It has been nearly 2 years since I moved from San Francisco back to Los Angeles (and vicinity). Pretty much every time I go back to S.F. for a visit, I am reminded about how much I miss it. Don't get me wrong, I love the excitement and fun-filled times of my L.A. crew, but there's just something about the City that envelopes me like a warm fleece Snuggie. Perhaps it's the fact that I don't have to drive hours to places? Is it the slightly chilly weather with crisp clean air? How about the fun times I have with my friends? Or, more likely, it is a combination of all of the above.
January 29, 2010 - Toyose (San Francisco, CA)
Besides my affinity for Korean BBQ, I also find Korean fried chicken wings irresistible. Combined with tasty cocktail soju, and there is a party in my mouth and everyone's invited (okay, maybe not everyone). But I digress... Tucked away in a Sunset District enclave is a nifty little place where the magic happens. By "magic" I mean good drinks, good food, and of course, good conversation. From the outside, Toyose is simply unassuming. You would mistake it for the plethora of garages and other attached single family units that litter the Sunset. Once inside, however, it is a quaint restaurant that has some really tasty Korean food.
Our table of 8 quickly ballooned to 12+ by the end of the night. At least four plates of the spicy chicken wings were consumed along with a hot pot, pork cutlet, etc. The cocktail soju flavors we tried were strawberry, aloe, mango and yogurt. The aloe and the mango are my personal favorites. If you're ever in S.F., I highly recommend this place for a fun and relaxing night out with friends!
Highlights:
- Getting to the restaurant 20 minutes early because my friend who drove thought we were late.
- Seeing friends I had not seen in a very long time (over a year in some cases)!
- Seeing a friend buzzed for the first time... And I've known him for 8+ years.
- Explaining what a "mushroom stamp" is to a group of females.
- Cocktail soju tastes really good, making it that much more dangerous.
- Collectively finishing at least 15 bottles of said cocktail soju.
- Order the spicy chicken wings. Better yet, order two!
- Finally, I get to drink and not have to worry about driving.
January 30, 2010 - Guaymas (Tiburon, CA), Mingalaba (Burlingame, CA), Gokart Racer (Burlingame, CA) & Hooters (San Bruno, CA)
Okay, so for this trip it seemed like I did everything but stay in the city... And it all started Saturday. The plan was originally to try Absinthe Brasserie & Bar located in the heart of S.F. However, as our group grew larger, our reservation time became later. So, at the insistence of a friend, we went off to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge to a Mexican restaurant called Guaymas. The food was decent, but nothing I would rave home about. I had beef fajitas, which were well seasoned and soft, but it took nearly 45 minutes just to get my Coke and my friend's shrimp dish was overly salted. But who cares! To me, food is only part of the reason you go to Tiburon. The real reason? The view. It is a sea (bay?) side community and the location of the restaurant faces directly back to S.F. The weather was very nice and we took a leisurely walk back to the car after our meal. People were sailing, walking their dogs or just walking in general. Bring a girl here, let her cuddle up next to you while walking, and pimp it.
Lately we have had this issue where we decide to eat around 2-3pm, all the while knowing we have a pre-planned dinner at 5-6pm. This evening proved to be the same, for shortly after concluding our stay at Guaymas, we quickly found ourselves at a table at Mingalaba (Burmese cuisine). I have no idea the names of 99% of the foods I ate, but all were tasty, especially the pumpkin/chicken dish. Oh, and I had a Thai Iced Tea that was way too watery. Overall, I am not a big Burmese food fan. I'll stick with Thai or Indian.
After the birthday dinner, the majority of us headed over to Gokart Racer for some racing. I had not been go karting in a long time (the last time was probably a friend's bachelor party a few years back). Needless to say, if I lived closer to a place, I'd go all the time!
Can you call it a night at 11pm? On a Saturday night no less? No, not in my book! The two lovely ladies I was staying with wanted to grab a quick bite to eat and a drink, so we headed to Hooters. Conveniently, this Hooters is directly across the street from their apartment complex. This location, although only open for one month, was typical Hooters fare. After being greeted by Melissa, our server Crystal took our order. Curly fries + libations = great way to wind down a night.
Highlights:
- Christopher Cross' "Sailing" song went through my head in Tiburon. I think I've been spending too much time listening to KOST (in L.A.).
- At Mingalaba, our table was loud. No, let me rephrase that - LOUD. Much better, and to the dismay of the patrons around us. But what do you expect when you put a group of 20+ in a room to celebrate three birthdays?
- Go kart racing is fun... Especially when I was hit from behind, blinked, and my right contact lens fell out into the helmet. This was on my third lap. I drove half-blind with no depth perception for the remainder of the time. "Nut up or shut up," as they say. And my friends thought I took the instructional videos' comment of, "no contact" a little too literally.
- Crystal at Hooters was an odd girl. She would come by our table and just stare at us. Of course I initiated conversation, but she's still weird.
January 31, 2010 - Stacks Restaurant (Burlingame, CA), hiking (San Bruno Mountains, CA), Eggettes (Daly City, CA) & BJ's (San Bruno, CA)
Do you like breakfast/brunch? I sure do. Stacks is probably my second favorite breakfast/brunch place in the Bay Area (Judy's Cafe off Chestnut is still my favorite). I had a crab crêpe that consisted of crab meat, avocado and jack cheese wrapped inside of a crêpe and topped off with hollandaise sauce. Talk about an artery clogger! We also shared a short stack of pancakes. I always think that one of these days I won't be able to eat like this anymore... I pray that doesn't happen any time soon.
After Stacks, we headed to the San Bruno Mountains for a picturesque hike. You start off facing the East Bay, and then the trail wraps around to the Pacific Ocean. While only 3.1 miles, it's the perfect easy hike after a meal. With frequent stops to take pictures, we completed the loop in approximately 1.5 hours.
What bout of exercising wouldn't be complete without eating after? I had not enjoyed Eggettes yet, a staple snack place during my S.F. visits, so I suggested we go to the one in Daly City. Let's just say that the Eggettes off of Noriega in the Sunset has a much bigger selection and better tasting original Eggettes. I was slightly disappointed, but it was still enjoyable. We'll go to the Noriega one instead next time...
My trip came to and end, but not without stopping at one final place - BJ's, which coincidentally is in the same center as the aforementioned Hooters. Sure, we have these back in L.A. But I needed a quick bite to eat before boarding my 9:30pm plane back home. Luckily, we quickly found a table in the bar area. We shared pulled pork sliders, a margherita flatbread pizza, and of course a pizookie. Nourished and content, I boarded my flight and thinking about how I can't wait to come back. March isn't too far off now is it?
Highlights:
- Say "hi" to Karen, a server at Stacks, for me.
- Don't hike wearing sneakers with no tread on them after a rain. I almost slipped/fell countless times.
- I slept like a baby on the plane ride back. I must have been trying to digest all of the food from the weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment