cheese, bread and wine. When she isn't butchering la langue française in her adopted home of Aix-En-Provence, she and her husband can be found touring Europe, keeping their eyes peeled for interesting fashion and their stomachs alert to all things gastronomically new and exciting.

French fashion is about an attitude more than an item of clothing—pout, look bored, walk with confidence, NEVER move for anyone or anything on the sidewalk. That said, it's also about the appropriate accessories: dog, cigarette {e-cigarette allowed}, large purse and sunglasses. 

My last post touched on what I observed in Paris in May. Those planning a trip to any part of France may want to consider the following "national accessories" as a way of seamlessly blending in with their surroundings. Here's my take on looking French in three easy steps.

1/ Le Chien
Dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds are nationally adored, and are frequently seen accompanying their owners into cafés and clothing stores {and most likely even doctor's appointments}. You really can't go a block without spotting a faithful furry friend perched in a bicycle basket or straining to eat the final crumbs of a forgotten croissant. My favourite chien-spotting experience happened in Nice, where we saw a man walking with two dogs: the first, a Retriever, carried a baguette in his mouth, while the second, a Chihuahua, carried nothing but wore a snazzy red cape with the word "DIVA" bedazzled across its back. Vive la France!

2/ La Cigarette 
By no means am I promoting smoking, but the truth is if you want to look French, hold a cigarette. Despite the laundry list of health issues this pastime promotes, smoking is still very popular throughout France. Interestingly, e-cigarettes enjoy almost as much popularity here, which many claim to be good news for the environment {no butts!} and non-smokers.

3/ La Moue et La Bise
The French are very expressive and are strong believers in using the whole body when engaged in conversation. For the sake of brevity, I’ll stick to the face, and how to use it when interacting with friends—or foes—in France. If you wish to convey displeasure, indifference or any emotion other than joy, extend your lower lip {la moue, or pout} and give a slight shrug of the shoulders. If you wish to greet a friend, family member or recent acquaintance, lean forward and quickly kiss the air beside each cheek of said person {faire la bise, or kiss}. Both of these maneuvers are Gallic in origin, and will be sure to impress your fellow travelers.

If you're able to pout or kiss with a dog in tow and a cigarette in hand, you’ll be well on your way to being mistaken for a true French{wo}man.

Trip Styler Tip: If you've already read the books {literally} on how to eat and parent like the French, you may want to pick up How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are, a tongue-in-chic guide on Parisian style, culture, attitude and men written by four Parisian "it" women, including Chanel "ambassador" Caroline de Maigret.

Related
Jetset Style :: How to Dress Like a Parisian
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Jetset Style :: Scandinavia-Inspired Jackets
Paris, Now and Then

[images via @jeannedamas, the sartorialist, gq, sipa press, thelocals.dk, harper's bazaar, splash news, @valentinehello, @carolinedemaigret]

Jetset Style :: How to Dress Like a Parisian

[trip style = urban]

Editor's note: This guest post is written by Katie Mogan Graham, a Canadian expat who is spending a year in Provence, eating her weight in discount Monoprix cheese, bread and wine. When she isn't butchering la langue française in her adopted home of Aix-En-Provence, she and her husband can be found touring Europe, keeping their eyes peeled for interesting fashion and their stomachs alert to all things gastronomically new and exciting. 

France: the land of cheap baguettes, expensive wine and oh-so-whimsical berets. Nearly six months ago, my husband and I left our family, friends and jobs in Vancouver to spend a year living in Europe. We landed in France, where we’ve been drinking in—literally—all this chic, quaint country has to offer.

Many of our previous assumptions about France have held true—the bread is delicious, cheap and plentiful, as is the cheese and occasionally the wine—but much to our dismay, we’ve yet to see a single beret. Quelle horreur! Perhaps this is simply a matter of timing {the beret may strictly be a headpiece d'hiver}, but it’s caused us to stop and notice what people actually wear on the cobblestone streets that surround us.  

One key observation—and one that my Aixois friends will undoubtedly dispute—is that the further south we’ve traveled, the less daring and avant garde the fashion. Our current resting point, the popular Provençal ville of Aix En Provence, is a perfect example. Aix is best known for its bustling weekly markets, which attract hordes of sunburned tourists in the summer, but during the other three seasons, the sidewalk cafes are dominated by university students and older locals with dogs. For a real discussion on trends à la mode, one must look to Paris. And so, without further delay, I give you a short summary of our sartorial findings from our recent visit to the City of Lights.

1/ Not-So-Mellow Yellow
Spring in Paris is a fickle thing; the skies are often grey and rainy with sporadic bursts of sunlight that justify the use of oversized sunglasses with umbrellas. This mishmash of weather was mirrored in the outfits displayed in store windows and on sidewalk cafés. Chic and cheeky pops of yellow abounded from head to toe, in the form of scarves, belts, purses and shoes. Of course, since everything is best in moderation, a sober dose of grey, blue and black kept this sunny look grounded. And since Parisians are the living, breathing {and often smoking} embodiment of "too cool for school", it really wouldn't work for them to be seen wearing bright colors from head to toe anyway.

2/ La Frange
I learned this chic new term for fringe when I went for my first haircut in France. La frange is not just a hair term anymore. Vaguely reminiscent of the boho heyday of the 1960s–70s, tassels of just about every size, color and material hung in all their glory. Like the color yellow, fringe was kept in check by being limited to a single article of clothing or accessory—dangling from a cropped jacket, clinging to the edges of a clutch or swinging from the back of a pair of heels. With the vast variety of styles, it appeared that there was no one way to wear fringe, except perhaps sans tie-dye, headbands or macrame vests.

