Another San Francisco Winter

Weather has been amazingly wonderful in these parts. It's been surprisingly nice, even in San Francisco terms where it is relatively nice all the time. Here are some photos I snapped while enjoying a good start to the new year.


Enjoying a nice variety of loose-leaf teas on a Sunday morning while waiting for the sun to reappear.


I love the shelves of German groceries for sale at Schmidt's. For something that's a little different from your typical SF brunch, try their German-inspired weekend brunch menu, filled with a variety of sausages and fresh German pastries. Where else in this city can you get picked herring for breakfast?


Poutine from Gregoire Restaurant, in Gregoire's signature octagonal take-away box. Poutine is a French-Canadian dish consisting of fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. Brilliant.


This weather is great for visiting Alamo Square with Lillabelle. Lots of other dog owners had the same idea, and Lillabelle made a friend.


No trip to Alamo Square is complete without a touristy photo of the Painted Ladies.

| iPhone Photos by: Me. |

Christmas in Seattle

Nick and I wanted to do a little trip for Christmas and decided Seattle was far enough away to feel special, yet close enough to not get caught up in the hassle of traveling during the holidays. We seemed to encounter a lot of fellow San Francisco residents with the same idea. We like Seattle because it feels like a smaller, cleaner version of San Francisco, with seasons.

Beautiful produce at the Pike Place Market.


In our winter accessories, just outside of the Seattle Aquarium.


Amazing freshly-made crumpets at The Crumpet Shop. We ate there all three mornings that we spent in Seattle. The staff was super friendly and immediately caught on that we were repeat visitors.


Giant stuffed sea otter outside one of the waterfront shops.


My rain boots certainly came in handy on this trip.

Sadly missing: A photo of me with my awesome friend Abhishek who was kind enough to show us a couple cool places and drive us to the airport. Thanks, buddy!

| iPhone Photos by: Me. |

The Last Third of 2011

It's kind of sad that my last post here in 2011 was about getting a new work bag to celebrate my new job and then I was not to be heard from again for the rest of the year. As much as I loved blogging, it took up a huge amount of my spare time—a type of time that became practically non-existent once I started full-time work as a game designer. My job is super fun, though, and it's hard to complain about long hours when you're making games for a living.

Lately, however, I've become addicted to Instagram and have been using it to document every little memory I could possibly want a quick snapshot for. I realized that while I unfortunately might not have time to type up anecdotes or put together moodboards, friends and readers interested in The Yuppie Lifestyle might still find my on-the-go photo-taking fun. So, I am going to give blogging another go by posting 5 photos from my Instagram feed that sum up the last third of my 2011. And I'll try to post 5 more photos every time I have a great week or do something neat or extraordinary.

This isn't necessarily a resolution for the new year; I'd rather just call it a personal goal. But I do want to thank everyone who bugged me about blogging more—you guys are awesome.

5 snapshots:

A pretty flower at a cute cafe in the Castro.


The view from our room at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, where Nick and I spend our Thanksgiving. Our balcony was right over the Bellagio fountains.


Nick and I have been obsessing over ramen lately even though it never seems to photograph well. We love Halu and Genki Ramen. Any other suggestions for SF ramen spots?


One of my company perks is free admission to Disneyland. I didn't like Disneyland as a child but I had more fun as an adult.


Some of the most awesome gingerbread houses I've ever seen. This tribute to the Painted Ladies along Alamo Square was part of the annual Palace Hotel Gingerbread Competition. Funds raised through the contest went to charitable organizations chosen by the winners.

(And yes, I finally jumped on that iPhone bandwagon.)

| iPhone Photos by: Me. |

My Current Favorite Hangout Spot

As someone who has the awesome option of making anywhere with my laptop and an Internet connection my office, it's often hard for me to buckle down and get focused on work when I'm at home. As a result, I find myself spending many hours per day in coffee houses. There is something about the abundance of caffeinated beverages plus being in an environment with other people lost in their own laptop worlds that really helps me get my work done.

