California Dreamin'-A 14 Day Odyssey to San Fran,Yosemite & DL! 8/2013 COMPLETE!1/9!!

[KristiMc]

Segway tours are the best! Steve and I did one in Boston this summer.

 

[podsnel]

Up to the RC we went to see what was being offered that night at happy hour and if it would suffice as dinner for the boys. Tonight was an Asian theme, and the offerings were plentiful- sorry I don't have many pics of it, but we were just kind of there briefly to get T&T situated before Pods and I scurried off for our romantic evening of Foodie heaven at Boulevard. So- Tim loaded up on Chicken Satay-





And eggrolls, and noodles, and and and....Tyler did the same. Even I couldn't resist a small sampling of kimchi etc with my LOVELY $4 wine-



Soon Pods and i were on our short walk over to our luxe restaurant of choice while visiting SF, Boulevard. Just want to note, where to have a high-end dinner while here was one of my toughest decisions of the trip, and once again my foodie girlfriend, Tricia, reassured me this was an excellent choice. Thanks AGAIN, Tricia! Other contenders were Gary Danko, Fleur de Lys, and some others- but really the BIGGEST one was we thought about taking the train over to Berkeley and having dinner at Chez Panisse. I am a HUGE Alice Waters fan- but, ultimately, we were not willing to bring the kids, and we were also not willing to go so far away from them (her restaurants are over in Berkeley), so we will have to go ask Alice about dinner on another trip....Boulevard ended up winning out because I have their cookbook, and anything I have ever made from it has been two things- 1. Extremely delicious and 2. Extremely labor-intensive. The fact that it was maybe a block and a half from our hotel did not hurt, either, lol!

On the way we saw some cool cars-



Boulevard is in the Audiffred Building, which is historic in that it has survived so many things since it was built in 1889 including fires and earthquakes in addition to being the location of several significant events (like Bloody Thursday). You can read about it here- http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=Audiffred_Building if you are more interested. Otherwise, you can know as I did that it looks like it should be standing in Paris- and inside? It felt very Parisian as well, Oui Oui!





Once inside, we gave our names- oh, excuse me- we gave our names AFTER Mrs. Snotty Stuck-up and Oblivious to any other humans Snotterson entered behind us, walked in front of us, and gave HER very long and incredibly well chosen by her parents name, and was seated FIRST.



Anyway, I guess she added to the ambiance- I have heard Parisians can be incredibly rude and arrogant, and she was holding up THAT end very well, thank you, when no one else was- everyone else we encountered in the restaurant was perfectly lovely.

The restaurant was GORGEOUS. I was tickled to bits- and I felt like I was in Paris (not that I have ever been YET, but this is how it IS in my mind).





We were seated at a table for two, right next to the open kitchen- I was THRILLED.

The window across from us-



The most handsome and sexy man in any room I am in-



For cocktails, I ordered ARE YOU LISTENING, ALISON? A Cucumber gimlet- Hendricks gin, muddled cucumer, lime juice, simple syrup



Heaven. Pods ordered a vodka rocks- our server recommended one we had never heard of, and I can't find it listed anywhere, so- here it is, mystery vodka on ice with 3 mighty nice olives-



There was an app special- our server explained these were summer truffles, and would have a significantly lighter flavor than black or white truffles which are harvested in winter. I ordered it anyway, but he was 100% correct- they lacked that umami-ness associted with truffles. But it WAS awfully pretty, wasn't it? Summer Truffles and Ricotta Cavatelli- Poached guinea Hen Egg, Salvo Cremesca Fonduta, Sicilian Pistacios & Laudernio Olive Oil $16



The little purple bits are borage flowers. Pods ordered totelloni- I am sorry I don't have more details, I did take menu pics, but its unreadable at the top.



