StyleCarrot

Saturday Say It: Jean-Paul Sartre Quote

This Jean-Paul Sartre quote rings true: “If you are lonely when you’re alone, you are in bad company.” Nourish yourself and be someone you want to be around for ultimate fulfillment.

Foodie Friday: Cape Cod Food Truck Crush Pad

When we were hanging at the bar at Blackfish restaurant in Truro last weekend (a common occurence in summer), co-owner Eric Jansen told us about his newest venture, Crush Pad, a gourmet food truck on Cape Cod, parked at the Truro Vineyards. The dishes are delicious (I’ve been to Crush Pad three times already) and the setting is totally lovely, very park like, with circular picnic tables and Adirondack chairs under big, old trees. The food truck is quite large, with plenty of ovens, burners, and prep space inside, which is good because I suspect they’ll soon be drawing a crowd. In addition to the dishes from the food truck, you can get wine by the glass a few steps away; Truro Vineyards recently got a license to sell individual glasses of wine.

The food truck menu changes daily, though you can get the Niman Ranch burger with goat cheddar or Berkshire bleu cheese and the Kobe beef hot dog anytime (both really yummy; Eric also co-owns Local 186 (check out my blog post from last summer), an upscale burger joint in Ptown). We had the onion strings the first time (never bad), along with tuna sliders with sweet Asian garlic sauce which was totally amazing. The local greens and tomatoes are fresh, as was the cucumber fennel salad. Other items on the menu when we went included fried cauliflower with capers, lemon, and Parmesan, lobster bisque, lobster roll on a brioche, prosciutto soppressata and fresh mozzarella on rustic Italian bread, Arancini (deep-fried risotto balls) with English peas, and eggplant and white bean spread with capers, pine nuts, and raisins. Not bad for a restaurant on wheels.

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Design Diary: Erin Gates’ Parents’ Connecticut Garden

When I’m looking for specific types homes to pitch to magazines, I send emails to my design contacts. When I’m looking for gardens for the Boston Globe Magazine gardens issue, I expand my reach to friends. Not being what you’d call a green thumb (ha), my landscape design contacts are hardly far and wide. We scout and shoot a year ahead, so if you have New England gardens to suggest, send me snapshots!

This year I wrote about three gardens, including designer/Elements of Style blogger Erin Gates’ parents’ gorgeous garden in rural Connecticut. I was psyched when she sent me photos and that the editors liked them. We loved that her mom works on the entire thing herself, tractor and all. She’s so sweet and humble about it; it’s really beautiful. Erin’s dad designed the house and her mom designs and tends the various gardens and plantings around the property.

The story is called, “Down in the Meadow” if you want to read it. Here are lots of pictures, including ones that weren’t published. All photography by Sarah Winchester.

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ARTmonday: Ocean Wave Artworks

It’s July 1, the start of the week of the Fourth of July, a big deal around here. My boys consider it the best day of the year (and not just because we let them have soda, which is basically never allowed). We celebrate with a picnic at Corn Hill beach, which my husband has done his entire life. It’s a definite slice of Americana, with many groups of families and friends that span multiple generations gathering on picnic blankets, with grills, hors d’oeuvres, and cocktails. If it’s warm the kids run in and out of the ocean waves (actually,it’s a bay beach), and later there are sparklers, s’mores (my favorite part), and fireworks. I’ll definitely snap some Instagram pics (follow StyleCarrot). Here are some ocean wave artworks, all available to purchase online. And speaking of waves, has anyone else been noticing a lot of wave prints in wallpaper and textiles?