San Francisco Recap!

Hi everyone! I decided to post our San Francisco trip in one post, so beware, it's long!

Day 1
There are no pics because we were in an airport all day. We missed our flight, but were lucky enough to catch the last flight of the day. We arrived in SF late in the evening, so we went straight to the studio apartment we were renting off of Airbnb. It was in an older part of the Mission District, which isn't the greatest place to wonder around lost with luggage. The apartment turned out to be a dump, so we made it a point to be out all day so we wouldn't have to touch anything or breathe in the air.

Day 2
One of the things that attracted me to The Mission was all of the food options. This Latino populated community is a haven for great Mexican food. Over the years, a portion of the area has become gentrified, sprouting other popular places that we tried as well.

Red Cafe
2894 Mission St
(between 24th St & 25th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission

We woke up early to make up for lost time and grabbed breakfast at this small place near our apartment. They had the BEST breakfast burrito ($7.99) we've ever tasted! It didn't need any of the salsas they had on the side. All of the ingredients like bacon and churizo brought intense flavor. The bf ordered the homemade corn beef hash ($8.25) that he thought was made correctly.

We walked around our neighborhood for a bit, and admired all of the many murals and graffiti. I've never seen so much in a city before. That's saying a lot! It was beautiful.

Philz Coffee
3101 24th St
(at Folsom St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
This is the best coffee we've ever had in our lives. Period. Thankfully it was a few short blocks from where we were staying, so we stopped by every morning to try a different flavor. What makes this place special is that your coffee is made-to-order in an individual coffee filter. There's a very hippie vibe to this place. You order your coffee in the back of the shop, tell them how you like your coffee (cream, sugar) and then you pay. Once your order is ready, they actually watch you taste it to make sure it's to your liking! Sigh, love. Since we've been home, we had our favorite flavor (Ether) shipped to our place.

We walked and took public transportation for most of the trip. We couldn't rent a car because the apartment didn't have a designated parking space or street permit. We used a Zipcar for the first time for places outside of the city like Sonoma, Saulsalito and San Jose.
The only moment we were on the Golden Gate Bridge was driving over it! It offered a quick, scenic view of the Bay and city.

We went to Muir Woods National Monument which was a 20 minute drive north from the Golden Gate Bridge. We wanted to see the famous redwood trees! None of my pics truly capture the enormity of these trees, but do you see how they compare to those people? It was super quiet when we were walking around. It was strange! There was no breeze, insects, birds or trickling water. It was also the freshest air I've encountered. I highly recommend visiting.

We drove further north to Sonoma Valley to taste some wines! Napa was a bit further away, so we decided not to visit. We didn't do any vineyard tours. Just stopped by for tastings, which were all around $10-15 for 6-7 wines.

Ravenswood
18701 Gehricke Rd
Sonoma, CA 95476
Small winery with a really nice and friendly staff. The bar was full with about 12 people. The bf loved their moscato. I thought their red wines tasted similar, and had too much of a bite too them.

Gundlach Bundshu
2000 Denmark St
Sonoma, CA 95476
This was the most beautiful winery we visited. We drove past acres of vineyards as we approached the tasting room. They had a gorgeous lake next to it too. I could have stayed their all day! Their tasting room was much larger and also packed.

Jacuzzi Family Vineyards
24724 Arnold Dr
Sonoma, CA 95476
I was already feeling the wine at that point, so our last stop was a winery that also made olive oil. The different flavors are made by processing the olives at different stages of growth, not by adding other ingredients. We chose a more mild, buttery oil that was made of olives pressed earlier in it's growth. The property was also very romantic and peaceful.

On the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge is Saulsalito, CA. A cute, port town that can offer a nice view of the SF skyline.

Le Garage
85 Liberty Ship Way
Sausalito, CA 94965
We decided to grab dinner on our way back at this French restaurant right on the water. Mussels Napoleon ($15), Oeuf cocotte ($11) and Fries ($5). The service was attentive, the food was simple but good, and you can't beat eating outside on the Bay.

Day 3
After our morning cup of coffee at Philz, we headed to the Ferry Building that has the famous Saturday Farmer's Market. Can we say foodie paradise? I've never seen produce or products THAT fresh in the DMV, ever. We actually didn't buy or eat anything there. The lines were extremely long, we didn't have cash, and the bf wanted "real" food.

The Oakland Bridge is right next to the Ferry Building, and looked serene in the morning.
Random, but I had the chance to use one of SF's public bathrooms. It reminded me of a large airplane bathroom. It opens up automatically after 20 minutes, so you'd better hurry or the whole area is gonna see your junk!

