Is it really already Halloween? Where did October go?

I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to blog. So here is a little month in review via photos.

The best thing about working in San Francisco is the never ending options of places to eat. I think I could eat at a different restaurant every single day and after a year still not have tried all the restaurants within walking distance to my new office.

View from my office.

One day while waiting for the ferry, a friend and I decided to try Sinbad’s. I’d describe Sinbad’s as a dive bar with an amazing view! It is located right next to the ferry building, on the bay, with a view of the Bay Bridge. Their dining room kind of resembles a green house.

After Sinbad’s we went to MarketBar which is located at the front of the Ferry Building.

Bruchetta with Salmon

Oysters

After eating those delicious appetizers I took the ferry home. Celia picked me up at the ferry building and drove me to the bus stop where I had left my mini van that morning. When we pulled in to the parking lot I did not see my mini van. I thought someone had stolen it. Celia pulled right behind a brand new Toyota Yaris and said Happy Birthday! She surprised me with a brand new Toyota Yaris! I love my new car! For those of you who remember the Mini saga and are wondering why she didn’t get me the Mini… I changed my mind and decided the Yaris was a much better buy.

Happy Birthday!

For lunch one day I tried one of the little alley way cafes. Cafe Venue is located on Leidesdorf & California Streets. I had a delicious Turkey Cranberry sandwich. It was a chilly San Francisco day but where Cafe Venue is located there was a little warm spot of sunshine and the buildings protected me from the wind.

Cafe Venue

Cafe Venue Menu

That afternoon at our daughter’s volley ball game we ran into a nun (Sister Marion) dressed as Elvis. This is a pretty amazing nun.  “In 1983 she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon, at age 54, by running 2 hours, 51 minutes, 1 second at the California International Marathon in Sacramento. She shattered all major running records in the 50-54, 55-59 and 60-64 age groups, earning a five-year sponsorship by Nike and competing in track events in Australia, Canada, Finland and Switzerland.” -MarinIJ

Sister Marion (aka Elvis)

And this weekend I’ve been taking care of my poor doggy who has a bad hot spot.

Happy Halloween!

One of the perks of working in San Francisco is I get to discover new restaurants! Last week I went to Happy Hour with a friend to Hog Island Oyster, located in the Ferry Building.

I’ve never been a big oyster fan but I’m trying to be open to new things and decided to try this place. This place is all about location, location, location. It’s definitely a tourist stop, but it’s a good one! Here is the view from my seat.

I learned I really like baked oysters (it’s the raw ones I’m not such a fan of.)
I ordered pesto baked oysters that were amazing. They were served with bread. Mm mm Yum!

Hog Island Oyster Bar San Francisco
www.hogislandoysters.com
The Ferry Building Marketplace
One Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.391.7117

Here are the raw oysters that my friend really enjoyed!

If you live in Marin this is an easy ferry ride away.

Last night I found myself at a Pinot Noir wine tasting event. You may have noticed talking wine is not my specialty. In an effort to live up to the mission of this blog I decided to get out of my comfort zone and go to this Pinot Noir TweetUp tasting. Mention the words Twitter or TweetUp in anything and I’m there.

The event was held at Rick’s Wine Cellar in Corte Madera. It seems last night was a national Pinot Noir Twitter tasting event. People across the country drank Pinot Noir at the same time and discussed it live via Twitter using the hashtag #pinotnoir.  Our event had the special added twist of trying the new glasses made by Andrea Robinson, The One glasses.

When I arrived at Rick’s Wine Cellar I was greeted by the bartender who asked if I was there for the Twitter event. She showed me to the back room where the event was happening. This room had a lovely table and chairs set up with a big plate of cheese and wine glasses on the table. The walls were filled with selections of fine wine.

The first guest to arrive besides Alana (@girlwithaglass) and I, were Doug (@sfdoug) and Jason (@Jasonswineblog). At this point I knew I was already in over my head. Here I was getting ready for a wine tasting with 3 wine experts. Rick, the owner (@rickswinecellar) asked if we were ready to start the tasting. He brought out 3 mystery glasses. He asked us to try each glass and to then guess where the grapes were from, what year the wine was and who the winemaker was. I’m thinking to myself yeah right. I wouldn’t have even known it was Pinot Noir if they hadn’t told me. One by one my 3 wine expert friends made their guesses on Bottle #1. Bottle #1, Bottle #2 and Bottle #3 made me think of The Dating Game: Bachelor #1, Bachelor #2 and Bachelor #3.

