Have you HeardAbout it?

A bit belated, but I have to give a HUGE shout out to one of my very best friends who recently launched his first business. An idea that has taken several forms since it's inception in December, has resulted as the site to go to for dining suggestions in the Bay City. Combining the taste palates and writing styles of several local food bloggers, HeardAbout challenges its fans and followers to step outside their same-old, same-old dining routine and try something new. The website features "one delicious dish per day" from many of San Francisco's favorite neighborhoods, and often with a coupon, free to download! So just think about it, a chance to break your "norm" and try great food recommendations from trusted and witty San Franciscans, and likely at a discounted price... wait, what's to think about?! Now check out the website and check out the pictures from HeardAbout's launch party at its first featured eatery, The Brickyard.

Friends and family were able to make it out for the event!

Loved the special, made for the evening, appetizers!

The ambience at the Brickyard is the best! 

Guests received tasty Nosh This balsamic caramels to remember the event!

And what is a launch party without free Swag!

BTW... not a SF Bay local? Not to worry! Drop a location suggestion to the HeardAbout team and they just may be hitting the pavement in your hometown before you know it! 

Twenty-Seven

This was, without a doubt, the best birthday I have ever had. I was surrounded by amazing friends, both new and old, and together we consumed plenty of alcohol and cupcakes. I can't say I ever pictured what life would look like at 27, but I've got this feeling that it's going to be a great year. One way or another, the kick-off was amazing!

This was what my desk looked like when I showed up to work on Friday! 

Dinner at The Republic with some of my favorite people! 

D surprised me with a Kara's Cupcake! Chocolate & Peanut Butter! LOVE!

Beautiful Tulips and Champagne to kick off the actual day from D!

And an afternoon of wine and cheese to close out the weekend! 

Thank you so much to everyone who made this birthday so very special! 

Marina Girls on the Move: Coit Tower

Ever since I joined the "corporate world" I have been able to enjoy this crazy little thing called weekends. Having worked a retail schedule for the past 5 years, the idea of having set days off, and that all of my friends also the same set days off, is really quite a novel concept. Now that D and I are finally on similar schedules, we have decided to make Sundays our time to go out and explore the City we love. Today, sporting the typical "Marina Girl" weekend attire, yoga pants, sunglasses, and lattes from Starbucks, we put one foot in front of the other and hiked our way up to Coit Tower. The views were breathtaking, which was a bit of a struggle since the climb had literally just taken our breath away. Ha. 

Almost to the top! 

A view of the bay. 

To reward ourselves for surviving such a strenuous workout, we stopped at the La Boulange Bakery on Polk Street to split a sandwich. We opted for a favorite, the Tuna  Melt, which is perfect to share, and for a sweet treat we tried two Macaroons: Pistachio and Passionfruit Mango. Delicious! 

Tuna for Two!

My new favorite treat!

There's No Place Like Home

So I grew up in a small town just North of Albany New York, called Niskayuna. We were taught growing up that in the Iroquois Indian language, Niskayuna, meant "Field of Corn." Quite the fun fact, I know. Since I have graduated college I make it back home, on average, once a year. But when I do go home, my family knows that there are two places I must visit straight away; and those are my two favorite restaurants, Blue Ribbon Diner and The Fireside. This last trip was no exception. Before I started my new job, I was able to sneak in a quick trip home to see Mom and Dad, and celebrate an early birthday with Mom in NYC. I will post my Top 5 favorite pictures from that trip soon, but here are some snapshots of my hometown favorites.

Classic pic of a NY diner; snow on the ground and a used car lot in the background.

A picture of the decorative fireside at, well, The Fireside. 

Not your typical NY pizza, but it is my absolute favorite! 

MOMA, mia

I have been wanting to check out the SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) ever since I moved here and this Saturday a friend and I finally made it happen. In college I took a few art history classes, and while I am more partial towards the Impressionists, I appreciate all forms of art. I have been saying this for years, but the next time I am in New York, I am definitely going to the Guggenhiem and the MoMa. The SFMOMA had a great sampling of works of art from the modern era, and the following are some of my favorites.

Femme au Chapeau by Henri Matisse (1905)

Guardians of the Secret by Jackson Pollock (1943)

No. 14 by Mark Rothko (1960)

Rouen Cathedral Set V by Roy Lichtenstein (1969)

After four hours of touring the 75th Anniversary Collection and an exhibit called Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance, and the camera since 1860 we were officially on information overload and in desperate need of sustenance. The roof-top cafe only provides coffee drinks and pastries and we needed a little something more. Luckily there was a great little venue just a few blocks away called Thirsty Bear Restaurant & Brewery. We each had our own beer sampler, and I have to say it is near impossible to pick a favorite, they were all so tasty! Everything on their tapas style menu looked delicious, and I was not disappointed by my choice of mini-burgers with fingerling potato salad. The brewery has a great ambiance and pool tables and dart boards on the second level. I'm excited to get a crew together and go back sometime. I didn't have my camera on me, believe it or not, but here are a few shots taken from my phone.

Mmmm, I was definitely a Thirst Bear ;-)

Sliders are always a great choice!

Down the Rabbit Hole

 

This past weekend some friends and I decided to lay-low for a night and instead of hitting the bars, we sought out a hookah bar. Every time I smoke hookah, so all about three times, I can't help but picture the Caterpillar character from the 1952 version of Disney's Alice in Wonderland. Unlike some others, including the Caterpillar, I am completely incapable of making rings or any other cool formations with the smoke. We had a great time talking, laughing, smoking our Apricot hookah, sipping tea, and eating hummus and an interesting goat cheese dessert!

 Catching a ride on the bus

(Kind of feel like an ice cream sundae with a cherry on top!)

Coat: Tulle

Hat: Old Navy

Jeans: Gap

Boots: Nicole

Great place on Fillmore St. 

Hummus and Pita, delish!

Our Hookah

Trying to look cool, but yeah, I can't make any letters, haha

Really interesting goat cheese desert! 

All That Glitters

This New Year's Eve, I'm sporting my grey Aerotek sweatpants and Denver Bronco's thermal , both made pour les hommes. Yup, thats right, I have chosen to sit this year out; mostly for financial reasons. So while I wait for my baked potato to cook in the oven, I thought I would showcase a sparkly outfit that I did wear this holiday season. Inspired by menswear, and passionate about ruffles and sparkles, I changed this simple button up shirt, to something a little more festive!

Basic black button up with white buttons

+

Sparkly new crystal buttons

=

Unique new festive holiday shirt! 

This is me rockin my new shirt at a company holiday party!

Location: Olive, a cool martini bar on Larkin & O'Farrell 

And here I am sporting my sparkles at dinner with a friend!

Location: Zushi Puzzle on Lombard St. (best sushi in the Marina!)

Happy 2011 Everyone... I'm excited 

California Casual Chic

So before our day of errand running (including the DMV, yuck!) D asked the question, how should we dress? I said, how about California casual chic; whatever that means to you. We dug through our closets, combined new and old garments and pulled out the H&M sunnies we bought a few months ago.

 

PS: Did I mention we are really goofy and LOVE food? Ok, well we do, and I will be sure to let you know where we go and what we think, that is if you are interested. 

 

Dino's Pizza on Filmore St is pretty delish. The outdoor seating option drew us in to look at the menu, and the smell of the pizza forced us to sit down. Their crust is crispy like a cracker (pardon my alliteration) which allows toppings to be piled sky high, but doesn't really add to the flavor. Overall we gave it a 7.5 rating.