Bath Junkie

I walk into a shop, one of the new ones across from the Quarry.  It is nestled among several storefronts that promise to treat my body from head to toe.  Why would this one stand out?

Well, for one thing, I have a generous coupon, thanks to Living Social, my new coupon addiction.  That, and Groupon.  I can spend $35 at Bath Junkie, and I only paid $15 for the certificate.

When I visit a new store, I like to walk the perimeter, browsing the items, and then coming back up the center.  I don't choose anything until I've seen it all.  So, I start here.  I pick up a container of white bath salts. Ok, I am a self-described bath junkie.  I'm sure the scent will take me away to some vanilla-infused paradise with just one whiff.  I unscrew the container, ready to inhale my little vacation.  And I smell - nothing.  Not a thing.  Not a bit of vanilla.  Not a hint of marshmallowy goodness.  Not even peppermint to awaken my senses.  What else could white smell like?

I am disappointed.  I put it back, and walk to another counter.  Shampoos and lotions.  I pick up a container - it is empty.  I pick up another one - empty.  Ok, other than The Container Store, where do you go to buy empty items?

At the very end of the store, I see row upon row of little colored vials - two hundred of them.  Aha.  I think I'm getting the picture.  This reminds me of the time I was in Egypt in a perfume shop, where I could customize a scent under the tutelage of ancient secret keepers.

"Welcome to Bath Junkie", said the perky clerk.  "It's like Build-a-Bear for the Bath!"  Surely, she did not come up with this line.  No doubt, it was passed along in a corporate memo during training.

Yet, as I start to understand the concept, there is no more apt description.  It is, indeed, like Build-a-Bear for the bath.  The containers are empty because they are waiting for your opinion, your seal, your signature on your products.

"Let me show you."  She's going to make me a convert yet.

She walks me over to a contemporary glass sink, and pours warm water over my hands from stainless steel carafe.  I choose from three pre-made scents, and she massages my hands with a body scrub.  She explains all its benefits, and has me convinced at "shaving".  Anything to make that a better experience.

I'm becoming a believer.  This is a one stop shop to coordinate your body scrub, body wash, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, body oils, household cleaning products, and yes, even your pet products!  How luxurious.  I think of my bath experience that morning.  I washed my hair in citrus-scented shampoo and conditioner.  I washed with lavender soap.  I rubbed on cellulite cream that smelled like, well, cellulite cream.  I finished my newly shaved legs with coconut/mango lotion that I bought in Hawai'i.  I must have walked out of the bathroom like someone - someone that had not been to Bath Junkie.

Ok, so given the prices, I may not be a regular. However, now I know that if I want to smell like a waft of floating almonds (my all-time favorite flavor), I have only to buy all of my products from Bath Junkie. 

Bath Junkie
350 E. Basse Road
San Antonio, TX 78206
210-824-7837
www.bathjunkie.com

Kate's Frosting

Purses and cupcakes and scarves, oh, my!

Dorothy won't be nostalgic for Oz when she steps into Kate's Frosting, a recent San Antonio favorite.

Nestled along quiet Main Street in Monte Vista, Kate's Frosting is a colorful oasis hidden inside a plain storefront.

Girls might be immediately drawn to the goodies on the right - boutique accessories of all sorts.  Children might like the back room made of chalkboards.  But one look forward will reveal that the real goodies are located straight ahead - the cupcake counter.

Chocolate and vanilla play the leading roles,  but they are joined by a regular cast of Carrot Cake, Ruby Slipper (red velvet), strawberry and lemon.  Depending on the day of your attendance, you might find such guest stars as Lucky 7UP (soaked in 7UP with a lemon-lime frosting), Pina Colada (tropical pineapple coconut), or the shocking Margarita - complete with a straw!

Kate also adds a twist on a Texas Favorite, Big Red.

Cupcake parties and cupcake catering are other services that bring sweetness to a whole new level.

The young entrepreneur followed her dreams of owning a store that sells cupcakes by opening the shop in 2007.  Word-of-mouth enthusiasm prompted her to open an Alamo Heights location, Cupcake Cabin, tucked in a secret little corner across from Caimbridge Elementary.



One bite, and you will be a regular.

