Olive et Gourmando
This was BY FAR our favorite place. And by “favorite,” I mean we had lunch here 3 times and I’m not kidding. It’s an adorable cafe with a daily-changing menu of sandwiches/salads/soups and a case full of delicious pastries. I can’t decide what I liked more: the cajun chicken, guacamole, and mango sandwich OR the quinoa salad with chickpeas, haricot verts, snap peas, and tiny peppers. I tried something different each time and couldn’t resist something sweet from the pastry counter after each meal.

Marche 27
This restaurant calls itself a “tartare bar” so we knew we had to check it out, being that we love tartare and all. It was lively, hip, and we ate some of the best tuna tartare I’ve ever had. My favorite was the tuna with sesame vinaigrette because it reminded me of poke bowls. We also ordered the mac & cheese poutine and easily gained 5 pounds each. Two thumbs up.

Joe Beef
I was legitimately scared to go to Joe Beef and I can honestly say it was the craziest of our experiences. It was also beyond amazing. Let me explain. This restaurant specializes in MEAT. Lots of it. If you’re wondering why 2 semi-vegetarians (we don’t eat red meat or pork) went here, I have no answer. The menu, which changes daily, is written on a chalkboard wall…in French. Yes, I took French in high school but I can’t read “horse heart” and “sea urchin fried in cornflakes.” We had the waitress read us the entire menu and ended up finding quite a few things we’d enjoy. We ordered burrata with green beans, an egg gelee, lobster spaghetti, and halibut with mussels. Oh and a few glasses of sparkling wine and a bloody mary or two (the bloody mary comes with an oyster and a crab leg, NBD). Everything was beyond delicious. I still have dreams about that lobster spaghetti and I don’t think I’ll have better lobster ever again. Sigh.

Aux Vivres
This little vegan cafe is perfect for lunch and we both loved it. I had a tempeh bowl with brown rice, veggies, and a thai peanut sauce that really hit the spot. They also had a full menu of teas which made my heart happy.

Taverne Gaspar
On our last night in Montreal, we dined at our hotel’s restaurant and I’m so glad we did. There was a band playing, soccer games on tv, and the food was simple and delicious. We ordered fish & chips, a nicoise salad, and a half dozen oysters. It was a perfect meal to end our trip. Plus, they served the best beer of our lives: Kronenberg 1664 blanc.

Juliette et Chocolat
We went to this chocolate-only dessert bar one night and split a crepe with nutella and strawberries. Ok why aren’t there dessert bars in Los Angeles? This would totally be my jam on a Saturday night if there were.

Rooney
Kyle’s a longtime lover of Rooney’s online shop so this was a must-stop for us. It’s a well-curated men’s & women’s store with brands like Gitman Vintage, Saturdays NYC, and they even had some sweet New Balances. I wanted that Apolis market bag SO BADLY, but my mom calls me “bag lady,” meaning I probably don’t need another bag in my life.

Les Etoffes
This was another great store we visited with a line-up of really unique designers, like Dana Lee and Apiece Apart. I haven’t seen a store so well-curated in a long time. Plus, I wanted their plant stands soooo badly (not for sale, of course).

Alright and because I loved the place so much, two more photos from Olive et Gourmando. That’s cous cous with a tomato-based sauce and roasted veggies, topped with pistachios and minty yogurt. I mean, really? So delicious.

Last thing! I haven’t mentioned our Montreal hotel much, but we stayed at the Auberge du Vieux-Port and loved every second of our experience. It was smack in the middle of Old Montreal, the room was beautiful, the staff was so accommodating, and there was complimentary breakfast every day. And I mean GOOD complimentary breakfast, like eggs benedict and waffles. It was nice to save a few bucks each day by eating breakfast in our hotel.

And lest you think my blog is turning into a travel blog, it’s back to regular programming tomorrow!

Real talk: I got tired of looking at my own Montreal photos so I needed a little break between photo diary 2 and this one. But now I’m back and feeling really positive about the experience. We all need a little break sometimes, ya? In this last installment of Montreal photos (I’ll share our favorite restaurants/shops next), we visited the beautiful botanical gardens, hung out on the roof of our hotel, and explored the city by night.

On this particular day, the temperature dropped dramatically and I thought my face might freeze over. We tried to ride the city’s bixi bikes in the morning but then I lost feeling in my hands and ears. Spending the day at the botanical gardens, with it’s regulated climates and breathtaking greenery, was exactly what we needed. Plus, one of the greenhouses was filled with the most beautiful butterflies I’ve ever seen. FILLED. I’m not talking 5 or 6 butterflies. I’m talking hundreds of them and strong feelings of should-I-be-scared-because-they’re-kind-of-creepy-and-keep-landing-on-my-jacket??

Oh and don’t even get me started on how gorgeous Montreal looks at night. I didn’t take many night photos because I never really bring my camera out at night. Big mistake. The one night I brought it out, I took about a hundred photos and I’m so glad I did. This city is pure magic! I miss it already.

