Back from San Francisco

We have had amazing weather here in the SF Bay Area --- 70 degrees in SF in January was unbelievable! I wasn't able to work on any projects, but I did find some cool places for future visits. I checked out Britex, but nothing that was reasonably priced caught my eye --- a $150 per yard Missoni silk charmeuse did, but I couldn't quite get myself to go there.

One of the things I love about wandering around a city is stumbling upon something pleasantly unexpected. We decided to pop into the city hall building, which is a gorgeous domed structure. Upon entering, we heard the most beautiful singing, and learned that the SF boys and girls choirs were giving a free performance there as a send-off to the presidential inauguration --- they had been selected to perform next week in Washington DC! They were amazing, and it is so cool that two local groups were selected to participate in the inauguration festivities.



We found a wonderful Italian restaurant called Venticello in the Nob Hill area. It is rustic and cozy, and the food was very good. My favorite was the beet and arugula salad, which had thinly sliced beets and arugula with a caper dressing. The pastas and risotto were excellent as well.



We also spent an evening in the Hayes Valley neighborhood, which is near the civic center area. Such a cute neighborhood! The main drag is Hayes St., and there are plenty of restaurants, cafes, and boutiques lined up along the street. We had dinner at Suppenkuche, a german restaurant that had really good food and a happening atmosphere. They really tried to promote the "in a rustic cabin in the middle of the Black Forest" feel with unfinished pine tables, communal seating and green trees painted on the walls. We arrived around 5:30 pm so it was pretty empty, but within 30 minutes, the entire place was packed and very loud. As you can imagine, the beer selection was outstanding, but I was really impressed with the quality of the food. My sauerbraten (braised beef) was tender and delicious, and the accompanying spaetzle and red cabbage were perfect counterpoints to the beef. Mark's rolled chicken dish was flavorful as well (although he didn't really care for the side of brussel sprouts). The portions were huge, so there was no dessert!

Also in Hayes Valley was this cute candy store called Miette Confiserie. I've been to Miette Patisserie in the Ferry Building in SF, but this was a much larger store with a great retro candy store feel. In addition to their delectable cupcakes in the main case, the store was filled with huge jars of unique candies from various parts of the world. The red and white striped bags were the best. Loved it!



We missed a bunch of stores, including a sewing studio called Stitch Lounge and the Urban Knitting Studio. I see another trip in our future!