Sensible Stylista: food
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

How YOU Can Give Back by Drinking Coffee

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.  All opinions are mine alone. #OneTreeOneBag #CollectiveBias
I've always been a huge fan of Starbucks because they believe that they can - and should - have a positive impact on the communities they serve.  One person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.  Coffee is a total must for me, and I honestly couldn't do without it.  It brings me joy throughout the day.  
It even helps me get out of bed in the AM - my coffee maker has a timer so I get to wake up to the irresistible smell of it.  I'm not a morning person, but I force myself to rise early regardless.  I'm a firm believer in the motto, "there's no reward without sacrifice."  Intense, but what can I say? That's how I do!  I start my day off with coffee mixed with 2% milk and sip it slowly while catching up on the news.  Everyone should stay in the know - it's important to be aware of everything going on in the world, especially since things are crazy right now. Knowledge is power so arm yourself.
Then, I refill my mug and start blogging! I answer comments, respond to sponsors and readers, draft new posts, and so on and so forth.  I spend a good 4-5 hours working before moving to the piano to practice.  I have a bunch of concerts coming up in the summer so I've been putting in a good 6 hours or so each day.
Unfortunately, there's a huge threat looming over our precious cups o' joe: coffee rust.  It's affecting the lives of thousands of farmers across the world, and families who once had successful crops are experiencing difficulty providing for their children.  However, thanks to the current One Tree One Bag collaboration, over 15 million coffee trees have been donated to those impacted.
For every bag of Starbucks® 10-12z & 20z Ground or Whole Bean coffee purchased at participating Albertsons Company stores in the U.S. from May 1st through May 28, Starbucks® provides one disease-resistant coffee tree to a farmer in Mexico, Guatemala or El Salvador.  Starbucks will donate 70¢ to Conservation International for every bag of coffee sold at participating Albertsons Company stores in the U.S. from May 1st through May 28 to foster thriving coffee communities.  To learn more, visit conservation.org/onetree.
For every bag of Starbucks® 10-12z & 20z Ground or Whole Bean coffee purchased at participating Albertsons Company stores in the U.S. from May 1st through May 28, Starbucks® provides one disease-resistant coffee tree to a farmer in Mexico, Guatemala or El Salvador.  Starbucks® will donate 70¢ to Conservation International for every bag of coffee sold at participating Albertsons Company stores in the U.S. from May 1st through May 28 to foster thriving coffee communities.  To learn more, visit conservation.org/onetree.


I go through my Starbucks® Pike Place® Roast pretty quickly so I make Safeway runs often.  If you haven't tried this flavor yet, you need to STAT!  Go to your local Safeway and pick up a bag - you can find it in the middle of their coffee aisle!  It'll be easy to find because their setup is super organized - some stores even have special displays to celebrate the Starbucks campaign with Conservation International.  
Check out the special Starbucks "One Tree One Bag" commitment display in the coffee aisle!


184607-Sbux-RG-Buy-Plant-32ct-FS3.jpg
Pike Place is a registered trademark of The Pike Place Market PDA, used under license. © 2017 Starbucks Coffee Company. All rights reserved.

