San Francisco August 2015

San Francisco

29th Anniversary 

August 2015

With cheap flights in hand ($59 each way) #SouthwestAirlines #SWA #LoveSWA, we headed back to our favorite city and often times happy place San Francisco. It's always a quick flight literally up and down to Oakland. And we had a set between us (that's how you stay married for 29 years) Ipads in hand for distraction we landed on a sunny day heading for the 73 degree mark which is SF nirvana. 

The long anticipated BART extension to the Coliseum station is finally open after a multi-billion dollar construction that we watched for years like a pot of boiling water, thinking it will never happen. Our last stay we were able to take it one way, it was down when we arrived. Funny what $4 billion gets ya.Well it is cool and automated and an expensive fare in BART terms. But now you can buy one ticket to Powell Street.

Experience has taught us what tunnel to exit at Powell Street to come up at the corner of Market and 4th. If the price is right we book the Marriot Marquis. #Marriott #MarriottsOutstandingService. We were greeted at the front desk (They have a seperate Elite line there...so bourgeois aka boogee). A smiling Rosana greeted us and welcomed us back. Teresa mentioned it was the anniversary (not only to share but always looking for free stuff ya know) and she worked hard to get us the right room. Facing St Patrick's is  a favorite to visit on Sunday and to hear the daily chimes from beautiful real bells in the tower.


We quickly dumped our bags and headed to the SF Eat Drink (sounds good so far) event at Fort Mason. And here's why. I found the event online and sent it to T for a nod of approval. Well at $95 each it is a but of an unknown quantity and we know how to spend that money VERY well in San Francisco. (See previous posts) T noticed the event was sponsored by Discover Card. #Discover #DiscoverCashBack. She looked up the Director of Marketing and reverse engineered a possible email address. We have been card holders for 29 years and her family (Dad was head of Allstate savings) holds one of the first Discover cards issued. It was a product of Sears as was Allstate.



No word back but also no return email until Friday. A fantastic surprise from Discover Card, we had been comped 2 tickets to the event Saturday afternoon and it was VIP tickets! Instead of $95 each it was $175. Free. Wow. I guess we all live with little to no expectation from any large company and especially ones who deal with money. An incredible surprise and stellar customer service from Discover. Can't thank them enough and even looked for a rep in their booth to hug and kiss.

The VIP tickets allowed early entry and we arrived to walk past long winding lines of hungry self proclaimed foodies. Like us. Right in the door with no line and got a wine glass handed to us for the "samples" (more like feast and pours). Then it off like kids in a virtual candy store.


Wine, beer, liquors along with food from some San Francisco and national greats. Every bite we tasted was not just good it was spectacular. Composed balanced farm fresh deliciousness in a bite size frenzy.

We moved with purpose and increasing inebriation thorough tastings of delicious food and interesting spirits.

The Gin&Tonic Master

Even a gin sampling that was a full cocktail of gin and tonic with choice of gin and tonic. Each glass was finished with star anise, cardamom and lavender flower. The bouquet was incredible sipping this light cool refreshing cocktail. And wow that takes the liquor "sampling" to a new level.



We had to finish this great drink (easy $16 in H-wood) and of course leave no sample un...sampled. My new favorite beer Trumer Pils had a booth and they insisted I take a full bottle of ice cold beer, twice. Not to overemphasize the alcohol since we were not looking to get too loopy but it was generous and abundant and free to us.


The food was really the star, truly delicious tastes of everything from Tony's meatballs to a deconstructed capresse that featured a basil sorbet. What?! Wow! The chefs at the Four Seasons are credited with that one.


We lounged in the VIP...lounge and stepped out on the pier for fresh air and a Alcatraz to Coit Towel view. Ahhh, what a city of sights, sounds, tastes. Then we got tats. It's how we roll.

Our next stop was to reconnect with T's old room mate and childhood friend from Denver, Valerie. We met at the Horseshoe bar near Fort Mason and had a couple (more) drinks.


Great to catch up on kids growing up and us growing old. Happy trails for us all, thankfully.

Back to our Marriott home away from home to sit-a-spell and think about getting hungry for dinner.

 We ate some leftover cheese and bread we had smuggled out of SF Eat and Drink. Dinner was an after thought and across the street is Super Duper Burger. Perfect split, uh with garlic fries. Better than In and Out? Maybe yes. SF only.

Sunday Mass at St Patrick's in the morning then off to the Ferry Market for lunch at heaven on earth Hog Island with the boy attending Sonoma State.




Since the build out the place is busier than ever and the line (in back on the water) was akin to Space Mountains line.



But it moved and we were highly motivated, Joe joined us with flowers in hand right as we were about to make the front of the line. Perfect timing by everyone involved. 

Sunday we formally celebrated our anniversary at the equally celebrated Bar Tartine. This is a prix fixe menu that includes 15 different tastes. Small plates brought out in small groups to sample/plow through. One of the most interesting mix of ingredients ever assembled in one place. Its in the sketch Mission district but a BART ride put us around the corner. No sign on the restaurant so Google Maps had to tell me I was there.

