brunch at starbelly in the castro

Apologies to everyone, these pictures are almost a month old but I kept neglecting to post them. Agh, sorry! A couple weeks ago Brent and I stopped by Starbelly to try their weekend brunch menu. I'd been there once before for dinner and it was pretty good but breakfast/brunch is usually my favorite meal of the day and I'd been itching to go back.

First we shared the french fries with three dipping sauces. Totally unnecessary given the amount of food we were getting but I had them the last time I was there and had been craving them quite a bit before that. Last time I also had a chorizo pizza but since they only serve brunch on weekends I knew I had to try their french toast and it did not disappoint. They even cure their own bacon! Brent got chilaquiles which were also pretty fantastic, overall, it was a great meal and I'd definitely recommend it.

lunch at nopalito

Finally got Brent to come to Nopalito with me! I'd been there before (it's less than two blocks from my apartment!) but we always end up going somewhere else on our lunch dates when Brent is in the area. I've been a little lazy about taking out my camera when I go to restaurants and I think that my new phone is to blame since it's so much easier to records meals with an iPhone except I'm less inclined to blog about it here and more likely to post it on Tumblr.

When you read the Yelp reviews most people complain about how it's not really authentic Mexican food... well, one, I abhor most self proclaimed "foodie" Yelp reviewers, and two, most of the Mexican food people consider authentic is just as Americanized as Chipotle in my opinion, even in the Mission. Whatever dude, as long as my food is juicy and flavorful I don't give a crap about authenticity. We started with the totopos con chile which were tortilla chips dipped in a chile salsa sprinkled with cheese and cilantro and crema on the side. Brent went with the enchiladas de pollo con mole and I got a torta de chilorio which is what I usually get there. Everything was satisfying and delicious as per usual and I washed my food down with their homemade iced tea while Brent drank rosé (he said something about really liking their wine list, I guess).

pastrami at the hat

Acne Beryl cardigan (christmas present!), Acne top

Sup guys, I'm currently enjoying my time in LA until I have to go back up north to begin my job search. Thanks for all of the comments about my graduation! I posted an outfit shot from that day on my Tumblr in case anyone is interested in seeing what I wore. Still getting used to not feeling pressured to finish a paper or study for an exam, it feels so strange! Maybe that's why this trip home feels especially relaxing. Aside from obligatory trips to In-N-Out and pho with my dad, I almost always stop by The Hat for lunch. I've been eating the same thing there since I was a kid: a classic pastrami sandwich and fries (although sometimes, if we're feeling wild, we order chili fries lol). Anyone else from the San Gabriel Valley? No matter how many miles away I am, I'll always consider it home.

portland day one

vintage pullover, old cut off shorts, vintage boots, fjallraven bag

Since it's National Coffee Day, I'll start with these photos from Stumptown in Portland (which is actually attached to the Ace Hotel, next time I want to stay there). I had their coffee every day I was there, it was so addictive. I even brought home a bag of their Hair Bender blend for BF which we enjoyed this morning before driving over to work. Mikey and I came across this location when we wandered around downtown trying to figure out what to do and chatted with the super friendly barista who gave us helpful tips and ideas about where to go (try doing that at Ritual in SF where the workers are sour and rude). Their coffee is way better anyway.

Look at me, I'm wearing shorts! The Bay Area is currently experiencing a nasty heat wave and it seemed like Portland was feeling some of it too. I had been wearing pants on the flight but had to change into shorts when I couldn't take the heat.

updating from portland...

vintage levis gingham shirt, acne needle high waisted jeans via shopbop, h&m cardigan, vintage lace up boots

I've been delaying this post far too long, forgive me, I've been busy. Last week I booked a last minute flight to the Pacific Northwest (!!!) and I am currently sitting in PDX waiting for my luggage. Which is late. Umm. Whatever, at least I'm here! These outfit photos are from last Sunday when Brent and I went out for ramen while the food ones are from the following day.

shades of greige henley via ssense, b.son cardigan, april 77 jeans, mezlan shoes

Had to include these photos, even if they're just shots where I'm testing out the lighting on BF. Those jeans are so old lol. I guess things do get better with age? Hah. I also wanted to thank everyone for your comments on that last post, it's nice to see that so many of you don't think of me that way and understand where I'm coming from. The internet is a tricky place but I'm dealing with it. Thanks for your support, guys.

Lunch at El Metate in the Mission. I'd been going for their tortas for about a year now but could never get BF to come with me. The thing with Mexican food in the Mission is that you're so used to having at least five or six restaurants in the same block serving so much of the same stuff that you never really bother to wander anywhere else. El Metate is a couple blocks east of BF's place so it's quite a walk but was totally worth it in the end. He had chicken enchiladas with green salsa and I had a torta with breaded chicken milanesa on dutch crunch (!!!!) and torilla soup. Soooooo good. And it's pretty close to Humphrey Slocombe too if you're in the area...

Anyway, since I didn't really get to vacation this summer I'm really glad I'm taking this last minute trip. I haven't been up here yet and I'll be in Portland until Sunday when we take Amtrak to Seattle to help my friend's sister move in. Plus Camille's going to show us around tomorrow which means awesome food and doooooooooooooonuts. Oh my gosh, DONUTS!

Gott's Roadside in the Ferry Building

Since when has Taylor's Automatic Refresher been referred to as Gott's? Oh, whatever, it's still good. This is where we spent our Labor Day eating classic American fare, fries and all. What's more American than a bacon cheeseburger (BF's chicken sandwich?) and cola? Yes, yes it's a total tourist trap but who cares, it's still pretty damn good. Here you guys can finally see BF's new hair which is my favorite haircut so far, although sometimes I miss his cute lil mop.

