Scouting: 5th Avenue, Park Slope

A few weeks ago on a decent-for-March kind of day I had a coffee date with a fellow freelancer over in Brooklyn near Park Slope. The sun was thinking about shining, a light breeze was blowing, and I had all afternoon at my disposal.

So, on the recommendation of my partner in caffeine I walked over to 5th Avenue (no, the other 5th Avene) to see what I could see. I have to give props to Root Hill Café for the latte, and BEYGL for the excellent California Turkey Club that fueled my adventures. Two solid choices for a quick bite when you’re on the move.

On this trip I focused my exploration on the end of the street closest to the Barclay Center, but if the first dozen blocks are any indication; I’m excited to come back and continue to scout further along. There’s a lot to see, but I did my best to narrow it down to my Top 5 places to check out during your next stroll through Park Slope. For fairness I've put them in alpha order, which is also fairly close to the order of appearance as you walk from the Barclay Center, so that's convenient.

These shops hit all the points on my super-scientific checklist for a fun shopping experience: high-charm factor, a sense of discovery, and classic taste with a twist. I hope you enjoy them too! 

A.Cheng has a beautifully curated selection of classic women’s apparel, jewelry, and accessories – fresh colors, fun patterns, and lovely materials. During my visit the shop was stocked with pieces perfect for roof deck drinks this summer.

A.Cheng | Images: Laura Messersmith

Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store is a great spot to find beautifully designed gifts for all occasions. If you’re desperate for a unique housewarming party, baby shower, or dude’s birthday gift I’d trust Annie’s Blue Ribbon to save the day.

Annie's Blue Ribbon | Images: Laura Messersmith

Habit is rocking a mix of Gypset boho, Pacific Northwest crunchy, and a dash of homespun vintage in its women’s clothing, accessories and home décor. Cool stuff for adding a well-traveled vibe to your look.

Habit | Images: Laura Messersmith

Pink & Olive has the loveliest selection of gifts, children’s clothing, and stationery – journals, address books, and so many charming letterpress cards that I could have found the appropriate greetings for a year’s worth of occasions.

Pink & Olive | Images: Laura Messersmith

Poppy is full of women’s clothing and accessories in bright colors and fresh patterns that made me want to retire my winter navys and greys immediately and fast forward to warm weather shades. So many pretty things!

Poppy | Images: Laura Messersmith

Away Message

Dubrovnik, Croatia; Image: Steve Outram; Design: Laura Messersmith

Remember the days of AOL Instant Messenger? Back in college - when people still used desktop computers and only 1% of my friends had cell phones - posting a witty, funny, thoughtful away message was important. It took thought and originality to craft the perfect out-of-office reply for people who didn't have offices yet.

Since this afternoon begins our European adventure, I thought I better leave the blog version of an away message. It's only courteous, right? As you can tell, I didn't bother with any of witty, thoughtful stuff. Just to the straight to the point!

We'll be in four countries and five cities over the course of the next 10 days - hello passport stamps! - and I'm planning to photograph, Vienna, Salzburg, Dubrovnik, Mostar, and Frankfurt with in an inch of their lives. I also hope to bring back lots of memories, stories that will live on in Messersmith family lore, and scout some fun places to share with you for your next adventure. 

I can hardly believe today is the day, but the suitcases are packed (lightly!), Maddie is off in Pennsylvania staying with her 'Grandparents,' and the apartment hatches have been battened in preparation for our departure. So, we're ready to go! 

Hope you have a great week - I'll be back here at Goldfinch & Scout on April 16th!

Scouting: Amelia Island, Florida

I’ve mentioned on about 1,000 occasions that this has been a particularly long, brutal winter here in the Northeast (and pretty much everywhere else in the US too.) I know it’s not just that three years in Texas have weakened my constitution, because independent sources confirm that they are freezing too!

So, when my in-laws invited us to tag along on their trip to Florida for a few days I was ready to pack my bags immediately. A short, 2.5 hour flight from LGA to JAX and we were there. Our destination: Amelia Island.