Coffee Bar is definitely my favorite daytime hangout spot right now. It's clearly set up with the laptop-toting freelancer in mind. It's a big space with lots of windows and a loft-like feel. There's a much higher ratio of power outlets to seats than I have seen in any other coffee shop. And the place is generous enough to offer free wireless internet.


I think Coffee Bar might come off as slightly intimidating because it's nestled in the gray area between the Mission and Potrero (hence, hipster territory) and when you walk in you'll immediately be faced with rows and rows of MacBooks. However, I have never owned an Apple computer in my life, and I occasionally even have to do work on a dorky client-issued ThinkPad, but I have never once felt shunned. The people who hang out at Coffee Bar are nice, so you'd better be too if you go check it out. The smaller tables are reserved for laptop-free lunch patrons, so coffee-sipping laptop workers sit at either the counters/bars or big communal tables, which I quite like. I've even experienced a table of total strangers establishing a rotation for using the power outlet so that no one's battery got too low.

A couple tips: The food I've had was yummy but be warned that their chipotle mayo packs quite a good punch. The basic espresso menu can be found on the big roll of kraft paper, but also look out for the tiny daily drink specials menu on the little easel by the register. It took me a few times to figure out how other people knew that Vietnamese iced coffee was offered when it wasn't on the big menu.

Here are some of the things I love about Coffee Bar.

• Free wi-fi.
• Free parking nearby with no time limits.
• I like the coffee. It's not in-your-face artisanal like Blue Bottle, but it is satisfying.
• I also like that they have simple syrup at the cream-and-sugar bar, since cane sugar doesn't exactly dissolve easily in iced coffee.
• Friendly staff and fellow patrons.
• Lots of natural light.
• Lots of power outlets.
• Pretty latte art. That is how you know your drink was made with love.
• It is not freezing inside. (I love me my Starbucks, but I'm convinced that every location constantly pumps cold air on customers to get them to not overstay their welcome.)

Do you know any places in the Mission/Castro/Potrero area that meet several of these criteria? If so, leave me your recommendations!

| Photo Credit: Me. |

The Head Panda

In no way do I consider myself a sports fanatic. You'll never catch me checking stats on my BlackBerry or staying at home just to catch a game on TV. But I will admit that after the SF Giants' success last season, I have jumped onto the Giants bandwagon. You'll never see me threatening to divorce my spouse on Facebook if he roots for another team and I don't feel a personal need for the players to succeed in order for me to carry on with my life. (I see folks who are really into sports make these types of hyperbolic assertions.) But I can appreciate how the Giants' success has brought the people of San Francisco together and I want that city-wide pride to continue. So, it is for these reasons that I purchased my first piece of sports fan gear ever. You'll see people wearing these panda hats at Giants games because player Pablo Sandoval's nickname is Kung Fu Panda—presumably since he is quite nimble despite his panda-esque physique.

When I bought the hat at the SF Pride festival, I had the pleasure of meeting one of the co-creators of this now-famous hat style. He and his business partner did not seem much older than me and all they had was a unique idea that they pursued. He told me about how they were just selling the hats outside in the cold when the Giants Dugout Stores approached them about selling their hats at the ballpark. I love hearing unexpected success stories about people who are brave enough to pursue their dream jobs. The Head Panda has since expanded to carry other cute animal hats for zoos, other sports teams, and schools. Prices are much lower than at the Giants Dugout Stores if you buy your panda hat directly from the source.

| Photo Credit: N. Morello, for The Yuppie Lifestyle. |

Sparkly Ribbon

Instead of conventional souvenirs, when I travel, I like to visit the local arts and crafts stores and pick up little knick-knacks that I cannot find at the stores near where I live. While I was in Iowa City over the weekend, I picked up some of this pretty sparkly ribbon from Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby is a chain very similar to Michael's except they also carry fabric and have a very different selection of ribbon. Sparkly things have really been catching my eye lately so this was a perfect addition to my out-of-control ribbon collection. Despite its glittery appearance, it has a soft, almost velvety, texture. I am already regretting that I only bought four spools.

What quirky things do you collect when you travel?

