SoCal consumers slow down with new beverages

Southern California has become the bestselling market for Mary Jane's Relaxing Soda, a sugary drink laced with kava, a South Pacific root purported to have sedative properties.

Matt Moody, a Denver nutritional supplement developer who created the beverage, said the name is an unabashed reference to weed, though the relaxant compounds in kava are chemically unrelated to those in marijuana.

Along with drinks like Slow Cow and Ex Chill, Mary Jane's is part of a new group of so-called slow-down or anti-energy drinks, which are expected to be among the top food trends of 2010, according to advertising agency J. Walter Thompson.

They rely on folk-medicine sedatives, including kava, camomile and valerian, to provide an alternative to caffeine-laced and jitter-inducing energy drinks such as Red Bull.

The drinks purportedly promote calming, and they also take on the energy-drink category directly by claiming also to boost mental focus and concentration, said Ann Mack, director of trend-spotting at the ad agency.

Said Travis Arnesen, spokesman for Ex Drinks of Henderson, Nev.: "It is a new category, kind of like energy drinks, but designed to relax people. Just recently it has been picking up steam."

Social packaging

WineIDs: Countless varietals and vineyards can sometimes make finding - and remembering - a wine you like a confusing task. Thankfully, Dutch startup 94Wines has simplified the process, assigning each wine a unique color and number, known as WineIDs, rather than a name. The company created a short quiz that helps drinkers identify their respective personal WineIDs, which then directs them to the wines that meet their preferences. And in a high tech social twist, consumers are also able to attach personal digital content (could be a web page, video, e-card, whatever) to any bottle; they need only upload the content when they place an order, and the information is converted to a QR code that is then attached to the label.

Yelp Monocle

Yelp Monocle: While it features many businesses beyond the food and beverages, Yelp has - for many Gens X'ers and Y's, at least - become the go-to site for consumer reviews on everything from the best veggie dumpling houses to the most authentic purveyors of Korean fried chicken. One of the first augmented reality (AR) apps for US consumers, Yelp's Monocle app takes advantage of the iPhone 3GS GPS and compass capabilities. Users simply shake their phones three times to unlock the "Monocle view," which offers an onscreen list of surrounding businesses and their ratings pulled from Yelp's directory. A superimposed arrow points users in the direction of each business. Next time, when you're around the corner from the secret king of all falafel houses, you'll know.

Stella app

Stella Artois Le Bar Guide : Stella Artois has partnered with AR startup acrossair to create a free AR app for iPhone 3GS users that allows Stella fans craving a freshly tapped pour to get their drink on. As seen in this video, the Stella Artois Le Bar Guide layers the closest Stella-carrying bars onto an iPhone camera view. When users click on a location, the bar's information shows up, along with a map of the area. In addition, users can rate each location, leave comments or reviews for others to see, and, for those nights when getting behind the wheel is unthinkable, even call cabs using the app.

Life in the slow lane

THE SLOW MOVEMENT IS EXPANDING ITS INFLUENCE TO NEW HORIZONS

Slow Parties: Meeting for beers and then pounding Red Bull at the local bodega to resist the temptation of returning to bed isn't always worth it. And so it is with open arms and a huge sigh of relief that many are welcoming the slow party movement. Dinner parties are being held with greater frequency, and guests are now being invited over in the afternoon to take part in the meal preparation, thus extending the social gathering into a full-day affair. No longer justquick spaghetti banquets, the new chic dinner party is paying great attention to detail. So whether that means dressing up, cooking three or four courses, or lingering longer with snifters of brandy, the party is prolonged. And with so many anti-energy drinks coming to market , we have a feeling it won't be long before the latest chill pill is found in a cocktail: Drank Martini, anyone?

X marks the spot

BRANDS ARE TAPPING INTO CONSUMERS' THIRST FOR EXPERIENCES WITH SCAVENGER HUNTS THAT BRIDGE THE DIGITAL AND REAL WORLDS

Scavenger hunts have a way of letting loose the inner ten-year-old in all of us. Marketers have taken note of how much we love to decipher mysteries in pursuit of prizes and are creating branded scavenger hunts where we can really let loose:

Levi's Go Forth : Levi's is inviting denim-lovers across the continent to dig into the brand's (fictional) history and come out with some real treasure. Those interested in going for the gold - in this case, a $100,000 prize, as well as a matched charitable donation - can enter this digital scavenger hunt that not only lives online, but also leads participants on real world adventures during their hot pursuit of the grand prize. Cyber puzzles provide clues to those clever enough to solve them.

