The San Francisco Treat.

No, not rice-a-roni. The San Francisco treat for us was our work/play vacation there this past week. The timing was absolutely impeccable. Saying that we were overdue for a little adventure and relaxation is the understatement of the day. It was such a fun trip and I have tons of great recommendations for anyone headed west to Cali.

I say this was a work/play vacation because we had our annual Subway Convention in downtown San Francisco for a few days and then we snuck off together for a few days. The convention was great. We got to see lots of subway peeps from all over the country. It is always fun to catch up and see how things have been going for everyone since last year. We sampled lots of delicious food from the vendors, gathered up tons of cute (mostly useless) tchotches from the trade show floor and checked out all the goodies coming up for the next year in the Subway world.

Vacation, in my universe, is largely defined by the eating lots of great food, preferably local fare that I can't get back at home. Avoiding chains when possible. I enjoy trying out local haunts and taking advice from cabbies/hotel staff/etc. on the best places to grab a bite. Some of my san fran favorites:

• The Grove Cafe: to die for sandwiches, fresh squeezed juices, biggest breakfast burrito I have ever laid eyes on! and a cool, eclectic atmosphere. This one easily made it to the top of my list.
• John's Grill: delicious steak and seafood. fun fact, it was the setting for the maltese falcon.
• Annabelle's Bar and Bistro: they do an herb rubbed, rotisserie chicken with a quick flash-fry (yum!). the juiciest and most flavorful fried chicken I have ever eaten. 

PS: the shopping off market street in union square is absolutely insane. If you have money to burn, you would love this area. Too much for me and my empty pockets ... but worth remembering if I hit the lottery.

Then, we headed off for our Boatman vacay. Where did we go you ask? An all around decadent tour of Napa Valley and Sonoma. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Truly unforgettable. This might be one of my most favorite trips we have taken together. It was such a unique experience. I am not really a wine person, but I may have been converted after this trip. Visiting all the different wineries and partaking in the tours really gave me an appreciation for the skill and precision it takes to make all those different varieties of wine. It is incredible the level of devotion that these wine makers have to the perfection of their craft. In just a few days we were able to visit several different wineries and we loved something different about each one of them. Napa and Sonoma combined boast over 400 wineries, we did our best people!

• Trinchero
• Beringer Brothers
• Rutherford Hills
• Robert Mondavi
• Francis Ford Coppola
• Ledson
• Cakebread
• Nickel and Nickel
• Benzinger
• Kunde
• Geyser Peak
• Folie a Deux
• ACE Hard Ciders

I could go on and on about each stop, but my favorite was Kunde. The view was majestic, the wine was delicious and we had a moment of serendipity - we ended up at a tasting 1,400 feet on the mountain side with Jeff Kunde, current CEO and great, great grandson of the founder, who just happened to be there entertaining a client. Just a great experience. 

Great eats on this leg of our tour:

Norman Rose Tavern: grass fed local beef hamburger, local cheese, local bread. good lord this burger. They also serve fresh, dill pickles. I honestly never knew a pickle could be THAT delicious.
Gilwood's Cafe: eggs california = the most delicious breakfast of my life. Basic eggs benedict plus tomatoes and avocado. It's topped with the most incredible hollandaise sauce ... EVER.
Healdsburg Bar and Grill: another burger. I know, I couldn't help myself. A perfect patio with tons of seating to enjoy the Utopia-like weather. The parmesan and garlic fries ... heavenly.

I MUST give a huge shout out to our hotel. The Avia in Napa Valley was perfection. It was situated right in the heart of the Napa Valley Square and within walking distance to dozens of shops and delicious restaurants. Everything was ideal and romantic. The room was incredibly cozy and featured a huge soaking tub ... i do love a good bath. Most of all I could rave for days about the incredible staff. If you ever need a place to stay in Napa ... Avia is it.