With no agenda and no plans, we decided to take the ferry (at the ferry market that we stare at every time with Blue Bottle in hand) to Sausalito to wander.






We wandered right into two wine tasting rooms for some unique label varieties. Its not cheap anymore to wine taste and we didn't even get to keep the logo-ed wine glasses (which populate our entire stemware collection at home) but, fun tastings and the one at Madrigal Family Winery was a blast with some off-the-menu selections included that prepped us for lunch, like now.



Our wine boss recommended a local sushi spot. It had the best miso soup ever and then delivered fairly pedestrian sushi. Oh well, just a lunch bite. We walked more and eye balled ice cream shops then hopped the ferry back to gorgeous city by the bay views.



Monday night we checked out Marlowe restaurant. It has long been on my list with solid Yelp and its a short walk down 4th toward ATT Park. This is a cramped and very loud eatery packed late with what appears to be local successfuls.




 We were fortunate to get bar seating and really enjoyed the fare of small bites we selected. If not for sitting side by side we would have had to shout across a table so this was perfect. And we didn't pull the average age of the room up 20 years. Another magical day in San Francisco.

Tuesday morning was flight day but we had until 1pm or so.



 We headed to Blue Bottle and/or breakfast first stopping in at the always-find-something-there Ross store. 5 stories of discount "stuff" so the selection is great. I can find the wide shoes I like and T finds bargains every time. Then a test came with notice of a cancelled flight (Even though that sucks I have to give a nod to Southwest for letting me know BEFORE I get to the airport). We booked it back to the room to book a new flight and had to book it to BART asap. So day was done, great adventure complete.

Napa Sonoma Petaluma Etc.. July 2015

Wine Country California

T's Birthday Celebration

We figured out it has been over 2 years since we were in the gorgeous wine country.Last visit was to move the lad into his freshman year where were summarily dismissed (as expected) which helped achieve our day goal of wine glass in hand by Noon.

This trip was for T's birthday, 30 something I think. Right honey? Boarded our bus at Burbank on reliable comfortable #Southwest. Rented a car in Oakland at a not so customer centric Budget. Drove north about 90 minutes to a hard to find affordable room at our #Marriott, this time in Sebastapol. Clean, quiet and comfortable accommodations. Always on point Marriott. 

Our first night, a birthday surprise. I heard on an internet radio station, smoothjazz.com, that Mr. Kenny Loggins was performing at the Rodney Strong Winery.


Apparently they have been having summer concerts there for about 40 years. Who knew? Rodney Strong Pinot is one of our favorites and we had never visited their vineyard. A perfect combination. Having never seen Loggins in concert it was a treat of 80's hits and good stories told with energy and performed with heart.

It became apparent he wrote a song for every 80's movie ever. Imagine that mailbox money. We had a blast enjoying our included glass of wine and sitting in seats that were treated to shade early. The show rocked and was a musical treat from a real songwriting legend of our time.

Willi's Moroccan Lamb Chops or OMG for short

We headed for dinner after at a favorite place we had been to 2 years back. Willi's Wine Bar is a treat. A tapas style joint with an amazing wine list the food is incredible. Each dish was an experience that had us savoring every bite before moving on to the next delicious plate. Try the scallops or the fava toast or anything!


We sat at the bar to wait and decided to stay since there was no patio availability. Now with just the two of us the bar is a fun and entertaining option for supper. And the couple next to us were talking about Kenny Loggins songs-yes they had just landed there too and we all shared some wine and stories. The couple were locals and both worked at area wineries. There is the reason to sit at the bar, experience the people not just the cuisine. 

Sunday was our day already booked to attend the Hendry Winery member appreciation lunch. A little background.

Sunday morning Mass at St. John the Baptist, Napa

We discovered Hendry about 4 or 5 years ago touring the area. It was rated the #1 wine tour by TripAdvisor and we made our reservation. The tour was simple and conducted by Mr. George Hendry himself. This was not the all to familiar pretentious wine tasting. I don't think he once ever suggested "notes" of anything in the wine. It was all about 2 things.


How you as an individual taste wine and he conducted a test to separate us into 2 distinct groups that taste wine differently. And, what are you eating with the wine. Simple to the point and delicious. We cancelled all other wine tours that day. Others told us they have done the same.

The beautifully restored Hendry homestead

Back to the lunch...greeted with wine then served yummy passed apps with 3 stations serving 2 or more varieties each including some year old cellar bottles. Once seated we toasted our table of soon to be new friends from Chicago to LA to the Bay. The food was great and more bottles of Cabernet and Chardonnay that never seemed to empty. It was a blast and we will go back!

Dinner that night at another favorite, Rosso. We love their Piadina when the heirloom tomatoes are in season. A fresh local treat in a casual setting. Our Sonoma State senior son joined us for dinner and wine. One of the great moments of empty nest.

