Opaque: Dining in the Dark

Last week, our friends Dawn and Marq invited us to join them at Opaque, a restaurant that allows its patrons to experience dining in a completely unique way:  in the dark.  This European trend arrived to SF a few years and the point is for the diners to use their senses of taste, touch, sound and smell, rather than sight, when eating.  All of their servers are either blind or visually impaired and are specially...

Thai Cooking School: Crispy Spring Rolls

Last year at this time The Hub and I were on our belated 3 week honeymoon trip to Thailand.   It was the most memorable trip  of our lives and best vacation we've ever taken.  It changed us for the better and was the catalyst for jump-starting Step 2 of our Life Plan, which I hope to tell you all about very soon. We had so many amazing adventures in Thailand, but our fondest memory is the day long class we...

Paris Part III – My Favorite Shopping

It pretty much goes without saying that the shopping in Paris is incredible.  There are so many cool boutiques around every corner that these suggestions are only scratching the surface.  You can probably just walk out of any hotel and stumble upon some great finds in every neighborhood, but today I want to tell you about some of the experiences I've had shopping in Paris.  I've been told on many occasions that I...

Paris Part II – The Food

Living in San Francisco, and as a total snob, I like to think that we offer the "best of the best" as far as food is concerned.  I believe that’s the truth...for the most part.  But there are certain things that the French do in ways no one else can, which mostly includes cheese, pastries, and bread. These decadent treats seem to be around every corner and you just can't get anything like it in the United...

Paris Part 1: The Sites

Paris is such a beautiful, magical place that when I'm there, I don't want to spend my time in museums.  I want to be walking around outside or sitting in cafés sipping espresso, soaking in the culture and pretending like I'm a native Parisian.  Regretfully, I think my walking shoes and the fact that I don't speak French are dead giveaways that I'm just another tourist falling hopelessly in love with the City of...

2011 San Francisco Restaurant Guide

Last week one of my favorite San Francisco restaurant blogs, Eater SF, updated their 38 Essential San Francisco Restaurants.  Most of the places included on this list are top of the line, rather schmancy establishments, but a solid list nonetheless.  I often get asked for restaurant suggestions from friends and co-workers, so I decided to put together my list of Top Restaurants in San Francisco by category. ...