The boutique with its concrete floors and exposed brick walls carries Dwell lunch boxes, Tea clothing, and a darling assortment of toys, books, and puzzles for toddlers to age 10.
They had plenty of classic options - apple, buttermilk, coconut, etc... - but you can't really get more southern than a Coca-Cola cake, a moist almost chocolate-flavored cake topped with chocolate icing embedded with pecans. 
Buy an entire pie for anywhere from $9 to $15, depending on the ingredients, or just get a slice for $2.75.
There are also glass cases filled with fabulous turquoise belts, cuffs, and necklaces.
When you pop in, you tell the owner your budget and show her your bare feet.
She'll mill around the shop for about 3 minutes and come back with boots that fit your feet and personality perfectly. She swears she's right 8 out of 10 times. 
Folks would float by on tubes, my kids learned how to fish and caught minnows with nets, and I just laid there and watched. It was Texas paradise. 
I bought two packages of them and a little box of spiced almonds. $43 later I was in my car wondering what a $13 package of caramels tasted like. I started to drive, leaned over and opened a bag, and peeled one off its wax paper. I'm not kidding when I tell you that I drove over a curb getting onto Westheimer when I tasted this chewy salty-sweet morsel. I sucked it off the paper. I may have even eaten some paper. And now I know what a $13 bag of ten caramels tastes like.
If you already know this, than forgive me for being late to the game, but I'm flipping over the collab that Blake Mycoskie's TOMS has done with The Hockaday School (thank you, Taylor Bigler, Hockaday alum and writer of Miles to Go for clueing me in). Girls this fall will get a choice of the traditional slip on or the lace up saddle shoe and as with all TOMS for every shoe purchased, a pair goes to a child in need. Love.
My newest I-35 road trip tradition (along with kolaches at Czech Stop and a run through Style Station) is having a late lunch at the Monument Cafe in Georgetown. Rusty Winkstern, a New York native, opened his restaurant in 1995 and it's been going strong ever since. It's the kind spot where everything comes from the earth (read: seasonal and no canned goods allowed) and they serve fare your grandmother would be proud of. I've now had the most mouthwatering chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes the last two times I've been while also stealing a few - quite a few - crunchy wisp thin onion rings from my kids' plates.
Every meal starts with a complimentary homemade biscuit and butter and this last time I washed mine down with a glass of white. I love how they serve it in a simple short water glass. The cafe is based on roadside cafes of the 20s & 30s and everything down to the ragtime music, chalkboard wall menus, and stainless steel kitchen and fixtures makes you feel like you've stepped back in time. To get there take exit 262 off 35 South or 261 off 35N.
Seriously, any hotel staff that does creative sweet little things like that - for a child, no less - is tops in my book.
The best part: Get 20 percent off any Little Nest purchase now through July 10 when you visit the Nest blog and leave a comment about your favorite thing from the Little Nest Collection.
After about 20 minutes of petting dogs, saying hi to friends, and reading the poster-riddled bulletin board, we'd walk back over to the San Jose and swim for about an hour. I had no idea that a creamy latte and an 8 am swim could be so immensely pleasurable.
The staff, as always was great, but I have a newfound appreciation for them after staying here with children. The bartender, Brent, was incredibly sweet and introduced himself to C & P, told them that he'd be able to help them with whatever they needed - in this case two Coca Colas on ice. And just yesterday they called to say that C had left his Rabbit in the room and it would be promptly mailed. I think you can always judge people on how they treat children - people who dismiss anyone under 4 feet tall are immediately put on my not-so-hot list. No one this weekend made it on there.
I'm a little mad for supporting all things Texas-related, Texas companies, and Richard's Rainwater is something that I love - the company calls it "cloud juice"- and I was reminded of how good it is this weekend while at the San Jose. On 8 acres in the Hill Country right outside of Austin, this water is collected, bottled, and then sold to area retailers. If it's not at a store near you, you can always order online.
It was a really fun discovery - my favorite thing as a writer/journalist is stumbling upon something fabulous and then telling everyone I know about it. The restaurant is small with communal seating and when you enter about 1,000 forks, spoons, and knives hanging by butcher's string dangle from the ceiling. It's a big impact, but inexpensive little trick that immediately lets you know that you were in for something special. 
A big chalkboard wall has the daily menu scribbled on it and here are my suggestions: Blueberry pancakes with lemon curd, buttermilk pan fried chicken and waffles, and one of the 70 beers they have on hand. Making me hungry and thirsty thinking about it.