I do remember, however, that it was delicious. Our server was PERFECT in every way- he agreed to a photo-



We ordered wine with dinner, LOVE old Vines Zins-



And it made us VERY happy, as if we weren't already happy enough-



On to our mains- I chose CALIFORNIA LAMB T-BONE- WOOD OVEN ROASTED, SERVED OFF THE BONE- Grilled Monterey Artichoke, Carrot & Bekli Panzanella with Our Pancetta, Mixed Farros with Creamed Artichoke, Cynar Lamb Jus, Mint and Orange $37



It deserves two pics, it really was beyond fab-



Pods went with the EDEN VALLEY BERKSHIRE (KUROBUTA) PORK PRIME RIB CHOP WOOD OVEN ROASTED- Black rice and chorizo stuffed Squash Blossom, Fresh shell Beans and little pole beans, Marcona Almonds, FX Vinegar, Roasted pork Jus $37



He loved this-they always have a seasonal version of both of these dishes on their menu. In fact, the pork chop in the cookbook I have is actually one of the recipes I have made (in the book it is brined, then has a cider pork jus and pomegranate seeds). I made it one year for Christmas, minus the kurobuto pork, and mine looked like this-



I was SPANKIN proud of myself when i made it- but you can see I created a HUGE mess preparing it, hence the reason behind letting THEM do the cooking on this trip, lol-



Hmm...that dishwasher in my restaurant has a nice a$$....but I digress....

More food next post-

 

[jedijill]

I'm DROOLING!!! The food looks amazing! And its putting the salad I had for lunch to shame.

Jill in CO

(I need me one of those dishwashers! )

 

[podsnel]

I always love to watch the line cook- it is fascinating that they all move in sync with each other while doing such specific jobs, all to put together all of these various gorgeous and delicious plates of food.



It was time for dessert, and YES, for once, we would be partaking.



We splurged on after dinner drinks- this WAS our anniversary dinner- well, our belated on vacation one, so I managed to order a Gran Marnier Centenaire-



Ohhhh....is that smooth.....Pods ordered a port-



And our shared dessert of berries-



More kitchen activity-



It was a lovely meal, we would ALWAYS go back- Boulevard is an unbelievable restaurant, and we could not be more pleased with our choice that night. To me, one of the BEST parts was that here we were in this very high end place, but the staff was just right- our server was not at ALL pretentious, he was so friendly and knowleadgable. It was all just perfect! Here is the entrance-



Bye bye Boulevard-



Back to our hotel, where things were hoppin outside -



We stayed out there a minute and danced (they were playing the Cupid shuffle, a song I can NEVER resist, because it is the ONLY line dance I am capable of other than the hokey pokey and the bunny hop- do they count? ), then went inside-







And then some packing up and one last sleep before heading to part two of our California Odessy- Yosemite!



Our last day in glorious San Fran- next time!

 

[podsnel]

Segway tours are the best! Steve and I did one in Boston this summer.

Very cool! And hey- thank you for the lovely Christmas card- it was such a nice surprise!!!

I'm DROOLING!!! The food looks amazing! And its putting the salad I had for lunch to shame.

Jill in CO

(I need me one of those dishwashers! )

I will absolutely attest to the fact that all of this food is drool-worthy. I MUST go back!!

And my dishwasher rocks- usually my girlfriends line up at the end of the night to watch him clean up the kitchen- they all find him EXTREMELY sexy, lol!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

So rude of that woman pushing ahead of you. I hate when people try to do that to me, I always call them out. I may be older, but I'm still feisty!

My dishwasher used to have a nice a$$, but it went away about twenty years ago. I think it shifted to his front! LOL!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Ellen! I can't believe your NYE cruise is so close! Which means Christmas is - I don't know where the time is going.

I'm glad you had such a great Segway tour. Once again you got some really nice pics - making me homesick.

Your anniversary dinner looks wonderful. Such a cool old place, too - I love the brick on the ceiling. I'm looking forward to your next leg, and to your cruise, too - guess I need to find your FB page!

 

[podsnel]

So rude of that woman pushing ahead of you. I hate when people try to do that to me, I always call them out. I may be older, but I'm still feisty!

Good for you! I was kind of in shock- normally I would say something, too!

