The Restaurant Scene

I'm a little behind on my blog posts, but I do have some great things in the queue, so I hope you will follow my blog or check back often!

I feel blessed that wining and dining is a part of my job. Even before becoming a Wedding Coordinator though, I have always loved trying out new restaurants. It's just that now, I have a better excuse to do so without feeling too guilty. 'It's a part of my job' just sounds better!

Recently I tried out two new restaurants that are worth blogging about and I'm really excited to share it with my readers...

1. Anchor and Hope--tucked inside an alley way in downtown San Francisco, this warehouse looking restaurant is an amazing seafood shack. The ambiance is suited for both formal and informal, so you may see someone dining with a suit on and you may see lots of jeans around. The ambiance and decor? Think nautical, brick, chalkboards, plywood floors. Awesome vibe.
My favorite appetizer was the warm sea urchin in the shell, dungeness crab, with lemon beurre blanc. The steamed clam paella is excellent, and if you like good ole 'fish & chip', they offer a fabulous battered cod with rosemary and thyme potato wedges. Don't leave without at least a bite of their lemon meringue pie! The strawberry coffee cake sounded appealing, but it was too sweet even for my palette.


2. Pampas--one of the newest restaurant in the Palo Alto scene, right off of the bustling University Avenue. I had heard it was the place to go to for authentic Brazilian churrasco (aka Brazilian Steakhouse). Unfortunately I was there for a rather late lunch, so I did not get to experience that but what was available on the menu was still yum-o! The layout of the restaurant is very unique, with three different levels. My favorite was the the lowest level which felt like a hidden basement--perfect for a private party, like a rehearsal dinner! The entire restaurant is quite airy and pretty, with a long bar surrounded by furniture vignettes that's so perfect for the happy hour crowd.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm big on all the 'special occasions' throughout the year. After being together for 8 years now, my hubby has learned to take them seriously too. You can imagine his shock then, when I told him NOT to make any plans for us this Valentine's Day.

'Is this a trick?' he asked.

It took me some time to convince him that no, this was not a 'trick'. This year, I told him, I just want to lay low at home....with him and with my little Bridgette. Maybe it's because I am still very sick, but more so that there has been sooooo much going on lately that I just want to take it easy.

So, I am dedicating this post to all you lovebirds out there that want to celebrate Valentine's Day with a nice dinner out. Here are my top recommendations for the fabulous, but 'undiscovered' restaurants you may love :

1. Shokolaat in Palo Alto--a perfect neighborhood bistro that's warm and intimate. I highly recommend the wild mushroom and mint soup for your starter, and the raspberry souffle for your happy ending.

2. Red Lantern in Redwood City--if you love an Asian/Fusion menu, you will love this place. From authentic filipino dishes to the familiar pad thai, their menu is extensively filled with flavorful and delicious selections.

3. Chapeau in San Francisco--a small, inviting neighborhood french bistro. It's the type of place where the owner himself will come out and greet you before your dinner is over. I recommend doing the pre fixe. It's a great menu and the prices are very reasonable!

4. Wood Tavern in Oakland--my good friend Rebekah and her husband Rich are the owners, but that does not make me bias because this honestly is an AMAZING restaurant. Another one of those casual, yet chic, neighborhood brasserie that focuses on local, sustainable ingredients.

5. Local Restaurant and Wine Merchant --if you are planning to eat here, may I recommend that you book a mani/pedi upstairs at Cocoon Urban Day Spa? It's the perfect combo. Local's nicoise salad is my absolute favorite, and you just HAVE to try their truffle and parmasean fries! They also have a very interesting wine selection--just lovely!

Bon Appetit!

Kara's Cupcakes

Remember the saying ' Less is More'? Well it certainly applies to the business model for Kara's Cupcake. They only sell one product--CUPCAKES!

I passed by this cute store in Ghiradelli Square last weekend, and despite the crowd, I made my way in to take a sneak peek at their cupcakes. It is such a fun place to be in, with all the pinks! I oooh'd and ahhh'd when I saw their colorful, pretty cupcakes lined inside the glass windows and could not resist getting half a dozen to try out. One word to describe it--DELICIOUS!

Kara's mission is to 'put a sophisticated twist on an old fashioned favorite'. She is certainly successful. In just a few short years she now has two stores in San Francisco and her third one is opening up in Palo Alto this year. My favorite flavor so far is Chocolate Velvet.

