Touristy Things to do in fall in SF...

1. Visit the Opera - August-November
    My girlfriends and I got a great groupon for the Opera and had a dress up night.  The Opera Building is a site to see on its own!  Come early so you have time to walk around the building and see all the views.  Pick an Opera of your choice, and wear your fancy shoes.  Some people dress in black tie, and others wear jeans so you can choose.  And don't worry if you can't understand Italian, apparently these days Opera's come with subtitles.

Inside the Opera House

2. The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival - September
    An awesome concert in Golden Gate Park.  Even if you don't like bluegrass, it is a great time.  And its free!  Grab a six pack and a blanket and make your way in the afternoon.  Set up camp in front of a stage.  There are lots of food options but the best part is you can bring your own.  Must see!

Blue Grass and a Beautiful Day

3.  Blue Angels Flyover - September/October
     One of the biggest events in San Francisco, the city pretty much explodes with fun.  The weekend started because the military takes their leave in the city for the weekend.  It is now called Fleet Week.  Soldiers, beer, and fly overs from the Blue Angels.  This year it was also America Cup trials, so it was a bit of a disaster.  The best seat in the house is down by the water, either on the Marina Green or at Fisherman's wharf.  The jets are so loud that you may jump out of your seat!

Over the city...Photo from the Chronicle because it flew by too quickly

4.  Macy's Christmas Tree Lighting -Thanksgiving
    Christmas is THEE best holiday of the year.  Every year Macy's decorates their store and Union Square.  On Black Friday they have a big tree lighting ceremony with Carolers and a count down to the lights.  It is a bit like Disneyland, and I would only recommend if you have kids with you.  Its VERY crowded.  But for those not into Tree Lighting Ceremonies, visit Macy any other day and see the puppies and kitties they put in their window.  Too cute for words, AND if you love them you can adopt them!  Macy's works with SPCA to help these poor animals find a home for the holidays.

I love Christmas!

Tourist Tip: Wear good walking shows when in San Francisco.

Just Some Bomb Diggity Burgers

Oh Pearls...where do I start.  I love the fries, the shakes, the burgers.  It is so tasty.  However, I will let you know its also in the ghetto.  However, they have safe harboring in their restaurant for those that want to eat in, but you can also call ahead to go. 

Menu for Days.......

The last time I went I got a Turkey Burger in hopes to be healthy.  DON'T DO IT!  Don't try to be healthy and skip the fries, the onion rings, the malts and more importantly the beefy goodness that is a burger.  The turkey burger was just sad, don't do it.  My friend Ronnie ALWAYS gets the Buffalo Burger - yes Buffalo.  He loves it.  My other friend Mike and I have compared the chocolate shake to the chocolate malt - get the malt, its heaven.  I really can't say anything bad about this place except that I cannot go to often or I will have a heart attack.  Must eat in the Civic Center AND anywhere in SF!

Mushroom Burger Scrumptious

Buffalo Burger with Bacon and Cheese - yes this is a menu item

Garlic Fries - Standard in SF

Frings - Fries and Rings

 Man now I am hungry...

Tourist Tip: Get the 50/50, onion rings are the best I have ever had, but of course you need to have fries with a burger.  DO IT!

Happy Hour on the Town

I met up with a friend Kellie after many months of not seeing each other.  She is getting married next year so we had a lot to catch up on.  We decided to grab happy hour (I'm a law student and she's getting married...aka we are poor) at Crow Bar.

Funny Crow Bar Sign Outside...guess its true.

It was pretty empty when we got there at 5:15.  Their happy hour ends at 6:00PM, but by the time we left at around 6:45 it was PACKED.  Lots of people come here after work or to meet up with their friends.  LOTS of Cougars.  If you don't know what that means, great for you.  Anyway we both ordered a glass of wine from their happy hour menu.  Kellie got the parmesean gnocci which looked good.  I had to order an app from their main menu because I'm lac-tard and most things had cheese in it.  Such is life...

Crow Bar Happy Hour until 6

I got the three sausage and pretzel appetizer.  It was so good.  The pretzel is homemade and the little sausages each come with their own sauce.  It definitely did not make me full for the night, but it was a great snack.

Gnocci and Meatballs on the Happy Hour Menu

Sausage trio with homemade Pretzel Bread, delish!

After we finished our plates, they were quickly taken away but our waitress did not come back once to ask us how we were doing and if we needed anything else.  The next time she came she just dropped off our check - without us asking!  I thought this was pretty rude, but I have heard a lot of bad comments about their service.  I also think their food, albeit delicious, is overpriced.  What happy hour entree is $9!  And its pasta in a tiny dish.  Anyway, I would come again, but just for happy hour.  Even though the burgers supposed to be good, I think other places in CDM are better food, prices, and service.

Hefty Glasses of Wine I will say!

Tourist Tip: If you order flavored iced tea, you WILL NOT get a refill - they don't tell you this.  Also you must ASK for a Happy Hour menu, its not just given to you.  Weird.

Brunchies with the Boo

So like every Sunday, I did not get up early and go to the gym.  Instead I fixed my fantasy football line-up, went back to sleep until noon and then started yelping places to have brunch.  My boo and I are visiting my parents in LA so we decided to try something new.  We love Yelp, and it did not fail us this time.

When in doubt, Yelp!

Brunch was at Cafe Buna.  I was hesitant because it looked kinda of shady, but as soon as we walked in I was pleasantly surprised.  Lots of young Venice kids in their mid-20s.  The special board was literally three feet long. You will be overwhelmed by the menu, I promise.

And this is JUST the Special's Board!

After asking for some suggestions from our waiter, I ordered the open-faced omelet with cornbread french toast and the boo got the 2+2+2, chicken sausage, eggs over easy (always), and french toast.  My meal was so big I literally only ate half of it and couldn't eat for the rest of the day.  And that's saying a lot because I eat.  The cornbread french toast is the best thing I have ever eaten.  EVER.  If you don't get this you may as well not come here.  The open-face omelet has everything you could ever want, and if you don't love eggs you won't even know they're there.  The boo ate his whole plate plus some of mine.  His french toast was with cinanmon bread and was very tastey.  But I will say mine was much better.  He's currently eating my leftovers as I finish this...

2+2+2 with Hashbrowns and Chicken Apple Sausage

This is supposed to be amazing - Cornflakes French Toast, crunchy yet sweet

Open Faced Omelet...a little bit of heaven.

Tourist Tip: A cup of coffee is $2, but is unlimited refills and they give you a to-go cup when you leave!  This place is a new favorite.

So its been a while...

But sometimes law school gets in the way!  I can't help these things.  However... I am back!  And I have a lot of food to write about.  I tried to think of a good way to blog about everything I have eaten, see or done.  But its a lot.  So I have decided to do a picture monologue of all the goodies.

First Up: Some OC Spots
1.  Tustin Brewing Co. - went here for a Michigan Game (big, big fan of Michigan) because its a Alumni bar.  It has a collection of its own microbreweries, but as everything in the OC it was a bit plain.  Didn't try to food, probably won't go back unless its for a game.

Full Beer List

2.  Muldoons - Fun bar at night.  Live music on Fridays.  Again typical Irish bar.  Came here for food...NOT good!  Its so bland and expensive, pass on this!  But the bread they give you to start is amazing!  So maybe try to just sneak and get this, and maybe some nachos because they looked bomb!

Soda Bread and a fully stocked bar! Heaven.

3.  Bear Flag - If you have a chance to go here, you must!  There is one on Newport Peninsula, always packed and slow, and one at Crystal Cove.  The Crystal Cove is also packed, but the service is a bit better.  The food is unbelievable.  They have a different fresh fish special everyday, and they always have Ahi Poke.  The panko tacos are their standard but you cannot go wrong with anything here.  Also, if you are a clam chowder fan, GET THIS ONE! It is unbelievable.

Ahi Burrito

Ahi Poke Tacos

Panko Crusted White Fish Tacos

Tourist Tip: Orange County has a lot of chain restaurants but if you search hard enough (think Yelp) you will find some amazing jewels!

Sac Town Tres

Last stop on the Sac train was The Porch.  After a long night of drinking, nothing is better than the hair of the dog and a little grease to help soak it all up.  The Porch has just the right amount of all of that.  Although its a bit pricey for an every weekend kind of spot, it is PERFECT for out of town visitors and fun occasions.  They have regular mimosas as well as your fun Bloody Marys and some specialties such as Mint Julep and Prosecco Berry specialties.

A little hair of the dog

We started with baked brie, got a round of drinks, and everyone ate a scramble, benedict or Fried Chicken.  It pretty much was the best hangover cure ever.  After the meal you WILL need sleep though.  Love me some southern cookin'!

Fried Oyster Benedict (get the sauce on the side)

Baked Brie to start was amazing! The jam was homemade too.

Thanks Chris for a wonderful weekend away!

Tourist Tip: Sunday mornings they have live music to make you really feel like you are in the south.  Loved the guy with a washboard!

