Monkey Shoulder whiskey, Creme Yvette, PX sherry, smoked plum, sliced lemon garnish. $12
Waiheke Island Yacht Club, San Francisco CA
This pop-up restaurant was really cool, partially because everyone who worked there was Kiwi and their accents rock, lol! Actually the cocktails and food were awesome so they were definitely doing things right. Add to that a relaxed setting on a SF Bay pier and you have a winner!
Fountain in front of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor.
Pueblo Viejo tequila, lime, combier orange liqueur. Pitcher $29
El Techo de Lolinda, San Francisco CA
Meh, this margarita was marginal. It tasted pretty bland and watered down. This was their basic margarita, but at almost thirty bucks for a pitcher, I expected something with a little more flavor (and alcohol). Lame.
This rooftop restaurant and bar get super packed on a sunny day so get there early to score a table without a long wait. The food is better than their drinks.
Made with premium 1800 Reposado, triple sec and sweet and sour, hand-shaken and served on-the-rocks with a side shot of Cointreau Noir. $8.29
El Torito, Burlingame CA
El Torito is a local chain so I was skeptical that they would make a decent margarita because most chains serve really bad cocktails. They’re usually way too sweet and have very little alcohol. I was pleasantly surprised that this margarita actually tasted good. And the extra Cointreau shot really sneaks up on you, lol! Yay!
Looking out towards SFO and the San Francisco Bay from Millbrae.
Haze on Howard: Belvedere Vodka, ginger liqueur, vermouth, blackberries, lime. $12
Town Hall, San Francisco CA
Oooo, I was excited to visit Town Hall for the first time since living in SF. I can’t believe I’d never been here before. These cocktails were pretty tasty. The Haze on Howard was refreshing and bright, while the Vieux Carre was on the stronger, harder side. The first time I had a Vieux Carre was at Jardiniere and since I’m totally loving whiskies these days, this is becoming a favorite of mine.
Vieux Carre: Inventeed by Walter Bergeron, The Carousel Bar, 1938. Redemption rye, Henessey, Dolin sweet vermouth, benedictine, peychaud and angostora bitters. $10
The Diane and Alfred Wilsey Court, de Young Museum.
Mmm, this was pretty refreshing on a warm Sunday morning at Picnic in the Presidio, and Off The Grid weekly event. It had good flavor and I liked the texture of it too.
The Whole Beast, San Francisco CA
Bloody mary – Picnic in the Presidio stand. It could have been a little stronger, but hey, it was still morning. 🙂 I did like that they used paper straws!
As it approaches noon, the crowd increases at Picnic in the Presidio.
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.
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.
Ginger Julep: Bulleit bourbon, house made ginger syrup, Evolution lemon juice, muddled fresh mint, Bundaberg ginger beer. $6
Nola, Palo Alto CA
You never know how a bar is gonna pour when they have happy hour cocktails, but these drinks were quite large and actually had alcohol in them! Score! The bartenders at Nola were super nice and made great, tasty cocktails. Perhaps the sangria was a bit sweet, but I can forgive that for the enjoyable experience.
Saucy’s Sangria: a refreshing house infusion of red wine, apples, oranges, lemons, limes, pineapples, agave nectar and fresh fruit juices with a brandy float. $6
Pink flower that I can’t seem to identify by appearance (Vasona Reservoir). Help, anyone?
Two eggs scrambled with diced ham, onion, bell pepper, served with homefried potatoes and 9-grain wheat toast. $12
Judy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA
We came across this busy brunch spot in the Marina because another restaurant we were planning on eating at was closed. The menu items were pretty basic and standard fare. The Denver scramble was ok. There was A LOT of it so you definitely got your money’s worth. The potatoes were delicious though and I couldn’t stop eating them! They were soft and tender and super flavorful. The service, on the other hand, was sporadic, confused and difficult to flag down.
Mimosas with orange juice and grapefruit juice. Each $9
Purple yarrow (Achillea millefolium, Asteraceae), Land’s End.
A Taste of Yauatcha menu £28.88 for 2 people
Yauatcha, London ENGLAND
These were more your typical dim sum dumpling items so this steam tray was more familiar than the others (and maybe a little more boring). The two kinds of dumplings were actually really good though. The har gow is a tried and true standard. I’m not completely sure what all was in the fen guo dumpling, but I would guess it was a mixture of pork, shrimp, garlic chives, mushrooms and peanuts.
Golden aster martini: Buffalo Trace bourbon, Antica forumula sweet vermouth, Aperol, saffron, lemon and chilli syrup. £9.80
Aged Vesper martini: Tanqueray No. Ten gin, Belvedere vodka and Lillet Blanc vermouth. £9.90
These cocktails were nicely made and delicious!
Oxford Circus with cute London cabs.
Ham and poached egg on a toasted muffin with homemade hollandaise sauce. £7.50
Cote, London ENGLAND
This tasted ok, but it was kinda cold. Cold hollandaise sauce is not appetizing to me especially when it starts congealing, ew! Actually, everything we ordered at Cote was just ok and nothing special. You win some, you lose some I guess…
Bloody mary: Absolut vodka (50ml) with spicy tomato juice and celery. £3.95
Ugh, this tasted gross! It was pretty much just watered down, bland tomato juice. There was absolutely no spice (or alcohol) in there! 😦
Condiments. Brown sauce is completely lost on me, lol!
Rugby (BT Broadband) ad, King’s Cross St. Pancras station. And don’t forget to “MIND THE GAP”! 🙂
Creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) topped with white wine. 4€
L’Arganier, Paris FR
We stopped by this place to grab some quick drinks before dinner. We sat outside at a table on the narrow sidewalk, awkwardly positioned to avoid passersby. Our waitress was hoot! Her English wasn’t the best, but she was SO friendly and accommodating with our lack of French. That’s one thing I appreciated about our Paris trip – everyone was SO nice and we didn’t get any flack for not knowing the language. But then again, we’re fairly well-traveled and try not to be the quintessential loud, annoying Americans everyone. Lol! 😉
Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis church, rue Saint Antoine, Marais. This beautiful Roman Catholic church was around the corner from our hotel and near the Saint Paul Metro station.
Vittle Monster 