LA DOLFINA

Last week, while doing our Christmas shopping, my husband, spied a beautiful red book. The title of the book was, The Balthazar Cookbook, by Keith McNally, Riad Nasr & Lee Hanson. "When restaurateur Keith McNally and co-chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson opened Balthazar in 1997, it immediately became one of the hottest restaurants in the country. Famous for its star studded clientele, a beautiful room in the chic SoHo neighborhood, and superbly executed food, Balthazar has been embraced by New Yorkers and visitors alike for its perfect evocation of a French brasserie". We happened to be in Daisy's, my friend Barbara's shop, when he found the beautiful red book. The minute he picked it up, that was all it took for the two of them to wax poetic about the virtues of a good meal. I knew it was too late to surprise him with it for Christmas and that it was coming home with us! As soon as we arrived back home, I found him plopped on his favorite chair, perusing the pages ...

I promised I would reveal the wonderful treasure I found in the "ballroom" at The Mulvaney estate sale last weekend. Underneath a table, in a box of junk, I pulled these out... At first, I was not quite sure exactly what I had unearthed. I initially assumed they were the blueprints for the Mulvaney house and I excitedly put them into my pile. After I paid for everything, my friend Catherine and I began to load our loot into the trunk of my car. She saw the blueprints and declared " Wow, I think you scored a serious treasure!" It wasn't until we stopped at my Mom's house, which was just down the street from the estate sale, that we were able to take a closer look at them. It became immediately clear that neither set of blueprints belonged to the Mulvaney house. Suddenly, we had a mystery on our hands. Were they spec homes that J.J. Mulvaney built back in the 1920's or were they drawn up as alternate choices for his personal residence? It's still a m...

I did not do too much decorating this year, although I did add a few touches to our den where I've been spending a lot of time lately, especially since I began my blog. I love to collect anything that has to do with the sea. I guess if I could describe my style in two words, it would be chinoiserie and coastal. I found this small brass shell in Castel Gondolfo (the Pope's summer residence) in Italy where I attended my brother's wedding at The Vatican, several years ago. It was truly an amazing experience that I will never forget! I found these beautiful antique crystal sconces years ago. I was told they came out of the powder room off the ballroom in a grand old Piedmont home. My Mom found these at our favorite consignment store. I think they are renderings of costumes from a theater production, but I'm not sure. They came in these fabulous mirrored frames. We upholstered the walls in classic black & white toile and ...