11 posts tagged “weekends”
It was another whirlwind weekend of social events. You are probably as sick of it as I am. ;) I purposely declined any invites for Sunday outings just so I could stay home and do laundry. I had four loads to do and my room looked like a tornado had blown through it. Everything is in order now but I'm kind of dreading September as all of my weekends have just filled up. Woo. On Friday, I had dinner with Tyee, who I haven't seen in months despite the fact that we work not too far from each other. She recently got engaged and I've added her wedding to my list of two for next year. Yes, just two so far. I'm thrilled for her but quite honestly I want to rip apart any new invitations that arrive in the mail. :) Love, it's a wonderful thing.
On Saturday, Betty and Evan were married at a private estate in Palo Alto. It was one of the prettiest and shortest ceremonies of the summer. They tied the knot in a record time of just ten minutes! She looked absolutely amazing and I even started crying when I saw her walk down the aisle. Their Chinese banquet was back up in the city however so I got ready at Ada's place to save on gas and time. After a long dinner with three hundred of their close friends and family, I left as the dancing got started to attend Annie's birthday party at 111 Minna. No, it never really does end for me. It was an 80s themed party with lots of crazy outfits, awesome music and many polaroid photos. Happy birthday Annie darling!
Although I am quite sad to not have attended the wedding of Papi Chulo and Secret Agent Scotch, I am super happy for the internets and all the photos and videos that folks posted. It was like I was there with all of the 6a folks! Congratulations to the happy couple. I wish the two of you many years of joy and laughter.
As for me, I had another set of festivities to attend to and it was quite the busy week. It started off with a Wednesday evening bridal shower for Melissa. While it was very cute to have a tea party wedding shower, I expect all parties after 6pm to serve booze. Really. That's the only way you can have me socialize after a long work day. If I'm not drinking then I want to be on my couch in pjs.
Friday I attended a traditional catholic ceremony at St. Mary's Cathedral for Suzanne and Conan's wedding. Catholic ceremonies tend to be very long but they amazingly got everything done within an hour. The reception was held that evening at Yank Sing restaurant at the Rincon Center. There were dragon dancers, lots of good food and too many shots of tequila. Not too surprisingly, Conan got the biggest wedding ring that I've ever seen on a guy. Such a pimp. :)
Saturday I peeled myself out of bed and drove to Wente Vineyards
in Livermore for Melissa & Derek's wedding. I was hungover and
tired but it was hard to not be enthusiastic by the beautiful
surroundings and the happy couple. They had outdoor tables with trees
lit in Christmas lights and pink and white balloons strewn around the
dance floor. So pretty. The same circle of friends were at this
wedding as well, so well I ended up doing a lot of shots again. Ugh. All in all a fantastic time despite how shitty I felt on Sunday.
There's been a whirlwind of social events in the last month with several more packed weekends to go. I want to say that every summer is like this but the last few have been quite mellow in comparison. Except for the usual birthday week, I generally have several weekends where there's absolutely nothing to do. And there's something nice about being able to be spontaneous (yes, it's quite true that I don't always plan ahead).
This past weekend I attended my college roommate's bridal shower and bachelorette party. Rarely does anyone plan for both in one weekend much less in the same day. It's a lot of socializing and quite honestly very exhausting. But it was great to be able to celebrate this special occasion with her. Betty looked beautiful and so happy (see left).
Next up, I have a bridal shower tomorrow for Melissa who's getting married this Saturday. Yes, so much going on. Did I mention I have to attend another wedding on Friday too? We're having dessert and tea at the Japanese tea garden in Golden Gate park. It should be quite fancy. Cocktail dresses of a specific length are required. That part I didn't like so much but every party needs a theme! I yanked an old dress out of the closet last night that will have to do because I don't have time to shop.
Next weekend I have two birthday parties to attend to and the following weekend another bridal shower. Just thinking about all of the events kind of makes me want to stick my head under the covers and not come out until winter.
I got there kind of late in the day but the sun was still shining and the company was great. Yay for free festivals. Heard Bitter:Sweet for the first time and the lead singer was amazing. I will have to buy their album.
It's been quite the week of celebrations. Initially I was kind of sad to be celebrating this birthday on the single wagon but so many friends came to the rescue that I didn't even reflect much on it. I really am so very lucky to have such wonderful people in my life. Growing up I didn't have a ton of friends so it's really surprising to see how many close relationships I've been able to hold onto through the years. It makes getting older much easier.
Wednesday started off with early morning birthday wishes, gifts from Sippey and Sarah, then lunch with my 6a peeps and finally a late night dinner with girlfriends at House of Prime Rib. I love this restaurant and frequent it often for holidays and birthdays. There was an old man at the bar celebrating his 105th birthday that evening. He's been a regular there for years now. Very sweet. We closed down the restaurant with two bottles of champagne, a bottle of wine and shots of tequila. Not sure how but I didn't even have a hangover the next day!