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Rice Pudding in a Loving Cup

There are cupcake shops and ice cream shops and yogurt shops all over this city. And then there is Loving Cup. Loving Cup is a rice pudding shop. They have their own unique way of serving yogurt too, but when I saw rice pudding on the sign, I knew I had to go.

Their rice pudding is the English style; it's soft, gooey, creamy, and substley sweet. If you, like me, like deserts that are mild and not too sugary, then this is for you. I've tried their Madagascar vanilla base and the one that had tiny bits of English toffee stirred in and they were both amazing. They also have flavors like coconut, rum raisin, Nutella, and chai spice.

If you prefer your desserts on the less-gooey and more frozen side of things, Loving Cup serves up their frozen yogurt in a way that's totally different from your trendy yogurt joint. You choose a vanilla or chocolate base and toppings from their extensive list, and they put everything in a special machine that blends it all together. They pass it through the machine twice to make sure everything is thoroughly blended and what you get is a frozen yogurt treat that has been custom-churned just for you. I recommend getting cookie dough, Oreos, and animal crackers for the ultimate cookies-and-cream experience.

Despite the totally unique and modern concepts that the shop serves up, Loving Cup has a cool retro feel to it with their vintage-soda-fountain-style yogurt menu and the jars and jars of different toppings lining the counters. The staff are super friendly, everything is compostable, and the portions are generous. I've already been there twice in the last three weekends even though it's on the other side of town so yeah, I really like it there.

Loving Cup is located at 2356 Polk Street, San Francisco, California 94129.

3 Russian River Valley Wineries to Visit

A couple weekends ago, Nick and I went up to Sonoma County to celebrate our one-year anniversary. If you're looking to do something a little different in the wine country instead of the wine train or the big-named tasting rooms along the main highway road that goes through Napa, I'd definitely recommend hopping among small wineries farther west. We even had to cross this rusty one-lane bridge—something I thought only existed in movies.

We'd set out to visit Hawley Winery because we loved the 2008 Viognier we'd served at our wedding and we'd visited their tasting room in downtown Healdsburg during our honeymoon. This is a photo of some of the crazy signage we encountered while weaving our way through the smaller wineries tucked in Russian River Valley. At that point I felt less like I was in the wine country and more like I was in Tulgey Wood.

(I'm going to disclose right now that I am in no way an expert of wine. I simply know enough about what I enjoy in wine to articulate what I like and don't like about the wines I taste. I look for whites that are crisp without being too tart, smooth while still having structure, and not super dry. I don't like reds as much but will be drawn to ones that are not too tannin-y and have a creamier finish. My advice to regular people when buying wines is to ask yourself whether it tastes good, or you think it would taste good if you knew more about wine. Don't buy wine that doesn't actually taste like something you'd enjoy drinking.)

Hawley Winery I think at this point I've tasted enough of what they've put out in the past three years to say that this is my favorite winery. It's run by a father and his two sons, one of whom conducted our tasting. We were the only ones there, so he even gave us a sneak peak of their next batch of Pinot from the barrel. It was really cool to know that the relatively small, barn-like building full of barrels was literally the entire stock if their next release. What we bought there: 2009 Zinfandel, 2010 Viognier, 2010 Sauvignon Blanc.

Nalle Winery Austin Hawley recommended that we go here next if we were interested in another father-son production. Apparently Dad Hawley and Dad Nalle went to school together before settling in Russian River Valley to make wine. This one had quite a few more visitors, but we were still welcomed by Andrew Nalle for a laid-back tasting. What we bought there: 2008 Chardonnay, 2009 Pinot Noir.

Porter Creek Vineyards While at Nalle, we met a lovely couple who coincidentally live in the same zip code as we do, and they recommended Porter Creek. Porter Creek has a cute little shack that they use for a tasting room and lots of big, pretty roses. There was a friendly and inclusive vibe even when the room got a little crowded. What we bought there: 2008 Zinfandel, 2009 Chardonnay.

