food – Shoes & Sashimi

The Suite Life in Wine Country

Published on July 14, 2017July 14, 2017 by Lauren Nakagawa41 Comments

Happy Friday everyone, any plans this weekend?

Let me tell ya, the suite life is the best life. @Twelfthknight and I love our staycations, and it was only right that I treat him to an early birthday getaway in wine country this past week. It was our first time to Healdsburg, and to be quite honest…we like this quaint beautiful town much more than Napa or Sonoma itself.

235 Luxury Suites is nestled in the heart of downtown Healdsburg and it’s an incredible 3 bedroom stay for couples, families, or small parties. It’s incredibly charming, cozy yet spacious, and still feels familiar like home. We stayed in the Fitch Mountain Suite, decked out with a huge spa tub that I used nightly, dual walk in showers, and giant CA Kings in each room. 235 pays attention to the tiniest details which is what we loved. They even offer light, medium, or hard pillows so that you can sleep optimally :D I’m a firm by the way.

This hotel is located a few steps away from the square of downtown Healdsburg, so you really don’t need to drive anywhere in town. You’re within a few steps to wine lounges, Safeway, Farmer’s Market, bakeries, and coffee shops. In fact, we never drove the entire time we were there, unless you count an Uber briefly. So convenient right?

We would absolutely stay here at 235 again, it felt like a true getaway but so comfortable like being at home. If you’re ever looking to get away and relax in wine country’s hidden gem, I highly urge you to visit Healdsburg. After exploring this little town, we didn’t want to leave, but we look forward to our next trip!

Below, you’ll find our favorite spots and recommendations if you fancy a trip out here yourself. Cheers and thank you for reading!

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Where to Eat:

Valette: Dinner

Dinner service was spectacular. Chef Dustin is a rockstar and provided a 5 course tasting menu that blew us away. Valette is the newest kid on the block in downtown Healdsburg and it’s one of those fine dining experiences you’ll have engrained in your memory for a long long time. Below are some of our favorite highlights.

Cocktail: Watermelon Fresca

Favorite app: Dry Boat Scallop en Croute- Squid Ink Puff Pastry with Scallop & champagne inside. Blew my mind!

Entree: Lamb Shoulder and NY Strip Steak.

Dessert: A salty/sweet Deconstructed Snickers Bar (which we still rave about)

Cafe Lucia: Lunch

Downstairs in the 235 hotel courtyard lives Cafe Lucia where Portuguese food meets Wine Country. @Twelfthknight has been to Spain and he talks about the tapas and paella there all the time. Naturally, we came down for lunch and we still talk about their food, overwhelmingly gracious hospitality, and service.

Tasting Plates: House wine, house pickles, blood sausage, sturgeon & capers

Tip: Order the Portuguese Mac n Cheese, we still talk about it today.

Favorite Entree: Seafood Stew with mussels and jumbo shrimp

Where to Drink:

Reeve Wines:

We visited Kelly and Noah of Reeve Wines our second day in Healdsburg and we loved tasting all of their small batch wines. Their estate is picturesque and currently undergoing some exciting renovations which we look forward to seeing on our next trip up. Our favorite wine of theirs were their chilled rose which we had to take home with us. *P.S. Noah is the co-founder and Head wine maker at Banshee Wines in downtown Healdsburg and Reeve is a labor of love by night. Visiting Reeve Wines honestly felt like going to see your friends (who happened to have a winery) and it’s just fun, relaxing, and comfortable. Cheers!

Siduri Wine Lounge:

Siduri is located literally a few steps from 235 Hotel. There’s something to be said for the decor and open window/day bed seating that attracts so many people aside from their delicious wine and pairings. I especially liked their cheese board with their pinot and would recommend sitting by the window while you sip and people watch.

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Cheers!