Samsung Photo Scavenger Hunt : These days it's almost as if things don't really exist until someone has snapped a photo of it and uploaded it online. Samsung is embracing our shutter-happy culture with a photo scavenger hunt. All participants have to do to win the booty (aka a Samsung DualView) is submit three of the five items on the Hunt list, which runs the gamut from 'an item that means happiness to you' to 'your favorite brunch spot.'

Red Bull Stash : Have you ever been walking around town thinking you could use a quick jolt of energy, inspiration, or even wings? If the answer is yes, then you can thank the good folks of Red Bull, because the caffeine purveyors have hidden entire cases of Red Bull Energy Shots around the country for the sleep-deprived. To find them, you simply enter your zipcode to receive geo-targeted clues that lead you to the nearest stash. Hunters should be prepared to get their hands dirty though, as free doesn't come without a price. In this case, the need to dig around in air vents, trees and gardens to find the loot. But hey, it beats waiting in line at a convenience store.

Get a job, take a trip

Madison Avenue is making like an employment agency, offering fanciful jobs as prizes in sweepstakes, contests and other promotions.

We were looking for what would have an impact, what would stay with people,” said Danielle Courtenay, chief marketing officer for the Orlando and Orange County Visitors and Convention Bureau, in Florida. The bureau sponsored a contest to hire a pair of “smile ambassadors” whose jobs would be to visit tourist attractions and write about their experiences.

The contest, part of a tourism campaign carrying the theme “Orlando makes me smile,” offered jobs that would last 67 days. (The idea is it would take the winners that long to see more than 100 local sights, from museums to theme parks to alligator wrestling.) The pay: $25,000 for the pair to cover expenses back home, a condominium in downtown Orlando, a rental car, cameras and cellphones. The winners, a pair of 25-year-old friends from New York, started work this week, blogging at 67daysofsmiles.com and tweeting on Twitter.com/67Days; their reports can also be found on Facebook (facebook.com/visitorlando).

Perhaps the best known was a recent contest sponsored by the organization Tourism Queensland offering the “best job in the world”: a six-month gig to be a caretaker on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef in the Queensland state of Australia and chronicle the experience. The winner of that contest, which drew more than 34,000 entries, was a Briton, Ben Southall, who went to work on July 1, filing reports on Twitter (twitter.com/Bensouthall) and a blog (islandreefjob.com).

Another travel marketer offering jobs is the Republic of Taiwan Tourism Bureau, with a contest called the Best Trip in the World (taiwanbesttrip.net). The offer: “Come up with the best Taiwan tour itinerary, take the tour, write about it online” and win a million Taiwan dollars (about $30,000) for a one-month trip around the island.

The classically modern man

Lifestyle websites for the new true gentleman. Lots of great topics:

Permanent Style: One of the first and easiest ways to spot a classically modern man is the spruce way he dresses. You might think it's easy - throw on a suit and a tie and you're set - but really the gentleman aura is all in the details: How much of your shirt peeks out from under your jacket? How should your pant leg rest on your shoes? And, when is it within reason to wear purple socks? Well, Permanent Style is here to help Gen Y guys decipher the time-honored clothing code by explaining all the classic looks that are here to stay.

The Art of Manliness: A great place to get the gritty on the intangibles of living the classically modern man life-style. The site will help average young dudes learn long lost "Manly Skills," such as one of the most forgotten classical trademarks: the perfect handshake. Additionally, advice on how to keep your money clip full and your manly body healthy is laced with interesting side notes such as the history of the bow-tie and its famous advocates over the years.

'American Made' a Selling Point for Some

As the recession drags on, there has been talk of fresh consumer interest in "buying American." An AdweekMedia/Harris Poll indicates this is indeed an attitude marketers of U.S.-made goods could tap into, though such sentiment may be more wide than deep.

