Hearts & Minds | WATTY Winner

Chapter 11 | Changes Afoot

TOMIKO'S TAKE: A BLOG FOR THE STYLISH

CHANGES AFOOT

      If you haven't noticed the alterations (in this case I'm not referring to hemlines) up and down Noe Valley's business corridors, then you might be under the erroneous notion that you've wandered into a different neighborhood the next time you're out and about. I am much impressed by the newly opened women's clothing boutique Sashay, which promises to be a heavy hitter in the category of fashions that function without emptying out your Michael Kors Jet Set wallet. They've got a drool-worthy sale on cute rain boots right now, including Hunter and Bogs. Get thee over there before your old Wellies give out because these storms aren't going anywhere soon.

A new wine bar opened last Saturday in the former Cottage Tea Salon space. Harvey-Furlan Wine Bar gives us—what else?—the wines of Harvey-Furlan Winery. Does that bring the total of wine bars in the neighbor up to an even dozen? I wonder. Tea sippers might not recognize the old Cottage space, which has transformed into a modernist cave (that's pronounced as les français do) with nibbles like tiny cornichons and brie on crostini, to soak up all that Napa Valley sauce. Ask for a flight and decide if you want to stay for a full bottle of something divine. Tee. Hee.

Speaking of tea, all appears to be going well in the Cottage's new location. Bigger is better, right? (Except for waistlines, ob-vee.) Despite having been shuttled out the door by the new owner, Bunny Furlan of Harvey-Furlan Winery, and despite some tensions among the women (see my tell-all interview with Rainey Ko-Harvey Where There's a Will, There's a Chill) I particularly like the modern touches thrown in like the fresh, new tropical green and gold damask wallpaper (Rainey's choice). It just feels less dusty and cluttered, if you know what I mean. They definitely have a full house every weekend with clusters of waiting customers hanging out on the sidewalk in front, so if you are a person of leisure or "work from home,"(that's code for lonely slacker, right?) here's a tip—sneak in during the week for your cream tea and sandwiches. You might not even need a reservation. Their loyal Tea Cozies have followed them the few blocks without much problem, and the Ko-Harvey ladies always welcome new, friendly faces.

Speaking of....Intrepid reporter Sam Brandon is back in town, and has been spotted, my spies tell me, in a new daily ritual taking coffee at the Cottage Tea Salon. I only mention it because of his fine, award-winning reportage. (Plus, he has a great ass.) If you didn't catch it the first time around, you really must look up his year-long dispatches from Paris in Time magazine. It was a whole series on those Galliano disciples who were contestants on the French version of Project Runway three years ago and where they are now. Of course, every single profile was wrapped in a sense of superiority, as if fashion were just a step (or ten) beneath him. And he always has to throw in whole sections about sweat shops and fair trade, etc., blah blah. But what else can we expect from a man whose quotidian uniform is straight from the casual Friday playbook—chinos with cargo pockets for his writerly ammunition (the ass is still fit, no matter how he tries to hide it), a plain white T, and some sort of V-neck cotton knit sweater à la L.L. Beane? (Shudder!) Still, to have him back in our midst is like a breath of fresh air, and we should appreciate it, especially since he has a new juicy piece about Balenciaga due very soon in Vanity Fair. Who knows when he'll be off again on some less thrilling assignment about refugees or the like? He's known for getting captured and thrown into deep, dark prisons of third-world, war-torn countries (re-read my post What Noe Valley Writers Wear to Work for more on Brandon's career as a naval officer and journalist). We'll see if he can stay at home for a while. Perhaps the Cottage sausage rolls will keep him close. Or—might there be something more compelling than filling foods of the British Commonwealth that causes him to linger? Hm....Time will tell.

—T. Takimoto, blog mistress of Tomiko's Take

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Wattpad friends! This is a very brief chapter because it's one of Tomiko's blog posts. I have them sprinkled throughout the novel, kind of like commentary or a Greek chorus. I hope you enjoy her sassiness. I certainly enjoy writing it! Next week, I'll post another long chapter in two or three parts—and introduce yet another key character! Until then, have a super relaxing weekend. Thank you for reading, voting, commenting, and sharing HEARTS & MINDS with your fellow readers! xo, Olivia