Firefly!

I've been dying to try out Firefly for over a year now.. and finally got to do it thanks to the urgency of checking out my favorite SF restaurants before I leave.

Firefly was everything it promised to be - the place is charming, with this whimsical feel to it. The food is good southern cooking, meaning that it's so heavy that you feel the need to hit the gym the next day. But the food is soo good that it's worth it!

We went for the prix fix menu one weeknight - it includes an appetizer, main course and desert and is a great deal. We were four of us, so we ended up trying most of the things on the menu between us. Appetizers were beet salad, baby lettuce salad, brussel sprouts and shrimp dumplings. The main course was really rich - if you see the pictures you'll know what I mean. They are really not stingy with their portions, and the amount of cheese and butter they put in it :) But that's what makes the food soooo good I guess. I couldn't finish my main course, besides I had to save room for dessert. Which, as expected, did not disappoint!

Firefly is one of those places that demand a special occasion - it's not cheap, and the ambience is romantic and very cozy. Definitely an awesome date place! As someone once said - " If I ever propose to someone, I'll bring them to Firefly to do it!" (you know who you are ;-))

I left my heart.. in San Francisco

It felt so good to be back home after the "much-anticipated" road-trip through New Mexico, and I was so ready to try out some good old San Franciscan food in a good old San Franciscan restaurant.

And that's exactly what I did one lazy Sunday afternoon.... went down to the beach, stumbled upon this random band that was performing there (this is what I love about San Francisco, you never know what crazy thing you're going to come across next), had brunch at the Beach Chalet, and walked it off on the Lands End Trail. Ah... that was an awesome afternoon.

I wonder why I don't go down to Ocean Beach more often. There's something so romantic and beautiful about the beach, maybe it's the sound of the water, or the scent of the ocean, or just the constancy of the waves washing up on shore. Mesmerising... I like that word :)

Anyway.. this is a food blog, so I must focus... the Beach Chalet... it's this restaurant on the Great Highway which has great ocean views. I've heard that it can get really busy, so reservations are recommended. We just called in and put our names down while we walked on the beach - I thought that was pretty awesome of them to do that. A nice table for two by the window, and it makes for the perfect date spot. The food was really good... the omelette's fluffy, the bread soft and the orange juice freshly squeezed... what more could one want? I for one, always want dessert :) And I have to say... the creme brulee I had that day was one of the best I've had in a long, long time.

So... add this to your list of nice, romantic brunch places in the city, and remember... save room for dessert.

http://www.beachchalet.com/

Chase away your sorrows...

Nepenthe - this absolute jewel of a place, sitting on a cliff in Big Sur, it doesn't get more picturesque or romantic than this.

After an awesome weekend exploring Big Sur (which btw is totally worth making a camping reservation 9 months in advance), we ended up at Nepenthe about an hour before the sunset. I had read a lot of reviews about the place, and the view, and how the terrace seating gave you unparalleled views of the sun setting over the Pacific, so I had a lot of expectations of the place. And it did not disappoint!

It's a pretty fancy place, and a bit on the pricy side. I, for one, think it's completely worth it though... it's a place where you could spend an entire evening listening to their eclectic collection of music, drinking wine and taking in the scenery. Funnily enough I don't remember anything about the food that day. I guess it wasn't bad, but maybe the beauty of the rest of the place just so totally overwhelms you that the food doesn't matter any more.

I'm going to end this post with this quote from their web-site -

"In Greek, Nepenthe means "isle of no care," a place to find surcease from sorrow. So it continues to be for travelers today. A place to stop, to dream, to lift a cup to kindness..."

www.nepenthebigsur.com/