R&G Lounge
631 Kearny St
(between Commercial St & Sacramento St)
San Francisco, CA 94108
Neighborhood: Chinatown
We walked to Chinatown for some "real food" and enjoyed this popular restaurant. It's not fancy on the inside, but it was packed, and known for its dungenous crab. We didn't order it but tried their Special Beef ($17), which was so tender and sweet. We also ordered a Combination Chow Mein ($11), which had very fresh seafood in it.

Onto super touristy places! We're not a big fan of crowded tourist locations, but figured we should at least walk through so we could say we were there. We checked out the Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square. Tell me that turtle-shaped sour dough bread isn't the CUTEST thing!

Who'd idea was it to build a city on such hilly land?! It still baffles me. Our calves were hurting walking around this city. Lombard Street was a hike to get to, but offered a breathtaking view of the city and water.

Haight & Ashbury was the center of the 60's hippie movement and still has that psychedelic vibe. We went into a few shops but didn't get anything as we walked towards Golden Gate Park. Our original goal was to bike around the park, but we were too pressed for time. It reminded me of NYC's Central Park because it's humongous, and has a diverse demographic: families, tourists, couples, and weirdos.

The Japanese Tea Garden sounded like a nice thing to visit within the park. In actuality, it was a complete waste of money. It was tiny! We walked through the whole thing in 10 minutes and it was $7 a person. The highlight was the friendly squirrel that kept running in and out of the gift shop.

Peasant Pies
1039 Irving St
(between 11th Ave & 12th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
We left to get dinner at a ramen place south of the park in the Inner Sunset. We were on a waiting list and ended up walking around and trying this pie place. They sell savory and sweet mini pies for $2.95 each. We tried the ham, egg & cheese, moroccan lentil and blueberry pear. The blueberry pear blew my mind!

Izakaya Sozai
1500 Irving St
(between 17th Ave & 16th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
This place is known for their ramen and already had a line around the corner before it opened. I added pork belly ($2) to my Ritsu Tonkotsu Ramen ($8). I would say it's better than any ramen I've had in the DMV, but not as good as Ippudo in NYC. The noodles had a stiff texture, so it was hard to lay in my spoon. The broth was pretty good.

Morac Restaurant & Lounge
3122 16th St
(at Valencia St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: Mission
Since we didn't get a chance to go out the other two nights, we decided to grab a drink and smoke some hookah. The hookah was $20/hour, which was the most expensive we've ever paid anywhere. The guava mint flavor was the smoothest and strongest I've had though. They also made a delicious strawberry mojito.

Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream
2790 Harrison St
(between 23rd St & 24th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
On our way back to our place we stopped to get ice cream! Once again, there was a line out the door. I have no idea what the name means, but they offer the most creative flavors I've ever seen. I had the hardest time deciding but went with Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee ($2.75). The bf got Secret Breakfast (bourbon and cornflakes) and Harvey Milk and Honey Graham Cracker ($3.75), which tastes sort of like cereal milk. My favorite was their most popular flavor, Secret Breakfast. The bourbon flavor was so strong, but memorable! I was quite impressed.

Day 4
The Boiling Crab
1631 E Capitol Expy, Ste 101
San Jose, CA 95121
Word around the streets is that this place is crack, so we rented the zipcar again for an hour drive south to San Jose for lunch. We made sure to get there before they opened! The place is covered in signatures, so I tried to add our mark on the wall too.

I was so excited!! The bf was excited too, but partially because they were playing the Redskins game on the TV above our table.

We ordered a basket of fried shrimp ($9.99), a whole dungeons crab in mild Shebang sauce (market price was $30) and two steamed rices ($2 each). The Shebang sauce is this INSANELY garlicky, spicy, oily sauce that the seafood is cooked in. I've never tasted anything like it before, and I'm sad we don't have it on the East Coast. The crab was delicious and the sauce over the rice was great. I highly recommend it!

Bernal Heights Park
Bernal Heights Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights
Not too far away from our place was this open dog park on a high hill/mini mountain. It was a paved walk way to the top through a cute neighborhood. I thought it was the best view of the city we've seen.

Tartine
600 Guerrero St
(between 18th St & 19th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
After our hike, we headed to this famous bakery for some fuel. It's funny that there isn't a sign for the place. You can just tell with the line out the door. We shared the most buttery, flaky croissant ($3.75), warm fruit bread pudding ($3.50) and deliciously light tres leches cake.

Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th St
(between Dolores St & Oakwood St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
Right at the corner from Delores Park is the most famous ice cream place in the city. We stood in line for 45 minutes to see what the hype was all about. I felt like I was in the Georgetown Cupcake line. The bf wasn't too thrilled about that. They offered some unique flavors, but we played it safe, and got the brown sugar with ginger caramel swirl and white chocolate with raspberry swirl. Very creamy consistency and tasted good, but I wouldn't stand in that line again.

La Taqueria
2889 Mission St
(between 24th St & 25th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
We were already stuffed beyond stuffed, but we had to get a burrito from the most popular place in our neighborhood. The place was packed! We ended up getting our burrito to go and eating it right before bed. Even cold, it was still the best burrito we've ever tasted. We didn't need any hot sauce! The carne asada was so flavorful and seasoned perfectly. They don't add rice or many other ingredients. I'm kind of sad we didn't get a chance to try it earlier.

I wish we had more time. It's a very charming city with such creativity flowing from the architecture, people, public artwork and food. Did you guys see how many lines we had to stand in? They are such foodies here! It was completely different from our SoCal trip last year, but a great experience. Hope you guys enjoyed this and found it helpful for your next trip to the Bay!

I Heart SoCal - Part 2 of 2

Here's the 2nd half of my Southern California recap. Here's Part 1 if you missed it. I think we actually ate more on the 2nd half of our trip! Warning - A TON OF PICS...

Day 3 - Orange County

85C
2700 Alton Pkwy
Ste 123
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 553-8585

This bakery is to die for. I'm not usually a big fan of "Asian" pastries but this place is delicious and crowded. There were so many items and people were walking around with trays and boxes of goodies.

When we 1st walked in, we weren't sure how this place worked because it was so chaotic. There are 2 lines: cake/drink line and self-serve pastry line. If you want pastries: pick up a tray, some tongs and go nuts! We chose a Blueberry Cream Cheese Bun, Garlic Cheese pastry, and Egg Custard tart. They also individually wrap each item for you! I'm not exaggerating when I say each item was so yummy. We killed them in about 3 minutes and wanted to get more, but we had other places we wanted to try.

Yogurtland
13260 Jamboree Rd.
Irvine, CA 92602
(714) 731-1615

2 stores down from 85C was this glorious froyo heaven. My avid readers know I frequent froyo places often, and this place, no joke was the BEST one I've ever been to. Even better than my beloved Caliyogurt (gasp!). They had 16 self-serve flavors! Sorry, but the DMV doesn't offer that yet. The flavors were very fragrant and not watered down. It was also the cheapest place I've been to at $0.30 an ounce.

The mochi was so soft and fresh. The fruit variety was crazy, and I loved the cute colored spoons.

Thousand Steps Beach
Ninth Avenue And Pacific Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92652

One of my friends told me about this place and it's a really cool, more private kind of beach. Laguna Beach is a really beautiful beach town with crazy houses built on the sides of mountains overlooking the ocean. Nice life...

I wouldn't say there were actually 1,000 steps but maybe 200? It wasn't bad going down (except for the thought of accidentally falling down that whole thing), but walking up was burning my legs, haha.


Many homes around there had their own private steps down to the beach, which also looked crazy.

It was very secluded and you couldn't see this beach from the road. I felt like I was on the MTV show 'Laguna Beach' because everyone there looked like they were rich high schoolers. It was a really cool spot to get away and check out a local secret.

Mission San Juan Capistrano
26801 Ortega Hwy
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
(949) 234-1300

The bf told me I needed some culture in my life (me? oh please), so we went to a mission established in 1776. It was a gorgeous landmark that has been kept up very well for the public to visit. They allow you to visit some of the old rooms the brothers and priests used to live in. It was around $9 per person.

The old Spanish architecture was just cool to see. I felt like I was in Europe.

Their main church was very ornate and golden, while the outside walls were starting to decay (as you can see) and gave it a more ancient feel.

Some of the coolest and unique looking flowers were planted at that site!

Lee's Sandwiches
9261 Bolsa Ave
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 901-5788

Westminister is also known as "Little Saigon", so we stopped by to get some Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) for lunch. This place is like a deli and store in one. You can order food and pick up boxed goods, coffee grounds, etc. There are tables inside and outside to grub your food at. FYI they are a 'Cash-only' spot.

These were so cheap! Around $2.50 each for a skinny 10" sub. I got the '#1- Lee's Combination (Ham, Headcheese, Pate) and the bf ordered a '#6- BBQ Pork (Sliced B.B.Q Chinese pork)'. We ordered them with the veggies inside, and we enjoyed them.

We also shared an 'Iced Coffee with Condensed milk' for around $3. This was the 1st time I had this drink with crushed ice and for some reason I liked it better. This coffee was the perfect combo of strong and sweet, so it was made right.

