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/

Panta Rei

I've been to 3 really nice places in the past week... not bad, after the 2 week lull.

This first one, I'm not sure would have even got a review from me otherwise, but this sweet little boy I know, can't stop raving about it. So... I guess I owe it a review.

Panta Rei is an Italian restaurant, on Columbus Ave. - one among many, many Italian restaurants in North Beach. As with most restaurants in the area, it's open late, so that's a plus. We got there pretty late, around 11pm, and Columbus was bustling as usual. It was a really nice night, so we got a seat outside next to the heat lamp, ordered some Chardonnay, and settled down to enjoy a nice, late dinner.

Which brings me to the food.... So, the one thing to die for, for any vegetarian diner here is the Spinach gnocchi (or at least that's what the sweet little boy claims). So, that's what we had... and a margherita pizza. Now, in my experience you really can't go wrong with a margherita pizza - tomato sauce, cheese, and basil. How much simpler can it get? But... this pizza, it just didn't do it for me... too much cheese, too little flavor. I was full with just one slice. The gnocchi on the other hand was pretty darn good... it had a nice cream sauce, lots of garlic, and lots of flavor. And it went well with the Chardonnay.

So there... that's my kind of blah review of Panta Rei. Did I loooove it? Probably not. Would I recommend it? Probably yes.... if you sit outside, with a nice glass of wine, and good company.

http://www.pantareirestaurant.com/

Foreign Cinema

Ok, I have been putting this off for a few days now... two awesome places to blog about this past weekend and I've been lazy about writing! I knew this would happen... but not after just 2 posts :(

Anyway, this past weekend turned out to be such a divine weekend in the city. Blue skies, warm weather and the outdoor patio at Foreign Cinema was the perfect place to be for Sunday brunch. This place is huge! I was pleasantly surprised that the indoor seating we got, was so bright and airy. The room has almost no doors and opens up to the outdoor seating, and with the sun out, is perfect if you want to sit in the shade but still feel like you're outside.

The food... was good... I ordered the egg tostadas, yummy! Laxmi recommends the chicken apple sausage, which according to her was the best she's had in a long time. We also saved room for dessert, and I'm glad we did... they were soooo good!

Well, this place definitely gets a rave review from me. I want to go back sometime for dinner, when they have the fire going and a movie playing (I forgot to mention, Foreign Cinema projects movies, much like a drive-in, on this huge white wall in the patio). How very romantic!

http://www.foreigncinema.com/