Blue Agave Club

These past three days have been jam packed until 9pm every night. I woke up today feeling like a total zombie and had to drive out to Pleasanton again for a 9am meeting. Wah.


On Wednesday night, we had our Client in town from New Jersey so we went to dinner with her in Pleasanton. We went to the Blue Agave Club for Mexican and it was delicious! Check out all of this outdoor seating!



We sat outside which was great because it was in the high 60's and nice to be outside. We started with chips and three different types of salsa which was so good.

For dinner, I had the:

Enjococado 100-Year Old Family Recipe! 
Boneless breast of chicken drenched in a sour cream-based 
sauce with roasted guajillo chiles, special herbs and garnished 
with almonds. Served with rice & fried black beans.


It was delicious!! Dinner was great but I didn't get home until around 9pm. I was so tired. Thankfully, Erik takes care of Evie when I'm away like that so I don't have to worry about her.

Ready to do NOTHING tonight!

Forge Ahead

For lunch yesterday, we took a client to lunch to a new place in Oakland called Forge. It is a great place right in Jack London Square that serves brick oven pizza, my favorite.

It was a GORGEOUS day out. Sunny and probably in the low 60's. We sat outside on the waterfront. Amazing weather for February!

We shared:

• Crispy Cheese Curds
• Goddess Salad: little gems, shredded egg, anchovy, green goddess dressing
• Margherita pizza mozzarella, tomato sauce, grana
• Three Cheese pizza  bellwether farms ricotta, garlic, red onion, wild arugula

Everything was so good. The pizza was thin crust, brick oven, and very tasty. One complaint about West Coast pizza that I have is that it's dry and bland. These pizzas were the opposite!

This was our view of the marina....Great lunch!

Photo

4 Corners

Last night, my friends Lauren, Sarah, and I went out for dinner. We all used to work together and it's been awhile since Sarah and I saw Lauren. Lauren is recently engaged so we got together to talk weddings and catch up!

 We went to a restaurant that used to be called Unwind but changed to be a Southwestern place called, 4 Corners. We shared some appetizers, a bottle of wine, and each ordered or own dinners.

queso fundido, charred poblano chile vinaigrette

grilled ahi tostada, black bean mango salsa

fish tacos, local fish, 4 corners’ slaw, housemade salsas

Bottle of Serenity, Brassfield White Blend, Clear Lake

I really felt like the food was lackluster & overpriced. This doesn't seem like a true SW place but more of a generic restaurant that wants to serve SW food. The queso was OK (nothing beats On The Border), and the tostadas were good. The fish tacos were pretty good, very fresh, but they had a smoky chipotle sauce on them that I didn't care for. They weren't served with any sides, either.

I probably won't be back or recommend....Isn't that how it usually goes with my restaurant visits in SF!

Nojo

My friends Andrea, Nicole, and I went to dinner the other night at a new place, Nojo, This is a unique restaurant that describes itself as:

a unique neighborhood restaurant
specializing in japanese style skewers and pub food

(Photo from thebolditalic.com)

My thoughts on the restaurant are that they are serving mediocre, boring meat on sticks and charging you a decent amount of money for it. 

We shared a bunch of things, as per usual including:

Chicken on a stick, Yuzu Koshou (aka spicy sauce)

Chicken on a stick, Tare (aka lemon pepper sauce)

Tempura of Tree Oyster Mushrooms, Sweet Potato
 & Meyer Lemon, Daikon-Oroshi Sauce

Chicories, Cauliflower, Lemon-Soy Vinaigrette & Shaved Katsuo Bushi Salad

Bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, Cornerstone Cellars 2010 

We were completely underwhelmed with dinner, wouldn't recommend it, or go back. 

After dinner, we went to this super cute, hidden wine bar called Hotel Biron. We had cheese & wine which was a great ending to the night. Of course, dinner was very fun and it was a great time catching up! 