Asian Garden Mall
9200 Bolsa Ave
Ste 312
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 891-2122

Across the street from Lee's Sandwiches is probably the focal point for that community. It's a really big structure/mall with 2 floors of stores. I'm not kidding but most of the place is jewelery stores, and I don't know why or how they all survive!

On our way out they had a drink place that caught our attention.

They had some CRAZY drinks, most of which I had no idea what they were. You had so many options to put in your drink other than just black tapioca balls. Some of them had jelly, basil seeds, beans, etc.

So overwhelmed by the choices, we kept it simple and ordered a Thai Tea with bubbles (boba). This was the best Thai Tea I've had in bubble tea form. Usually they're either not strong enough, sweet enough, or too creamy. This one tasted exactly like one from a restaurant!

The mall also had 3 'Japanese-cutsie' stores upstairs (sorry I didn't take a pic), and the bf got me this tuna sushi stuffed animal. It's also our only real souvenir from the trip since we didn't buy much (sales tax is $$), so it's sitting on our couch.

Seal Beach Pier
Main Street & Ocean Ave
Seal Beach, CA 90740

It seemed like a very local beach with families, low traffic and lots of space. I didn't actually see any seals there, but I'm sure they used to be there hence the name.

It was my 1st time on a pier that I can remember, and it was really cool how it goes straight over the ocean. There's even a restaurant at the end of it. Lots of locals were fishing off of the sides too.

Koi
600 Pacific Coast Hwy
Seal Beach, CA 90740
(562) 431-1186

We met up with my cousin and her son at Koi for some sushi that night too. It's been years, so it was a great opportunity to catch up with family again. The baby was adorable and I made sure I sat next to him at dinner.

They offer a lot of special rolls, which weren't the cheapest, but we ordered 4 since we were hungry. The fish was all very fresh, but it did take a bit for our food to come out.
Left: Seal Beach Roll (Shrimp and avocado rolled with salmon in thin sheet of cucumber) for $13.
Right: Alaska Roll (Snow crab and cucumber) for $7.50.

Left: Rainbow Roll (Tuna, shrimp, salmon and yellowtail pressed over rice, with smelt eggs and avocado inside) for $13.
Right: Super California Roll (Freshwater eel and smelt eggs on top of a California roll) for $14.

Nijiya Market
2130 Sawtelle Blvd
Ste 105
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
(310) 534-3000

It seemed a bit out of the way to drive to Little Toyko since we were already on the coastline, so we went to West LA to check out this tiny area with Japanese stores and restaurants.
This market wasn't huge, but it's way bigger than any Japanese market I've been to in the DMV. They had some really cool candy like banana flavored Kit Kats! Everything was way expensive though because they are imported.

We picked up some flavored Calpico (non-carbonated yogurt soft drink) and Raspberry and Passion Fruit Kit Kats. The Kit Kats tasted strange to me but the bf liked them.

Hurry Curry of Tokyo
2131 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
(310) 473-1640

Late-night eats for the bf, I was way too full after eating all day. Luckily we got the last table because it was packed. Their menu also offered a large amount of spagetties, which I found random, haha.

He ordered their most popular item, 'Chicken Cutlet Curry (A tender breast meat filet lightly breaded in panko flakes fried to golden brown and served with curry sauce) for $9.95. He ordered his curry with medium spiciness, and thought it was good but that the actually chicken was a bit bland. He thinks Temari has the best curry.

Day 4 - LA Beaches and Irvine

Soowon Galbi
856 S Vermont Ave
Ste C
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Neighborhood: Koreatown
(213) 365-9292

I wanted to check out Koreatown for lunch and found this place on Yelp. I think it was going to be impossible to pick a place without Yelp or a recommendation because there were a hundreds of Korean BBQ places. It was a tiny restaurant filled with smoke from the grills, so I smelled like it all day.

We didn't want to spend a ton of money on lunch, so we didn't get any BBQ, which almost defeated the purpose of going there since they're known for their Galbi.
I ordered the 'Hae Mul Pajeon (Seafood pancake with baby shrimp, octopus, squid calamari, scallops and green onions) for $15.99. It was so delicious! Fluffy with just the right amount of chewiness and crispiness. They gave you a dipping sauce for it that I really liked.

The bf ordered 'Bimim Naeng Myun' which had very thin, chewy noodles. I'm not a fan of it because it's a cold, spicy dish.

Oh yea, LA traffic especially on I-10 and on the weekends is not fun...

Venice Beach
1531 Ocean Front Walk
Los Angeles, CA 90291

This place is sensory overload. Graffiti walls, basketball courts, tennis courts, skate park, gym, side shows, people, shops, roller skaters, bikes, marijuana prescriptions... you name it.