The Beyond Barre class is right up my alley, as I really want to get my upper legs in shape - you know I'm a fan of thigh-high hemlines worn with ridiculously high heels. There is this area that is just a little too round for me and after last night's class I think I may have found a solution to kicking it to the curb. The instructor Bethany, a lithe gamine who was a cheerleader and dance fitness instructor, made everyone a little envious of no.1 her insanely chic cropped hair cut with swoopy bangs. no. 2 her ridiculously toned thighs and stomach. no.3 her ability to do all the exercises sans the barre. The class was completely full last night so sign up online or risk being turned away at the door. And you may want to get a pair of grip socks from here or here.
See those hats? The ones above in that group shot. Those are the new fall 2010 Albertus Swanepoel-designed hats for Garland-based Stetson, a special capsule collection the iconic Texas brand put together for the upcoming season. Swanepoel has designed hats for Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera, Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Thakoon, Peter Som, the list goes on. How fabulous is it that this CFDA-nominated designer has come together with a brand that all Texans are inherently familiar?
The moment we started I could immediately feel my core working to full capacity. Owner Brandi Marino - who has the most amazingly toned arms - took us through all the motions while coaching us individually if we needed help. 15 minutes into it I was full-out sweating. Every single move took all the control and stability I could muster but Brandi was very motivating, upbeat, and the dance music was perfect. Classes are similar to Tread Fitness, in that you can buy a package of classes. The more you buy, the more you save. If you really love it, you can buy a unlimited month-long pass. If Pilates isn't your beat, try the Beyond Barre classes, a ballet-inspired workout that firms up the legs and lower abs (Come and meet me for the Tuesday night class!). It's about time that spots like this have made their way to Dallas. Finally a place where you can get a super-intense workout and attention as needed without the pricey-ness of gym membership or personal training. 
Along with the cinnamon sugar, they now serve walnut zucchini, lemon blueberry, almond cranberry, maple walnut, and what may prove to be a new favorite, apple streusel, a delectable little morsel filled with granny smith apples and topped with maple pecan streusel. 
While Crave's presentation is modern, they are thoroughly old-school when it comes to making their cakes. All the dairy used in the recipes is from Texas farms, the vanilla is Madagascar bourbon, and there are no preservatives so they don't sell what was made yesterday today. 
In fact, any cupcakes left over from the day are donated to Prepared for Life, a Houston non-profit that teaches kids life and business skills. 
Makes me thirsty for some cold, flavored milk. I happen to love the ones from Promised Land Dairy in Floresville, Texas, which is about 6 miles up the road from where I spent all my summers as a kid. Wouldn't be surprised if this is where Crave gets their goods.
The interior is so beautiful. They're opening a new location this summer in West University on Kirby.
One pair of boots take up to five days to make. The leather is hand-cut, hand-stitched, and soles are hand-nailed. That's a whole lotta love that goes into something that you put on your feet. But then again, it's always about the shoes, isn't it?
I've interviewed both architect Michael Hsu and Tyson Cole for Texas Monthly. If you want to take a peek at Cole's kitchen cabinet and what he uses in his home kitchen - think $5,000 knives - or see the tie flying obsession that Hsu has in the garage of his mid-century home, click here or here.
There's a reason that Style.com, Vogue, Lucky, Elle, and The New York Times love them. 
I've always thought that modern clean design is the hardest to do. To be able to pull back, restrain, and just whittle it down to the essentials while also making sure all the little details are compelling enough to make clothing into something much more than just a blouse, dress, or trousers. To make something sculptural that hangs on someone is like creating walking art. 
The knit loops on this black wool coat look so beautifully textured. Doesn't it make you want to reach out and touch it?
When you come in, you're offered a drink from their fully-stocked bar.
And your four-legged friends are welcome to keep up you company while you decide what you'll take home that day. 
Love the color combo of the pink shag carpet and orange damask wallpaper.
Will be in Houston in the next couple of weeks, so I'll have to put this on my must-stop list.
Tomorrow, Saturday, June 5 from noon to 5 pm, Carissa Rose is having a sample sale in their White Rock area showroom. Everything, including the styles pictured here, is $25! Most CR pieces run more than $100. The showroom address is 606 Northlake Drive, Dallas, 75218. Cash only. 
these Jeffrey Campbell's - below - on Intermixonline.com, with their creamy tan texture are the winners. Now, if I could just find them in a size 7, I'd be set, but they seem to be sold out everywhere. 
