Two Very Different Love Stories

Every Christmas Eve my family goes to see a movie. This year we went to the new Judd Apatow flick, “This Is 40.” The movie was being advertised as the sequel to “Knocked Up” and the previews make it look hilarious. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann return as the exact same roles as a married couple where he’s a washed up record exec and she’s just more than a little OCD. Their two daughters look adorable but border on psychotic (would anyone like to play murder?). In reality, Mann is married to Apatow and the two daughters in the movie are actually their daughters. I read in a recent interview that half of the extra raunchy scenes (i.e. the self-colon check) were actually Mann’s idea. The daughters are not allowed to swear at home, so in this movie they must have had a field day. In the movie, Mann and Rudd’s characters turn 40 the same week, while facing marital, parental and financial problems. Mann and Rudd spend the whole movie yelling and swearing at each other, which outside of a couple witty jabs and a stoned scene, is actually pretty intense. Their daughters are destined to be deranged as well (even though one has an understandable passion for “Lost”). I spent the entire two hours wondering why this couple wasn't already divorced. Also, it seemed like their financial issues could have been easily resolved by not only selling the gigantic house, but also by stopping throwing lavish parties and downgrading from a Lexus and BMW. Cameos by Jason Segel and Charlyne Yi (the stoned Asian roommate Jodi), reprising their same roles from “Knocked Up” bring some much needed relief. Megan Fox flexes her comedic muscles and is a surprising delight. Other rays of light in this film are appearances by Chris O'Dowd (“Bridesmaids”) and Lena Durham (“Girls”). I’m not married so maybe I’m shouldn't be the one to judge this film but coming out of that, I was left with a feeling of never wanted to get married or have children.

This Christmas my little 24 year old brother was put in charge of picking the movie we went to see on Christmas Day. Being a 24 year-old male, he did not opt for Les Miserables but instead for Django Unchained, the newest film by Quentin Tarantino. I’m actually a pretty big Taratino fan. I see him more as a stylized violence than senseless. The “Kill Bill” movies were beautiful. Movies like “Pulp Fiction” and “ Reservoir Dogs” are well-deserved classic with some of the sharpest dialog and character development outside of a Coen brother’s movie. However, this movie disappointed me. The plot centers around a slave Django (Jaime Foxx) who is freed by a deranged dentist turned bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz). Django agrees to help Waltz in the bounty hunting business because outside of having the chance to shoot white people, he’ll receive a part of the bounty and Waltz will help him track down and free his wife. It turns out his wife is being held at a Southern plantation named Candyland, run by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Waltz and Foxx come up with a scheme getting them into Candyland without seeming like they’re there to free his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). There’s a lot of violence, which is no surprise but it’s a lot of close range bullets resulting in brain matter splatter. I’m not a squeamish person but I had to turn away at certain points. The bloodbath just seems to go on and on to the point where it’s extremely overdone. What saves this movie is the superb acting by Waltz, returning in a role similar to his maniacally calm character in “Inglorious Bastards.” DiCaprio also is deliciously disgusting as a heartless slave owned. The soundtrack added some needed lightness (imagine a plantation shoot out set to 2Pac). Tarantino gave himself a cameo with an atrocious Australian accent. I thought this movie was okay, but not his best by far. I’d say wait for video but it would lose a lot of the oomph not on the big screen. Many critics have deemed this as one of the best movies of the year and to this I ask: what are you smoking?

Fashion Friday

I think NYE is a very overrated holiday. No matter what kind of fabulous-ness you have planned, it always seems like it should be better. The ONE thing I do like about the holiday is it's a chance to be as glam and sparkly as I wish I could be in everyday life. The search for the perfect NYE dress is ON. Of course I had to default to my absolutely favorite site for dresses Spool No. 72 (I fawned over their summer dresses last April). Having to pick a favorite sparkly sequined dress is what I imagine picking a favorite child is like! Here are my front runners in order of current preference:

Which one do you like best? :) Also, my dream shoes: 

And a version for more dressed down days :)

Happy shopping (and holidays)! 