3

Obsessed with Floral Everything + The "Best" Thai Food in the DMV

It's no secret that I have an unnatural obsession with pretty dresses and skirts SO naturally, I'm beyond pumped to tell you guys all about the latest addition to my wardrobe: a deconstructed lace skirt from ASOS - available for $39 here).  This adorable number is perfect for summer with its silky satin-style fabric.  The high-rise waistband is both comfortable AND flattering, and the asymmetric floral panel is ridonkulously cute.  I styled it with a simple white tank and sneakers for a casual everyday ensemble, but you can easily dress it up for date night, a fun night out with frands or even the office if you'd like.  
For today's look, I accessorized with one of my fave chokers from J Wholesale and carried my new Violet Ray mini-backpack around for funsies.  I seriously can't get enough of it!  The floral detailing is to-die-for cute, AND I can fit half my life in there for real!  Yep, that's what I call winning.
Other adorbs mini-backpacks for your browsing pleasure:
A closer look at my choker!  If you're looking to stock up on new summer baubles, definitely check out J Wholesale.  They have the cutest pieces ever, and everything's super affordable so you'll be able to get 10 cute things for the normal price of one.  Take my word for it, y'all! #ImMakingZeroCommisionOffThis and I'm #DoingYouGuysAFavorJustBecause.  Andddd yes, I just used hashtags in my writing.  Don't judge me, ha!
Skirt:  ASOS ($39 - originally $53) || Tank:  Polo Factory (similar) || Shoes:  GREATS || Bag:  Violet Ray ($54) || Necklace:  J Wholesale
A HUGE thanks to Sung Shin for shooting these fabulous pics!  Now, moving onto my latest nom recap.  I visited my cousin recently in Vienna, VA to catch up - we kind of lost touch over the last few months so we decided to meet up and reconnect.  I drove to her house after work because she got a new pup named Linguine and I just HAD to meet her.  Isn't she cute?  She warmed up to me super quickly, and I had SO much fun playing with her.  I can't wait to introduce her to Daisy! I have a feeling they'll become fast friends.
After catching up over Rosé, Kristy and I decided to grab dinner at Thai Basil.  I LOVE thai cuisine, and there aren't many good places in Baltimore so we went there to get our nom on.  We ordered 3 different dishes and shared everything:  Goong Hom Pha (shrimp stuffed with veggies, wrapped in spring roll paper, served with a sweet-spicy dipping sauce), Pad Thai Chicken (rice noodles seasoned with palm sugar, egg, and tamarind sauce), and Pad Kra Praw Chicken (stir-fried with onions, string beans, and mushrooms with thai basil + chilis).  
Thai Basil's famous for their pad thai because the owner of the restaurant, Nongkran Daks, was featured on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay a while back.  She competed against him AND WON (!!!!) With that said, I obviously had hella high expectations.  The noodles were very good, but they didn't blow my mind like I thought they would.  I guess it was doomed from the start though because I love pretty much everything B. Flay does.  My obsession started at Mesa Grill a few years ago when I was vacationing in the Bahamas.  His food BLEW my mind, and it was easily one of the most amazing meals I've ever had.

Anywho, the entrees here ranged from ok to quite good.  My fave dish was actually the pad ka praw chicken - it had just the right amount of spice, and I enjoyed the flavors very much.  The worst of the bunch was definitely the shrimp app.  I'm not sure how fresh the seafood was? It smelled...extra shrimpy? And not in a good way.  I don't know!  Maybe I got them on an off day? I'd be willing to give them another shot, but they get a 2.5/5 rating from me this time around.
My cousin bought me dinner so I insisted on getting her dessert.  We drove to Reston Town Center and hit up Jackson's Mighty Fine for sweets, and oh man, it was SUCH a good call.  We got the warm flourless chocolate waffle with vanilla ice cream ($8) and the warm white chocolate bread pudding with bourbon custard sauce, vanilla ice cream & caramel ($8).  Holy freaking crap, both of these were straight up obscene, and I mean that in the best way possible.  

The waffle was amazing, but the bread pudding was money.  Firstly, any warm dessert with cold ice cream slays. Secondly, bread pudding can pretty much fix anything and everything wrong with the world.  Combine the two, top it with caramel and you get one extremely happy Kim!  If you live ANYWHERE near Jackson's, go.  If you're having a bad day, go.  If you're having a good day, go. Just go and eat...you can thank me later!
Comment below with your dessert of choice!  Sending hugs and kisses from the DMV.
5

Recap: Kusama, Clyde's & the Colada Shop

Covering the Kusama exhibit at Hirshhorn for SS was a serious perk for real.  You guys have no idea how excited I was to finally experience "Infinity Mirrors" in person.  After seeing pic after pic of its epicness on instagram, my expectations were set ridiculously high.  Well, I'm happy to tell you all that it lived up to its hype.  Lines were ri-DIC-ulously long when Sung and I got there, but luckily we had press passes so we didn't have to wait.
The mirror rooms were seriously amazing, but the wait for each one? Not so much. On top of that, each group (set or 2-3 peeps) only got 25 seconds or so inside to enjoy the art [insert sad face here] so it was kind of a bummer. Oh how I envy the art critic who was given private access to it all!  You're supposed to "contemplate your existence" while you immerse yourself in Kusama's genius, but I found it hard to do so in less than a minute, ha. Plus, Sung and I were scrambling to shoot pics inside so it was kind of a sh*tshow - I don't mean it in a bad way though.  If only I had extra time on my parking meter (laughs weakly) - I would've totally stood in line a second time! 
My fave exhibits were The Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity (pictured directly above) and The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away.  The former juxtaposed the endless void of black space with the "golden" lanterns of toro nagashi - a ceremony in which paper lanterns guide spirits back to their final resting places after obon festivals - and the latter had hundreds of hanging LED lights flickering in different rhythmic patterns to "suspend both space and time."  Both were hellllla trippy in the best way possible!
This was the final "room" of the exhibit, and it was a white living area plastered with colorful circle stickers. To my delight, the space even had an upright piano!  This was the most interactive section of Kusama's "Infinity Mirrors" because everyone got the chance to "participate" by sticking 7-8 dots wherever.  
By the time we got out, Sung and I were starving so we drove over to Clyde's (the location at Gallery Place) to get our lunch on.  We started with a hummus app and split it between the two of us.  It was ok, but nothing to write home about!  I honestly liked the complimentary bread better because it came out piping hot, and let's be real, what's better than fresh carbs straight out of the oven?  Nothing, that's what!
Moving onto entrees!  Sung was going to get trout pasta but changed his mind last minute and went with a French Dip sandwich instead.  I didn't get to try it, but he told me it was pretty good.  I got the pork schnitzel, and it came with potatoes and shredded greens.  The meat was beautifully cooked, but it needed more seasoning IMO.  I found it to be somewhat bland, even with the accompanying sauce. The potatoes were yummy though!
After lunch, we wanted to grab coffee, but we couldn't find parking in Georgetown so we ended up going...all the way to the Colada Shop in Sterling, VA.  I think it was like a 35-40 minute drive? We decided to go there because we thought it was fairly close to Tyson's Corner, but we totally miscalculated.  No worries though because hanging with Sung's always a good time - he's like one of the 4-5 people I enjoy spending time with (BAHAHA) so it was fun!  Plus, I got to try Cuban coffee for the first time, and you all know how I feel about trying new things [enter big smile].

I ordered the iced café con leche (made with a shot of café Cubano poured over ice and milk), and it was to-die-for yum - quite possibly, the best coffee drank I've ever had!  If you live nearby, definitely give this place a shot.  They have several locations in the DMV so there's probably one near you. Sung's a serious coffee aficionado, and even HE enjoyed their offerings. 

FYI: You can choose the level of sweetness you want: Miami Sweet, Half Sweet, or sin azúcar.  We were still stuffed from lunch so we passed on noms, but I definitely want to come back and try their food.  Everything sounds freakin' yum!  They sell pastelitos (Caribbean style pastries filled with tropical flavors), empanadas (cuban style savory turnovers), croquetas, sandwiches, and more! Anywho, that's it for today guys!  I hope you enjoyed reading all about my adventures.  Until next time, frands.

1

Burgundy Silk + Shabu Shabu for the First Time

Sharing shoot 2 from my collab with Rey aka RMCapture with you guys today on SS; also blogging about my first time eating Shabu Shabu in Frisco, BUT first, let's talk fashion.  I'm beyond pumped to tell you all about my new silk dress from Chaser!  This adorable hi-lo mini features a cross over front with a drawstring waist tie to ensure optimal fit.  
Made of 100% silk, this piece is perfect for summer because it oozes steeze.  It was chilly in SF when I shot this, so I styled it with my current fave jacket from BCBG.  If I was wearing this alone, I would've definitely accessorized with a statement necklace, but I kept things simple today because I was sporting embellished outerwear.  To finish things off, I threw on velvet sandals and carried my Chanel boy.
 Other fab silk dresses for your browsing pleasure (splurges included):


Jacket:  BCBG (similar splurge) || Dress:  c/o Chaser || Shoes:  Nine West (splurge vs save) || Bag:  Chanel (look for less)
After shooting with Rey, my bf and I hit up Shabu House in SF for dinner.  I'd never had it before so I insisted on going even though we weren't that hungry.  Robby lives in the Richmond so it was only 5 minutes away.  The interior wasn't particularly impressive, but it was busy nonetheless so I had high hopes for the food.  We ended up ordering all-you-can-eat shabu shabu, and it included a giant platter of veggies, udon, rice, and ice cream.  For those of you interested, there's an all you can eat + drink option as well for an additional $12 per person, and it includes soft drinks, beer, sake, and more.

