New Mexico Part 3: Canyon Road

Click here for Part 2.

When one is in New Mexico, some time around the plaza in Santa Fe is welcome. Maybe a limeade from the cart in the afternoon (or even some tamales if you please), or perhaps a gander at the Southwestern jewelry. 

This time I discovered a new (to me) store. Passementrie sells artisan clothing made with fabric with hand-blocked patterns. For the materials and quality and style, their prices are reasonable, too. I liked their Santa Fe Dress with Cap Sleeves (actually I think it's the Top, but it's dress length, too). Feminine shapes, colors, and patterns that stand apart from trends. You can dress them up or down and fit them into a variety of styles. (The dress I'm wearing in the picture is not from there, though I am standing outside the shop.)

And then of course nearby the plaza area is Canyon Road, home to the art galleries. You could spend hours there visiting each one during the day if you like, or simply stroll on the outside in the cool evening. The buildings and the landscape are classic Santa Fe. 

For classic Santa Fe fine dining, Canyon Road is also home to Geronimo Restaurant. The 1756 adobe has fresh white walls and tablecloths paired with muted lighting. Pictured is the Mocha Caramel Tart, which was perhaps a bit more like a mousse than a tart. But it was still pretty, a quiet way to finish off a Santa Fe day.

Click here for Part 4.

New Mexico Part 2: Sazon

Click here for Part 1.

Food can be nourishment, and food can be pleasing, and food can be fun. On my visit to New Mexico last month, an evening at Sazon in Santa Fe was a course of curious adventures and a chance to peek around each corner in wonder and delight at what new flavors might come up next. Chef Fernando Olea takes traditional Mexican cuisine and molds it and gives it flourish so as to create a unique effect.

Our adventure began with tiny tortillas and coin-sized circles of four different moles. A good tortilla is already enough to get me excited, though of course in this case it's the mole that's the center of attention. The tasting makes for a conversation piece for the table as everyone shares their favorite of the four. My favorites were the green (as my preference is generally for green) and the orange one, which was made with fruit and white chocolate and reminded me of a sweet empanada. If you order an entree with mole, this is also your chance to be sure that you choose the mole you personally like best. 

My beverage was the Sazonrita, which came with a red chile salt rim. For appetizers, we had the Xochimilco, the Oaxaquenos, and the squash blossoms. The latter were a pleasant surprise as they weren't on the regular menu. These were not the first squash blossoms I've had, but they were definitely my favorite. Even with the batter, you could still taste the light squash flavor of the blossoms. 

I decided that Sazon would be the best place for the Oaxaquenos, which are baby grasshoppers with olive oil, garlic citrus, and chile de arbol on a corn tortilla with avocado. I've only had crickets in chocolate before (here's the link to that review), so this was going to be a bit different. But again, if you're going to try something that feels a little strange, it's nice to taste them in a place where you know things are prepared well. So yes, it's visibly a grasshopper taco, but the taste is nothing strange. In fact, though, I also didn't find an abundance of layered flavor here. So I preferred the squash blossoms. 

The Xochimilco is corn truffle also on tortillas. This was the most beautiful of the three on the plate with a colorful flower to accompany each serving. Because we ordered three appetizers, they were also a chance, like with the mole, to compare everyone's favorite. 

My entree was the Berenjena, which is a stuffed eggplant with zucchini, corn, tomato, and gruyere. Though it looks petite in the picture, in person it was sizable. Though an entree is generally the heavier element of a dinner, it worked out nicely for me that the vegetables made for a lighter dish given that it was just one in a series of things that I ate. 

Because by this point I had found faith in the cuisine, I decided to have the signature dessert, the Dolce Sinfonia. Avocado ice cream with jalapeño beet puree and piñon nuts, like the chapulines (grasshoppers), sounded adventurous compared with what I normally eat. But goodness was this dessert intriguing. The chef likes to play with hot and cold and with texture and development of flavor, and this dessert showcases that style. The texture of the ice cream is slightly different from typical ice cream; it's fluffier and more substantial somehow while also seeming not as cold. There is initially avocado flavor, and the touch of spice develops in so that each bite is a layer of flavor. Though this isn't a traditionally sweet dessert, the beet adds in a hint of sweetness, as does the decorative sugar piece. As I ate it, I pictured it to be just an intriguing dessert to try, and yet I have found myself craving it since then. It was the perfect finish to the evening. 

Sazon's reputation is well-deserved. You will receive not only excellent food but an entire adventure of flavor. The food is the destination and the journey. 