Skyfall Sneak Peek

Last night I was lucky enough to see an early screening of the new James Bond movie, "Skyfall." I am a huge fan of the Bond movies. I've watched almost all of them, including the Timothy Dalton and Roger Moore ones. When Daniel Craig was named the new Bond I was a little worried but so far he's done pretty well. "Casino Royale" was a great addition, which "Quantum of Solace" was forgettable. "Skyfall" is back up to the caliber of "Casino Royale."

Don't worry, there's no spoiler alerts in this review. This vague synopsis is available on many other sites. In this film, M and Bond's relationship is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. You can't be the head of MI6 and not make some enemies along the way. One of the things I really liked about this installment is that it provides more insight into Bond's past than anything ever shown before. You get a quick look at the man behind the martini. It also refreshes some classic characters that are staples in the series. And for long terms Bond fans, they sneak in a couple homages to the early years. I always like to see who the automotive for each Bond movie are. This year it's clearly Range Rover/Jaguar that's to some over-obvious product shots.

Craig is more of a rugged action star than previous Bonds, but he can still pull of a tuxedo. And he actually looks more reliable doing stunts than some of the more suave Bonds, like Brosnan. Dame Judi Dench may be old but she still plays the role of M believably. Ralph Fiennes is an addition to the cast and I hope we get to see more of his character. The bad guy is played by Javier Bardem (don't worry, this is not a spoiler. It's never a mystery and every review talks about this). Bardem's character is one of the creepiest bad guys I've seen in any movie in a long time. This may rival his fantastic and scary role in "No Country For Old Men." They both give me shivers. Definitely go see this one in theaters, especially if you're a Bond or Daniel Craig fan. On that note, I leave you with this wonderful advertising fail and a couple good ones of Mr. Craig:

I Went to a Movie Instead of Watching the Giant's Win the World Series

I went with a longer blog title today but it's something I'm not ashamed to admit. I can't watch 9 innings of baseball unless I'm actually at the game. Baseball is boring. But do I wish I had then gone out for the celebrating and rioting? Oh yes, crazy drunk people are indeed the best part of sports. I like going to day games for baseball because it makes it completely fine to be drunk by noon, sitting outside in the sun. Now that is America's past time.

Anyway, the movie I went to see was "Argo," which has been recommended to me by several friends. Not just any friends but the type of friends where I value their taste and opinions. I enjoy movies rooted in actually history, so this was right up my alley. The movie centers around the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, where a U.S. embassy was taken over in Tehran as a protest to the U.S. harboring their deposed Shah. Everything I've read makes a very clear point to call our that this is "loosely based" on the events that happened surrounding the crisis. If you want specifics on where Hollywood decided to get creative, check out the movie's Wikipedia page. The plot focuses on the CIA's undercover operation to extract 6 embassy employees who escape the raid on the embassy. The title pays homage to the America spy's cover, a casting director for a new sci-fi movie, Argo. Best line of the movie: "Arg go fuck yourself."

The movie is directed by Ben Affleck (who also stars in it). I think people sometimes people forget that Affleck has legitimate film chops, after making a series of movie like "Jersey Girl," "Gigli" and "Daredevil". In the 90s, he appeared on the scene acting in cult movies like Mall Rats and Dazed and Confused. He hit it big when he co-wrote and acted in "Good Will Hunting." He also wrote "The Town," which I actually liked. He co-wrote and co-directed the great film "Gone Baby Gone" which his genius little brother Casey Affleck. One of  the "Argo" producers is George Clooney, so you know the film is going to have some not-so-subtle political moral of the story.

With the clout of Clooney and Affleck, they were able to score some great actors for this film. Highlights include Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, Victor Garber (who walked Affleck's wife Jennifer Garner down the aisle when they got married) and Tate Donovan. However, John Goodman really steals the show. With all the reviews he's getting about his performance I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a Best Supporting Actor nomination out of it. I definitely recommend seeing this movie in theaters.

The first Caturday of November

First, as a goodbye to October a little homage to this spooktacular week: HALLOWEEN LOLCATS!

