Happy Beach Thoughts

It was about this time last week we were debating whether Irene was really a threat.  We had a beautiful morning at the beach and quality pool time in the afternoon.  Wednesday night we decided we probably needed to pack up and head back north.


These are our last trip when the men went to collect the tent we kept at the beach.  I really did help, but I also played photographer.  Sad to leave, but we did have a few solid days so am very thankful for that.  And good memories, even better.

TCHO....Chocolate!

TCHO:  The phonetic spelling for the first syllable of "chocolate".  Where technology meets chocolate.  According to the website, they are obsessed with innovation in whatever they do.   And yes, there is a technology spin.  Jane Metcalfe is the President of the company.  She and her husband/significant other, Louis Rossetto, co-founded Wired magazine.  I had heard about this chocolate producer from M, a big fan of Wired magazine (and the pop-up store around the holidays).


When I was looking for my office on the google map, they plotted TCHO at a pier not that far down the Embarcadero (on Pier 17).  It is the only chocolate factory in San Francisco.  Sorry Ghiradelli fans, the chocolate must not be produced in an San Francisco factory.  It is an artisan chocolate producer, that is goes even further than fair trade.  They help the farmers produce better cocoa beans to become premium producers.


Here it is, right on the pier.  We missed the tour by 20 minutes, so we chatted with the sales person and sampled a few at the counter.

The chocolate comes in varietals, and the flavor comes from the cocoa beans that are raised in different places across the globe. The types are fruity, nutty, and chocolately, for example.  The website will show you how to "taste" chocolate:  smell, look, sound (of the break), aftertaste....

Right now, it's all dark chocolate but the very week we were there, they were producing their first batch of dark milk chocolate.  Now that is up my alley.  I love the creaminess of milk chocolate, I won't deny it.


Pretty cool space, pretty cool story.  I'll admit, there is so much "artisan" chocolate out there these days, made by Brooklyn Hipsters who want to sail Cocoa beans from Africa to Brooklyn...it gets a little much.  I can appreciate the desire to blend technology and chocolate (they have "beta 1.0" rounds to test types).


TCHO:  http://www.tcho.com/

CA Hamburgers: The Habit & In-N-Out

Upon learning that there were a few burger joints I had not tried in the Bay Area, I thought I'd try to do some due diligence and check them all out.  But a week of burgers and fries is not good for my bikini body, so we only made it to two.  A new place and an old favorite.

First, a sunny afternoon at The Habit.  It started in 1969 in Santa Barbara, CA.  Yes, that's me in downtown Walnut Creek (after a hard day of bopping into my favorite stores).  The burgers were pretty darn tasty.  Soft bun, good burger, and grilled onions come with.  And the waitress walks around and brings you extra sauce.  I'd say it was almost as good as In-N-Out.  


But then we went to In-N-Out the next day after a trip up to Marin.  And it's still as good as I remember it.  I know people love Five Guys, too (and more than the In-N-Out).  But to me, there is nothing like the California version of the burger.  It'll be a favorite.  


What I didn't get to try was Nation's.  They started in San Pablo, CA.  So many burgers from CA (read "In-N-Out Burger by Stacy Perman, it talks about the start of so many fast food places, many in CA because of the driving nature of the state).


Which made me think of my top burger places.  I'm going to admit, I'm particular about a few (the exact location I like it at, for example)...but my working list is below. 

1. BLT & In-N-Out (sit down versus fast food) but at the top for different burger types
2. Shake Shake (must be in Madison Square Park on a nice NY evening after a long wait in line - because I think it tastes better because you've waited so long, not because it's the best burger I've ever had).
3. The Habit
4. Five Guys

Dessert will be up tomorrow!  

Pepples Donuts at the Ferry Building

Donuts. You know I like them. I like to try new ones. So when I told the woman at this stand I would be back, I wasn't lying. Besides, these donuts looked so pretty!

Continuing on my California adventure...we went into San Francisco one day so I could stop at the office out west, meet a friend for lunch and another friend for dinner (busy day!). While I waited for M to join me in the city, I killed some time at the Ferry building. And there are enough little food shops to poke around in to keep me busy for a bit.

But I committed to the Pepples Organic Donuts. I asked her what was most popular and took it. Salty Caramel. I vowed to myself I would only eat half, too. Just to be sort of good.