My dishwasher used to have a nice a$$, but it went away about twenty years ago. I think it shifted to his front! LOL!

LMAO!!!! My dishwasher has a bubble butt, like a baseball player- no front-shift of it yet, that I can see!

Hi Ellen! I can't believe your NYE cruise is so close! Which means Christmas is - I don't know where the time is going.

Two weeks from today for Christmas! Hard to believe- but I think it feels so quick because Thanksgiving was so late this year.

I'm glad you had such a great Segway tour. Once again you got some really nice pics - making me homesick.

Aww...sorry to make you homesick-

Your anniversary dinner looks wonderful. Such a cool old place, too - I love the brick on the ceiling. I'm looking forward to your next leg, and to your cruise, too - guess I need to find your FB page!

Boulevard is beautiful- I am so glad we chose it!

And I invited you to like my FB page, so hopefully you can find it now!

 

[podsnel]

I was up early (surprise!!!) on our last day here- today we had some activities planned before we left our hearts in San Francisco and did the 3 1/2 hour drive to Groveland, CA on the edge of Yosemite National Park. While everyone slept, I went outside and saw...



OMG!!! A fogless morning!! I did not run upstairs, though- instead, I went down on that elevator because it was Saturday, and I was across from the Ferry Building- which is, on Saturdays, home to one AMAZING farmers market.

The farmers market is SO fabulous, in fact, it had me in tears- sooo many sights and smells, fragrant peaches and nectarines, flowers of many kinds...what a GREAT way to spend my morning!





I did arrive so early, many of the booths were still or just setting up. But inside the ferry building, there was something I needed to get for my family for breakfast before we left here.

But they were all still snoozin, so no rush- I walked around a bit inside first.



Out back-



Inside again-



This stand (a permanent store in the bldg) make me cry- I have NEVER seen so many fresh wild mushrooms all at once- aren't they gorgeous?



Well, before it got too crowded, I went over to stand in the already long line (which would only continue to grow) at Blue Bottle Coffee Co for amazing world-famous coffee for ME, and piping hot, freshly made waffles for ALL. Here are all the choices available there-





Once I had my waffles, I left to bring them back- and look at the line NOW!



My family was stirring- waking up to a crispy, crunchy but also soft, slightly sweet yummy waffle got them all motivated to open their eyes-



That is some seriously yummo paper wrapped goodness there! I left them all to get ready, and returned to the market. Which was now in full swing. First though, I had another item to get- for our lunch later on. Roti Roti Gourmet rotisserie was located outside to the right of the building- they have Porchetta Sandwiches I read RAVES about- so I got in line for 2 of those-



MAJOR DROOL!!!!!!



Here is where I screwed up- I did not buy any of those lovely potatoes on the bottom of the roaster- I AM AN IDIOT!!! I guess I figured they wouldn't have been good cold, but looking back, I should have taken the chance. We ate them later, but this is what the sandwiches look like-



Anyway, here are more pics from there- truly it it a MUST DO- people of San Francisco, you are some lucky, lucky foodies!





















Cont'd next post-

 

[podsnel]

I was seriously jonesin' that we were leaving here today, and that I was NOT going to have a kitchen anytime soon, because all I could really do was look at everything and imagine what I could make with all of it. So, so jelly of anyone with a kitchen in SF right then!



Everyone is handing out samples of their amazing produce-



Then back inside-









I puchased a cute little hive candle from a bee/honey stand (inside- not pictured) for Sheree, then it was time to go.



Back across the street at the Hyatt, the shopping booths had also stepped it up for Saturday, as there was much more to choose from here as well.



While I had been out, Pods had taken a taxi to rent a car (prices at a place more in the city, rather than at the Hyatt, were waaaaaay cheaper for us- there are some MAJOR expenses to be incurred in CA when you pick up the car in one place and drop it off in another, as we would be doing- so be careful of that!). When he called to say he was parked outside, we headed down with the luggage. Brave Timmy had a thrill ride on the way-





Up next- the fat lady hasn't sung yet! We still have stuff to see and a hike to take here in the city before we go- next!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

What a fantastic market place! The dahlias were absolutely gorgeous! I didn't realize morels were that expensive, we have them in the backyard. DH loves them, but I don't which is good for him, so he gets to eat all that we find!