Moving into November, remember: VOTE LOLCAT

Brought to you by: Cheezburger

The Best & Worst Restaurants of October

October has been a crazy month, as the holiday season starts to kick of. Ugly holiday sweaters are just around the corner! I decided to condense my whirlwind of eating out down to one that blew me away and one that left me disappointed.

Let's start with the good news first. I had a friend* in town two weekend ago and I knew she was adventurous enough to come with me to one of my bucket list restaurants, Bar Crudo. Bar Crudo is located on Divisidero in the heart of NOPA. Bar Crudo serves, as the name suggests, a modern raw bar with only a few cooked dishes. After going a friend was disappointed I didn't get the clam chowder, which according to her is the best clam chowder you'll ever have. However, I am a fan of raw seafood (sushi addict extraordinaire) so I wanted to take full advantage of the raw fare Bar Crudo has to offer. After ordering a refreshing bottle of cava, we started out with a plate of various oysters at the recommendation of our server. They all delivered on their promise and tasted like they'd just come out of the ocean. For our main course we had the crudo sampler for two. The sample included four different kinds of fish: ahi tuna, arctic char, scallop and butterfish. The ahi tuna tasted like poke, with it's sauce of soy, lime, ginger and green onion. The arctic char, which was topped with horseradish creme fraiche, wasabi tobiko and dill. If only I could recreate this, it would be the perfect horderves for parties. The scallop was a nice pop of flavor, with blood orange, olive, fennel and tarragon accouterments. The sampler finished with the butterfish, which I was wary of but was actually delicious. It's a very smooth fish with little flavor, so it was almost like dessert when they served it with apples, pear vinaigrette and beet saffron caviar. We finished our mean with the artisan cheese plate, with fruits, pickles, honey and marmalade for pairing. This may be one of my new favorite restaurants in the city. The space is smaller and minimalistic with pops of interesting sea-related artwork. The kitchen is open so you can see all the fresh fish. The wait staff was very nice and extremely knowledgeable. I can't wait to go back!

The worst restaurant of the month was an unfortunate surprise as it came highly recommended by several foodie friends. It's the Beast & the Hare in Mission on Guerrero, which looks adorable and cozy from the outside. It called itself  an American style restaurant with an emphasis on meat (as the name would suggest). I would more classify it as American with a very strong Italian influence.We started with the avocado toast topper with boquerones. The bread used for the toast was hearty and had a ton of avocado on it. Unfortunately we did not know what boquerones are, which is fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar (a popular tapas in Spain). We then went to a samplers of meats and cheese. We got the coppa (cured pork neck) and the smoked duck, along with the feia (sheep/cow milk, semi-soft, Italian). This came on a plate with pickled vegetables, marmalade and honey. The coppa was "meh" (yes, I'm clearly an eloquent writer). The duck was really good but not what we expected. It was served as more of a paste in a jar. I think what makes the difference if you like or hate this restaurant is the level of service you receive. We had a reservation and got there right on time, but had to stand and wait an additional 30 minutes. The place is super small so you just have to stand in the entry way. A girl at work who liked this restaurant said she had a very informative server, who explained everything on the menu and made recommendations based on their tastes. We had a server who was clearly slammed and spend a brief amount of time with us. That's too bad, as that could have potentially changed my view of this dining experience. 

*Thanks to one of my all-time favorite people Tammy for visiting San Francisco. It was amazing to have you here to adventure with. Thanks for drinking wine and trying acro-yoga in Sonoma, singing Prince songs with Lyft drivers and trying to help your single friend flirt with cute waiters. I miss you already!

Pinterest Inspired Caturday

For more furry funny check out my Furry & Fat Cuteness page on Pinterest (includes more that just cats)!

