Heading to Olivier's Butchery in the Dogpatch to get some rendered duck fat!

2 new restaurants worth trying

Tried out Credo a few weeks ago. Great new Italian restaurant in the financial district for a business dinner, night out with the guys or ladies or for a quick drink after work (the bar looked busy). They also have a private room downstairs that looks like it can seat about 25 or host 40 for cocktails.

I also went to Marlowe last week which has replaced an old favorite, South. Everything we had was excellent including the crispy brussels sprout chips (Must Try, trust me), burger, lamb mixed grill, seared black cod, smoky cauliflower gratin and meyer lemon dessert. We will be going back. It is loud, but the nice thing about it being loud is you can't hear your neighbor's conversation and they can't hear yours!

SF Favorites 2009 in Review

Some of these are new places, some are institutions, but for one reason or another have become favorites for us in 2009:

Bi-Rite Creamery: Just try it. I always thought the Grand Old Creamery in St. Paul, MN was the best ice cream, but this is hands down some of the best in the world. They also sell pies and cakes and I dare you to have just one scoop (impossible!). We love apple pie, salted caramel and the chocolate sundae with salt and olive oil.

Mission Pie: We tried this place around Thanksgiving time when we had our house on the market, were invited to attend a party and there was no way that we (aka Kelly) had time to bake...why bake a pie when you have Mission Pie within a mile of your house!? If you must bak you can buy the crust at Mission pie and DIY, but really with pie this good why bother!? Favorites include apple, pear cranberry and any of their pastries.

Tartine Bakery : Kelly finally tried this place at 8am on a Tuesday while the house was being painted. Finally only a line inside the door instead of around the block. Everything was divine including the quiche, cookies and bread pudding. This is a must visit even if only for takeout pastries but sincere warning there is ALWAYS A LINE and for good reason.

Flour + Water: Although incredibly difficult to get into, worth the wait and even going during seniors hour when they open at 5:30 pm. Homemade pastas, wonderful meat dishes, well thought our and prepared sauces and the desserts are off the charts. For the quality, we thought the prices were reasonable. This has to be one of the best newcomers for 2009 in SF.

K9 Playtime: Smokey loves going here for doggie daycare and with the convenience of it being around the block from Jose's office, you really can't beat that. Smokey goes to the small dog room and loves to chase the ball (really play keep away), wrestle and get snuggles from the aunties and uncles who make sure all is going well.

Two Rock Dog Ranch: We had tried several other boarding facilities and were always a bit uneasy that our super spoiled scottie mix wasn't getting enough exercise while we were away (he usually gets 3 walks a day). We toured several sites outside the city and were delighted to find Two Rock. They provide 10 hours of cage free play in a beautiful setting outside of Petaluma. But what really delights us (Kelly really) is that Smokey is excited to go here and can't wait to go and play with all of his friends. We really have piece of mind leaving him here and we can't say that for all the other boarding facilities we have used.

Pawtrero: This is in our neighborhood so it is convenient and we can walk to this dog store within 5 minutes (& Smokey knows the way and will gladly take anyone here who is willing to go). But what we love about it most is that everyone in there knows us, loves our dog and is super helpful and knowledgeable. We use their self-serve bathing facilities weekly (Smokey has a skin allergy and requires a weekly bath) and it saves us hours of cleaning our own bath tub and well worth every penny. They have a great selection of food, treats, leashes, collars & of course toys...including Squeaky balls!

Clementine Art Supplies: Full disclosure, my friend Katherine works here, however the products are great and that is why they made the list. They are all natural, non-toxic and smell great. Love, love, love their stuff and gifting it.

...more to come...

Olive Bread

I love the farmer's market in San Francisco and am sad when I can't make the Saturday Alemany market.  This morning, I purchased 2 bags full of finds but my favorite is this olive bread which I am not sharing ( my hubby doesn't like olives, yeah for me!)...it is sooooo good. I hope it makes it through the end of the day.  You will see I sampled before this picture was taken and there is only 1 loop left as I had to have some more after this picture was taken.

Buy a recycled Leather Handbag made in Potrero Hill

Just came across this article in 7X 7 about a company based in our neighborhood, Potrero Hill, in SF.  They make handbags from recycled leather products including all those old leather jackets from the 80's & 90's.  Their bags look awesome as we all know that leather really gets better with time. reMade USA

Happy 1 Year Anniversary Smokey

On July 5 we reached a milestone...we adopted Smokey or rather he allowed us to be a part of his life 1 year ago. It has been quite the year but honestly we don't know how we ever lived without him. He gives us never ending love, lots of tail wags, laughs and is ever so inquisitive about life. On our recent vacation, Smokey embraced and relished each car ride, hotel stay, chair lift ride, walk and swim with enthusiasm and a 'let's do it' attitude. We could all take lessons from Smokey. Happy Anniversary Smokey and yes, you can sleep in our bed anytime.

I also wanted to put a message out to all those people considering buying or adopting a dog in light of the recent over crowding in animal shelters.  I calculated our "necessary" expenses over the past year which includes vet visits, food, training and immunizations...we have spent about $2,500 which DOES NOT include the extras we like to provide to our #1 poochie which includes weekly squeaky balls, chewies, baths at Pawtrero (weekly), pretty leashes, treats, etc.  So to all of you who are considering adopting a pet and making them a member of your family, they are expensive so adopt wisely and if you can't afford it wait until you can. 

Beretta

Last night I(Kelly) ate at Beretta with the girls which is in the same spot that Supper Club used to be in. We were seated downstairs which holds about 40 people if having a group event. Beretta does not take reservations so I arrived at 7:00 and it took about 15 minutes to get a table so not too bad. When we first arrived there was only 1 other table downstairs so we could hear each other speak which was a stark contrast to the main level which was packed by 7pm and very loud. Once downstairs filled up it was also very loud and they had music blaring in the background adding even more noise, so not the best place for a conversation. The food was good and very typical SF bistro food featuring pizza, risotto and a main meat dish. It was good not great. You can find similar food at many SF restaurants. While I liked the hip atmosphere, the noise kind of killed the experience and not sure I would go back. It does have a nice bar for grabbing food and people watching and I think if in the neighborhood or you are looking for late night food(open until 1am) it is a good choice, but I wouldn't drive across town just to eat at Beretta.