Here are more photos from our rainy trip.


| Photo Credit: Me. |

Instamatic Hipstagraming For Your BlackBerry

For the most part I am pretty content with my BlackBerry. I like the way the size and shape are very comfortable for my child hands and I still really love having a physical keyboard over just a touchscreen. But I get serious iPhone envy when it comes to apps like Hipstamatic and Instagram which instantly add filters to your camera phone photos to give them a vintage, lomo-y, or artsy look. It's not that I am looking to become a hipster but moreso that apps like these are just plain practical when it comes to making an otherwise poor-looking photo from my not-so-great camera phone look a little more aesthetically interesting.

I finally discovered a similar app that does this for BlackBerry. The app is called PixTrix and it is free, with the usual banner ads running at the top. You don't use the app to take the actual photos but rather snap a photo first, and then open it up in PixTrix to apply a filter to it. Like most BlackBerry apps I've experienced, it is a little slow, but for on-the-go photo editing I think it's the best option for BlackBerry users right now. There aren't nearly as many filter options as there are on the iPhone alternatives and some of the filters seem completely useless to me, like "Fake 3D" and "Double Exposure", but there are a few decent ones I've had fun using to get that retro camera look.




Now that I've discovered PixTrix, I've been trying to actually use Twitter for its original purpose of microblogging. Sometimes I see something particularly nifty at the grocery store or I've assembled myself a nice-looking lunch—not really worth a whole blog post but still something fun to share. You can check out my mobile photos and mini-posts right here on my Twitter page.

| Photo Credit: Me, on my BlackBerry. |

Ferry Building Marketplace Mosaics

While I was wandering around enjoying the Ferry Building the other day, I noticed that in between retail spaces there were these little square mosaics on the walls. They depicted California flora and fauna as well as what the Ferry Building Marketplace has to offer—there were mosaics of fish, crabs, cows, olives, lemons, lobsters, and the like to represent all the good seafood, dairy, and produce you can find there. I've been to the Ferry Building loads of times but this was the first time I'd paid attention to them and Nick, who works nearby and therefore visits quite often, said he'd never noticed them. Some retailers even cover them up with carts of wares that overflow out of their spaces and I couldn't find any information online on the artist who made them. I thought these little guys deserved some love so I photographed as many different ones and I could find throughout the ground floor and compiled them here as a tribute.

If you know more about these mosaics, share it in the comments! I am curious about them and if there is a good story behind them.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Cheese Puffs at Cowgirl Creamery

I finally checked out a place that has been on my to-go list for a while—the Cowgirl Creamery Sidekick in the Ferry Building. Cowgirl Creamery is a much-loved local cheesemaker that supplies cheese to great eateries all over the city. Last summer they also opened the Sidekick, which sells hot cheesy foods and cheese plates featuring Cowgirl Creamery cheeses. The grilled cheese sandwich I had was nothing exciting and a bit pricey; I easily could have made one just like it at home and it was a bit bland compared to sandwiches at Mission Cheese. The real star of the menu at Cowgirl Creamery Sidekick, however, is the cheese puff.

I'd never had anything like it before except, perhaps, in my dreams. The cheese puffs have the same type of choux pastry shell as a good cream puff or profiterole, but instead of being filled with custard or cream, they are filled with delicious creamy cheese. I'd bought one for a snack, just because the idea of a cheese puff sounded good even though I didn't know exactly what it was. After biting through the airy pastry, I discovered a very generous amount of herbed fromage blanc with a nice whipped texture that made the treat satisfying without being too heavy. The filling also holds together well while you bite into it (as opposed to custards that get all over the place) making Cowgirl Creamery cheese puffs a great portable snack for those who want to munch on something while walking along the piers. So good.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

I thought it was silly that I had written about the farmers markets in London and Paris but I hadn't even written about any of the farmers markets in the city that I actually live in. San Francisco has a bunch of farmers markets scattered throughout the week and throughout the city. Last Saturday, I went to the one that wraps around the Ferry Building, which is not at all a bad setting for an outdoor market. The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market has a good number of hot food stalls in addition to produce and flowers, and they even set up tables overlooking the bay for you to sit and eat. Some of the food stalls, like Blue Bottle Coffee and Hog Island Oyster Co., have spaces inside the Ferry Building, while others are street-food-style vendors, like 4505 Meats where I got my tasty, juicy breakfast sandwich shown below.

