BERRY BERRY MERRY

OMG berries are in season.  Look how lovely they look.  Sweet too!

San Francisco Part 2

I finally received my CPA certificate in the mail! Woohoo, I am officially a CPA!

So we stayed at Petite Auberge in San Francisco, a boutique hotel affiliated with the White Swan right next door. I wasn't too pleased when I walked into the room with floral wallpapers and Victorian style furniture. The room was a bit on the small side and I really wasn't feeling the decor. After staying for 5 nights, I have to say it wasn't too bad. The best part was the breakfast and happy hour. They provided free goodies and wine!

Breakfast with oatmeal, eggs, sausage patties and pastry

Breakfast with quiche, croissants and sausages

Cute tartlets from happy hour

We also went to the Fisherman's Wharf, which is San Fran's version of our South Street Seaport.  We stopped by for its famous New England Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl and it was delish!  I tried to eat as much of the sour dough bread bowl but I couldn't even get through half of it due to its size!

We stopped by for some Japanese food before we left for our flight.  Good, but pricey .. a lot pricier than New York!

I miss you San Francisco!

San Francisco Part 1

I was recently away on vacation for 2 weeks, 5 days of which were spent in San Francisco.  My boy toy and I are use to packing light for hot Caribbean islands, our go-to vacation spot for the summer time.  So when I suggested that we go to San Francisco, where temperatures are usually peaking in the 60's, his response was "meh!"  I understood where he was coming from. I spent so long packing, trying to decide what to pack and coming up with plenty "what if" climactic scenarios in my head.

Despite the chilliness, we had a blast in San Fran.  We visited Little Saigon, Japantown, Chinatown, the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, Sonoma and Napa wineries, Golden Gate Park and the Fisherman's Wharf.  Here are some of the many food adventures:

The first thing that we wanted to do at Little Saigon was to try their Banh mi!  I found on Yelp a highly recommended spot called Saigon Sandwich, a boutique store that specializes in banh mi and banh mi only.  Yes, I wanted a cup of iced Vietnamese coffee to accompany my sandwich, but unfortunately, they don't make them, which explains why their sandwiches were so delish!  Unlike the ones that I've had here in NYC, Saigon Sandwich (SF) did not fill the bread with roast pork.  Instead, they used pulled pork, which was a pretty nice touch given its extreme softness.  One thing that kind of turned us off, however, was the pate.  The filling contained a huge slob of pate, which kind of overpowered the sandwich.  The 2nd time we ordered from Saigon Sandwich (yes, it was that good), we asked for it without the pate, and gave it a whopping 95%.

Because they didn't make iced coffee, we walked about a block away to Lee's Sandwich to grab a cup.  Loved it!  We did stop by to try THEIR banh mi another day, but I completely forgot to snap a picture of it because I was starving.  Anywho, the sandwich was abnormally long for a banh mi, lacked filling and just couldn't compare to Saigon Sandwich.  I advise that you walk the extra block then stop by for iced coffee at Lee's.  By the way, sandwiches were only $3.75 vs. the $4.50 that I pay here in New York!!  What the dilio...

My boyfriend modeling for me, free of charge

At North Beach, which houses San Fran's version of "Little Italy," we made a stop at Tony's Pizza Napoletana, another highly recommended spot on Yelp, for some pizza. We started off with some bread that came with 3 dipping sauces:  olive oil, garlic, and sweet chili.  It was a sweet treat to have while waiting for the pie.

Don't be fooled!  It didn't only come with 4 clams.  The entire pie was topped with pieces of clam ... Yum Yum!

To be continued...

Fish w/ Bittermelon & Black Bean Sauce

Per Chinese people, there are a number of foods popular amongst the Asians, particularly the Chinese, that supposedly "de-heat" your body when you're feeling a bit "heaty."  I honestly have no clue what the proper term to describe this "heatiness" is, but it is pronounced "yeet hay" in the Cantonese dialect.  Symptoms of "heatiness" may include nose bleeds (again, this is per the Chinese), oral blisters, acne, and so on.  I suppose when anything protrudes from your skin or unpleasant liquids start oozing out of your body in one way or another ... you're heaty?  Lol.

Anyway, so whenever I'm feeling this heatiness and feel the need to cleanse my body, or may I use the popular term "detox," I go to these foods as a solution.  For instance, herbal teas, winter melon, and bitter melon.  I have no scientific backing to all this gibberish, but I am after all Chinese and will support my fellow Chinese for their health theories!

And that brings me to my dish, fish and bitter melon stir fry with black bean sauce.  Don't be intimidated by bitter melon!

Antioxidants ... My Excuse to Eat Ice Cream!!

It's been so warm out recently that I finished my first tub of ice cream!!  Not a good sign, especially since bikini season is approaching!

However, I have nothing but rave for this brand and flavor of ice cream.  It is green tea ice cream by Maeda-en, by far one of my most favorite!  I love the fact that, unlike most other ice cream, Maeda-en's green tea ice cream isn't overly sweet.  At the same time, you can actually taste a good amount of green tea flavor.  It is also creamy enough to get the perfect scoop, so broken wrists are not required!  If you have to use antioxidants as an excuse to eat this ice cream everyday, go for it!!  That's what I do! =D

I'm working on my 2nd tub =X