Claudine "bonequinha" C.'s Profile

When our direct flight from Fort Lauderdale paused at the Austin aiport, the husband quickly ran out in search of some sustenance.  Luckily, his disdain for standard chainstore airport fare led him somewhat further off afield from what was closer to the Southwest terminal.  

And, even more fortunately, he managed to find Salt Lick (& Amy's Ice Cream) and got back to the plane in time.

A big thumbs up for the exceedingly tasty sausage and brisket combos he procured - the BBQ sauce just tangy and smokey enough, the portions generous, the sides quite complementary.

Yes, Michael's has tasty food; it's located in the hip up-and-coming design district (read - formerly depressed and not-so-safe).

The place is packed for a weeknight (Thursday); the lights low, noise levels high.  Yuppies, couples and old money dine side by side.  Our server exudes a sense of self-importance, expounds on the menu in tones that make one think that Michael's has invented "local," "seasonal," "natural."  He speaks of their wood-fired oven as if they were the only place on earth to bring such a contraption to the hoi polloi...

Whatever.

Dishes:
-Wood Roasted double yolk Fam Egg: rich. eggy. cheesy.  Yum.
-Yellowfin Tuna Conserva with preserved meyer lemon, shaved radish, capers & coriander aioli: fishy
-Pork Belly - with kimchi (which waiter felt the need to explain), crushed peanuts and pea shoots: delicious - could have had a little more kimchi
-Sauteed Sweetbreads with heirloom tomato & cippoline onion chutney, brown butter pansauce: disappointing (I'm a sweetbreads fan).  Chewy, not memorable.
-Chargrilled octopus - tender in some places; overcharred in others.
-Roasted Berkshire Pork Shoulder: over-cooked; meat dry; the cheesy, over-rich and one-dimensional grits that accompanied the meat didn't really do much to help the dish.
-Homemade fettuccine with ramps, cherry toms, anchovy & breadcrumbs: decent.
-Shortrib - delicious and meltingly tender; the romesco sauce fantastic.

I'd give Michael's another try... but if I had a choice of just one resto I'd head over to Michy's 1st.

This was the hotel of choice for a family wedding, so we stayed for several days just to make things easier and to be able to be close to the wedding party/ relatives.

A note - if you book far enough ahead, the pricing on their website is far more favorable than rates found on 3rd-party sites.

Some of their rooms need drastic updating (see photos). The decor screamed early 80s; duvet and carpet pretty hideous.

Service fairly pleasant - and the beach lovely.  Every day we received fliers that advertised activities like Caribbean Hair Braiding and Henna or Cooking Classes in one of the hotel restaurants.  It kind of felt like a cruise ship... there are definitely lots of activities for kids...

The beach is gorgeous, and there are kayaks available for rent.

Self parking is nonexistent, as others have mentioned -- $10 a day to park across the street or $15 valet (tip not included).

Service is pleasant - whether we were trying to get some drycleaning in just under the deadline, or requesting additional towels.

I don't think we'd stay here again unless we were offered rooms for free.

I usually grab coffee from this place when I need it to fuel me through a 7am hourlong commute to Mountain View from SF.  It's lovely and quiet at 6am, with crisp Bach usually playing in the early darkness.  Servers are usually not so harried and generally more pleasant at this early hour -- arrive after 7am, when the lines are beginning to form... and the goodwill seems to diminish somewhat.

For standard plain coffee - grab a cup and fill up from the thermoses at the counter nearest to the door.  Place your latte, cappucino, espresso orders with the barrista in the back.

There's a water bowl for puppies out front, and on occasion, your well-behaved tethered furry friend will receive a cookie from the servers.

Lovely place for Happy Hour -- this is definitely a location that needs to be fully enjoyed during daylight.

That said, I'd happily return later for dinner, based on such a pleasant 1st experience.  

For some strange stroke of luck, we managed 2 empty seats at the bar upstairs on a Friday at 6:30pm.  Perhaps it was because of the nice weather that many folks were choosing to sit outdoors on their expansive deck, making the most of the departing sun.

Great set of creative cocktails - we had  the Indian Summer (Gin, Elderflower Liqueur, grapefruit & lemon juices); the Lawn Party (Pimm's, Vodka, ginger, cucumber, Bundeburg Ginger Beer, lemon) and a Fogbank (Vodka, creme de cassis, cointreau, basil).  All were perfectly balanced and delicious and subtle.  A tip o' the hat to you, Joe W.

Happy Hour Oysters -- Preston Points offered today -- at $1/ piece had us ordering up 2 dozen (available until 6pm).... we gobbled them down and contemplated having more but were distracted by several other items on the bar menu.

On to conch salad which had an absolutely perfect, crunchy texture and very nuanced, light dressing with just a hint of jalapeno but no heat.  Chowder was great as well, rich and smooth and creamy with delicious chewy bits of Top Neck clam and bacon. (Note - I quite impressed when our bartender, Joe, knew not only what kinds of clams were included in the chowder, but where they were from -- Connecticut.)

