Dinner in the City - Central Kitchen

Central Kitchen is probably one of the most creative restaurants we've dined in. Not only for the beautiful plates they put together but also because of the wonderful fresh flavors they create.

Their dinner menu is short and sweet and easy to read. Their wine list is not overwhelming at all. The dining area is hip but not noisy. Service is very friendly. This restaurant is easily one of our favorites!

Landmark in the City - AT&T Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants

It is baseball season once again and the city's baseball fans will be getting together again at the AT&T Park to cheer on their beloved team, the San Francisco Giants.

I've been to the AT&T Park many times since it opened in 2000. The park has breathtaking views and the San Francisco bay can be seen from even the cheapest seats.  I posted a 360 degree views of this beautiful ball park in the blog post. Enjoy!

Wine Tasting in Napa Valley - Markham Vineyards

Before driving back to the city after our overnight stay in Napa Valley a couple of weeks ago, we checked out this winery off Main St. in St. Helena called Markham Vineyards.

Going to Markham Vineyards was a random choice so I kept an open mind about the winery. Once again, without a lot of expectations, I was rewarded with great wine tasting experience. The bottles were also reasonably priced which was a bonus!

Wine Tasting in Napa Valley - Merryvale Vineyards

I first sampled wines from Merryvale Vineyards at last year's SF Chef event in the city. Mijo, Claudia and I thought their wines we sampled were all good.

Mijo and I finally made it to the Tasting cellars of Merryvale Vineyards in St. Helena in Napa Valley where we sampled their house favorites including their proprietary red blend Profile wine. This is one of my favorite wineries in Napa Valley!

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!