Pancakes & Martinis

We were lazy on Saturday.  I think I took a 2 hour nap (which is rare) and my mom who normally has dinner on the table by 6:30 had nothing cooking. It's become a family tradition to go to church on Saturday instead of Sunday.  Apparently Mass is faster and there is a smaller crowd (after all it is Saturday night). Imagine our surprise when the Easter Vigil Mass was 90 minutes instead of the normal speedy 50 minutes! Arriving home at 10:15 at night, the Spiteri Family unanimously voted breakfast for dinner!  

Cooking an egg on the griddle 

Pumpkin Pancakes on the grill 

(not only are we having breakfast for dinner but we are also celebrating Halloween instead of Easter!)

Stephanie and Stella thinking about pancakes.

Stephanie with her Bailey Coffee and Bill with his Dirty Martini.  I think martinis go with anything. Don't you agree? 

Piroshky & Daffodils

Alone in Seattle...
Here are a few pictures I snapped while in route to the airport.

My view of the Seattle Space Needle during a taxi ride. I'm kind of liking the abstract photo of the space needle.



Despite the cold temperature, spring was making it's debut at the Pike Place Market.

Daffodils for sale at the Pike Place Market.

The original Starbucks.

The Pike Place Market sign.  It's hard to see in this picture, but there are flower boxes on the roof with tulip and daffodil bulbs.  The flowers will start to bloom in the next month. 

 Piroshky, Piroshky.  When you see a line wrapped along a building, you know the food must be good!   

Dangerous Dynamo

Place: Dynamo Donut & Coffee
Neighborhood: Mission
Price: $2 - 3 per donut
Outstanding Flavor: Maple Glazed Bacon Apple (need I say more!)
Fun Factor:  The sitting area is comfy and cute and has plenty of story books to read about donuts!
Future Concern: The donuts are tasty and are as light as air.  I could have easily ate a dozen myself !  At least my morning walk canceled out the calories I consumed.

 Today's flavors

Pretty glass stands waiting to be filled 

Fresh donuts

Breakfast of champions (me eating a donut after my walk!)

Two Words: Brass Band

Photo Credit

Venue: The Independent
Band: Rebirth Brass Band and the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars
Drinks: Tasty and Cheap
Seats: Standing room only = not a bad view in the house (except if you're 5'2 and under).
Cool fact: Sustainability; The Independent promotes positive change by proactively reducing the our venue’s environmental footprint. By making their internal operations more sustainable, they seek to educate and inspire our employees, patrons and bands to become more environmentally conscious. Our environmental objectives are focused on three key areas: waste diversion, conservation, education and outreach. source

Thanks guys for a fun evening.  Can't wait for the next concert.

Carrillo Turkey Trot

Although it's my parent tradition to host Thanksgiving, Nick and I started a new tradition this year and organized the first annual Carrillo Turkey Trot Bar Crawl.  We may have been stuffed from the previous night but we're still thirsty!

So who's in for next year?

First stop: The Hydeout. Think Three's Company Regal Beagle. This place had red walls and black leather chairs. Drinks were dangerously good and very reasonable.

 

Me, Marge, Andi and Stephanie

Second stop: The Bigfoot Lounge. Decorated like a log cabin, this is a fun place to grab a drink with a group.

The swanky wine bar.  I'm in love with the red lights!

Third stop: Amelie. Swanky wine bar located on Polk, this was the perfect stop to get a refreshing glass of wine and lite bites.   

Mr. Nick

(Ian, Lena, Paul and Andi)

Final Stop: BeldenTaverna.  This Italian restaurant has a great selection of sea food.

Dim Sum + Art History

A perfect date for Nick and I usually consist of the following things: pretty views, a long walk and most importantly... FOOD.  Yesterday our Saturdate adventure took us to the Richmond district of San Francisco where we enjoyed food from the Shanghai Dumpling King and saw the Japanesque exhibit at the Legion of Honor.   

The Dumpling King located on Balboa between 34th & 35th 

The #8 special hot and spicy

A complimentary fried donut with sugar



The Legion of Honor with pretty orange flowers

A view at dusk

Both were unique experiences.  It was my first time going to the Legion of Honor and I was taken back by the beautiful views of the Golden Gate bridge and the city skyline. 

The dim sum however takes the cake on our favorite part of the day.  This tiny restaurant has a major following and has a mega menu to look at.  

I guess they call them the Dumpling King for a reason.........

Saturdate in the City

What happens when you have to plan a date encompassing the words: batter, north, red and new adventure? 

First  you go to Stable Cafe and eat scones made by Batter Bakery.  Second you drive north to that big RED landmark.  Third instead of driving over it, your adventure is to walk it!  Although walking the Golden Gate bridge is a tourist thing to do, as a Bay Area resident everyone should try this once. Views are breathtaking and even though we started the walk in fog, before we knew it the sun was out and it felt like summer (for like a minute).  Here is our Saturdate in pictures.

Stable Cafe located in the Mission 

The Golden Gate bridge with fog

Street light on the Golden Gate Bridge with the fog

 The north tower of the golden gate bridge looking up to the sky

An up close photo of the top of the Golden Gate Bridge north tower looking up

The texture of the Golden Gate bridge

I think this is postcard worthy...

Real Flavor. Real History.

Boudin

In 1849, the Boudin family struck culinary gold. Wild yeasts in the San Francisco air had imparted a unique tang to their traditional French bread, giving rise to “San Francisco sourdough French bread.” Today, the Boudin family's initial recipe lives on in the hands and hearts of our expert bakers, with a portion of the original mother dough still starting each and every sourdough loaf we make. Boudin history since 1849. (credit)

Boudin for breakfast has been my parents weekend "go to" spot since they became empty Nester's.  This morning I decided to crash their party and joined them for a lovely (but long) walk along the Embarcadero.  When we reached Pier 39, the fresh breakfast croissant sandwich melted in my mouth and my french roast coffee was a perfect compliment to my meal.

Name: Boudin
Where: Pier 39 Location
Price: $4.95
What I had: Egg scramble on a croissant with Cheddar cheese and ham.
Secret Surprise: Not all Boudin's serve breakfast, so check with your local Boudin before you get your heart set on a breakfast sandwich or their famous French toast.

A view from the pier bench

Hot cup of Joe

Dad with his sandwich

Yum Yum.... egg, cheddar cheese on a fresh croissant

'wichcraft

After living in Long beach for almost 11 years, I'm having to reacquaint myself with the Bay Area. A lot has changed since I last lived here and the next few months will be about first time experiences and rediscovering a place I love. This week I discovered a gourmet sandwich shop. Although I usually gravitate to ma &  pa sandwich shops this gourmet sandwich shop is worth trying out.  Besides there are only 3 locations total; San Francisco, New York and Las Vegas.

Name: 'witchcraft (cute name for a sandWich shop)

Where: 868 Mission & 5th, San Francisco (by Westfield Centre)

Price: $5.95 - $9.50

Fun Fact: Tom Colicchio head judge of Bravo's Top Chef,  founded ’wichcraft with partners Sisha Ortuzar and Jeffrey Zurofsky in 2003.

Favorite Sandwich: Roasted turkey, avocado, bacon, onion relish & aioli on ciabatta roll. See picture below.

Photo Credit

Feeling adventurist, try making your own sandwich with this cookbook available on amazon.com