Couture Water Bottles

Who says water can’t be fashionable?  Celebrated clothing designer Christian Lacroix has officially made his foray into consumer goods with the chic limited edition Christian Lacroix  Evian Water Bottle. 

 These stunning 750 ml glass bottles mark the first time that Evian has brought in a famous designer to helm the project of their yearly limited edition bottle.   They come painted in a beautiful couture white coppice pattern with an adorning ‘Christian Lacroix’ on the bottle itself .

There is absolutely nothing plastic about this bottle, and the quality is as good as it gets!  It even opens with a traditional bottle opener, thoughtful of its true lavish nature.

Now a few words by  Mr. CL himself:  : “It seems that Evian natural spring water has been there all my life. I remember the curly label of my childhood (were they arabesques, elaborate columns?) in the hotels of the lake where our family used to spend holidays. They came the streamlined graphics, like a futuristic and timeless dress of the Sixties, and the small bottles you could find all over the world, the design bottles, collected every winter of that millennium. Life a foretelling. It is therefor an amused and rather proud old friend that I designed these bottles. Draping one with the flowers of success, those that adorn the ‘paseo’ parade capes, like snowy crystal garlands or frost-frozen alpine flowers. Giving the other the silhouette of a princess, a goddess or a mythical creature, a sort of snow fairy in couture garb, crowned with flowers, bejewelled with crystals, “wearing” the familiar range of jagged peaks and ridges, like the flounces of a crinoline.”

What a perfect water for events, conferences, weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, engagements, or any other special or commemorative event. 

To purchase: http://www.melandrose.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=100093

And then, of course, if you want to get absolutely crazy, you can always get Haute Couture. There are just 99 bottles, of which will be distributed worldwide and auctioned off for charity. The starting bid for these limited edition haute couture bottle is US $1,000.

Bold Boulder Limon Flavored Chips

It is a test of endurance to photograph, write web descriptions and generally be surrounded by enticing new products that  scream “try me! try me!!!” all day long, yet somehow we usually manage without any casualties. This is the story of one such exception.

It was an exceptionally warm day here in LA, occasionally punctuated by new breezes.  We sat contemplating the meaning of life when we felt the inclination to savor something new…wait, that’s not true.

We were sitting in an AC controlled office doing our usual e-mail, web photos, idle chit chat, and so forth when we got primal (that’s more like it). The deadly combination of hunger, shiny new things, and absolutely all absence of remorse led us to rip open a bag of the newly arrived Boulder Limon Kettle Style Chips. And OMG. Slightly thicker and crunchier than the Kettle brand chips, I have the feeling this Boulder brand will create some healthy competition.

For those of you who have never had this delightful flavor, it’s something like lemon, lime and then salt & vinegar with a hint of spice all in one heavely bite. I’ve always enjoyed the Lays version of this flavored chip, but now I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back. These were crunchy, salty, sweet and spicy, and we wound up eating the entire family sized bag in just a few minutes… And with no regrets. Just writing about them now makes me want to saunter next door and get a bag. For now though I’ll exhibit some self control and leave a few for you all to try. But you better hurry

Bean to Bar, not your average chocolate

The glory days of commercial kings like Hershey’s and Nestle are gone. There’s a new kid in town and it’s a specially crafted artisan style chocolate made by a small batch of producers known as “bean to bar.”

These bean to bar producers control every step of the chocolate making process ensuring the best quality and very best taste.  Where milk chocolate and other mass produced dark chocolates may have extra sugar or artificial ingredients added to create ‘taste,’ the bean to bar chocolatiers enhance the flavor of their product simply by letting the natural flavor notes shine through.

The process begins with sourcing the finest cacao beans (and usually of single plantation origin) which are then carefully roasted, winnowed, ground, refined, conched, tempered, and molded.  Granted, they tend to be a bit more expensive than your average candy bar. But once you’ve tried these pieces of heaven you’ll see it’s worth it, not to mention the higher cacao % which means it’s ‘healthy’ chocolate (hello antioxidants!)

At this time there are around 20 true bean to bar makers, so next time you have a chocolate craving go for one of the producers listed below and rest easy knowing you are supporting a bean to bar chocolatier. 

US: Askinosie, Amaro, Guiltand, Theo, Taza and Rogue*

French: Bonnat, Pralus, or Michel Cluizel

Italian: Domoi, Amedei, Venchi

Spanish: Chocovic

Venezuelan: EC Rey

*the Rogue 70% Chocolate bar is a new addition to our store. These delectable bars have flavor notes like citrus, rum raisin, and toast for the Sambirano bar (a personal favorite); coffee, blood orange, and nuts for the Rio Caribe (equally delicious); and licorice, burnt orange, and cherry for the Hispaniola (and all three bars have the same ingredients: cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, and tahitian vanilla).