We spent a lot of time in Old Montreal because it’s just so dang beautiful and otherworldly. Also, our hotel and favorite lunch place were both there too, so that made it easy to just wander around those cobblestoned streets all day long. Note: riding the city’s bixi bikes on cobblestoned streets, on the other hand, is not easy. Things get real bumpy. Fair warning.

We didn’t have too many plans in Montreal so we were more than happy to explore the area and take a million photos of buildings. Besides endlessly wandering, we rode bikes along the water, visited the Museum of Contemporary Art, and did a little shopping. Oh! We also had the best meal of our lives on this particular night. There is a grainy photo from it below, with a chalkboard menu all in French (talk about living on the edge), and me looking a bit terrified for what’s about to happen. But just like I did with NYC and Brooklyn, I’ll share all our favorite eats and shops soon!

So I thought I could cut down my photos from Montreal into one post and I was very wrong. VERY WRONG. Instead, there will be a few more, and consider this a fair warning. This was the first part of our Canadian adventure, where we tried to speak French (ca va?), still paid for everything in US dollars, and were lost 95% of the time (by the end of the week, we were sayin “eeh?” after every sentence like true Canadians). We explored the downtown area of Montreal, hiked through a wooded forest to the top of Mont Royal, strolled through the cobblestoned streets of old town, and shopped at Marche de Jean-Talon (a beautiful food market).

We walked about 8-9 miles a day in that vastly spread-out city and loved every minute of it. Of course, they have other amazing public transportation services that we used constantly as well, like their impeccably clean metro line and the bixi bikes lined up throughout the city. Everything about Montreal was accommodating and easy – you gotta love a city that looks out for its people. Speaking of the people! If Canadians aren’t the nicest humans on this planet, then I don’t know who is. LOVE THEM.

aaaaand a grainy selfie:

Aside from my raging allergies, I love this time of year. The days are longer, the nights are warmer, and the sunsets get all crazy on us. Last night, the sky turned a million shades of pink and I saw about 40 instagrams documenting it (including my own). Not gonna lie, there was also an earthquake yesterday so THAT coupled with the super bizarre sunset kind of made me think the world was ending. I’m so dramatic! Here’s what I loved this week:

• I read this New Yorker article about wedding hair at least 20 times because it’s so hilarious and yet, so spot on at the same time. Gonna go read it again…
• I’m a huge fan of Kelly Oxford’s crazy twitter antics and loved her new book. Go read it if you haven’t yet.
• Honey chocolate chunk cookies? Umm sign me up.
• I recently purchased a nut milk bag (YEAH, I said it…a nut milk bag) to make homemade almond milk. I’ve been testing out recipes and will share my favorites soon.
• In case you missed it, here are my photos from New York City, Brooklyn, where we ate and shopped in NYC & Brooklyn, and Connecticut! Next week, it’s allllll abooot Montreal, eh? So come back and visit!

This weekend is Mother’s Day and I feel so lucky I get to spend it with my amazing mom. Enjoy your weekend, friends!

After our adventure in New York (photos here, here, and here), we took a train from Grand Central Station up to New Haven, Connecticut. My cousin, Anabel, goes to Wesleyan University in Middletown and our plan was to hang with her for a day before road-tripping to Montreal. We arrived really early in New Haven and took a mini-tour of Yale to kill some time. I geeked out a bit because it looks kind of like Hogwarts. That’s how you know I went to a public university in CA –> I think Ivy League schools look like Hogwarts. Anyway, the campus was beautiful and we kept searching for any and all trapped doors that led to secret societies.

Then we rented a car* and drove to Middletown to spend the day with Anabel. First of all, this girl is such a dream and I love her to pieces. So smart and witty and gorgeous. Kyle and I had a great time hanging around her school and pretending we were young college students (sigh, miss those days). I’m so glad we had a day to just relax and chill with my cousin before the whirlwind that was Montreal!

*okay how adorable is our mini coops rental car? kind of wanted to steal it…

New York City: We arrived into the city on a Thursday night and headed straight to the Bowery Ballroom for a concert, which was super fun. After the show, we walked down the street to La Esquina for late-night tacos and enchiladas. I was skeptical about the taco situation in NY but these were really delicious. On Friday morning, we had breakfast at Cafe Gitane and our minds were blown by the avocado toast. Plus, Shoshanna from GIRLS sat next to us, which really upped the overall NYC experience. Late in the afternoon, we hustled our bums over to Shake Shack for some cheese fries, a portobello burger, and a chocolate shake. Was it worth waiting in line for 45 minutes? Probably. Friday night, we kind of failed at dinner. I made reservations at 5 places and we ended up not going to any of them. Why? We were kind of full from Shake Shack, not gonna lie. Instead we popped over to the Maritime Hotel for pizza at La Bottega. Low-key and easy. On Saturday morning, we brunched at Peels and it was by far my favorite restaurant experience in NYC. Their biscuits trump all biscuits. TAKE ME BACK. After brunch, we headed to Brooklyn for the day and came back into the city for dinner that night. We ended up at Cafe Cluny in the West Village and loved the classic meal and lively vibe.

