Monday, May 28, 2012

Festival in the City - Golden Gate Bridge's 75th Anniversary

Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniv - Sign
On Sunday, San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area celebrated the 75th anniversary of our most beloved bridge - the Golden Gate Bridge. The festival, the vibe, music, crowd, historical exhibits, the art exhibits, the food and the weather were all great. 

Let me take you on a photo tour of the Golden Gate Festival.  I must have walked a total of 7 miles back and forth during the entire festival. In the process, I have a renewed awe of the most beautiful bridge in the world.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Cocktails in the City - Beretta

Beretta - Dolores Park Sizzler + DiabloAhhhh. Thursday and the start of the weekend, at least, in my mind. Mijo and I try to welcome and celebrate the beginning of the weekend on Thursday evening. At Beretta, the plan was just a round of drinks and maybe an hors d'oeuvre. Before we even finished these delicious cocktails - Dolores Park Sizzler on the left and Diablo on the right - we were told by the hostess that she has a table for us and the next thing we know we were ordering food. We eventually stayed for over two hours. Beretta, on Valencia @ 23rd Sts, is a hip, crowded, fun place. We totally enjoyed our Thursday evening here!

Monday, May 21, 2012

Everyday Wine in the City - Cabernet Sauvignon by Beringer

Everyday Wine - Beringer Cabernet SauvignonI knew we are going to like this wine. This  is one of the bottles we brought from our last wine tasting trip to Beringer in Sonoma, of course, we tasted them first before making the purchase.

Though I am a Pinot Noir kind of guy, this wine is easy to like because of its fruity, spicy and rustic flavors. As always, we finished the bottle stretched out to several dinners.


Saturday, May 19, 2012

Brunch in the City - Bar Tartine

Bar Tartine - MenuMy friends Dinah, Karen and I had brunch at Bar Tartine a week ago. None of us had been there before so we didn't know what to expect. I was the one who suggested this restaurant based on the good things I've heard about it. In fact, I chanced upon this place that same week while walking with Mijo from a Vietnamese restaurant on Valencia St. 

The brunch was superb!  Can you believe we couldn't decide which one is our favorite - the pate or the salmon or the spaetzle or the blood sausage or the french toast? This is on top of very good and friendly service and very hip and well lit  dining area.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Cinco de Mayo in the City

Cinco de Mayo - CrowdIn my fifteen years of living in San Francisco, Cinco de Mayo meant margaritas paired with fajitas, burritos and several shots of tequila at the nearest taqueria or closest Chevy's after work hours. This year, Cinco de Mayo fell on a Saturday and it was such a refreshing experience to spend the beautiful day in the Mission District and Dolores Park with live salsa beats and delicious traditonal Mexican food.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Everday Coffee in the City - TonG Coffee's Casero blend

TonG Coffee - Coffee Bag For this week, we are sampling a coffee called Casero Blend by TonG Coffee (pronounced as ton-gee). I brought this coffee from my trip to Manila last Christmas.  I chanced upon this coffee while walking around the Salcedo Saturday Farmer's Market in Makati.  Narda, of TonG Coffee, was passing around small paper cups with coffee samples. We liked it so we bought a bag.  We were told that this coffee is grown  in the mountains north of Luzon.

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Wine Tasting in Santa Cruz - Copious Winery

Copious WineryAside from my favorite wine destinations north of San Francisco such as Napa Valley, Sonoma, Russian River valley and the Mendocino coast, I am starting to appreciate the wineries south of the city like Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay. Last week, we went south of SF to catch some sun and surf. As a side trip, we discovered this urban winery called Copious Winery. Their delicious wines were such wonderful addition to our refreshing day trip to Santa Cruz.