As you can see my head was not in the same place as my 3 new friends. While they were swirling the wine around, smelling the bouquet, twisting and turning the glass and talking about the taste… well, I was visualizing the 3 bottles sitting behind the wall on The Dating Game. When Rick got to me I said, “I plead ignorance”. Rick gave me a free ignorance pass on the first round but after that he forced encouraged me to play along. Of course, I never guessed anything right but my 3 wine expert friends were pretty far off in their guesses too so I didn’t feel so bad.

We tasted, we guessed, we talked wine. Alana was so sweet, she took the time to answer my questions about the wine and the tasting in English (ie. not in Wine language). I actually enjoyed myself and did not feel like a big dufus. Rick the owner was awesome; he took the time to sit down and explain to Nancy, Mike (@ATOMsanRafael) and I how important it is to match the right glass with the right wine. I’d heard this before but didn’t really believe it. Rick had us try the same wine in 3 different glasses, and you know what? It did taste and smell different! Nancy actually went home with some new @AndreaWine glasses.

Alana who is an expert at pairing food and wine taught me all about how different cheeses work with different wines. The food you eat can change your wine tasting experience.

I learned a fun little insider tip for Marinites. If you purchase your bottle of wine at Rick’s Wine Cellar and bring it to many of the local Marin restaurants and show them it is from Rick’s Wine Cellar, the restaurant will not charge you a corkage fee. Pacific Catch in Corte Madera is one of these restaurants. The full list of restaurants that offer free corkage of Rick’s Wine Cellar wine is on the Website: http://www.rickswinecellar.com/

Even though I’m more of a beer or champagne girl I really enjoyed the Pinot Noir Twitter Tasting last night. I learned that good wine paired with good people is a great combination!

This week my bro-in-law came to town for a few very short hours. I wanted to show him some of my local favorites so I first took him to Café Flore on the corner of Market & Noe (in the Castro area). I love Café Flore! Café Flore is located right in the heart of San Francisco but their garden patio makes you forgot you are in the middle of a big city. It’s also great for people watching. Every night they have a different Happy Hour special.

We had Sangria. Café Flore makes great Sangria!

It seems Wednesday nights (during the summer) are Farmer’s Market night right there on Noe.

After our drinks we wandered a bit through the Farmer’s Market and then headed to La Mediterranee, an authentic Mediterranean restaurant with really good food and friendly service.

We decided to order the Mediterranean Meza (for 2 or more people) $15.95 a person “an assortment of 10 house specialties and appetizers including Lule Kabob, Chicken Pomegrante (my favorite), Spinach & Chicken Fillos, Dolma, Hummos, Baba Ganoush, Tabuleh and much more”. We first started out with the special salad which was a watermelon, beet salad with walnuts and a special cheese (i can’t remember if it was goat or feta but it was good!). The watermelons were surprisingly tasty mixed in with the beets. All of the food was amazing!

Our waitress was great! I asked her what her name was and it turns out her name is Sally! I got overly excited about this fact because I don’t usually meet anyone named Sally unless they are 90 or older. This Sally looked my age or younger so I asked her if I could take my picture with her.

After dinner we headed to Japan down because another friend with her 2 young boys was in town and staying at the Hotel Tomo, a hotel I’d never heard of but was super impressed by. If you are looking for a cool place to stay in San Francisco definitely check out Hotel Tomo. It’s actually a Best Western Hotel that has been recently renovated. Hotel Tomo is inspired by Japanese pop-culture. There is a big giant bed looking thing in the lobby facing 3 televisions. Anime murals on the walls, the doors of the rooms are all different colors, and there are glow-in-the-dark desk blotters in each guest room and the place is very clean and inviting.

Here is how the  Website describes Hotel Tomo:

It’s fun! Our bright, whimsical rooms are perfect for families with kids, or the young at heart. Our gaming suites come equipped with PlayStation 3, Wii, bean bag chairs, and a 6-foot LCD projection screen.