Something that was a bit of a bummer at this farmers market compared to my experiences abroad was that the presentation of the fruits and veggies wasn't quite at lovely as what I'd seen in London and Paris, where produce was displayed in cute baskets and really packed into stalls to look beautiful and abundant. I've noticed, in general, that presentation is kept more casual at the outdoor markets I've been to in California. But one thing that I did think was neat and unique about the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market was the Veggie Valet service that they offer for free on Saturdays. If you get there early to snag the freshest produce but want to spend the mid-day exploring the Ferry Building and the food stalls, there is a free service where you can drop off your farmers market purchases and they will be kept safely in the shade for the duration of the market. This is pretty handy since the market does get crowded and you don't want your lettuce to get crushed.

I don't know why but I am always drawn to outdoor markets like these. I think I like seeing what's being grown and jarred locally, and I've definitely been drawn into the street food craze. What is unique about the outdoor/farmers markets in your city? Which ones are worth visiting?

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Rhododendrons in Golden Gate Park

The 100th running of San Francisco's famous Bay to Breakers took place yesterday. And while I am not at all one for running/walking long distances, drinking cheap beer in the streets before noon, or dressing in furry animal costumes, I felt compelled by my San Francisco pride to at least spectate some portion of the event. So, my alternate Bay to Breakers Day itinerary involved packing up a couple cheeses, some finely-sliced salami, and a bottle of Pellegrino and having a picnic overlooking the Music Concourse at Golden Gate Park, where we were able to admire some of the costumes of the participants and party goers who passed by.

While seeking refuge from the cold wind, I happened upon a little treasure—the John McLaren Memorial Rhododendron Dell. Here are some photos I took of this pretty section of the park.

I think this is a much lesser-known garden within Golden Gate Park because it's not even mentioned in the Wikipedia article about John McLaren, despite the garden being a memorial for the first superintendent of the park and his large role in developing it. Undisturbed by the Bay to Breakers event, it was quiet, with lots of open benches, winding paths, and blossoming bushes. The best part about it for me was that the trees that helped seclude the space also did a nice job of blocking out the cold wind that was blowing that afternoon. There is a main entrance off JFK Drive, but I found it much more charming when I entered by the small hidden path behind the Goethe-Schiller statue, where the entrance to the rhododendron dell is marked by a faded, carved wooden sign.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

This Season's Nail Color and My Neighborhood Nail Salon

Right now I am really loving the nail color that my manicurist helped me pick out. I'm wearing Essie's Tangerine polish, but it looks more like a hot salmon color in real life than it does the color of an actual tangerine. I think this is the perfect color for the warm summery weather we've been having around here lately and it really says happy times to me. Since I have been admiring my nails a lot recently I thought this would be a good opportunity to give a shout-out to La Fleur, the nail salon I frequent here in Potrero Hill.

La Fleur is much more of a neighborhood salon than a spa. There are even a couple of special children's pedicure chairs in the back with fairy wings on them. And instead of tranquil babbling brook sounds, there's always a soft rock radio station playing that allows me to flashback to my CD collection from the 90s as I get my nails done. The first time I went was when I wanted to treat myself and Nick to mani-pedis just after we finished moving into our place in Potrero. It happened to be the second day that the owners (a sweet married couple named Lin and Tam—sorry if I misspelled the names!) had been running the place, but there was absolutely no sense of new-management chaos and I have been going there ever since. During my second visit, I got "Hey, you look familiar, I remember the last time you were here" and by my third visit the owners were greeting me by name when I walked in the door. They even wave to me through the windows on other days when I am waiting for the 10 bus that stops right outside.

Having La Fleur a walking distance from where I live is great because the prices are the lowest I have seen for such a quality place. Manicures are only $12. At La Fleur, for this low price, they meticulously cut and shape my nails exactly the way I want them, the polish lasts a considerable amount of time, and they give super relaxing massages. I always find myself struggling not to fall asleep because they are so relaxing. Because of the incredibly thorough job they do there, this is not the place to pop in and out if you want a quick nail trim. Tam and Thuy will continuously scrutinize the shape of my nails as they file to make sure they are all even and perfect.