Like you might expect here, it's totally organic and vegan (honestly, the vegan part can be a turnoff for me, so you better make it look like a really good dessert if you go down that route). The kiosk at the Ferry building has been open about a year now. I had to snap a shot of the girl who helped me decide, she definitely had a Brooklyn look. She rung me up on her iPad, and if you need to use a credit card, she'll swipe you with Square (how Bay area!). Note: Square is a device you plug into the jack on an iphone/ipad allowing you to accept credit card payments.

I couldn't resist the shot of the donut with the Bay Bridge in the background, so got low on the bench to get close to the donut...slid over to get a little closer....and oops, splinter in the behind! Yes, not pretty. I thought I had taken care of it that afternoon. Alas, I didn't and worried about the wood in my tush for the next few days until my doctor pulled it out.

As for the donut, the caramel covering was DELICIOUS. Sweet and salty - love that combo! The donut part was pretty good, too. Good crumb, and a soft spot near the top middle where it's a little gooier maybe, if that makes sense.

It was a beautiful day. Look at that sky over the Ferry Building!

Pepples Donuts: http://www.pepplesdonuts.com/

California Time

We just got back from a great week in California. We went out to visit friends & family, relax, and enjoy the fresh, clean air in the Bay area.

This was my first Virgin America flight. And it was great. It leaves from the international terminal at JFK (the only other terminal I like besides Jetblue's Terminal 5). The staff is smartly dressed, they have touch screen computers to check in, and pink/purple lights on the plane. People look much better than in those harsh white lights on other carriers. I slept most of the way out there, but managed to check out the inflight wi-fi on the ipad so I could alert M that I was arriving at 11:30 am and NOT 2:55 pm. I misread the email and just thought that was my arrival time, it was the departure time for the return flight.

On the way back, I ordred a tuna sandwich via the touch screen menu at my seat. Ok, so I also just wanted to try it out. They delivered it in about 10 seconds. And honestly, it was pretty good. As in, the bread was not soggy (it was actually fluffy wheat bread), it was not overly mayo and it actually had capers and olives in it. The beauty of T2 at SFO is that they have great food selections to eat there or take on board.

So I'll finish up with a report out on my first day there...

I had a pick up at the airport. And another slight mistake, I got off at the wrong Bart stop.

Me: I'm here
M: I'm by the parking garage
Me: Me too, I took a left out of the turnstiles like you said

M: Where are you?

Me: I'm here
M: Are you sure? It's by the All Aboard shop
Me: Oh, wait, I don't see that...
M: You got off a stop early

Oops!

Anyhow, we managed to make it home for lunch with the family and then headed to Berkeley for a BBQ with a bunch of M's friends. We had some time on the way there so traveled up over Grizzly Peak with a stop at the Berkeley Rose Garden. Where the roses were in full bloom.

Good times were had by all, as we crowded around the dining room table and passed food and wine.

More to come! You know me. I couldn't travel and not EAT something. So I'll be reporting back on burgers, cupcakes, donuts...

All I Can Say is....Sooo Nice!

It's been a very cold, snowy winter. Very cold. And very snowy. I think we've had some sort of storm every week since Christmas. So I was so excited to fit in a trip to Palm Beach between last week's snow and this week's slush/sleet.

I'm very lucky to have great girlfriends from business school, and we've made a real point to get together on a regular basis. We are spread out among NYC, Atlanta and DC and try and congregate somewhere warm in the dead of winter. It's hard to believe we graduated in 2004. Where does the time go? Things change, and some things just don't change. I suppose that's what make friends so great!

Tonight is just a quick look at some sunny pictures to spread some warmth to all my cold friends! I don't mean to make anyone jealous, but it's just too good to not share! More to come, because you all know how I like to photograph food. And it makes me happy to look back over the weekend.

I played around with Hipstamatic and Instagram for these shots. Sometimes I think I may overdo it with the choices and filters. I just can't help it and like the way some of them look. A little retro!


These are pool side at the hotel, late afternoon on Saturday. Breakfast, walk on the beach, lunch, some spa time, afternoon wine. How much better could it get? I think someone on the trip said that if you have an afternoon drink, you are really on vacation.


I was a big fan of the mini cupcakes at the spa. I may have had one. Or two. Did I have three? It was easy to lose count because someone would come rearrange the plate to remove the empty spaces!