A Local Gift Guide for the Sassy (and Classy) Woman in Your Life

(Clockwise, from top left)

So, let me be very honest: this gift guide is all things that I want.  And, I think, things your girlfriend or wife or mother or sister or best friend might want too. Here we go:

1. You can't go wrong with an Amsa Yoga class pass.  You can buy 5-class, 10-class, 20-class, or 1-month unlimited class passes, and the first class for new visitors is free.  I've waxed poetic about my love for Amsa before, but truthfully, there are lots of great local yoga studios in Columbia; find one and hit the mat.  It's like therapy and exercise in one.  (Photo courtesy of Amsa Yoga).
 
2. This necklace by local artist, January Jewelry, has the sort of vintage-boho feel that I adore.  It is so reasonably priced, and supports a local artist and a local shop, as it can be found at Nest, the new all-local maker's market inside the Marriott on Main Street.

3. I have a new favorite store in Columbia: Jack & Jane Sport.  I stopped in the other day to get some ideas of things I want the hubs to get me for Christmas, and this Oiselle top is definitely on the list.  Not only is it a pretty color and the perfect weight for running in Columbia right now, but you have to feel it to believe how soft this top is.  Susannah, one of the owners, helped me; she was genuinely friendly and not at all pushy.  They have great-quality athletic gear, and for men too.

 4. How about a bottle of bubbly?  Anything sparkling is my drink of choice, and a nice bottle is without a doubt one of the best gifts you can give, I think.  Kaitlin Ohlinger, a friend, and the General Manager of Cellar on Greene, and author of the wine snob, is happy to help you pick out a unique one.  This Evolution Sparkling from Oregon has a pretty sweet label.  I'm partial to Oregon wines in general, and this one is delicious!  (Sold out on-line, but Cellar has it!)

5. The Gourmet Shop is a great place to shop for gifts, especially for the foodie or chef on your list.  They have awesome gourmet candy, wine, cigars, prepared foods, and so much cool kitchen stuff!  And what lady wouldn't be happy with this daily reminder?  The You Rock ceramic catch-all is a perfect gift for any woman on your list. 

6. How about a membership to the Columbia Museum of Art.  There's not much classier or more fun (and affordable!) than a year's pass to this beautiful and hip museum.  Besides the amazing art from renowned and classic artists, the museum also hosts cool events, and the museum shop is super-chic.  This gift would please so many people, and you'd earn some "class" points for giving something cultural and useful.  (The photo above is of Jones honing his skills in the CMA children's room).

So, here's the not-so-subtle hint for anyone looking to buy a gift for me this Christmas, and hopefully this helped you with something for the lady on your list!  Shop local!

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Cellar Hunter Cupcake

No, that's not some new form of NATO alphabet, it's two of my favorite local restaurants with the sweetest little cupcake store thrown in because it was my sister's birthday.

A couple Thursday's ago I partook of the amazing 2 pizzas and bottle of wine for $25 deal at Cellar on Greene--they offer this EVERY Thursday, y'all--you're missing out if you haven't tried it. Kaitlin, (of The Wine Snob), recommended some great wine accompaniments, including Alamos Malbec, and I sipped a glass of the Clara Prosecco.

cheese pizza with fresh basil and local tomato marinara

We also ordered the basil-dill hummus appetizer, which comes with warm pita, marinated artichokes, and olives. Our dining companions* had the cheese plate--always a winner in my book.

*One of those dining companions, Jaime Evermann, just started a blog of her own, Non Sequitur Routine. Check it out.

So, then last Friday I went to Hunter Gatherer for lunch for my sister's birthday. HG is now open for lunch, in case you didn't know...

Below is what I got, and for those keeping up with things like that, yes--it has meat on it. And no, I haven't eaten meat in almost 3 months, but I was seriously craving some that day. I said a little prayer for the pig who died to give the prosciutto for my sandwich, hoped that he had a good life and a humane death, and then ate it with reckless abandon. It was good, and I haven't thought about meat since.

Prosciutto, goat cheese and fig sandwich on ciabatta

My mom got the famous Ginny's Bleu Cheese Salad, which is always a winner.

And James got a H-G burger with horseradish cheddar cheese and hashbrowns. They cook a mean burger.
And, I also went to Cupcake in the Vista last Friday--to grab some cupcakes for my sister's b-day. The last time I mentioned Cupcake in a post, I also admitted that I had not been there. I have now visited twice in as many weeks, and have still yet to eat an entire cupcake, (due to the damn Biggest Loser diet), but the place itself is a treat to walk into--very olde-soda-shoppe-feeling. In my visits I have purchased the following cupcake flavors: Key Lime, Turtle, Red Velvet, Mint Chocolate, Black & White, and Double Chocolate--all equally pretty and delicious-looking.

In short, all of these local spots have amazing food to offer, not to mention fun and different atmospheres.
I love a Cellar Hunter Cupcake kind of week--what kind of week will you have?

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A Word for Wednesday- and a Restaurant Review

omplement: to complete or make perfect


As in: The glass of Mirabelle Brut champagne that I ordered at Cellar on the Greene last night was the perfect complement to the Cheese Pizza with fresh basil.

Not to be confused with compliment--which is the main reason I chose this word for today, because I have seen it wrongly-used recently--compliment with an "i" means an expression of esteem or approval.

I am half-way through my Hampton Hills Biggest Loser Challenge--6 weeks in, and I have officially lost 17.6 lbs! We had a weigh-in last night, and I decided that I deserved a "cheat-night" afterward, and that included Cellar on the Greene's Champagne Tuesday and a pizza.

image via here

Cellar has Champagne Tuesday EVERY Tuesday, where they feature 4-5 champagnes for really cheap prices. You can order by the glass or order a bottle to take home. I got my glass of Mirabelle for only $5, (regularly $9), and also bought a bottle to take home for only $19!! (Regularly menu-priced at $45, and on-line for $22). I love a bargain, especially of the champagne-variety.

The cheese pizza was divine--as you all know, I adore pizza, but this one was particularly amazing. Freshly-grated parmesan and manchego cheeses atop a crispy-thin crust and local tomato marinara, sprinkled with fresh basil chiffonade. Yum! Click here to see the rest of Cellar's menu. (Sorry, I have no pictures--I was so excited and overwhelmed by the taste of champagne and pizza, that I didn't once slow down or think to snap photos).

They always offer a $19 3-course special, and on Thursdays offer a 2-pizza and one bottle of wine all for $25 special. Every other Saturday they have a huge wine-tasting and sale from 12-2 pm. (They will be closed this Saturday for St. Pat's).

In addition to serving great food and awesome wines and champagnes for really reasonable prices, the staff of the Cellar is super-nice and generous! Our bartender, Laurel, was very knowledgeable about the wine and champagne and even offered me a free taste of another champagne on the menu--Cava Castellroig; she deemed it "chuggable" and I have to agree--it was very crisp and went down dangerously easy.

Kaitlin is another member of the Cellar staff and she writes her own blog, The Wine Snob--check it out for recommendations and commentary on some great wines.
Thanks, ladies and gents of Cellar on the Greene for an awesome "cheat night!"

Now, back to the Biggest Loser-approved foods/drinks for 6 weeks more...

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische.

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