Now there’s no excuse for messing up dinner. Brookstone’s digital meat thermometer fork takes out the hassle of having to guess when our meat’s been cooked all the way (you wouldn’t believe how many fallible methods there are for checking). This streamlined piece has nine different settings (including ones for pork and baked potato) and heat-resistant steel prongs. It’s even easy to clean, which only adds to the appeal.

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, contraptions, cooking, Epicurean delight, kitchen

Step away from the chocolate chip bagel. Scones are the next big food trend and HomeBonny does them the way they were meant to be: big, beautiful and bursting with fruit, nuts and chocolate. Luscious, creamy glazes are just the icing on these not-so-proverbial cakes. The old world treats are homemade and given a distinct California twist. HomeBonny herself picks the fruits and veggies from her garden. Suffice it to say, these aren’t just for tea anymore. Nibble on them at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or even dessert.

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, chocolate, Epicurean delight, food, Sweets

Bushi-Tei is the fashionable Sausalito waterfront restaurant that fuses exotic Chinese dishes with elegant French flourishes. Seiji Wakabayashi is the gourmand behind the genius—offering up delectable plates such as lamb chops infused with port and wasabi, or lobster and crab smothered in chrysanthemum cream. We love the details of the place too—monochromatic accents, an enormous communal table, and wood-paneled walls make it ultramodern, but the intimacy of the establishment is purely traditional.

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, Epicurean delight, gourmet, hotspot, restaurant

Can you put your favourite jug in the fridge? Do you have to resort to old fizzy drinks bottles when serving cold water to your guests? The new Eva Solo fridge carafe gives you an attractive alternative to worn-looking plastic bottles. The carafe fits most fridge doors and is available with covers in five stunning colours. You know the problem: Your favourite jug is too wide to sit in the fridge door, or too high for the shelves, and because the lid has been lost the contents quickly pick up the flavour of the garlic cheese on the middle shelf. To get fridge-cold water, many of us therefore fill old fizzy drinks and mineral water bottles up with tap water, as they fit the fridge better. But anyone who has tried mixing juice in a 1.5-litre Coca-Cola bottle knows the problem of juice spilling onto the kitchen surface and sticky patches down the sides of the bottle. And finally, it requires surgical precision to insert slices of lemon or lumps of ice through the bottle mouth. However, with the new Eva Solo fridge carafe you can pour without spilling a drop. The carafe features the patented, drip-free lip which can be found on a wide range of other Eva Solo products.
As with Eva Solo’s tea and coffee-makers, the carafe can be fitted with an insulating cover which keeps the contents cold. It means the carafe is equally ideal for cosy dinners around the dining room table or on warm summer evenings on the patio. The cover is made of neoprene and comes in five bold colours: black, red, orange, lime and blue – so you can be sure to find one that matches your own personal style. The cover also has a zip so it is easy to remove before placing the carafe and lid in the dishwasher.

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, contraptions, design, Epicurean delight, hip home

Boo is like the skin, or a balloon surrounding the water with openings that tell the simple story of fluid motion in and out of the glass. The carafe exudes a strong personality and has a beautiful colour.

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, contraptions, decanter, Epicurean delight, glassware, water

Arik Levy’s sculptural bowl reminds us of a cross between Swiss cheese and delicately filigreed snowflakes—but, given the title, we suppose that it can draw comparisons to a perforated asteroid as well. Flawlessly punched holes in a range of sizes dot the pristine white earthenware—making for fruit displays that are uniquely out of this world. Available from Gaia and Gino.

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, cheese, contraptions, design, Epicurean delight

Robert Lambert’s summer fruit cake is a light, fruity (and year-round) version of white fruit cake, a cult classic. Think cherry and pear brandy, guava and peach juice, macadamia and pine nuts, and a bevy of fragrant spices. The luscious loaf is soaked in apricot brandy and topped with California bay leaf and geranium blossom. Dig in with reckless abandon.


Technorati Tags: cake, Charles & Marie, Epicurean delight, food, gourmet, Sweets

Sant Ambroeus is the renowned Milanese pasticceria and confetteria that opened in 1936 and became a hotspot for the era’s style cognoscenti. Now transplanted to New York, the place still retains its old world charm, especially with gorgeously boxed sweets like the whimsically shaped assorted cookies—which offer decadent simplicity with ingredients like jam, chocolate, almonds, walnuts, and vanilla. These are best enjoyed, of course, with Sant Ambroeus’ legendary cappuccino.

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, cookies, Epicurean delight, gourmet, Sweets

Marc Newson designed this whimsical dish rack for Magis, a company that professes to “give a novel twist to domestic design.” Certainly, we’re not all about countertop clutter, but this colorful needled boat, made of resilient polypropylene, makes an otherwise banal fixture a transcendent and playful curiosity.

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, contraptions, design, Epicurean delight, kitchen, Modern Living

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Urban hipsters are forgoing VIP rooms for a considerably chicer concept: the VIP mansion. Sumptuous properties-for-rent abound within 90210 limits, atop the Hollywood Hills and on the Malibu coast where amenities include spectacular views, plentiful underground parking and heightened levels of exclusivity. If you’re a jet setter, consider hosting your party overseas. Prices range from a whopping $13,000 to a $1,000,000 per day, depending on your urge to splurge (amenities include a DJ, dance floor, private jet, everything). Extreme party animals, take heed: you’ll also need insurance and, possibly, a permit.

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, Epicurean delight, hotspot