A Pretentious Burger

Last night, my friends Sarah, Lisa, and I went to a new place here in SF: Umami Burger. Umami Burger has a few locations in LA and this is their first spot in SF. The burgers have received rave reviews including "Burger of the Year" from GQ and featured on "Best Thing I Ever Ate" so we had to try it out!
Yesterday was a warm day in SF so we knew the Marina district would be packed with people wanting to be out & about. We arrived at 7:20 and put our name on the list for a party of three. We were told it would be a 30 min wait. At 40 min, they called us but had only written us down for party of 2 so we had to wait even longer because they couldn't find any chairs to add to a table so we could sit.

Upon sitting after an hour of waiting, our server came to the table to tell us about the restaurant and menu. He was very nice! Umami makes everything in-house, from scratch. They grind their own mean, make their own cheese, and pickle their own veggies.

The restaurant has some restrictions on making adjustments to your order. The menu has ONE turkey burger and you cannot switch the turkey burger onto any other burgers. You must get the burgers as they come. Also, you "really shouldn't" add anything to the burger i.e. avocado because "the chef prefers that you try the burger as is" because "each burger is created based on different ingredients put together to make the burger"

I was disappointed because I really wanted to try the mushroom/swiss burger with a turkey burger. The burgers come alone and you must buy fries separately. I had the:

Greenbird Turkey Burger

shelton farms turkey, crushed avocado, green cheese, butter lettuce, sprouts, green goddess

It was so delicious. Very juicy and the waiter was right - they are concoted with certain flavor notes and ingredients to make everything taste delicious!

The ketchup is served in a small spoon. They do have an array of other dipping sauces, which also come in a small spoon.

They also had somewhat of a secret menu items i.e. cheesy tots!

I might come back but it would be on an off-day and time. The burger was that good, even if this was probably the most pretentious burger place I've ever been to!

LIvermore and Magic Flute

On Saturday, we headed out to Murrieta's Well Winery in Livermore to show Mom our wedding location! It was so warm & sunny out there so it was a great day to visit. We talked through the details of how the ceremony and reception will flow, where things will be set up, etc.

After touring the winery, we went to lunch in downtown Livermore at First Street Ale House.

I had the:

MUSHROOM-SWISS BURGER

Topped with grilled mushrooms and melted Swiss cheese

My Mom & Erik had burgers but I don't remember which ones. I am loving turkey burgers with mushrooms and cheese these days!

After the winery & lunch, we headed back to SF. We chilled out with Evie for awhile and then we headed to dinner. We tried to go to this apparently awesome Italian restaurant called Allegro Romano but it was PACKED. They could barely sit their reservations on time so they were not taking any walk-ins (and they had said to try to walk in when I called a few days prior!)

Our back up plan was to try another Italian restaurant I wanted to try called Magic Flute.

We arrived pretty late, around 8:45. There were a few other tables occupied but otherwise, it was pretty quiet. The other tables actually cleared out and we were the only ones there for dinner. It was fine but I think it's weird when staff starts leaving or cleaning up around you. Unfortunately, I know they want to go home but they should keep that to a minimum around guests.

Anyway, the food was amazing. I would definitely go back! I wanted to have the Pumpkin Ravioli but they were out so I want to try to get back to have those! They also have a heated patio that I would love to dine in! We had....

Gilroy Garlic Bread parmesan cheese, herbs

Erik had the Baby Spinach Salad strawberries, red onion, gorgonzola cheese, pecans, pecan dressing
For dinner - the mushroom, basil risotto --WAY too much basil in here :-(

I had the House Made Crab Ravioli

Mom had the Vegetable Lasagna

The most exciting thing was finding Edmeades Zinfandel on the wine list. Remember when Erik and I went to that wine festival and raved about that wine? So delish!! I want to get up to the tasting room to try more wines and of course, BUY SOME!

Yummy dinner & definitely recommend this place!

Wild Wednesday

Last night, I tried a new restaurant called Locanda here in the Mission neighborhood. I was with two of my co-workers and our rep from a vendor company we work with. It is an Italian restaurant with a great menu. The portions are small though so this is a great place to try a few things as a group and share everything.

Here's what we had...

