The 3 Very (Very!) Best Places in Portland, According to Caesy Oney

Try not to be jelly that they’re all crazy-convenient for the Draught Dry Goods designer.

If you happen to be skulking around Northeast Portland, you just might catch a glimpse of the Draught Dry Goods main man, Caesy Oney. All his favorite haunts happen to be within walking distance of both his studio and his apartment—but they’re all worth a trip if you aren’t quite as lucky. —jackie varriano

Nong’s Khao Man Gai
“This is hands-down my favorite lunch in Portland. There’s a food cart downtown proper, but I generally visit the spot in lower SE, as I can walk there from the workshop. Their Khao Man Gai, commonly known as ‘paper chicken,’ is a really simple dish of broiled chicken and rice, and their house-made sauce is a garlic-ginger-chili combo that is mind-blowing.”
(609 SE Ankeny St., Suite B, khaomangai.com)

Club 21
“This is my neighborhood dive—standard bar fare and stiff drinks. Lots of shit on the walls. Great neon sign out back that is from a long-forgotten steak house.”
(2035 NE Glisan St.)

See See Motor Coffee Co.
“This is the coffee-slash-motorcycle shop that is run by my friends. It has delicious coffee and snacks—and of course tons of motorcycles and motorcycle things. They are also really active in the community and have events and parties often. A true Portland treasure.”
(1642 NE Sandy Blvd.; seeseemotorcycles.com)

Caesy’s made-in-OR edition is here! You don’t want to miss his made-by-hand iPhone wallet.

Rachel Albright’s Insider-y Guide to Richmond

If you didn’t have a reason to head to Virginia before, now you have six.

Rachel Albright has lived in Virginia her whole damn life, and, though she felt a little style-starved growing up, she’s come to really embrace the local spots that fuel her line Academy Jewelry, which has its roots in Richmond but has gained a much broader fan base. These half dozen spots qualify as her haunts. —olivia seely

Score the super-cool, straight-from-VA necklaces that Rachel made us right here!

Lamplighter Roasting Company: “The best coffee in Richmond, hands down. I think almost anyone here would say the same. It’s the place to be any weekend morning—everyone you know will be there with their dogs in tow. The dark roast is my favorite, and they deliver anywhere in town on bikes, rain or shine!” [Ed: Oh, hey! Rachel’s wearing Dusen Dusen!] (lamplightercoffee.com)

Halcyon Vintage: “This is an absolutely amazing locally owned vintage shop here. Angelica is incredible and totally gets my style—she’s always pulling out things that she knows I’ll love (usually weird pants), and she knows so much about clothing, it’s ridiculous. I’ve been eyeing this floor-length sequin gown for months, I’m just waiting to get invited to a fancy soiree!”

VMFA (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts): “This is actually one of the best places in Virginia, I think. There’s such a great art scene in Richmond. I’ve been known to squeal and cry in art museums from excitement and emotion, and this one is no exception.” (vmfa.state.va.us)

Chop Suey Tuey: “Chop Suey Tuey is a small, locally owned, new-and-used bookstore in Carytown, the coolest part of Richmond. Plus, there’s a cool gallery room with work by local artists.” (chopsueybooks.com)

Need Supply Co.: “I spend most days in the studio here, and absolutely love being part of such a cool, creative team. Everyone is so inspired—it’s a little family of really funny, stylish, and smart people. And, there’s always a steady supply of snacks—Need Supply Co. loves snacks.” (needsupply.com)

The Roosevelt: “It’s my favorite restaurant in Richmond, and not just because my man is occasionally in the kitchen. The best part: my favorite drink, called The Shrub, made of gin, apple cider vinegar, blackberries, and cherries and served with a little love from T, the man behind the bar (who has the best beard in Richmond).” (rooseveltrva.com)

Photos courtesy of Cameron Lewis.

Clare Vivier’s Very Favorite Places in Silverlake

The leather maven is a regular at these five spots.

