For my 30th birthday, I had an incredible dinner with my mom and some of my best friends in San Francisco. I decided to have a unicorn theme for my party, and everyone was great sports about wearing their silly unicorn horns. The dinner was at Lolinda, an Argentinian steak house in the Mission in San Francisco. The entire meal was delicious - my favorite dish was surprisingly the vegetable skewers, but everything was amazing and I was so touched to be able to have a fun dinner with the great friends that I have been able to make here. When I moved a year ago, I hoped to make friends but had my doubts, so now being able to feel like I have a community has made such a difference.
Mendocino
For my birthday last month, my mom and I traveled north to Mendocino for a girls weekend. We had the perfect get away filled with nature, great food and adventures. We stayed at the Heritage House, which had amazing views of the ocean and the largest bathtub that I had ever experienced. We went on two great hikes to the Van Damme State Park and the Jug Handle Natural Reserve. Most excitingly there was a very friendly goat on the trail who had gotten loose from a local farm. We had a delicious dinner at Cafe Beaujolais.
Brenda’s French Soul Food
Last night my husband and I went to a delicious dinner date to Brenda's French Soul Food. Brenda's is on all of the San Francisco bucket lists, and did not disappoint. We got fried chicken, ribs, collard greens and mac and cheese, and then ordered a flight of beignets for dessert. From start to finish everything was delicious and I will definitely be back.
Sausalito
Yesterday we drove up to Sausalito to meet up with one of my cousins for the afternoon. The drive was long, but once we were over the Golden Gate bridge I was so glad that I had agreed to make the trip. We met up at Bar Bocce, which is BYOB on the beach, and caught up for a few hours. It was a perfect September day, and I was so happy to be on the beach.
We then had an early dinner at Salito's next door. We started with a delicious cheesy bread bowl (pictured below) and then each had a sandwich. After dinner we took a walk up to the ferry terminal and back, and then got back in the car. It was a very short trip to Sausalito, but I will definitely be back.
Monterey & Carmel
Last weekend, my husband and I drove down to Monterey for our second wedding anniversary. After a stressful summer and a long few weeks of being long distance, it was exactly the get away that we needed.
We stayed at the Wave Street Inn in Monterey, which was very simple and so close to the ocean that the seagulls were very comfortable on our balcony. But it was located very close to Cannery Row, and a perfect home base for a weekend of exploring.
View from our hotel
On Friday, we arrived in the early evening. After checking in and unpacking, we walked downtown for dinner at the Crown and Anchor. One of the websites described it as a British pub in a ship, so I had pretty high hopes, but it ended up being just a pub with lots of nautical decorations. But the food was delicious and it was a great way to start the weekend.
On Saturday, we slept in and then started our day with donuts from Red's Donuts that we ate near the water. We then got in the car for a day of driving and adventures.
First was the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach. There is a $10.25 fee but there are 20 sites that are well marked and maintained, so I found it to be completely worth the cost. We walked through the woods at Huckleberry Hill, we strolled down the beach at Spanish Bay, and I was able to take photos of the Lone Cypress. Unfortunately there was no parking available at the Ghost Tree, so I need to come back to see it!
After the 17 Mile Drive, we continued south to Carmel. We had lunch at the Carmel Belle, then walked the neighborhood. We purchased some art for our apartment by Jeff Daniel Smith and sampled candies from the Cottage of Sweets.
Once we had explored Carmel, we then went on a hike at Point Lobos Reserve. The views were very similar to the 17-mile drive, but it was great to be in un-interrupted nature for a few hours. On our way back to Monterey, we stopped in Pacific Grove to find the Kissing Rock. The Kissing Rock is two rocks that have worn down over time, and now look like two people kissing. It was challenging to find (it's near Esplanade Park, not Lovers Point Park), but was a cute tourist destination.
Once we got back to Monterey, we were very tired so just had chowder at Fisherman's Wharf and then went for pizza. When we got back to the hotel, my Fitbit recorded that we had walked 11 miles!
On Sunday, we had brunch at Cafe Lumiere, a hipster coffee shop inside of a movie theater with instagram-worthy food.
We then spent the rest of the day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was worth the very expensive admission, and then drove home.
Cafe Borrone
One of the first restaurants that I visited when I moved to the peninsula was Cafe Borrone in Menlo Park, thanks to the suggestion of my friend Holly. They serve Frozen Mochas, which are similar but even more delicious than Frappuccinos from Starbucks, with amazing whipped cream. They are next to Kepler's Books, which makes a perfect afternoon of buying a book and having a snack.
Novela
Tonight I went to a work happy hour at Novela, a literary themed bar on Mission Street. As soon as I walked in, I said to my coworker, "This is my type of place!" The bar is a nerd's heaven. It is spacious, with bookshelves on one wall and a large bar in the center. There are booths on each side so you can sit down for a private discussion, and then there are high tops for larger groups.
To keep with the literary theme, all of the drinks are literary themed. For example, my colleague ordered an 'Alice White,' which is a Gin, Lemon and Watermelon drink named after Alice in Wonderland. I don't drink, so I got something off menu, but it was delicious and refreshing. The atmosphere was perfect for after work drinks, but became fairly crowded by 6 pm.
What is your favorite San Francisco spot for after work drinks?
The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
After a long day at work today, I decided to stop for dinner instead of cooking. I found my way to The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen off of 2nd Street, and decided that a grilled cheese was exactly what the doctor ordered. Once I walked in, the menu exceeded my expectations - there were great drink selections and more types of grilled cheese than I could have even imagined. It also was reasonably priced (especially for downtown San Francisco).
I ordered a mac and cheese grilled cheese with bacon. Within one bite, my long day was a distant memory and I was smiling again. It even was served with two strawberries, which were perfectly ripe and provided a bit of sweet as a "dessert" after all of the dairy. The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen is now on my radar for an indulgent but quick dinner, and it's not far from the Caltrain!
What is your go-to meal after a long day?