Portrait By Venera Alexandrova
La bella vita. C’est la bonne vie La buena vid. The Good Life. Regardless of the literal translation, the phrase refers to a life filled with comforts, pleasureable experiences and joy. Yet those three things can have a very different definition for different people.
In this issue, when we say “The Good Life,” we are referring to all the things about lower Fairfield County that make it such a special place to live. Beyond the beautiful homes and great schools, we are talking about the creature comforts, the unique experiences, the luxuries. In our Good Life feature, you will find reccomendations for all of these things—from epicurean delights to hosting fabulous parties to shopping and wellness excursions.
You’ll also get a peek into how art director Venera Alexandrova and I might define “the good life.” First we jumped at the chance to join our head foodie writer Elizabeth Keyser at Charlie’s Tavern (page 36) in Darien. After experiencing Darien butcher and chef Peter Crawford’s classic American bistro, my favorite blueberry pancakes from the old Sugarbowl became a distant memory. We also had a chance to experiece the decadent new fondue dinner (featuring both cheese and chocolate!) at Plum Plums in New Canaan (page 40). Are you sensing a theme here?
Putting our appetites aside, we were inspired by our cover star, Anna Kaiser, who has created an energetic community of strong (both literally and figuratively), passionate followers at her New Canaan studio (page 58). The photo shoot also gave Venera and me the opportunity to geek out over our shared love for modern architecture. Like-minded readers can imagine our excitement getting to walk around The Glass House and Da Monsta (page 96) while the property was closed to the public.
However you define “the good life,” we hope you will find things in this issue that will bring you comfort, pleasure and joy.