Sunny Sushi

Tucked in a side street next to the train station is our new favorite sushi restaurant. And apparently half the city knew about it before us! It looks very nondescript on the outside but the inside is packed with regulars and authentic Japanese fare. Oh Sunny Sushi, you have just made 2 new regular customers.

BiRite

A few cold nights won't stop the quest for the best ice cream the city has to offer. Here's to honey lavender, salted caramel and the best family.

Mingalaba

Husband and I took a culinary adventure to Mingalaba for some long dreamt after burmese food. Small establishment with all the favorite dishes. Hello indeed, and thank you very much!

Olive & Vine

Nestled in Glenn Ellen, in a complex of restaurants, is Olive & Vine. It practically screams posh with its high ceilings, modern open kitchen and collection of wine. Husband and I partook in a couples dinner with some shared plates and a bottle of amazing wine. I am usually not a huge fan of pinot but the Emeritus was shockingly balanced and smooth. Cheers to good food, good drinks and good friends.

Girl and the Fig

Wine country isn't just about wine; it's also about brunch and cheese. Husband and I took a short weekender to wine country with a few friends, and enjoyed a casual brunch at Girl and the Fig. Two words- cheese tower. One feeling- happy.

Zaytoon

Lessons of the day- (1) A sampler is always a good idea; (2) When people say 'umm I think it would be enough for 2 people', that means yes it will definitely be enough for two people, probably even three people; and (3) the best places are always off the beaten path. Thanks Zaytoon for a fabulous Mediterranean spread. We will definitely be back.

Machka

One of my favorite things to do is find hidden gems for culinary experiences in the City. Financial district is packed during the day but at night it tends to clear out to a ghost town. There's gotta be great restaurants still open, I thought. I thought right! Dinner at Machka was amazing, particularly the house hummus and kunefe.

Good Bites Cafe

We stumbled on this cafe by pure accident but sometimes the best things happen without any planning. Traditional filipino breakfast you say? Yes please! Good Bites Cafe is a family run restaurant with a Greek twist. Breakfast comes with the traditional sampling of choice of meat, plus garlic rice and eggs, but for good measure they throw in freshly made pita bread and hummus.

Full and happy. Now this is what I call happy food.

Breakfast Quinoa

Husband and I stumbled upon a new idea for breakfast- quinoa. Crazy I know. Move over oatmeal, you have met your match.

PB&J Quinoa with cashew milk and local jam // Quinoa with cashew milk, fruit and nuts

Andersen's Pea Soup

I have passed the sign on the highway for this place countless of times and wondered, should I stop in and try this highly publicized pea soup? Well wonder no longer I did. Husband and I stopped at the locally famous Andersen's pea soup for (what else)- pea soup.

Verdict- If it's on your way, totally worth it. The place is truly an establishment full of interesting snacks and cheesy trinkets, including a year round Christmas section. The pea soup was excellent and since that's what they are famous for, getting our respective bowl of pea soup was quick and painless despite the tourist frenzy. Happ-pea and Pea-wee were we :-)

Ladies Who Lunch

It was a girls outing for lunch today, complete with an addition to the hummus challenge, a healthy pizza and a not-healthy round of cupcakes. The lunching ladies went to CPK for lunch and tried the hummus with wheat flat bread, and the thin slice California club pizza.

The wheat flat bread was great, the hummus was eh. A little too oily and runny for our taste.

The pizza on the other hand was amazing! The thin crust was thin but not too crispy and it was piled full of arugula, avocado and tomato, with just a sprinkle of bacon.

As part of my continued quest to eat everything with bacon as a component, we stopped at Sprinkles for their limited time maple bacon cupcake. 

Normally I'm not a big Sprinkles fan because their frosting is a bit too sweet for me and their portion size is quite large which of course leads to eater's remorse. However, I have had a change of heart. The maple bacon and the German chocolate cupcakes had very balanced frosting and the flavors were so good that there was not even a slight inkling of regret. My only regret was not getting this sooner!

Every busy work week should end with lunch with the ladies. This is true living. #livablesnotbillables.

9to9 Grind- Truck Load

I've gotta hand it to my job; they sure know how to throw a good family party. Husband and I headed to Venice Beach for a beach picnic with my felow 9to9 grinders, complete with sun, surf and a truck load of food. No seriously- it was a truck of food!

Lobster rolls, crab sliders, fish tacos and s'more bites courtesy of Shark Bites and Mai's. Needless to say there was definitely some waddling back to the car. I guess summer really is coming to an end, but thankfully we've got a camera full of great memories.