…because lately, my bed has been far too comfortable.

I know. I desperately need a manicure.

1) My Keurig and a dose of Barista Prima in French Roast. This basically means I don’t have to wait in a ridiculous line, and I get a strong, flavorful cup of coffee in just a couple minutes.

2) Frank Ocean songs. I go through waves of obsession with certain artists and this is my happy place. I have my playlist all set up for my short commute to work.

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When I was invited for afternoon tea at The Lambs Club at The Chatwal Hotel in midtown, I was so, so down. As soon as I walked into the restaurant on a rainy day recently, I felt like I was walking into a scene set perfectly for the catch-up session me and my friend Sarah were about to partake in (she was leaving to LA in the next few days, and yes there would be lots of reminiscing, and maybe some sobbing and final PLEASE DON’T GO pleas). The red leather, dark panels, dimly lit with interesting lamp fixtures made it easy to get cozy…and easy to forget you’re in the middle of Times Square.

The Lambs Club restaurant

And we were in good hands. Geoffrey Zakarian (Le Cirque, 21 Club, 44 at the Royalton Hotel, Blue Door at the Delano Hotel and recent winner of The Next Iron Chef/Superchefs) heads the kitchen, which is enticing enough to come back for the food. But today, we were going to indulge in the teas and pastries.

The Noir Jukro

Bar area with teas lining the table

Tea selection spread

Le Palais des Thés Tea

After taking in the aroma of each of their teas (literally — they had all the dried tea leaves lined up for us to do so!), Sarah and I sat and started ordering away. The waitress recommended the Grand Crus teas — The Darjeeling Mission Hill (also known as the ‘champagne of tea’ and is extremely rare since it’s seasonal and produced in very small batches) and Noir Jukro (which is plucked entirely by hand, and is one of the finest teas from Korea with cocoa and vanilla bouquet, and pairs amazing with chocolate).

Buttermilk scones - clotted cream, housemade raspberry jam

Hazelnut Dacquoise - feuillentine, milk chocolate chantilly

Tete de Moine - swiss cow's milk cheese, housemade red currant jam

Sacher Torte - Viennese chocolate cake, apricot jam, dark chocolate glaze

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Gah. Sorry about my absence — I’d fallen terribly sick but finally feeling somewhat better. Except the fact that my head feels like it’s floating on my body and I can’t hear out of my left ear, it’s all good . But seriously, I got so out of my routine of blogging I wasn’t even sure how to get back in the swing of things. Then I realized, a giveaway from Simply Orange Juice Company could be a nice rebound …that, coupled with the fact that I’ve been living off Simply juices for the past week!!

Simply Cranberry Cocktail

SO to catch you up, Simply has just introduced their Cranberry Cocktail , and to celebrate, they’re sponsoring a fantastic giveaway on BATF! Great taste means starting with something authentic and letting its true expression come through – whether that’s in food, style, or merely a way of being. So, in honor of empowering great taste to shine, we wanted you to simply answer the question: How do you let your great taste shine?

Part of this week's giveaway: Slate + Wood Serving Board from West Elm

Mercury Candelholders from West Elm

TO ENTER: There are 3 ways to enter — do any to enter but more than one to increase your chances of winning! Remember, there are TWO winners this week!

Answer: “How do you let your great taste shine” by

(1) Leaving a comment below
(2) Tweeting your answer to @BeautyNDFeast with hashtag #Simply
(3) Leaving your answer in the comments sections of BATF’s Facebook page

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I hate starting posts apologizing about not posting. But the combo of traveling, working (BATF, unfortunately, isn’t my only job), and trying to keep up with all the “very important dates” for my friends has been daunting as of late. So yeah, I’m sorry .

Sadly one of the results of all of the above is that I don’t sleep much. My goal is to start a healthy habit of sleeping like a normal person (read this post on Dr. Oz’s Health & Happiness Summit on why that’s so important!). But there are just some weekdays I can’t even begin the day without a boost, and for now, I found a very delicious solution: Starbucks VIA Ready Brew.

Starbucks VIA Iced Caramel Coffee

I’m always very weary at trying to re-create the same drink that you’d find at a cafe using their brand’s shortcuts, but this is a serious no-brainer that tastes like the real thing. That’s because they use the same quality coffee beans that they do at their cafes. The one I’ve been obsessing over is their new ICED caramel — perfect now that it’s getting warmer out! Just open the packet and pour into iced water, and then add milk to taste. It’s already lightly sweetened so I never have to add more and it wakes me right up. You can smell the crushed coffee beans as you pour it, and it tastes pretty awesome. No coffee machine needed.

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Excessively stylish? Or is there no such thing?

Jimmy Choo cup holders, $165

Totally appropriate gift for the office-going coffee-lover. Also, depends how much you love said coffee-lover. The cup sleeves are available at jimmychoo.com for $165 in fucshia and orange (or £95 for the black and croc ones at Net-a-Porter).

x
Shy

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Hi everyone! So psyched to be back in South Beach (so soon). This time, it’s more work than pleasure…but then again, it’s Miami…and the weather is gorgeous so I’m not really calling it work . I’m speaking on a panel tomorrow about food/dining blogging for the SheCon Media Expo taking place at Miami’s Convention Center. The conference is free, so if you’re around, join me at 2:30pm tomorrow . I’ll be tweeting too, so follow me on @BeautyNDFeast if you have any questions/comments.

Until then..

A virgin mint mojito on Ocean Drive from my Miami Trip Part 1