My Favorite Places: Gigi's Cupcakes, Bronx So Today -Cooper (Suede)

Ciao a tutti!

Today, my fellow Shoe-A-Holics, you are in for a treat!  Decadent, mouth-watering and delectable; my shoes are taking us to the place I refer to as the candy shop for grown-ups : Gigi's Cupcakes.

Missing our Italian Pastry Shops, when we saw the sign for Gigi's from our hotel window when we first arrived in town, we knew we had make a special visit, and have been doing so religiously for nearly a year!
Celebrating,  my birthday month (and yes, I celebrate not just the day, or the week of my birth, but rather the entire month), I signed up online for my free Gigi's cupcake!



I picked this particular day, because on any given day, Gigi's has 11-12 different cupcakes from which to choose; satisfying those of us with a sweet tooth, those of us with a really sweet tooth, and even those who prefer something savory when a snake-craving comes calling, and today, my sweet tooth was asking for the Chocolate Chip Cheesecake!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake:
Devil's food cake with dark chocolate chips,
champagne cream cheese frosting, chocolate chips and
sprinkled with chocolate ganache

 





Hubby decided on something new as well:

Carrot Cake: topped with cream cheese frosting,
decorative orange icing & green sugar crystals

Today's menu featured so many temptations:

Feast you eyes on these:

Pictured above is the Chocolate Salted Caramel, a personal favorite
of mine which is highly recommended: Special dark chocolate cake
filled with caramel, caramel frosting dipped in ganache and topped with sea salt...yum!

And just when you think you've tried all 35 items on the menu this spring/summer, Gigi comes out with a fall/winter menu to tempt your sweet tooth for another 6 months!

Hooked for life:

Crushing on all things Gigi yet?

There are so many ways to enjoy these mouth-watering morsels, but don't hesitate; the popular flavors sell out fast (we got to the store shortly after it opened)!  If you can't make it in early, you can always call ahead and have them reserve you your favorites (at my local store, we can even Facebook the Gigi's and reserve what we want).

Have a special event coming up?  Gigi's Cupcakes caters!  From weddings and graduations, or just a gathering of friends you can order both the regular or mini-sized cupcakes for your big day.

Travel mugs, t-shirts and tote bags; bring some Gigi's home with you... the cupcakes are so good they won't make it home!




Always the bargain hunter:

Gigi's rewards loyalty!  If you are familiar with Gigi's then you know about their rewards card:

Buy a dozen cupcakes and get one free!  Gigi's is phasing out this card with a more efficient Cupcake Lover's Reward Program: you can sign up online and you earn 1 point for ever $1.00 you spend.  Collect 50 points and receive a $5.00 reward valid on your next visit.  When you sign up, you earn 25 points automatically!




A Compelling Story:

A motivated teenager from a modest upbringing and determined to have something of her own, Gigi started her own Cleaning Company at the age of 15.  But a singer and songwriter at heart, she sold her cleaning business and moved to Nashville to fulfill her dream in the music industry.  Waiting tables during the day and singing nights, wasn't the dream she envisioned,  so at 30, she retired from music and returned to cleaning.  Until the fateful day when a phone call changed her life.  Her brother had waited hours to get into a cupcake store in New York, only to be disappointed.  He told Gigi that, "These aren't as good as yours and mom's.  You should open up a cupcake shop in Nashville!"  And as they say, the rest is history.  Four years later, 50+ shops in 18 states, Gigi's words of wisdom are as follows: Believe in yourself, walk with integrity, work hard and trust in God; maybe your life won't turn out exactly how you were expecting or hoped it would be, but maybe, just maybe, it will be so much better than you ever imagined!

Give Gigi's a Swirl!

Baci a tutti!

Stella Notte

Monday June 11th 2012
Designer: Bronx So Today
Name: Cooper
Color: Corda
Style: Platform Slingback
Heel:  5inches (12.7 cm), Platform: 1.25 inches (3.18 cm)
Material: Suede Upper with crossed vamp straps and slingback

Some more pictures from today's photo shoot!

Beautiful in any fabric;

these are the only duet of shoes I own in the suede (above) and leather (below)

My Trapani Getaway and My Favorite Places: Ristorante Hotel Moderno (Buon Ricordo), Mossimo –Presta

Ciao!

Today my shoes are taking us somewhere great to eat…up, up, up and away we go!

Located on top of Mount Erice, about 750m above sea level overlooking the city of Trapani, Erice (ancient name Eryx) and its foundation was associated with the eponymous¥ Greek hero Eryx. It was not a Greek colony, but was largely Hellenized. It was destroyed in the First Punic War by the Carthaginians, and from then on declined in importance.

A quick drive to the city center brought us to the base of Mount Erice, and the funivia (pronounced foo-nee-vee-ah, or cable car station).












Literally translated as Good Memories, Buon Ricordo Restaurants are what I refer to as the Italian version of Hard Rock Café. Restaurants throughout Sicily, Italy, Europe and Asia belong to this association of restaurants which prepare a local dish which is typical of the area.

 

 

When you order the specialty dish (which is designated on the menu with a B.R or Buon Ricordo), you receive a commemorative hand painted ceramic plate decorated with a design symbolic of your meal. Every year, in every restaurant, the plates change, inviting you to make the annual pilgrimage so that you may add to your collection.

At Ristorante Hotel Moderno, the Buon Ricordo dish was Stone Bass escalope in orange-lemon sauce and cost € 18. 

Note Bene 1: Directions to Ristorante Hotel Moderno

Once you exit the cable car station in Erice, make the right and follow the road toward the arch (on your left).  Go through the arch, and you are now on Via Vittorio Emanuale (which is the main road). 


