Old Navy Bundle Up Bash

So... non-wedding post here.  But still... I promise a bit of fun.  I am a crowdtapper -- it's a website that allows you to give feedback to brands and rewards you with points and fun stuff.  I am party of the Old Navy Style Council which is probably the best brand on crowdtap.  

This time, my "task" was to host a party at Old Navy and bring three friends.  In exchange for our time, we were rewarded with a new sweater, pair of pants, and a winter accessory.  It took a little while to coordinate a time (my work schedule has been nutty recently) and it took me a bit more asking than I thought it would to get three volunteers.

We met up at the Old Navy at 170 & Ladue here in St. Louis.  We were there for well over an hour (who knew it took so long to get just the right outfit?) and enjoyed ourselves.  The cords that they had were the clear favorite -- three of us took home cords in a sweetheart cut, a variety of colors.  Mine are a dark grey and they feel soooo soft.  Really really soft.  It's great.  We all got very different sweaters and accessories. The nice thing about Old Navy is that they offer a variety of tastes and styles.  I had a mixed bag of ladies there.  One had not been in Old Navy in years and thought that last time she was there everything was set up for teeny boppers/tweens.  Not geared towards adults.  I had the opportunity to show her that there was a whole bunch of items that fit into her style.  I also brought a friend that has a very unique style and is very expressive.  Things that looked strange on me, looked great and perfectly put together on her.

As I mentioned, three of us picked cords... and the fourth picked a pair of jeans.  Old Navy jeans come in a variety of cuts, colors, flares, etc.  It was nice that she was able to find a pair that worked for her as well.  As far as sweaters went, we all picked ones that were very different.  I got a lovely sparkley silver sweater.  Another one picked out a fuzzy cable knit sweater, a very classic design.  My uniquest friend picked what I called the "un-sweater."  It was very loosely knit and open, the kind of sweater you need to wear with a tank top or cami underneath.  The final sweater was one of those newer open vest type sweaters.  It's called a poncho here.

For accessories, we all migrated towards the scarves.  I picked a lovely black scarf that has silver ribbons through it.  It matches the sweater wonderfully.  One girl settled on a simple fleece scarf after they rejected the first one she picked out for her trip to Paris.  Another one snagged an infinity style scarf, which looked adorable.  And our final member of the party, picked a fidora hat.

All in all, a fun evening and lots of cool stuff to see and look at.  We were able to enjoy each others company and pick out outfits for upcoming holiday parties.  It's my favorite part of crowdtap -- being able to share the wealth.  I've gotten lots of buzz after this one... perhaps I'll have some new friends joining the style council.

Demitasse Dinner

As I mentioned before, I was luck enough to win a delicious dinner out on the town through my witty writing.  Woo hoo!  I took Timmy (of course) and we got to experience St. Louis' first 'pop up' dining experience Demitasse 665.  The idea being that someone takes over a location for a few days, a week ~ more or less ~ and has a specific/themed restaurant.  This is an off shoot of the hip underground dining events.  It is not just a meal or just about the food, it is an experience.

Timmy arrived first and got to introduce himself before I arrived.  The pop up was located in the Dorchester (665 Skinker Blvd) across from Forest Park.  The space was previously occupied briefly by Caitlyns Green Eyed Grill and longer ago as The Tavern.  Our host and hostess for the evening had decorated the space with items from their home.  There was a long table for all of us to sit and dine communally.  They also had some comfy chairs, artwork, and lots of pretty candles.

Upon arrival, we received Cava, a sparkling Spanish wine, with a cranberry floating in it.  The crowd was small and the space was intimate.

Our menu is listed above.  Yum yum!! 

When Marie deemed it time to start with dinner, we moved into the dining room and all gathered around the table.  While we didn't know anyone else there, conversation cropped up quickly and we all got to know one another.  To get our evening started, we enjoyed a spanish white wine as they brought out the first course.  The table was set beautifully and had a different demitasse at each place.  The table was elegant and lovely.

The bottle below is our first course white wine.  Yummy!!

Our first course, simply plated, was butternut squash wanton.  It was served on a bed of smashed peas with fried sage and toasted walnuts.

After the first course, Timmy told me no more pictures and that I need to just enjoy ourselves.  As a bit more luck graced us over dinner, we were closest to the kitchen door and were served first each course.  Yippie!!  It was a wonderful evening and each course was presented with anticipation.  They included two additional red wines to pair with our meals, and not surprisingly both tasted great and seemed to compliment well.

We got to know the folks sitting at the table with us -- directly across the table was a couple that lived in the Dorchester.  On the other side of me was the son-in-law of the chef and he is a pilot (but no longer flies commercially) and now is an accountant.  The conversation flowed about places visited, the building, favorite foods, wines, hobbies, and jobs.  All the things you might bring up with your new friends.

The seven courses were all smaller portions ~~ sort of like ordering a well matched array of tapas plates.  The advantage of this is clearly the ability to keep eating and trying new things.  You don't have to cry uncle before dessert and you're not allowed to overindulge in an early course so you are able to enjoy all pieces as they come out.  We had a tasty and artfully designed beat salad with goat cheese and freshly sliced avocados.  The soup was spicy and creamy.  It was the type of experience where you're not sure exactly what is coming next.... and while you wait in anticipation, you know it will be good and worth the wait.  The palate cleanser was a homemade basil sorbet served in a small sherri glass.  We had a course of fancy green beans that were perfect.  I do love green beans to begin with, and these ones were garnished with almonds and prosciutto.  Our main dish was lamb -- another favorite of mine -- served with potatoes and spinach.  After our main dish, we had a splendid dessert that was flavorful, filling, and rich.  It was a pumpkin sticky toffee pudding sandwiched with toffee carmel vanilla cream, a carmel drizzle, a dash of sea salt, and candied pumpkin seeds.  yum yum yum.

I'm not sure how many more seats are left for this special dinner, however, you can find out more by clicking here.  Would I recommend it?  Absolutely.  It was a memorable dinner with all the little touches that make it unique.  They take the time to talk about themselves, why they enjoy their food, and why they picked certain items.  Our meal was complicated -- 72 unique items went into the creation of our meal.  The mix of company was a blessing as it added to the evening.  The exclusive experience was a different way of engaging with your food -- if you're lucky enough to have the opportunity, you most certainly should give it a try.  After the Demitasse 665 closes its doors, they still will have unique underground dining opportunities.  To find out more, visit here.

yum yum yum... still enjoying it a few days later....