TRAVEL San Francisco: Yummy Good Eats part three... Dinner

I absolutely love eating out in San Francisco.  There are an overwhelming amount of amazing, offbeat places to check out, there is always something for everyone, always an option for just about any type of food you are looking for.  I know I have just scratched the surface with the spots I was able to visit.  I'm only going to highlight three restaurants today, but I have plenty of other places to tell you all about, that's for sure!  At some point, be on the lookout for another post about some more great eats in the city of SF!

My favorite dinner experience was at Foreign Cinema, in the Mission District.  There was such a super cool vibe - just an excellent, unique ambiance. Without even taking the food into consideration, the experience itself was great. If you're seated in the partially covered and heated outdoor area (definitely worth it), you'll be treated to an old foreign film being played on a big outside wall - sometimes with audio. The service was great, the waitstaff very friendly and accommodating. The menu was fantastic - a bit fancy, but great and eclectic and ample.   The food was excellent, I had a Burratta Salad as an appetizer, and it was absolutely mouthwatering.  I also had a fantastic steak, which was cooked to perfection.  Keep in mind that you get what you pay for, so be prepared for a pricey meal. Note: There is an extensive oyster bar, wine list and cheese menu, and the desserts were amazing.  Also, they have a weekend brunch on Saturdays, which I did not go to, but I would guess is amazing.

Late one night wandering around Union Square, I stepped into King of Thai Noodle on O'Farrell Street, mainly because it was open and I was hungry. And even though it looked kind of like a sketchy strip mall type of restaurant, it was packed. I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised with my meal.  My huge bowl of noodle soup was piping hot, really tasty and cheap, and it came out quickly.  It was totally tiny and cramped inside, but the service was good and fast, and I would definitely stop in again to try another noodle bowl.

John's Grill, a very well known seafood/steakhouse right in the heart of the city, is apparently a favorite with locals and celebrities.  I went there early one night with friends for dinner based on some really good yelp reviews, and was happily surprised that I didn't have trouble getting a table. I'm assuming because it was pretty early at about 6 pm. Two of us had the Filet Mignon, which was cooked perfectly. The menu didn't mention that the steak came with sides, so we each ordered a side, and ended up with way too much to eat! I had the Roquefort Salad to start, and it was huge - could have easily been a dinner salad because it was covered with shrimp, and there was enough for at least two. Our waitress looked like she didn't want to be there and wasn't friendly, but I suppose she did her job. They didn't have mojitos or the particular wine that we were hoping for, unfortunately. The atmosphere was kind of neat though, old timey wood walled steakhouse feel with nice dim lighting. If you like dessert, I highly recommend the chocolate mousse - it was fantastic. Overall, the food was very good, just priced pretty high in my opinion - our bill was $180 for two salads, 2 steaks, 2 sides, 1 seafood dinner, one glass of wine and one dessert.

Be sure to stop back next week! I'll be posting about some of my awesome experiences in traveling through California.

woot? meh

Today is supposed to be all wootWOOT!  Back to normal, no more whiney sad face posts, right?  That is what I said, so I am digging deep guys.  I even did yoga this morning.

Actually, the yoga instructor guy, his voice is so relaxing, he kind of shut my brain off for the half hour.  It was sort of shocking.  At the end, I was laying there when you're all in the relaxing pose thing, whatever they call it - you know, the thing where you're just laying there on the floor, and all of a sudden I was like, hey.  I didn't think about sad repetitive bullshit for like a whole half hour!  All I did was focus on the poses and the guy's voice (which kind of makes me feel like I am dreaming or something).  So, maybe I'm on to something there...  that was Hatha Yoga, I can do Flow Yoga with the same guy tomorrow maybe.  The stretches make me a little nervous with my shoulders.  Both shoulders suck right now, so that's lame.  But hopefully, the stretches will strengthen them.  If I tear them fully I am fucked. oh blahblahblah.  This is boring.  Definitely not wootWOOT!

So I mentioned I got kidney punched three times by my sister recently in my last post.  Thankfully she was too drunk to karate chop me - she is a black belt in Karate!  She could have kicked my ass.  I definitely would have been on the losing end.  I only know defensive moves, I quit Tae Kwon Do before I got to really learn the beating up parts.  

