Cape• Fall

{ Cozy Cape: Oversized topper, Gray denim & Black booties }

October 27, 2015

Hey guys–I hope your week has gotten off to a good start! One of the major events that has been going on in Milan for the last six months is the World Food Expo, in which more than 140 participating countries came together to share their technology for providing healthy, sufficient food, as well as cultural specialties. Although I did not make it to the actual exhibition while I was there, my husband and I did enjoy dining at the James Beard American Restaurant, a temporary establishment that opened in lieu of the Expo and will also close along with it at the end of the week. Its namesake, James Beard, is considered the father of American gastronomy, and after his death in 1985, a foundation in his honor was established in New York City. Today, the foundation awards chefs and others in the food industry, gives scholarships to students in the culinary field, and runs the James Beard House in Greenwich Village, NYC, where chefs from across the U.S. come to display their talents by cooking dinner for the public. Dining there was a really neat experience: the restaurant only served about 50 people each night, offering many different prix-fixe menus prepared by top American (and a few Italian) chefs. We enjoyed it so much that we ending up eating there three times!Would you believe me if I told you this cape is less than $30? For such a reasonably-priced piece, I am very impressed with the quality (even my husband thought I had purchased something expensive), not to mention surprised by how warm it is. I actually wore this as a jacket several days while in Milan, and even with temperatures hovering around 60°F, I was still cozy.Another aspect I love about this cape is its versatility: for casual daytime wear, I paired it with denim and ankle boots, but I also took it into the evening by wearing it open over a dress with over-the-knee boots for dinner. I think I like it so much because it’s very similar to one of my other favorite capes (see this post).I took a few quick snaps of each course from one of our meals at James Beard and this particular dinner, served by Chef Naomi Pomeroy, was my favorite. I have a major sweet tooth, so naturally the best part for me was the chocolate torte with salted caramel sauce and vanilla bean whipped cream (yep…it tastes as decadent as it sounds!) It’s hard to find cakes like this in Italy, so it was such a treat to enjoy a little slice of home. That said, if you happen to live near Portland, Oregon, be sure to check out Chef Pomeroy’s restaurant, Beast, and I promise you won’t be disappointed!