My City By The Bay

This place is fantastic.  My friend Carmen and I went for brunch since neither of us had ever dined there.  We arrived around 11:30 or so and the place was packed which is always a good sign.  The interior has a bar area with some seats and a main dining room where the “brunchers” are seated.  There are small tables for two, romantic booth tables for those not really interested in the food and large tables for groups.  We experienced all while dining there.

The decor was drenched in a rich Merlot color with the booths in the same velvet brushed seating.  And  speaking of Merlot,  the wine list there is off the cuff.  It must have been at least a 20 page booklet wine list which if you were to read the entire list you’d be there an extra hour.  Unfortunately, I cannot drink for a while so that beautiful list was nothing I could savor.

I did however order an orange juice which arrived and had a hint of mango and just hit the spot.  I knew right away this was going to be an epicurean journey well worth the ride.

For starters we ordered the deviled eggs which I did not think I would enjoy because they were stuffed with salmon and topped with caviar and I don’t like either salmon or caviar.  However I had to taste one and it was pure heaven.  I could have eaten the entire plate myself.  I’d love to go back someday at happy hour and just have the deviled eggs and drinks.

We also ordered the seasonal fruit plate with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, peaches and vanilla bean cream fraiche and  a spinach, onion and cheese pizzetta which was very tasty, thin crusted and very good.

I liked many items on the menu but decided to go with the warm biscuits with buttermilk sausage gravy sage and fried eggs.  All I can say is WOW!
Really, that’s all I can say - it was like heaven saturating your palate - and filling.

Even though we were both completely full we decided to order dessert and both got the pavlova with whipped cream and strawberries, again a huge dessert and by the time we were ready to leave I could barely stand.  The food here, all of it was excellent.  I didn’t bring a camera but my friend Carmen did and got pics of everything. You can check out their website at http://www.absinthe.comThe service, top notch.  Friendly, informed waiters, a service staff that was right there to refill your water and coffee.  

We had a great time and spent about three hours there.

With brunch this good I can only imagine what dinner is like.  Definitely try it if you are out and about in San Francisco.

@ The Botanical Gardens located within Golden Gate Park in San Francisco you’ll find my favorite place to write, think, take photos and meditate - the Moon Viewing Garden and Waterfall Garden.  The waterfall garden as you can see above flows over the pebbles and rocks to the moon viewing garden which in 1993 was a gift from the local chapter of Ikebana International.  January, February and March are the best months to visit as the Japanese cherry blossoms are in full bloom.  The photo above I shot one day on a glorious, warm afternoon.  It is the Waterfall Moon Garden.  On a sunny day as in this photo you can see the reflections of the rippling pond flowing through the rocks with a peaceful serenity into the moon viewing garden which portrays an Eastern Feng Shui ambience.  The lush greenery and rich foliage make for a beautiful and tranquil setting.  It serves as a respite from the bustling city routine.

There are also many a bird species and squirrels who make this garden their home and when visiting you will surely meet some of them.  I like to go early in the morning when it’s quiet and I can spend time communing with nature.For more information on the botanical gardens visit: http://www.sfbotanicalgarden.com

I would like to welcome all of you to my new San Francisco blog.  I am a native of this beautiful and culturally diverse city and wanted to share with all of you an inside look into my city by the bay.I will be talking about the sights and sounds, news, travel tips for tourists who visit and reviews of restaurants etc… Just basically anything and everything San Francisco.Living here all of my life I sometimes take for granted the unique pulse this city offers.  It’s now time to share my home with you and show you a different part of the world through my eyes.  I’ll also be sharing my photographs and videos of San Francisco.

When I worked @ Ghirardelli Square in the Fisherman’s wharf area for over 12 years I commuted by bus and passed the Golden Gate Bridge twice on a daily basis.  One day I was a little early and decided to exit the bus at the bridge and take some photos.  The above photo is a result of that trip, among others.  I will be talking about the bridge, Ghirardelli Square and much more each day in this blog so check back often.

I also invite all of you to ask questions and I will be happy to answer them for you.  If there is a specific topic about San Francisco you’d like me to write about, please feel free to post it here and I’ll be more than happy to comply with your requests.

Within the week or so I’ll be visiting the new California Academy Of Sciences in Golden Gate Park and will post my observations and hopefully pictures here.  I tried getting there on opening day however due to the crowds I never made it in the venue.

So, thanks for reading and check back daily.