Category Archives: Classic American

Union Square Macy’s, Bar Tartine, Bi-Rite Creamery, and Jeremys Department Store

This morning I went for a walk to Union Square and did some shopping at Macy’s. They were still having some Black Friday deals this morning so I found some good gifts. While there, I came across one of those electronic vending machines that sell iPods, the Sony eReader, headphones, USB drives, etc. Unfortunately it was out of order or else I would definitely get one of these! I just may have to go back to get one.

The San Francisco SPCA has set up their pet adoption windows so I went to take a peek at the kitties and puppies. I took a few pictures with my iPhone.

This kitty was exhausted but not too exhausted to look cute and pose for the camera. Check out the tiny paws underneath the chin.

There are siblings in this window, the one on top was meowing for attention.

This is Fiona, a 3-month old little tabby taking a nap.

This poor kitty looked upset and squished itself in between the glass and the candy cane pole.

Macy’s had their tree lighting ceremony on Friday night. I took a rest on a bench in Union Square and did some people watching while waiting for Ron to pick me up for lunch; there were tons of people out shopping.

We went for lunch with friends at Bar Tartine. They take reservations but for a maximum of 6 people. They have a great weekend brunch menu.

I started out with a very refreshing Dry Soda Co. Cucumber Soda. It’s like sparkling water with a strong cucumber flavor with a bit of sweetness. It’s a bit expensive though, $4 in the restaurant, not sure what retail price is but I’ll be on the hunt for it.

The bread and butter so yummy. The bread toasty on the outside, chewy and a bit sour on the inside.

Ron ordered the open faced pork belly sandwich with avocado, egg salad, pickled jalapeno and shoestring fries ($14). The pork belly had a bit too much fat so Ron had to cut it off. The pickled jalapeno gave the sandwich a good kick. The shoestring fries were delicious with the accompanying aioli.

I ordered the Sonoma foie gras panini, blackberry jam, brioche, rocket and green salad ($16). This was really rich. We wished they had seared the foie gras because it was kind of mushy overall especially with the blackberry jam. The flavor was great and the brioche was nicely toasted. I would love more of that blackberry jam.

The other dish tried by our table was the country bread french toast with raspberries and maple syrup (plus some little currants). I didn’t try this though.

After our very filling lunch, we walked over to Bi-Rite Creamery for some dessert. This time the line wasn’t that long so we decided to wait the 5-10 minutes. We walked over to Dolores Park to sit on the grass and enjoy our ice cream. I tried the Earl Gray and Roasted Banana. The Earl Gray really tasted like the tea with a hint of floral aftertaste. The Roasted Banana just tasted like banana but perhaps the Earl Gray overpowered it.

Then I went shopping with Virginia at Jeremy’s Department Store. She went yesterday and got some good deals. They started their black friday sale yesterday where everything is at least 50% off. It’s through the weekend so ends on Sunday night at closing. We spent like 2 hours there shopping and I bought two pairs of shoes and some dresses. I’ll take some photos later. If you’re looking for a good deal on wedding gowns, they have some beauties priced below $600 and with the additional 50% off, it’s a steal! This is the best sale I’ve been to but they do have sales every weekend, just sign up for their mailing list to get notification of what’s going on sale.

It’s been a nice relaxing Thanksgiving holiday… I’m glad tomorrow is still Sunday, one more day of rest.

Bar Tartine
561 Valencia Street

Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th Street

Jeremys Department Store
2 South Park

King Foot Subs

Farmer Brown & Jeremys Department Store

Stacks Restaurant

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http://www.stacksrestaurant.com/

We had lunch at Stacks Restaurant in Burlingame with Ron’s friend from high school and her husband. I’ve been to the Stacks in Hayes Valley for pancakes so was eager to try something savory this time.

I ordered the corned beef and onion skillet with scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast. There was tons of melted cheese on top. It just needed a bit of ketchup and salt & pepper.

Ron ordered the banana nut waffles.

… with a side of bacon!

It was a beautiful day all around the bay area. I wonder how long this weather will last… but it’s back to work tomorrow. SIGH.

But finally caught up on our blog, I didn’t realize I hadn’t written any posts since Sept 11th! Guess I’ve just been lazy 😛

Stacks Restaurant
361 California Drive
Burlingame, CA

Ella’s and Flour + Water

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I had the opportunity to try interesting restaurants today. This morning I went to Ella’s for brunch. I walk by this place whenever I walk home from work but it’s always closed. Little did I know that it’s only open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch.

I tried their ginger orange punch. The ginger note is at the end, refreshing.

So many yummy options for brunch.

We shared the freshly baked sticky bun. Not as moist as I would have liked but the topping was fantastic.

I tried their famous chicken hash, served with your choice of egg and toast. Here is an egg over-easy with wheat toast. The greens on top gave it a bit of a bite but I still needed some ketchup to moisten the hash. It had lots of chicken but I think I prefer corned beef hash.

So that was breakfast, for dinner, we went with friends to Flour + Water. We shared a few appetizers and had our own main courses and then shared desserts.

This is a stuffed squash flower. Not something that is easy to share as it was hard to cut the fried flower but it was nice and light with the fresh tomatoes.

This was some sort of braised oxtail meat made into a fried cake served with a salad and mushrooms.

We shared the margherita pizza with a fresh egg on top. A little soggy in the middle and the toppings were sliding off the pizza. A bit messy.

Fried peppers for our veggie dish. Lightly salted. I’d order these again.

Ron’s pork dish with fig and beans. I remember it having a nice flavor but not sure what was so nice about it. I probably only really liked it because of the fig.