Two Thirty Five Luxury Suites

Mile High Moments

Published on April 10, 2017April 10, 2017 by Lauren Nakagawa10 Comments

Sharing some of my favorite moments from our time spent in Denver, CO now that I have a second to go through all these photos. The food scene is amazing, innovative, and incredibly fun. Colorado itself is panoramic, and the air is crisp and clean. Everyone is friendly and happy, not a pretentious bone in anyone’s body. That’s probably because they can afford to live there….*glares at S.F.* And, having met some of @twelfthknight’s coworkers on this trip, it was time well spent with good food, and even better company.

Shot by local photographer Jenna Sparks, I was able to capture a lot with her as my unofficial Denver photog. Thanks for the captures, Jenna!

All looks Shot by Jenna Sparks Photography

What I Wore:

Burnt Orange Maxi Dress: Amuse Society (now $28)

Sandals: M.Gemi

Camel Knit Sweater: Lovers & Friends

Micro Suede Leggings: David Lerner

Pink Shoes: Ecco Shoes ($160)

Military Jacket: Publish x Revolve (now $61)

Black Hoodie: Nytt Label (now $43)

Special Thanks to Glamour Bar Denver for the blow-dry

Eat List:

Amethyst Cafe

Sushi Den

(their fish is flown in from Tokyo every day)

Linger (our favorite)

Denver Union Station (house made “pop tarts”

An Afternoon at Arrowood

Published on January 12, 2017January 10, 2017 by Lauren Nakagawa6 Comments

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend an amazing wine and food pairing in Sonoma. Hosted at the ever charming Arrowood Winery in Glen Ellen, myself and fellow Bay Area bloggers were whisked away for the day to wine country, and I can honestly say I am really truly grateful for the experience. I’ve heard raving reviews about the delicious food served at renowned restaurant, Girl & the Fig. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw that the event would be catered by their lead Chef.

I’d like to thank Kristina Werner, wine maker at Arrowood. She herself is quite the inspiration, who went from a BioChemistry and Agricultural Economics degree to pursue winemaking full time. Something I took away from listening to her that I’d like to share:

“Taste everything you can get your hands on.

Never stop learning and never get bored.”

I couldn’t agree more. Cheers to an amazing day that I don’t take for granted. My eyes and stomach are very full :)

First Course: Roasted Carrots, Saffron Crema, Honeyed Almonds

img_0442-2 — 2nd: House Ground Polenta, Braised Oxtail, Cocoa Nibs, Squash, Sage Pesto

Final: Black Pepper Ravioli, Triple Cream Mornay, Black Truffles

I have found a new appreciation for wine, what goes into making it, and how it really can transform a meal and your senses. If you’re in Sonoma one of these days, be sure to visit Kristina and the Arrowood staff and taste for yourself. I personally would go back in a snap.

For those who are interested in Arrowood wine but can’t get to Sonoma anytime soon, I’m offering 15% off anything on their site using “ARROWOOD15” here. I had an amazing time and can’t wait to go back.

Overwhelming thanks to:

Arrowood Winery for the hospitality

Girl & The Fig for an incredible meal

Emily E Martin Communications for this amazing trip

Cheat Day (A food and fashion roundup)

Published on May 26, 2016July 18, 2016 by Lauren Nakagawa12 Comments

If you follow me on Instagram, you’d see the influx of food posts as of late. @Twelfthknight and I are very much centered around eating together. Nothing crazy or pretentious, just good food. Whether it is noshing locally, eating our way through a new city (we loved eating thought Denver), or cooking at home, we love our eats. I should note that we will never be seen waiting for 2 hours + for overly priced and over hyped restaurants that is common here in SF…no sir, we have things to do.

Enjoy my month’s round up of a few of our favorite food posts as well as my new “Cheat Day” pullover that I find appropriate to wear on repeat…because let’s face it. Cheat day is technically every day.

Outfit photos taken by: Rachel Radcliffe

Food photos and point of view’s: Taken by me :D

Fred’s Coffee Shop, Sausalito. We’d recommend their Millionaire’s Bacon and Lemon Ricotta pancakes.

The Siren Canteen, Stinson Beach. We had a spontaneous day trip up the coast and this restaurant is such a gem!

We made it in time for Taco Tuesday, their fish tacos and pale ciders are absolutely delicious. Stuff that reminds me of SoCal and SD.

