Hudson House Debuts New York Influenced Brunch Menu On February 2

Brunch is the perfect meal. You aren't expected to eat it at the crack of dawn. No, sleep in! Roll out of bed when you feel like it. Even noon is acceptable... Then select from over the top breakfast items magically enhanced with delicious sauces and sides and pair it with a chilled cocktail. Perfection! I have my brunch sights firmly set on Hudson House who is set to debut a new weekend brunch menu this weekend, complete with "a heavy dose of New York influence".  According to a press release that landed in my in-box earlier today, the East Coast-inspired neighborhood restaurant reveals  that “A West Village Brunch” will be taking center stage on the new menu. From house-made cream cheese, meticulously sourced bagels from a local bakery, to thin, hand-cut slices of premium quality fresh fish, Executive Chef Grant Jones says, “We are excited to implement the new menu at both locations and feel it’s a uniquely fun addition to the brunch scene in town.”

Clothes Circuit Celebrates 35 Years of Consignment Shopping

Irene Mylan, owner of Clothes Circuit

I almost hate to bring attention to how amazing Clothes Circuit is, because the more shoppers they get, the harder it will be for me to score amazing deals! This is truly an act of love, that I am revealing my best secret for looking like a million bucks on a budget. Every day, on the Clothes Circuit floor you will find designer brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermes, Gucci, Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Pedro Garcia, Ippolita, David Yurman, Oscar del la Renta, Brunello Cucinelli, Etro, rag & bone, Vince, Lafayette 148, Frame, Joie, Lululemon, The North Face, Athleta, and Zella. From clothing to shoes to jewelry to handbags, Clothes Circuit has the absolute best prices on designer deals. And they've recently added athleisure wear to the mix to meet the needs of their customers. 🙌

Crudo Italian Opens in Park Cities

Crudo Italian opened a few weeks ago at 8411 Preston Road and Northwest Hwy in Park Cities. According to a release, "Crudo Italian observes the traditions of Northern Italy, taking a lighter and more sophisticated approach to the cuisine. Signature dishes are centered on handmade artisan pastas and gnocchi, the best meats available, and seafood flown in daily. A robust baking program will produce warm, delicious breads made in-house, as well as an array of fresh desserts. Under the guidance of Executive Chef and Partner Javier Perez, the food is made from scratch, using fresh, highest-quality ingredients." I am a big fan of Italian cuisine and upon receiving an invitation to visit, my husband and I ventured over last week to give them a try. You would think a location at this busy corner would be a gold mine, but the spot has been cursed thanks to poor concepts that didn't fit the area and bad parking. I went in with minimal expectations and after dining there, I am hopeful that Crudo will break the curse. It is worth the parking effort. It's a warm, welcoming space on two different levels, with bars on each level. I am a big fan of the upstairs bar, which is more loungy in feel. Patio seating is also available, as is a small, private dining room for meetings and special events.

Best Summer Beauty Tips That Take Less Than 5 Minutes Each

To me, Summer is all about relaxed ease, so the no-makeup makeup look is what I strive for. As we head into the hot Texas summer, I thought I would share five beauty tips to help you make the most of the season. The beautiful thing is that each of these tips takes less than 5 minutes! Try them out and let me know which of them you enjoy most!

BeautyRX Peel: Sometimes you need more than an exfoliation product to remove the damage that all of that sun worship has produced. Blushington has partnered with famous NYC dermatologist, Dr. Neal Schultz, to bring you his world-famous products at a fraction of what you'd pay in his fancy-pants Big Apple offices. This peel is simple, easy, and completed in just TWO minutes. First, skin is thoroughly cleansed, and then the pH-balanced and buffered glycolic peel is applied. The unique formulation of BeautyRx’s glycolic works its magic to invisibly and gently dissolve the top layer of dead, uneven skin to reveal gorgeous skin underneath. After two minutes, the peel is instantly neutralized with water, and the client is welcome to apply sunscreen and moisturizer. There’s no redness, downtime, or irritation – just glowing skin. This service is normally $225 at Dr. Schultz's office. At Blushington, you'll pay just $10 hands/$40 Neck and Decolletage/$50 full face.

