Festivities!

It's been a while...so let me give an update on last month's festivities!

Friendsgiving

 Friendsgiving aka Thanksgiving with friends (new term I learned in SF). Here my roomies and I had an impromptu Friendsgiving before we all headed out for the holiday.

Thanksgiving in Boise

I love Thanksgiving. period.

Mama's Restaurant in North Beach

Okay not even kidding this place is to-die-for and I mean it. But, what food doesn't taste awesome when you have to wait in a 2 hour line for it?! See the people waiting in line behind my head? It was listed as one of the best brunch spots in SF so we had to try it and it was a treat. I totally recommend it for brunch--try and go on a weekday morning if you can so you can avoid the weekend lines!

Art Uncorked 

My girlfriends and I gathered together for a little wine and painting night at a hotel downtown. It was super fun and we ended up with such masterpieces to take home:)

{please avoid my demon eyes above :)}

Christmas in the City!

Although there isn't any snow in SF for the holidays--the city still manages to make it very festive! We got lucky and had a Christmas tree lot right across the street which made for easy transporting!

Christmas Parties!

Christmas parties are my favorite! Top left is an investment bank Christmas party on the top floor of the swanky Clift Hotel. Bottom right is us girls getting ready for the Guardsmen Christmas Tree Lot Party! And what is Christmas time without the Nutcracker? They even puffed out fake snow out of the building. :)

SantaCon

This is my first time at SantaCon and it was like NOTHING i have ever seen or participated in! I had quite the adventure bar hopping with thousands of Santa's and I seriously cannot wait for next year!

Note: All my friends from UI/TF need to come visit me for SantaCon next year!

More Christmas and NYE updates to come!

xoxo

Foodie

As I stated in my previous post I have been super busy with a new job and apartment, but while I've been gone from the blog world I have been seriously and I mean seriously experiencing the city!

I've been mainly experiencing the food... Ahhh the food!

And for those of you who know me...this probably isn't a surprise to you. 

i love eating out and eating in general.

Here are 5 restaurants I went to this past month in San Fran that I enjoyed.

1. Tacolicious: Now this was amazing! First of all, this place is right in the heart of the Marina on Chestnut Street. I went with my girlfriends on Halloween night and we got a table right away. We got a seat outside and got to watch all the fun costumes walk down the street.

The Tuna Tostada that I ordered was on the SF 7x7 Big Eat so of course I had to try it. I love avocados and tuna..so put them together and its heaven. I am also really into spicy/hot foods so the spicy sauce on the tostadas was the perfect amount. The only drawback of this dish is that you only get two small tacos for 10 bucks. However, they do have bottomless chips and homemade salsa, which filled me right up. I definitely recommend this place on a weekend for dinner and margs!

2. Txoko: Now this place was rather interesting--nestled in between a few run down buildings and covered in scaffolding in the North Beach area--lets just say it was hard to find. I abosolutely love the NB area so it was fine by me. My friend Emily and I met up and went in to find a practically empty restaurant. We thought it was kind of odd--but then again it was a weekday. Emily and I decided to share a few dishes so we could try more items.
After perusing the menu for a long time we finally decided on a few of the small plates the Txiki cheese plate, Wood Oven Roasted Piquillo Peppers, Local Squid A La Plancha, and the Mushroom Empanada. My favorite was the Mushroom Empanada--very good! These were very small plates so the waitress recommended that we get two main dishes.

We tried the Radicchio A La Plancha which was a persimmon and pomegranate salad. (to die for). I want to imitate the salad for myself.
We finally ended with the Cauliflower Arroz which was similar to a risotto dish and equally amazing. Overall this place was good, but I would recommend going on a weekend when the vibe isn't so dull/quiet.

3. Pancho Villa Taqueria: So this was the first real authentic Mexican Taqueria I have been to in SF. I fell IN LOVE. Wow. Talk about the best salsa I have ever had. EVER.  My girlfriends and I all ordered the Baby Burrito's. I was skeptical that it would be super small, but NO it was huge for only $5.50. I had heard about their tofu burritos and decided to order one. Now this was pretty out of character for me because I love meat, but I tried it and devoured it I loved it so much. I think the best part was the taco bar with a bajillion awesome salsas for me to load up my burrito with. I highly, highly recommend this place next time you are in the Mission!

4. Pluto's: This is another restaurant close to Chestnut in the Marina. They have a few restaurants, but I had never been to one before. I thought it had such a cool concept! You walk in and get to pick 7 different toppings to put in a salad. All the fixings are fresh and the person behind the counter tosses your salad in whatever dressing you choose.

 I got to put all of my favorite things into a salad together. I chose the side salad which was huge and really filling. I added avocados (of course), strawberries, cucumbers, bleu cheese, herb roasted sonoma turkey, cucumbers and a balsamic dressing. It turned out amazing and I definitely recommend this place when you feel like a healthy salad option.