In polling fielded last month, 59 percent of respondents said they're more likely to buy a product when an ad emphasizes that it is made in the U.S. However, that included fewer than half as many (28 percent) saying they'd be "much more likely" to do so. Hardly any consumers would find such a message offputting, though, as just 3 percent said they'd be less likely to buy a product whose advertising stressed its made-in-America aspect. Thirty-seven percent said it wouldn't make a difference to them one way or another.

Younger consumers are less susceptible than their elders to a made-in-America sales pitch. Thirty-nine percent of the survey's 18-34-year-olds said they're more likely to buy a product when an ad emphasizes that it's made in America, vs. 60 percent of the 35-44-year-olds, 68 percent of the 45-54s and 74 percent of those 55 and older.

The disparities are even more striking when you focus on those saying they're "much more likely" to buy a product that has advertised itself in this way. The number of 18-34-year-olds putting themselves in that category (15 percent) was barely one-third the number of 55-plusers doing so (43 percent).

-from Adweek

'Mad Men' latest from Hollywood to influence fashion

The AMC series "Mad Men" has been honored for its sharp writing, polished acting and engaging portrayal of life at a New York advertising agency in the early 1960s.

It has also been much noticed for something else: its fashion sense.

The series, which features all the looks of that era -- thin-lapeled suits and skinny ties, crinoline-puffed dresses and pencil skirts, Peter Pan collars and subdued pinks and greens -- has attracted attention from fashion designers and clothing merchandisers. Banana Republic, which has placed "Mad Men"-inspired clothes in its window displays, is even offering a walk-on role for the winner of a contest.

-from cnn.com

Are travel agents making a comeback?

Some travelers are finding themselves defecting from travel booking sites like Travelocity.com or airline sites like Delta.com. They are going back the travel agent, an industry that many industry experts once thought to be passé with the advent of online booking. "It's a cut-and-paste experience when you're booking online. None of these sites are going to tell me what I can do with different options. Travel agents know what they are talking about. It's more comforting to hand my money to someone who has the knowledge and experience."

Fewer travelers are enjoying using the Web to plan and buy trips, according to a study last week by Forrester Research, a market research company. About 46 percent of U.S. leisure travelers enjoyed using the Internet to book travel this year, down from 53 percent in 2007.

In the brick-and-mortar travel agent model, a trained agent meets with the traveler in person or establishes a relationship over the phone. "People are saying 'I don't understand my options, and I would like to talk to someone who can do all the searching and tell me what's available,' " said Henry Hartevelt, the analyst who wrote the Forrester study.

Travel agent Nancy Cutter of Court Travel Ltd. in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a half-dozen other agencies across the country say they have experienced a surge in returning clients, who said travel Web sites were confusing and unhelpful.

In several instances, brick-and-mortar agents say they were able to offer deals at the same price as, and even undercut, the travel agent models, dispelling the belief that the cheapest rate is online.

Travel agents don't discount the value of online travel agencies, which can be useful for booking simple, short trips, but they say complex itineraries require more expertise from a professional. Many online travel companies agree that an agent may be valuable in planning a detailed honeymoon that includes a tour of vineyards in France or a family excursion to top snorkeling and kangaroo-watching destinations in Australia.

-from cnn.com

Networking beyond the rolodex

Meat Cards : Not yet available to the public: jerky business cards. Made of 100% edible deliciousness, the meat is branded with your personal information using lasers. The guys behind these culinary cards are still nailing down the details (like how to avoid porous meat and whether or not they should be shrink-wrapped), but you can follow their development on Twitter. And while these tasty cards might not fit in a typical Rolodex, the people to whom you give them are sure to sing your praisesthe next morning as their hangovers set in.

Augmented Reality Cards: No need to worry about folks with whom you've networked having to search their groggy memory of the night before. James Alliban, currently employed at Sky Creative in London, came up with a way to make it easier for people to put a face to a name. Using augmented reality technology, Alliban printed a grid of 3D colored panels that, when placed in front of a webcam, makes it appear as if a blocky version of himself is popping out of the paper card. As seen in this video, the digital Alliban talks a little bit about his resume, directs card-bearers to his blog, and plays around with his hands in a way reminiscent of David Blaine. Granted, not everyone has the skills to hack their business cards, but we can see this becoming a trend in the near future as more people leverage technology to stand out from the crowd.

