One More Trip Over the Bridge

Yesterday started out like any other Saturday: slowly.  All I'd really accomplished was a run, some yoga, and a shower when around noon I received an invite to go stay with Justine over on Sausalito for the day.  Realizing this would most likely be my last trip over there, I threw some things in my trusty backpack and used my now fully-fledged public transportation skills to navigate my way across the bridge.

Justine's family just got two new King Charles puppies, and we spent the majority of the afternoon and evening cuddling, playing, and baby-talking with them.  For only being 12 weeks or so, they are very friendly and well-behaved little loves!

We did, of course, go out for dinner.  Another friend suggested checking out Sol Food, a Puerto Rican restaurant in Mill Valley.  I personally have never had Puerto Rican food before, but one look at the menu and I was sold.  I ended up getting a Cubano sandwich with fries and I can only describe it as spectacular.  It was juicy and flavorful, greasy enough to satisfy, but not unnecessarily so.  I would definitely go back any time I happen to be in Marin!

We ended the evening with some wine and Pellegrino and lime (I don't drink and just happen to have very thoughtful friends that know my alcohol-alternative drink of choice!) and chatted about life now, during school, and the upcoming year.  It's really hard to believe we've graduated and are all moving in different directions.  Justine is currently deciding between getting her Masters in Psychology at the University of Edinburgh and attending a ballet fellowship in Moscow.  Christine just signed a lease on her first solo apartment in the city and is currently working one of her dream jobs in a corporate hospitality office.  And in just three short weeks, I will be moving out of San Francisco for good, taking one last trip down to Southern California where I will begin law school in the middle of August.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that time moves incredibly quickly and that I encourage everyone to really make the most of what time you have.  Hang out with friends, explore the places around you, take pictures, laugh lots, and always eat what sounds good.  Because even though I know I will be back in the Bay Area for a visit before I know it, I still can't believe I'm leaving it and these lovely ladies behind.

And I'm really going to miss it.

Blaze Pizza

After graduating, I went home to Southern California and spent about two weeks in what I've been referring to as "hibernation mode."  This basically means I did pretty much nothing except read, play with my puppies, and recuperate from what was possibly the most grueling semester of my life.  Oh, and I also did lots and lots of eating.

It was my dad's idea to go to dinner at Blaze Pizza, a newer restaurant that recently opened near his office.  I think I have been once before, but something this time was different.  Blaze is basically a "DIY pizza joint," where you can order either one of their pre-fixed pizzas or go down the line and build your own.  Think Subway, but with pizza.

Let me tell you, I will definitely be frequenting Blaze when I move back to Southern California and I knew I had to share this find with you guys.  The crust is thin yet chewy enough to satisfy a crust-lover like myself, and they have so many options for sauce, dough, toppings, you name it.

Just thinking about it is making me hungry!

Delarosa Pizza

It has certainly taken me a long time to get to this post, so without further ado, let's talk about some awesome pizza!  While out shopping in the Marina last month, my friend Christine recommended that we try a small restaurant called Delarosa on Chestnut Street.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting when we walked in, but I was definitely not expecting it to be quite so busy!  Delarosa has a very modern interior in bright oranges and futuristic grays.  There is a bit of bar seating available, but for the most part the restaurant is one large room full of long wooden tables.  I believe they call this dining "Roman style," when multiple parties share the same large table.  Overall, it was a totally different, really fun environment.

Now on the to the actual menu.  My only problem with it was that there were too many amazing-sounding options!  Seriously, it took us forever to decide what we wanted.  In the end we ended up getting their pizza with spicy Fennel sausage, onions, and scamorza.  It was fantastic balance of all of the ingredients, thought be warned: when they call the sausage spicy, they really mean it!

Christine also ordered a cocktail (I'm not entirely sure which it was... maybe the Salty Dog?).  She was a bit disappointed that it didn't come in a fun glass, but it was quite tasty.  And yes, that does mean that I had a little sip and, as someone who doesn't drink at all, thought it was quite good.

And just in case you need one more reason to go check Delarosa out, it's just down the street from Kara's Cupcakes.  So naturally, we stopped there as well for our favorite red velvet cupcakes.

The moral of this story?  Chestnut Street is a food-lover's paradise!

El Rancho Grande

I have always believed that - Mission District or not - the only way to get really good Mexican food in San Francisco was to hold out until my next trip home.  But today I have the pleasure of announcing that I have found a restaurant that not only has amazing tacos, but is also perfect for the college budget!

Yesterday, after shopping all day with my good friend Christine, I suggested that we simply grab something to eat on the way home as neither one of us felt like cooking.  She directed us to this little taqueria, El Rancho Grande.  Located on Divisadero right on McAllister, it's a little hole-in-the-wall with bright paint, friendly staff, and a constant stream of South-American soccer.  It is a clear favorite of many, as just after we ordered the restaurant filled up with patrons of all ages.  I ordered just their Regular Taco with carne asada filling (pictured above) and was happy to find it completely delicious.  The portion is also large enough that if that's all that you want, that's all that you need.  But next time I think I might explore the menu a bit.  I have it on good authority that their Super Taco is killer...

All in all, probably not the best Mexican food I've ever had, but definitely the best since coming to the city!

Trying That Tandoori Chicken

So, remember back when I first started blogging and I was having a very hard time eating both in new situations and new food in general?

Well, I think it is safe to say that those days are finally behind me.

This past weekend, my family got together with a friend's family for dinner at Royal Khyber Fine Indian Cuisine.  Now, I had never had real Indian food up until this point and was actually quite nervous about how the meal would go.  All I could think of was horror stories told by friends who experienced some, shall we say, digestive discomfort during their first foray into such "exotic" food.  What?  I didn't say all my neurosis were cured!