Kate's Frosting
2518 N. Main
210-248-9809
www.katesfrosting.net

Pearl Farmer's Market

Whenever I think of Rome, I don't think of the Vatican or the Colesseum or anything else that might spring to most people's minds.  I think back to when I was eight years old, on my second of what would be three trips (so far) to the Eternal City.

My most vivid memory is walking out of the convent hotel on the Piazza Farnese, through a narrow cobblestone street, passing the bakery with the to-die-for chocolate eclairs, and suddenly entering the wide and colorful Campo di Fiori.

Resplendent with colored awnings shading stalls, it is a stunning and intoxicating Farmer's Market.  The flowers, the fruit, the vegetables, the nuts, the honey, make the Campo di Fiori the peacock of the city.  My dream is to take my children to Rome someday, and I often browse apartment rental sites, always searching for something on the Campo.

Last year in Boston, I encountered a city market that bore the closet domestic resemblance to the Campo that I have ever seen.  Lancaster, Pennsylvania's market brought its own German touch and I always looked forward to the pot pie and the apple dumplings that could be found there.

This morning, I attended the Pearl Farmer's Market for the first time.  While it's not quite a rival for the Italian one, it is by far the best market that I have seen in San Antonio.  Located alongside Highway 281 and encompassed by the reclaimed and restored industrial setting of Pearl Brewery, this market brings life and color into the space.

Immediately I bought Dandy Tangerines, was tempted by purple cauliflower, and inhaled the scent of the handmade lavender/lemon soaps.  I purchased olive oil that was so fresh that it was bottled just last week at Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard near Elmendorf.  I was warmed by the hot chocolate.  And, I got to surprise my husband with some delicious bison jerky.

Prices were almost all better than what I would find at HEB, and I was buying directly from the growers.  The granola crowd was all out, dogs in tow, and it felt like a special community waiting to invite me in.

Held every Saturday at 9am, the Pearl Farmer's Market often features cooking demonstrations from area chefs, is a stone's throw from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, and just steps from the Riverwalk.

Today, the market featured a holiday addition - there were stalls with jewelry markers, fabric painters, a glass blower, and live music.  Last month, the Annual Herb Festival was moved to this location, and no doubt many other events will enhance the market throughout the year.

However, whether there is a special event planned or not, the Pearl Farmer's Market is special all on its own, and well worth a visit.  Or several.

Pearl Farmer's Market
200 East Grayson
San Antonio, TX 78215

San Antonio Riverwalk Expansion

East meets West.

This phrase is usually meant to point out two contrasting entities that are blended into a harmony.

Nowhere is this more literal than in the city of Istanbul.  First Byzantium, then Constantinople, Istanbul has been a global crossroads for nearly all of the civilized history of the world.

Rob and I honeymooned in this exotic city twelve years ago.  I can still smell the spices of the Iskender kabobs, remember the alabaster bathrooms of the Dolmabahce Palace, and hear the prayers sung from the minarets of the mosques.  But my very, very favorite memory of Istanbul was riding on a boat on the Bosporus River.  You see, Istanbul lies on two continents.  Half of the city is in Europe, and half of the city is in Asia. 

East meets West.  This contrast, this blending of cultures was so apparent as we sailed along.  To my left, Europe.  To my right, Asia.  Fascinating. 

Contrasts are captivating to me, and they follow my life.  I enjoyed sitting on the remote banks of the Susquehanna River when I lived in Pennsylvania, and yet I was equally comfortable walking down 5th Avenue in New York City.  I love homes where colored walls meet crisp, white trim.   My iPod will play Mozart, followed by U2.

So, I was pleasantly surprised today when we discovered a new contrast in San Antonio - the Riverwalk Expansion.   

Now, contrast is not new to San Antonio, which is part of why I like it.  The flair of the Mexican culture blends with the rigidity of the German culture.  (I'm German, so I can say that.)  The historic Alamo stands in the shadow of the towering buildings of the modern age. 

The Riverwalk is perhaps the biggest contract.  Locals meet tourists.  The serenity of the river is mixed with the liveliness of the restaurants. 

Today, we drove to Pearl Brewery and parked near the start of the main part of the expansion.  I was just looking forward to a nice walk with my family.  But, I walked away with an even deeper love of my city.

