Cocktails in the City - Bar 888

For our cocktail Thursday, the boys and I went to Bar 888 inside the Intercontinental Hotel on Howard St. I had been told before that this bar specializes on grappa-based drinks.  Of course, they also serve the more common types of cocktails.

I am not really a fan of grappa drank as shots but hearing about the grappa-based cocktails made me curious to try them.

Lunch in Napa Valley - Bouchon Bistro

Mijo took me to Bouchon for a special lunch. Neither one of us has been here so we didn't know what to expect. I wanted my experience here to feel like opening a gift so I made it a point not to read the reviews beforehand.

Over all, we both enjoyed the bistro atmosphere. And the dishes we ordered - Beignets de Brandade, the crab and lobster crepe, bouchot mussels, bouchons dessert - were all delicious and well made!

Brunch in the City - The Cliff House Bistro

My good friends Dinah and Karen took me out for brunch at The Cliff House on Saturday. It was a cool spring Saturday morning where the sky was blue and not a fog on the horizon. It was a perfect day to be at The Cliff House.

Of course, the company and catching up with friends were the highlight of the brunch. Thank you for the treat Karen and Dinah!

Landmark in the City - The Old Mint

The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society recently hosted the 3rd Annual San Francisco History Expo. It was held at The Old Mint on 5th Street.

Mijo and I checked it out not only because we are sort of suckers for history but also we wanted to check out The Old Mint and what the interior looks like.

Let me take  you on a virtual tour of the event and show you a few sites of The Old Mint.

Cafe in the City - Ritual Coffee Roasters

For our usual Thursday night-out , we decided  to go to our favorite Mission district.  After having a delicious and very savory dinner at Cafe Ethiopia, we were craving for a good cup of coffee around the same neighborhood.

Since Ritual Coffee is just two blocks away and we haven't been there for a while now, we both agreed to give the cafe a visit. Great coffee!

Wine Tasting in Livermore Valley - Concannon Vineyard

After visiting Wente Vineyards, Mijo and I went to check out the new outlet stores in the nearby Pleasanton with the hope of finding something affordable and at the same time something nice.  After a quick lunch we decided to head back to the wineries.

The next and the last winery on our list was Concannon Vineyard. Another winery with a long history in California. Can you believe this vineyard introduced America's first Petite Sirah? We totally had fun in this welcoming and laidback winery plus the wines are very good!

Wine Tasting in Livermore Valley - Wente Vineyards Estate Winery

The Livermore Valley, east of San Francisco, may not have the popularity of Napa Valley or it may lack the rustic appeal of Sonoma County but the Livermore Valley has history. The valley is definitely worth exploring and that's what Mijo and I did one weekend.

We dropped by Wente Vineyard Estate Winery, the oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery in Northern California. We enjoyed sampling the wines and learning about the history.

Artisan Chocolates in the City - Cocoa Bella

I discovered the joys of tasting artisan chocolates when Mijo and I went to Rome for the first time in 2006. I rediscovered that same joy when we went to Florence last year.  I made a mental note that I should sample the artisan chocolates made or sold in San Francisco.

That's exactly what I did and since then, I discovered several chocolatiers  and purveyors of artisan chocolates in the city. One of them is Cocoa Bella. Bellisima!