Are you there Blog? It’s me, Holly! I haven’t quite disappeared, just lost track of time while having SO much fun! A lot has happened! I spent the long holiday weekend hanging on to summer with good friends in a favorite foodie town: San Francisco!
In between bouts of living the hippie life and accidentally crashing Russian night at a trendy club (this funny/crazy story deserves a separate entry!), we managed to have some amazing James Beard winning meals! Here are a few SF spot and dish highlights:
Dinner the first night was at my most favorite spot: Michael Mina! One of my friends let them know we were celebrating my birthday early when she made the reservation, and I felt oh so special the way they rolled out the red carpet for me, including a hand-written birthday note when we arrived to our table! I went all out ordering (because calories don’t count on birthdays!) and ended up with decadent dishes to compliment my California white wine including Lobster Risotto and a Deconstructed Lobster Pot Pie. The table-side serving of the pot pie was a show in itself!
We ventured to Vietnamese fusion the following night at Slanted Door, which had cool decor and all dishes were served family style. The views, even at night of the bay and lit Bay Bridge, just added to the cool factor of this spot! Our picks: spring rolls, grass-fed estancia shaking beef, cellophane noodles with crab, spicy broccoli and cinnamon vanilla churros!
We continued making the James Beard rounds on our last night and ended up at Delfina, an Italian spot in the Mission District with great food and a trendy, yet welcoming neighborhood vibe. I was adventurous and had the Chitarra Negro aka squid ink pasta… BEST decision ever!
You can’t go to San Fran and NOT get coffee from local spots. The Grove has an awesome atmosphere, complete with giant trees growing INSIDE this cool coffee shop, and are decorated with Christmas lights! My most favorite is Reveille Coffee — a minimalist and sophisticated coffee spot with delish, healthy food, and really cute baristas. (GQ model looking guys + coffee is a GREAT way to start the day!) The Egg Sandwich with Bacon is a MUST in the morning!
As you can see, I left my foodie heart in San Francisco! I hope you all had a fabulous Labor Day weekend as well! It’s time to begin pulling out those pumpkin recipes for fall!
holly, have you ever tried to recreate that toast? i'd love to hear if you have!