La Tache at Absinthe

My girlfriend, her boyfriend and I headed over to Absinthe for dinner to check off another one of my SF 7x7 Big Eats dishes - oh and to also hang out... We grabbed some cocktails and ate some soft garlic pretzels.

Restaurant: Absinthe

Dish: Soft garlic pretzels

Verdict: Ahhmazing! Definitely order these and then drink the cheese sauce!

After we enjoyed our snack and cocktails, we decided to move onto wine with dinner. Absinthe has an extensive wine menu...like over a hundred pages of wines by the glass, by the bottle, by the half bottle, by the carafe....basically anything you can think of, they've got it! As I am thumbing through the hundreds of dollar bottle of wine section I stumbled upon Echezeaux, which is a wine that comes from the same place as the La Tache wine. My heart started to beat fast as I scoured the pages to see if they had La Tache. No restaurants ever have La Tache. [next page] I have googled it many times to find it on restaurant wine menus and have only seen it on one menu: Jeanty at Jack's but the place is closed now. [next page] OMG! There it is! On page 61! I'm going to ask the waitress if I can see the bottle! [yes, I am that obnoxious person at a restaurant]

I ask the waitress and without hesitation says of course and, who I assume to be the sommelier, comes out with a 2004 bottle. I squealed, snapped a few photos and then had to give the bottle back - sadly we couldn't afford the $3,900 bottle that she brought out to us... booo!!!

We had an awesome dinner. The food at Absinthe is delicious. And the company was even better!

6 of 100 on the SF 2014 Big Eats list

As I mentioned here I have accepted the 2014 Big Eat places to eat list challenge. I am slowly, but surely, making my way through the list. I have checked 12 items off of the list and this weekend I checked off 6! Basically, I am using this list as an excuse to spend time with friends and family and so far it has been a lot of fun!

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Restaurant: Fog City

Dish: Frozen Custard with Egg Yolk Caramel

Verdict: Amazing

I met up with Melissa from Serving Seconds for happy hour cocktails and this delightful little dish. While we were taking pictures of it eating it the head chef approached us and told us about a secret menu item of a French cruller topped with the same frozen custard and the egg yolk caramel sauce. We decided to give the menu item a try, as well, and we were not disappointed! The cruller was freshly made for our order and was still warm when he brought it out.

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Restaurant: Magnolia Pub

Dish: Devils on horseback

Verdict: Good

I met up with my friend/coworker and we were going to cross two items off of the list. The devils on horseback and a tropical sundae from Ice Cream Bar & Soda Fountain. Sadly, the sundae is a seasonal item (was not mentioned on the list) and it won't be on the list until summertime. Also, the service was not the best at the ice cream shoppe, but oh well, we can chock it up that it was busy....

Anyway...the devils on horseback was pretty tasty, a bit too sweet for my liking, but it was great. We also ordered the scotch eggs, fish & chips and some beers. 

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Restaurant: Tartine Bakery

Dish: Seasonal bread pudding

Verdict: Okay

I met up with some other bloggers, Kelly from A Side of Sweet and Diana from DW Draws for breakfast treats at Tartine Bakery. We shared a few sweet pastries and I ordered their vegetarian quiche. The bread pudding was loved by everyone and the quiche was amazing. Honestly, I am not a big bread pudding fan...the texture is a bit weird for me. But those who ate it said it was amazing, so we will go with that :-)

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Restaurant: Craftsman and Wolves

Dish: The rebel within

Verdict: Amazing!

Because there are so many items on this list, I decided to create some Alumnae Chapter (for my sorority) events to get in some fun/quality sister time as well as check off this list. So, I planned for us to visit a few more restaurants within walking distance of each other in the Mission (district in SF). We met at Craftsman and Wolves and ate this life changing treat. Like, OMG, so good! It is a savory muffin - I think there was even bacon in it! Seriously, so good! Then we walked back to Tartine Bakery so these ladies could try the bread pudding and then we headed for some fries at Namu Gaji!

Restaurant: Namu Gaji

Dish: Gamja Fries

Verdict: Delicious

These fries were spicy, flavorful and amazing! The steak on top was perfectly cooked and the sauce was like a homemade siracha sauce. You eat them with chopsticks and I recommend an ice cold beer!

Restaurant: Papalote

Dish: Chips & Salsa

Verdict: Good

We decided to skip Bi-Rite ice cream (which is right next door to Namu Gaji) and head to Papalote instead for some chips, salsa and margaritas. The salsa is tasty and then, at the very end, super spicy. We all agreed that the salsa would have been better as a sauce on tacos or something rather than chips. And instead of margaritas (no margs here) we got a cheesy bean dip and guacamole. Let's just say we ate it all even though none of us were hungry!