I strongly recommend La Fleur as a nail salon. If you're planning to check it out, note that it's easy to walk in and be tended to immediately on weekdays but an appointment on weekends is advisable. They take credit cards but appreciate if you use cash for tips if possible.

La Fleur Beauty Spa and Salon is located at 1701 20th Street, San Francisco, California 94107.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Hoppin' Hounds and Easter Biscuits

Instead of going to an Easter egg hunt over the weekend, we went to an Easter biscuit hunt just for dogs. Every year at the Byrne Preserve in Los Altos Hills, there is a Hoppin' Hounds Easter Biscuit Hunt that raises money for Palo Alto Animal Services. The event runs from 9 to 10:30 but getting there on the earlier side is a good idea because by 10, things had already significantly died down. The doggie treats were not too deeply hidden in the hunt area, but Lillabelle didn't seem to care about looking for treats. I think she was just stoked to be outside, prancing around in the tall grass. I don't think we've ever let here run free in such a big open space before. We thought it was a pretty epic setting for an Easter hunt.

On Sunday, I made some paper bunny ears to put on Lillabelle and we tried to photograph her with a basket of plastic eggs. She was a lot less stoked about that.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

An Illustrated Guide to Unusual Advertising

I don't know how I got on their mailing list but somehow I received a catalog from The J. Peterman Company in the mail the other day. What was odd about the catalog, or "Owner's Manual" as it was labeled, was that rather than there being photographs of the products being sold, there were these adorable illustrations. They remind me of paper doll clothes that I played with when I was little.

I've been reflecting on effective advertising lately because a sweet marketing student contacted me last week to ask for help with learning about marketing to the yuppie demographic. And while I think that J. Peterman's illustrations are incredibly charming, I don't think anyone these days would buy an article of clothing that they'd never even seen a photo of. There's no practical way get a sense of fit or fabric with this approach. To make things even more laughable, each item in the catalog has these hilariously verbose descriptions, which are allegedly written by J. Peterman as he either philosophizes about the item or recounts the exotic adventure on which he found the inspiration for it. Here is the description for the striped Russian Navy Shirt above.

Wait a minute. Does Russia really have a navy?
They do. Of course they do.
Watch the news on TV tonight. If they're wearing striped shirts like this, it's the Russian Navy.
Unless you see a dark-eyed girl paddling a green boat and her boyfriend laughs and smokes and laughs and his cigarette is slightly less than one inch long and permanently attached and he is wearing a not bad-looking striped navy shirt, then it's France.
Unless it's New York.
But if the girl and her boyfriend are both blonde, and pale smoky-eyed, and he, you notice, is deeply tanned and wearing a striped navy shirt, then it's Finland.
Or the island of Sylt.
Or Krk.
Or Sukhumi.
Under a suit jacket, it's L.A. Or maybe Munich.
But when they're both wearing striped navy shirts, it's Zihuatanejo.
Or Sochi.
If there are two girls and one boyfriend and all three are wearing striped navy shirts, then it's definitely Russia.
Unless it's Central Park.
Russian Navy Shirt (No. 1017), for men and women. A faithful copy; like the original, it's “unimproved.” Pure cotton. The blue is wonderful: dark, deep, moody. Maybe it's the Russian soul, coming back.

Who needs to buy children's toys when you can cut out the clothes from J. Peterman's catalog for paper dolls and read your children stories like these at bedtime? They certainly made for a good evening of dramatic readings at the dinner table at our house.

| Art Credit: From The J. Peterman Company. |

Keeping in Healthy Spirits

After getting a lot of positive feedback from male readers on my post about men's shirts, I asked Nick for suggestions for more male-oriented posts and he told me to write about Healthy Spirits. Healthy Spirits is a neat little shop with a huge selection of beers imported from Europe. We like it there because it is not the sort of shop you'd run into to pick up a six pack of any old American beer on your way to a party. Tucked away on a residential corner a few blocks uphill from the main Castro strip, it is a shop clearly run by people who care about helping you find a well-crafted beer you'll enjoy.