The thing is, my sister Jen rarely drinks.  She's like me.  A once in a great while drinker.  Her drink of choice is champagne, and how often is champagne just sitting around, right?  So, we were at my cousin's wedding, and there was a lot of really excellent champagne flowing.  I was originally planning on being a wedding drinker and Jen was going to drive, but then there was a lot of great champagne, and I couldn't pull the trigger.  The wine was not cutting it for me, so we ended up trading positions.  A lot of times, alcohol gives me heartburn.  It'd be great if we just lived in CO and I could smoke up, if you know what I mean.  But you know, NY isn't exactly there yet, legally speaking, unfortunately.  I hate being hung over.  So I only had a few drinks early on.

Well, we had an excellent night.  We felt a lot of pressure to be extra fun because my cousin told everyone that he was so happy that we were coming because my sisters and I are the fun cousins.  He's so cute.  So of course we literally were the last to leave.  Like, we were leaving while they were taking the tablecloths off of the tables, last car in the parking lot - basically, pushed out of the place. So the punching happened because someone said that out of the four sisters, he always liked me best.  :)  Well, in my defense, I was having a great hair day and my earrings were banging.  Plus I pulled out some Beyonce dance moves that were very impressive.  Who knew?

She was highly offended. And of course since she was super tipsy, she was extra highly offended, and could not grasp the fact that I was number one.  She was trying to win him over and it wasn't working, she tried convincing him...  it was really funny.  And we kept having to rehash it the entire night.  So at one point, she got all frustrated and stamped around like a kid and punched me!  In my dress!  On the dance floor of a very fancy wedding!  And I was wearing way fucking high heels, like way higher than I ever wear.  I could have broken an ankle trying to fight back!

Being the only sober one, I had to drag everyone out of there.  My sister Indi was funny.  Then Jen was taking her sweet time, still trying to convince the guy Chris to like her better than me, so I had to pretend to slowly drive away and she had to chase me through the parking lot and jump into the car.

So then, then, the guy called me in the car and serenaded me on speaker phone the song "You are so Beautiful to Me," on the way home which made her punch me one final time for good measure.  It was a really fun, silly night.  My other sister Ali also got smacked in the face, and we had to run into the house to hide from Jenney.  It sort of brought me back to the olden days, when we were teenagers and would go to obnoxious high school parties together.  Which, come to think of it, is why we don't really drink that often...

broken, whiney and kidney punches

This blog is bugging me!  I haven't blogged in like, months, so I kind of forgot how to fix the settings and everything is all wacky.  I just don't have the patience to mess with it.  Sorry it looks so fucking annoying at the moment.  I really just have to get my shit together and deal with it.  I have to decide what to do.

I am at a crossroad of sorts.  Hey.  Someone said that to me once.  That exact same sentence, and it just popped into my brain.  Weird.  Anyway, so yeah. I'm at a crossroads.  Definitely more than a fork in the road, because your average fork only has like 3 prongs, right?  There are all sorts of paths here in front of my mug these days, way more than 3.  I feel a little bit like a crazy person.  I just cannot get my thoughts together.  I can't sleep.  I just keep thinkingthinkingthinking.

Usually, I am happily introverted.  I enjoy being alone with myself.  I like having a big imagination, I like being able to see things the way I want them to be, the way I wish they would play out.  But right now, that gift, the vivid imagination "gift" is killing me.  Killing me.  I just keep seeing images and things that I don't want to see at all.   My typically happy, chill self ugh... just hurts.  And you know, I'm just not sure how to fix it.  I'm pretty sure I'm broken.  I haven't thought of myself as fragile, breakable, in so many years.  You know how when you were little and some big guy would pick you up and toss you up in the air, up high over their head, and for a couple of brief seconds, it felt amazing?  Like, you felt weightless and breathless and perfect for those briefest moments in time?  And then, those seconds of terror when you'd start to fall back down, hoping and praying he'd please just catch you, just please please not let you slip through his fingers to shatter into a million little pieces at his feet?  I guess right now it feels like I'm in the shattering part, and I'm just hoping not to turn into dust and just blow away.  Like nothing.  Like air.  It's my own fault. It's what I get...

Ah, well.  So you sit here and figure out if you wallow around indefinitely and let what has broken you define you, or if you get up and dust yourself off and do your best to figure out how to repair yourself and move on.  Obviously wallowing isn't an option.  But becoming feeling-less is...  

