Food Tour

Posted by Lena

I just got back from a quick trip to Portland, Maine. I was there to work, but spent a big portion of the time eating!

Dining in, dining out... both simple food and sophisticated... it was all so delicious.

Here are some snapshots of my meals in Portland, and a list of restaurants I highly recommend.

FORE STREET
Fantastic local, seasonal food in a beautiful old building.
288 Fore Street

BRESCA
A sweet, intimate restaurant with great Italian dishes, also made with fresh, local ingredients.
111 Middle Street

BLUE SPOON
The perfect place to get a really delicious soup and salad for lunch.
89 Congress St

FLAT BREAD COMPANY
Wood fired pizza with toppings like organic vegetables, homemade maple fennel sausage, and goat cheese.
72 Commercial Street

SARA'S TEA SHOP
This sweet little tea shop doesn't have a website, but the loose teas are wonderful and the homemade scones are to die for.
195 Congress street

Hidden Hotspot

Posted by Lisa & Rena

A couple of weeks ago, I left Rena alone at Rare Device in the cold and windy San Francisco and headed for one of my favorite spots in the world: California's Mojave Desert.

I flew into Palm Springs (which is a treat itself) and met my aunt and uncle, who live about 50 miles outside of Palm Springs, near Joshua Tree National Forest, in the town of 29 Palms.

A sign entering 29 Palms

29 Palms is a bit of a sleepy town, and that’s what I like about it. I have returned time and time again for its clear, clean air, gorgeous sparse desert landscape, and mountain vistas. There isn’t a whole lot to do there besides hike around Joshua Tree, but this activity alone makes the trip worth it.

Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most special places in the world -- there is nothing else like it on the planet. (In fact, sometimes walking around the park you feel like you might be on another planet).

The famous Joshua trees of Joshua Tree

Before my aunt and uncle retired there last year, I stayed twice at the lovely 29 Palms Inn, a rustic, affordable, and beautiful accommodation in town, near the entrance to Joshua Tree Park.

Besides hiking in the park, there is some great antiquing and thrift store shopping in nearby Yucca Valley. And any kid will enjoy a visit to Pioneer Town, a cool movie set where they used to shoot western TV shows and films. If you like driving around and taking photos of old signs, the expanse between 29 Palms and Yucca Valley are chock full.

An abandoned homestead

Low on pretense and cost, high on hidden charm, gorgeous desert views and fantastic weather (especially in the fall and spring), 29 Palms is truly out of this world.

Southen Comfort

Posted by Kerstin

I was in Virginia this past weekend, and a few exits away from the Southern Kitchen (raved about by many food writers as a superb roadside destination).

Although it’s dangerously close to bathing-suit season, I decided this was too tempting to pass up.

Located in the small town of New Market, Virginia, the large vintage sign outside says it all. No trendy food fads have tainted the down-home menu.

House specialties include peanut soup and the friend chicken platter (served with choice of two sides, ranging from the smart (house salad) to the sinful (buttered corn, fried potatoes).

I chose stewed tomatoes, forgetting that most true southern cooks put a half cup of sugar into any vegetable dish. Thankfully, it turned out to be a nice balance to the savory chicken.

I don’t know how they did it, but the fried chicken was the crispiest and most flavorful I have tasted, yet it had no greasy side effect. Note: only one napkin was needed.

And the meat inside, well, let’s just say it was juicy and tender enough to leave the plate clean. (You did see the plate above, right?) About the only unauthentic things? Our charming waitress (from New Jersey) and some of the taxidermy on the walls.

Although the atmosphere and service was no worse the wear because of it.

Sweet Surrender

Posted by Regan

Having recently moved from San Francisco to New York, I still toggle the coasts pretty regularly. A trip out West seems to always include a visit to Miette in Hayes Valley, a candy store that's equal parts Parisian confiserie and five-and-dime, with a dash of dressing-room girlishness that's irresistible.

Finding Inspiration Everywhere

  Posted by Lena

It was during my second "real" job as a junior designer for Calvin Klein that I learned to see inspiration in everything around me. It's something that is so much a part of me now. I had always been really observant, but I learned to store memories of textures, pattern, colors, etc. for future design projects.

Last month, I went on vacation to the Caribbean with my husband's family. Coming from the barren winter in New York, it was so nice to see lush plants and flowers again! There is a lot of glitz and glamour on St.
Barths, but I was drawn more to the simple beauty -- both man-made and natural.

Here are a few inspiring things I saw on my trip:

Looking up at beams, that remind me of Scandinavian woodwork

Decorative trim and bold color choices

Seeing future textile patterns everywhere...

Austin Picks

    Posted by Regan

If you are in town for SXSW, check out my picks for everything from coffee and dinner, to shopping and sightseeing.

Late Night eats or Hung-Over Brunch

Kerbey Lane

2700 South Lamar Blvd

For round-the-clock breakfast (try the special pancakes), great migas, and can't-miss queso dip.