5. Pesce Seafood Bar: My friend Logan came to town a few weeks back just in time for dinner and happy hour on a Tuesday night. I really wanted to take her to Nick's Crispy Taco's on Polk St. because they have Taco Tuesday and its right by my house. But we got there and it was packed with people drinking. We were too hungry to wait in a huge line so we walked back down Polk St. a few blocks and stumbled upon Pesce Seafood Bar. 

It was pretty fancy inside but we sat at the bar and started off with a cocktail. We decided to get a few dishes to share and chose the salmon affumicato which was a light appetizer of smoked salmon on bruschetta. We then tried the Risotto Al Funghi and the Calamari. The Calamari wasn't the best I've had, but the Risotto was great! Pesce is definitely a great place for a date or catching up with a friend.

Thanks

I spend most of the time I could be blogging on Pinterest--my absolute favorite site. And I stumbled upon this quote today which kind of sums up my life right now...basically because I have had more changes in the last 6 months than I can even imagine.

However, with every new change has come a wonderful new experience and I am so happy to have taken chances, gone out of my comfort zone and followed my dreams.

And in celebration of my FAVORITE holiday {Thanksgiving} I also have to say how thankful I am for the people in my life. My family who has supported me through every obstacle, change and {crazy} emotion these past 6 months. My old friends who have made me grateful to have had the experiences that make me who I am and be proud of where I come from. And my new friends who have welcomed me into SF with open arms and who are constantly making my transition to my new life an absolute blast.

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!! :)

SF Vintners Market

 

A tad bit belated post, but I went to the SF Vintners Market a few weekends back and had a blast! We started out with brunch at a friends (mimosas included) and then we walked down to the market that was held at Fort Mason. There were a ton of wonderful wineries there and for $35 bucks we got to go around and taste them all! Im pretty sure I tasted some great wines...I just wish I could tell the difference :) I'm getting there though! I went to Calistoga this weekend so I'll post about that experience soon!

Also, I am in the process of finding an apartment in the city and just might have found the one! The only downside is that its a room share with one other girl--but im so used to living with a ton of people that it seems super fun! I'll keep you posted on that though!

In the meantime, here are some pictures of the Vintners Market. Right outside of the market was the food truck event called "Off the Grid." They station there and provide amazing different cuisine options. I tried the 'Grilled Cheese' truck and had the most incredible grilled cheese sandwich everrrrrrr!

 -Katie

weddings + tailgating=love

I had such an AMAZING time going back home to my college town in Idaho. I got to go out with all my bff's, go tailgating for the homecoming game, see my sister, and go to my friend's wedding. 

It was an incredible weekend and so weird to come back to Cali! It was my first time actually going home for a vacation and that will take some getting used to! 

Here are some picks from the trip home...

Also, I wanted say that I have finished my picture a day for a year! I can't believe I have actually completed it..but I do have some cool pictures that document the last year of my life...now I need to figure out what to do with all my pictures!

So if you have a cute idea for what to do with my pics please let me know!! :)

Working hard-or hardly workin'

I have to say I have had a wonderful time working for Skyy Spirits--what a fun way to get introduced to the glamorous side of the corporate world. I mean, a cocktail bar in the entrance? Not too shabby.

However, because of my crazy persistance with finding a job in Marketing, working as a Human Resources Assistant just isn't going to cut it. 

Even if it is with a snazzy company.

So, I am happy to report that I am now a Marketing Coordinator for a company in Sausalito and am starting really soon!

I'm so excited for all the projects and the work I get to do. (did I just say 'get to do?') Wow, I must be really excited :)

But, I am...and this brings me one step closer to moving to the city....and I really cannot wait for that day to come!

weekend in Idaho & Washington

The rain just keeps pouring here in SF and the news showed a chance of snow. Wowza! Thought I escaped all that from Idaho, but I guess not! I still don't mind the rain though--it makes the air fresh and reminds me of fall.  But, good thing I am escaping this weekend from the snow to go to Moscow-ID. Only one of my favorite places on earth.

I am packing as much fun as I possibly can into a short little weekend but it is totally going to be worth it. First stop Moscow, ID for Homecoming, seeing my friends/sister, & some Corner Club action of course! I cannot wait!
Then after tailgating for the game its time to head over to Spokane for my friends wedding! I'm excited to witness yet another EX/DG wedding (there have been quite a few!) and I can't wait to see everyone.

I am sad that I am missing fleetweek here in SF though! I got to witness some cool Blue Angel action from the windows at work yesterday...hopefully again today as they are practicing for the show tomorrow.
I've heard the roof parties are sooo much fun too!