Click here for Part 3.

New Mexico Part 1: Kakawa Chocolate House

Kakawa Chocolate House in Santa Fe has special meaning to me because, in a way, it launched my chocolate blogging path. That is, I was doing so-called practice reviews for some months before summer of 2008. But it was after that visit to Kakawa that I pitched myself to Chocablog.com and began writing for them (for about five years). 

My most recent visit to Kakawa Chocolate House last month will this time launch me back into blogging. In fact, there was quite a bit from that trip to set the spark again after my recent blogging break. But we all need a break sometimes, right? And now that I'm coming back in, I have plenty of content, so those posts will be showing up in the coming weeks. 

Now back to Kakawa. Arriving in Santa Fe, I thought a chocolate stop would be the perfect afternoon pick-me-up and time-filler before hotel check-in. While Kakawa Chocolate House also has iced tea and ice cream, their specialty is drinking chocolate. There are contemporary blends but the historical ones are more fun. I favor the feminine, European ones, but the closest thing on the day's menu was a Mesoamerican option, the Rose Almond. It's made with almonds, roses, Chipotle Morita Chili, and Mexican vanilla and sweetened with coconut sugar. One of the advantages with the historical chocolates is that they're mainly made with water (versus milk), so you sidestep the whole milk/milk-alternative question.

The drinking chocolates come in these lovely Oaxacan cups, which you can also purchase. Even if the small size seems too small at first, I definitely recommend it: these drinking chocolates are rich. The rose and almond gave some sweetness to the hefty chocolate, and the chili flavor developed in as a life-giving spark. It's chocolate to savor and to energize both. And of course if you want to take some home (or order from home), you can buy dry bags of the mix and make some at home.

I also got two truffles to enjoy there and a caramel for later. The Goat Cheese & Sage Truffle was quite the flavor experience. The sage gives the earthy quality (and also the Santa Fe/Southwest touch), and the goat cheese gives the creaminess. It was only perhaps a little too cheesy for me, so I would have preferred to split it with someone. But the flavors were wonderful to experience. The Horchata Truffle, made with canela and rice milk, felt very classic to me but is also uniquely Mexican-inspired for anyone especially wanting region specific flavors. Caramel and milk chocolate flavors carried out in a gourmet way is a sure winner for me.

The Rose Caramel I didn't photograph since I took it with me. It was a generous square covered in chocolate with I believe a touch of rose sugar on the corner, if memory serves me correct. And I'm sorry I didn't take a picture because I absolutely loved it. I've mentioned how I very much like rose and it doesn't show up in chocolate as often as other flavors like lavender do these days. And usually when you do find rose, it's paired with something else (like raspberry or cardamom). This was just a pure, strong, rose-flavored caramel dipped in chocolate. If I could get this where I live, it would be one of my go-to treats. It exactly satisfied my desire for rose flavor. I don't believe I've had Kakawa's caramels in the past. From this one, I'll definitely be tempted to try a few more flavors next time I'm in Santa Fe. 

While there, I also purchased a couple of chocolate bars from other companies that I'll get to reviewing after I make my way through the New Mexico trip posts. So whatever it is you're after, Kakawa Chocolate House is a definite place to stop if you're in Santa Fe. Whether it's just a cup of drinking chocolate or some caramel or ice cream or a stash of chocolate bars, you'll be glad you stopped at the little brown adobe-style building on the corner. I always am. 

Click here for Part 2.

Red Earth

Sometimes the word "poetry" does not fall off the tongue well. To say that I like reading poetry sounds odd, like something I wouldn't want to admit--or like a phrase that doesn't quite convey what I might mean if I were to say that. The thing is, poetry is so personal, more so than prose. There are so many forms and approaches that poetry can take, so tastes in poetry vary just as much as (if not more than) tastes in novels.

I'm settling into what kind of poetry I like, and so I am having less difficulty in saying the word "poetry." In college, I favored the Romantics (I still love to pick up my Complete Works of John Keats when I need to read his words), and now I favor the poetry of the Southwest. In April I read Clara Emily Guión Aguirre's The Poplar Tree and in May I read Ofelia Zepeda's Where Clouds Are Formed and now I have just finished Alice Corbin's Red Earth. I picked this one up at the museum shop at the Palace of the Governor's in Santa Fe.