I also had my photo taken over at Work it Berk so ch-ch-check it out. I looked a little sloppy since I'd had a bit of a hectic day but ehh, what can I do? That's what school does to me.

sons & daughters in downtown san francisco

Confession: this trip to Sons & Daughters exactly a week ago actually pulled me out of an intense appetite-stealing depression resulting from a certain personal situation. After a shitty, shitty week, Friday finally rolled around and my friends Megan and Sam invited me out for dinner before the Nasty Gal x Lookbook party (which I probably usually would have skipped out on if it weren't for my coworkers, it's just not my thing). Maybe I was still feeling under the weather when I first sat down but as soon as that meal started, I totally forgot about what was bothering me and just let myself go. It's kind of scary to lose your appetite when you enjoy food as much as I do... I'm feeling much better now, thank you.

The first thing that caught my attention and contributed to my abnormal burst of happiness at this restaurant? THE PLAYLIST. The Smiths, Bowie, Radiohead, Interpol, and even Arcade Fire... I could hardly sit still. The three of us went with the four course meal (sans the wine pairing, maybe next time) and while Megan and I chose all of our courses, Sam decided to let our waiter (who was really attentive and awesome about explaining everything) choose everything for him. Man, I wish all waiters were like him. Always spot on with his responses to our questions and never pushy, that's how everyone should be. First we had an amuse bouse with cucumber slices and little roe-like spheres of honey and bread with butter and hawaiian pink sea salt crystals while we waited for our first courses.

Next came my oxtail tartare with miso, juniper berry, chervil, and potato chips and Megan's cream of beet soup with creme fraiche. Our waiter chose the tartare for Sam and we were all quite pleased with our first courses. I remember trying my best to scoop up every last bit off of my plate... it was that good. The soup was also pretty decent from what I can recall but I definitely liked mine best. Megan and I chose the same second course, the sweetbreads and dungeness crab with pureed garbanzo beans, baby greens, and a light dijon foam. Sam ended up with the seared foie gras which came with a yogurt and concord grape granite. Terrific, terrific. My favorite part about that second course was definitely the crab since you could taste how fresh it was with just the right amount of seasoning.

And finally, the third course. This is where you can tell that I was starting to lose my light and I actually considered not posting these but it's so hard not to share them. Megan got the squab breast and confit leg with chickpeas, maitake mushrooms, and savory jus while Sam and I had the lavender pork belly and pork tenderloin with torpedo onions, an herb puree, and barley. Again, I am SO GLAD I chose what I got and I would definitely get it again. Okay, so maybe I just happen to be so in love with pork that I naturally gravitate towards it with every chance I get (Cochon 555 again next year, anyone?), but still, I've had some pretty mediocre pork tenderloin and this one was exceptional. I think the biggest problem I have with pork tenderloin is that I love it so much that I'm super picky about it and to me it's either not cooked right or overseasoned yet this one was just perfect. Even Megan who was satisfied with her own dish admitted that she wished she had chosen the pork.

(Not pictured is the fourth course, dessert, since I totally lost my lighting by then. In any case, we all had the vanilla panna cotta with blueberries and a lemon verbena gelee at the top which was fantastic, of course.)

For what you get, Sons & Daughters is totally underpriced since I'd usually expect to pay much more for the quality of food that I had there. At no point during the meal did I ever feel stuffy or uncomfortable, the entire time I was at ease talking to my friends and enjoying a spectacular meal. You know, even if you're not into the idea of spending so much money on pricey meals, even as a college student I try to set aside a bit of money so I can treat myself to a great meal every once in a while. Buying new clothes and other material possessions can be fun but to me, nothing compares to the simple inherent pleasure that you experience when that first bite hits your mouth and all of your senses start to work together to process the meal in front of you. It's amazing to see how much happiness can come from something as necessary as eating...

a day with a chu

hope oversized cropped tee, old lux skirt, united bamboo booties, fjallraven kanken backpack

These aren't really the best photos of this outfit but they're the most decent ones in the bunch, even if they are horribly overexposed. Here we are walking home after a long day running errands downtown. This day was actually special for me since it is the second time in three months that we've been able to spend a whole day with each other (I always had work on his days off). The weather was actually decent, a little chilly at times, but still much warmer than most of the days we've had in the city.

I had to post these photos, they're too cute. I love this boy so, so, so much, even if he loves to wear ridiculous things (like these oversized leopard print sunglasses) to piss me off and is always teasing me about silly things. I wouldn't change a thing about him after nearly a year and six months and I'm super excited about finally getting to spend whole days together! I think our next adventure will be lunch at Wayfare Tavern to try Tyler Florence's attempt at making what he calls the best burger in San Francisco. Alright, TyFlo, I'll be the judge of that. Either way, I'm just happy that Brenty and I can finally go on cute little dates together, I really needed that.

Spicy turkey and three-cheese pressed sandwiches from Tartine. I missed this so much. I've mentioned this before but Tartine is only five blocks away from BF's apartment and back in the day we'd always walk there for morning pastries and coffee. I guess you don't really appreciate these little things and tiruals like these until you can't do them together anymore so this sandwich was especially delicious. I love sitting outside and watching people as they walk by, San Francisco is full of such interesting/weird/awesome characters. I can't wait to move to the city when I graduate.

Funny story: I was so annoyed with his leopard print sunglasses that I made him put on his roommate's Ray Bans for the photo. I guess it doesn't matter anymore since I posted the other photos anyway. Oh my silly Pikachu, I still love you even if you are a bit much sometimes.