Great Falls, Montana is Electric

{Us in the photo booth at the part-ay mentioned below.

Clearly, Great Falls is fun.}

6 Par Farmer hails from Great Falls, Montana and therefore, I find myself spending quite a bit of my time here.  Amongst Montanans (and out-of-towners alike), Great Falls doesn't always have the most glowing reputation.  10th Avenue is filled with chain stores and casinos, the dining options are pretty limited, the demographics aren't friendly to "bachelors on the frontier," and it doesn't border Glacier National Park or Yellowstone...  Because of all of these things, some people have given up on The Electric City.

{Love brick}

But I think the electricity is just below the surface and is starting to rise  (And they have always had FABULOUS people.)  I am making it my new mission to shed some light on all Great Falls has to offer.  Downtown Great Falls has SOOO much going on and should be the focal point of the town:  Historic brick buildings, solid anchor businesses, the Civic Center, and lots of opportunities for new businesses to move in.  The cost of living in Great Falls is very low too.  Are you getting ready to move here yet?

{The Blue Rose}

Right on Central you will find The Blue Rose which is one of my favorite shoppes in Montana.  (Up there with The Village Shop in Whitefish.)  Tracy, the personable, down-to-earth owner, has a great eye and carries stylish pieces for all ages.  (3J Workshop, Hudson, Nicole Miller, etc.)  She even has free shipping, so you can shop from wherever you are.  Last week I went to a party just down the street from The Blue Rose at The Living Room (by far, the most fabulous, chic spa and salon in GF) and Cindy Cieulich Photography.

{Gush.  I have a girl crush on Cindy.  

She is talented, sweet, and so cute.}

{Gratuitous dog photo Cindy 

took of Dolce's friend Baxter. Love.}

{Boutonniere}

At the party, there were fabulous apps from Bert and Ernies.  They have new owners and are making some big changes. (It was not run-of-the-mill, boring stuff either; think salmon panko balls.).  We also enjoyed tasty brews from Bowser Brewing Company, lots of beautiful wedding hair and makeup on the ladies of The Living Room, and flowers from My Viola, which is a great place to find modern, simple flowers.  (I hear they teach fun classes too!)  

{THE cover.}

Katalin Green from Bozeman, the publisher of Montana Bride put the whole shindig together to celebrate Cindy's cover photo on the mag, and I have to say, I was quite impressed. Tres chic ladies!  Way to make Great Falls shine.  

{Yum!}

Oh!  I almost forgot the best part.  The macaroons from Crooked Tree!  I am a macaroon snob (Le Panier in Seattle and Ladurée in Paris/NYC are a couple favs.)  The pistachio macaroons from Crooked Tree are top notch.  Delish!  Go buy some.  You can thank me later.  

This is just a sampling of great things in 
GF.  More next time.  The River's Edge Trail...
Eddie's... The list goes on.   

The Electric City. Come. You'll like it.  

I Want That: MacKenzie-Childs

After a trip to Neiman Marcus in St. Louis, I was reminded of my love of MacKenzie-Childs. (They carry tons of it.) MacKenzie-Childs' flagship store is in New York City, but if you are not in New York, you can find their wares at all of the Neiman Marcus stores and even in Whitefish, Montana at S.M. Bradford (S.M. Bradford carries a great selection of their tableware and decor.).



MacKenzie-Childs pieces are all hand-painted at the MacKenzie-Childs dairy farm turned production studio in Aurora, New York. (Now I want to go there and check it out...) Their pieces are both classic and fresh, traditional and whimsical, and nothing but fun. I can't get enough of their "Courtly Check" signature pattern.



Clearly, Dolce Vita Evans needs the dog bowl.



And the Parchment Check is nice because it is a little more subdued.



How can you not love their furniture?



MacKenzie-Childs. I Want That.

Something Tasty: Fat Cork

It is not a secret that I love (LOVE, LOVE, scream it from the rooftops, LOVE) bubbly. I prefer cava to prosecco and love Champagne and California sparkling too. I am easily pleased by bubbles, but appreciate the nuances they can bring to the table. Our mantra at Bon Lemon, "when life gives you lemons... put on something sparkly (or sparkling)" has a dual meaning now, doesn't it? :)



When my mom invited me to go to a champagne tasting at Fat Cork in Seattle, I didn't hesitate. A tasting focused on bubbly? A shoppe that only sells champagne? Yes, please! We headed up yesterday to meet the folks at Fat Cork. Abigail and Bryan, the partners (and partners in crime) at Fat Cork were so great. They were informative without being pretentious, fun without being flighty, and the perfect hosts for a champagne tasting. Moral of the story: I loved them! I am waiting for them to plan a trip to France. Count me in!



Back to the tasting... Fat Cork is located in the bottom floor of a building in a random, industrial (but not really) area of Seattle. We got buzzed in, and it was clear, we had arrived. Abigail greeted us with a smile and enthusiastically showed us in. The industrial space had been perfectly adapted for the tasting with a table set with snacks (Salumi and Theo to name a few), a cute table runner, flowers, and informative tasting guides. Our first impression was great.



Bryan told us later the reason they picked the space is, because it is partially underground and north facing, which makes it easier to regulate the temperature for Champagne storage. They temperature control their Champagne all the way from France, which greatly improves the quality, which can be a problem with other distributors. Think of your Champagne sitting on a shelf in a 70 degree warehouse somewhere melting to death. Tear. These guys love their Champagne all the way along its journey.



All of the Champagnes Fat Cork offers are previously unavailable in the United States. (Aren't we special?) They are primarily from small, young, innovative growers in the Champagne region in France. We learned a lot about the changing dynamic in the French wine world and the new and exciting things happening with Champagne. We tasted three Champagnes in each of the three distinct Champagne regions. The tasting was diverse and delish and we learned a lot about what we liked, where it came from, and what made it taste the way it did. So fun!


(This is Abigail and Bryan. Cute!)

If you are looking for unique, unknown, grower Champagne, you now know where to go. The admittedly don't sell everyday bubbly (most of their options are over $40) but their mantra: "Celebrate Everyday!" should be taken more seriously by us all. What are you doing tonight?



I am such a fan! You will be too. Can we get them to Montana to Wines By Wednesday or to Olympia at La Petite Maison for a special event? Hope so! Or they could just come hang out at my house. Love them. (They also ship!) These two will make you appreciate Champagne even if you didn't before and love it even more if you already did. Thanks for a great evening Fat Cork.

Weekend Photos

The weekend in pictures. Check out that weather pattern.



Madison at the helm.



What great company!



And beautiful scenery at Swan Lake.

Happy 4th!