There were 3 soup bases total (traditional water, spicy miso, and ginger chicken), and the pot was split into two sections so we got to try two.  Traditional water sounded bland to me so we went with the spicy miso and ginger chicken.  Both were really yummy, but I definitely liked the ginger chicken better!  Robby enjoyed the miso more though so it worked out well for us, ha.

Our waitress then brought us a nice assortment of veggies (carrots, napa cabbage, spinach, enoki mushrooms, and udon noodles) and we placed orders for meat, while waiting for our broths to boil. There were three meats available (American Style Kobe Beef, Lamb, and Kurobuta Pork), and since we got AYCE, we decided to try a plate of each.  They were all super delish, but I definitely enjoyed the lamb the most.  

The meat was sliced hella thin so it cooked quickly and was ridiculously tender.  Note: the AYCE special comes with unlimited rice, but I recommend passing on that and saving room for more Shabu. Oh, and out of the aforementioned veggies, the enoki mushrooms and napa cabbage were the best!  I definitely could've done without the spinach and carrots, but that's just me. 

Ice cream was the perfect end to our nomtastic meal!  We got a scoop of green tea and red bean and shared between the two of us.  Both were solid choices - if you want something sweet, go for red bean.  If you prefer something creamier, go for green tea! BTW, gratuity is included so you don't have to worry about tipping unless you want to leave extra $$ for service.  Definitely check this place out if you live in or are visiting the Bay area! You get a lot of bang for your buck, and the quality's really quite good.  Are you guys a fan of hotpot?  Let me know by leaving a comment below.
2

Another $10 Zara Find + Sipping Amazingly Gorg Lattes at Home SF

Featuring yet another $9.99 find from Zara today on SS!  I found this ruffle mini online and just knew I HAD to have it - they have a kickass return policy so I ordered two sizes because I didn't know which one would fit better. Anywho, I styled this baby with a sexy lace-up bodysuit from amiclubwear to dress things up and then wore a faux-leather moto jacket on top to up my layer game! To finish things off, I carried my YSL crossbody and threw on my fave platform heels.  I seriously can't get enough of this skirt's versatility!  Pair it with a graphic tee or tied button front for a chill vibe.  Also, a HUGE thanks to Jared Wolfe for taking these pictures.
 Other fab bodysuits that'll break necks left and right:


Moving on to my latest nom adventure in frisco: coffee + delish munchies at Home.  Guys, I don't even know where to start!  The cafe was super cute, and I still can't get over how great the name is. When I walked in, several friendly faces greeted me and welcomed me "home."  Brilliant, right? Anywho, the boyf and I hit up their cafe at 9:30 on a Monday, and it was BUSTLING.  There were tons of people there already enjoying drinks with friends + getting their hustle on.  I even saw a couple of students rushing to perfect papers, and it made me feel hella nostalgic.  
I've been obsessed with Home for months now! I stumbled upon their instagram and knew I just HAD to try their lattes and toast.  After studying their menu for a while, we decided to get three lattes and two toasts.  I wanted to get insta-worthy shots (obviously) so I went with the more creative concoctions, but everything sounded awesome, and I have no doubt they would've looked just as beautiful.  I was tempted by the lavender and matcha lattes, but I ultimately decided to order the birthday cake, cookie monster, and nutella lattes.
Anddd as you can see, they definitely didn't disappoint.  All three drinks looked AND tasted totally amazing. Although I loved them all, my fave was the birthday cake drank.  At first glance, I thought it'd be too sweet, but it was perfect in every way.  I half expected unicorns to appear and dance around me as I sipped my coffee by the window, ha.
The boyf and I didn't have time to eat breakfast beforehand so we were pretty hungry at that point.  Luckily, their toast was bomb.  They were several delish options available so it was a tough decision, but we decided to try one savory and one sweet.  I can't remember the exact names, but I'll describe 'em to y'all so you know exactly what to get.  And don't worry, there are only 6-7 options listed so it'll be obvious!  