The first sound you hear is the rushing of water.  A wide waterfall borders a circular area, meant for river taxis to do their turn-arounds.  As you walk on, the river narrows just a bit, and resembles what you know of the original Riverwalk - sidewalks on either side.

But, the comparisons stop there.  This part of the Riverwalk is quiet, a haven for cyclists and walkers.  Tourists are not stopping to read menus and look for directions.  This is the local's Riverwalk.

The first contrast that is apparent to me is the newness and crispness of this expansion, surrounded by the older, industrial part of San Antonio.  Staring with the Pearl Brewery - itself, a reincarnation, the River is flanked by a parking lot of semi trucks, backs of commercial buildings, windows broken on abandoned buildings.  But, instead of being ugly, the scene is one of harmony between nature and industry.  It is the mix of the guts of the city with the spirit of the city.

As we turn the corner, we see see a concrete, fairytale-like grotto, with yet another waterfall.  We sit on a bench, and feel like we are in a cave.  This is the $3.5 million project of local artist Carlos Cortes, a favorite of mine.  His work can also be seen at La Cantera - the tree-like tables outside of the food court, and the Easter Island heads at the playground, as well as the bus stop outside of Central Market and many other places in the city.

He has outdone himself with the grotto.

The next art project is a school of colorful sunfish under the freeway.  Hung by cables, and illuminated from within at night, the fish give the feel of being under the water, at one with nature.  This is an amazing feat for a highway overpass.  I love the contrast and the surprise.

A little further down, we we encounter a tunnel of sound, playing the music of birds in a rainforest, and another underpass full of color and mirror-like strips.  We walk past the San Antonio Museum of Art, the home of indoor art, surrounded by outdoor art. 

The kids are getting tired at this point, so we end our walk near the locks.  I convince them to sit and wait for the river taxis to come by so that we can watch them in the "boat elevators".  Twenty minutes later, not one, but TWO boats came by and entered the locks at the same time.  As one boat descended slowly and headed towards downtown, another one rose towards us and made its way back to the Pearl Brewery.

And, so did we. 

Our afternoon was a wonder of sights, sounds, contrasts, and an even deeper pride for our city.  With the San Antonio Riverwalk Expansion, this city is embracing art and nature, and making an even bigger place for itself on the map.  I look forward to coming back soon and discovering more.

Click here to learn about taking a River Taxi ride.

Flour Power Cafe

I'm a sucker for anything promising bright colors and a cheery time.  I still love coloring books and jawbreakers.

So, I was intrigued when a multi-colored, hippie-fonted sign went up on Huebner advertising the Flour Power Cafe and Bakery.

It's one of those places that I've been meaning to try, but my life as a working mom of four has limited my free time.  Today, though, I was having some mommy time with Mary Teresa (4), and decided to take her to lunch.

I had intended to get there early, before the lunch rush.  I have learned the hard way that fellow diners don't always appreciate the antics of little ones, so this is the prime time for me to dine.  However, a layover at Bed, Bath, and Beyond got me there right at noon.  I braced myself for the lunch crowds.

They never showed up.

Flour Power Cafe, painted every color of the rainbow, was sadly lacking customers.

Only the third ones there, we chose a table by the window.  Mary Teresa was excited about ordering a pizza and playing tic-tac-toe.  I had fun looking at the extensive menu, and I can say truthfully that I have rarely had so much trouble deciding on my order.  There were so many choices, and they looked delicious.

Leaning towards the salmon burger (yum!), I switched last minute to the muffuletta, in tribute to my visits to New Orleans.  I also ordered a mango peach smoothie.

Much later, (I think they may have been growing the peaches and curing the salami), our lunch came out.  What they lacked in timing, they made up for in taste and in friendliness.

The bread of the muffuletta was intoxicating, and the smoothie was fresh and delicious.  The homemade potato salad had lovely chunks of hard-boiled eggs, and was not overpowered by mayonnaise, as many potato salads are.

Besides offering yummy lunches, Flour Power Cafe serves breakfast, does catering, and makes made-to-order cakes and desserts.  In addition, they host birthday parties where your budding chef can invite their friends, don an apron, and make pizza and cupcakes.