Our last day of this 3 day packed adventure we headed into downtown Sonoma for lunch. A great discovery of The Girl and the Fig made for a satisfying lunch that included sardines, something we had not shared together since traveling in Italy.

The End

Coffee Monday Morning, Sebastapol

A relaxing patio lunch with some of our favorite Roederer Champagne before driving the 90 or so minutes back to Oakland airport.                                                

Temecula June 2015

Temecula Wine Country

June 2015

A little back story on why we chose Temecula as a destination. Summer concerts have been a big part of wineries for many years. It's something we had heard about but never explored. Some top (formerly) acts can be found at places throughout California-Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, Keeny Loggins-you get the drift.

 I looked up the Thornton Winery and saw that America was performing. They were T's first concert when she was 12 in Denver with her newly renewed BFF Sue. See the Denver posting in 2014. I picked up a pair of tickets and made it a full circle from 12 to today. With one less member the band did not disappoint. Songs from our youth stand up pretty well with the familiarity soundtrack that plays along in your head.

It was a quick one nighter that started at the Vindemia Winery. A pretty outdoor tasting spot with good TripAdvisor reviews and some decent wines.  We are not wine snobs, we taste it and if we like it then its decent. If we dont like it then its not. Pretty simple Sommalier evaluation. If we click with a place when we are tasting then we ask them for their recommendation and they gladly steered us next to Chapin Family Vineyards for our next samples. Chapin was a blast being hosted by a gentlemen who also does a local jazz radio show. He was a hoot and we had a blast.

Short on time we headed to Thorton for America and settled in with a beer bucket and champagne. Lee Rocker opened (Stray Cats fame) and America hit the stage for a nearly 2 hour non stop hits show. Our first winery concert was a success and to think its only been going on for 40+ years!

  

  



Checked in at our local Marriot, the Fairfield Temecula (great rate and completely nice accommodations for a one nighter). Dinner was holy smokes spectacular at Trattoria Toscana around the corner. Now food can be our snob wheel house and we are versed in good food and good cooking. This place was a winner, also highly rated on TripAdvisor. Not what I would have assumed off the 5 freeway an hour north of San Diego. We would go back.


The next day explored old town Temecula and hit the dusty trail back to LA. A stroke of T's inspiration caused us to veer off the road in Pasadena for Pie and Burger, a 50 year old hole in the wall Pasadena tradition. I would recommend the burger followed by the pie. Or the other way around, up to you.

One night away can be a welcome respite when the schedule is full and the music, food and wine are flowing.

Seattle March 2015

Seattle 

March 2015

Back to Seattle for a somewhat unplanned trip. My 90 year old aunt had passed and it was an opportunity to visit with cousins, some of whom I haven't seen in 40 years. Would I recognize them? Would we have anything to say to each other? It truly was a reunion of

family and we broke bread and busted open bottles of wine, eating delicious Carolina ribs and playing the card game Taboo until midnight. Laughing, talking, sharing, debating, it was old family turned new friends. Even the second cousins joined us with their eloquence and intelligence, they fit right in and I wished for my own kids to be there to share this family friendly moment. 

We began Thursday night at the Tacoma home of my second cousin Amy and shared in memories of our departed and met new friends from their decades of acquaintances. With all the commotion they asked us to stay for post memorial pizza and we enjoyed delicious pies with them all. I realize I didn't ask where they were from which is a blog info oversight. But it was Tacoma and it was fantastic.  

Friday we toured the city taking in the over priced and underwhelming Music Experience followed by an amazing fresh pasta "experience" at Il Corvo. Famous for their home 

made pasta, you join the line early out the front door and stand in the geographical center of the small restaurant to order lunch then find a now open table. Amazing and reasonably priced, don't miss this place during its limited 4 day a week schedule.

Later Friday, we met family from Teresa's side, her sister and our beautiful niece met us at Ivar's in Mukilteo north of Seattle about 25 miles north which on a Friday evening was Los Angeles travel time of over an hour. Don't confuse this place with quality local seafood. But it made a nice place to have drinks with a view. Then back to West Seattle to join my cousins at a beach home they rented to have time together. We talked late into the night and had a blast together. 

Saturday was set aside to visit with a retired nun friend who had recently moved to the Providence house there, which is where she started her journey some 70 years earlier. Sister Rose was as spry as ever and gave us the grand tour before breakfast at Salty s on Alki Beach.  We didn't know it was brunch only so sisters Caesar salad only lunch was disproportionately priced. It was worth the company and time together by far and the chamber of commerce views across the bay to Seattle were spectacular.

We dropped sister back at her new home and headed back to the cousin beach house to kill a couple hours pre-flight back to L.A. 

2 trips to Seattle in just a few months was not the plan but it is a wonderful city with lots to do and when the weather is right it is spectacular.