The first one had egg, tomato and pesto and the second was drenched with condensed milk... or should I say magical condensed milk?  I mean, these were ridiculously nomtastic.  I didn't think they could top drinks, but honestly, I think I enjoyed the food even more than the coffee.  The texture of the toast was amazeballs, and both flavor profiles were out of this world.  The condensed milk was weirdly addicting - I could've easily devoured 2 (or maybe 3) of these babies!
Anywho, don't take my word for it, go and try everything yourself!  I have no doubt you'll have an awesome experience so you're welcome in advance.  And of course, my post wouldn't be complete without an obligatory fobby pic of myself shooting a peace sign so here goes, ha.
Alright guys, that's it for today! I hope you enjoyed reading my latest.  If you want to read more about my adventures, stay tuned because I'll be recapping more from my SF & Phoenix trips soon. Also, a huge thanks to Home for hosting me and my boyf.  I can't WAIT to go back!  FYI, they're opening a new location in Richmond, SF so keep your eyes peeled.
8

My $10 Bustier Dress + The Cutest Macarons at Ketsourine

I don't usually like sifting through the clearance racks at F21, but every once in a while, I muster up the patience to fight through and stumble upon a gem.  This $30 dress was on sale for $10 so I scooped it up immediately.  I love bustier-anything so this was a no-brainer in my book!  It's obviously super easy to dress up, but I wanted to wear it casually so I paired it with my fave plaid top and sky-high platform wedges.  A huge thanks to the wonderful Steeze Media for capturing these images! 
Here's a shot of my dress sans top!  Everything here (other than my dress obviously) has been featured on SS before.  I'm the sensible stylista, so I'm all about mixing and matching.  Not all of us have the $$$$ to purchase new stuffs every day so it's important to know how to style various looks with pieces you already own.  In fact, I refuse to buy something if I can't think of at least 3-4 ways to wear it because it'll end up chilling in my closet and gathering dust.  Do you guys have any shopping rules or restrictions?  If yes, what are they?
Shop today's OOTD:
All smiles because life is beautiful, and I'm a giant nerd!  As I'm sure you all know from instastories, I spent a week in frisco with the bf.  He was such a trooper, driving me to all my meetings and helping me take photos of everything.  I'm a lucky girl for sure!  Long distance has been a challenge, but things are SO good.  We had a tough time in the beginning, but we powered through and everything's pretty much perfect now.  When things are right, you just know, and distance seriously means nothing when feelings are strong like this.
ANYWHO, I'm getting off topic - let's tackle noms!  I've wanted to check out Ketsourine Macarons for months now, and I FINALLY got to visit.  I was supposed to come last time, but I was here with Stitch Fix and my schedule was cray so I didn't get to - I'm SO glad things worked out this time around because their store is just as dreamy in real life as it is on instagram.  I remember seeing pictures and thinking, "hm, it can't really be that fab"...BUT IT IS! Everything's on point for reals - the decor's classy + elegant, and the macarons are to die for delish.
A huge thanks to KM for being so kind and welcoming.  There are two cookie sizes available: classic & grande. Classic costs $2.25 and grande's $3.25 a pop.  Classic flavors include pistachio, lemon, raspberry, espresso, strawberry, chocolate, and caramel.  Their signatures are as follows: pecan maple praline, thai tea latte, guava rose, early grey, and more!  
In addition to yum macarons, they sell a ton of nomtastic drinks like teas, coffee, and boba!  Here's a shot of the caramel boba my bf and I tried - we got it with whipped cream and sprinkles for funsies. For those of you interested, they also carry macaron ice creams ($5) so make sure you guys give 'em a try!  I wanted to sample their pistachio flavor, but I was already stuffed from inhaling cookies so I decided to pass.  Oh well, I guess that means I'll just have to come back next time...as if I needed a reason to, ha.
My FAVE yums from my visit though? Their adorable character macaroons.  Omg, I can't even handle how cute they were.  They had a BUNCH of different ones including Pusheen, Pikachu and Jigglypuff.  I seriously spent a good 5 minutes fawning over them through the glass, ha.  
See how excited I am? I couldn't even bring myself to eat them, ha.  I held onto my Pikachu for a good half hour before devouring him - hashtag sorry not sorry buddy!  If you live in the bay area or are visiting, you HAVE to go and try their noms.  Everything tastes just as good as it looks!
Anywho, that's it for today guys!  I hope you enjoyed my latest post.  I'm thinking about starting a new series on here or perhaps on youtube (???) chronicling my weekly adventures!  I compiled and shared a "101 in 1001 days" a while back, but I was really bad about it.  I wrote my bucket list out, but that was the extent of it all, ha.  So, I thought I'd hold myself accountable by possibly vlogging? What do you guys think - is that something you'd be interested in? Let me know by commenting below.
3