Jeez.  When did this go from being a funn-ish boring old filler blog to a downer lame whiny drama blog??  That is not how I roll here.  Role?  Roll.  I have this one day to be a downer, ok?  It's downer Tuesday!!  Didn't you know?  Then I'll slap some sense into myself and be normal and boring again tomorrow.  Because tomorrow guys, tomorrow is WEDNESDAY.  Wootwoot Wednesday!  Yes! 

Maybe tomorrow I will tell you a few funny things about how I got kidney punched three times by my sister Jenney when she was drunk the other night when we were out.  AND she punched me on the shoulder, that jerk!  

10 dream destinations

I love to travel.  The last few years, I've been traveling a lot more, trying to get off of my coast and see places that I haven't seen.  I feel like I'm getting older and time goes by fast - I want to see things and do things and have experiences before I'm too old to enjoy and appreciate them.  I know I'm not that old, it's just, time doesn't wait, does it?

So one of the things I needed to do this year was get my passport.  I want to be able to go out of the country spontaneously, like, if I happen to spot a good deal somewhere.  I'm always looking.  I have a bunch of places that I would absolutely love to see in person.  I have a whole Pinterest board filled with places that I would like to visit some day, so I decided to share my top ten.   One is number one.  Obviously.  But the rest are in no particular order, because it's really hard to decide what I want to see most.  If money was no object, I'd be booking flights every month.  The world is an amazing place...  where would you go if you could?

1.  Vaadhoo Maldives - if I saw this in person, I think I would cry.

2.  Stonehenge - I have always found this place to be so incredible and interesting.  I think I would feel so small standing next to such an amazing thing.

3. Whiteheaven Beach, Australia - apparently, the sand doesn't even get hot here.  Heaven?  I'm thinking yes.

4. Scotland - I can't imagine looking at views like this all day long.  I want to sleep in a castle and listen to sexy Scottish guys talk with their cute accents while wearing kilts. 

5. Fiji - I'm afraid I might never come home.  Seriously, how do people go to work when they live in a place like this?

6. Prague - a place that actually looks like a painting.

7. Switzerland - castles and snow and Alps and chocolate.  Sounds kind of perfect.

8.  Italy - amazingly gorgeous.

9.  Portugal - another stunning place I might never want to leave...

10. Ireland - more kilts and adorable accents... and wonderful scenery, of course.

TRAVEL San Francisco: Yummy Good Eats part dos... Lunch

As I mentioned in my previous post about a few San Francisco breakfast spots, I never really realized how important the food industry is to Bay Area travelers.  After spending a few days in the city, I realized that there are just so many wonderful and eclectic choices and options.  I sometimes found it hard to make a decision, and ended up just eating in areas that I was wandering through.

Showdogs

One great lunch that I had was at a dive-y little spot in the Tenderloin called Showdogs, right on Market Street. There was nothing really fancy about the place, but I was kind of drawn to the fact that it was so unpretentious.  I ended up going simple with the basic all beef dog, some super tasty house made slaw, crispy thin fresh cut fries, and the kicker - a fresh house lemonade. So yummm!  Everything I ordered was delicious, the service was pleasant and speedy.  Overall it was fairly expensive for a hotdog place, but I loved the simplicity of my meal and would definitely go back to try out some other good looking things on the menu.

Clam Chowder in a bread bowl

While wandering around Fisherman's Wharf one sunny day, I had my eye out for a place to get the much heard about chowder in a bread bowl.  I chose Sabella and La Torre's sidewalk stand on Taylor Street, though there were plenty of other places to get pretty much the same thing.  I think I chose Sabella's because there was enough of a line to make it seem like the food would be good, but not too many people to make the wait annoying.  The bread was great, soft and gooey, and the chowder was pretty darned good.  It was thick and creamy, just wish there were a few more clams in there.  Initially it was a touch bland, but with some extra salt and pepper it worked.  At under 10 bucks, I thought it was fair for the amount you got.  The service was quick, and I chose to eat mine outside in the sunshine, though they do offer tables inside.  The only real downside was being stalked by seagulls hoping for a bite, but you can't blame the establishment for that! 