Taix
“Taix is a really old-school French restaurant—the interior hasn’t changed in 30 years, and the waiters have been there forever. I love to eat steak frites in the bar area.” (taixfrench.com)


Intelligentsia
“It’s just the best coffee. I usually get an espresso, and they serve it with a little glass of sparkling water. I think that’s really cute.” (intelligentsiacoffee.com)


Forage
“My very favorite restaurant is Forage. I eat there at least once a week and order the kale and arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and toasted breadcrumbs on top.” (foragela.com)


Mohawk General Store
“I got a pair of silver Rachel Comey loafers there last year, and I feel like she should release them again because I get so many compliments on them! There’s a Raquel Allegra coat in a nubby, boiled wool that I want right now.” (mohawkgeneralstore.net)


Cookbook
“This is a super cute little market on Echo Park Avenue. Any time you don’t have an idea of what to cook, they’ll help you figure it out. It seems like a small store with a small selection, but they’ll be like, ‘Oh! Just take this arugula, this mint, and peas…’ Which is nice—to have your selection totally slimmed down.” (cookbookla.com)

Emerging Thing of the Week: Lost Weekend NYC

Lost Weekend is a coffee shop. And a gallery. And a lifestyle store. And an event space. Aw, hell, it’s the sort of place that you wish you had in your neighborhood—unless you live on New York’s Lower East Side, in which case you do have it. The space opened in August and will have rotating art exhibits—the first of which, featuring Patrick McMullan’s photography from the eighties, runs through the end of the month—and sells Blue Bottle Coffee, Saltbox hoodies, and Malin + Goetz grooming products. Which, depending on who you are, might all qualify as essentials. —erica

For more things we think are on the up-and-up, click here.

3 Places In…Silver Lake

We were in L.A. mere months ago, and we’ve heard of a dozen new reasons to head back to this neighborhood since then. Until we have the chance to coast-hop again, here are the three supremely awesome Silver Lake spots we endorse fully. —erica

1) Lamill: You’ve never had a latte this fancy. No, really—they make their bean-flecked vanilla syrup in house.
2) Mohawk General Store: Between the Samma bracelets, Marie Turnor sack bags, Saltbox swim trunks—well, we don’t know where to look.
3) Vivier and Bentley: Ok, so we haven’t seen this space since it actually opened for business, but Clare Vivier’s leather goods and Katherine Bentley’s jewelry are too fantastic for their combined forces to not deliver something mind-blowing.

More on L.A. month—and the city’s ‘hoods—here.

Supplies and Demand: Ann Yee

New York-based designer Ann Yee manages to give what could be androgynous cuts a schoolgirlish edge. Here, two things that keep her functioning.

A crazy adorable look from her spring collection.

“First off, coffee, with cream and sugar, from Dunkin Donuts—I’m easy. I don’t even have a coffeemaker. Number two, a Wite-Out stick—those tapes things? I’m addicted to those when I’m sketching.”

Seven Businesses Ted and Gena Can Get Behind

Their consumption standards are as high as their production ones.

Designs from the Symmetry Goods fall collection

The couple behind Symmetry Goods focuses a lot of energy on exactly how their new line of scarves (and, come spring, bags and other accessories) are constructed. They score wools in Japan, they design and cast the hardware in L.A., and they work with a seamstress just down the street. With such deliberate production, it’s no surprise that they have careful buying habits, too. “The beer that we drink, the food that we eat, the clothes that we wear—we really try to look for businesses that deserve our support,” Ted says. These are seven companies that they are more than happy to patronize.

Engineered Garments
“Though it’s not new anymore, E.G. will always be one of our favorites. It offers a Japanese take on a classic American aesthetic, with just enough Rei Kawakubo thrown in. And Nepenthes, the parent company, produces all of the Engineered Garments, uh, garments in the U.S. I could wear their work shirt every day—and often do.”

The Bruery
“The Bruery is a craft brewery in Placentia in Orange County. All of its beers are small-batch, and though they’re rooted in the styles of the Belgians, the company has managed to become one of the most innovative and interesting craft breweries in America. We especially love their very limited releases (Black Tuesday, Oude Tart, anything that spent time in a barrel), and the Christmas beers have become holiday staples for us. This year’s is 3 French Hens—the third in the series, of course.”

Corter Leather’s Brewster rivet wallet

Corter Leather
“Corter Leather is a one-man operation based in New England. The guy behind it is named Eric, and he literally makes everything he sells—beautiful wallets and small leather goods that combine pure craftsmanship and modernity.”

