Reno Visit

I drove up to Reno on Thursday to visit my cousin and my grandparents. The original plan was to drive up first thing on Friday morning but because the forecast was snow... say what?! It's the end of April, you say?! Believe you me, that is exactly what I was thinking! Anyway...I decided to drive up on Thursday to make sure to miss the bad weather, and based on what happened on Friday I am sure glad I did.

Friday was spent working remotely and relaxing. My cousin flew in around 7pm and my uncle joined us all for dinner. It was such a great evening catching up on our lives, talking about the family and eating the most delicious vanilla ice cream dipped in caramel and chocolate bars! Um, hello, these are amazing and can (apparently) be found at Costco! 

Saturday, we woke up and went to the movie theater to see a live stream of Cosi Fan Tutte from the NY Met. Did you know that you can go to the movie theater and see the Opera live streamed?! It was pretty awesome! There are subtitles and during the intermission the cast is interviewed backstage. We were offered an amazing vantage point and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

After the Opera we headed to lunch and then back to the house to rest. My cousin and I then headed over to the Great Basin Brewery for a couple of flights and to catch up with some girl talk. Sometimes girl talk and beer is just what the doctor ordered! If you ever find yourself in Reno, I definitely would recommend for you to check out the brewery and enjoy a flight or two. They have some pretty amazing beers! As we were sitting at the bar, we decided to order a plate of their mac n cheese because it just looked oh-so-good and it definitely did not disappoint! 

After drinks, we headed back to the house for dinner and to watch / sing along to Grease. Umm, can you believe that my grandparents had never seen it!? Grease was one of my favorite movies as a kid and I was absolutely shocked that they had never seen it! Of course my cousin and I could not help but belt out all of the words. I would like to say that we did refrain from dancing...alright alright you got me, I danced along with Grease Lightening... ;-)

Reno was a great little weekend getaway and I am so glad that I was able to get out there and see my family. 

Curry Up Now SF 7x7

Restaurant: Curry Up Now

Dish: Chicken Tikka Masala Burrito

Verdict: Delicious

Alright, to make you all jealous, yet again, about my place of work: we get lunch and dinner catered. There it is, I said it. We get 3 different options for lunch and one option for dinner with 2 fully-stocked kitchens in between. Yesterday for lunch, Curry Up Now catered and since the restaurant is on my SF Big Eat 7x7 list I figured I would check another dish off of my list! 

They have come in the past and I have gotten their veggie options and have been less than impressed. But yesterday I decided to go with the dish on the list and boy, was I not disappointed! I definitely recommend this one!

Buon Appetito

Weekend Randoms

-- This made me laugh out loud..is that wrong?

-- I just love SF and Mad Men, this is really really good!

-- I got to check out the new BART cars that will begin their debut in 2015. Read about it here

-- My team went to 21st Amendment last week for our Q1 event (yes, I know we were a bit late). We played some fun ice breaker games and ate only fried foods and drank lots of beer...oh yeah and we had shots...it was basically a super fun day that started at 11:30 and ended at 5... :-)

-- On our team, I am in charge of the ice breakers and basically all of the fun that our team has :-) We played a game where we had to roll 2 die and if you rolled a double, you had to put on a wig, gloves and sun glasses and eat a hamburger with a fork and knife while the rest of the played continued to roll the die. If someone else rolled the die, you had to then take off the costume and the other person had to put it on. It was hilarious! I am sure everyone in the restaurant thought we were crazy! We were all laughing hysterically! 

-- On Friday I met with my dad for lunch and we checked another dish off of my SF 7x7 list!

Restaurant: Coqueta

Dish: Pluma Iberico de Bellota

Verdict: Okay

Coqueta is one of Michael Chiarello's restaurants located along the Embarcadero. We ordered a few dishes to share - the restaurant is tapas style - and this was probably my least favorite dish. It was kinda boring and the honey in the glaze was really overpowering. We also had the White Gazpacho (delicious, we ate it with a spoon, but you can also eat it like you were drinking a shot), the Sunny-Side Up Egg (recommendation from a friend, the sauce is amazing!), Crispy Shrimp (delicious) and the Pluma (okay) all for about $100...it was a pricey lunch to say the least...and we didn't even get drinks! 