Pad Thai

I've never had Thai food before, so I popped into Osha Thai on Embarcadero for a late afternoon lunch one day.  I really liked the loungey vibe of the place, it was very quiet, spacious and not busy at all.  It looks like they'd have no trouble accommodating a large group.  Also, I have to say, the chairs were super comfy.  I ended up going with a Spring Roll, Pad Thai and an order of Udon Soup, based on the tasty sounding description in the menu.  It was very good, rather spicy.  The portions were generous, and the meal presentation was really nice.  I definitely could not finish everything.  I felt like it was kind of pricey, but probably justified by the atmosphere and service.

Where have you had lunch in the city of San Fran?  I had a super sandwich at a deli in Sausalito and I need to find an equally good sandwich spot that I can walk to from Union Square.  Any recos?

Check back for a review of a few great dinner spots I visited!

posts and things

I didn't write too many posts last week.  I am not sure how I am planning on posting, like, what my new posting schedule will really be.  I kind of fell into a posting habit, back when I was blogging a lot more regularly.  I tried to post pretty much five days a week, and I fell into a rhythm of doing things - I wrote certain types of posts on certain days.  The problem was, it became sort of monotonous for me, and it became hard.  I didn't feel like I could be genuine.  And I didn't want to do it anymore.

I'm still not 100% sure that I want to do it, honestly.  I have been feeling like I miss is, the writing, the having an outlet of sorts.  But I still feel a bit like I'm not all in.  It's still a little bumpy.  I'm still finding my footing, trying to figure it all out.

So if you guys are cool with it, I'll just do my thing, pop on here and post and try to get things going again in my way.  I'll be dropping by my old favorite blogs again too, so don't be startled if you see me commenting.  

Later, blogger friends...  

friday five

6:05

I may or may not have had a mini Twix bar, a mini Snickers and a mini bag of peanut M & M's for breakfast.   Well isn't that what is supposed to happen the week after Halloween?  I have to get this candy out of here.  I have no will power at all.  It's not even funny guys.

Well.  Actually, I literally have pounds of candy in my house and that's all that I ate... it could be a lot worse.  So really a candy breakfast of a few pieces of mini candy is kind of a win, if you think about it.

So jeez, next up is Thanksgiving, and that will roll quickly into Christmas. It's going to go fast this year, I just know it.  I know someone who is completely finished with shopping and wrapping Christmas presents.  Who does that?? Only highly organized people I suppose. I don't ever see that being me. I also know someone who is getting zero Christmas presents for her family because they are going on a 10 day Christmas cruise to some place warm and tropical.  Now that, I could get into. I think she said all she is doing is bringing a stocking for everyone with a few small wrapped things. That's pretty freaking awesome. I don't know if my kids would be into that though. They love our Christmas traditions.  God forbid if I try to change anything up.

6:10 - Time's up!

TRAVEL San Francisco: Yummy Good Eats, part uno: Breakfast

One thing that I never realized, is that San Francisco is as famous for its restaurants and food trends as it is for the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars.  With upwards of 3500 places to eat, more than any other major city in the US, travelers routinely cite restaurants as a factor in their decision to visit.  Who knew??  Yep, the eclectic restaurants of San Francisco are a main attraction, drawing people from all over the world, and I made a point to try some restaurants that had great reviews on sites like Yelp and Trip Advisor.

Dottie's True Blue Cafe

For breakfast, you have to try Dottie's True Blue Cafe.  It's located on 28 6th Street in San Francisco, a bit of a sketchy neighborhood in general, but not too bad.  The thing about Dottie's is that it is so well known, there is almost always a line out the door, which some people just can't handle.  A few people wandered by, attempted the line, then left before being seated.  My thought process is that a great breakfast is worth the wait, so I was prepared.  I am a definitely a breakfast lover and Dottie's did not disappoint.  The atmosphere was authentic and vintage-y.  Nice and dim, which was good for an early morning visit.  The service was good, and the servers were super pleasant and attentive.  But the corn bread, oh the corn bread... (with jalepeño jam) was worth the wait alone.  The coffee is pretty good and piping hot, and the server was quick to top it off a few times.  I had the Smoked Whiskey-Fennel Sausage, Mushroom and Spinach Scramble - it was as amazing as it sounds, the portion was excellent and the price was fair at under $12.  The people at the table next to me got an order of pancakes which looked so fluffy and amazing, I was jonesing for a bite.  Based on the oohs and ahhs, I'm pretty sure they loved it.  The menu was pretty extensive and they also serve lunch.  If I had time, I would have definitely visited for one of their yummy sounding salads or sandwiches.  No doubt I'll go back.