One of a kind design – If you’re into J-pop, comics and anime you’ll love Hotel Tomo.

After checking out the cool hotel we headed back over the Golden Gate Bridge to home. It was a beautiful summer night in the city!

Cafe Flore is located on the corner of Market and Noe. La Mediterranee is across the street on Noe. Both in the Castro district of San Francisco. Hotel Tomo is on Sutter near Webster in the Japan Town area.

I’m always  on the lookout for a great place to have a happy hour drink. My ideal happy hour would be outside, at a warm, sunny place, overlooking the water. This past weekend I rediscovered Paradise Bay in Sausalito. Isn’t it funny how when you have out of town visitors you start seeing your own neighborhood in a whole new light and discover new places?

Paradise Bay is a restaurant located in Sausalito. They have a waterfront patio bar and dining area. This is the Bay Area so I can’t guarantee you will always find the waterfront patio to be warm and sunny but I can guarantee you will always find an amazing view.  They have heat lamps for the chillier evenings.

It seems the outside bar is only open on the weekends but they will still serve you on the patio during the week. When I was there on Saturday night the bar was happening. I ordered a Madras but the bar tender suggested to add something more to it and turn it in to Sex on the Beach drink. Whatever it was, it was delicious.

Last night I went and the waiter convinced me to try a pink Mojito… I’m wishing I would have stuck with my gut and ordered my usual drink because the pink Mojito kind of tasted like cough syrup.

We also ordered a sampler plate of coconut prawns, crab cakes & spicy tuna rolls. Those were yummy.

As the saying goes, “location, location, location” this place is all about that. Wonderful views and a relaxing atmosphere.

Paradise Bay
1200 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA
415-331-3226
www.paradisebaysausalito.com

I have big plans to get my FourSquare swarm badge today! I’m going to my old neighborhood in San Francisco (yes I was a city girl at one point) to Pacific Catch on 9th Avenue.

This Pacific Catch is located right by Golden Gate Park. I plan to get there early and take a stroll through the park like I used to. I love Golden Gate Park! It has a little bit of everything: a museum, botanical gardens, the California Academy of Sciences, the Conservatory of Flowers, trails, soccer, frisbee & football fields, picnic areas, play structures, the Japanese Tea Garden, a lake with boat rentals, and so much more. On Sundays they even close the streets for pedestrians, bikes and roller blades. I used to love roller blading in the park! Wish I still had my roller blades.

I remember roller blading on a Sunday in 1995 when there was a memorial going on for Jerry Garcia. Right as the memorial was ending I skated by quietly. Since I was distracted looking at all the deadheads, I was not paying attention to the ground and rolled in to a pothole and did a face plant! Yep, there I was face first on the asphalt right in front of Jerry Garcia’s memorial. People looked at me and said, “dude face plant” but nobody asked if I was okay. 

Of course I was okay except a few scratches on my face and my very bruised ego.

I’m off to San Francisco now to get my FourSquare swarm badge! Hopefully I won’t do a face plant this time.

Photo taken by flickr user battyward

I wonder what Jerry Garcia would think of FourSquare?

Happy FourSquare Day!

]]> http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2010/04/happy-foursquare-day/feed/ 0 http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2010/01/friend-date-food-and-foot-massages/ http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2010/01/friend-date-food-and-foot-massages/#comments Sun, 24 Jan 2010 03:02:46 +0000 Sally_K http://sallyaroundthebay.com/?p=2009

I went on a friend-date last night and it was so fun! A friend-date is what my friend/neighbor calls when you go out with your girlfriends (buddies, girls-night-out) instead of a romantic date. I like friend-dates, I think I’m going to make more happen this year.

My two neighbors (a.k.a. friends) and I went out to Happy Hour at the Whipper Snapper in San Rafael.The Whipper Snapper has the BEST Sangria ever. We ordered a pitcher. We also order our very favorite item on the menu – the Grilled Fish Tacos.

The Whipper Snapper has Happy Hour Tuesdays – Fridays from 5-6 it’s short but very SWEET!.

Happy Hour Menu is $3.00 Fish Tacos, Organic Fingerling Potatoes, Fried Sweet Plantains and Grilled Chicken.  A glass of red or white Sangria also $3 or $3 off Half and Full Pitchers. I also just learned they have Half Price Sangria Sundays.