I took Friday off to get some pampering done and then had quite an epic birthday party at District. I was there from 5pm to well after midnight because people just kept on coming. I don't think I was ever empty handed either as the champagne was definitely flowing. Sadly because of all the people I couldn't make it over to Chris' celebration in the Mission. :( I might have overdone it on the invite list but it did make me feel very loved that so many old friends showed up.
The next morning despite my aching feet and a banging headache, I managed to get up and go at it again. The afternoon was spent with Sarah on Joann's sunny deck celebrating Nico's birthday. We did shots of mocha infused vodka, ate coconut and pineapple cake, and took sneak peeks at her hot neighbor over in the other building. After that I drove to the other side of the city for Suzanne's bridal shower in South Park. She held a cocktail event with champagne and hors d'oeuvres rather than the traditional house party. Loved it.
So you're probably thinking that this has to be the end of the night because I've been drinking for way too many hours. Right? Um, not quite. We went from the bridal shower to Suzanne's bachelorette party at Circolo. Crazy. I changed from flats to heels in the car and was ready to go though. After buying Suzanne a few rounds of shots, Patty and I headed to the Elbo Room in the Mission. WeFunk Radio djs were spinning and we caught the last hour of an awesome set. I found Randy, Krissy and Garth but couldn't find Steve in the crowd of sweaty people (thanks Steve for the invite, I wish I could have come earlier because the music was off the hook).
Now I'm back at home and finally getting the chance to relax. Looking forward to the upcoming week where I actually don't have anything planned ...at least not until the weekend. ;)
Last Wednesday Stef called with an offer that I couldn't refuse, purchase a ticket to Vegas and everything else would be covered for the 4th of July weekend. Her manager was flying there with a high roller friend and apparently two hotels were covering all of their expenses. Crazy! They put the two of us in a suite one floor below the penthouse at the Palazzo, the new Venetian towers, with a fantastic view of the strip. We treated ourselves to lots of pool time, the spa and several decadent meals. It was fabulous.
I've known Stef for a few years now but this was the first time that we've done a solo thing together. I feel kind of special that she thought of me for the trip. It was a great time and we got along so well. We're more alike than we first realized and I know this is the beginning of a close friendship. Here are highs and lows from the weekend:
- Our suite came with three flat screen TVs including one in the bathroom, remote controlled curtains and a walk-in closet
- The lounge chairs directly in the pool were awesome. Who needs a cabana when you can sit in the water all day?
- Ran into a friend's bachelor party and got to hang out with friends that I haven't seen in years
- A very drunk girl fell into a friend’s birthday cake and then wiped her hands on my dress
- Went to Jet at Treasure Island as a favor to Stef's manager and discovered it was the "5’4 and under" club
- Pulled an all-nighter on Saturday to fly out at
7:30am on Sunday. I felt a little crazy
at the airport but well that's how Vegas is done I suppose
- My feet still hurt from dancing in heels all
weekend. Heh.
After years of going to Vegas for birthdays, getaways, bachelorette parties and one very cold New Year's Eve, I know better than to come into work the very next day. It takes a full day to recover from the excessive drinking and lack of sleep. Almost all of yesterday was spent either in bed or on my couch, minus the hour I spent unpacking and cooking dinner. Today my legs are still sore from all the dancing that I did on Saturday night. It was a fun time despite initial my concern that I was too old to be partying like that. ;)
The roundup from the weekend (includes only details that I could talk about in a public blog like this):
- Stayed in two awesome suites at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. Very swanky but it was about a mile of walking to get to the pools. We were hooked up with a discount so the rooms ended up being cheaper than staying in Mandalay Bay.
- Average temperature in Vegas was 105 degrees. Such a shame that I only spent a total of four hours in the wave pool.
- My longest stretch of dancing in one night without sitting down? 5 hours.
- Celebrity takeover: Kardashians at Pure nightclub caused the lines to shutdown at midnight. We thought there was going to be a riot since they had a zillion people waiting.
- Bill for bottle service and table at Prive: two bottles of Grey Goose vodka at $450 per bottle.
- Stef's friend hooked us up with a "party bus" that came equipped with a dancer's pole. I would like to note that I did not partake in the pole dancing.
- Met Steve Kim from Chippendale's at Seamless, a new after hours club.
- Missed breakfast every day. But we did dine at Bradley Ogden and Social House.
The latter's tasting menu of sashimi was amazing and worth every
penny. Bradley Ogden is owned by the same restauranteur as Lark Creek
here in San Francisco but it definitely wasn't as good.
