Natural Rosé, Vintage Plates, and More Things to Buy This Week

This post originally appeared on August 27, 2019, in “Add to Cart” — the weekly newsletter for people who love shopping (almost) as much as they love eating. Subscribe now.

Yes, there are lots of sales going on this weekend thanks to Labor Day — discounts on the grill you had an eye on all summer, sale events at your favorite furniture and home stores, etc. But as Eater’s Digest hosts Dan Geneen and Amanda Kludt discussed on the podcast earlier this month, summer — especially holiday weekends like this one — is actually the best time for eating out, specifically at the buzzy restaurant that’s usually impossible to get into. This long weekend, go buy yourself a really good meal.

After you do that…

Things to buy

• I’m in Boulder this week and happened to wander into a shop on Pearl Street selling honey and mead (yes, that ancient liquor) — which is why I can now confidently recommend Monks Mead, from Monks Meadery in Athens, Georgia. Despite the packaging’s Renaissance vibes, it tastes right for summer 2019: crisp, refreshing, vaguely effervescent, and just the tiniest bit sweet.
• If mead isn’t your thing, wrap up the season with Domaine Julien Peyras’s Rosé Boheme, a dry, richly colored natural rosé that’s the best I had this summer. (And if you need help picking out a different natural wine for yourself, check out our guide.)
• The new Pastis in NYC has its flaws, but as an inherently nostalgic place, the restaurant’s plates — sturdy white dishes with thin green stripes, vintage versions of which you can find all over Etsy — are charming.
• For the ambitious baker, obtaining an adjustable-height rolling pin — useful for tackling those royal icing cookies you see all over Instagram — is a pro move.

Things to know

• In case you need inspiration to quit your desk job ASAP: Belgian fashion legend Ann Demeulemeester left her designer job six years ago and swapped clothing for… porcelain. Ann Demeulemeester Serax, her collection of understated dinnerware, angular glasses, and other housewares, launches this October.
• Keto has come for cereal. If only it tasted as good as the original stuff and wasn’t astronomically expensive.
• Dairy Queen’s latest marketing strat: scented candles.

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