LAYERxlayer
“Patrick and Leah are behind LAYERxlayer, and they design covetable bags, backpacks, rucksacks, and other objects. They produce entirely in America and are a quality-over-all-else operation. We really dig what they do.”

Come meet us and LAYERxlayer at the mobile pop-up shop hosted by Brooklyn Based and The Shiny Squirrel on December 4th!

Kristen Elspeth
“Kristen is a dear friend of ours—she produces all of her jewelry by hand. We love her refined-yet-crafty aesthetic. She pays attention to even the smallest of details.”



Sightglass Coffee
“San Francisco is quickly becoming the American mecca of artisanal coffee roasters, and Sightglass is our favorite. They just get a really amazing flavor profile from all of their varieties—rich yet not too acidic, with a full body and good mouthfeel. We could go on and on. Everything they do is seasonal, only harvesting from small lots when it’s the right time.”

The Way We Wore
“The Way We Wore is the preeminent women’s vintage spot in Los Angeles. Selling everything from proper couture to expertly selected vintage textiles, this is the spot where you often see very famous designers looking for inspiration. The owner, Doris Raymond, has an encyclopedic knowledge of textile, fashion, and culture in general, and she only deals in pieces that you will want to keep forever.”

If you’re reading this in your Tumblr dashboard, you should check out our brand-new site at ofakind.com. While you’re there, sign up for our newsletter.

Where to Find Mandy in the East Village

Not that you would stalk her or anything.

Mandy Coon’s aesthetic meshes well with her East Village ‘hood. “It still has character. There are still, like, total junkies in the park,” the grit-appreciating designer explains . “There’s such good food—there’s such good everything.”  Here, five of her top hangouts (with an emphasis on the edible).

Prune
“I don’t drink bloody marys. But here? They’re so good. And the bone marrow—I’ve never had it anywhere else, but I’ve heard that sometimes it’s gelatinous. I can’t handle that kind of texture.”
(4 E. 1st St. # 1, between  1st and 2nd Ave.; prunerestaurant.com)

Sunny’s Florist
“It’s a tiny little florist—and she’s only open sometimes—on 2nd Ave. and 6th St. Her flowers last a long time and are really beautiful and special. They always have these almost-black calla lilies that range from purple to dark maroon.”
(102 2nd Ave., 212-473-0185)

Bluebird Coffee Shop
“I usually get an Americano, and they also have a great egg-salad sandwich.’”
(72 E. 1st St., between 1st Ave. and 2nd Ave.; bluebirdcoffeeshop.com)

Bond Street Chocolate
“I know about it because my friend—who’s an amazing, amazing knit designer—decided that she wanted to learn how to make chocolates, so she was interning there for awhile and then started working there on weekends. It’s really small, but it’s really cute. They even do little chocolate skulls. I’ve been thinking, ‘Hmm…I want to do a collaboration.’”
(63 E. 4th St., between 2nd Ave. and Bowery; bondstchocolate.com)

Cha-An
“It’s an amazing Japanese tea place. I usually have a sencha, and on Saturdays, I get this lunch special thing that I really like.”
(230 E. 9th St., between 2nd and 3rd Ave.; website)

B&H
“I never actually go there—I always order in. They have great hot borscht, and I really like their macaroni and cheese—it’s American cheese, not fancy. In the winter, their stuff is all I want to eat.”
(127 2nd Ave., between 7th St. and St. Marks Pl.; 212-505-8065)

If you’re reading this in your Tumblr dashboard, you should check out our brand-new site at ofakind.com. While you’re there, sign up for our newsletter.

Supplies and Demand: ALL Knitwear’s Annie Larson

As I start to remember the existence of a thing called wind chill, I’m becoming more and more obsessed with the knitwear of Annie Larson, who makes bold, chipper, and warm pieces out of Minneapolis, appropriately enough. Here, she shares what keeps her productive. —erica

“One thing I cannot live without while I am working is coffee. I use a French press, and I like it strong. I take it with cream only, no sugar, and I have recently discovered a brand of coffee that comes from the area where I grew up in southwest Wisconsin called Kickapoo Coffee. I buy the Organic Driftless Morning Blend at the local food co-op. It is so delicious!”

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