Sappiness in Yemen

And no, I don't think everyone in Yemen is emo. I'm referring to the movie "Salmon Fishing in Yemen." First off, in case you don't know where Yemen is:

There, now that you've learned something educational from this blog post, let's continue with the movie review. I was excited to see this movie. It received a lot of critic buzz and made the rounds at the 2011 indie film festival circuit  The movie is based on the success novel with the same name by Paul Torday. I haven't read the book but after looking into it, it sounds a lot different than the movie. The book is classified as a political satire and won a prize for comedic writing. I love dry British humor. I think I would have liked this movie a lot more if it had satire. Unfortunately Hollywood decided to turn it into a romantic drama. And that was the beginning of their downfall. The movie stars Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt, two skilled British actors.Their acting abilities did not equal on-screen chemistry. The premise of the movie is that Harriett (Blunt) is trying to help foster Yemen-England relations for her boss but creating a goodwill story. Somehow she decides that the perfect story would be to introduce the sport of salmon fly fishing to Yemen. The movie doesn't provide any background as to where this out-there concept came from. She enlists the non-eager British government expert in salmon fisheries with Asperger's syndrome to help, Fred (McGregor). A Yemen sheikh decides donate millions of pounds to fund this project and bring salmon to the Yemen. This is not an easy task and they go through many hurdles trying to get this up and running. I think that part of the movie is interesting.

The part of the movie I take issue with is the romantic plot line. At the beginning Harriett is dating a solider who gets sent to war, promptly going MIA. Fed is married to a very career-oriented, ambitious woman who's work requires a lot of travel. Seemingly out of nowhere, halfway through the movie, Fred comes to the realization that he's in love with Harriett after his wife approaches him and calls him out on it. Harriett's been a weepy mess because she assumes her MIA boyfriend is probably dead. Instantaneously she returns Fred's affections. I won't spoil the ending even though I think you can guess where this is going. Anyway, the second part of the movie is extremely sappy. I really think they should have left it a political British satire. Rent this one if you want a sappy British love story that makes no sense. Watch "Love Actually" if you want a sappy British move that's actually good.

The Shows of September

Let me preface this by saying I'm really, really trying to cut back on the amount of shows I go to. It just didn't work this month. Oops. Well, technically this is less than August! Here's quick snapshot of some amazing bands that made their way through San Francisco last month. 

I went to Slim's in SOMA for the first time ever and it's now one of my favorite venues in this city. The tickets are cheap, the crowd is the right amount of raucous, the drinks are affordable and the space is the perfect size. I was lucky enough to see The Heavy here for my first experience. The Heavy is a British rock band with strong instrumentals and saucy vocals. Their music almost has a vintage sound, like classic R&B. Their stage energy reminds me of Fitz & the Tantrums. They get everybody dancing and singing a long. Next time the tour the US I would definitely recommend checking them out. Some of my favorites singles of theirs are How You Like Me Now? and Colleen.

Later that week I went to my main spot, the Fox Theater in Oakland, to check out The Tallest Man On Earth. One of the friends I went with introduced me to his music and I was definitely impressed by what I heard online. While I'll be honest that I didn't catch the whole set, I was even more impressed by him live. The Tallest Man On Earth is Kristian Matsson from Sweden and he's actually pretty short. However, he's so charismatic on stage that it makes up for any lack of height. He's pretty much a one-man-band with an occasion backup support guy. At one point he was playing so hard his guitar string snapped but he just tossed it over his shoulder and kept on going. His style could be classified as indie folk, but he also is reminiscent of American folk from the 1970s. His voice is often compared to that of Bob Dylan, though I think that's a bit of a stretch. These days I'd classify him in the same category as Mumford & Sons or Bon Iver. Great music for an evening of chilling at home.

After that, I was back at the Fox Theater the week after for Hot Chip, which was a lot less mellow and a lot more dance party. Hot Chip is a Euro-Indie-Electric-Synth band (I think I just invented this genre) from London. They've been around since 2000 and are a great addition to any upbeat party or dance off. The band is bigger than I realized (5-7 guys). Their lighting and stage setup was very apropos for their sound. My only wish is that they had talked and interacted with the audience a little more, as many of these people have been huge fans for 10+ years. Still a great show though, so I recommend catching them if they swing through town. My favorites and some of their biggest known singles include Ready For the Floor and Night & Day.

