Posts Tagged ‘macarons’
An Update For The Sake Of Updates
June 13th, 2012 | Rachel
I hate the idea of going more than two weeks without posting, but the truth of the matter is my June and July are looking to be a little lackluster… and rightfully so, because I am taking the California bar exam July 24-26 and should be using the next month and a half to study. As many of you already know, I have already taken and passed the New York bar exam, so this experience isn’t as daunting as it was the first time around. Preparing for this exam involves learning a lot of information about 17 specific areas of law, and it is not very exciting… so that is all I am going to say about that.
Much easier with a cappuccino
In other news, I’m officially a Californian resident with a Californian license plate and driver’s license! Having the West Virginia plate (a remnant from when it belonged to my dad) made for an easy conversation starter (“Did you really drive that van all the way from West Virgina??”), but I’m pretty sure the other drivers on the road assumed I was a bumpkin who couldn’t drive.
Officially a California girl
Also newsworthy is Steve’s new apartment in Las Vegas. He bought it as an investment, but we get to have a sweet party pad for the rest of the year.
We started off one particularly great night at Spiegelworld‘s Absinthe, which was highly entertaining and almost as mesmerizing as the past Spiegelword shows I saw when the tent came to South Street Seaport in New York City. Absinthe has the human feats of Cirque du Soleil mixed with the sensuality of burlesque, all on an circular stage surrounded a pretty intimate audience (the Las Vegas tent is bigger than the tent used in New York and Miami). Leading the show are two very funny but very lewd hosts, so if you are easily offended this show is not for you.
Waiting in line to pick up our tickets for Absinthe
Even in Las Vegas people would rather be in France.
Upon the recommendation of our concierge, we went to the Tuesday industry night at Chateau Nightclub (Paris), which is on the roof of the casino under the Eiffel Tower. Brilliantly fun night.
A nightclub with cotton candy? Yes, please.
I am looking forward to many more fun nights in that city this year.
While I am on the subject of the pseudo-French, I tried out some macarons at Kelly’s French Bakery here in Santa Cruz. Working at the Three Green Ducks took my bakery snobbery to almost impossible heights, and, so far, most bakeries in this area have been nothing short of disappointing. [I’ll save my rant about Gayle’s Bakery in Capitola for another day.] Kelly’s “French” Bakery is no exception, and in addition to bad service and bagels (why??), my first experience there involved a terrible cherry pie that was made too many days prior and was served straight out of the refrigerator (cold and gelatinous… awful). Although Kelly’s has managed to make macarons that look right (which I admit is a difficult task), the taste and texture was abysmal, and it hurts my heart to think of all the people whose only experience with French macarons are from Kelly’s (and judging from the gushing reviews it gets, there are many).
Coffee break at Kelly’s French Bakery [sic] in Santa Cruz
The three good things I can say about this bakery are 1. the location is lovely, with a huge court yard and in close proximity to a number of wineries and other shops; 2. I love the font of the sign; and 3. the sandwiches, while overpriced and not very French, are pretty good.
I don’t want to end this post on a cranky, negative note, so check out the gorgeous flowers on Steve’s cactus in the backyard. Gardening is one of my study breaks, and now that the afternoons are a consistent 72 degrees, the backyard is one of my favorite places to be.
Cactus flower
Well, back to studying.