On an off day, we went to the new SF Moma. 7 floors of art and we were hungry so on our way home we ate at the New England Lobster Market in Burlingame. Not pictured are the oysters!

My favorite, Santouka Ramen located inside the Mitsuwa center. In Los Angeles, anytime I was on Sawtelle Blvd, I’d sit here and order a combo all under $12 and would satisfy any sort food craving. This was taken at the Santouka in San Jose.

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset — For our friend’s birthday, we came to Pacifica for seafood. Their favorite restaurant on the Penninsula side of the Bay, and I’d have to agree with them. Moonraker has the best view whilst eating some of the freshest seafood around!

What I wore:

Pullover: Missguided

Denim: Asos

Booties: Boohoo

Restaurant List:

Fred’s Coffee Shop

The Siren Canteen

New England Lobster Market

Santouka

Moonraker

3 Days in Denver

Published on May 6, 2016July 18, 2016 by Lauren Nakagawa30 Comments

Hi all, hope you’ve had a great week. If you’ve been keeping up with me on Instagram, you’d know that I was in Denver for a few days. @Twelfthknight had to travel for work, so I was fortunate enough to tag along and make this a workation for myself. We’ve never been to Denver before, so this was a nice change of scenery. With @Twelfthknight at work all day, I was left to my own devices. I did a lot…and this is just a roundup. I even had a shoot with native photographer Emily Anne the first day (she shoots the local bloggers of Denver, such as @PolishedAvenue and @Myboringcloset) so naturally I wanted to work with her. I’m so happy we did, those photos will be for another post :D

Enjoy my quick photo diary, I’d love to go back just for the sunsets and food scene alone. Much more to come. Have a great weekend everyone!

First Day: A little pick me up at Corvus Coffee courtesy of Tim, the barista.

Trekking in Loeffler Randall with photographer Emily Anne. There was snow patches, deer prints, and 1,000 wild bunnies :D

The best meal and service bar none is at Fruition…Rockefeller oysters wrapped in a thin potato layer & sweet pea sauce was our favorite app. @Twelfthknight had the Duck confit and pork belly. I had scallops with panchetta and parsnip puree. This is a must visit.

We had a rental car, so I drove our little Chevy Cruze and hour south to Colorado Springs and saw the Garden of the Gods. I felt like Short Round galavanting through the rock formations.

Always look up. The sky is really that beautiful at sunset. And these rocks will make you feel very tiny. I had a nice time adventuring alone, it’s nice to be your own tour guide.

Heard so many good things about Aspen Juice from Instagram. So I went in, had a tasting, and left with a delicious light juice that revived me from the adventure the previous day.

Walked in to the Cherry Creek Restoration Hardware. This is the mecca of all things design. 4 floors worth of aesthetic overload :D

A chai latte at Black Eye Coffee in Cap Hill. Great little neighborhood.

A “picnic” full of cheese and meats at Rioja in downtown Denver. It was good, but nothing beats Fruition.

Thursday is for Thistle

Published on April 28, 2016July 12, 2016 by Lauren Nakagawa14 Comments

Rise and grind everybody :D I’m switching things up today to feature my new favorite meal delivery service, Thistle Co. But before I go further, I should let you know that for someone who grew up watching my Mom cook every meal from scratch for our family, I love that cooking was (and still is) a very big part of our daily life. But in an age where it’s harder to slow down, especially for those who are self employed…there’s hardly ever time or energy to cook a beef stew during the week or make muffins for the next morning. Which is why, on the days that become just too busy, it’s nice to have a service that will come to your door and feed you something healthy, fresh, without breaking your budget.

Thistle is the only service out there that leads with health and nutrition front and center. I’ve received 2 deliveries so far and I like that the portions are very fair, everything is fresh, there’s variety in each delivery, and best of all…they’re delicious. Plus, I’m hooked on their raw juice and snacks. Right up my alley.

@Twelfthknight has been going low carb, and I think Thistle will help propel his health goals. Delicious and nutritious, he says :D And my Mom has recently said that since going into the office every day, there’s very limited options for lunch that she will in fact eat. So I think she’ll eat cleaner and colorfully when she tries what’s currently in the fridge, thanks Thistle!