We couldn't pass up visiting Fisherman's Wharf - it's one of those must-see tourist areas. It has all the typical tourist stops and shops. It does boasts beautiful views across the bay, of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge. You can also visit with the sea lions at the end of Pier 39, who are super cute I might add. Ghiradelli Square is a shining star here. The restoration and repurposing of this building is spot on. It now features shops, restaurants and 3 Ghiradelli ice cream and chocolate shops. Plus, they give you free chocolate when you visit the shops. It's worth the walk. We did a tour of Alcatraz Island and it was well worth it. Such an interesting piece of history. The audio tour was narrated by former guards and former prisoners which added a nice, authentic element to the entire experience.

TO SEE MANY MORE PICTURES -- CLICK HERE!!

Overall, just a spectacular vacation. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to create so many beautiful memories with my sweet husband. This will be a vacation we remember forever. Safe and happy travels everyone! 

Half Off Depot Deals

Hey guys - if you live or visit Atlanta you should check out these great deals from Half Off Depot. They just added some new discounts, new attractions and new restaurants. It's an easy way to get more for your money. Check out these current deals:

Rise Sushi Lounge on Marietta Street

$25 gift cards = you pay $12.50

$50 gift cards = you pay $25

Rejuvinate Spas

$50 gift cards = you pay $25

Little Azio (all 9 locations)
$20 gift card = you pay $10

Whole World Theatre (the cast is HILARIOUS!!!)

$23 gift card = you pay $11.50

Stone Mountain Golf Club (one round of golf)

$55 fee = you pay $27.50

Georgia Aquarium Behind the Scenes Tour (includes admission ticket)

$77 gift card = you pay $39.50

Fighting for the BOOBS!

The ladies got together this weekend to participate in the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Atlantic Station. I was incredibly tired and little loopy from the medication, but it was incredibly important to me to participate. My incredible grandmother is a 19 year survivor of breast cancer and I kept thinking that the very least I can do is walk for the cause, her cause. It is amazing when I think of the medical miracles and advances that have taken place in the fight against breast cancer since my granny was diagnosed. So many lives have been saved, but there is still such a long way to go to eradicate this disease. Almost everyone I know has been touched by this frightening disease in some way. Every woman you know is someones mother, sister, daughter, family or friend. I hope that in my lifetime I am able to see even more progress and may be even a cure. It takes support for the research and the people. I'll keep trying to do my small part. 

In support of Granny and my amazement that every year she makes sure to participate in as many ways as she can, I decided to make shirts for our group. After a very long, complicated and disappointing exchange with one company I finally gave up and found someone else to work with. A quick recommendation for Velocity Screenprinting in L5P. They were so wonderful to work with and helped me out of a very tight spot. For all your t-shirt (whatever) screenprinting needs I absolutely recommend Velocity! Check out our fun Team Granny shirts!

Special shout out to my friend Fallon who saved the day by going to pick up the shirts, since I was on the disabled list for the evening. Thanks!

We also ate an incredible brunch at J. Christopher's. The omelets, turkey bacon and hot chocolate were all FANTASTIC!

Christy's B-Day

She's the best. That's pretty much all there is to say. Those who know her, love her. Those who don't, are missing out. Glad to share in your birthday festivities again this year! Cheers to you (and your silly husband). Much love. Here's my pic for best photo of the weekend.


A few stops on our birthday celebration tour:
Hudson Grille @ Perimeter Mall - very cool atmosphere, tons of televions, great patio, fantastic menu, reasonable prices. Check it out.
Charlie Mopps (Roswell Road) - if you don't have a favorite pub, this is a good choiec. Laid back atmosphere, large patio, tons of beverage choices, all around great pub environment. There is a huge "regulars" crowd, I would recommend bringing your own crew to hang with.

brunch at the square on the square

Scott & I randomly enjoyed a Sunday brunch at the Square Bagel at the Marietta Square. We have been so busy lately, it was nice to spend a little quiet time together. Granted we had already been up working for 6 hours before the brunch, but I digress. I hadn't been there in years and he had never had the pleasure. It was actually better than I remembered. They have an extensive menu and breakfast specials that run until noon. I recommend if you are looking for a new place to enjoy.

belated: review of Dante's Down the Hatch

First of all, I have decided "the Hatch" is a much funnier and much more appropriate shortening of the name then "Dante's". Please note afore mentioned restaurant will henceforth be referred to as "the Hatch".