-- On Saturday, I met with some Alpha Gamma Delta (plus 1 Kappa - we don't discriminate :-)) ladies for brunch and then to see Divergent. We read the book in our book club...ie, I didn't read it, but it was the book for our book club, and I wanted to see the movie. We also checked off another dish on the SF 7x7 list...yes, I am plowing right through these! :-)

Restaurant: Zero Zero

Dish: Skillet Fried Chicken Thighs

Verdict: Very good

These are listed on the brunch menu with waffles. I have to say that I was stoked about this because I have not have chicken and waffles before (well I had it at work once and it wasn't very good..so I don't count it...) This dish is huge and could have definitely been shared!

Merry Monday to all! :-)

Polpette at Barbacco - SF 7x7

Restaurant: Barbacco

Dish: Polpette

Verdict: Delicious

On Tuesday, I headed over to Barbacco to meet my sweet friend Melissa from Serving Seconds to cross off yet another SF Big Eat 7x7 dish! We decided to order a few dishes off of the menu and share them. 

We ordered:

Roasted pears/ prosciutto de parma bruschette

Kale salad/ apple/ golden raisins/ almonds/ pecorino salad

brussels sprouts fried in duck fat/ capers/ anchovy/ red wine vinaigrette

Polpette - Sicilian meatballs with raisins and pine nuts/ braised chard/ tomato sugo

Woe, everything was mouth-watering delicious! The polpette has a little kick at the end, nothing that I couldn't handle (any spicier, I would have been crying and drinking milk).

I definitely recommend this restaurant! It is a little more casual than Perbacco (one of my favorites in SF)!

RNL Beach Bodies and Inspiring Youtube Videos

As promised, by the title, I want to share with you all that my sweet friend Melissa (Yes, I only am friends with Melissa's...seriously...ok, not really, but pretty close!) from Real Nutrition Living is offering a free Beach Body Consultation! Check it out!

I had my consultation last month and it was really helpful. I am feeling more accountable and confident! She listened to my concerned and helped me work through some different options on how to eat healthier. I definitely recommend working with the lovely Melissa! She really knows her stuff!

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And on to this very very inspiring video! I mean, who doesn't love a good TedTalk!?

Happy Thursday! :-)

A Sunday in Napa

I spent Sunday with two of my best friends (and some new friends) in Napa. We stopped at 4 wineries and had a blast. The weather was warm, the sky was clear and blue, the wine was-a-flowing and the company was awesome!

We started our wine tour at Sequoia Grove. We all brought picnic-y foods ate and caught up and then tasted a few of their wines. 

 

 

 Our second stop was at V. Sattui. I didn't taste at this location because they are known for having sweeter wines and that just isn't really my thing. V. Sattui was crazy busy because they have a ton of outside seating as well as a small market and a BBQ outside. It is very kid friendly. 

Our third stop was to Sterling. At Sterling, you hop in a gondola and ride it up to the actual winery where you taste the wines and go on a little self-guided walking tour. The views were spectacular!

 

After Sterling we ran over to Rombauer (it was 4:30 and they closed at 5) and squeezed in a very quick tasting. I enjoy their wines and the winery grounds are beautiful. Keep in mind that if you visit this winery, the signage is very small and hard to spot if you don't know where you are going! 

After wine tasting, we headed to Oxbow Market to have dinner. We sat on the patio and at dinner and enjoyed some more drinks at the Kitchen Door while we enjoyed the setting sun. 

It was an awesome day! I can't wait for summer time so we can go more frequently!

Tuesday Randoms

-- I listened to an interview with President Jimmy Carter on the radio that was really interesting! Check it out And I am definitely going to add his book to my reading list! 