Follow the road up.  It is a bit of a climb, so wear shoes which have rubber soles.  The road is extremely slippery!

When you get to the fork in the road, veer left.  Ristorante Hotel Moderno is on your right.

Note Bene 2:

Follow directions to the funivia.  The parking lot in front of the cable car station is under repair. 
We parked on the road between the station and the parking lot.  Last year, we parked in the same place (because the parking lot was full).  An old man directed us to the spot, and we paid him a few Euro.  This not uncommon to find in Sicily; I don’t mind paying them, because I haven’t had a problem with my giant American van in the four years we’ve been here.  And if the alternative is someone being angry in the vicinity of my car, while I am out and about, a couple of Euros is certainly a small price to pay for piece of mind! 


Note Bene 3:

It is possible to drive to Erice, but I have never driven so I cannot lend any insight into the experience!  But the Cable Car is a fun way to start of your sightseeing in the morning or to reach your dinner destination in the evening.  For €6,50 return, splurge!  Don’t forget to check the running times of the cable car, they do not run 24 hours!

Fun Facts:

Check out this info on the Cable Car:

Technical Data

Valley Station Elevation: 40 meters (m)

Mountain Station Elevation: 703m

Slant Height: 3099m

Drop: 663m

Travel Time: 10 minutes 40 seconds

Operating speed: 5 m/s

Hourly capacity: 1000 people per hour

  

A Word About the Shoes...
I bought these beauties at Target.  Target really does have some fashionable shoes at a great price (Follow this link to see what other beauties I bought at Target: Mossimo Verdie).  What I love about Mossimo shoes is that they are very consistant in their sizing.  It's been some time since I've been in a Target store, but I know when I order a pair of Mossimo's, they are always the perfect fit!


Buon Appetito!

Stella Notte

Day 81: 06-09-2011

Shoe: Mossimo –Presta

Color:  Black

Style: Platform Wedge Sandal with ankle ties

Heel:  5 inches (12.7cm) Platform: 1 ¼ inch (3.2cm)

Material: Fabric Upper

*  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erice

Find a Buon Ricordo Restaurant here:
Buon Ricordo Web Page

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¥ e·pon·y·mous - (of a person) being the person after whom a literary work, film, etc., is named (just in case you didn't know :)

My Trapani Getaway and My Favorite Places: Onda Blu, Two Lips –Rainbow, Purple

Buongiorno!

Today my shoes are bringing us to my favorite summertime oasis – Maréttimo, to have a favorite dish of mine…andiamo!

The second largest of the Aegadian Islands, the ancient name of the island was "Hiera Nesos", which means "Sacred Island" in Greek. The name Maréttimo comes from the words Mare (Sea) and Timo (Thyme) due to the profusion of thyme on the island.*

Me on the ferry!

This morning started off with a ferry ride to Maréttimo. After switching boats in Favignana, we arrived on the island shortly before 11:00, just in time for lunch at the Onda Blu. 

With menu suggestions on the doors… 

And so many choices on the menu…

I went to my favorite three years running; my suggestion, especially after a day of swimming: Insalatona –a tuna salad, but not the tuna salad to which you are accustomed!   Feast your eyes on this fresh feast…

Served with Balsamic vinegar and olive oil, I opt for the salad exactly the way it is made…perfetto!  My suggestion for dessert is a caffé crema –an espresso infused whipped cream drink.  When you arrive at Onda Blu, look for Rosaria…she will turn your meal into an experience! 

Rosaria and me

Note Bene 1: Directions to Onda Blu

After leaving the port, head for Piazza Umberto 1^◦  in the centre town.  If you get ‘lost’ (for which the town is really too small to become truly ‘lost’), head for the clock tower.  Coming from the port, Onda Blu is on the left.  The sign is posted on the door, so look for the restaurant with the blue wooden deck!

Note Bene 2:

Today’s adventure actually started yesterday evening when we made it to Trapani.  After gassing up, we made a quick stop at the ticket booth (biglietteria pronounced: bee-leeyet-tare-ree-ah) to prepay for our ferry tickets.  You can buy tickets on the pier at the little kiosks or across the street at the main offices.  For two adults one way we paid 32,60 € plus 3 € to pre-purchase them.  Why would we prepay?  Tourist season has arrived in Sicily, and while 70-80 degree weather may not be hot here, it is definitely hot for northern Europeans.  I’m glad we did pay ahead because two tour buses arrived shortly before the ferry was to depart (with their prepaid tickets) and several locals didn’t make it onto the boat!

A Little Known Fact:
Three years ago, someone suggested we visit Favignana (pronounced: Fah-veen-nyah-nah). After telling my Italian teacher, Marisa di Costa, my plans for the weekend, she asked me why I was heading there… “To swim.” I replied. She then asked, “Do you like to swim with Jellyfish? To which I answered, “No!” Marisa said that if you like to swim, you can take a boat to the grottoes and swim in the crystal clear waters…without jellyfish! And we have been back every year.

Maréttimo, I miss you already!

Baci!

Stella Notte

 

Day 79: 06-06-2011

Shoe:  Two Lips –Rainbow

Color:  Purple

Style: Platform Wedge Sandal with ankle strap

Heel:  5 inches (12.7cm)

Platform: 1 inch (2.5cm)

Material: Leather Upper

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marettimo

 

A Bit About the Shoes…

A DSW special for less than $20, I bought them last summer along with their Tan complement. Extremely comfortable, I worked these 5-inch wedges from the time we left the hotel…take a look!