Sunday was a day in San Francisco, which we spent going to the Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park, looking for Magnolia trees in bloom. It turns out it’s a bit early, even here in sunny California, so we didn’t see a LOT of blooms. OK, there weren’t many. But one thing I like about Magnolia trees (specifically, the ones called ‘Tulip Trees’) is how the branches and trunk look relatively delicate, and the sparseness of the branches with the beautiful pink and white flowers coming out, it’s somehow architectural or something. I love it. Anyway, after searching the Gardens for Magnolia trees for awhile, then stopping by Ocean Beach,…

(photo found here) Saturday morning, Ted and I were downstairs, looking at the newspaper and wondering what the hell is going on in the world, when we received a phone call from our friend Marilee, with whom I have been friends since our days in graduate school together, many years ago. She was in our little town on the wrong side of the tunnel, and had unexpectedly been released from her duties of the day. Would we like to go for coffee or breakfast, she asked. Indeed, we would! We considered IHOP, but decided to go to the other end of the spectrum and try the Michelin recommended Artisan Bistro,…

I believe I’ve talked before about a local PBS show, Check Please, Bay Area, where people come in and talk about their favorite restaurants. I’ve seen an episode a few times reviewing a place in Oakland that’s famous for their Chicken and Waffles, Brown Sugar Kitchen. You can watch the review. I’ll wait. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOUE6BeOsjQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube] OK, now you’re probably wanting some chicken and waffles too, right?  I’ve been wanting to try the chicken and waffles at Brown Sugar Kitchen since first seeing this episode.  This last Sunday, I got together at BSK with Cherry and our friend, Lei, for brunch.  Yay brunch!  Yay friends! Brown Sugar Kitchen doesn’t take reservations, so…

Photo found here After a morning swim and a hot shower, I was lazing on the bed in my bathrobe, hair in a towel, with my book, trying to decide whether to read or perhaps have a nap, when Ted asked, “Would you like to go to lunch with me today?” “Maybe,” I said, thrown off because I was still kinda full from breakfast, and almost too lazy to bother with getting dressed, but as he showered, I thought about it and admitted to myself that the likelihood of my wanting to lie there all day in my robe without lunch was slim, so when he came out I said…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKAsSxelAu4[/youtube] Check, Please! Bay Area is a show on our local PBS station, based on the original Check Please! in Chicago.   A local host (Leslie Sbrocco, a wine expert and enthusiast) talks with three people about their favorite restaurants in the area.  They all go to all three restaurants, and come say what they think.   A few weeks ago, we saw an episode that mentioned Memo’s Restaurant, which is way out here in on the wrong side of the tunnel in the East Bay.  I was especially captivated by what they had to say about the Chili Rellenos, because aside from my trips to Hola! in Burlingame, I don’t generally…

(Photos found at Check, Please! Bay Area) There’s a television at Ted’s office, and on Friday he decided to watch a little TV to unwind during his lunch break.  Happily, Check, Please! Bay Area was on, and one of the restaurants reviewed was a Southern Indian place in Berkeley called Udupi Palace.  The large majority of Indian restaurants in the Bay Area are Northern Indian, influenced by Punjabi and Pakastani flavors.  We love that, but the idea of trying something from another part of India entirely appealed to Ted.  He came home thinking we might go that night, but I didn’t feel like getting in the car and going to…

Saturday night, Ted and I decided to try a little place near us called Nibblers. It’s located in a strip mall in the next town over, and I really like the idea of the place. They do sustainable food, and it’s all local and very fresh. As much as possible, they get their ingredients from the local Farmers’ Markets. As a matter of fact, I found out about Nibblers a year or so ago when they opened, and they had a booth at the Farmers’ Market, where they were giving out really yummy samples of something or another on a corn chip, and I’ve wanted to try it out ever…

(photos taken from Check Please, Bay Area site.) One show we like to watch is Check Please, Bay Area.  There are a few Check Please shows around the country, and I think it started in Chicago.  It’s on PBS, and the idea is that three local viewers each recommend their favorite restaurant, all three go (separately) to all three restaurants, and they then come and talk about what they liked and didn’t like about all three restaurants. Maya and I watched a new episode last night, and the one restaurant that all three participants liked was Red Jade, a Mandarin restaurant on Church street in San Francisco.  They talked about…

(photo of Cherry’s margarita, via Cherry’s camera. Me, I take mine blended.  But boy, hers LOOKS good, doesn’t it?) It’s been a long time since I did a restaurant review here.  Back when I started blogging, my plan was to write about local restaurants, thinking that maybe some people in and around the ‘Creek’ might enjoy reading them.  It didn’t take me long to lose interest in restaurant reviews, and I started writing about other things, whatever I happened to be thinking about kind of things. But once in awhile, a restaurant comes along that deserves mention.  Hola! Restaurant in Burlingame is one such restaurant.   (Looking at their website, I…