- I slept a total of four hours in two days. Woo.
Last month I celebrated a friend's birthday at Michael Mina. It's been on my list of 'must try places" for the last two years but has been slipping down the charts in favor of more affordable restaurants. The benefits of eating with a large group (there were 12 of us) are the number of dishes that you can try. But large sittings generally mean larger bills. My grand total was $260, which was thankfully less than my meal at French Laundry.
Located in the Westin St. Francis hotel across from Union Square, you can ride the hotel's glass elevator to the top floor and look over all of downtown. Or well, at least one side of downtown. The atmosphere at MM isn't as stuffy as French Laundry, in fact the noise level can get pretty high in the open areas. Men aren't required to wear jackets but you can always find a few suits that have come in after work. It's the type of place where men talk business, couples celebrate anniversaries, and girls get way too dolled up in organza skirts.
They serve a three course prix-fixe menu as well as a chef's selection tasting menu. The tasting menu is easier for those that hate making decisions. But when you're paying a hefty price for it, might as well do the work yourself. Within each course there are several selections, of which you can choose only one. Each selection has one core ingredient and is prepared in three different ways. There are also "classics" to choose from, which are dishes that the chef is known for but those are only prepared in one way.
Confused? So was I.
For my first course, I chose the the Hudson Valley foie gras served hot to cold with huckleberry gastique, pickled strawberries, poached rhubarb and pistachio crumble. It was amazing but there was so much of it. I ate half and gave the rest to Katie who proceeded to wipe down two other plates of extra foie gras.
The dishes came out so slowly that by the time course number two arrived, most of us were kind of full. Eep. This was disappointing since my trio of premium beef was so, so good and I couldn't really enjoy it. The first preparation was grass-fed rib-eye in a sauce au povre with creamed spinach, second was American Kobe short-rib with horseradish whipped potatoes, and the last was Misami Kobe sirloin in a bordelaise sauce with marinated mushrooms.
Dessert wasn't really memorable except for the caramel flan and green tea bon bons served with toothpicks. By the time the bill came, it was almost midnight and I was falling asleep at the table. No better way to end the meal I suppose.
I was surprised that this came out as one large sardine, instead of several small sardines. It was delish nonetheless. We probably enjoyed this part of the meal more than the sushi. Kind of disappointing but Kirala's sushi really hasn't been as good as it was in the past. We had grilled sardine marinated in spicy roe with lemon and radish, alongside stuffed mushrooms and shiso wrapped chicken in a teriyaki glaze. I finished off the roasted scallops before we could take this picture. Those were way yummy too.
I spent Saturday afternoon slicing food into tiny morsels and trying not to slouch in my seat. I felt like a kid sitting at the grown-up table wondering when I could run out to play. After years of reading and hearing about the acclaimed French Laundry, I finally had the opportunity to dine there. The NYTimes once wrote, "...this discreet restaurant regularly ranks as one of, if not the, best restaurant in the world", and Anthony Bourdain of 'Kitchen Confidential' describes the experience as nothing less than phenomenal, "My knees were shaking going to meet Thomas Keller, going to eat in that restaurant [The French Laundry]. I felt like I was going to the prom, like a kid in a powder blue tux sweating through my fluffy shirt. It's hero worship and wonder..."
My experience however was well, underwhelming to say the least. Admittedly friends had warned that this would be the case as their experiences were just so-so. The atmosphere was too stuffy, brought on by the other patrons and not necessarily the suited wait staff who seemed to enjoy the joking and smiles that came from our end of the room. Laugh too loudly however and we'd elicit frosty stares from the tables nearby.
The appetizers and desserts were delicious but the small plates and main entrees weren't memorable at all. My favorite was the foie gras, served as a cold mousse with toasted brioche, truffle creme and orange glaze. The log of foie gras was huge and we were continually brought warm brioche until we were wiping down the plates with toast.
The panacotta and caviar took a few bites to warm up to, but the combination of flavors in the end were wonderful. My small plate of bluefin tuna was very ordinary. As were the lobster mitts with pomegranate seeds in a curry reduction sauce. The duck came out too firm for everyone at the table. Bleh. The lamb was soft and tender, raised on a special diet by a small farm in Virginia. The special diet supposedly cleaned the gamy flavor out of the meat. Though I kind of feel like something's lost when lamb doesn't have a bit of gaminess to it.
Overall I was disappointed by the food, especially because it came with such a hefty price tag and a two month advance reservation. $350 to be exact. But the meal ended sweetly enough with a second dessert of truffled chocolates, verona and caramel covered macadamia nuts, marscapone pineapple cakes, creme brulee and lemon custard.