As for shopping in NYC, we were only in the city for a day so we stuck to one area (Soho) and didn’t venture far. Of course, in that timespan we popped into a million shops so I probably can’t list them ALL for fear of losing your attention. Instead, I’ll suss out the highlights. We loved Saturdays Surf, Le Labo, the new Warby Parker store, the new Steven Alan home store, Aritzia, and Rag & Bone.

Brooklyn: We didn’t eat much in Brooklyn, which is unfortunate because there are so many top-notch restaurants I wanted to try. We just didn’t have enough time. We did do a late morning break at Blue Bottle Coffee, which was totally worth it, and then lunched at Smorgasburg on the waterfront. It’s an outdoor food market with vendors offering all types of cuisines, from Chinese dumplings to sandwiches to s’mores. We each got a hot dog from Asia Dog (mine with sesame slaw on top, Kyle’s with kimchi) and LOVED it. Afterwards, we relaxed at the rooftop bar of the Wythe Hotel and I’m pretty sure I want to live there.

As for shopping, I can’t stop thinking about Joinery and Brook Farm General Store, both of which have great online stores, but their actual shops were so well curated and amazing. I would’ve stuffed my luggage with rugs, Turkish towels, wooden serving spoons, and enamel cookware if I had the room. I also stopped by two favorite jewelry stores, catbird and Mociun. At catbird, I picked up a tiny gold ring to add to my collection, and at Mociun, I stared and stared and stared at the beautiful rings until my heart literally stopped beating. To say I’m obsessed with Mociun rings would be a gross understatement. I loved and needed them all. Plus, the shop was filled with all sorts of unique pottery and trinkets as well. Kyle loved Hickoree’s and Pilgrim Surf Shop - both are men’s stores right up his alley. He spends more money on clothes than me, I swear. Loved the Baggu shop too. We merely scratched the surface of the Brooklyn shopping scene, but loved (and I mean LOVED) all the places we did get to experience.

Tomorrow…our jaunt up to Connecticut!

Brooklyn! I dig you. Your beautiful character shines through in every building facade, in every corner bodega, in every fire escape, in every unique shop and cafe. I just wish we had a little more time! But, we’ll be back soon…

Sigh. Planning out our Brooklyn day was by far the easiest part of prepping for this crazy adventure of ours. We made a very long list of shops and places to visit (a full list coming tomorrow) and checked them off one-by-one. This was the only time during our 9-day trip that we focused primarily on shopping. Oh but the shopping is SO GOOD in Brooklyn – it’s like a giant Pinterest board full of amazing treasures.

Besides shopping, we also had lunch at Smorgasburg (a food market in Williamsburg that is definitely worth a visit) and spent the afternoon hanging out at the Wythe Hotel‘s rooftop bar. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day! That is until both of our iPhone’s ran out of battery at the same time and we had to navigate back to the city with just our wits and smarts. Good thing it’s not that difficult to get around or else we’d probably still be there.

More tomorrow!

New York never disappoints (never ever!) and this particular trip was no exception. I only wish that we had more time to spend in the city since it was far too short! Even so, we were able to pack in lots of our favorite NYC activities, including shopping in Soho, strolling the High Line, seeing a show at the Bowery Ballroom (Phosphorescent!), and eating all day long. And luckily, we were able to do all of it in warm, sunny weather. Thanks for making it real easy on us California kids, New York.

We stayed at the Ace Hotel (again!) and I love that it’s both centrally located and close to a subway station. It also manages to be cozy, lively, and beautifully understated – a total high/low mix of perfection. Plus, there’s always something fun going on in the lobby every night.

Tomorrow, I’ll share my photos from Brooklyn. I’ve been to Brooklyn before but this time, I completely fell in love with it. It’s just oozing with charm! Then on Wednesday, I’ll share all of the restaurants and shops in both NYC and Brooklyn that we visited. It’s quite a hefty list for 2.5 days in the city, which makes me think that we probably spent far too much money on food and souvenirs. But…you only live once?

Don’t mind me, but here I am just cooking up a Friday Love List during a dinner in NYC. Speaking of NYC, photos from that portion of my trip are going up on Monday! By the way, is it just me or was this particular week THE FASTEST EVER? I woke up this morning and for a minute, I thought it was Tuesday…in February. I mean where did this year go? Anyway, here are a few things I’m digging this week:

• I finally learned how to properly clean my face thanks to Into the Gloss’s 2 part video series (video one and video two). I don’t know about you but this is a total game changer. I’m going to start pianotaging the heck out of my face (although I will likely not purchase thermal water any time soon).
• Love this idea of gifting a pot of fresh herbs at a dinner/brunch party. So perfect.
• I’m going to wear this outfit every single day this summer.
• This kale noodle bowl with avocado miso dressing sounds like just about the best thing ever right now.
• So remember when we went to NorthernGrade? Well we must be REALLY COOL because we made a cameo in this video recap for one whole second (check minute 0:36). I mean, somebody call us some talent agents stat.

Happy weekending!