Since we had our hearts set on margaritas, we went on a mission to find them. We stopped into a Tacolicious and split a pitcher. It was the perfect end to our first-edition food tour.

I hope I haven't made you all too hungry. If you have a chance to stop into any of these spot, I totally recommend it!

Buon Appetito

Cat-Lady

Let me explain the story behind the photo I posted on instagram on Monday.

I was stopped, patiently, at a stop light. I was definitely not breaking the law by being on my phone and I was most definitely not texting Rich to let him know that I was on my way to pick him up. As I was switching from the notepad on my phone to the text messaging function - oh wait, that's not what I was doing.... - I looked up because the woman who was crossing the street caught my eye. I looked away, registered what I had seen and gawked looked up not a second later to see a woman who had, what looked like, all of her worldly possessions tied to her back.

What was I gawking at, you ask? Well, on top of the big pile of stuff on this woman's back was a cat. Yes, you read that right, a cat. And not only was said cat on top of her pack, said cat was standing on top of her pack like it owned everything beneath its furry paws. 

I couldn't think fast enough to snap a photo of this scene right in front of my eyes and thought to myself: man, I am going to have to try to explain this and no one will believe me.

Fortunately enough, the cat-lady crossed the street again, to my left. I was able to pull up the camera on my phone and snapped a few shots while all of the passing cars slowed to point out to their passengers that a cat was being perfectly still and behaved on top of a woman's pack.

I mean seriously?! Have you met a cat? Cats don't do that! They aren't that tame! Only in Berkeley would you find a cat that is this tame...no, I will not state the reason, but I am sure you all can guess it... I have decided that I have now seen everything and can live the rest of my life in peace :-)

I can't wait for summer because...

I enjoy summer, but I wouldn't say that it is my favorite season. I prefer the fall. I love the cool weather and all of the beautiful colors. But, I am especially excited for this summer to arrive because this year (academic year) has been a big challenge and I am ready for school to be out!

I cannot wait for summer because....

...school will be out

...Rich won't have to spend all of his waking hours studying

...Rich and I will be working in the same city [which means....]

...lots of happy hours and date nights will be had

...I get to spend lots of time with some of my favorite people

...I am planning to go to my sorority's international convention and finally meet the chapter I have been working with

...spending long weekends away is pure and total bliss

...beach time is the best, even if the norcal beaches are cold, who cares, it's the beach

...picnics in the park are my favorite

...longer daylight hours means great food, awesome people and fun adventures

...we have the travel bug something fierce

...we get to be a part of not one, not two, but three of our closest friends nuptials  - love is definitely in the air

...spending time with the people we love most cannot be beat!

Why are you looking forward to summer???

Barristers' Ball 2014

Saturday night was the Barristers' Ball, ie the Law School Prom. We got ourselves all dolled up and headed to a friend's apartment for a rooftop preparty. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day in the Bay Area! We got there just in time as the sun was setting and the drinks were soaking in. 

The event was held in a hotel near the Berkeley Marina. There was food (code for: a few spring rolls and a s**t ton of cheese and crackers), an open bar (code for: a few types of beer and crappy champagne. Don't worry we went equipped with...well you know...flasks....), a photo booth and karaoke. Let me tell you, I was sold at Karaoke.

 Photobooths should be a sin with how much freaking fun they are. I mean seriously. Aren't they the best?!

Rich likes to call this one: 

1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila, FLOOR

(what really happened, is we didn't know that they took 4 pictures... so we left the photobooth after the 3rd picture)

The theme of the night was "A Night in Paris." This was the only resemblance to Paris.. 

We shut the place down, at 11:30 - yes I know, we are party animals, with 2 karaoke songs: Eagles Hotel California and Journey Don't Stop Believin' We got the whole place to sing along and it was perfect.

We headed to another local bar and then to get the most giant pizza slices and then home to pass out all before 2am. Overall, I would say the night was an awesomely fun success and I am excited to go again next year! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and enjoyed the lovely weather!

Grey's Anatomy Episode 1015 - Throwing It All Away

It's Thursday night, around 9 o'clock. You tune in to your favorite abc show: Greys Anatomy. You settle in on the couch with a nice glass of wine, under a cozy, turn your phone to silent and turn up the volume on your TV. The show begins. They pan the Seattle skyline, you start to hum along with the song that's playing the opening scene. You start to  bob your head and smile. Omg, you love this song! 

What is it? 

 Who sings it? 

Where can you find it?

Just Like Heaven (cover)

Joy Zipper

iTunes, people, iTunes! 

 That's right! My sister's song was on Grey's Anatomy last night in the opening scene! What a cool experience it was to watch the show and hear they voices on the screen. It was totally surreal! I am so proud of how far Tabitha & Vinny have come in their careers. They really are an inspiration to all of us to follow our dreams! Cheers to you, family, we love you!

