I launched Femme on Feast, not only for my love of dining out frequently, but to share with the world my experiences while dining with amazing women in the realms of fashion, art, culture, and entertainment, amongst female operated establishments, as well as interviewing female chefs from all walks of life. From LA, SF, NY, and across the globe, I will delve into the most lavish and exclusive of feasts, to the most effortless, all amongst great company that truly bring something distinctive to the table.Tumblr (3.0; @femmeonfeast)http://www.femmeonfeast.com/<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzir5f2Nxi1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a></p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17750055005http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17750055005Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:00:50 -0500<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzir2eREI11qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a></p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17749965478http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17749965478Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:59:02 -0500<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzir0lVwc21qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a></p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17749911365http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17749911365Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:57:57 -0500<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lziqyffNHn1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a></p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17749846370http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17749846370Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:56:39 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lziqxcCD7U1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>For all you Seinfeld fans out there… (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17749815397http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17749815397Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:56:00 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzh0e7aBGv1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Or…eat like me (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17699851558http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17699851558Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:25:18 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzfdm57w231qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Raw meat (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17650254657http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17650254657Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:15:41 -0500<p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyztapGsEu1qih9vu.jpg"/></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Andrea DeRosa and Ashley Manhan’s style flawlessly complements one another. The design experts behind <strong>Avenue Interior Design</strong> have a collective portfolio composed of local, national, and international projects on large-scale and prolific level. Heavyweight hotels, casinos, restaurants, nightclubs, and spas </span><span>include; The <strong><em>Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, along with numerous properties with SBE, such as The Redbury Hotel, Cleo Restaurant, The Sayers Club and SLS Miami</em></strong><em>. </em></span><span>DeRosa and Manhan recently launched their own web-based design collective called, <strong>I Heart Design</strong>, creating a place where everyone can easily shop for an entire interior look. The online collection is a refreshing, and specialized insider perspective sharing DeRosa and Manhan’s favorite sources while exposing their own design attitude. <span> </span>For <strong><em>Femme on Feast,</em></strong> </span><span>the two trendsetters share </span><span>their expertise on how to entertain on a magical and innovative level leaving just enough to the imagination.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><em><span> </span></em></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><em><span>Who did you entertain for?</span></em></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>We decided to host a little pre-dinner happy hour in the name of our fabulous friend, Katy Daly, and in celebration of her birthday.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyztbo0Y0Q1qih9vu.jpg"/> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><em><span>What did you serve? </span></em></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Nothing gets more festive than champagne - or anything sparkling for that matter. For beverages we focused on serving Prosecco with raspberries. If anything, the raspberries just add a pop of color to the drink- unless you muddle them- but we didn’t want to dilute the beautiful appearance of the bubbly Processo.  One of our favorite appetizers is a cheese plate with dried fruit and sides of mustard and honey.  So many simple, yet complex flavors and it invites a little experimentation.  We also baked a few flat bread pizzas on whole wheat pita- delicious and the perfect portions.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span></span><strong><em><span>What was involved in the preparation?</span></em></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Happy hours are usually pretty low key. It’s important to have furniture arranged in a social fashion prior to the arrival of your guests. No one wants to be searching for a place to sit or to set his or her drink. When possible, pick up food a day or two in advance - if you wait until the last minute, you’ll inevitably forget something. Flowers should also be picked up a day in advance - and arranged - so they have time to open. Everything else falls into place. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><em><span><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyztd53n571qih9vu.jpg"/> </span></em></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><em><span>How many people attended?</span></em></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Getting all your guests to commit is always the biggest challenge when hosting a soiree of any size. The dinner party included a dozen close friends, half of which made it over for the happy hour. That being said, small, intimate, get togethers our favorite as they always evolve past the typical small talk.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyztegnJjZ1qih9vu.jpg"/></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><em><span>Where was the location?</span></em></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>We hosted the happy hour at Ashley’s apartment on LaPeer at Burton Way. It’s the most adorable property- very bohemian. We were hoping to host the happy hour outside on her secluded patio but the weather wasn’t ideal. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong><em><span>How often do you entertain?</span></em></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Almost more than eating out we love dining in. On a weekly basis, both of us are constantly cooking and love having friends and family over for informal, leisurely lunches, boozy brunches and decadent Sunday supers. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span><img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyztficWHS1qih9vu.jpg"/> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><em><span>T<strong>ips on how to entertain the best small dinner party or event</strong></span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span>Keep light levels low but not so dark your guests can’t see what they’re eating. Candlelight is great, just make sure you don’t go overboard on scents that are heavy and distracting. Fresh flowers are always a must- even when you’re not entertaining. Regardless of how well you accessorize your home, nothing feels more romantic and indulgent than fresh flowers. Dedicate one area to food and beverages and keep food simple, or bite sized, and informal. While the food should be delicious, it shouldn’t be so over top that it overshadows the focus of your party- the guests.  Mix and match the serving platters, dishes and glasses and stack cake stands of varying sizes for more personality. Re-purpose those things you use infrequently- our cake stands see more fruit, cheeses and other appetizers more often than they display a cake.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.iheartdesignbyavenue.com"><a href="http://www.iheartdesignbyavenue.com">www.iheartdesignbyavenue.com</a></a></p> <!--EndFragment--></p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17173626872http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/17173626872Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:37:00 -0500I Heart Design<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lykyktCbFb1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Baked (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16720275183http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16720275183Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:02:53 -0500<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyj4r1J0fO1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Paris treats (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16658224859http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16658224859Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:21:01 -0500<img src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lydhplm3ZJ1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>London surprise (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16480126972http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16480126972Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:15:20 -0500<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyddfdSHsB1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Mmm Mmm good, cafe marly (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16475530840http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16475530840Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:42:49 -0500<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly2kxbsSKL1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Much needed help for @cineasteinblack and I for our first night in Paris (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16140166893http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16140166893Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:51:11 -0500<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly2kui2s161qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Not for the weak (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16140067162http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16140067162Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:49:30 -0500<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly2krrsPCr1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Demolished (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16139967133http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16139967133Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:47:50 -0500<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxzptyyzIR1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Muriel’s kitchen with @cineasteinblack for an afternoon snack- south ken (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16057251346http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16057251346Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:44:21 -0500<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxyhfh0JiD1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Hello World (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16015126218http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16015126218Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:45:17 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxyhd72bC11qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Breakfast of champions (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16015075353http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/16015075353Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:43:55 -0500<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxmjux1QF51qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Dishes are done (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/15664026446http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/15664026446Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:06:32 -0500<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxkimwyGvD1qko04io1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>What was left of my dinner (Taken with <a href="http://instagr.am">instagram</a>)</p>http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/15608680460http://www.femmeonfeast.com/post/15608680460Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:44:55 -0500