-- Love this article, especially #27: Stop trying to be everything to everyone. So true!

--  Awesome, awesome, awesome commercial!

-- I would love to have been on this flight! Love how creative this is!

-- This video made me laugh and it is also so true...of course I can only think of it as being a kid..but still!!

5 Seconds of Summer

On Friday afternoon, one of our office managers, who has a clear view of the street, runs to the area I sit in to let us know that there are hundreds of teenaged girls standing outside... (we work across the street from a big building that acts as the home to a few bay area radio and tv stations)

Anyway, of course, a bunch of us run out to see who it is and witness the excitement on the street. We find out that the band is called 5 Seconds of Summer and they are performing a private concert for the radio station across the street. We get the information, and go back inside to watch from behind the window. All of a sudden the girls are running down the street toward the corner and they are all screaming and giddy. We rush outside just in time to see two big black suburbans turn the corner and drive down into the garage under the building all while the screaming increases along with the girls jumping up and down and taking photos.

We walk across the street and check in with the teens and they told us that the band drove by and rolled their window down...like ohmygawd

The band is now inside and there is not much more action, so we walked back to the office followed by a group of about 10 girls. We asked them about the band they are Australian, we asked which song to youtube She looks so perfect, we asked if they are better then One Direction Umm, yes, and we asked why they weren't in school I just didn't go.

During our very educational conversation, they were looking through their photos and one of them captured a picture from behind the suburban with an arm sticking out. 

Girl 1: Oh my god, how did you get that photo??!

Me: Well, I want to see!

Picture girl: It may not look like a lot to you, but it means a lot to us...

Well, of course it does you sweet thing! 

If you have (1) heard of this band and (b) listened to this song you are way ahead of most of our office. Now, let me leave you with their top-hit video...watch the entire thing...you won't be disappointed!

Now on to when the band left...screaming and yelping was coming from outside which meant only one thing: the band was leaving. We run outside. There were screams, tears, thumbs ups and jumping....I may have screamed and jumped...I did not shed a tear though....right?

(who knew I could make a gif on my phone..!?)

Merry Monday!

SF 7x7 16/100

For our weekly frate (friend date) we planned to check two dishes off of the list and ended up checking off three...I am flying through this list! We grabbed drinks and the specialty dish at each restaurant and had a fabulous Wednesday night!

 

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Restaurant: The Cavalier
Dish: Lamb Scrumpets
Verdict: Delicious

The Cavalier has a ton of delicious-looking cocktails. We both went with a Pimms Cup. Let me tell you, it was huge, refreshing and so delicious! A perfect addition to the Lamb Scrumpets. The bar is really nice, clean and spacious. We got there around 5pm and didn't have any trouble finding seating. 

 

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Restaurant: Mikkeller Bar
Dish: Salt cod cakes
Verdict: Ehhh, I could have lived without it

 We walked over to Mikkeller Bar from The Cavalier, they are maybe three blocks away so it was an easy walk. The restaurant is very hip and dark. The bar is fancy with tons of beers on tap (they only serve beer & wine) and the tables around the bar are communal, so just grab a seat wherever you see on open. We didn't have too much trouble finding a seat, arriving around 6ish. The beers were good, the specialty dish was okay. It was a little too fishy for my taste (duh, it's fish...but it just wasn't my favorite). They reminded me of really fishy crab cakes. The dipping sauce is a bit spicy, but accents the cakes perfectly.

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Restaurant: Hakkasan
Dish: Crisy Duck Salad
Verdict: Ahhhmazing!

 Saying that this place was busy was an understatement. We maybe waited to sit for about an hour - at the bar! There were tons of tables available, but it seemed like they didn't start to seat people until around 8pm. We ordered some of their fancy-pantsy drinks (the Ruby Empress & the Fernet Julep) while we waited, poached a couple of seats at the bar and ordered the Crispy Duck Salad and their Vegetarian Dim Sum platter. The salad was seriously heaven-in-my-mouth. The flavors were perfect together! I definitely recommend checking out this spot...but either get there before 6 or after 8 if you don't want to wait forever for a spot!