Lamberts

Fancy-ish Dinner

Lamberts Downtown Barbecue

401 W 2nd Street

Lambert's serves "modern Texan cuisine" (that's BBQ with a high-class twist). Go there for high-quality smoked meats, innovative sides, and great homemade desserts.

 

Meet for Drinks

Hotel San Jose

1361 South Congress

There's no way you'll be scoring a room at this cool bungalow-style hotel, but you can still stop by for happy hour. Sip micheladas in the outdoor lounge area, chat with cute local hipsters, and maybe even catch a glimpse of David Byrne.

The Long Goodbye

    Posted by Sarah

Well, it has been three months since Blueprint magazine shuttered its doors. And after watching the dust settle around me and going through the five stages of grief, like, six times, I'm at last moving on.

Rather than weigh down my last Bluelines post with sappiness and soupiness, I figured I'd instead leave you with an inspiring story about turning lemons into lemonade, finding the silver lining in a cloud, seeing the glass as half full (insert every other cliche about making the best of an unfortunate situation).

If you suddenly find yourself the editor of a magazine that no longer exists, I highly recommend a trip to South Africa. Lord knows you've been too busy to take a real vacation in more than two years, and, once you suck up the steep airfare, the rest of the trip is actually pretty reasonable.

Begin your trip in Cape Town and stay at the Cape Cadogan boutique hotel.

Splurge on the Owner's Villa -- replete with a cheese-stocked refrigerator and your own personal plunge pool -- because, hey, you deserve it.

While in Cape Town, alternate fresh air and glorious views with gluttonous meals. After a morning spent hiking Table Mountain, which rises steeply over the city…

Brand New Blue

Posted by Bluelines

As promised, Bluelines has undergone a facelift (the fun kind). It might seem subtle but we've made some big additions. Here's a rundown of what's new.

If they're not already drawn there immediately, direct your eyes upward and you'll see six cool new banners by the incredibly talented artist Keith Shore. (More about him later.) We'll be rotating the artist behind our banners every month so if you'd like to be considered or want to suggest someone, please email us.

We've got a new list of contributors who'll be blogging about what inspires them, makes them laugh, and generally makes them weak in the knees. There are a few familiar faces, and a couple of new ones sprinkled in. We hope you come to like them all.

On the top left, we've tweaked our navigation, so play around with it and discover the archived treasures that lie within. Here, you'll find all of the previous Bluelines posts archived.

Navigation button No. 10 deserves a paragraph of its own. We've created a source book full of our favorite websites, blogs, artists, and resources. Here you'll also find all of Blueprint's beloved 100 Reasons To...  -- which contain a bevy of links, facts, and inspiration. We'll be adding to that list constantly, so check back often.

You'll also notice that we've created home tours of our favorite Blueprint features. Take a virtual tour of Suzanna Bierwith's Chicago row house, and watch as Sarah Humphreys's tiny Manhattan apartment goes from claustrophobic to chic. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they are also rife with great decorating tips and ideas to steal. And, of course, we'll be adding more of them.

New ideas, a new look, and new contributors -- we hope that's what you've been hankering for.

Just some of what's to come

Best Of Bluelines

Posted by Blueprint

While we're looking forward to our retooled blog, we've also been looking back at the posts over the past year. Here are just a few of our favorite posts:

120 Days Later

Too Much Of A Cute Thing

A Madman In The Heath

Creative Currents

The Writing's On The Wall

How Swede It Is

Go Ahead Jump

Making My Case

Ottoman Empire

Studio Tour: Binth

Family Trees

The Art Of Reduction

Do you have any favorite posts?

Blueprint's Legacy

Posted by Blueprint

We're so glad to see that you're excited about the new additions to the blog come March. And now we have another announcement: As of Friday February 29th, the Blueprint main page on MarthaStewart.com will cease to exist. It sounds intense, but here's what it means: If you come to Bluelines via blueprintmag.com, or through the Blueprint channel on MarthaStewart.com, please bookmark the blog's main page so you can come back. You can also still get to Bluelines via our Community and Blogs pages. (And all of those nice people's blogs who've linked to us.)

We know it's a little bit rough, so before anyone freaks out, please rest assured that all of your beloved Blueprint content will still be available online -- in fact, we've listed all the ways to find it below.

Home & Decorating

Take a peek at home ideas -- great and small with a Blueprint twist.

Also don't miss our Organizing Tip of the Day

Crafts

You'll find great DIY jewelry (a la Katie),  Page's flat-screen tv cozy, and our Craft of the Day (which includes many Blueprint ideas)

Entertaining

Find all of the Blueprint party menus, to-do lists, playlists and prep stuff here

Food

Blueprint recipes -- from soup to well nuts (...like Blueprint's roasted almonds)

roasted almonds

soup recipes

Health

Need ideas for a healthy & quick breakfast?  Want to take up jogging? Need a new makeup palette? Look no further.

and lastly...

Simply type "Blueprint" in our SEARCH box on MarthaStewart.com or any page to be directed to those great blue ideas in the sky.

*But most importantly, come here for your daily "blue" content.