Brow Tinting: There's no better way to create a polished and put-together look than having a strong brow. It frames your eyes and sets off your look without a lot of fuss. Don't mess with brow pencils and shadows - just like you color your hair, you can have your brows tinted. No fuss, no muss and you are out the door. $15 at Blushington.

Powder Foundation: I am crazy about Dallas-based Susan Posnick's ColorFlo mineral foundation because it's 3 products in one: sunscreen, foundation and powder. Simply brush and go with her self-dispensing refillable brush. COLORFLO provides powerful and natural sun protection and is invisible and weightless on the skin. It's also great packaging and easy to throw in your purse to re-apply later in the day. $68 online at SusanPosnick.com or avail. locally at Stanley Korshak.

Performance Polish: I love the way a great manicure makes my hands look, but I have always HATED that fact that it takes nail polish so long to dry! Thanks to new technology, performance polishes dry in just 5 minutes and come with a 5 day guarantee to not chip. Avail. at MiniLuxe (multiple Dallas Locations - my favorite is The Shops of Highland Park)

Adapt Collagen: I’ve never met a woman who wouldn’t like to reduce fine lines and wrinkles in their skin, or have stronger nails & hair, so let me share a new find with you. The magic bullet you require is more collagen protein in your diet. Dallas fitness trainer, Grant Alexander, has developed Adapt Restorative Collagen, which uses 100% natural, grass-fed collagen protein. Add a scoop into your daily 8 oz. smoothie, coffee, tea or any liquid beverage and enjoy a powerful dose of protein that our body easily absorbs to repair muscles, joints, hair, skin, nails and more. It’s tasteless, odorless, with no gritty feel. This is my kind of product – no pain, all gain! $48 at Adapthq.myshopify.com.


Disclaimer: Blushington is a client of my marketing firm/ad agency/whatever you want to call it. As I was learning about some of the new products and services they are offering, the information inspired this post. 

Oh So Tasty: Flower Child

Inspired by its simple mission to deliver healthy food for a happy world, Flower Child offers convenient, nutritious food in a modern bohemian setting. Now y'all know I generally have a disdain for anything "healthy" because in my mind that means it's going to taste awful, so I headed over to Flower Child with more than a bit of trepidation. The Flower Child menu is masterfully designed to offer a healthy and balanced dining experience with a selection of organic, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan items for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Much of the menu is mix-and-match style, allowing guests to select their favorite combination of seasonal vegetables, fruits, and grains such as Spicy Japanese Eggplant (with Thai basil and cashew) as well as optional proteins like Grass-fed Steak and Organic, Non-GMO Tofu. Guests will find a variety of salads like the Organic Kale (pink grapefruit, organic apple, black currant, smoked almond, white cheddar, and apple cider vinaigrette); bowls like the Mother Earth (with ancient grains, sweet potato, Portobello mushroom, avocado, cucumber, broccoli pesto, leafy greens, red pepper miso vinaigrette, and hemp seed); whole grain pita wraps baked in-house like the Flying Avocado (with smoked turkey, gouda, romaine, tomato, and avocado hummus); gluten-free desserts; and ever-changing iced tea and lemonade, with flavors rotating seasonally. I am very pleased to report that everything I had was chock full of flavor. My favorite dishes were the Avocado Toast and the Madras Curry Bowl (I added chicken). This is the second restaurant brand by restaurateur Sam Fox to open in Dallas, joining True Food Kitchen in Preston Center. The 4,523-square-foot restaurant space is situated around an open kitchen that exudes energy throughout the dining room and wrap-around patio. On-the-go guests can easily peace in and peace out with a dedicated area for to-go orders; plus, there’s designated “yoga mat parking” where yogis can drop their mats while they eat (insert eye roll here 😏). Flower Child is located at 5450 West Lovers Lane, Suite 133 and is open Monday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, please visit the Flower Child website at www.iamaflowerchild.com.