In my opinion, Flour Power Cafe has a few kinks to work out, but I recommend giving them a chance.  I plan to go back soon and try that salmon burger.  And, then again later, to work my way through the menu.

Note:  There are two coupons for Flour Power Cafe in the new addition of the Entertainment Book.  One coupon is good for $5 off of a $20 order, and another is for Buy One Get One Free entress.

Flour Power Cafe
11703 Huebner, Suite 200
San Antonio, TX 78230
210-694-9288

Click here for the Flour Power Cafe website, featuring their menu and custom cake selections!

Bygones on Broadway

It took ten years of marriage and six moves for my husband and I to finally furnish a place that we could call home.

We started with the standard newlywed furniture. A white couch from his parents, tables from The Bombay Company, a bed from my childhood, and various items from Ikea to fill in the blanks.

All this time, we watched HGTV, gathered ideas, and tried to define our style. When we moved into our permnent home, we were ready to get to work.

We knew that we wanted our home to reflect our love of Texas, while being tasteful. Texas decor can definitely be over the top.

I drove all over San Antonio, kids in tow, waiting to be inspired.

Inspiration struck at an unusual store called Anteks on San Pedro. They were going out of business, and were advertising big sales.

Wandering around rustic wood pieces and wrought iron accessories, I found it - a round, five-foot diameter ottoman in various patterns of authentic longhorn hide. It was stunning. A definite conversation piece.

Rob loved it as much as I did, and we made the unthinkable splurge on this item with which we would build our whole  Living Room/Dining Room around.

The ottoman set back our furniture budget, and sat alone - literally alone, in the large room for about a year.  But boy, was it that conversation piece!  Everyone that came in loved it, and it became the place that I would sit and visit with friends since the only other choice was, well, the floor.

The ottoman sparked many nice chats, so it got me to thinking - why not fill the room with conversation pieces?  I think that in the world of interior design, this technically means having a piece that stands out among the rest, and to overdo it would be gaudy.  I didn't want to go in that direction, but I wanted every piece to be well-thought out.

Our second piece was inspired by a table at StoneWerks in Stone Oak.  I go to dinner once a month with six other friends, and with the size of our group, conversations often get split between the sides of the table.  But, at StoneWerks, we were seated at a square table.  Everyone could see each other easily, and it allowed the conversation to be more unified.

Could I reproduce this effect?

I looked high and low for a square table, but I could never find out.  Rectangles, ovals and circles had the corner on the table market.  A circle would have served the same purpose, but it wouldn't have fit in with my desire to do something unique.

I finally found a table that I liked at Monterrey Furniture.  Rustic Mexican pine, very sturdy legs - it was great.  And, it was a rectangle.  They often advertised their ability to make custom furniture, so I asked them if they could take that table and make it into a square.  No problem.

Several weeks later, I had my massive square table in my Dining Room.  It fit like a glove.  And for these years since, it has been as much a conversation piece as the ottoman.

We filled in here and there - a red couch and red slipper chairs, a trunk as a coffee table, a sisal rug to pull it together, and a Pottery Barn chandelier that made it look like there were candles flickering above our heads.  All of the pieces have been received a lot of comments.  Another favorite is a wall of pictures that I have, which I first saw on an episode of "Divine Design" with Candace Olsen.  They were perfectly hung (I cheated with a template!), and filled with family photos that I had ordrered in a sepia tone.  Click here to see the frame display.

I was excited that this major area of our home was finally coming together.

But, there was one gaping, empty spot.

The dining room table hadn't taken up all of the space, and I knew that a sideboard would be the perfect addition.  Again, I looked high and low., but I only found mass-produced items that wouldn't work with my ecletic theme.

And then, I walked into Bygones on Broadway.

Owned by a mother and daughter, Bygones (now also with a location in Castle Hills) is a furniture consignment store with the highest of standards.  Located near Alamo Heights, it attracts customers with unique pieces of good quality.

I had been before, but usually just to browse, without a particular piece in mind.  I was getting desperate in my search for a sideboard, though, and decided to try it out.

As soon as I walked in, it was there, as if it were waiting for me.  Just the right length, just the right height.  Dark wood to contrast with my light pine table.  Panels on the doors, distressed and tastefully touched with a brush of turquoise. 

I was in love.