Thistle is a Bay Area based company and will deliver to SF, Marin, and the East Bay. If you would like to try yourself, you can use my code to save 20% off “SHOESSASHIMI”

As always, thank you for reading. I will be in Denver on Monday-Thursday, but I hope to post while I’m there. And of course, you can find me daily on Instagram for up to date photo adventures.

Lauren

#Morningslikethese // Chia x lemon x apple juice for a jolt of energy, the paper, and raw energy bites (superfood in a ball.)

Raw Apple juice and a tofu scramble salad. The tastiest tofu and squash I’ve had in a while

This is a big salad, this photo doesn’t do it’s justice with size. Packed with chicken, herbs, and spices.

My favorite dessert that’s good for you! You might as well have told me it’s dark chocolate mousse because taste wise, I couldn’t tell.

Thank you again Thistle for helping me and my busy fam eat cleaner throughout the week.

For 20% off yours, use “SHOESSASHIMI” at checkout

LA Weekend Roundup

Published on April 25, 2016July 18, 2016 by Lauren Nakagawa24 Comments

Happy Monday all. As most of you know Los Angeles is my favorite city. I’ve lived, worked, and played here for many years, so it’s always nice to come back down for a little bit now that I’ve been in the Bay Area a while. Do I miss it? Hell yeah. I miss the daily grind of the city, the little magic if you will. We treated this trip as a staycation. It was nice to swoop in with @Twelfthknight and the fur baby for a few days to eat, relax, take in some art, and just be. No agenda, no work, just living that LA life as only we know how :D

As always, thank you for reading. And a big thank you to Sole of Brasil for adding some boho style to my look. If you’d like to shop Sole of Brasil’s online store for comfy Brazilian shoes, be sure to use “Lauren15” for 15% off at checkout.

Abbott Kinney Blvd, my favorite street in Venice away from the beach and tourists.

Lemonade via the Main Squeeze Lemonade Truck. Shoes by Loeffler Randall.

Abbott Kinney has some of the best murals in the area, this being a favorite.

@twelfthknight and Moobie’s favorite mural :D – Abbott Kinney

We were excited that PDX came to LA! Blue Star Donuts, ladies and gentlemen. The blueberry bourbon rosemary donut…lives up to the hype.

The perfect weekend ensemble. Wearing a Paige tank, Joes Jeans, Mgemi flats, and Minkoff bag.

My favorite stop for plant life. Isabel Marant on Melrose Place (taken during Farmer’s Market)

Farmer’s Market berries on Melrose Place.

Picked up some Alfred’s coffee before heading to brunch with friends Amy and Paul. @Twelfthknight has never been and I was happy to show him my favorite coffee kitchen in the area. We also met a french bulldog there named Winston.

#ButFirstCoffee thanks to Alfred’s. And now off to brunch.

The interior of Republique on La Brea. We ate with my old friend Amy and her husband. She’s a talented makeup artist in the industry. FYI: There is always a wait for this place, and rightly so. If you eat for dinner, you may place reservations.

Back at the apartment with my sun appropriate things. (we stayed in Miracle Mile, a few blocks from LACMA)

Moobie loved having the place to himself a lot, he was truly on vacation :D

LACMA at night. Earlier we saw Ryan Seacrest and Diane Keaton there for an event.

Tsukemen at the best ramen house in Los Angeles, Tsujita LA. I took my parents here a long time ago, and now I’ve taken @Twelfthknight :) My favorite neighborhood in LA for authentic Japanese food.

Purple rain, in honor of Prince. Our street was lined with these flowers every morning.

Another local favorite, Joan’s on Third. A market, coffee spot, deli, and great food.

FullSizeRender 52 — Boho vibin’ with my gladiators thanks to Sole of Brasil

Processed with VSCO with t1 preset — Last breakfast at Stir Market on Beverly. The best bacon in town! And the entire staff is incredibly generous and kind, we will be back.

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