At the end of September I saw Dragonette at the Mezzanine in SOMA. The Mezzanine hosts a lot of electronic, synth and DJ shows. They have a great space for it, but make sure you go on a night when there's a good show. Otherwise it turns into a rather drug-filled rave with people who appear to have fake IDs. This show was a great dance party and in my opinion a lot more energetic than the Hot Chip show. Dragonette is a Canadian electronic band, with songs verging on an 80s/90s vibe. I love the lead singer, Martina Sorbara. She has great energy, slightly reminiscent of Robyn. While the mainstream may have heard of Dragonette from their part in Martin Solveig's "Hello," I think some of their best singles are Let It Go and Fixin To Thrill.

Tuna Around Town

While nothing beats a quality piece of toro sashimi, I'm a sucker for a good slab of ahi tuna. I'm actually at the point where I'll sometimes choose that over a steak and I'm a Midwestern, red-meat eating type of gal. In the last month I've had two terrific tuna experience that I think are worth sharing.

In August I went to check out Straw SF, which serves "upscale carnival food." I kid you not. This city has every type of dining experience you could ever imagine. The restaurant is small and the kitchen is open. While there's a kitschy feel, its not in-your-face carnival, though the air reeks of mini donuts. There's bright colors and whimsical touches. Luckily they skipped clown art for the most part. We sat at their special table, where they've converted a tilt-a-whirl pod into a corner booth. I ordered "Picadilly goes East," a spin on the traditional English fish and chips dish. They panko crust ahi tuna and serve it over either a bed of greens or house fried potato chips. Both options are served with rice wine vinegar and sesame aiolo. I would take this Asian version over traditional fish and chips any day. It was fresher, lighter and more complexly flavored. I was there with celebrating a birthday, who ordered the "nerd's inspired Shepard's pie." I can't explain the thought behind this name but it was a tasty dish. The ground beef and veggie stew was topped half and half with sweet potato and regular mashed potato. This meal is for a serious eater, as it's pretty hearty and comes in a big skillet serving size.

The second place I went to that served up a great ahi tuna was Foreign Cinema in the Mission. This upscale restaurant is in the old Mission theater and lives up to my ambiance expectations. The inside of the restaurant has a warm yet minimalistic approach. There's an outside courtyard with dining where old movies are projected on a brick way. Their menu changes constantly, as its California cuisine focusing on seasonal ingredients. They also feature a very thorough wine list that also changes constantly. When I was there earlier in the month,we started with a tasting of several oysters from various regions. It's amazing how different oysters can vary by size, taste and texture depending on the climate. For the entree I had seared ahi tuna atop haricots verts, baby carrots, butterball potatoes, hummus and fresh curry leaf. I'd never tried tuna with hummus but the textures and tastes go well together. I'm going to test mixing hummus with a can of tuna at home to see if that tastes good. If that experiment is a success then that's a healthy alternative to mayo. Foreign Cinema is also known for their fried chicken, although in my opinion it is not as good as Wayfarer Tavern.

Spy Flicks

I've pretty much loved every movie that has to do with spies (I'm sure there's some glaring exception that I cannot think of). If you love spies and all things British, one of my favorite series is MI: 5. Maybe in a past life I was a Ukrainian spy? I digress. This weekend I finally went to see "The Bourne Legacy." I'm a huge fan of the Bourne trilogy with Matt Damon and was wondering if this addition was going to ruin that. Damon was so good as Jason Bourne, how could Jeremy Renner measure up? I am happy to report that Renner stepped it up and the Bourne series continues in all its glory. Instead of replacing Damon with a new actor for Bourne, Renner steps into the role of Aaron Cross. Cross is part of a different program, that's an offshoot of the CIA's Black Briar project. Edward Norton steps in as the "fix-it" man for this new offshoot and is amazing. Norton has been noticably absent from films for the last few years, making a delightful appearance as the scout master in "Moonrise Kingdom." In this film, he's calculating, cunning and has just the right amount of a frosty exterior. I will confess, Edward Norton has always been a movie star crush of mine. It's kind of weird, especially considering his age, the types of roles he takes (American History X or Death to Smoochy anyone?) and that he's probably really short in real life, but I just love him. One of my favorite actresses, Rachel Weisz, plays the brilliant mind behind the mind and body alerting for this offset. It's always more believable when they cast someone who's probably intelligent in real life as a genius scientist (do you remember Denise Richards as the nuclear physicist in "The World Is Not Enough"). There's plenty of tie-ins to the original Bourne trilogy throughout the movie. Joan Allen, as my favorite director Pam Landy, gets a cameo. No sign of Damon in this flick, but with the way it ends there's the promise of Damon and Renner sharing the screen in the future. Definitely go see this one if you still have time to catch it in theaters.