Sac Town Night Out (Part 2)

Apparently night life in Sacramento just isn't that wonderful.  (Sorry kids.)  However, Chris did show me a great time.  We started out the night at PourHouse.  Apparently the tables have two kegs and a Jameson tap for easy drinking, however we were too late to get a table.

Got your own tap?

We next went to the seediest place in Sacramento.  I don't even remember what it is called, and I don't want any of you to go there...so moving on.  We ended the night at DeVere's with a fun session of games and pitchers.  It is a great atmosphere, a kind of bougie Irish "pub," pitchers, board games, and lots of space.  They don't have dancing from what I could see though - annoying.

Beers on Beers on Beers

After that we got some Greek food around the corner, open late night and the line was CRAZY.  Chris cut, naturally, and we got two orders of fries with feta cheese on it (amazing) and 4 gyros that I definitely did not get a bite of.  Fun night out, but you aren't missing out on anything...

Weekend Trip to Sac Town! (Part 1)

So I decided to visit my friend Chris in Sacramento.  He unfortunately is also in law school and has more classes than I do, so I decided it would be ever so kind of me to drive out for his birthday.  Little did I know that Sacramento is WAY farther from SF than I thought.  I mean its only two hours but that is like a hop, skip, and a jump away and then add an hour road trip.  Regardless I loaded up the car and headed on an adventure.  Also the outlets are on the way so OF COURSE I stopped...

A girl's gotta shop!

I haven't been to Sacramento since I was like 10 years old; for a "tour" of California with the fam.  Chris and his roommate live in a great area of town in this beautiful 1900s wooden home.  It creaks when you walk but there is stained glass everywhere and is huge.

Beautiful Old Homes in Sac-Town

After helping Chris finish a motion for summary judgment (yuck), he decided to treat me for dinner at The Press.  He is a bigger foodie than I am, so I knew it would be fabulous and I would be stuffed.  We sat outside because it was 90 degrees at 8:30 PM.  I got a glass of the house red wine (always the cheapest option and usually pretty good).  I recommend asking restaurants what type of wine it is to determine if you like it - Pinot Noir is my favorite.  Chris got a glass of scotch neat* (he's a "man" and drinks liquor straight).  Then we settled down into the appetizers.

We ordered three apps to share: Fig and Prosciutto (my request and I don't think Chris liked it), Potato Croquettes (tasted just like tater tots), and Fried Meatballs with Greek Yogurt Sauce.  The appetizers were really good, and I was already stuffed but we still ordered more.

Fried Meatballs  w/ Greek Yogurt Sauce

Potato Croquettes

For dinner, I ordered the Beef Short Rib, Red Wine Sauce and Mashed Potatoes.  The Short Rib is so tender and tasted great, but Chris' meal was much better.  The Red Wine Sauce was tasty, but plain and the mashed potatoes were just regular mashed potatoes.  Chris got the Hanger Steak with potato au gratin in a bordelaise sauce.  The potatoes were so good that we got a second order.  Seriously if you only eat one thing get the au gratin.  They are INCREDIBLE - and potatoes are my thing people.  For dessert (yes we were that fatty) we got three scoops of sorbet: cantaloupe, watermelon, and peach.  Very refreshing and tasty.  Then we went back home to get ready for a fun night on the town!

Hanger Steak and Potatoes au Gratin - AMAZING

Short Ribs and Mashed Potatoes...Tastes better than the soup it looks like

Tourist Tip: Eat outside.  Sacramento is always so hot, and the outdoor patio at night is so cute! (And great for people watching)

Oldie but goodie.

Like I have said before, being in the Tenderloin everyday does have its perks (although few).  One of my favorite places in the city happens to be behind my law school.  Morty's Deli is the bomb.  Yes I am bringing back 1995, but literally its amazing.  This isn't really a "new" find for me since I have been eating here forever, but it is too good not to mention.

Might look scary, but worth checking out!

Inside of Heaven...Morty's Deli

It is a total SF joint.  Has veggie, vegan, gluten free, and meat lover options.  I always always always get "The Paulie".  It is a roast beef sandwich with Russian dressing, coleslaw, and jack cheese (but I hold the cheese).  It isn't a hot sandwich but it is a HUGE sandwich.  You will NOT be hungry after eating here.  Some other favorites of mine are the Meatball Sub (although not the best), The Golden Gate (if you love prosciutto), The Jake, and the salads are pretty good too.  My veggie friendly buddy loves the veg burger, but had a problem with it looking too much like meat.  Not to worry they fixed this problem and changed back to normal looking veggie burgers.  I have heard the fries are good, but have honestly never had room for any.  I know they have some beers on draft too, but because I only attend this abode during lunch I have never had the chance to partake in the alcoholic festivities.