Amelia Island Beach; Image: Laura Messersmith

We stayed on the southern end of the island, about 15 minutes from the town of Fernandina Beach in a great ocean front townhome my mother-in-law located on VRBO. Hotels have their place for a night or two, but for longer stays I really love having a home away from home. We had so much fun cooking in the giant and well-appointed kitchen, taking walks along the beach (too cold for me to swim), and reading books with the sound of the ocean in the background.

Amelia Island Beach; Image: Laura Messersmith

We also really liked exploring the town of Fernandina Beach, which has a charming, walkable historic district. The best way I can describe the vibe is Key West by way of Savannah.  It’s a sedate low-country, easy living, wandering encouraged sort of place with generous dash of pirate-y, Jimmy Buffet kitsch. 

Historic Fernandina Beach; Images: Laura Messersmith

In our three days there we just scratched the surface of discoveries (all the more reason to go back!) but I do have a few favorite spots to pass along for when you’ve had enough beachcombing.

1.     Merge: The menu is filled with new versions of classic dishes, and we loved the casual setting matched with attentive, but unobtrusive service. Dinner highlights were the French Onion Bisque, Shrimp Caesar Salad, Seared Sea Bass with Beurre Blanc Sauce (natch), and the Crème Brulee with White Pepper.

2.     Fantastic Fudge: People (including us!) were literally lined up out the door for treats from this old-fashioned sweet shop and ice cream parlor. Extra bonus – you can watch the fudge tempering process take place on the giant slab marble islands while you wait.

3.     Eight Flags Antique Market: This place is a GOLDMINE if your idea of a vacation souvenir trends toward vintage typewriters, Depression glass, cast iron bottle keys, or antique furniture. I'm still wishing I had brought that pipe-smoking sea captain print home…. It’s a huge place, so be prepared to spend some time exploring the different stalls.

4.     Lemongrass: Forget your sunglasses? Blow out a flip flop? Want a straw hat for the beach, or a cute sundress for a night out? Lemongrass is the place. Their selection is a cool mix of surfer, Coachella boho, Brooklyn-hipster and a hint of coastal prep.

With activities for all ages I can see Amelia Island as a place families could come back to year after year. I know I'd love to visit again!

Amelia Island, Florida; Images: Laura Messersmith

Scouting: Plonk

Plonk Wine Club | Image: Laura Messersmith

Does this scenario sound familiar? It’s Friday night you’re cooking a great meal to kick off the weekend and some friends are on the way over. You’ve already picked up the ingredients for dinner, but you don’t have any wine in the house. You have two choices – grab something off the grocery store shelf (assuming you live in a state where this is legal) or make a second stop at the wine shop and try to make sense of the labels hoping you’ll pick something that pairs well with your menu. Neither option seems especially appealing, and here in New York carrying one more thing is never something I'm interested in, but that’s what I have to do nine times out of ten.

So, you can imagine how psyched I was when Mike told me he signed us up for Plonk Wine Club. It's similar to other subscription-based businesses: you choose a level, package, and length of commitment. In our case we like both red and white wine, so we’re in the Mixed Wine Club and each month Plonk sends us four bottles selected from wineries around the world.

The term “plonk” (slang for cheap wine) strikes me as ironic given the quality of the wine we've received. So far we’ve tried two bottles from March’s shipment and have been really impressed with founder and resident wine expert Etty Lewensztain’s choices.

Plonk’s specialty is introducing members to wines made from lesser-known grapes and sourced from a variety of regions. Our first shipment had bottles from Sicily (Italy), Regnie (France), Santa Ynez Valley (California), and Macedonia (Greece). I need all the help I can get and since these are all 100% new to me I love that the shipment also includes detailed tasting notes, recipes from Food52, and suggested food parings to help put together successful combinations.

If you’re in the same boat and want to expand your wine knowledge and discover some great new grapes I’d definitely check out Plonk. Our plan is to build up a reserve of bottles that are great quality, but not so expensive that we feel like we have to save them for red letter day (ie. $25 or less). We’d like to keep a few in reserve for those spontaneous Friday night dinners, but at the rate we’re going that may not happen! Could be worse, right? Happy Friday!

Plonk Wine Club | Image: Laura Messersmith