On another note, I wanted to watch something awesomely bad. Sticking with the spy theme, I queued up "Abduction." It was ridiculously horrible. The movie stars Taylor Lautner (best known for his poor acting in the Twilight movies). While he insanely buff for a teenager, his face does not change its expression for the entire 106 minutes. This is Taylor sad, this is Taylor in love, this is Taylor angry.... apparently all emotion carries the same scowl (see image below for reference). Basically Lautner's character discovers via a missing person's site that his current parents are actually government handlers and his real parents were top-rate spies. He then, miraculously, evades hardcore Russian assassins and the CIA as he and his neighbor (Lily Collins) go on the lam. Apparently neither of them had watched a spy movie before. Stop talking on cellphones! Don't you know how easy it is to triangulate a signal and get your exact location. Also, don't park the car you know is burned outside a train station when you actually intent to take a train to escape. Wait for cable on this one. Or never see it. Unless you want to feel more like a secret agency than Taylor Lautner.

Seduced by Sushi

First off, apologies to the few loyal readers (my parents, a co-worker, a couple really nice friends), life has been crazy so I haven't had time to write! I got promoted at work so now I actually have to work :) Thanks for bearing with me and constantly pretending that my blog is an important read.

Onto the sushi! My first review needs to go out to my favorite neighborhood joint, Sushi Toni. When I moved to Lower Nob Hill in December, I left behind an apartment a few blocks away from Japantown, where there were sushi joints on every corner. I tried a couple sushi places once I was settled at my new place, but they were too close to Union Square, which meant they were over-priced and aimed at tourists. I always walked by Sushi Toni on Bush Street, but it looked like such a random hole in the wall that I didn't trust them to fulfill my sushi needs. Eventually I looked them up on Yelp, saw they had four stars and a ton of rave reviews so I decided to give it a try. I am now hooked. To be honest, I get carry out at least once a week. The waitress has stopped asking me if I need one pair chopsticks or two (apparently I order way too much sushi for just me). Last week I officially added them to my favorite contacts list so I could call them quicker. Their maki rolls are creative, tasty and affordable. The 49er roll (tobiko, siso, avacado topped with salmon and a lemon wedge) tastes just as good as the salmon citrus roll at Michelin rated Sushi Ran. I'm a huge fan of seaweed salad, so the fact that I can get it over a spicy tuna roll and call is a Swamp roll is pretty perfect. Yelp reviewers rave about the Romeo and Juliet roll (salmon and avocado wrapped in soybean paper, topped with scallop) and I have to concur. I like the Family Affair roll (tuna, white tuna and cucumber) even though they get a little carried away with the white and green onion garnish on top. The Red Dragon and Crunch rolls are also worth trying out. They're also able to make spicy scallop handrolls, which are a favorite of mine ever since I moved to SF. Basic maki rolls range from $4.50-$6.50 and specialty rolls are on average $9-$10. Everything is rolled well and made with quality ingredients. If you're looking for an affordable sushi dinner, this is the place to go.

The next place warranting discussion is Zushi Puzzle. When I ask San Franciscans what the best secret sushi places in the city are, they usually say Zushi or Sushi Bistro (coming up next). This place also looks like a hole in the wall and an unattractive gray facade. It's on a rather barren part of Lombard, which is still technically Marina/Cow Hollow but definitely on the edge. I've tried to go here before but there's always a wait and it seems to be always at least an hour. Plus they have some random business hours, which means I have to go to Mas Sake (which is good but like eating sushi in a Vegas club after 10pm). A friend and I finally got in on a Friday night by going directly after getting off work. I can't wait until I'm old and it's acceptable to eat dinner at restaurants at 5:30p. Anyway, we ended up trying a couple of the specialty maki rolls. I'm going to spare you the details. No one roll specially popped as being more memorable than the others. My main takeaway from this place was that there was a lack of skill/finesse. The sushi wasn't rolled very well. Every time we went to grab a piece, it would fall apart by the time it hit the soy. I was pretty disappointed by my experience, this place definitely did not live up to the hype!