I just thought I would throw that out there. Now, back to the matter at hand. My review. Touted as one of Atlanta's must visit restaurants, the Hatch sits unassumingly in the middle of Buckhead. Cozily tucked off the main drag, it is surrounded by several sleek, modern neighbors that you can see poking above the tree lined parking lot. High rises and retail are absolutely engulfing the whole area, yet the modest wooden sign seems to pop right out onto Peachtree and beckon you in.

The exterior is reminiscent of the themed pathways that lead you up to the rides at Six Flags (props to Christy P. for the perfect illustration). Very cool and unexpected, also super creepy swamp vibe after dark. A small doghouse ... oh, i guess I mean alligator house?? ... can be seen just along the entry path. Apparently Dante has a thing for gators. This particular display pays homage to "Throckmorton". According to the conflicting signs adorning his memorial, he was either 120 years old or 33 years old. I couldn't get confirmation. Entering under the simple welcome aboard sign doesn't prepare you for what you are about to see.





Oh - in case you didn't know. These very fancy signs are posted EVERYWHERE on the way up to the restaurant. For people that do layout and design for a living, this was a nightmare.

Stepping through the front doors sends you into a world of ships, first mates and jazz (who knew). You walk the little plank past the hostess stand and are led through possibly the most precarious steps I have ever witnessed in a restaurant down to your seat. We scored a prime spot - in the ship portion of the restaurant - right next to the jazz trio that was playing for the evening. They were impressive to say the least. The elaborate decor was honestly hard to describe. It looked like you were sitting on a ship. A ship with lots of tables and chairs and romantic nooks, but a ship nonetheless.

This was the very odd waiting area/barber shop outside the restrooms. The whole restroom experience was bizarre.

So ... onto the dinner. If I being totally honest, after all the hype and the excitement leading up to this dinner, I was mostly underwhelmed by the food. The boiling, bubbling oil was a little intimidating. The plate containing all of my raw food - chicken, pork, beef, shrimp and veggies all together - was a little disturbing. Mostly because I am OCD about my raw meats not mingling. In addition to the mingling, there wasn't a large amount of food for the cost per person and THEN you work for your food.

The entire eating portion of the meal was a strategic ballet of each persons' skewer being placed delicately in the fondue in such a way that fully immersed their item, while not sitting directly upon anyone else's all the while being cautious to keep from knocking items off the tip of the skewer and cause fishing (the fishing for your food became quite the skill.)

All that being said ... look how freaking happy we all are!! It boils (excuse the pun) down to this...you are going here for the company and the ambiance. It was a fantastic experience and that is certainly what you are paying for. Though the food was a lot of work and score of par at best, the whole thing sets the mood for great conversation. There was plenty of time to chat, share stories, enjoy the music and most of all, laugh at each other while we perform the seemingly simple task of cooking. Who knew you needed a whole different set of skills to fondue!

The back parking lot was full of old cars and fun trinkets from Dante's adventures. These were some of my favorites. The description of the 1928 Whippet was particularly fascinating.

I have decided that I will be going back. Please take a moment to read all the RULES and REGULATIONS associated with the chocolate fondue (choose from the restaurant drop down menu). I have heard the raves about how amazing it is and upon further investigation discovered that you have to work to even make this dessert a reality. Despite the hoops you must jump through - the goal is to set up a dessert at the Hatch sometime this winter. I hope I optimistic that I will be WOWED!!