I am happy to report that the food could not have been better!  The servers were friendly and willing to explain dishes and ingredients and the restaurant smelled simply amazing.  I ended up ordering the Tandoori Chicken (picture above) and a side of Basmati rice.  It becomes abundantly obvious that I am no food critic because I have absolutely no words to describe how delicious this dish was.  The meat was so tender, slid right off the bone, and had a slight smoky taste.  Just thinking about it makes me want to go back again!

To recap, yes, I did just write an entire post about Tandoori Chicken.  But at least I'm getting back to posting!

Neighborhood Favorite

Even as I'm writing this post, I cannot believe that I haven't posted about Mel's before!  I went last night with one of the directors of my academic program and a couple of friends, and it was only then that I realized that this is a post that needs to happen.

If you've never heard about it before, Mel's Drive-In is basically your classic diner.  It's a California-based restaurant chain, with locations in both the Northern and Southern regions of the state.  What I love about it is that it has great basic, classic diner food like breakfast until lunch, hamburgers, onion rings, etc.  I personally love Mel's for any meal; it's a favorite of mine for breakfast/brunch dates, a quick lunch, or dinner with friends.

As for food quality, it's pretty darn good.  The burgers aren't gourmet or anything, and I don't think I'll ever call it my favorite burger.  (For those of you from SoCal, you will probably understand when I say that Islands burgers have ruined me for all other burger joints!)  That being said, they're still delicious and you really can never go wrong with the Famous Melburger, which is what I got last night.  I wish I had snapped a quick picture for you guys, but I was so excited that I just dug right in!  They have good steak fries, decent onion rings, and you just really have to love their huge selection of items.  I have never had a bad experience with their wait-staff, who are all super friendly and helpful.

 

Oh, and their dessert's pretty good too!

Computers and Croissants

Hello friends!  I hope you are all having a good week, and not so many computer troubles as I am!  I took my laptop in to be looked at earlier this week due to a seemingly faulty battery and fan.  They kept it for a few days, ran a few tests, and I finally got it back.  Unfortunately, there now seem to be new issues or quirks that have appeared, and as so much of my school work and writing revolves around this computer, I can only hope nothing else happens to it.

Luckily enough, that same morning my dad and I decided to try Le Pain Quotidien for a quick breakfast.  It's a cute, rustic styled French bakery where they not only serve freshly made pastries and breads, but also full organic meals.  It reminded me a lot of the La Boulange chain of cafes in the Bay Area.  I ordered a hot breakfast tea (which came in that cute little bowl-cup) and a butter croissant, while my dad tried their oatmeal with bananas.  We're not "foodies" in anyway, shape or form, but we thought the food was great, and reasonably priced too!  My personal favorite was their five fruit jam.

Always nice to find a new gem in the same neighborhood I've been shopping in my entire life!

Of Baguettes and Art

For my first weekend back, it has been fairly relaxing so far.  Justine and I have early classes on Friday, and after we decided to go out for our first lunch back in the city.  We went to this little restaurant called Food Inc. Trattoria.  

Now, I've personally heard mixed reviews about this place.  My roommate Christine, our resident foodie, was not really impressed with their dinner.  I personally thought they had good food, but I went for lunch, so take away from this what you will.  Maybe it's more of a lunch place.

I got their Italian Panini, with mozarella, tomato, basil, olive oil and vinegar. It was amazing!

Justine got their pear and brie sandwich, which she loved and absolutely devoured.

All in all, it was a good meal.  We were in the neighborhood to visit a cute little yarn shop called Atelier Yarns.  I'm getting back into knitting, as I discovered over break that it was a good replacement for chewing my nails while watching TV.  Hopefully I will get enough of my scarf done to post pictures of soon!

And in keeping with my New Year's resolution to finish projects before starting new ones, I did a new large drawing last night.  It's a little bit different than anything I've ever done, inspired by some of the mythological pictures I'm studying in my Impressionism class.  I like it a lot, although I'm not sure how I feel about subjects like this for future work.

Happy Weekend, everyone.

A Sunny Day for a Birthday

Yesterday was an amazing day. Not only did I turn a whopping 20 years old, but it was probably the nicest day we've had so far. This made it the perfect day for my friend Justine to complete what was possibly the greatest assignment ever: walk through Golden Gate Park to the beach. I tagged along while she took beautiful pictures in sunny weather. We looked at the trees...

petted adorable dogs...

played with balloons...

and got lunch at the cute little cafe called the Java Beach Cafe. Even though they were recommended to us based on their coffee, we were happy to discover that their sandwiches are just as tasty. Their menu is seriously impressive, with tons of sandwiches, pastries, and both hot and cold drinks. I personally enjoyed the ice tea, though it was a little bitter. Over all, it's good food in a cute, beachy atmosphere!

Have a great week, everyone!

Breakfast in Heaven

I must live among the nerdiest people on campus, because we spent practically the entire long weekend studying! Our one brief respite was to go to breakfast on Sunday. We walked down Cole to visit La Boulange, a little French bakery chain that we've become quite fond of. They have amazing food, and it's just a cute place to sit and talk for a while. Just talking about it makes me want to go again!

On a completely separate note, my friend has been working on some songs, and I can't stop listening to them. Check him out!

Amazing Food Find!

What a weekend!

Not only was it sunny this weekend, but it was also warm enough to take a blanket and sit out on the grass. It definitely made my seemingly endless amount of reading easier to stand.

In other news, I have a confession to make: I am a panini addict! My friends and I have found this amazing panini shop on Haight Street, and that's basically what we ate all weekend! Check it out if you're in the neighborhood. Trust me, you'll love it!

Have a great week, everybody!