The store is so girly, reminding me of Sex and the City. I think they should sell cosmos in there too!

www.karascupcakes.com

Red Lantern

Have you heard the buzz? There's a new chic restaurant in Redwood City! It's called The Red Lantern, and its grand opening was November, 2007. I had the opportunity to try it with my good friends and fellow colleagues Gloria and Charee of Sash and Sugar and Jean Marks of Jean Marks Weddings. Before entering the new restaurant, I recognized it as an old government building. Once I stepped inside I was awed at the transformation that the building went through. It is now a chic restaurant deep with Asian decor and influence. A collection of modern and massive red lanterns hung from the high ceilings. The lighting was dimmed to create the perfect ambiance. Asian artwork could be admired throughout the restaurant.

Their cuisine is described as home-style Southeast Asian cuisine which includes items from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and other countries in the region. Charee is Filipino, and she agreed that it was true Filipino style food!

Being Wedding Planners, we ofcourse immediately thought of utilizing the space for special events! We got a tour of the restaurant, and was excited to find that they have a semi-private mezzanine upstairs that would be perfect for rehearsal dinners! It overlooks the main dining room, but there are drapery that could be closed off for added privacy. Personally, I thought having the drapes tied back made the ambiance more inviting because guests would be able to share the excitement of the main dining room and bar downstairs, yet be 'away' from it all. The drapes could easily be closed off for the toasts! The mezzanine can seat up to 40, or if it's a standing cocktail reception, up to 60.

Ofcourse, I just HAD to post some dessert pictures....



http://www.redlanternrwc.com/

A Delightful Afternoon

Last week, one of my brides from 2007 invited me to afternoon tea at Lovejoy's Tea Room in San Francisco. Eileen got married last November at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. To thank me and her team of Event Professionals for helping to make her dream wedding come true, she organized this tea for us. What a delightful surprise when I received the invitation!

Unfortunately, many of the Event Professionals whom she invited were not able to make it that day but Debra Hertzog, Senior Catering Sales Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay, and Susan Morgan, owner of Elegant Cheesecake, and I happily joined Eileen for tea at the adorable tea house. Lovejoy Tea Room is located in Noe Valley in the city. It's a really cute, intimate tea house filled with eclectic furnishings. We were seated comfortably on plushy couches in a cozy corner, and we enjoyed a blend of delicious teas with an astounding mix of tea sandwiches and pastries. My favorite were the scones with the double devon cream--YUMMY!! The toasted crumpets with lemon curd were also mouth-watering! Directly across the street is Lovejoy's Attic, where one can buy any (or all!) of their tea, china cups, teapots, and a lot of little nick nacks. It would be awfully hard not to bring something home from there!

Eileen is an amazing woman. She was the first female firefighter in San Francisco and is now a fire investigator for the fire department. She has such a great balance of strength and sensitivity, and is one of the most genuine and gracious person I've ever met. I am so honored that I got to be her Wedding Coordinator, and to help make her wedding day as perfect as she remembers it to be.

http://www.lovejoystearoom.com/index.html

Wood Tavern

My good friend Rebekah and her husband Rich recently opened up a fabulous restaurant call Wood Tavern in the Rockridge neighborhood. They are certainly not new to the restaurant industry. As previous owners of Frascati, the Woods have established quite a reputation for their delicious food and outstanding service.

The Wood Tavern has only been opened for three months, and it is already bustling with repeat customers. Even Michael Bauer gives it a raving three stars and compliments greatly on both the food and the service. He especially credits the bartender for creating one of the best Manhattan that he has had!

A California/American restaurant, the menu changes daily. You can find comfort food like burger and fries or grilled cheese sandwich guaranteed to make you go back often to find that comfort! Michael Bauer loves the soup and duck breast, so I'm definitely going back to try that out next time. Being a big dessert fan I must blog about the yummy desserts I had when I was there last week!

The warm chocolate cake with crispy crust is to die for! The profiteroles changes daily and interesting enough it was mint chocolate chip that day. You really can't just settle for one, trust me. The panna cota with fresh strawberries is light enough for those that needs to satisfy their sweet tooth but not feel too guilty about it. As for me, I had every excuse to indulge in all 3. After all, being a new mother is hard work right?!