Nick loves Belgian brews so it is nice that all the beers are sold by the bottle and we can get a few different ones to try whenever we are in the area. They have a section of beers that are fruitier and sweeter too, so if you aren't typically a beer drinker or are looking for something a little more "girly" they'll be able to recommend something for you. If you're looking for a snack to enjoy while getting your beverage on, their hummus supposedly gets rave reviews and they also have a great selection of some of fabulous ice creams by the pint. Despite the name, hard-to-find quality beers are really their specialty and the highlight of this shop is the shelves and shelves of different beers that they've somehow managed to cram into the small space.

Healthy Spirits is located at 2299 15th Street, San Francisco, California 94114.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

The Mission Here Is Cheese

Last Saturday, Nick and I checked out Mission Cheese, the brand new cheese bar that just opened last week. Once I read about the existence of a cheese bar in the Mission on one of my favorite blogs, I had to check it out. The concept is similar to that of a wine bar, except instead of a long list of many categories of wines, there's an extensive cheese list for you to choose from to put together your own cheese plate. If that does not already sound magical enough, you can also get sound advice about what cheese to buy and bring home and there are a few great hot food options. It is like a one-stop shop for the most awesome things to do with cheese. We stopped by at lunch to have a couple sandwiches, but I'll definitely be going back to try the mac and cheese and the raclette.

In Nick's California Gold sandwich, the prosciutto and cheese worked together instead of competing with each other; I usually don't like prosciutto sandwiches because a lot of places stuff the sandwiches with overly salty, low-quality prosciutto but Mission Cheese really nailed it. I got the Cheddar Head, which was surprisingly light and fruity while still being delightfully cheesy. One thing I will say about the sandwiches is that since they are pressed sandwiches and not grilled, the finely-grated cheese they use is very soft and warmed through but not melted down all the way to any sort of stringy consistency. I thought this was a nice change—especially because the lightly-pressed technique left the bread crispy on the outer surface without making the crust hurt-your-mouth hard—but I mention it because people looking for melty and messy might be surprised.

Despite having only been open for a few days, Mission Cheese is clearly an operation that's been well thought-out and put together with care. I loved the contrast of the standard SF modern dark interior with the happy touches that made the place so inviting: the chartreuse tiles at the bar, the cute ruffly aprons on the friendly staff members, and the beautiful orange ranunculus in little jars at each table. They even got the napkins just right with their soft, comforting texture. The place is a little hard to find right now because all they have is a paper sign taped to the inside of their front window, but I don't see how this place could possibly be anything but an epic win if they keep up the great work.

Mission Cheese is located at 736 Valencia Street, San Francisco, California 94117.

| Photo Credit: Me. |

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia in a Bottle

Nick and I got some of these Mamma Chia "vitality beverages" at the Green Festival. They have a nice subtle fruit flavor and the chia seeds add a nifty texture that is makes the beverage more satisfying than drinking regular fruit juice (without being weird). The texture reminds me of what you'd get if you ordered a milk tea with sago instead of the big tapioca pearls. We thought they were really cool, and since we were hitting up the vendor booths at the tail end of the Green Festival, we got a really good deal on them.

We didn't learn until we looked it up later that the chia seeds in these beverages are the very same chia seeds of Chia Pet fame. Apparently they are a great source of Omega-3s and have essential minerals in quantities comparable to flax seeds. Who knew? We recommend the raspberry and blackberry flavors.

| Photo Credit: from Mamma Chia. |

Bottomless Brunch at Ironside

Last Saturday, Nick and I had the bottomless brunch at Ironside. Overall it was really quality food for a buffet. I thought the biscuits and gravy, caramelized plantains, and chocolate bread pudding were especially good. They also had this neat make-your-own Bloody Mary bar that was fun (their house Bloody Mary mix was potent stuff!)—I think this would be a cool thing to do for a brunch party at home, too. I know some professional food critics hate brunch, but I love it.

Read my full review of dinner at Ironside here.

| Photo Credit: Me. |