5 Best Family-Friendly July 4th Events in DFW

I love the everything about Independence Day - the patriotic music, the fireworks and the food! Many in North Texas will seek out pools and lakes to cool off and celebrate but others will seek adventure and look to gather with others wanting to pay tribute to our Country. I visited the set FOX's Good Day to share just a few of my favorite picks with their viewers. To see a slew of other options across the Metroplex, hop over to Fox 4's website.

A Park Cities Summer Celebration

Watermelon. The smell of Coppertone suntan oil. Lemonade.  Hot dogs.  The shrieks of children's laughter.  Swimming pools.  Charcoal BBQ pits.  These are the sights, sounds and smells happening all over the country this weekend as we celebrate the Memorial Day holiday weekend. And my neighborhood was no exception. We had ourselves a raucous, hootin' hollerin', neighborhood block party Friday night to celebrate the last day of school in Highland Park and kick off the Summer season.  Readers of this blog know, I attend a lot of functions all over this city.  But there's nothing that can compare to a good old-fashioned neighborhood get-together.

Drybar is heating up the beauty scene in Dallas

No cuts. No color. Just blowouts. Only $35. Long the darling of Los Angeles, Drybar has finally made its Dallas debut. Choose from seven different hair styles and add an optional scalp massage for $10, if you'd like. It's an affordable luxury that's long overdue and a welcome addition to the Park Cities area.




Grab your girls and schedule an appointment today. I have a feeling the good time slots are going to fill up... fast!

Parkie Pic of the Week: Teddy Bears

Last week, my Parkie Pic of the Week was about Turtle Creek as a whole.  This week, I thought I would highlight one of my favorite sculpture installations within the Turtle Creek area - The Teddy Bears.

The Harlan Crow Family has been very generous to our community, donating land and art that you can find all throughout the city, especially in Highland Park (where the Crows reside).

This particular installation was placed here in 1995 and actually borders the Crow home on Lakeside Park on Turtle Creek.

There are four bears in the installation. A Mama Bear and three Baby Bears.  This is my 10 year-old who climbed up on the Mama Bear to give you an idea of the scale of these things.

They are a whimsical collection tucked away in a corner of the Park, barely visible from the road.  There are always kids crawling on them.  Like moths to a light.

For those of you who live outside the area, University Park and Highland Park are together called Park Cities. Citizens of these fabled Texas towns are called "Parkies".

Hence, my weekly fun feature which I call "Parkie Pic of the Week" in which I like to highlight an unusual or spectacular feature of my neighborhood.

Click on any photo to enlarge it and enjoy in greater detail.

neighborsGo! Snow Storm Coverage

neighborsGo! is a zoned insert for the Dallas Morning News. This is the Park Cities edition that just hit the streets.

See anyone you recognize? Of course! It's my Little Man!

I don't know if it's that I'm such a great photographer or if they just need the pictures, but I almost always get what I submit published. I really wish they had printed the photos I submitted of all the kids on our block building a snow fort but they have an almost identical photo shown. I am just happy that they used any of my submissions!

The snow has almost completely melted. The last remnants are from people who made snowman or forts and had big balls that have melted down to basketball-sized lumps. They dot the yards of houses as you drive by.

(Click to enlarge any of these images.)

Here's my original submission:

Meandering Turtle Creek

Little Man and I had quite the adventure today. We went with Venus and ET to explore Turtle Creek.

Turtle Creek is exactly as it sounds: a creek that meanders all throughout Highland Park with lots of turtles, fish, frogs, ducks and other assorted critters in it.

Venus brought us a picnic and we spent three hours walking the creek beds and exploring the wilds of Dallas with the boys. They had a ball.

ET was our tour guide, as they have been a hundred times. I can't believe I have lived here all this time and never knew this beautiful place existed. I mean, I drive past it every day - but I never realized you could get down in it and there were so many cool things for eight-year old boys to do.

ET caught a little frog

The boys discovered this mossy rock embankment and
found it to be a wonderful natural slip-n-slide.

About this blog: What is Oh So Cynthia? It’s a Mom Blog about life in Dallas. You can call me a Mommy Blogger, but I prefer Social Media Mommy. Posts on this blog reflect the experiences of my life in Dallas and Park Cities, product reviews and my thoughts on parenting boy in this hi-tech, fast-paced world.