Tartine Bakery: Morning Buns

#8 Morning Bun at Tartine Bakery
Mission District
7x7 The Big Eat SF 2009: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
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(Image courtesy of: bakingnuts.files.wordpress.com)

I'm a savory breakfast kind of girl, but this is one sweet & sugary treat I can have in the morning. I'll do my best to describe this, but it really won't do it justice. Here goes: It's a cross between a sticky bun and a croissant and it has a slight citrus taste to it. It's so gooood, especially when it's warm. Lucky me, I have a manager who works right by the bakery and was nice enough to surprise me one morning. Now I need to visit Tartine myself because I hear so many great things about it and all that it has to offer.

You can even find the recipe here: Morning Buns

Verdict: YUM. I want to try EVERYTHING at this bakery.

The San Francisco Twins

Meet Marian & Vivian Brown, the famous SF twins. They walk & talk alike, dress identically and they are hilarious. Me and my friends at ESV ran into them while dining at Uncle Vito's in Nob Hill. These ladies were just so lovely to chat with. After taking a picture with them, they requested that we send them a hard copy. Apparently, they keep a collection of photographs of them & anyone who stops them for a photo op.

A's Sluggie Night

Sluggies for the first 10,000 people at the game. Need I say more?

I have to take one second to give it up to the Oakland A's marketing team for coming up with something more clever than the Giant's. The commercial I saw the other night said, "Come join us for Giant's wearable blanket night." Hahaha. Definitely not as fitting as the Sluggie. Come on now, these are baseball fans you're speaking to.

Aspargus Tart

After seeing this recipe on Cupcakes & Cashmere, a blog that I frequent regularly, I had to make an attempt. This is actually a Martha Stewart original (it's supposed to be an Aspargus Gruyere Tart), but I opted for cheaper cheese - I used an already shredded 4 cheese italian blend straight from the bag. Although I love gruyere, cheap cheese still did the trick.

Try it out! The recipe says it yields 4 servings, but they're pretty filling so they can definitely feed more than that.

• Flour, for work surface
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
2. Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Alicia Keys

I couldn't believe my ears at the Alicia Keys concert. She sounds just as amazing live as she does on her records. Ms. Keys is a wonderful performer - artists that play their own instruments are always winners in my book. I was entertained from beginning to end, singing along to every single song. Concerts are definitely more fun when you know the words!

Napa

Northern California's wine country is famous for it's beautiful scenery, countless vineyards, fine cuisine and luxurious day spas. One day is not nearly enough time to see/ do everything that this place has to offer.

A few of my favorite wineries to visit are Costello di Amarosa (the castle pictured below) and Sattui. Turns out, they actually have a close relationship - either they're under the same owners or same vineyard. Or, are those basically the same thing? Anyway, they're both great and their wine is not mass distributed.

As for food, if you can't seem to ever get a reservation at French Laundry or just don't want to spend that kind of dough on a meal, AKA bistro is a cute modern restaurant with tasty menu options and a reasonable price point (flat iron steak, porkchops for $25).

Before you drive out of the greater Napa area, remember, the trip is never complete without a stop at Bouchon Bakery. The macarons are a must.

Happy Birthday...to ME!

Today ends the birthday extravaganza. This was the best birthday ever! I'll update later, but for now, THANK YOU to everyone who played a part in the memories. It was jam packed with fun, friends & family. Although I'm the most exhausted I've been in awhile, it was so worth it.

Highlights:

• A mini culinary adventure with Craig in SF at a few of our favorite places
• A shabu shabu & sushi dinner at Zabu Zabu in Berkeley with a few friends
  
• More friends & drinks at Thalassa in Berkeley
• Wine tasting and lunch in Napa with my mom & sister
• Triple date consisting of an italian dinner, Robin Thicke & Alicia Keys!
• An afternoon lounging around with my family, eating the amazing food prepared by my dad & bro (in law).

Time to rest up, goodnight!

Thailand it is!

Looks like after many conversations with Caroline E. & Allison, we've finally decided on Thailand!

Would love advice on where to go, flights to take, things to see/do/eat, etc.

A few more months and I'll be petting tigers, riding elephants and eating tom yum soup in this beautiful country.

My Next Trip

It might be Brazil or it could be Thailand. Right now I'm scouring the pages of travel books, reading countless tripadvisor.com reviews and researching flights. Although I love to travel, the planning process really takes a toll out on me!

If you have any advice on either of these locations, please pass it along. I'm always in search of additional resources.

[photo courtesy of travelsouthamerica]