This past weekend, B & I hosted our first party ever for our friends: Beer & Wine {tasting} Fest… and it was a blast. I’ve been thinking about it for the past month and a half & I really didn’t know why this idea popped in my head other than it would be different & fun.

The invites were printed on kraft paper with red hand stitched details on the top & bottom. This was actually not my first idea. I was inspired by Ashley Meaders “fringe” invites & I wanted to incorporate that into the design, but without my knowledge, it was actually very labor intensive and I threw that idea out the door and decided on plan B instead. Although I would have been much happier with plan A, in order to keep my sanity, plan B was the best option! :) (Btw, I always think that invites are important. It’s the first thing your anticipated guest sees. In my opinion, it sets the mood for the occasion. So never scrimp on the details!)

With any beer tastings, food is important. I set out complimentary finger foods including fruits, cheese, salami, pretzels, beer nuts, rice krispie treats, chocolate turtles & even root {beer} cupcakes. The napkins were purchased from IKEA and I used a regular ol’ mason jar to hold the utensils. Also, for the flowers, I went simple and used baby’s breath and yellow craspedia’s. The platters were ALL bought at thrift stores and it was so fitting for the vintage look.

To mimic a “cheese platter” we put pieces of cheese on a cutting board instead. Kudos to B for this idea. A nice little detail we did last minute is the flag banner. I literally did all the banners in 5 minutes about an hour before the party. I printed it on extra kraft paper, cut and glued it on toothpicks. I bought a bag full of corks at a thrift store for $1 and I simply just stuck the flag banners on top. Such a steal.

This was the bar area. Lots of neat details were on here including the metal water bucket, the awesome vintage water bottles, the mason jars with cucumber & lemon, the jar of sharpened pencils, the lined up shot glasses and of course the rating cards.

The winners of the night: I bought the Tangerine Wheat Beer which took top dog! 98 points :) But a good host never takes home the prize. Runner up was the Blue Star Wheat Beer and the winner took home a $10 gift card to BevMo.

It was a successful night & I hope I somehow inspired you to throw your own Beer & Wine {tasting} Fest! It’s a lot of work but worth every second.

If you have any questions regarding the details of the party or where I purchased some of the accessories, you can email me at mail {at} urbansarlet.com

xoxo

This is just a few things I love:
1) Food
2) Design
3) Top Chef (which goes hand-in-hand with food)

And when you put all three things together, we get Searsucker. This new restaurant is headed by Top Chef finalist, Brian Malarkey right here in downtown San Diego in the historic Gaslamp Distric (former Z Gallerie). I love the eclectic design of mis-matched chairs to the over sized wood tables. The persian rugs tie everything together to give the space the warmth it needs. I am DYING to try this place out. And when I do, I’ll be sure to let you all know. In the mean time, here is some fancy eye candy to get you excited.

Photos by Chanetelle Photography

About 2 months ago, I ordered my first classic piece via Bren (designer discounts rock!) and I finally got it personally delivered to me last week. Woohoo. I’ve been eyeing this bad boy for awhile now and I’ve decided to take advantage of a promotion that was going on. Introducing the classic Herman Miller Eames Plastic Molded Rocker (list $479):

I’ve always pictured this particular rocker in a baby’s nursery as it is not only timeless, but very feminine and nostalgic. However, for now, it will be sitting pretty inside Bren’s place next to his collection of other mid-century modern pieces.

Time to save up for piece numero dos!

B & I have been eagerly waiting to check this place out. We had to push it back several times because this place doesn’t stay open too late. But we managed to steal some time last week Friday to finally taste the buzz. Visionaries and owners, Juan Miron and Kevin Ho, former veterans of North Park’s nostalgic restaurant, the Linkery, opened up their very own meal on wheels (but think gourmet and farm fresh), Miho Gastrostruck. They pride themselves with local produce and sustainable meats and it definitely shows.

We caught them outside of Whistlestop in South Park… and if you bought something from Miho, they gave you a $1 off ticket for the bar inside Whistlestop. Love it when businesses team up and do cool little things like that.

Grass-fed burgers, shrimp po’boy & belgian fries. Eaten on top of an electric box. Hood.

I give it a solid 4/5 but Bren had to argue and give it 3.5/5 — With that being said, we agreed to give it a nice little 3.75/5 stars! So good. I hear they make some deeeeelicious tacos too so I can’t wait to go back again!

{iphone 4 pictures}

I’ve been drooling over Ashley Meaders (events, design, crafts) site for a couple of weeks now. I didn’t know she was the lady behind some of the most awesome event {wedding} design ever. Her style is so whimsical, eclectic, bold and thoughtful. Unlike your typical wedding event design that edges itself with lots of “frou frou”, Ashley Meaders gets down with her crafty side and creates some of the most awe inspiring details that would make any party guest swoon. If I had half the creativity as she does, I’d be one happy camper… And not to mention, she is apart of an arsenal of the wedding industries best, called The Flashdance, which makes up of Our Labor of Love, The Human Jukebox, Max Wagner and Shark Pig.

For some odd reason, my server lost one of my WordPress directories and in lieu of starting ALL over again, I accidentally deleted all my content. Thank goodness I have my reader open & I’m currently in the process of one-by-one copying and pasting every single post back on here. Bare with me! This is going to take hours…

A couple of weeks ago, B & I did an impromptu trip to visit Kalbi-Q — A brand new food truck roaming the streets of San Diego. Eh, well not particularly roaming, since they’re usually found in the same spot almost everyday. Hmph. Anyway, we were pretty excited to check it out since we were in the neighborhood anyway. We got there about an hour before closing and several of their menu items were already sold-out. But we were there mostly for the bulgogi tacos.

Not sure if it’s because we were getting the last batch of the meat, but I was surprised at how fatty it was. Pretty chewy and not my thing. But the flavors were there. I just wish they chopped it a little more finely. I also had the spicy pork. Not my favorite. We got 4 tacos and a water for about $8 — Eh.

And the verdict? It’s worth a try (if you’re in the area), but not worth a trip. 3/5 stars :)

(iphone4 pics — aren’t they awesome?)

If I had a bike + $1,500 this is what I would do: Hire Rob from Rob’s Woodgrain Bike Frame and have him personally hand paint faux woodgrain all over it. Ah, it’s so pretty and sparkly. If only…

Bankers Hill is not only one of my favorite parts of San Diego, but it is also the name of a brand new restaurant located in its swanky neighborhood. Former venue of Modus, it has now turned into a western cowboy chic restaurant + bar. With its raw, untouched wood finishes from the doors to the tables, to its recycled chairs and minimal decor; it has modern barn party written all over it :)

And the food? Outstanding.

My BBQ pulled pork tacos. Love at first bite. As soon as I bit into it the tacos, I looked at Brendon wide-eyed and exclaimed that these were the “best tacos ever” without hesitation… and honestly, I still stand by what I said! :) The meat is sooooo flavorful as if it was braised for HOURS. They were a hit and a solid 5/5 stars in my book.

Bren’s BH Burger. Shoe string fries, pickled red onions and AGED white cheddar make this burger! It all melts perfectly together…

2202 4th Ave
(between Ivy St & Juniper St)
San Diego, CA 92101

all photos taken with my iPhone 4

I never wanted this blog to turn too personal, but today is rather an exception. Yup, an entire rotation around the sun with this guy! And I’d do it all over again and again… Our relationship is fun, exciting and full of adventures. It is based on 8 years of solid friendship, that has evolved into something more. For that, I will be forever grateful, forever thankful and forever blessed. Thanks Bren for being my number one travel partner, my personal chef and the best bf ever, rolled into one :) iloveyou.