JEWISH STYLE ARTICHOKE (They were Jewish style because the Chef learned to make them in the Jewish district in Rome)

EARLY GIRLS – leccino olives, friarelli, fennel (Salad)

CARCIOFI CRUDI – grilled ricotta, wild arugula, avocado (Salad)

FIORELLINI – ricotta, fiorelli, squash blossoms (Pasta)


CALIFORNIA KING SALMON

The Fiorellini pasta was verrrry good. The pasta was filled with ricotta and the there were squash blossoms, pine nuts, and this delicious lemon sauce. Very clean and light for a pasta dish.

After dinner, we moved onto Range for dessert. We shared two desserts here and also had some drinks....

strawberry ice cream puffs with chocolate sauce and candied meyer lemon

cornmeal crêpes with blackberries, crème fraîche ice cream and rose geranium

After Range, we had to finish the night strong so we stopped at...THE MINT to sing karaoke! haha.

I did not get home until 1am. I never stay out that late let alone on a weeknight. haha. It was very fun but it was hard to get up this morning!

Fun Wednesday Night

Last night was a nice treat - I met up with a friend I haven't seen in awhile AND tried a restaurant in my neighborhood that I've been wanting to try - Uva Enoteca.


We shared three things for dinner and I enjoyed a glass of Cabernet.

We split the:

Burrata, heirloom tomatos, pecan salad

FREGULA Pasta of Scallops, herbs, pecorino, wine,
bread crumbs

Asparagus, pecornio, egg, tomato pizza

I am becoming a huge fan of anything with a sunny side up egg on it. It brings such a nice taste to the food!

Great company, conversation, & food. It's a nicer restaurant in the area and I would recommend!

The Boxing Room

Saturday was a fun day! There was the usual chores but then Erik and I went our separate ways. I dropped him off at the golf course for his annual hockey team golf outing. Then, I went to get my hair done and then met up with Betsy for a manicure. There is noting better than getting your hair and nails done to feel great!

I went home to walk Evie and watched a movie, The Switch. It was pretty predictable. The only thing that saved this movie was that Jason Bateman is cute! So predictable = boring.


For dinner, Betsy, Jun, and I went to The Boxing Room. This place opened a few months ago and I have been wanting to go! The Boxing Room is billed as a Southern Louisiana cajun cuisine.


To start, we shared the Hushpuppies and the Heirloom tomato salad. Both were delish. The Boxing Room makes their own Hot Sauce which was verrrryyy good. Spicy and but not too hot.


For my dinner, I had the fried chicken with corn maque choux, buttermilk mashed potatoes, & gravy. Everything was very good and of course, fried chicken with hot sauce is delish.


We shared dessert which was out of this world. We had Pralines and Cream with pecan pralines, brown sugar blondie, & vanilla ice cream. Oh my god. Delicious!!

We also shared a bottle of wine. Love bringing our own wine to restaurants - it's so much cheaper than buying individual glasses or even a bottle.

The Boxing Room was a great dinner. I don't think this is a very "New Orleans" style place. The interior was very sleek, wood finishes. The music was a little bit NoLa-ish. There are a few more "Creole" restaurants in the city that I would like to try to see how they stack up against Boxing Room. Overall, the food was good and I would probably go back.

After dinner, we made a few more stops. First to Marlena's for a drink & watch a few songs of the weekly drag show. Then, we went to Sugar for a drink and finally to The Mint to watch some karaoke. Unfortunately, we did not get to sing because we got there too late but it is always a good time there! Fun day and night!!

Wonderful Dinner

Last night, I went to dinner with two old co-workers at a restaurant called, Georges. It is downtown SF in between North Beach and Market St, so it was a quick walk from my office. I have seen this restaurant and heard about it a few times but have never tried it. The menu was mostly seafood and they also boast having a raw bar with a great happy hour.


Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their dinner and everything was delicious! To start, we shared the:

Heirloom Tomato and Di Stefano Burrata
with White and Red Corn, Crispy Onions, Smoked Salt salad

For dinner, I had the:

Line Caught Alaskan Halibut with Charred Scallion Grits, Chanterelles, Favas, Corn Nage

The halibut was cooked perfectly with a brown, crispy top and it sat upon the scallion grits. The chanterelles, favas, corn, and grape tomatoes were in this delicious, lemon sauce. It was amazing.

I would definitely go back and this is a perfect spot for Client lunches or dinner since it's so close to the office!

Radish

Today, Amy & I went to lunch a relatively new placed called "Radish". It is in the Mission on 19th St and it is described as casual, American fare. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, & dinner. There were so many great items on the menu! Many people were eating breakfast/brunch but we opted for lunch.



I chose the Turkey BBQ sandwich which was delicious!


Amy had the BLT with heirloom tomatoes, which she said was was awesome. I can't wait to go back and try something else. I hardly feel this way about a restaurant. With so many good restaurants here, it's hard to want to go back somewhere rather than try another new place. But, I would go back to Radish!

After lunch, I headed home and got on the couch. I watched Father of the Bride(which is free on Demand) and also very funny to watch. That movie came out in 1991 which now 20 years old. I can't even believe it. The outfits in the movie are hilarious!

Evie joined me on the couch, too....



Ahhh back to work tomorrow. Last week, I was on vacation & out sick so I was only in work for 1/2 a day. I'm sure I will be tired come 3pm!

Impromptu Monday Night Dinner

Last night, Erik and I decided to use a Restaurant.com coupon and have dinner at the Curbside Cafe. It is a cute little french place on California & Fillmore. I noticed it awhile ago & thought it looked cute, then heard a friend went there and liked it a lot! When a coupon popped up on Restaurant.com, it was time to try it!

Erik started with the French Onion Soup and then had the Smoked Mushroom Risotto with chicken. I had the Chicken Picatta over pasta. Both of our dishes were delicious! I loved my Chicken Picatta because it was not breaded & fried. The lemony sauce was soooo good!

I think we might go back to try something else eventually! It's in a great neighborhood to have dinner & then drinks.

After dinner, we went home and started our next series...Mad Men. We only watched about half of an episode but it seems like a good series!

BBQ and Lobsters

On Saturday, we drove down to the New England Lobster Company in South SF. They get lobsters shipped in daily from Maine. It is a Father's Day tradition in our family to have a lobster bake for dinner. We wanted to continue it this year to have a taste of home & celebrate Erik! He is a Doggy Daddy, afterall!

We picked up two 2LB lobsters and brought them home to make for Sunday dinner.

After picking up the lobsters, we headed further south to Pacifica. We wanted to check out a BBQ spot that was on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives on the Food Network. The name of the BBQ spot is Gorilla BBQ.

For around $12, you get one meat and two sides. It comes with rice & beans, too. For our sides, we picked Mac & Cheese and Corn on the Cob.



Overall, everything was pretty good. However, I like my BBQ sauce thick and this was more spicy & thin/watery. My fave BBQ sauce is Sweet Baby Ray's, so you have a comparison.

On Saturday night, our friends Tiffany & Brett came into the city. We went to dinner in the Mission for tapas at LoLo's. It was a super cute place with funky decor. We sat outside on the sidewalk & with the heater overhead, it was perfect! We also brought our own wine for a $15 corkage fee.



We shared a bunch of dishes including...

• Fried brussel sprouts
• Pistachio encrusted salmon with wasabi cream sauce
• Taco Tropical panko and spice dusted shrimp topped with a tropical relish and chipotle oioli
• Ceviche Mirasol tuna, bay scallops, tomatillo marinated in mirasol chile and citr

We also had the soft shell crab tacos, which were a special that night. However, I only had a bite because it still had the legs on it. Ick!

After dinner, we went to Bi-Rite Creamery - a famous ice cream place here in SF. They have fun flavors and it is awesome!! Ironically, the weather got really cold and it was probably 50 out while we waited in line for the ice cream!! I had a small cup with two different scoops of ice cream:

• Ricanelas (cinnamon with snickerdoodles)
• Salted Caramel

The Ricanelas was ammmaaazing. It tasted like a Snickerdoodle cookie! The Salted Caramel was ok but it tasted burnt to me. Erik had the Roasted Banana which was delish. Brett got the Honey Lavender, which I tried, but it was a little too strong for me - tasted like I was eating Potpourri!

We also hit up a bar on our way home for a few beers before they headed back to the East Bay.

It was a full day & night of eating!! But, it was super fun and I love trying new places.

The Slide at AT&T Park

On Tuesday, we were with the clients alllll day. First up, we went to Sam's in Tiburon and had an awesome lunch on the deck on the water. We took the ferry over to Tiburon from SF and it was a beautiful day! We had some drinks and I had this great salmon salad.

Later in the day, we went to dinner and the Giants/Marlins game at AT&T park.

Before the game, we went to Mijita for dinner. Mijita is a mexican restaurant situated directly next to the ball park. You can walk through the restaurant and right into the stadium.

At Mijita, you walk up to the counter to order and the servers bring your food over. We had chips, salsa, & guac to start. The chips are nice & thick but super greasy. For dinner, I just had a veggie taco which was pretty good. They also have spicy/toasted pumpkin seeds as a side dish there that were yummy! Mijita was PACKED during this time before the game. I probably wouldn't travel back over here just for the food and I definitely wouldn't go here before a game. Tacos before a game just seems a little strange. haha.

It was great weather for an evening game. Usually, you have to bundle up and be prepared to freeze!

We had awesome seats at the club level. Club Level is awesome because behind the seats, the area is glassed in so you can sit inside & watch if you want. Plus, there are tons of restaurants and food stands like sushi!

It was also 'Carnaval' night at the ballpark so we were treated to this funky dance & music show before the game.


This is the big Coca-Cola slide inside the park that is actually a slide. Well, there are a few slides in there. Our clients were dying to go on it so we took them. And of course, I went down too. It was pretty fun. haha.

Tuesday was a looooong day and I was so tired at night but it was fun! It was my first Giants game of the season and unfortunately, they lost :-(

Wayfare Tavern

On Monday & Tuesday, we had Clients in town. It was a busy, tiring, two days of meetings and entertainment. On Monday night, we went to Wayfare Tavern for dinner. I have been dying to try this place so was excited to go! Wayfare Tavern is the newest restaurant belonging to Tyler Florence.


The restaurant is uniquely decorated inside like you are stepping into a home in 1776. It feels like you are actually eating in someone's home with the old wood floors, heavy oak tables, and Americana decorated walls.

We had our own private room for dinner which was cool. One wall had a bookcase with old items on it like books & whatnot.

As for dinner, we tried a bunch of different menu items. We started with the figs wrapped in bacon, Poutine, & deviled Jidori eggs. Since I don't eat pork, I only had the Jidori eggs and they were pretty good.

For dinner, a lot of people ordered the Fried Chicken since it is the most recommended dish on the menu. I have been dreaming of lobster lately so I had lobster. I am actually considering having lobsters shipped in from Maine for dinner one night! One thing to note about ordering dinner at Wayfare is that you only get your main entree & must order sides separately. I was happy that we ordered macaroni & cheese as a side because everyone has been raving about it.

Here are my thoughts on the meal - Meh. I was disappointed. I thought everything would be amazing and it was just OK. The lobster was pretty good & came pre-cracked which was nice. The mac & cheese tasted like bacon in it, but it didn't. Maybe it was the 'smoked olive oil' in the dish. The fried chicken had so much rosemary in it, I felt like I was taking a bite out of a Christmas tree.

The wines were nice though & the overall experience was fun. I suppose I would go back and try a different dish to see if I feel any different about the restaurant. Just goes to show you can't listen to other people's recommendations all of the time.

Social Kitchen

On Saturday night, we went to a new restaurant called Social Kitchen & Brewery. It's been open awhile but it was our first time going. They have great food and unique beers.



I had a Saurkraut Wheat Beer that was good!

We shared a bunch of small plates and had: Fried Chicken Sliders with Gravy (SOOOO good!), Brussel Sprout Chips, Vegan Chilli, Buffalo Chicken Wings, and Sweet Potato Fries. We loved everything!

Fried chicken slider was awesome!!





Trying to get Erik to smile is impossible!


After dinner, we went to Blackthorn Tavern which is just down the street. The restaurant is in a neighborhood called Inner Sunset which has a bunch of cute restaurants & bars.

After there, we went to The Page, a bar near our house and finally, home. It was a fun day!!