The Dirty Bird Sandwich...a whole lot of yummy.

Meatball...enough said.

Oli's favorite the Golden Gate, staple of San Francisco

Pluses: takes Credit Card, you can order online for pick up or even delivery near by (a huge plus when studying in the library and can't leave your laptop), and a whole meal is less than $10.

Cons: IT IS NOT OPEN ON THE WEEKEND.  This is the worst thing in the world and the reason why it took bub SO long to be able to try it.

Tourist Tip: To avoid the lunch rush, come no later than noon or pre-order your meal online.  It gets VERY busy for lunch, as it should because its awesome.

Red Bull and Vodkas?

My friend Kelsey is the best.  She has an amazing connection with the Social Planner at Red Bull (Ms. Red Bull), and kindly invited me along to their Flugtag Team announcements at the Phoenix Hotel.  I had never been to the hotel before - it's insane.  The cocktail hour was outside around the pool.  There was a bar (drinks for free!) and a lovely spread of yummy, yummy snacks.

Red Bull and Vodka - open for business

A little Table Top fun!

Cute Pool at Phoenix Hotel

It was a little chilly, which means everyone drank more "to warm up."  Eventually we realized it was EIGHT O'CLOCK and we hadn't eaten dinner.  Kelsey's friend then invited us to join her for dinner at Chambers restaurant inside the hotel.  The restaurant/bar area inside is full of old albums.  It was fun to go through them and read all the old titles.  All the tables are wooden, with low lighting, and a really neat vibe.

We sat at the table to the right.  SO much fun!

Albums on Albums on Albums

Because we all had a little too much to drink, we also ordered a little too much to eat.  Ms. Red Bull ordered some truffle dip (phenom, comes with truffle mushroom dip and waffle chips), ceviche, and some Crisp Polenta (which was also yummy for those veggie eaters out there). Pass on the ceviche, its hard to eat with the little chips and you don't even get that much in an order.

Ceviche and Small Chips - Skip it

Truffle Dip! Still makes my mouth drool...

Kels and I decided to split the Crab Corn Chowder and Chambers Burger.  Both are fantastic.  The burger is HUGE and the fries are amazing.  The  Chowder seems like a small helping but its so rich you almost can't finish all of it.  Wash it all down with a Lagunitas IPA and call it a night!  (Disclaimer - there was alcohol involved so the food tasted especially good!)

Chambers Burger - You won't finish it!

Tourist Tip: Even if you aren't hungry, come here for a drink.  Cool vibe and PACKED on a Thursday!  I heard they also have pretty good cocktails...I was at a Red Bull party so my choices were limited.

A Secret I'm Afraid to Give Up

So this is my ALL TIME FAVORITE Thai restaurant in San Francisco.  I am so sad to let this gem out of the bag (although it has some of the highest hits on Yelp, so I am sure its not THAT much of a secret anymore).  Anyway... bub's parents live in SF and every once in a while we grab dinner and catch up.  One of our go to spots is Marnee Thai.  It is to die for.  There are a lot of Thai places in SF, but Marnee is not only a great bang for your buck, but it's also absolutely fantastic.  Special perk - it has lots of dishes other Thai places just don't offer.  In fact, they call themselves a "Siamese" restaurant instead of Thai.  (see the history of Thailand to read up on Siam)

Back Room is perfect for large parties.

We went to the 9th and Irving location, and had about a 10 minute wait.  Not bad for a place that is always packed.  If you have a big party, try making reservations so you get seated.  The place is very, very narrow but has a large backroom for bigger parties.  Parking is also a bit tough but there are lots of side streets and the N drops you off at the corner.

Pad Thai: What they are KNOWN for!

One of the best things here is the Pad Thai.  In fact, I think they were voted #1 in the City or something.  A must get if you come here.  I always get it with tofu because it's just better that way.  I also love Pad See Ew, but its made a little differently here.  Still yummy but less bar-b-qued and more steamed, with lots of black pepper.  It's amazing with chicken.  The bub LOVES the Minced Garlic Chicken; we have sometimes ordered two of it before.  And the Yellow Curry is yummy, or Pumpkin Curry if you dare.  I will guarantee that anything you order will be absolutely incredible and keep you coming back for more...

Yellow Curry with Chicken so DELISH!

Pad See Ew with Chicken and Broccoli

Red Curry with Tofu - perfect for Spicy Lovers

Tourist Tip : Bring at least three people with you so you can try everything they have.  This place serves family style, and believe me the more you order the happier you will be!