Bittersweet is this classicly wonderful cocktail, dessert and coffee lounge with an all-natural, local, seasonal menu. They are unique to Raleigh, North Carolina and I have yet to see an equivalent throughout my travels. They're the charming place where you have your cake and eat it too...with champagne (or any other adult beverage your heart desires...even Irish Coffee!). 

They regularly host drink and dessert pairings along with special "Gin Club" or themed events. They often having movie screenings that pair with the desserts + drinks (I personally love this bit). Plus, their full coffee bar, daily in-house baked goods, and fun staff make them basically the best thing in Raleigh. 

As their menu changes seasonally, they honor what is best suited for that time of year as well as serving classics year round. Thankfully, I was visiting when they were celebrating Negroni Week! So I had to try several of their 20+ varied Negroni drink recipes...it was for charity! (Spoiler Alert: they were all incredible). 

A Negroni is an iconic Italian cocktail, traditionally made with gin, vermouth rosso, and Campari, garnished with orange peel. It is considered an apéritif. For one week every June, bar and restaurants mix classic Negronis and Negroni variations for great causes. Negroni Week carefully selects official charities that those bars and restaurants can immediately donate to with the proceeds from the Negronis that week, or thereafter. It's a fun way to give back. 

I work remotely a couple days a week, as my office is a two hour commute each way for me. Most of the time I work from my home office, since I usually take early morning calls on these days. However, occasionally I will take part of an afternoon to go work from local coffee shops. It sparks creativity in me and makes me feel connected to people all while enjoying a good hot drink (I live by the motto of "But first, coffee" while I work). 

Big Mug is located in Santa Clara in the South Bay. It's one of my boyfriend's favorite coffee shops and he introduced it to me a couple years ago. While I can't eat any of their pastries or breakfast menu (wheat / dairy allergies), I hear it's all excellent! I like their Green Tea (Matcha) Latte with whatever dairy alternative they have on hand. 

It's a local favorite and has the following to prove it (it's perpetually busy on weekends)! I recommend on going on a weekday afternoon or a quiet rainy day. I've found this is a great spot for blogger meetups or group studying. If you'll need more than 3-4 spots at a table I advise calling in advance or sending someone ahead to save a larger table. 

Have you been here before? What did you think? If not, give it a try and tell me about your experience. I'm always looking for great coffeeshop recommendations so let me know if you have a local favorite in the Bay Area I should check out. <3

We recently went on vacation in LA and were able to spend a day at one of my favorite locations: Venice Beach, CA. I specifically love escaping to Abbot Kinney and the Venice Canals. 

Of the many gems and coffee selections my favorite is Intelligenstia. Never have I had a better cappuccino than at this SoCal treasure. They even know how to make one properly with almond milk (almond/soy/coconut milk can't be steamed at the same temperature as normal milk for espresso drinks else they burn or curdle). The atmosphere is bright and busy. Screenplay writers sit around working madly on scripts while joggers and surfers relax after their morning exertions. It's marries the fast pace of LA with the offbeat and devil-may-care attitude of Venice in perfect union. 

I recently met other bloggers in downtown Los Altos for The Blog Exchange and revisited some of my old stomping grounds. While Voyageur du Temps is not my favorite place for food* or coffee (I started off as a barista way back in the day so I can be pretty coffee house/grounds snobby) I really enjoy the ambiance and character. 

Cool earth tones, grays, and a sea of white greet you as you walk up to the quaint former train station turned cafe. Inside, rustic wood tables and modern industrial metal accents offset and balance one another. It's a blogger's joy to photograph. The glass wall to the bakery is like breaking the fourth wall so you can watch the bakers knead dough while sipping your cappuccino. Even the bathrooms have a craftsman's touch. The porcelain sinks and white penny tile are so drool worthy I couldn't resist a shoefie (shoe + selfie)!  

288 1ST STREET.

LOS ALTOS, CA 94022

MON - SUN: 7AM - 6PM

*Allergies Note: Not a very food allergy friendly/diet sensitive location. They don't have a lot of food alternatives or training with their staff around allergies. If this is a concern for you (like it is for me) I'd suggest starting with a drink and not relying on them for a meal. 

(Backstory): I once went hungry after they got my order wrong twice in relation to my allergies and I just had to let my boyfriend, "Mr. Darcy," eat it instead since we had to be somewhere and they were understaffed and backed up (The bonus was he was stoked to get two meals at once. haha).