The boardwalk is filled with people, and it's a really interesting place to check out "freak shows", and really just people watch. It's a very vibrant area and people are being active outdoors.

The beach was also full of people. Families, friends with boom boxes, and couples. Water was freezing and it was overcast at pretty much every beach we went to. I've heard it's a June thing.

My feet can't draw that well apparently...

Santa Monica Pier
200 Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica, CA 90401

The weather once again wasn't great, but it was still very crowded on the beach and the pier. There is so much sand on that beach, it's huge!

This pier is quite neat because of the amusement park, arcade, vendors, trapeze school, and acts. We didn't have the chance to check out the rest of Santa Monica like the Third Street Promenade.

The ferris wheel in the back lights up at night!

There was an intoxicating aroma as we walked on the pier, and it was coming from the churros cart. We bought one, which they fold in half, and it's around $3.50, which is expensive!

Typhoon
3221 Donald Douglas Loop
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
(310) 390-6565

I found out about this restaurant on an episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. They offer insects! Oddly, it's attached to the Santa Monica airport, and we sat next to the window overlooking the runway.

We ordered the 'Taiwanese Crickets (stir-fried, raw garlic, chili pepper, Asian basil served on a bed of potato sticks) for $10. There were probably 30 of them.

Look at them!!! They weren't that big, and didn't have legs but still had wings. We were feeling adventurous, so we finished the entire platter.

They were surprisingly VERY good! They tasted like garlic, and didn't have an earthy taste at all. They were just crunchy like the potato sticks. The 1st cricket was a bit nerve-racking but after I enjoyed it so much, I ate the rest of them like popcorn.

We couldn't just eat bugs for dinner, so we also ordered 'Filipino Grilled Pork with a garlic-vinegar dip' for $14. It was so tender, and I love the charcoal flavor on the meat. Without the dip, it tasted like galbi for some reason.

Irvine Spectrum Center
71 Fortune Dr
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 753-5180

We loved Irvine so much, we decided to drive back down for our last night. We stopped by this gorgeous outdoor mall. Can we have outdoor malls with palm trees and Christmas lights? The stores were typical of any mall (Macy's, Forever 21, Apple, etc) but it was just very pretty.

Guppy House
2730 Alton Pkwy
Ste 101
Irvine, CA 92614
(949) 851-9788

This restaurant was packed at night! There was a waiting list and a line out the door. They were playing great music and I liked the decor with the back lighting.

This is the reason why we came - shaved ice! Do you see how large this thing is? It's their 'small'. We ordered the 'Mango Shaved Ice' for $11.99. It prob had 2.5 mangoes on it and could serve 6 people. It was so good and sweet with the condensed milk.

Another specialty is their 'Butter Coconut Brick Toast (Rich creamy coconut butter on homemade thick toast slowly baked in over, drizzled with chocolate and caramel) for $4.99. This thing was huge too! The coconut butter was so good, I don't think it needed all of that bread.

Sticki Picki
2700 Alton Pkwy
Ste 221
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 756-8567

We randomly stumbled upon this sticker picture place! I haven't seen these booths since high school, so we decided to take some pictures. They have a bunch of different booths at different prices, which range from $7-15 (expensive), but you can customize your pictures on their screen.

Don't we look like we're in high school? lol Don't mind my messed up hair either.

In-N-Out Burger
9149 S Sepulveda Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Neighborhood: Westchester / LAX

We were so full from all of the junk we just ate, but you CAN'T go to the West Coast and not get In-N-Out burger. So we were there with all of the late night club crowd and after-prom kids.

We ordered 'Med Fries' and 'Cheeseburger with onions'. In-N-Out is my favorite fast-food burger chain, and it's so unfair it's not on the East Coast!

Day 5- LAX

Gladstone's at LAX
1 World Way
Terminal 3
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Neighborhood: Westchester / LAX

Our last day was just us going to the airport. We got to our gate 2 hours early because "someone" was scared we were going to be late. This was the only restaurant in our terminal, so we decided to get breakfast.

We ended up sharing this 'Breakfast Burrito (Scrambled eggs with Sausage, Jack Cheese, Fresh Tomatoes, Onions Jalapeno, and Fresh Herbs. Served with a side of Pico de Gallo and O'Brian Potatoes) for $10.99. I found the whole breakfast menu to be overpriced, but surprisingly the dish was really good.

We had a great time, and wish we could have stayed longer to check out more sites like Beverly Hills and other places we've missed. Hope this helps as a reference guide for some places to check out on your next vacation to SoCal!