What is, first thing, interesting to note when considering these three poetry collections in the same sentence is the difference in the writer's backgrounds. Aguirre and Zepeda were/are both from the Southwest. Corbin moved to New Mexico in 1916 as an adult for her health--and then quite fell in love with the region and its peoples. Though she became an advocate for preserving and encouraging the local arts, she was a "white" newcomer. This makes her approach to her poems significantly different from Aguirre's and Zepeda's.

Because of all of this background, you will definitely want to read Lois Rudnick's Introduction to this reprint of Red Earth. She talks about Alice's life and her influence on literature and on Santa Fe. She also gives some interpretation on the poetry and discussion of context and certain "complications" that arise when an outsider attempts to represent a culture. Perhaps I shouldn't say outsider, but that's the simple way of putting it: Alice Corbin seemed to really appreciate the lives and cultures of the people she met in Santa Fe. From them, she gained a new perspective and a new way of looking at life.

She conveys these discoveries within this poetry collection. The tone, I would say, isn't quite as soft as Aguirre's, nor as sacred as Zepeda's. But these poems do also contain appreciation and gratefulness for what the earth and life offer. As Rudnick points out, there are various styles in the different poems. Because Corbin had spent so much time in modern literature before moving to the Southwest, she's able to bring a certain style to the familiar places and imagery that you don't usually come across in this context. So she definitely offers something a little different from what I had grown used to finding in Southwestern poetry.

That's about all I have to say for now. Lois Rudnick did such a wonderful job of highlighting the important pieces or lines in this book that I feel like I don't have much to add. I'll just say that my appreciation for this book also grew as I read about Alice's life and opinions. She had a great influence on the art scene and on the preservation of local New Mexican culture. New Mexico is such an inspiring place because of the land but also because there is some preservation and continuation of what people created there and from there. The history of New Mexico is . . . the history of life. The land is life, in all of its circles.

Joliesse Chocolates: Abundantia Lavender Caramel

Now that I've finished going through all the truffles I brought back from Santa Fe, I'm starting in on the chocolate bars. First up is a flavored one from the gift shop at El Rancho de las Golondrinas, which is a great spot on the outskirts of Santa Fe for a visit. This chocolate, however, is not made in Santa Fe; it is from the nearby Albuquerque. Given that I usually don't spend any time in Albuquerque and therefore have not bothered to look up chocolate shops there, I hadn't heard of Joliesse Chocolates before. But this chocolate passed the ingredients test (no to fillers or artificial junk, yes to real cream and vanilla), which usually bodes well.

The gift shop, presumably, chose to carry this particular chocolate because of the lavender. Not only is lavender very Santa Fe, but the ranch also has a lavender festival each year. So it is fitting. But after the wonderful lavender caramel truffle from Chocolate + Cashmere, would this one still satisfy?

It turns out, naturally, that this is a very different experience. It's more casual and straightforward and the lavender flavor is a bit different, as well.

Abuntantia, the back of the wrapper tells me, is the goddess of the harvest and plenty (cuisine, essentially), with lavender being an important part of cuisine since Roman times. It is a pretty wrapper, with Abundantia's image and a purple background. The chocolate bar is pretty, too, though it had some bloom to it. Again, I can't say if this formed after I purchased the chocolate or after; but as it's merely aesthetic, it isn't a big deal either way.

I'm not sure if you can tell from pictures, but this is quite a thick bar, probably double or so the thickness of a regular chocolate bar. It's also square in shape. The overall feel makes it seem quite solid and big, though it's a standard 60 grams. Once again, a possible product of time spent traveling: there as some caramel already leaking out of the chocolate when I unwrapped it.

As soon as you bite into the chocolate, the lavender strikes you. It's the fruity and citrusy type of lavender, rather like a Lavender Earl Grey tea. I perhaps prefer the more floral lavender flavor of the aforementioned truffles, but that could be a personal preference.

While the lavender is quite a strong flavor, you do get to taste the chocolate as well because you have two thick layers of it, top and bottom with the caramel in the middle. This must be the reason, after all, why the chocolate is so thick. This is a fairly standard decent dark chocolate (it's a 70% cocoa content). No flavor notes, really, nor either bitterness or sweetness. Just chocolate flavor. I'd compare it to Ghirardelli.

It's a good chocolate but not a "wow" chocolate. The right thing to pick up and eat right away, as fits in best at the gift shop where I found it. It would be nice for sharing, if the caramel didn't make it messy. So you'll just have to get one all to yourself. It is a little pricey at $6.50, especially if you're not sharing. But you know what, the chocolate is good quality and so is the caramel, and there's a price for all that--and this is a fairly big bar of chocolate.

