Travels

After a very successful visit to Hog Island Oyster , we knew we needed to bring our families back to enjoy the beauty that is Tomales Bay. Three month in the making we gave everyone a few to-do items (list below) and the day of went of without a hitch (pretty impressive for a group 12 deep!). If you are looking for a hidden Bay Area gem – this definitely should be at the top of your list!

Getting excited for our next adventure! Does anyone have any other tips for visiting Tomales Bay!?

My mom and I have been trying to explore the peony garden in San Jose for a couple years now, so when Mother’s Day weekend came along, we figured what better time?!

Located 30 minutes from Willow Glen high in the hills overlooking Milpitas, this quaint garden features over 200 peony varieties.  The owner – Marcia, has a display garden, with blooming flowers and their associated signage, then a connected plot of land that acts as a “peony store.”  Simply find which peonies you like best, and you purchase your own plant to take home!

Typically visitors are able to purchase cut blooms, but sadly with the drought, there weren’t even close to enough blooms to allow for that – but we were excited to come home with a few potted peony plants of our own (they average about $40 per plant).

While we were walked through the planting process, thorough directions are located on her site.  Plus it seems that once you plant the peonies, maintenance is relatively simple (she has had the same plants in her display garden for the past 17 years).

The only set back is it is a bit of a hike to get up there (be sure to follow the directions on her website NOT Google Maps or Mapquest), but it is really interesting to see how many types of peonies (so many colors, sizes, shapes) and it is truly really beautiful – in fact a couple got engaged there moments before we arrived (so cute right?!).

If you are looking for a midday adventure and are a flower person, this is the spot for you!

J was out last weekend on business, so I decided to take advantage of the solo time and visit my sister in the city for the weekend. Every time I come up she does an AMAZING job of putting together the best itineraries… they tend to have themes – “luxurious,” “outdoors,” “touristy,” “walking friendly,” etc. but this weekend the focus was on “living like the locals.”  It was amazing to enjoy hidden bars, hole in the wall restaurants and just enjoy city life like a resident.  Here was our agenda:

Friday

Location: Inner Richmond/ Nob Hill

• Grabbed a Grilled Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi sandwich with a Vietnamese iced coffee at Little Vietnam – the best money can by for $6 (be sure to order with Peter’s Special – a special sauce and a fried egg!)
• Visited Kamei (a restaurant supply store) to stock up on super affordable dinnerware and this super adorable panda mug
• We also walked through some Japanese food markets in the area to get an up close and personal view of life in Japan town (Favorite part? an abundance of quail eggs. Least favorite? Seafood out in the open)
• After our snack and some shopping we headed home to get ready and paint the town… then we headed to Nob Hill in one of the biggest insider scoops – UberPool. My OCD self is a little weary of public transportation, but all weekend we UberPooled (basically ride sharing for $7 anywhere in the city!) and had nothing but a great experience each time – great people, didn’t elongate travel time, etc.
• We enjoyed happy hour at Top of the Mark for cocktails – goregous views and great double dirty martini
• We walked through Grace Cathedral and then headed to Nob Hill Cafe for dinner – they have great Italian food (we enjoyed their Antipasti plate and Penne Bettola.
• Our favorite stop of the night was The Big 4 – they had the most amazing bar (a classic/regal vibe with beautiful live music – it would be a great scotch/old fashioned place but I ordered a Hemingway daiquiri which was super tasty)
• We ended the night at the Tonga Room (each place this evening was a couple minutes walking distance from one another) – and enjoyed the hilariously cheesy decor.  We indulged in a scorpion bowl while taking in our surroundings (a live band playing music on a boat floating on water in the middle of the restaurant, fake rain sprinkling down every few minutes, some pretty impressive dancers taking over the dance floor, etc.).

Saturday

Location: Everywhere in SF (we covered 9 miles walking!)

