Besties

There's nothing like quality time with your besties, and this past weekend some of our besties (Yuri & Salina) came down to stay with us.  We're always so excited for house guests and visitors, and this was a truly wonderful 3 days & nights.  The weather was set to "perfect", and we had no shortage of excellent food & lots of giggles.  

Our first group dinner was at Foreign Cinema, on their lovely outdoor patio (lit and heated) where they project a film onto a huge wall.  Memorable items- outstanding cocktails, duck rillettes with lentils, and their super flavorful (not fried) calamari.


Saturday- in a constant effort to try new things in this amazing city of ours, we took Yuri & Salina to the House of Air to jump on some trampolines.  It wasn't exactly what we were expecting (aka, we felt like a bunch of creepy weirdos in a warehouse full of kids), but we had a blast with it anyway.

At one point I was sternly told to stop stealing bounces from Mass, and the boys participated in a 3-person game of dodge ball (with an 8-year old kid), so I'd say all in all we had a great time.

Saturday night we assembled a crew for dinner at Park Tavern, home of the most delicious deviled eggs on earth, then went to a fabulous show at a venue called Bimbo's, where we danced our butts off to Michael Jackson's greatest hits.  It was a blast!

Check out this band, Foreverland.  They were awesome!

80's Rocker Nate & Serena the cadet

Kris & Kevin, Zombie Bride & Groom

Um, not really sure...

The whole gang...quite a mash-up

Getting a little mixed up...

Sunday we gathered our tired bodies and got ourselves to Farmerbrown for their Gospel Sunday Brunch.  This was the perfect way to spend our Sunday.  Bloody mary's, bellinis, amazingly perfect fried chicken and the most buttery biscuits & gravy, all accompanied by live music- a jazz/funk/R&B delight.

Random photo of the week- there are several awesome things going on here.  Can you spot them all? :)

And of course, all good things must come to an end, but we'll always cherish this weekend with great friends.  We'll spend this last day of October hiding in our apartment recovering, laughing at cute pictures on Facebook of everyone's kids dressed up for Halloween, and ready (sort of) to welcome in November.

Parents' Weekend!

Remember in college when we had 'Mom's Weekend' & 'Dad's Weekend'?  Or depending on which university you attended, maybe it was just combined into 'Parents' Weekend'.  Well, we just had our version of Parents Weekend in SF...from Saturday to Wednesday.  Gary, Michelle, John & Valerie all came down to visit us in our new city!  We packed our days & nights full of activities, and did lots of eating (as usual).  
*Feel free to click on the hyperlinks throughout this post, and be prepared to take notes if you're planning a culinary trip to the Bay area any time soon. *

The O'Leyar's arrived on Saturday, and we promptly got our kraut on at Leopold's.  You can't go wrong with their amazing house-made sausage & kraut!  Their selection of German beers is quite impressive as well.


Sunday morning we headed up north to introduce my parents to lovely wine country...

A foggy stop near the Golden Gate bridge on our way up 

Wine tasting at Jacuzzi vineyards in Sonoma.  Love this place!

After a stop for some bubbles at Gloria Ferrer, followed by a delicious lunch at The Girl and the Fig, we pressed on.

We enjoyed more great wine & beautiful scenery at Gundlach Bundschu

Mahone got in on the wine tasting too

Sunday night the Backus pair arrived, and we all had dinner at Pesce, a great local spot in our neighborhood, that serves mostly small plates of primarily seafood.  In a city full of restaurants, it's been around for 11 years, and I can see why.


On Monday, our surprise adventure for our folks was a tour of Alcatraz!  None of us had ever been, so it was a new experience for everyone.

It was a gorgeous day!  Gotta love the audio tour headsets. :)

Monday night we were joined by our dear friends and SF consultants, Nate & Serena.  The eight of us had meatballs, burrata, and pasta cooked to perfection at A16.  Our parents just adored these two, as we knew they would.


On the agenda for Tuesday was a trip to the de Young museum in Golden Gate Park.

