Clams, mussels, calamari, prawns and fresh fish sautéed in a tomato garlic broth. $23
Cafe Renzo, Palo Alto CA
Meh, this was ok. Definitely not the best ciopinno I’ve had. The sauce was a bit salty and some of the seafood were overcooked, but the flavors were there. I wasn’t feeling the love from this seafood stew though.
Dinner roll. Complimentary
Pigeon Point Lighthouse.
Peas, cheese, pancetta brown butter. 10-course chef’s tasting menu $75
Roxy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA
Omg, this was amazing! I loved that it had both a pea puree and whole peas. The pancetta added a wonderful smokiness, and the noodles had a beautiful texture. Noms!
House white wine.
Modern art at the de Young Museum.
Crispy fried russet and sweet potatoes, fried okra, zucchini sticks, cool ranch, spicy ketchup, bbq sauce. Happy hour $6
Nola, Palo Alto CA
When we saw that this was only six bucks on the menu, we assumed that it was gonna be a small sampler plate. OMG, this bowl was packed with food! I think my heart is constricting just remembering it. I was actually surprised at how well everything was fried though. Nothing was really greasy or limp, and everything tasted pretty good! Well done, Nola.
Lindley’s varied lupine (Lupinus variicolor, Fabaceae), Pigeon Point.
With basil and olive oil. $10
Curbside Cafe, San Francisco CA
Mmm, this was so tasty! I love simple and beautiful dishes like this. It’s all about the wonderful ingredients because there’s no fancy preparation or a million ingredients to distract you. Curbside did a great job with this plate!
An artist’s studio at Hunters Point Open Studios.
Ukiah 75: Germain-Robin brandy, honey, lemon, Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine. $10
Haiku II: Hibiki whiskey, amaro Montenegro, fresh squeezed lemon juice. $11
Nopa, San Francisco CA
These cocktails were delicious and a wonderful way to begin our lovely brunch at Nopa. This place is POPULAR so be prepared to wait if you don’t have a reservation. We came early to get on the list, and luckily I think someone cancelled so we got seated at the end of the first seating. The bad part was that by that point, the kitchen was slammed with all the orders so it took a long time to actually get food. Thank goodness for cocktails!
Rodin’s The Thinker cast, California Palace of the Legion of Honor.
Homemade tagliolini noodles served with chanterelle mushrooms, tiger prawns, asparagus, parmesan in a light white wine garlic sauce. $19
Cafe Renzo, Palo Alto CA
Ugh, where were the chanterelles?! Either they completely forgot to add them or they slyly substituted a bunch of asparagus (which wasn’t indicated in the menu) instead. In either case, that was LAME! Overall, this was just ok anyway. The prawns were on the verge of being tough and the sauce wasn’t all that exciting.
Pacific starflower (Trientalis latifolia, Myrsinaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
Heirloom tomato, corn, cucumber, green onion. 10-course chef’s tasting menu $75
Roxy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA
This soup was really delicious! There wasn’t much lobster, just the small pieces on top but they were beautifully cooked and so tasty. I loved the rich, comforting flavor of the soup especially with the extra flavorful, cooked scallions.
View of Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower from Noe Valley.
Ground chuck, holy trinity, manchego, cotija and oaxacan cheeses, bbq sauce, salsa fresca, bbq cream sauce. Happy hour $5
Nola, Palo Alto CA
Omg, these were two large empanadas for only five bucks! Now that’s a great value. These were definitely filling and you could probably make an entire meal of these. I loved all the flavors and it was pretty tasty, but the empanada dough was on the thick side and slightly undercooked in parts.
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
Rosso di Sera: Bulleit, aperol, grenadine, lemon, egg white emulsion, mint sprig.
Figo, Palo Alto CA
We were killing time before meeting some friends for dinner so we slipped into Figo for a couple cocktails. These were well-made and I loved that they used huge, singular ice cubes. My kinda place!
Manhattan.
Los Gatos Creak Trail sign, Vasona Reservoir.
With sliced apples, fried capers, and fresh bread. Happy hour $7
Yield Wine Bar, San Francisco CA
This smoked trout rillette was really refreshing. It was bright and punchy and fun to eat. I would spread some of the rillette on the bread, embed some of the fried capers into it, and top it with an apple slice. Fun and tasty finger food!
Half-bottle carafe of house red wine. Happy hour $12
Corridor Pin, Blue, 1999, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, de Young Museum.
Red bell pepper, basil, coconut milk, ordered “hot”. $8.99
Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine, San Francisco CA
Mmm, this was really tasty! I loved that the duck still had all its bones because they’re always more flavorful that way. I just wish there was more duck in there! The rich coconut curry was delicious and very filling.
Cartoon animal skeleton sidewalk stencil.
Vittle Monster 