• We threw on some workout clothes and walked to Cinderella Bakery – be sure to order the piroshkis and this strawberry/custard pastry thing they make that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.  This is a place I regularly beg Taylor to bring me back to… SO good.
• We walked down the street to grab almond milk lattes at Cafe Coco and keep us warm on our walk.
• Breakfast was at a spot I’ve been wanting to go to – Nourish.  We shared the avocado toast, acai bowl and refresher juice (all equally delicious – also the spot is a vegan restaurant which also helps you feel great after devouring a piroshki).
• Post breakfast, our trek began.  We walked through Golden Gate Park, stopped in the SF Conservatory of Flowers ($8 fee), enjoyed a jazz band playing live music in a tunnel and stopped in a few adorable boutiques along the way.
• We took a lunch break at Taquerio el Castilito, where we had what I am convinced was the best Mexican food of my life.  My favorite was the vegetarian super burrito with pickled veggies, but we enjoyed the quesadilla suiza with carne asada as well!
• We had high hopes for shopping, but got side tracked by amazing food and enjoying the sun – although The Perish Trust was one of our shopping highlights.  Definitely worth popping into if you are in the area.
• We hydrated with a hibiscus and mint iced tea from The Mill, and if we weren’t already on our 5th food stop of the day, would definitely of enjoyed one of their famous toasts.
• The shopping on Valencia is great, but (not surprisingly) my experience at Dandelion Chocolate sidetracked my attempts at picking up a mother’s day gift. Instead we enjoyed a frozen hot chocolate and a double chocolate cookie.  We sadly had just missed a tour, but were able to sit up at the bar and enjoy the chocolate making experience first hand.  A definite must see if you are in SF.
• We ubered home to get ready and freshen up then headed back to Valencia for drinks at the amazing rooftop bar – El Techo de Lolinda. I enjoyed the gorgeous El Scorpion, made with prickley pear with mescal. Delious!
• The piece de resistance of the day was my (much awaited) visit to Trick Dog.  This is one of T’s favorite spots, plus anything specializing in artisan cocktails has my name written all over it.  Every 6 months their menu (and as we found out decor), changes to match their theme, which happened to be Chinese New Year.  The drinks stood up to the hype, and we also enjoyed nibbling on their (massive) kale salad, Trick Dog and Manimal fries.  Tip: sit at the bar.

Sunday

Location: Inner Richmond, Presidio, Marina 

• Brunch at Eats – don’t leave their without getting their breakfast sandwich, but their poppyseed lemon strawberry happy cake, refresher juice and blood orange mimosas were noteworthy as well.
• We strolled through the Farmer’s Market going on in town and picked up some adorable succulents, Thai basil and beautiful cherries.
• After a leisurely morning packing up, we jumped in my car and drove to the base of the Golden Gate bridge.  We walked the coast and planned on grabbing coffee from the Warming Hut but decided to peruse their awesome finds instead.
• Taylor took me through the cutest neighborhoods (including the house from the Princess Diaries! Eii!!), and we made our way to the Marina.
• I am not a big coffee person (I try to avoid caffeine), so when Taylor took me to Bereka Coffee, I declined to get one for myself.  Never again.  It was SO good.  The handmade Ethiopian drip coffee was made by the nicest women, and was down right delicious.
• We shared a Caprese sandwich at Lucca Deli and then perused the shops on Chestnut before grabbing a salad at Blue Barn.
• Because I hadn’t eaten enough this weekend, I grabbed some to-go black bean tacos with cabbage/carrot slaw and chimichurri sauce from Seed + Salt and enjoyed them for dinner that night.  Definitly on the pricey side, but if you can swing it the flavor was insane.

Overall this was one of my favorite weekends yet… we were able to eat a lot, walk it off, shop a little and were in bed by 10pm every night (writing that sentence just solidified my stance as an adult… ouff). I am going to track down T’s favorite SF eats/activity list to post shortly… it’s one stop shopping for everything San Francisco… until then…

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to have a girl’s weekend in one of the most fab cities in the world – Beverly Hills.  For those of you that join me in Bravo’s reality obsession with all things BH – Real Housewives, Rich Kids, Shahs of Sunset, etc. I was pleased to see the town is pretty well depicted. Fabulous restaurants, amazing shops and no car on the road under $100k.  It’s like a movie set you can live in!  If you ever have the opportunity to spend the day there (or the weekend!) here were some of our highlights:

Hotel:

Montage Beverly Hills

This place is next level (I mean Kourtney Kardashian had her baby shower here and Kim even stayed there during her wedding to Kris Humphries – RIP.) – it personifies luxury. From the amazing cheese plate with candied bacon and champagne upon arrival, to the personalized monogrammed pillows at turndown service this place leaves no detail untouched.  The chocolates on your pillow? Hand painted.  No seating at the pool and they accidentally seat someone before you? Right this way to your complimentary cabana!  Oh and did I mention we had access to a Rolls Royce to cruise around town in during our stay?  Our driver Sean even helped us pose for cheesy pictures at the end of the night.  They really pull out all of the stops…  If you are ever in the mode to treat yo self, this is the place.