The sandwich looked pretty tasty & most produce is very much my favorite food!

 

[podsnel]

What a fantastic market place! The dahlias were absolutely gorgeous! I didn't realize morels were that expensive, we have them in the backyard. DH loves them, but I don't which is good for him, so he gets to eat all that we find!

The sandwich looked pretty tasty & most produce is very much my favorite food!

Morels are crazy expensive, even the dried ones!!! You are so fortunate! I know we have a ton of mushrooms in the woods behind our house- but no idea which are safe. Every once in a while I see a mushroom forager back there- he tells me we have tons of wild shrooms back there that he sells to restaurants.

That sandwich was de bomb- we all loved it, even Timmy and he really only eats grilled cheese, lol!

I am big on veggies, too- really love them all- so that market was so heavenly to me- just wish I had access to it at HOME!!!

 

[ProudMommyof2]

The market looks amazing! Food really does involve all the senses!

 

[GiantsNiners11]

lol @ pics of food. I swear we've all lost our minds....

 

[MAGICFOR2]

LMAO!!!! My dishwasher has a bubble butt, like a baseball player- no front-shift of it yet, that I can see!



Boulevard is beautiful- I am so glad we chose it!

And I invited you to like my FB page, so hopefully you can find it now!

I don't see the invite - I asked you for the link before I saw this

 

[anewmac]

oh man dinner and then the farmers market looks amazing. You always have the best food porn..and you remember almost every ingredient! You sure you didn't have the duck? LOL

 

[franandaj]

For cocktails, I ordered ARE YOU LISTENING, ALISON? A Cucumber gimlet- Hendricks gin, muddled cucumer, lime juice, simple syrup



Heaven.

Is this because of my comment about how I gagged when I mistakenly ordered a Gimlet instead of a Gibson?

I'm glad you liked it. I'll stick with my savory drinks, thank you very much!

We splurged on after dinner drinks- this WAS our anniversary dinner- well, our belated on vacation one, so I managed to order a Gran Marnier Centenaire-

OMG! Now that I know what this is, I applaud you!

That farmer's market looks absolutely amazing! PIO who lives in Melbourne Australia often show pics of visiting the Victoria Market and this has got to be the closest thing in the states that I have seen to that. My mom hits a Farmer's Market in the South Bay, South of San Jose that she really likes and I imagine she gets some nice produce, but nothing near the selection of mushrooms you saw!

oh man dinner and then the farmers market looks amazing. You always have the best food porn..and you remember almost every ingredient! You sure you didn't have the duck? LOL

Love when I get the inside joke!

 

[MEK]

Your anniversary dinner looks amazing. What a perfect meal. And you prepared it again at home. I am so impressed! And I love a meal where the food is fabulous and the servers are very not pretentious.

The farmer's market also looks amazing. You got such beautiful pictures of all the yummy produces and goodies. What a great way to spend the morning while the boys were all still sleeping.

San Francisco really looks like a fabulous trip. You really MUST help me plan my DL trip. I'm actually thinking winter 2015 - Feb or March, because that's what works best schedule wise. I hope its not too cold.

Keep the updates coming.

 

[rentayenta]

Boulevard looks amazing! SF is on our must do list as we haven't been as a couple in almost 20 years!

The farmer's market looks like a little slice of heaven.

 

[knewton64]

lol @ pics of food. I swear we've all lost our minds....

YER FOOD PICS R JUST DELIC!!

cuz
Just think.......
Glad I have 'budgeted' 10 pounds for my upcoming SO CAL adventure.....



I think I just "gained" TWO back by looking at yer FOOD PORN!!
(I have lost 104 pounds now in just a tab bit over 4 and a half months)





T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers Y'all