My mother-in-law was with us, and saw the possibilities for it as well.  But, I didnt want to buy the piece without Rob having seen it.  It wasn't cheap, but it was perfect.  What would he say?

For a few days, I tried to get him to go to the store with me, but it didn't work out.  I got really worried that it would be gone.  Being a one-of-a-kind kind of piece, I knew that I would never find it again, and that nothing else would work in that space as well as it did.

Mother-in-law to the rescue!  She saw my anguish and decided to make things easy - she would get it for us as a Christmas present!  I was so happy!  I called the store immediately, and a few days later, it was sitting in our home.  Rob loved it and agreed that it was the ideal piece for the space.

Now, our home is fully furnished, but I still stop into the two Bygones locations frequently.  If you love interior design, it is a haven away from the cookie-cutter stores.  It is a spark for your imagination as you look around and piece rooms together in your head.  Now that my mother-in-law has moved to San Antonio, she also drank the Bygones Kool-Aid, and has begun furnishining her house almost exclusively from it. 

She's not quite done, though, so I see more shopping expeditions in our future.  I will just have to sacrifice myself and go with her.  So she won't be lonely.  Yes, that's right.

Note:  For more of a flea-market feel in the world of consignment, try the nearby store, Off My Rocker, located off of Olmos Circle.

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Bygones on Broadway
3615 Broadway
San Antonio, TX 78209
210-828-1424

Bygones of Castle Hills
2211 NW Military Highway #107
San Antonio, TX 78213
210-348-1919

IHOP Cafe

The place was Denver.  The time was 2am, Christmas morning in the late 1980s.

While the world was asleep, dreaming of sugarplums, two families walked down the aisle of a marble-clad downtown church.  The choir had just completed the "Hallelujah" chorus.  Thousands of lights sparkled on towering Christmas trees.  The children were getting hungry.

They were adorned in all of their Christmas finery - the mothers in fur, the girls in patent leather shoes.  The boys had ties, loosened and unkepmt after a long Midnight Mass.  The fathers smelled of incense, as they had served at the altar and been surrounded by the sweet, prayerful smoke for the past two hours.

The families walked outside into the dark, bitter cold, and the mothers pulled their furs around their bodies a little tighter.  Holding the smaller children's hands, they walked across the deserted street to the parking lot.

No one was ready to go home to sleep.  Perhaps the children thought that they would get a glimpse of Santa.  Perhaps they were lured by the promise of pancakes.

This was the Christmas of my childhood.

One particular year, we made plans with another family to go to the International House of Pancakes after Midnight Mass.  I was excited for so many reasons - the promise of presents in the morning, the thrill of being dressed up at a pancake restaurant, but most especially, because the cute altar boy that I not-so-secretly liked was going with us.

The steep, orange roof of the restaurant was dwarfed by a five-story abandoned factory next door.  We walked into the International House of Pancakes (no one called it IHOP then), and stood out among the few customers that were dining at this desolate hour.  A haze of stale cigarette smoke hovered, and a discontent waitress resented that she was there. 

You've come a long way, baby.......

The pancake house of my youth bears no resemblence to the IHOP of today.  And, the IHOP of tomorrow bears no resemblence of the IHOP of today.

When we think of this iconic eatery, we think of crowded tables, smiley-faced pancakes, and children all over. 

But not the IHOP Cafe.  This is the Starbucks of pancakes.

The IHOP Cafe, located at NW Military and West in Castle Hills, opened just recently, and is the pilot location for the whole country.  That's right, the only one in the world is right here in San Antonio.

The IHOP Cafe is clean, fresh, and has a contemporary neighborhood vibe.  Small, but bright, this is an ideal place to meet a friend for a casual breakfast. 

The reduced menu still has hearty offerings, smoothies, and coffee.  Your order is taken at a counter, and you wait in a shiny red seat for your order to be ready.

Inexpensive and quick, and equipped with free Wi-Fi, this is an experiment that is sure to succeed in our era of troubled economy and hurried pace. 

We may just see one on every corner in upcoming years, just like a certain behemoth coffee house.  Aren't we lucky to get to try it out first?

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IHOP Cafe
Click here to visit the IHOP Cafe Website!
2195 Northwest Military Highway
San Antonio, TX 78213
210-524-9960