Brunch Diaries: Trafford

My sister was in town visiting this weekend, which was the perfect excuse for us to try a new place for brunch on Sunday. Trafford is a bright, cheery spot in the East Bay overlooking the water. I have been for dinner several times before, but this was the first time I tried their brunch. The wide open space paired with the sunshine pouring in (not to mention the mimosas) made for a great afternoon with my sister and M.

Menu displayed on a clipboard.

Ceiling lights + canoe.

Instagramming, of course!

Cup of sugar.

Iced coffee.

Brunch bubbles.

Lobster benedict special.

Traditional benedict.

I'm in love with their reclaimed wood tabletops. 

Wild blueberry hotcake.

Everything was so delicious and since they've just recently started serving brunch, we practically had the upstairs to ourselves! I definitely recommend checking Trafford out and I can't wait to come back and eat outside on the deck when it finally gets warmer. Where's your favorite place to enjoy brunch?

Brunch Diaries: Sunnyside

I love, love brunch. It's probably my favorite meal to eat out since there are so many options: early morning or late afternoon; sweet or savory; coffee or cocktails; poached or scrambled. I have some staple spots that I like to frequent in Providence, but Sunnyside is my new favorite destination brunch, located in Warren, Rhode Island. It's a cute little cottage perched right on the water with a bright, sunny dining room and outdoor patio. M and I felt that this was the perfect spot to bring my cousin, Leslie, who has been visiting for the weekend.

Each time I've come for brunch, I've had something different and I've yet to be disappointed. The grilled grapefruit served with local honey is carmel-y and juicy, the complimentary bites of fresh bread are sweet and served with homemade jams. I think my favorite dish so far has been the dutch baby pancake. It's the perfect mix of textures: light and crispy outside with a rich, custard-like center. Throw some fresh fruit and real maple syrup on there and you've won me over. I love the frothy, strong (and not too sweet) Greek frappe to start, but the mimosas and fresh juices are tempting, too. Also, the dum-dum pops that come with the check are a cute touch. I love little surprises like that!

Located right on the water with a lobster boat out front!

Brunch menu.

Leslie contemplating brunch items.

Frothy Greek frappe.

Yacht Club Cola: a Rhode Island staple.

Fresh baked bread with house made rhubarb jam.

Mediterranean breakfast with ripe tomatoes and hearty toast.

Dutch baby pancake with fresh fruit and real maple syrup.

I love how they present the check!

Dum-dums!

The Sunnyside: daytime dining.

Do you have a favorite weekend brunch spot?

Special Delivery: Birchbox

After seeing countless bloggers post about their monthly Birchbox, I finally broke down and added my name to the wait list. Tiane got her first Birchbox last month, and the $10 seems worth it for a few fun beauty goodies and the anticipation of a monthly snail mail surprise. I probably waited less than a month before I got the e-mail prompting me to subscribe, and I went with the month-to-month option so that I can cancel at anytime. I was so excited to see that little pink box in my mailbox Saturday afternoon, plus miniature anything is somehow more exciting and cute! My first Birchbox contained the following:

-Befine skin care sampler
- Color Club turquoise nail polish (how did they know I'm obsessed with nail polish?)
- Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy perfume (which I've tried before and love!)
- June Jacob Perfect Pumpkin Enzyme Polish (probably the product I'm most looking forward to testing out
- Show Stoppers designer fashion tape

All in all, it seems like it was worth the money. I'm already super excited for next month's Birchbox because it's a Gossip Girl theme! Do you have a subscription to Birchbox now? What's been the best product you've gotten? I want to know what else I can look forward to receiving!

Interested in trying Birchbox? Sign up here!

{Local} Celeb Status

So the headline is somewhat of an exaggeration, but I was featured on Yelp's main page as having the Review of the Day for Rhode Island on Sunday (cue all the 'smallest state' jokes). Honestly, I was probably a little more excited than I should have been. I sent out a mass text to all my local friends to check it out. I just joined Yelp this past December because I visited the site so often for restaurant/salon/shopping recommendations but had yet to put my own two cents in. So far I'm loving it! I've already made some fun connections and the community seems to be very close-knit (one good thing about living in a teeny-tiny state).

Follow my reviews at tthomas.yelp.com! I'm currently trying to scope out the best New England lobstah roll for when Tiane comes to visit. It's just really hard to judge lobster rolls when you're not a fan of lobster (crazy, I know). I'm trying, though, I swear! Check it out, Tiane's yelping, too!