Eccentric Edibles

Lobster Ice Cream : New England-based Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium makes the sweetest of crustaceans into a sugary delicacy. To create their famous lobster ice cream, freshly cooked lobsters are selected from a local lobster pound, pulled apart, buttered and folded into a sweet, creamy, butter-flavored ice cream. According to Ben and Bill, lobster ice cream "tastings" hit an all time high during peak lobster season. For those who long for the euphoria of a salty summer vacation upon returning home, a scoop of the shellfish ice cream, which happens to be their #1 shipped item, may just do the trick.

Bacon Vodka: Flavoring an arsenal of new products as of late, everyone's favorite pork product is finding a number of new culinary homes outside of the breakfast platter. From Vosges' Mo's Bacon Bar and More Cupcakes' BLT and Peach Bacon baked goods to J&D's Baconnaise and Bacon Salt, bacon lovers have both sweet and savory options to choose from. Those who prefer to clog their arteries with liquids can now order bacon in a glass: Bakon Vodka combines meat and potatoes in a smooth, clean tasting spirit that might just be the perfect addition to the brunch Bloody Mary.

Chocolate Tortilla Chips : Not even Tollhouse could've dreamed up these chocolate chips. Made from stone ground corn, Dutch cocoa powder, semi-sweet chocolate and sea salt, the salty sweet flavor and crunch of these chips are addictive straight from the bag, or crunched on a scoop of ice cream. For those lacking the culinary creativity gene, Food Should Taste Good's website recommends accompaniments for all their flavors, with apple butter and strawberries with balsamic highlighted as tasty pairings for the chocolate chip. We're thinking of making a serious stack of dessert nachos.

Capturing thoughts and moments of inspiration

Your blog/twitter, smartphone voice memo, Moleskin notebook/sketchbook, back of a napkin.

What is the best way to keep track of things torn from magazines, quotes, flashes of creativity, ideas and scribbles?

Bar Envelopes Customers In Mist Of Gin And Tonic

Adults are often reminded to drink responsibly but customers entering a new cocktail bar where they are literally enveloped in a mist of alcohol are warned to breathe responsibly.

Just 40 minutes inside the venue, the Alcoholic Architecture bar – which delivers an intoxicating vapour of gin and tonic – will leave you feeling slightly merry.

Bar goers are also advised to don special protective suits as they enter the walk-in cocktail to avoid going home smelling like a brewery.

To complement the whiff of G&T the bar is decorated with giant limes and massive straws to make visitors feel as if they are inside the drink. The experience is further enhanced by a special soundtrack featuring the noise of liquid being poured over ice cubes.

'If you think of what you do in a bar you might spend 40 minutes per drink, so we've calibrated the mixology to account for that much.'

The bar has capacity for 40 people. It is open between 7pm and 9pm on selected dates. Tickets, priced £5, are available for hourly slots and customers must be over 21.

HBO Lets 'Entourage' Fans Live It Up Like Vince and the Boys

Today the newly opened W Hotel in South Beach, Fla., will debut five "Entourage"-themed bungalows, the hotel's first branded suite created for a marketing partner. The bungalows are heavily inspired by the HBO comedy and come equipped with such amenities as a stainless-steel pool table, an outdoor barbecue and stove, a private plunge pool, and artwork from rock photographer Danny Clinch.

The $5,000-a-night package is designed for four, to mimic the quartet in "Entourage," and also includes a personal driver; an afternoon of yachting; a personal poolside cabana and jet skis; dinner for four at South Beach hotspot Solea, followed by table service at W South Beach's Wall nightclub; not to mention a PlayStation 3 and complimentary booze from Grey Goose and Heineken. What else might the boys drink?

Get your entourage together for some drinks

Entourage Make A Friend Famous : Who doesn't want to live the high life of Vincent Chase? (Or, hang out with him?) Entourage and Facebook are giving wannabe Turtles and E's the chance to have their own entourages. The Make A Friend Famous Facebook app simulates a client/manager relationship; wannabe managers get wannabe clients (aka friends) to fill out profiles about themselves, complete with videos and photos, explaining what makes them poised for Hollywood success. Other Facebook members vote on who has the most "fame" potential. The new "entourage" - the winner, his "manager" and two friends - will receive the real star treatment in the form of their images plastered on a prominent Hollywood billboard, as well as a stay at the W Westwood for three freeloading nights complete with car service, private cabana and free booze.

