Temecula Shopping Finds: Wine, Honey, and Tea, Oh My!

Check out what I scored at local Temecula stores recently:

Masia de Yabar Winery is located at 39788 Camino Arroyo Seco, Temecula, on the de Portola Wine Trail in Temecula Wine Country.

What was I drinking the night I walked off with my souvenir glass (oops!  I WILL return it, I promise!)?   Masia de Yabar 2009 Malbec.  My husband's favorite is their 2008 Garnacha.

Sprouts Natural Market is located at 40458 Winchester Road, Temecula, on the Margarita Road side of the Promenade Mall.  This local, independently owned market has been in the area since 1989 and is not affiliated with the natural foods market chain also  called Sprouts.

Recommendations:  the serve-yourself soup and salad bar and the smoothie bar.

California Coffee & Tea Brewery is located at 40315A Winchester Road, Temecula, on the northeast side of Margarita and Winchester.  Say hi to the friendly owners, Vern and Diane Walden.

I recommend my friend Rachel's daughter Maisie Lopez's prize-winning drink creation, San Jose Peach iced tea.

Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle is located inside the Promenade Mall (on the second floor):  40820 Winchester Road, Temecula.

Recommendations:  housewares, dishes, beauty supplies.

New (to Me): the Shellac Manicure

Just a few short years ago when my family first moved to Temecula there weren't any quickie nail salons.

If you wanted a manicure, your only choice was a day spa or a manicurist working out of a hair salon. Fast forward to 2012:  quickie salons for all!  Seems they are on every corner and in every mini-mall now.

I am a wee bit obsessive about germs so I try to be careful where I dunk my feet.  Truthfully, there are only two quickie nail places in the Temecula/Murrieta area that I trust.  (More about them in another blog post.)

And I'm so active that the normal state of my nails is: un-done. Or I do them myself and they look pretty bad.

So anyway....I had a Spreebird deal for something I'd heard of but never tried:  the SHELLAC MANICURE.

You can read all about it here on CND's website.

Roberta at Element in Temecula does all types of manicures including shellac.

The huge revelatory moment for me: she put on a layer of topcoat then announced, "You're dry!" And my nails were completely, perfectly, absolutely 100% dry! None of this "You're dry but be careful" or "You're dry but they might dent" that you have with regular manicures. They were DRY as in, "Reach into your purse for your keys without fear."

My hand was in a golf glove at the driving range within twenty minutes of finishing this 'cure.

How long does it last? Results seem to vary person-by-person but many women see a shellac manicure stay in good condition for 2-3 weeks.

Temecula Sweet mandarins

Guess they are a famous cult item! Read the LA Times Food Section piece here

Temecula Pat & Oscars...Part Two

Okay, word is that the Pat & Oscars company filed Ch 7 bankruptcy. They are restructuring their entire operations which includes closing several stores. The Temecula Duck Pond location is closed for now (and 60 employees were laid off) but there are plans to re-open under new management at some time in the future.

Stay tuned....

Pat & Oscars at the Temecula Duck Pond....Closes?

Is it true? I heard today that amid a big corporate overhaul, our local Temecula Pat & Oscar's is (temporarily??) closed.

Without knowing the specifics, I would be so surprised if Pat & Oscar's as a company survives yet chooses to keep the Duck Pond store closed, since it always is packed and remains popular with families even during tough economic times.

Anyone have any info?

City of Temecula Fourth of July Parade

Our friend and neighbor Autumn Boden sang the national anthem to open the 2011 City of Temecula Fourth of July parade in Old Town this morning. She did a terrific job! It was thrilling hearing her beautiful voice amplified throughout the entire Old Town district. She got a great response from the crowd.

Then I opened my Californian newspaper this morning to find this article describing her singing like this:

In a performance that belied her youth, the 12-year-old delivered the national anthem in a clear, unwavering voice without affectation or apparent flaws, despite the legendary difficulty of the lyrics and melody.

Wow! Just, wow.

Hope you all had a fantastic Fourth!

Hair Feathers & Tinsel!

We are back from a vacation in Washington, D.C. You hope when traveling with kids that they appreciate cultural differences in different parts of the world. For instance, my nine year old noticed that nobody had "hair feathers" in Washington. She did see some at Dulles Airport (tinsel, too.) I pointed out to her that the airport isn't always a great gauge of local style because people from all over the world are just passing through.

"Maybe those people are from California," she said.

Sure enough, one of the hair feather gals was on our LAX-bound flight.

Where can you get feathered and tinseled here in Temecula? Element Salon was one of the earliest local pioneers of this trendy-trend. (Element does great blow-outs, too!)

Also, the Fantastic Sam's near Baron's offers hair feathers (basically fancier looking fishing lures attached with hair extension beads, in a variety of sizes and colors) for $10 each (price includes feather and installation) or three for $25.

Sources for hair feathers and hair tinsel in Temecula:

Element Salon (near Bruegger's, across Winchester from Chapparal High)
(951)695-5400
39584 Winchester Road
Temecula, CA 92591

Fantastic Sam's (in the Baron's shopping center)
(951)695-6204
31867 Rancho California Road
Temecula, CA 92592