* you can also check out season 2, episode 2 of grey's anatomy for "go tell the world" (another Joy Zipper song)

#girlscan

#girlscan

This is such a powerful message for women today. How often do we hear that we as women can't do something? All of the messages that this strong, courageous, powerful women mentioned in this video have been heard before and it is so disappointing.It is especially important for us to teach the young women of our society that they can be who they want to be and they can do what they want to do and they can succeed. 

I grew up in an environment and space that taught me that if I wanted something I had to work for it to make it happen. My parents, family and mentors encouraged me to be the best woman that I could be. They also explained to me that there are inequalities between the sexes and I had to work extra hard if I wanted to breakthrough that stereotype. It is so imperative that we, women, are good role models to the young women today. To show them our strength and to empower them to be strong themselves. 

This video speaks to me because my mom (and other strong women in my life) has always taught me that I could and if ever I doubted myself she would bring me back to reality. To show me that I deserved to be treated well and fairly and to never settle. My father (and other strong men in my life) also taught me to stand up for myself and what I believed in. I hope that all of you have strong and supportive people in your life - it is crucial in making strong and independent women of the future.

#girlscan

Exercise

I read this great article about workouts that we think are good for us, but aren't necessarily the best choice.

On that topic, I had a call with the lovely Melissa Schollaert of Real Nutritious Living about maintaining a healthy weight in a positive way. It was a very inspiring conversation that I want to share with all of you!

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Two of the many perks at my job are (1) we have fully stocked kitchens (at all times) with catered lunch and dinners by awesome SF restaurants and (2) we have a choice between a wellness stipend or a gym membership at an awesome gym a couple of blocks away from the office.

just one of our kitchens, stocked full of snacks! 

Since I got my gym membership when I was brought on permanently, mid- January, I have been trying to get myself into a routine of exercising. The only problem is, it takes an hour for me to get into the city from my house and vice versa so it makes for either a really early morning or a really late night. ::cough::excuses.excuses.excuses::cough::

And since there is constantly food around, all I do is eat. We call it 'the Tagged 15' and I have to admit that this is exactly the truth. I hate to admit that I have gained about 15lbs and need to work to get myself and my body back into a healthy and fit form.

After talked with Melissa, she made the most obvious and profound comment: make smarter choices; socialize at lunchtime; don't starve yourself.

Since talking to Melissa, I have committed to going to the gym 5 days / week in the morning before work, I am making better choices on food: not filling myself to the brim and choosing to snack less and I am overall starting to feel much better about myself and my image.

Again, I know that this is all so obvious, but it really made a difference hearing it from someone else! Thanks, Melissa, I now am well on my way to fitting back into all of my clothes feeling healthier!

I am going to start posting my workouts to help keep myself accountable at the gym. Stay tuned!

The Castro Theater - Clueless

One of my great friends from high school shares a birthday with Rich (well, he and his twin..but we were only really celebrating one of them). This past Saturday he celebrated at the Castro theater with a Drag Show of the infamous Clueless with the famous Peaches Christ and many other famous queens.

The lovely Adrienne from AOG Daily and I headed into San Francisco for dinner at Marcello's Pizza, across the street from the Castro Theater, then drinks at QBar, then the show, and then more drinks and dancing at Beaux. 

The show was awesome! The actors acted out the key scenes while incorporating some pop culture,  current events and local haunts. It was witty, hilarious and totally gorgeous! It was just a blast and I am definitely looking forward to more Castro Theater performances!

Below photo credit: Adrienne :-)

5 on Friday

1. Great article about making the most out of life! // I love my some Grease John Travolta, but seriously, what the heck happened at the Oscars?! This is too funny! According to him, I am Leah Whayte // This Secret Mother is an inspiration and a true hero for what she is doing. I mean, wow! // Watch out for a phishing scam targeting Netflix // Who knew bananas were soo good for you?!

2. It wouldn't be 5 on Friday without an article or a video about self image :-)

3. This is so beautiful

4. We celebrated Rich's birthday at my parents house last weekend. Before celebrating I participated in a self defense class, then wine tasting in what seemed to be someone's garage and then with lots of margaritas, wine and delicious food!! Happy birthday to my sweet husband!

 

5. I have decided that spin class (a) is the most difficult class at the gym (b) is located in the room at the top of the gym with an unbeatable view of the Bay Bridge and the water (c) is totally my thing because (d) they play only my jams! The class started with a Sister Hazel song, if that doesn't get you pumped, nothing will! The instructor also played this adorable song that I am now obsessed with!How have I not heard it before..oh yeah, because I listen to NPR in the car...

Happy Friday! Happy Weekend!

*5 on Friday Link Up