Bob's Donut and Pasty Shop, through the window

I also had a stop at Bob's Donut and Pastry Shop, located on 1621 Polk Street in San Francisco.  There were tons of great choices, but I am partial to glazed donuts, and theirs were amazingly ethereal.  The place is open 24 hours a day, so everything is super fresh, and you get the feeling you are in an old-fashioned (pre-Dunkin' Donuts chain store) donut shop, with lots of regulars sitting about bantering.  I heard a lot of people talking about how great the Maple Butter Bar was, and they also made these massive donuts that were the size of your average bundt cake!  The coffee was so/so, but the donuts were well worth the walk and less than a dollar each!  I will absolutely visit this place again.

Boogaloos, Huevos Ranchero

Probably my favorite breakfast experience in SF was in the Mission District at Boogaloos,3296 22nd St, San Francisco.  I was definitely into the hipster diner atmosphere, ‎and it was a plus that they were playing some good tunes.  The servers were really friendly, and didn't seem to rush you at all, they were attentive but not to the point of being annoying.  I got the Huevos Ranchero, and it was the bomb, seriously authentic.  Really, really tasty, and a super portion.  If nobody was around, I may have licked my plate.  Coffee was good and refills kept coming.  The prices were definitely fair for the amount of food you are served, and the menu had a bunch of great sounding options, they also had plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free choices, if that's your thing.  I'm looking forward to another visit to Booglaoos!

Next up... look out for a post on a few cool lunch spots in the Bay A!

Do you really want your member mocked?

Maybe it's me, and maybe I'm old, but I'm so not interested in getting a dick pic.

I mean, like, what would possess a guy to text a girl a picture of his junk?  I appreciate a person who is confident in their anatomy, sure.  I'm glad you're proud of your package, just - I'm not all that sure I want actual photographic proof of it on my phone.

Like, what do you expect me to actually do with that?  I promise you, I will not open the picture periodically throughout the day and lovingly gaze upon it.  I will cringe and cover my one good eye.  Because I don't know... it seems so graphic and like, in your face.  So yeah,  it will be completely wasted on me.  So please dude, just, don't.

I just guess I am unclear as to why it's all the rage to send pictures like that to people you are dating.  Apparently it is the thing to do?  I read something online that said over 50% of adults send nude or semi-nude photos of themselves via text message.  I found that kind of shocking.   I guess I sort of understand it with the younger crowd.  Like, the teenager to young twenty-something crowd.  They're all hip and like, young and firm carefree... they're also dumbasses and their brains aren't fully developed, but that's neither here nor there.

I mean come on!  Do you really think that these pictures just disappear into thin air once they are viewed?  They are out there people!  Somewhere, someone is gazing at your private body part!  Possibly laughing at you and mocking your member.  Do you want your member mocked?  And what if you decide you want to run for public office, Cod forbid?  It will come out.  Oh yes.  Because it always comes out.

My son is 16.  He has received numerous boob shots.  I swear to baby Jesus if I see one more underage boob of girls I see regularly in town, I will vomit.  That is so inappropriate!  What do I do?  Do I reach out and try to approach their parents?  I mean, I've talked to my kids about this kind of thing - I periodically monitor their stuff (which is why I happened to stumble across such lovely images in the first place).  I don't understand why more parents don't pay better attention to their kid's online activities.  Some of the things that I have seen sent to my son are repulsive, seriously. 

I am not a prude.  I am not opposed to whatever form of sexting floats your boat - I mean, as a consenting adult, I imagine certain things spice up a relationship - you get to express yourself in ways that maybe you normally don't.  Words and images can be a really powerful way to build intimacy between people, especially those that are separated by distance and/or circumstance.

I don't know.  I guess I just prefer something a little more subtle than a graphic, in your face wiener shot.  Text me a picture of a guy in boxer briefs, vacuuming or something.  Now that, my friends, is something that I'd find totally sexy.