I am obsessed with fashion.  If I had the chance to relive my college years, I would forgo a traditional education and would have studied fashion and had a career in that industry.   I believe you can have different passions in your lifetime and at this moment mine include travel, cooking and fashion.   I try […]

‪‎Tupelo Honey Café, located on 425 Oberlin in Raleigh, is a great addition to the beautiful Cameron Village which is home to one-of-a-kind shops, restaurants and cafes.  Although, I have not had the pleasure of visiting any of the other Tupelo locations, I was quite impressed by the décor used in the restaurant which nicely […]

 Rent the Runway (RTR).  I quickly googled RTR and as I had imagined, it is a service where you can rent designer dresses for either four or eight days.  Their website provides various search engines to help you find the perfect dress for your occasion.  Once I logged on to their website, the first thing I did was search   fee was 1/11th of the retail […]

When I first walked into Mother Earth Brewing, my first thought was that I was in Seattle or Brooklyn – not in Kinston.   The brewery’s bar was naturally sexy, modern and hip, without the pretension.  The bar has an eclectic display of artwork created by their staff and plenty of seating and room to roam around […]

What do Peru, Morrisville & rotisserie chicken have in common? Mami Nora’s Peruvian Restaurant located in Morrisville, North Carolina, of course! It all started with the Palma family, husband Julio of Peru, and wife Nora of El Salvador, after whom the business was named. Prior to calling The Triangle home, the couple and their family […]

Dollywood is a theme park located in the Knoxville-Smoky Mountains metroplex in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  The 150-acre theme park is host to thrilling rides, Splash Country water park, traditional crafts, live entertainment, delicious food, DreamMore Resort and Spa and more. I recently spent a little over 24 hours in Dollywood to experience a food-centric media […]

Isn’t wonderful when you find a treasure in your own backyard?  On 152 Morrisville Square  Way, sits Taste Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant, an unassuming, yet, surprising delight. As a start to the delectable journey, I ordered the tofu shrimp wrap rolls (Tàu Hủ Ky Cuộn). Rice paper houses a grilled shrimp patty, lettuce, mint, carrots, cucumbers and crispy […]

My favorite cafe con leche is from Café Paris in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico.  Customers often affectionately referred to it as “café lechero”.  That said, it was one of the most popular items on the menu and you did not walk into Café Paris without ordering one these coffees. Cafe con leche is a staple in most Latin American countries consisting […]

Nuts…what can I say?  They are a great ‪protein source and they pair perfectly with ‪salads, ‪desserts and ‪‎beer!  All you need for this recipe is one egg white, two tsp vanilla extract, 3 1/2 cups pecans, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, one tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp powdered ginger, 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch […]

Before this past week, I honestly did not know the difference between an Ashiatsu, a Swedish, a hot stone or a deep tissue massage.  Ashiatsu  comes from two words:  Ashi (foot) and atsu (pressure).  Ashiatsu is a massage therapy in which the therapist walks on the client’s back, using bars for support to vary pressure and weight.  How […]

Memorial Day is synonymous with BBQ’s and cookouts, but unfortunately, this City Girl does not own a grill.  Nonetheless, I did make my own All American meal using some of my favorite recipes which consisted of ‪fried chicken, Southern Living macaroni and cheese recipe, Piero’s Italian Cuisine creamed corn recipe and a pear-grape-pecan-blue cheese salad.  The salad was […]

When I met Quy Duong, it only took a couple of minutes for me to understand the love and appreciation he has for his adopted city of Raleigh.  That being said, Quy carries a fondness and passion for his natal city of Huế in Vietnam.   A graduate of NC State University and a Mechanical Engineer […]

I was in a baking bind Sunday morning while concocting my brown sugar cinnamon scones. Typically, I gather all of my ingredients first, but my kitchen is always fully stocked that it did not cross my mind that I might be missing ingredients.  While I set aside all my dry ingredients in a bowl and gathered my wet ingredients, I […]

The last time I walked into an Applebee’s restaurant, I was 18.  It was the favorite weekend spot for my gal pals and I.  That said… I grew up in a very small Texas town.  My girlfriends and I would often get together at Applebee’s for lunches, study breaks or dinner.  Occasionally we would sneak in […]