The Wood Tavern is located on 6317 College Avenue in Oakland. You may want to get there earlier to check out all the cute little boutiques on that street!

Delicacies for your taste buds!

On a rare (and precious!) weekend off, my husband Alan and I decided to spend a Sunday in the city. As crazy as it was to have pouring rain at this time of the year, we still enjoyed a really great day together eating and shopping! There were so many cravings that we had that day, so we decided to do the "small portions, multiple meals" deal. We must have ate at 6 different places that day but there were two that were especially worth mentioning here!

For those of you that haven't caught wind of it yet, the new Beard Papa Cream Puffs shop is now open across from the Metreon! I have actually been very familiar with this name and their out-of-this-world delicious cream puffs starting from about 4 years ago. I was vacationing in Hong Kong at the time and curiously decided to stand in line for 30 minutes to buy this cream puff that was THE hottest thing in Hong Kong then. After standing in line for 30 minutes, it only made sense to buy multiple cream puffs to justify the amount of wait time right? I bought 4 different flavors and I remember loving the chocolate puffs the most! So, when I found out that Beard Papa was opening shop here in my very hometown, I did not need to be convinced to try it out and that was our first stop this Sunday! I was a little disappointed to see that they are only offering the vanilla cream puffs at this time. The chocolate flavor will not be available until June. I still bought half a dozen though and they were every bit as fresh and delicious as I had remembered it! I have now marked on my calendar to go back in June to get the other flavors! Check them out online at www.muginohousa.com/creampuffs

Halfway into the afternoon, it was time for a little indulgence! We stopped at one of our favorite spots in the city--the Ferry Building. There are so many neat little places in there! We love the oysters at Hog Island, the potato croquettes at Delica rf1, and the handmade marshmellows at Recchiuti Confections. This Sunday though, we indulged in one of our all time favorites--Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, a "caviar cafe". This charming little place has a wide variety of premium caviar, both domestic and imported. We ordered their American Sampler , which consisted generous portions of 7 different types of caviar delicately presented with their homemade buckwheat blini with creme faiche. My favorite was the truffled whitefish caviar and the hackleback sturgeon caviar. Yummy!!!!!!!!!

Food for Thought

My husband and I are big time foodies. We love trying out new restaurants and have a shared appreciation for good food. Recently, we experienced the new Alexander's Steakhouse in Cupertino. Upon arrival, I was a bit taken back at the rows of meat hanging in a display window when I walked in the restaurant, reminding me of butcher shops in Hong Kong. However, a few steps forward and you will be greeted by multiple maitre d's: one to take your coat, one to find your reservation, and one to simply make you feel welcome. The waiting area has a nice fireplace and a sophisticated designed lounge so no sweat if your table isn't quite ready. Their menu has all the traditional steaks, but proudly boasts of their imported Grade 8+ Kobe Beef, which was really the reason my husband and I decided to try them out in the first place! Alexander's Steakhouse is a traditional steakhouse infused with many creative and interesting Asian-Fusion dishes. We couldn't pass up on the Maine Lobster Tempura, the Fois Gras "Squared", and Sea of Cortez Scallops. No worries though, that still left us room for the Kobe Experience--a four course tasting menu that left us yearning for more. No room for dessert? They don't give you a choice...every guest gets a big fluffy cotton candy (yes, the kind you get at theme parks!) with the bill. Every dinner should have a sweet ending like this one. Check out their menu online at www.alexanderssteakhouse.com


Okay, there has to be a balance to life. One cannot fine dine all the time! There's plenty of great restaurants out there without an eye popping price tag, and Shabuway is one of them! The first Shabuway opened in San Mateo about two years ago, and there has hardly been a night without long lines at its doorway. For those of you unfamiliar with the term Shabu Shabu, it is a traditional Japanese cuisine known as the "beef fondue". The term shabu shabu means "swish-swish", describing the swishing motion of cooking a very thin slice of beef in very hot water.

At Shabuway, every person gets their own pot of boiling water, a plate of high quality beef slices, a plate of assorted vegetables, a bowl of rice and two different dipping sauces--ponzu and sesame. It's fun, delicious, filling, and reasonably priced (expect to spend around $15 per person for dinner). The second Shabuway recently opened a few months ago on Castro Street in Mountain View. It's definitely worth a try, but it's not the place for large groups of people. Check them out online at www.shabuway.com