Charmed by Carmel’s La Bicyclette

Quaint, storybook, picturesque. All words used to describe Carmel, a town along a one-mile stretch of sandy beach on the Monterey Peninsula. It attracts antiquers, artists and dog lovers. All the homes are cute little cottages and I imagine myself renting one and spending a quiet weekend baking, photographing, blogging and leaving just for meals. The restaurants fit in with the cuteness of the town and my favorite spot is La Bicyclette. I tried it out for the first time over the Fourth of the July and between the atmosphere and the food, I can’t think of any place more inviting and delicious.

It has a European vibe and reminds me of sitting in a cozy cafe in Paris. The one in particular that comes to mind is Le Breizh Café in the Marais district that serves the best galettes. I just love the simplicity and non-fussiness of the space with the rustic wooden tables and chalkboard menus.

Tour de France

Another Saturday at the Ferry Building and I stopped inside Boulette’s Larder, a restaurant/shop on the water side facing the farmer’s market. I have never eaten there but I like to stop inside and see the glass case of prepared food and desserts. This art piece on the wall made me smile as we are in the middle of the Tour de France. The polka dot jersey goes to the best climber in the race and is the “King of the Mountains.”

Baking for an Amy Atlas Dessert Table

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Cherry pie fun! About a month before Amy Atlas was scheduled to visit Williams-Sonoma, I came up with a plan for putting her dessert table together. Part of the preparation involved a bit of baking. These cherry pies were included and I decided to test out a pie pan a few weeks prior to get the hang of using it. The pies were so adorable I had to have a little styling fun and as a result, a mini photo shoot.

In this post I’ll share with you more behind-the-scenes prep and tips for successful baking. I’ve also included a cookie recipe at the end that I like using.

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