Male gear sported on the urban sidewalk runway

Wine botas: Now that drinking out of a disposable plastic water bottle is akin to smoking a cigarette in front of a baby and SIGG water bottles have become a staple of the Park Slope mom set, what's a hipster guy looking to get hydrated to do? Apparently buy a Spanish wine bota, fill it with cool water, and sling it over his shoulder to wear while sauntering around the city or trekking up a mountain. We hear that guys are not only using botas for water, but are discreetly filling them up with red wine or whiskey and taking them to the beach for a little fun in the sun. However they're using them, the rustic adventurer look is a good one.

Male Brooches: Young women have been poaching brooches from their grandmothers for years, but lately we've also been seeing stylish men decorating their chests with bronze and silver. Artsy trendsetter types are not only digging through garage sale bins to find the perfect pin, but they are even taking the time to hot glue gun plastic thrift store trinkets to pins. Those who prefer a less flashy take on the look are creating fabric patches that are then safety pinned on to a shirt in a post-punk manner. Guys we talked to are saying that this is an easy, cheap way to spruce up their existing clothing without spending too much money.

-from trendcentral

Agave Margaritas

While health-conscious boozehounds have been making low cal tequila drinks for years, this summer we've been seeing a lot more people trading in syrupy margarita mix for a simple blend of agave nectar and fresh squeezed lime juice. With this natural version, you can feel at ease putting your calorie quotient towards a side of guac instead of whatever they put in that sour mix that tastes like liquid Gobstoppers. (Plus, without all that sugar, your hangover won't be as bad.)

-from trendcentral

Pet owners have no limits lately

The pet industry is still booming in the face of the recession. Some pet owners are going to unheard of measures to ensure that their animals are healthy, well-fed, and in some extreme cases, comfortable while traveling. From the outlandish to the exotic to the practical, here's a look at what's new in the domestic animal kingdom:

Puppy Luxe : The super-rich may be pawning last season's designer wardrobe and selling off a vacation home or two, but with some still treating their pets like spoiled children, apparently there remains a market for pampered pet services. Nestled in the heart of Hollywood, D Pet Hotels provides high-end dog boarding; the extensive list of in-house amenities, which reads like that of a five-star resort, includes luxury suites with king- and queen-sized beds and flat screen TVs, the chic D Boutique, a full-service spa, a chauffeured car service, and a photo set with professional "furtographers" ready to capture Bailey's best headshot. (What, no mini-bar?) While D Pet Hotels serves as an extravagant home-away-from-home for dogs lucky enough to still have one, a new pet-only airline service recently launched for those who think their critters deserve better than the cargo hold. With its maiden voyage scheduled for July 14^th, Pet Airways will soon offer first class service to dogs and cats traveling between five cities (Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Chicago and Denver), with fares starting at $149 each way. The only humans allowed on Pet Airways flights are the pilots and flight attendants who provide food, comfort and assistance for up to 50 "pawsengers" per flight. With most consumers eschewing luxury purchases for themselves these days, it will be interesting to see if passionate pet owners are willing and able to splurge on such services for their furry pals.

Home Cooking : Mirroring the increasing caution taken by consumers about processed foods these days, more devoted pet owners are finding peace of mind in spending a couple of hours a week making their animals healthy meals that wouldn't necessarily be out of place at their own dinner tables. While cooking for one's pet can be more time-consuming and expensive than tossing a bag of kibble into a shopping cart, owners are likely to save money in the long run, as their healthier pets will likely require fewer (and less expensive) visits to the vet. However, cooking up healthy, balanced meals for cats and dogs is no easy feat, and it's suggested that pet parents do their homework before getting into the kitchen.

-from trendcentral

The lunch cart revolution continues to go gourmet

For decades the food truck has been the blue collar bastion of greasy deep-fried fare. Now it's time to get excited about the lunch cart's recent gourmet makeover. Popularized on the coasts, foodie trucks, such as LA's now-famous Kogi, have found the perfect moment to compete with restaurants. The combination of highly mobile social networking technologies, which allow them to communicate their locations and dishes with real-time ease, and savvy citizens looking to save a little cash on lunch has lurched foodie trucks into the limelight. Here are some new trucks that we wish would park outside our office!