Kakawa Chocolate House: Truffles

Click here to read my post on the Kakawa Chocolate House shop and drinking chocolate.

Last time I was at Kakawa Chocolate House, I remember that we bought some chili chocolates. This is when chili chocolates were still a new thing to me, so I found it all exciting. But this time I set out to try some of their truffles. After all, if their drinking chocolate is so impressive, their truffles must be, as well, right?

And oh, yes, they are.

Now, I by no means want to be directly comparing the three types of truffles I bought while in Santa Fe: they each have a different style and were good in their own way. But given that I tried the Kakawa truffles last, they were stunningly sophisticated coming after the more casual truffles from the other two places.

When I bought them, the woman helping me asked if I wanted them in a bag or a box. A bag is fine if you're eating them right away, but I got a box since I was planning to bring them home first. The brown box has a blue Kakawa sticker and also keeps the truffles safe in blue tissue. All very nice. Then I went a few days without seeing the truffles, so they took me by surprise when I saw them. After all, I didn't get that close of a look at them through the case in the shop. They're sleek and simple with the right touches of embellishment and they give off a rich chocolate aroma.

French Dark Truffle - "72% Dark Chocolate, Cream, Milk, Butter, 24K Gold" - With a square shape, this one is plain except for a pattern of the Kakawa Chocolate logo. The effect blends rustic and modern styles. The chocolate smells rich and heady, like a brownie made with lots of top notch chocolate. The bite is fairly soft, and the truffle is rich and smooth in both flavor and texture. There is a little hint of bitterness around the edges, so it's good for dark chocolate lovers, perhaps unlike some of the truffles I've been looking at lately. Somehow you get a taste of cocoa powder as you do with the traditional French truffles that are rolled in cocoa powder. There is still some of the sweetness from the ganache, so the chocolate isn't completely devoid of sweetness; however, you do tend to get more of the light bitterness. It's quite the chocolate hit.

Berry Champagne - "72% and 40% Chocolate, Strawberry & Raspberry Puree, Champagne, Butter, Vanilla" - One plain truffle and one flavored truffle for variety. This one is round with just a swipe of gold paint. Once again, this combines the look of old and new and works superbly. When you slice this one open, the ganache inside doesn't look as if it has berries: it looks even in texture and also in its brown color. There is, however, a light berry aroma, and the berry flavor hits instantly on tasting. The strawberry and raspberry are fairly equal in the amount of flavor that they give. I don't know that I necessarily taste the champagne; it could be that the flavor blends in with the raspberries. Of course, you taste the chocolate less in this truffle than in the French. It's still rich, though, coming across a little warmer in flavor and not at all bitter. The ganache is still smooth but thicker. The milk chocolate seems to make this one melt more quickly than the French did, making it vanish rather quickly. The chocolate in here is wonderful, even underneath the berry flavor. The milk chocolate adds in those touches of sweetness along with the berries, and yet it all stays enclosed within the concept of dark chocolate. This makes for a serious effect.

In fact, both of these truffles are for when you're serious about chocolate. If you like sweet chocolate or mediocre chocolate, these aren't for you. "Fun" means something different in this context. I don't mean to be strangely blunt or snobby here, but these are just the facts. These are truffles not candies. There are probably a few people who won't appreciate them. But for the rest of us, oh, they're divinity. The chocolate that they use, the textures that they come up with, and the flavors that they put together are simply perfect.

So don't stop at the drinking chocolate. Also get at least a couple of truffles to eat later or when you get home (of course, you do want to make sure you don't wait too long to eat them since fresh truffles have short shelf lives). They will help you relive the Kakawa Chocolate House experience of casual sophistication.

Todos Santos: Truffles

Todos Santos: Chocolates & Confections is a funny little shop. Around the Plaza area in Santa Fe, it's tucked away in the back of one section: you have to walk past the shops in front and a small garden area to get to it. Now, it is a chocolate shop--but it almost doesn't look like one. It's a tiny space, about the size of a small bedroom. And it's stuffed not just with chocolate but also with all sorts of brightly colored trinkets: squares of cut-out paper hanging in a row, a tree limb with orange and white flowers, and everything else to go with the "All Saints" theme.

Take their chocolate case, for instance. While other chocolate shops have sleek cases designed to showcase the chocolate like jewelry, this case is unique in its abundance of colors, textures, and materials. Just look at the different stands and the colorful ribbons on the boxes. Which is not to say that the chocolates fade into the background or are unattractive: they are most certainly still good-looking. Simple designs stand alongside silly items like the little chocolate mice on the top right corner.