It's an amazing museum with some incredible artwork.  The architecture is a feast for the eyes too.  We could've stayed there for hours on end!

The trip wouldn't be complete without a stop for lunch at our favorite sandwich spot, Blue Front Cafe on Haight street.  Don't let the website scare you, it's delicious- I promise!

...just trying to see how many touristy things we could fit into one  visit...

Tuesday evening my parents headed back to Seattle, adequately worn out from their time here.  The remaining 4 of us had our final dinner at Kokkari, yet another recommendation from Nate & Serena that didn't disappoint.  We topped it off with dessert at The Loving Cup.  Mass likes the rice pudding, but I'm a fan of the frozen yogurt...they mix in the toppings with a machine!


Finally, I had to face reality and go back to work, and Mass took his folks to the amazing Tartine Bakery.  I haven't had the pleasure of trying it yet, but from what I hear they make outrageously good pastries.
Whew!  After our 5-day stint of touring & feasting we now officially don't need to eat again for weeks...but something tells me we'll find a reason to do this all over again soon. :)

Mahoney loved playing with her doting 'grandparents'!  This is basically how we were all feeling by the end of the 5 day tour.  Exhausted but happy.  Thanks for the visit Moms & Dads!

Remembrance & Celebration

This was a week of remembrance and celebration in a number of ways.  Wednesday afternoon we made the drive to Toluca Lake to attend Papa's funeral.  It was a beautiful, elegant Catholic ceremony, he was laid to rest in a gorgeous spot at Forrest Lawn, and the celebration of his life continued both at Lakeside Country Club, then their home of many years.  There were so many friends & family in attendance to pay their respects, and as always, the food & drinks were never ending.  It was a truly lovely event.

Some of my most favorite people.  Our last moments together before heading back up north.  Love them!

The Bay Bridge welcoming us back.  Home sweet home!

Sunday was the final day of "Fleet Week" in San Francisco, and after I spent a few hours at work, we walked into North Beach to enjoy the festivities.  There was a huge Italian heritage parade, a car show full of shiny Ferrari's, and tons of people out & about on a gorgeous Sunday, having a great time.

Flag carriers in the parade

A Peroni float playing loud dance music...definitely one of the highlights. :)

This photo is completely random and has no explanation.  I just took this pic a few days ago and it cracks me up so I thought I'd include it.  Might be a Halloween costume idea...  Who knows.  ;)

Weekend Warriors

This past weekend we were blessed with a visit from some weekend warriors...and boy did we make the most of it...

Walking through the Palace of Fine Arts

Sightseeing...the view from the top of Lombard Street

Alcatraz

Mass took the girls up to the rooftop of our building and practiced the  "sorority squat"

We enjoyed some tasty German beers at the annual Oktoberfest by the Bay

For details: Oktoberfest

We continued our Friday night with one of the most ridiculous, yet strangely awesome experiences at a spot called The Tonga Room, located in the Fairmont hotel.  If a Disneyland ride, a cheesy Vegas club/casino, and a tacky wedding all had a baby, it would be the Tonga Room.  See Exhibit A:

Yes, that is indoor rain and a floating band...Megan is definitely giving it the thumbs up....and Hillary and I are dancing while holding onto some rope netting.  And we are not actually on a boat. 

On Saturday we attended the nuptials of our dear friends Ann & Steve.  Their ceremony was at The Chapel of our Lady in the picturesque Presidio of San Francisco, and their reception was held at The Terra Gallery in the SOMA neighborhood.  Their wedding was so touching, quite beautiful, and every detail was thoughtfully planned and very tasteful.  Oh, and the food was delish!

Must....keep....going....

Our final group photo of the weekend, after finishing the night at a super sexy lounge called 25 Lusk.  (Thanks to Megan for asking our neighbors to take this pic.)

Between the copious amounts of walking, the variety of drinks, and tons of food,  we were all tuckered by the end of the weekend.  What troopers these ladies were!  It was such a treat to have them here!