With Portuguese cheese and green olives. Complimentary
LaSalette Restaurant, Sonoma CA
This warm amuse bouche was so simple but really delicious! Who doesn’t enjoy a pre-dinner snack fresh from the kitchen? It was fatty, salty and yummy.
Cute building and gate, Viansa Winery. I like this winery, and I always seem to leave with a bottle of something!
Deep fried calamari with jalapenos, lime, aioli. $11
Farley Bar, Sausalito CA
I have to say that calamari is one of my favorite appetizers ever! Who doesn’t love fried squid with aioli, right?! These were delicious and I loved the crispy batter and fried pepper slices. Everything was cooked perfectly and had a wonderful texture.
Long wooden patio table at Farley Bar. I really liked the outdoor seating at Farley Bar. The tables are really narrow so everyone faces one direction, towards the Bay with a great view of the Bridge.
Vodka and tomato juice cocktail, garnished with olive, onion, caper berry and lime. $10
Farley Bar, Sausalito CA
The bloody mary was very good, but it was also a bloody mary from the other table that the waitress spilled all over the table, my leg and shoes! I wasn’t mad, but an apology (or some form of acknowledgement) would have been nice. And extra napkins to wipe it up, geez!
The view of Golden Gate Bridge from Cavallo Point is stunning! A great way to start a Sonoma weekend trip.
Pork spare ribs smoked in-house, dry rub served with a light barbecue sauce, and two sides. Half slab $14.95
The Dancing Pig, San Francisco CA
You definitely get A LOT of food! So if you’re looking for a great value, perhaps The Dancing Pig is for you. I’m a lover of bbq pork ribs and I’ll enjoy most preparations, but I wasn’t a fan of these. They had a weird grainy texture that did scream bbq to me! I was disappointed!
Sides of collard greens and mac ‘n’ cheese. Noms, I loved the mac and cheese! They’re of that creamy, loose variety that always reminds me of those I had growing up. And as you can see the sides are huge!
Decorative urn and succulent, 17th Street. I don’t like the fake greenery around the urn, but I love the wall mounted succulent – super cool!
Sparkling wine with fresh squeezed orange juice. $10
Farley Bar, Sausalito CA
We decided to have a quick Sonoma weekend trip and stopped to have brunch at Farley Bar on the drive up. The food and drinks were really good, but one of the waitresses spilled drinks for the table next to us and totally stained by white deck shoes. I was SO annoyed but decided not to let it ruin my experience. She apologized to the other table, but didn’t mention anything to me. RUDE!
Overlooking the field at Cavallo Point with the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay in the background. The setting at Farley Bar is nice and relaxing!
Three little sandwiches: barbeque pulled pork and cole slaw, beef brisket with chimichurri sauce and caramelized onions, and smoked chicken with lettuce tomato and aioli. $7.95
The Dancing Pig, San Francisco CA
The overal theme of these sliders was that the proteins were dry. The flavor combinations should work beautifully but the execution needs to improve. I will say that the price point is very good at The Dancing Pig! The food just needs a little refinement.
Pink and orange Lantana camara (Verbenaceae), 17th Street. I love that the lantana is still covered in morning dew. Simply beautiful!
Pickle chips and a jalapeno aioli, made right here. $4.95
The Dancing Pig, San Francisco CA
I really wanted to like this place because there are no other true bbq joints in The Castro. Unfortunately, the food was mediocre and the service was HORRENDOUS! It took forever to put in our order and another lifetime to finally get our drinks. Another table was seated next to us 10 minutes after we had been seated and they were able to order and get their drinks before us. That’s unacceptable! As far as these pickles go, they were good but I wasn’t amazed. They were a little greasy, but not too bad. The jalapeno aioli could have used a little more heat.
The historic Castro Theatre. I love this old movie theater. They still keep the tradition of having the organ player before shows. They play some pretty cool old movies and participate in most of the citywide Film Festivals. The interior is beautiful with amazing light fixtures and artwork.
Cocktail with Hendrick’s gin, elderflower cordial, lemon, soda and fresh cucumber. 5 O’Clocktails £4.25
All Bar One, London ENGLAND
Ahhh, this was a nice and refreshing cocktail to have on a bright sunny day. We packed in a lot of sightseeing over the two full days we were in London so this cocktail was well deserved, lol!
London Bridge sign. This isn’t the prettiest bridge on the River Thames, but I guess I had to walk on it to check it off the list.
Deep fried prawns in wasabi mayonnaise sauce. £15.80
Jun Ming Xuan Chinese Restaurant, London ENGLAND
I liked that the wasabi-mayo wasn’t too strong and overpowering. The prawns were quite large and filling especially with the heavy sauce.
“Young Dancer” bronze statue, Enzo Plazzotta, Broad Street, Covent Garden. It’s fitting that this statue sits across the street from the Royal Opera House, the home of the Royal Ballet!
Holland, 5%.
All Bar One, London ENGLAND
We had been walking all day, so we really needed a drink break! This was a cute and clean bar/restaurant on our way to one of the shopping districts. We sat outside and enjoyed the warm sunshine.
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk plaque. This is one of ninety plaques in the 7-mile long circular walking trail commemorating Princess Diana who died in a car accident in 1997.
Chopped chicken with corn, carrot, peas, celery and crispy noodles served with lettuce cups. £7.80
Jun Ming Xuan Chinese Restaurant, London ENGLAND
A delicious bite topped with hoisin sauce. This dish tasted fresh and bright, and I appreciated the similarly sized cuts of all the ingredients in the chicken filling. Mmm!
K2 red telephone boxes, Broad Street, Covent Garden. These iconic telephone kiosks designed by Gilbert Scott are SO cute! I think it’s standard for any tourist of London to have their photo taken inside one of these British telephone booths.
Calamari, shrimp, scallop, white fish, fried tofu, mushroom, cabbage, chilies, green onions. £12.80
Jun Ming Xuan Chinese Restaurant, London ENGLAND
This was pretty good and there was plenty of it! I liked that they used fried tofu instead of fresh tofu because I prefer the texture. There was also a nice helping of seafood in there. I just wish the dish was a little spicier!
Tower of London, Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress. Home to the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, this historic castle is a very popular tourist attraction. We didn’t want to wait in line and, instead, opted to be outside to enjoy the much welcomed sun that day. I’m not crazy about the weird lion statues they installed in front of the fortress. They look out of place.
Vittle Monster 