Before I get to the truffles, though, I'll give one note about the rest of the products for sale. I must have talked about this store years ago but it's time for an update. They have several different brands of chocolate bars (I picked up just one), as well as some other chocolate creations. A bag of chocolate sweets from Valerie Confections in Silverlake (that is, L.A.) greeted me (their rose petal petits fours are the best, by the way). Candies are there, too: pretty berry and fruit candies carefully made. It's mainly all the handmade or otherwise superior quality type of products. You won't find Skittles or Reese's Cups here--because what's the fun in finding those, anyway? For such a small shop, they do have a fairly wide selection. Chances are there will be something you've never seen before, so definitely stop by if you're in the area.

Now back to the truffles. I really don't know why I had never tried anything from their case before. Either I used to be more intimidated by cases or I was too focused on trying out new chocolate bars (because, after all, purchases in chocolate shops can really add up if you want to try everything). I made it a point to choose some this time.

The one thing that I found odd was the lack of labels in the case. The shopkeeper was happy to name them for me, starting at one end of the shelf and ending at the other. But still, I would think it would be easier for everyone if they simply had labels like they do everywhere else.

Enough of that, though, because these chocolates just look gorgeous and I wouldn't want to drown out that simple fact. They're absolutely stellar and sleek with just enough of a touch of fun to their designs. You remove them from all the sensor-overload visuals of the Todos Santos shop and you can really appreciate their look. Mine came in a simple white paper bag instead of a box since I only got two, but at least their little wrapper papers were colorful.

Let's start with the Hazelnut one, which is shaped like a rounded, multi-surfaced dome. You might be able to see on the close-up that the shell is milk chocolate with some darker stripes criss-crossing like on a peanut butter cookie. It also happens to form one of the best visuals for a sliced-open truffle: there's a whole hazelnut thrown exactly into the top middle, surrounded by a milk chocolate ganache. Just beautifully formed.

In addition to the whole hazelnut, there is also hazelnut flavor infused into the smooth ganache. Not overly sweet for being all milk chocolate, the truffle also has some depth to its flavor. Unless I'm mistaken, the cause for this appears to be in the bottom chocolate layer. It appears that the truffle is sealed off with dark chocolate instead of more milk chocolate. That's an interesting way to combine milk and dark chocolate and get the best of both together without simply melting them together. Now, that whole hazelnut is quite crisp and flavorful; both texture and flavor add to the experience. This truffle is how I want hazelnut and chocolate to work together. This is what I want them to be. Everything is well done here.

The other flavor I chose was Espresso. With a beautiful triangle shape stretched out into a sleek and dark truffle with just a sprinkle of gold, this one is quite large. It's easily the size of two other truffles. A gorgeous, silky ganache shows after slicing. Oh, and the aroma, the aroma is divine. Deep chocolate. Straightforward and good. Because of all that soft ganache and because the chocolate shell isn't hard and thick, the bite is very soft. First you taste the chocolate, deep, and then the coffee comes in, dark and fresh. And there's something awesome about biting into this truffle, with all of that soft, soft ganache--I've never come across one so soft, I think. And yet it still tastes rich and deep. I'd love to see an ingredients list for this one: is there some sneaky ingredient in there that shouldn't be in there, or is this achieved all through fresh and pure ingredients? The espresso, I should add, also comes across well. It's exactly the way you would want to taste it.

The sheer size of this chocolate once you begin eating it really transforms it into an elegant piece. I'm picturing it sitting on the top tier of an afternoon tea set, above the sandwiches and scones. The flavor and texture together remind me of something elusive, something that I can't quite put my finger on. A dessert, perhaps. After all, if you finish this truffle in one go (which, of course, most everyone will do), it does get a bit sweet. Sweeter than the Hazelnut, I think, unless this is simply because it is bigger. So I'd say the sweetness is balancing out the darkness of the espresso: if you want darkness with the espresso, well, you probably won't be getting that out of this particular truffle. I don't mind, though. When sweetness is carried out in this way, I like it; I just don't like the wrong types of sweetness.

Given how much I enjoyed this pair of truffles, I'm left wondering why I didn't get more. The tone really goes back to the tone of the shop: lots of fun stuff to look around at but also some quality to ground the experience.