Border Grill Taco Truck : While they are newcomers on the truckin' scene, the owners of this taco truck, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, have been prominent players in the Los Angeles culinary world for some time now: They are co-owners of Border Grill, a sustainable restaurant which has been spicing up Santa Monica's taste buds since the '80s. The taco truck, which so far has been popping up around downtown Los Angeles, offers budget versions of the restaurant's fancier fare, including $2 tacos and $5 quesadillas, as well as other treats such as brownies and pomegranate lemonade.

Click here to follow Border Grill Taco Truck's Twitter feed.

La Cense Beef Burger Truck : Slated to start serving up mouth-watering burgers to hungry Midtown Manhattan workers sometime next week, LCB Burger Truck will only serve beef sourced from 100% grass-fed cattle. The brainchild of the sustainable Montana ranch where the beef is raised, the six-ounce burgers will be cooked to patrons' specifications, topped with specialized condiments such as caramelized onions, and accompanied by potato chips.

Click here to follow LCB Burger Truck's Twitter feed.

Marination Mobile : Not all foodie trucks start with a chef looking to spread the delicious lunch love: Seattle's Marination Mobile was created by entrepreneurs Kamala Saxton and Roz Edison, who, despite not having restaurant industry pedigrees, were proud of their homemade marinades. Combining Hawaiian, Mexican and Korean cuisines, this lunch-haven-on-wheels serves up everything from kalbi tacos and kalua pork sliders to kimchi quesadillas and SPAM masubi. Vegetarians will be tempted by the marinated tofu tacos and heaping bowls of kimchi fried rice. Most items ring in under $5, leaving not only your stomach happy, but your wallet too.

Click here to follow Marination Mobile's Twitter feed.

That album looks good on you

Music has long inspired the creation and sales of products in every category from electronics to clothes. The emergence of boutique music-oriented fashion brands, such as Lyric Culture and i/denti/tee, allows consumers to literally wear their favorite song lyrics on their sleeves. And even iconic maestros have leveraged their own musical masterpieces to generate interest in less commercial passion projects - as Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse recently did on behalf of their haunting David Lynch collaboration, Dark Night of the Soul. While such novel tactics may utilize music to help sell more consumer products, the inverse equation rarely holds true, with such doing little to improve upon methods of digital music distribution. (After all, did any of those faddish USB-drive distributed albums really spark album sales?) However, despite the sad state of music sales, a new distribution method, The Music Tee, has industry insiders excited as of late.

The Music Tee is a savvy collaboration between indie fashion label LnA (best known for their simple white tees) and music arbiter Invisible DJ (best known for curating in-store playlists for SoCal staples like Ron Herman and Juicy Couture). Featuring original album art on the front of a tee and a playlist on the back, the shirt also boasts a URL code-embedded hangtag that allows the wearer to download the album. It's doubtful that the advent of the Music Tee distribution model will stop anyone from renewing their RapidShare Pro account, but it could ultimately drive some people to pay for music once again - and may reinvigorate the concept of the complete album in this age of disposable singles. The shirt has even sparked new controversy in the music industry as to whether sales will count towards Nielsen Soundscan figures: Nielsen reps have said they have no intention of counting the sales, but the record labels behind each shirt can reportedly impart sales figures to Nielsen upon receiving them from Invisible DJ. (No finite conclusion to the matter has been reached as of press time.)

The inaugural Tee, dubbed the "mix tape" shirt, features an eclectic mix of tracks from the likes of The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, Alice Russell, Theresa Andersson, WAZ, and more. The first artist-specific shirt - The Mos Def Music Tee, featuring Mos Def's forthcoming album The Ecstatic - drops on July 7^th. A Downtown Records collection of Tees featuring Miike Snow, Santigold, and Cold War Kids is also in the works, along with an extended line of "mix tape" shirts to be sold exclusively at upscale fashionista emporium Shopbop. Should The Music Tee concept take off, it will not only give artists some much needed sales, but, in this age where most music consumers never even see liner notes, it will also reinvigorate the art of the album cover. While it's certainly nice to hang an LP on your wall, being able to wear it may be even cooler.