After our tummies were full of delicious food and drinks we decided to stroll down (or is it up) Fourth street to the Foot Massage place. It’s called X & J Foot Massage and they are located at 1099 4th Street (near A Street). It would be easy to walk right by and not even notice the foot massage place because they are located below street level right next to the Mighty Quinn (San Rafael’s own headshop).

When we walked in to X & J Foot Massage I felt like I was stepping in to another country, it’s very calming. Mellow music is playing and we were greeted by friendly staff who invited us to come sit in their very comfy and inviting reclining chairs. They then offered us tea or water as they brought us each a blanket. We looked like 3 preschooler’s at nap time all tucked in. Then they brought a small wooden barrel filled with warm water to soak our feet in. As our feet were soaking they started rubbing our shoulders and heads to get us relaxed for the foot massages. By the time we were finished I was so relaxed I wanted to take a nap in my reclining chair.

Foot massages are $30 for a half hour and $50 for a whole hour.

Beautiful Lotus Flower Photo via Flickr user Shamih

Thinking about having a Friday afternoon beer in Marin? Have you tried the Broken Drum located on 4th Street in San Rafael?

The Broken Drum is a nice mellow spot to stop for a Friday afternoon beer to celebrate the beginning of the weekend. If you go between 3:30 – 6:30 it’s Happy Hour time. Celia and I went a few weeks ago. I had a Terrifico beer which is a crisp and light Mexican lager and Celia had the Golden Ale – described as a straw colored light and smooth easy drinking ale. We thought both beers were terrifico.

The Broken Drum has a front patio for dining. On sunny days this is a great place to people watch in San Rafael. In case you didn’t know, downtown San Rafael has become quite a hot people watching spot. Broken Drum has a full pub style menu. We just went for beers this time so I can’t comment on the food.

Cool things to do around the Bay Area this weekend.

Music & Dance
I just discovered the San Francisco LovEvolution which is happening this Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
“America’s biggest dance movement event” www.sflovevolution.org

To find live music in Marin and all around  the Bay Area check out www.marinlocalmusic.com

Happy Hour
Cafe Flore in San Francisco (near the Castro) is my favorite place for Happy Hour! I was there last Saturday night and had the 2 for $5 Cosmo special! www.cafeflore.com Molly makes awesome Cosmos! They have different special every night.

Mellow Marin ***Update Feb 2012*** Teapod is no longer in business in San Anselmo but there is a cool new coffee shop in this same location.
If you are looking for a more mellow weekend. How about taking a stroll in San Anselmo and drinking some tea. I just discovered the Teapod this week and loved it! It’s an Organic Tea Bar. I had lunch there with my new friend Marilyn. The salad was delicious and the tea was really good! I had a green chai tea latte. The place is so relaxing. Doesn’t this picture just make you relax?

After you go to the Teapod make sure to stop by Gioia’s and say hi.

Petaluma
Looking for something new and original to do? How about visiting a farm! Tara Firma Farms is a cool place to visit!

Happy Hour! I’m always looking for great Happy Hours around the Bay. Although I rarely actually get out for Happy Hour it’s a nice fantasy of mine. Today, my friend Amy texted and said… “Who wants to go to Happy Hour at Frantoio?” I wrote back and said “me!”. Amy drove me in her convertible VW bug. Happy Hour at Frantoio is from 4:30 – 6:30. We arrived around 5:00PM and I think there was one other person at the bar. Amy and I ordered Pinot Grigio at $5 a glass and they brought us a sample plate of appetizers. It was the perfect day for Happy Hour, it was warm and sunny out. The white wine was great and the appetizers were tasty. By about 5:30 the place started filling up with the after work crowd.

I’m thinking that I should make Happy Hour more of a priority in my life. I’m feeling nice and relaxed now.

If you are coming from the city (San Francisco) Frantoio’s is a great location. It’s right off the Hwy 101 at the Hwy 1 Stinson Beach exit (next to the Holiday Inn Express).

I’ve dined at Frantoio in the past and have had wonderful meals and great service. The make really delicious olive oil.

Frantoio is located right off the 101
152 Shorline Hwy
Mill Valley, CA 94941
415.289.5777
www.frantoio.com