Freni e Frizioni - Roma ( Trastevere )

I spent a beautiful 'happy hour' at Freni e Frizioni ( Brakes and Clutches ) in Trastevere this past Saturday night. I love this out of the way, non touristy spot with a elegant allure and industrial twist. Right next to the Piazza Trilussa near the banks of the Tevere River. We relaxed to ultra modern tunes (they have a live DJ) while sampling the very tasty and healthy happy hour buffet that is offered along with your 6 euro ticket for any type of drink you desire. The crowd is young and hip and the ambiance is fresh and funky. This is a great stepping off point before a scrumptuous dinner at one of the many pizzerias or trattorias in the area. I would suggest Dar Poeta which I will feature in an upcoming blog. Arrive around 7pm to beat the ultra trendy crowd that goes from 10 to 100s in seconds flat. This location is perfect in the warmer months as there is a very large terrace and staircase attached to the bar that fills up with cocktail goers and lends to many hours of watching the gorgeous hipsters of Rome.

Gadgets/Trucs/Accessori

I'm obssessed with kitchen gadgets! Should I color coordinate them or go with the flow? Should they be all the same brand or are different brands good for different purposes?

Since I love to eat it's no surprise that I also love to cook!

I'm currently in the market for the perfect lime green lime juice squeezer. I've seen them in the Mexican markets. I just bought a mandoline today for the perfect grilling slice or shredded veggie.

My mother gifted me a meat tenderizer as a gift after the birth of my daughter ( very strange! )

I have an olive wood and a bamboo cutting board which I both use.

My knives must be sharp at all times! My quiche pans are from France and my pistal and mortar set is from Mexico....I've got a pan for every occasion! So on my next trip to Rome, wish me luck while visiting the C.U.C.I.N.A. store which sells an item I'm convinced that I truly need (as pictured above).

The name for it in Italian sums up how I feel right now at the start of the New Year:

"Con Beccuccio Salvagoccia" which translates as "a spout that saves every drop"......

I feel both overflowing with abundance but yet needing to savor what I have and use it all before I deserve to acquire more.

So I think I'll buy myself one of the beautiful glass olive oil dispensers and savor every drop of the fabulous Italian olive oil that I put in it! Just as I now savor the time I have with my gorgeous daughter, the lovely hand cream from a hotel I'll never get to visit again, the beautiful scent of the Diptyque Thé candle that my dear friend gifted to me for my birthday and so on.

Cornetto Perfetto!

Even though I grew up eating various croissants from the ones in the bakery I worked in: Boulangerie ( the first official French bakery in Seattle ), to real French croissants in Paris ( where I lived in 1985 )....I have to say that I absolutely adore the delicate orangeflower icing and lightly buttery flavor of the semi-flaky and semi-chewy Italian 'Cornetto Simplice'. There is nothing better than to start a day with one of those and the most amazing cappuccino, that can basically be found anywhere in Rome. So there I said it, I might like Italian style croissants better than French ones; at least for now!

La Vineria and Zena- Milano

La Vineria is a quaint wine and olive oil shop offering 1 euro glasses and 3 euro bottles of wine that can be consumed while using the wine barrels as tables. A place where comingling with the locals is expected and welcomed.

I met 3 local milanese who 'adopted' me for the evening and dragged me ( oh poor me ) to a wonderful dinner of exquisite ravioli and coniglio ( rabbit ) with a large consumption of vino rosso at Zena also a place I would highly recommend.

Did I forget to mention that I had already had a yummy ravioli dinner Trattoria alla Vecchia Maniera (via Alzaia Naviglio Grande, 62) and was heading back to the hotel for the night when I stumbled into this fine establishment and new friends.

This small wine boutique and bar is quintessential of the Naviglio area: convivial, local and typically Italian, a locale where many unique wine bars and restaurants fill the area. Most tourists and even people I travel with who have been to Milan countless times, don't make it to this area.

This is, what I consider to be, one of the best neighborhoods of Milan.

There are numerous pasty shops and small artsy boutiques that you pass as you walk to this area or you can ride a tram that dates from 1928 right to the canals. Called the Venice of Milan, Naviglio Grande never ceases to please.

La Vineria

via Casale 4 Milano

Naviglio Grande

Zena

Ripa di Porta Ticinese, 37 Milano

I won!

I am now the proud winner of a beautiful sign by Mammabellarte! She creates these wonderful, whimsical custom signs that I wish I could hang in my future Tuscan Villa. I love the artful simplicity. Visit her blog for more on her creations.

http://mammabellarte.blogspot.com/

Thanks Rita!!!

Bella Rustica Market - bring Italian style to your home!

I'd like to share with you the great talents of my good friend Kim Kelly and her shop Bella Rustica Market

She personally designs and locally fabricates her entire line of unique and Italian influenced home products including some incredible burlap pillows like the one you see here. Peruse her site to see the wonderful variety of nostalgic European style items for you home.

http://bellarustica.blogspot.com

http://www.bellarusticamarket.com