3/ Stan Smith Adidas Sneakers
Paris is best seen on foot, as you can't go a block or two without finding some hidden gem of a shop or café that would go unnoticed if traveling by car {or even worse, tour bus}. This is where a "Catch 22" occurs: How can one wander the streets of Paris fashionably and comfortably?  Parisian women and men have solved this timeless conundrum by adopting the sporty sneaker—the classic, white Stan Smith Adidas sneaker. When I first heard these referenced in conversation, I thought my Parisian friend was talking about the singer Sam Smith. It became clear that our "lost in translation" moment was due to my extreme lack of sportiness {In case there are others out there like me, Stan Smith is a famous American tennis player from the 1960s–80s}. You don't have to know a thing about tennis to sport this look; these shockingly white sneakers are worn with just about everything, from mini, midi and maxi skirts to cuffed jeans and sleek suits {racket and balls optional}. My Parisian friend and her boyfriend have matching "his and hers" sneakers. I'd score that match "love–all".

4/ The Parisian Knot
I kid you not, the chic men of Paris have a knot named in their honor, and rightfully so if you ask me. This is one of the simplest ways to wear a scarf, but also sleekest and sexiest. Perhaps it helped that we were visiting at a cooler time of year, but everywhere we looked, Parisian men {and likely the odd tourist, hoping to fit in} were keeping warm with scarves knotted deftly around their necks. Men of North America take note and get shopping!

5/ Tailored Layers
Beneath their scarves, Parisian men continued to impress, with an array of carefully tailored layers to buffet the rain and wind. Blazers and cardigans—be still my heart—were out in full force, keeping company with slim-fit collared shirts and equally slim trousers. The younger crowd kept their pant hems a tad higher, exposing glimpses of bare ankles {mon dieu!} or patterned socks {très chic!}. These svelte ensembles were often worn by men on bicycles {le sigh!}, who undoubtedly benefited from the aerodynamics at play.

À bientôt!

Related
Jetset Style :: The Everyday Sneaker
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[collages by @heatherlovesit & photos via style.com, vogue, wwd, garancedore.fr, streetpeeper.com, thestunninglook.com, styledumonde.com, details.com, clochet.com]

Summer Reading: Flight Attendant Tell-Alls

Beach read alert! If you're looking for a travel-themed tell-all that spills the beans on the friendly—and sometimes frisky—skies, pick up a copy of not one, but two eye-opening flight attendant memoirs. 

In the tradition of 1960s bestseller Coffee, Tea or Me?, Mandy Smith's no-holds-barred memoir, Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of a Virgin Airlines Flight Attendant, recounts stories from love affairs to mid-flight scares over 12 years as a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant. Frequent fliers may find the content a little too close for comfort; for example, she shares her opinions about Premium Economy passengers:

People who can't quite afford Upper Class but feel they can click their fingers and demand the world, simply because they've paid a few hundred quid more than an Economy passenger for a little extra leg room and a slightly bigger seat. That's why we nicknamed them the Gin and Tonic Brigade; they believe they deserve as many freebies as they can get their hands on, which most often results in them drinking the complimentary bar service dry.

Smith compares her job with that of a waitress, nurse, therapist, policewoman and negotiator combined. I enjoyed her account of maintaining her cool during a stressful situation; I guess I'm not the only passenger who takes her cue from the flight attendants:

I was fully aware that every single person in the cabin was scrutinizing my demeanor with anxious eyes, making sure I was not wearing an expression that screamed, "We're going to crash." We know the score: watch the air hostesses, and if we're not panicking, you know everything is okay. That's why we look so bloody cheerful all the time. Anyone who thinks being an air hostess is all about serving tea and coffee and looking pretty is kidding themselves. It takes stamina, patience, commitment...and a whole load of acting talent. 

Moving across the pond from the UK to the USA, veteran flight attendant and media maven Heather Poole's bestseller, Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet, dishes on everything from finding love to first-year wages that qualify flight attendants for food stamps.

If you've ever been curious about grooming standards—for a profession that requires at least one-inch heels for women—Poole tells this story:

Lipstick, at flight attendant training, was serious business. It had to be worn at all times. "Why?" asked a classmate who had dared not to wear the color my airline had recommended that year, Clinique red..."So passengers can read your lips during an emergency," said an instructor, matter-of-factly. None of us knew if he was serious. 

And if you've ever wondered what kind of crazy behavior flight attendants have seen, Poole gives this shortlist:

In flight, I've seen passengers get naked, attempt to open an emergency door in order to get off the "bus," reach inside a first-class meal cart and eat leftover food from a dirty plate, and get hit on the head by luggage—then threaten to sue the airline because the injury had affected their psychic abilities. Once I watched an entire group of passengers traveling to Haiti put a voodoo curse on a coworker...and I've seen a woman try to store her baby inside an overhead bin.

A flight attendant's first priority is passenger safety. So, be nice! Even a smile and a few kind words can set you apart from other passengers, and that—according to the experts—is the best way to score a blanket or an extra snack.

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
Beach Reads
Virgin Diaries :: Sky-High Skincare
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[images via penguin and harper collins]