I am loving this list!! It is helping me branch out and try new things with awesome people and I am having a blast in the process!

Randoms on Monday

First off, I had to share this article. It is hiarliously true! Oh, how I love the tech world!

Of course San Francisco wins the war between which city rules the West Coast. I mean, c'mon!

Looking to travel this year? Take a look at this article about when to purchase your flights! Thanks, BuzzFeed!

"In San Francisco, it is all possible" - I loved this article, but I do have to crush some spirit and say that the photo at the end is actually a view of the city from Berkeley!

I am pretty sure I could use all of these things. Especially #33...when I gotta go, I gotta go!

Love these definitions for happiness!

And...welcome to my life...

...it's La Tache, not Natasha

...it's French

...no, I am not French
...no, I don't speak French

...it means "the spot"

...I am named after a bottle of wine

...my fake name is "Michelle" - I have no idea why

...there are no souvenirs that have my name on them, ever

...I don't have a nickname, it's just La Tache, and don't call me Tache or I will cut you

...yes, I love my name! 

With that, have a very merry Monday!

A bridal weekend - Bridal Shower

As mentioned yesterday, we celebrated my sweet friend this past weekend: hosting a bridal shower and bachelorette party! It was an awesome weekend filled with so much love, it's just contagious!

I worked remotely on Friday so I was available to help my mom set up the house for the shower. We prepped the food and set the table and then were whisked away by the lovely bride-to-be for a quick mani/pedi complete with margartias....yes we know how to mani/pedi.

Let's chat about the Bridal Shower now.

I worked with Paige from Paige's Paper on etsy to custom design the invitations and they turned out amazing! I would definitely recommend her and order from her in the future!

Saturday morning we woke bright and early to put all of the food out, pop the champagne and play fun shower games! The shower was a total hit and was absolutely beautifully decorated by my sweet momma.

Theme:

High Tea

Party Favor:

Tea cups and saucers

Food:

Chicken salad (with grapes) heart-shaped sandwiches

Cucumber and watercress sandwiches

Salmon and cream cheese open faces sandwiches

Mini quiches

Susie cakes celebration cake

Susie cakes mini cupcakes

Susie cakes sugar cookies

Susie cakes lemon bars

Champagne & three types of tea

Games:

Bridal mad libs

Bridal pictionary

Toilet paper wedding dress

Clothes pin hot words- not allowed to say "wedding," "bride," or "groom"

Why do we do that? - common wedding superstitions and traditions and why we do them

Game prizes:

Dish towels

Cocktail napkins

Tea pot, sugar and creamer

Bride's take away:

A little book with words of wisdom and keys to a successful marriage notes (we also included the mad libs)

The shower was a huge hit, lots of champagne and tea, delicious food, laughter, reminiscing, a small fire, games, friends and family, and of course a ton of love!

As an added sweet surprise I had asked the groom to answer a few questions to help everyone at the shower get to know the bride and groom as a couple. I also asked the groom to record a short video, which was a total surprise that everyone loved! 

The bride was showered with lots of love, rain and fun treats! I can't wait to celebrate in August for the big event!

Wordless Wednesday - Bachelorette Party edition

A few words before I go wordless...My best friend is getting hitched in August, so it was only suitable to host a girl bridal shower high tea and naughty little bachelorette party for the lovely bride-to-be. My mom and I hosted the shower while her sorority sisters / besties from college hosted the bachelorette. Let me tell you, it was a weekend we won't remember with some friends we will never forget....yes, you read that right :-)

We got ready and celebrated at the Palace Hotel, with lots of things pretty, penis and pink, and then off for dinner and a show at Asia SF.

Without further ado, in true bachelorette party fashion, Wordless Wednesday! (I will do my best to keep the photos pg-13...that is why there are so few...)

Happy Hump Day!