Ah Waterbar, next time we'll jockey for a seat at the wet bar downstairs underneath those gorgeous coloured glass orbs, looking out onto the blue blue bay...

A note - this place is pricey.  Happy Hour, with 3 drinks, 2 dozen oysters and 2 other smaller dishes, ran us a little under a hundred clams, sans tip.

On a "3 guys from Miami" recommendation we journeyed to this part of town and also because it happened to also be in the Wynwood arts district area...

Enriqueta's did not disappoint. I highly recommend sitting at the counter, where you get an elevated vantage point of the establishment, and a fair view of what folks are ordering.

Though we saw tantalizingly huge platters of full meals (eggs and bistec; rice and beans) we stuck to sandwiches.  The boy chose a Cuban and croquetas; I opted for my first-ever Media Noche.  The Cuban with croquetas was a revelation -- delicious with multilayered notes of porky, fatty goodness, perked by the little bit of pickle.  While the Media Noche was virtually the same, I enjoyed the Cuban more.  An order of maduros came promptly as well -- a tad greasy and perfectly satisfactory.

Cortaditos and flan (comes pre-prepared in a peeltop plastic cup) rounded out our meal...

Service, though a bit perfunctory, was very efficient and responsive.

This establishment in the RK strip mall near the Newport Beachside is a fair alternative to Starbuck's... if you've got some time to spare.  We ordered at the take-our window, and must have waited 1/2 hour to 45 minutes for our order to materialize.

We chose the steak and eggs off the breakfast menu, 2 cafe con leches and 6 croquetas (3 jamon and 3 pollo).

The steak and eggs were underseasoned, and the pollo croquetas bland (stick with the jamon).

I'd give the place another try - the menu is extensive, and I'd certainly like to try their lechon, cuban sandwich, cortaditos...

To tell the truth, Bikram is not my favourite kind of yoga. I much prefer Ashtanga, with its huge set of poses and flowing movements.  

But one can't beat the proximity of this studio to our home, a mere 2 blocks away.  Since the husband decided to give yoga a try in earnest in order to help fix some chronic back pain he's had for several years, I decided to participate as well.

Pricing is a bit steep ($15/ class), and I think they could certainly do with better package/ pre-paid options.  Instructors are also not equal - my favourite so far is Ryan, who teaches in the evenings on Wednesdays and the community class on Saturdays - her instructions are most complex and specific (she gives more things to think about within the poses).  Arrive early to grab a spot.  The space is small and the door folks tend to allow the room to be packed.  You can also call ahead if you're running late and the staff will also set a mat down for you.

All in all, I like FluidYoga.  The  facilities are great, kept spotlessly clean with anti-microbial flooring.  After several sessions, I've even gotten used to the heat, which is kept cranked during class to a sweat-inducing 110-degrees.  My overall flexibility has returned and my skin always feels fabulous afterwards.  And best of all, it seems to be helping my husband's back tremendously.

Bring your mat, bath towel and water (or be charged $1 each at the door).

After 90 minutes of sweating profusely in a Bikram Yoga class, the body craves replenishment: salt and liquids.  That's when I usually get a craving for ramen, and most specifically, Genki Ramen in the Richmond.  Though Hotei is just a few steps away, we like Genki for its uber-flavourful broths and noodle variations.

Take, for instance, my current ramen of choice - the beguilingly-named "Garlic Tenderous Rib" [sic] Ramen: you get with your miso broth and noodles, an almost obscene chunk of melt-in-your-mouth pork rib that tastes like its been stewed for hours (in a sweet-savoury sauce with hints of anise) until the meat and tendons are definitely falling off the bone.  You also get a marinated hard-boiled egg, a smidge of sautéed spinach and a savoury sprinkling of fried shallot... leftovers are delicious heated up the next day.  If you feel that the cha-siu pork slices that come with the other ramen options are meager, this particular chunk o' meat won't leave you wanting.

The husband favours the kimchee ramen as well as the mapo-tofu ramen; I also like their butter corn ramen. Char-siu pork slices are indeed a bit on the thin side, but definitely tender, juicy, and exceedingly tasty.

We recently tried their seaefood Okonomiyaki and find it delicious - we could not stop eating this wonderful, chewy, pancake mélange topped with brown okonomiyaki sauce, mayo, green onion, and bonito flakes...

We have yet to try their delivery since we don't mind driving a bit for takeout...

Fort Miley is just above Sutro Baths and overlooks Land's End.  There's a fantastic little spot that's available for picnicking by reservation.  On the day of our visit, it was fabulous -- the picnic site felt like it was even a little sheltered from the wind, there were a couple of picnic tables and a grill; and a lovely expanse of lawn area for games and other frolicking.

And yes, you've also got a glorious view of a bit of the baths, the Cliff House, and the wide expanse of Ocean Beach. No restrooms; just a porto-potty.

Enter at El Camino del Mar & 48th Ave., park and hike up the hill to the picnic area.  Enjoy.