After checking out Zushi Puzzle I had to check out the other local favorite, Sushi Bistro. There's two locations, one in Inner Richmond and in the Mission. I went to the one in the Mission that's fairly small but didn't have its usual wait that night. I think my favorite roll was the Billie Jean. I fully support the new trend of using soy paper as a substitute for the seaweed wrapping. The Billie Jean was filled with baby lobster, avocado and cucumber, topped with salmon. I have a propensity to order anything with tuna, so I also got the albacore dream, which is spicy tuna and avocado topped with albacore and their signature spicy sauce. I have to say, if someone asked me if I would recommend Zushi Puzzle or Sushi Bistro, I would hands down always say Sushi Bistro.

In case you forgot, it's almost Caturday!

 

For more lolcats

Brunching in the Bay

In my opinion, one of the best ways to spend a weekend morning is "brunching." Brunch is the best of breakfast and lunch, combined into one delicious meal. The only downside is having to wake up a little earlier, but as I get older, the option to sleep until noon because less and less feasible. This weekend was perfect because I made it to brunch both mornings!

On Saturday morning I met a friend at the Mission Beach Cafe. This place has great reviews on Yelp and I've heard there can be quite the line. When we went there was only a 15 to 20 minute wait, which for a buzzed about brunch place in San Francisco is not bad at all. I've spent multiple times waiting 45 minutes at Brenda's. The restaurant is pretty small and cozy, so we ended up being seated along the bar facing the window. This was actually a great spot to be on a sunny day, soaking up rays and people watching in the Mission. Our server was super friendly and hilarious, so that automatically made the dining experience better. We ordered some Blue Bottle iced coffee, although MBC just ended their contract with Blue Bottle and will be switching to someone else moving forward. We ended up splitting the pork and duck confit hash and the crab and shrimp eggs benedict. I started with the confit hash, which was tender pieces of braised pork and duck over a sweet potato- butternut squash hash, topped with two over-easy eggs and creme fraiche. The flavor profile was well-balanced and fresh, with everything prepared well. The only downside is that the dish was a little on the greasy side and since it was served in a bowl, whatever ingredient was making it greasy made everything a little greasy. The benedict was two english muffins slathered in their house-made guacamole and topped with shrimp and dungeness crab. The eggs on top were slightly over-poached but good for people who don't like runny yolks. The hollandaise sauce drizzled on top was good and balanced out with an orange reduction to cut the creaminess a bit. Overall, I had a pretty good experience there. It wasn't amazing for me, but definitely enjoyable and affordable. And apparently they have Pot Pie Tuesdays, which I wouldn't mind going back to try. We Midwesterners love our pot pies and I never see them out here.

Sunday morning I went with the boyfriend to The Liberty Cafe in Bernal Heights. I'd only been to Bernal Heights once before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This cafe ended up being near the top of the "heights" so there were plenty of nice houses with amazing skyline views. The neighborhood was very quaint and family-filled (although the fact that it was Father's Day may have been a factor in this). The Cafe has inside dining, patio dining and a back area dedicated to the bakery. Once again the wait was approximately 15 minutes, so not too bad. I had not heard of this place before so I went in with no expectations, which was kind of refreshing. Sadly they were out of the seasonal frittata, so I opted for the meat lover's scramble. The scramble was delicious. The eggs were served with bacon, sausage, chorizo, onion and Monterey cheese. It would probably be hard to go wrong with such a combination. The breakfast potatoes on the side were average. I chose the whole wheat walnut toast, which was pretty tasty so I think it's safe to assume their bakery selection has a lot to offer. Parking in this area is a lot better than most spots in the city, so if you have a car and your headed that way, this cafe is worth a stop.