Discoveries in Santa Fe: Flamenco

Am I a wanderer? No, I like to be at home. But is there a simultaneous sense of displacement and belonging? Yes, I think so. Born in California but translated to Arizona when I was almost eight, I feel at home here; I feel like I can find and form my identity here. Is it my land, though? I don't entirely know. My family's roots in California only go so deep--one quarter of the roots are more from the South and then the East depending on how far back you go. The rest goes back to Mexico, and Arizona was once Mexico. So even if the people I was specifically descended from did not live in this area, I find that there is a certain logic to my sense of comfort with the Southwest.

These types of considerations made their way through my mind as I watched the Flamenco group perform at El Farol in Santa Fe. The last time I was in Santa Fe, I saw Juan Siddi's group, but I found myself enjoying this one much more. Don't get me wrong, Juan Siddi is talented--but I connected with these people more, I think (the general consensus also seemed to be that they traded off more frequently, whereas Siddi took more of the stage). Maybe it was the singer; he reminded me of the Gipsy Kings.

When I was very young, my family lived in Alaska for a year. One of the stories from there goes this way. My parents were very excited to find a bunch of Gipsy Kings cassettes at a great discount in a music store there because, apparently, no one in Alaska was interested in something so exotic as gypsy music in Spanish. So the Gipsy Kings were one of the sounds I heard growing up. It's music in Spanish but nothing like what plays on the radio station: it's folk music. It's about guitars and groups and it has this theme of wandering and expressing that transcends the language (because, of course, I can only translate some of it).

So while I was sitting there in Santa Fe, watching the people in this group take turns dancing on the small stage while the singer went through various songs, I was partly transported back to my younger self listening to the Gipsy Kings. What I mean here is that I felt like I was transcending barriers and definitions. I felt like, if I'm supposed to invest more in things like "heritage" and "culture" that people talk about, this is where I want to search for it. I want to go back to the deeper roots, the ones that connect back with the land and with this sense of the organic.

I felt very cool about Santa Fe nightlife. I'd just enjoyed myself at the opera the night before. Now here I was, dinner at El Farol followed by their Flamenco show followed by a little time spent by the bar, where a band was performing. This was culture that I could take part in and feel invested in.

Gypsies are wanderers who carry their homes with them, in who they are. And as I sat listening to the music that night and watching the dancing, I felt the passion of their performance. I was reminded that I, too, can decide what my passion is and portray that. Because the United States is such a new country, we are all displaced here--but if we continue to make the right connections and to listen to the land in which we live and to take part in the culture that we see and feel, then we will realize that we are at home. The wanderers have made a circle and ended up exactly where they need to be.

July Favorites

1) Loose, Bulk, Organic, Fair Trade Darjeeling Tea - A mouthful, yes? Well, that's the type of tea I'd been looking for--I thought it would be quality, ethical, and environmentally-friendly. Because I am trying; we do need to try. I had just settled on the next best thing when I stumbled into a little shop in Prescott on a street just off the Square. It's called Nectar Apothecary, and they sell essential oils, some remedies, and bulk spices and tea. I got my tea in a little plastic bag this time, but in the future I'd like to bring my own glass container and ask them to fill that for me instead.

2) Tarte Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Hangry/Berry - This is just a sample size; I got it because it was from Tarte, then became disappointed when I saw how dark it was. Given that I have dark, dark brown eyes, I usually avoid dark lip colors because I feel like they make me look too dark (side note: like in Once Upon a Time, they give Regina dark lipstick when she's being more evil and pinker lipstick when she's trying to be good). But it's actually such a nice product that the color is okay; I tried it out at the Santa Fe Opera because I thought it might make me feel formal rather than dark. Even though it's one of those liquids that goes on matte, it doesn't feel drying at all. And it fades away well, especially considering that it's so dark. As it fades (unattended) it just becomes more pink. I wasn't at all interested in these lip paints before, but now that I've tried it I would consider buying it (though, yes, I would choose a different color).

3) Carved Wooden Animals - Just outside of Santa Fe is a place called El Rancho de las Golondrinas (Ranch of the Swallows). It's, well, an old ranch with old buildings, fields, and things and helpful volunteers dressed period style to tell you all about the location and the setting. Very nice for a visit. They also happen to carry a couple of great items in their gift shop. The first time I went there, oh, about twelve years ago, I bought a little hand-carved wooden dog. When I've gone back since then, I try and get more of these beasties. A sheep, a fox, a little deer or something, a donkey, a couple of rabbits. This time I added to my collection with the duck and the bull on the left.