Foodie trends

Haute Dogs : For a long time now encased meats have been the great equalizer - a democratic way to enjoy summer festivities - but now the hot dog is taking the place of hamburger as the Americana foodie obsession du jour. Hot Doug's in Chicago has been ahead of the foodie flock on this trend (which makes sense given Chicago's long-standing romance with overflowing franks) and has developed a cult following, to the point of devoted customers willingly waiting in line outside in the rain for their gourmet dogs. On any given day, exotic options range from Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage to Rattlesnake Meat Hot Dog. Now, restaurants in cities across the country are following suit, serving up their own unique variations of the American classic. Cafe Rouge in Berkeley, CA hand makes their hot dogs in-house with Berkshire pork, and Miami-based Franktitude decks out their dogs with unusual toppings like guacamole, wasabi, and sunflower seeds.

Designer Ice: Ice is one of those things that you may never give a second thought, except perhaps when you run out in the middle of a party. But soon, you may be following the lead of trendsetting mixologists who are getting down to the details when it comes to ice. According to aficionados, the way ice is shaped affects the taste, temperature and texture of cocktails. BarChef in Toronto takes an 18^th century approach, hand-chipping jagged shards from a huge slab on the countertop, while The Violet Hour in Chicago also chips ice from a block, changing the shape depending on the drink. For, say, a Scotch on the rocks, the barback will chisel a ball-shaped ice formation - the round shape melts more slowly than cubed ice, meaning it won't dilute your expensive Scotch.

DIY Foodie Catering: Young people, often somehow connected to the music or craft scenes, are increasingly stepping into the kitchen and creating exploratory foods for noise concerts, art shows, friends' parties, and in some cases, are even being hired for events. In LA, two members of the psych-rock band Pocahaunted moonlight as Crops and Rawbers, an all raw, experimental catering company that primarily supplies warehouse parties with vegan delights. We expect to see more DIY catering side projects popping up in the art and music scenes, as trendsetters increasingly obsesses over what kinds of food they are putting in their bodies, even in the midst of partying the night away.

-From trendcentral

Websites to make your mouth water

Gourmet Journeys: French champagne house G.H. Mumm cleverly launched this virtual culinary trip around the world at a time when consumers with increasingly globalized palates are more inclined to prepare meals at home due to decreasing travel budgets. The vibrant site features a cookbook's worth of exotic specialties and menu items from a handful of internationally renowned culinary cities, including St. Petersburg, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Seville. In addition to downloadable recipes, dining, and entertainment tips, each menu comes with suggested champagne pairings care of Didier Mariotti, G.H. Mumm's cellar master. This website is a gem of a resource for gourmet-on-a-budget foodie affairs - or for a virtual getaway to the South of France, soundtrack included.

Veggie Trader: And for those who'd rather stick to locally grown fruits, herbs, and veggies, this produce swapping site allows fledgling farmers to buy, sell, or trade homegrown produce with likeminded crop cultivators. The grassroots-style system allows members looking for local produce in their area to anonymously enter a zip code to see what's available - they can also post for specific produce to see if any of their neighbors can fulfill their requests - at which time, individual parties can negotiate an acceptable barter, trade, or point of sale. 

-From trendcentral

Seen on the streets fashion

Boater Hats: With all the straw boater hats hittin' the streets, you may be confused in thinking there's a barbershop quartet renaissance happening. While you probably won't hear the fashionable flocks harmonizing on the fly, they are swapping out last year's floppy hats for this more prim and proper alternative that complements the Picnic at Hanging Rock-inspired looks seen in Lula magazine.

Round Specs: Wayfarers don't seem to be going away anytime soon, but those in the know are abandoning the New Wave look in favor of small circular shades. Whether Lennon-style granny wire-rims, as seen sported lately by trendsetter Mary-Kate Olsen, or '80s prep tortoiseshell like this awesomely affordable pair by Fred Flare, circular glasses are sure to be the next big eyewear trend you'll soon tire of seeing.

Cut-Outs: Microscopic cut-offs aren't the only article of clothing showing some skin this season. Peek-a-boo cut-outs not seen since In Living Color was on the air are exposing midriffs, torsos, shoulders, and backs. As exemplified by the vintage spandex dresses found up on eBay or in hipster socialite line Sophomore's current collection of soft cotton cut-out dresses, the look certainly isn't for the body-conscious, but for those who can flaunt it, the built-in "A/C vents" are perfect for sweaty summer days.

-from trendcentral