Restaurants:

Urth Cafe – This was a great little spot for breakfast sandwiches and the most massive smoothies. They are known for the organic coffee and teas, and their pastries looked amazing.  Despite its relaxed vibe there was a line out the door, so apparently everyone else is into it too.

Il Pastaio – Our driver had mentioned this restaurant as being a hot spot on our way to dinner one night and after seeing a popular blogger had recently dined there I knew we had to try it. We shared a heaping bowl of pasta and it couldn’t have been a better cheat meal.  I’m still dreaming about it.  PS wait for a patio seating… the people watching is worth it.

Crustacean – The hotel had recommended this restaurant and it apparently has been on some Housewive episodes, but E and I found it underwhelming. The decor was a little cheesy (i.e. the floor has a fish tank river throughout the restaurant), and while the food was delicious (their garlic noodles are world famous and rightfully so), there are too many great spots to try before this one if you are only there for a limited time.

Spago – This was our “fancy” meal, which is hilarious considering we ate at so many fabulous and gorgeous restaurants, but Spago is one of those places where everyone is celebrating something.  Wolfgang Puck really outdid himself with his menu and our waiter did a great job of guiding our ordering. We loved their cocktail menu, and really enjoyed the tuna tartar cones (on their secret menu… just ask for them), oysters and innovative sea bass.  We REALLY enjoyed the surprise chocolate and cookies that we are still confused why we were lucky enough to receive them but who are we to turn down free dessert?!

Vanderpump 3 – We were those girls and were sure to hit all 3 of Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurants our first night there.  Villa Blanca wasn’t very lively so we grabbed a drink (from our very sweet bartender) and headed on Pump where the outdoor dining space looks magical but the bar area, not so much.  We spent the majority of our time at Sur where Jax made us cocktails and we tried to track down the rest of the cast of Vanderpump Rules.

Polo Lounge – If you like brunch this is the spot for you.  One thing we learned is BH likes to sleep in.  Sadly in our attempt to cram in as much fun as possible our timing wasn’t always ideal of maximum people watching aka celebrity sightings, but we were so happy to enjoy the gorgeous garden, old school vibe and delicious belinis at the Beverly Hills Hilton.  A live jazz trio plays on Sundays which was really lovely.

Sugarfish – We meant to go here for dinner Friday night but heard it wasn’t a “dress up” place, which is true… but I am almost happy we kept pushing back this meal (until lunch the day we left) because I would have struggled not going back multiple times (my sister’s last visit to LA resulted in her going 3 times… and I don’t blame her).  They are known for their “Trust Me” menu option which for $25-30 gets you a multi course lunch/dinner of sashimi, nigiri and hand rolls.  The fish was the best I’ve ever had and I am convinced it could convert any non-fish eater.  SO GOOD.

Activities:

Walk down Rodeo Drive – And if you are lucky enough, treat yourself to your Pretty Woman moment and score something from the best stores in the world!

Olive & June – We enjoyed the best mani/pedi’s we’ve ever had at Olive & June, and couldn’t get over how lovely everything was… from the time spent perfectly shaping our nails, to the amazing scrubs/lotions/polishes, you really can’t go wrong spending a couple of hours here.

Walk the neighborhoods – Window shopping for houses has never been so fun.  We took a long walk home from brunch one morning and really enjoyed how fabulous it was it look at the insane houses and landscaping.  If you are like us and looking for a way to burn off one of your 75 meals, take a walk down any of the neighborhoods and be prepared to be amazed!

Pool – If you’re hotel has a pool, use it. We crammed in a few hours before dinner, after a day of eating and shopping and it was so fun to enjoy LA from multiple stories up.

Every time we visit Cordevalle we wonder why we don’t do it more often (cough*funding*cough), but it really is an amazing resort.  We enjoyed some gorgeous weather with some of our favorite people in a beautiful setting.  Here were some of our favorite parts:

The most gorgeous entrance to the hotel lobby

A delicious cocktail with cucumber ice cubes, that I need to copy on the blog soon!

The cutest (and tastiest) welcome treats from Cordevalle

Morning yogurt tastes a lot better when it’s in this adorable mason jar

Relaxing weekends call for candle lit baths… at 11am.

Cheers-ing to an amazing dinner at Il Vigneto

I still can’t get over this smore set-up…

The coolest bloody mary bar

Until next time!