4) Carved Leaf Pendant - If you know Santa Fe, you know that outside the Palace of the Governors (which is a museum right on the Plaza), different Native American artists set out their jewelry to sell. So while I was there, I strolled by, looking at everyone's work until I found the thing that called to me. There are some simpler or "more expected" things for sale and also some very beautiful work--but we have some of this type of jewelry in Arizona, too. (There's a lookout point near Flagstaff, for instance, where the artists put out their tables.) So I had to just get what I felt like I would only find there and what I really wanted to get. I considered a necklace with alternating beads of turquoise and silver. But what I came away with was this leaf from Lloyd Garcia. I do love the leaves, and I suppose that with this one and my shed antler leaf pendant, I'm getting a collection of them. The color and design were very me. Rather than buy a new chain, I just paired it with one I already had.

5) Oaxacan Alligator - I didn't think I would find any Oaxacan painted animals for my collection in Santa Fe, but there were a few at two stores that I saw. This alligator has plenty of detail, and it's a nice size compared with my other ones. If you haven't seen then before, I collect only the free ones. And they're really starting to look great together now that there are so many.

6) Global Girlfriend Scarf - More green. This scarf is not from Santa Fe; it's from the Desert Botanical Garden's gift shop (in Phoenix). It's silk and cotton and and made fair trade by women, hence the name--you're helping out your "global girlfriends" by purchasing. Besides the color, I just love the finish of the materials. The main part has more of the raw look of linen and the ends have a nice shine to them.

7) Zucchini in the Morning - Last month I mentioned that I was throwing the squash blossoms into omelets. Well, now that the plants are giving off a good amount of zucchini (and there are only two of them this year), I've been trying to eat zucchini more often. So sometimes for breakfast, I'll just chop up a zucchini and put it in a pan with some oil, salt, pepper, a pretend amount of garlic, and a small dash of oregano (also from the garden). While that's sautéing, make an egg and toast some bread with butter--and there you go. The difference in taste between these and the (organic) ones from the store is amazing. As Barbara Kingsolver said, no wonder we don't want to eat out vegetables when they have no flavor.

8) Chelsea & Violet White Dress/Whatever-It-Is - It's sort of in the shape of an Empire-style dress (think Jane Austen era). But it only buttons down to the (high) waist. There is lace on top and the rest is this sheer material. I loved wearing it in Santa Fe because I put on very practical gray shorts, green tank top, and Abeo shoes but then threw on this drapey, pretty thing that would flow behind me slightly when I walked. (Remember, I like long coats, so this is basically the same effect here.) It's the same outfit I had on for that picture outside of Chocolate + Cashmere that I included with my review on Friday.

9) Getting to Unbox my Book & its Merch - And July, of course, is the month when my book, Black Tree, came out. I was so nervous to open the box that had my proof copy, but when my two boxes came with some additional copies, my nervousness turned to excitement. And now I also have new business cards, bookmarks, flyers, stickers, and matching address labels (by the way, I'll extend this invitation to anyone who's read this far down: send me an email [my info is on the Contact page] if you'd like some of this merch and I'll send a couple to you). The last item? Cookies with my book cover. I'll get you some more pictures of those later, too.

10) Minimal Makeup - Lastly, we go back to image. Minimal makeup, for me, basically just means not wearing eyeshadow and only wearing eyeliner on the outer half of my bottom lash. Maybe because I've been too lazy, maybe because it's summer, maybe because I've been more into the natural look, I just haven't been going for the eyeshadow and the rest of the eyeliner lately. I do like eyeshadow, but I don't need or want it right now. Simple makeup and a cheery pink lip color has been my summer makeup look.

Chocolate + Cashmere: Truffles

Before I left to Santa Fe, I spent a minute re-familiarizing myself with the streets on Google Maps: though I've been there a few times, it had been about six years since my last trip. I happened on a shop name by the Plaza that I almost couldn't believe: Chocolate + Cashmere. Could it be? Could it really be? Not just some catchy name, either, but a shop that really sells both chocolate and cashmere? It sounds like a dream--a sweet dream.

Really, what could be more elegant?

The shop is quite elegant in setup as well as concept. It's very Santa Fe with its chic combination of simplicity, quality, comfort, and timeless beauty. Even the woman working in the shop was chic and elegant.

As you walk in, the first thing you see is a glass case of truffles in the middle of the first small room. Quite the greeting. A wall to the right houses shelves of chocolate boxes, and the opposite wall has some of the shop's clothing. A small table displays their goat mascot and logo because, of course, the cashmere comes from goats. Not just any cashmere, either; they explain how they use only the finest wool. They source in Scotland but make the materials right in Santa Fe. Their clothing is designed to last through both the wear and the trends, which is a philosophy of perfection to me.

There are two more small rooms with more cashmere clothing, everything from sweaters and gloves and scarves to hats and socks. While most of what you see is for women, there are men's items, as well. If I lived in Santa Fe, this is where I would shop for my winter wardrobe.

But you want to know about the chocolates, right?

While there were a couple of chocolate bars for sale, I was more interested in the truffles. They're made locally. You can choose individual pieces or put them together in a box. We ended up sharing a box of twelve; four are mine.

The box is equipped with one of those trays to keep the truffles from bumping one another. Trays are never the most elegant, but I'm sure it makes things quicker for the shopkeeper (who has to manage both chocolate and clothing) and helps keep them safe for all of the people who are traveling (Santa Fe has, of course, lots of tourists).

The truffles look nice in a standard way. There is a little bit of bloom on some of them, though I'm not positive if it was there in the shop or if it just appeared on the car ride back home. (Let's face it, it's hard keeping chocolate safe while driving from New Mexico to Arizona. And I didn't want to either eat or review the truffles while I was out there.) Honestly, the four truffles I picked out aren't the best-looking bunch in the box. I also took a picture of four of the others for comparison.

I'll just go one by one now.

Basic Dark - A good opportunity to judge a chocolate, plain truffles allow you to taste the chocolate without distractions from other flavors. The shape of nice flat sure suggests caramel, though it simply has a standard ganache inside. The taste is like cocoa powder: fairly medium darkness and fairly sweet with twinges of a muddy sort of bitterness. It's a similar flavor to the mass-produced Belgian dark chocolates that get thrown at us. I mean, it's good: the ganache is nice and smooth and rich in texture. But I wanted it to be better; this is pretty standard and not terribly exciting.

Pecan Truffle - This one came in a little dome shape with multiple surfaces. A crumbly top center made it rather messy to cut into. The light crunch is, surprisingly, similar to that of a Crunch bar. I don't think it's due to crisped rice, however; it's just that the pecans are so finely chopped. There is some salt in there, as well, which is quite a nicely placed touch, fresh and clean. There is a hint of caramel flavor. But I don't really taste the pecans, which is a disappointment given that this chocolate is named for the pecans. The dark chocolate is the same as with the previous truffle. So really the most interesting aspect is the unique texture, not so much the flavor.

Goat Cheese - I had to at least try this one, for two reasons: it isn't a flavor you come across often and the goat is the store's mascot. When cutting this round truffle open, you'll see almost the same inside as with the Basic Dark, except perhaps that it is slightly redder. The taste is likewise redder and warmer--and then you get that full on goat taste. I can't describe it: you just have to know what I mean. Goat cheese has its own animal flavor and it's strong here. I'd say it goes well with the chocolate and the two blend well and that somehow makes the chocolate taste better--but I don't really like it. I would need another element to balance out the goat cheese flavor. That said, there is nothing weird about the texture, which had been a concern of mine. So by all means, try it out, and if you like goat cheese, you'll like this truffle. Maybe try smaller pieces to start, or pair it with wine and toasted almonds; treat it fancy.

Lavender Sea Salt Caramel - A pretty one painted in purple, I chose this one because Santa Fe does much with lavender and while I have had lavender in chocolate before, I don't think I've come across this exact combination. The caramel (inside dark chocolate once again) is free-flowing. Does it taste like the lavender I sought? Oh, yes, most definitely. Fresh and floral and tangy, the lavender is spot-on. It comes first, then you get the pure sweetness of the caramel and a hint of salt (not overdone), and then you have the chocolate left in your mouth. The perfection of this one almost makes me wish I had chosen more caramels. This is definitely my favorite of the four. It captured the lavender perfectly and really set a scene and atmosphere. Really well done.

The verdict? I guess it just depends on what you're seeking and what you choose. I'd highly recommend the Lavender Sea Salt Caramel, and I think most people will enjoy the Basic Dark. They also have more Southwest-inspired flavors, like Pecan Chile and Goat Cheese Raspberry Ancho Chile (which I didn't get because I've finally been able to admit to myself that I just don't like chili chocolates). Go and pick out a couple just for the excuse to go into the store: it's a great shop.

They also have a mural on the side of the building: