chez panisse anniversary

i love how the light in my photos inside chez panisse is incredibly different from outside. they capture how i felt, all glowy and delicious and in a different world. it was wonderful to talk and eavesdrop and taste so many different and delightful flavors. we made a mission statement for this year and reminisced about the incredible nature of this last one. its been wonderful and i can't wait to see what we experience in year two.

cafe love: sightglass

i promised you in this post that i would visit sightglass for this series so when jacob and i were in the neighborhood last week we made sure to stop by. its still a new cafe, they are creating the large espresso bar in the back, which means that the entryway is where you sit, order coffee and chat with the baristas. this open area is a beautiful combination of cement and wood panelling. i can't wait till they reveal the full space, which should occur sometime in june. the coffee leaves nothing to be desired though. i've tried the chemex here in the past but jacob and i went for the v-60 pour over this time. we tried the Genesis and the Berlin. they were both crisp, and full bodied. yet i loved the Genesis. it was a darker roast and had a syurpy texture with peach notes that resonated throughout my mouth. as we sat and sipped we asked the barista about their espresso. its a blend from all over the world whose different flavor parts make it sing. we also discussed the differences in cost of those beans from last year to this. its increased dramatically, many of the beans doubling in price. i've known that prices have risen due to weather and increased demand but it was interesting to see how it directly affects this cafe. no wonder cafe prices have risen lately, something to keep in mind when you visit a cafe. the passion of sightglass is obvious and they will continue to purchase and eat most of the costs of that bean because its the best. and that's what makes sightglass and other third wave coffee houses great is that passion for coffee, coffee farmers and consumers comes first.

happy weekend!

this past week we celebrated our 1st anniversary, i'll be sharing pictures of chez panisse and us in our fancy get up next week, but i wanted to share my second favorite photo from the yashica roll this weekend. the golden gate bridge is always photogenic but i love how its set between the blue sky and turquoise water.

you must check out the blue hour, brian has just returned from italy and the photos are moving, delicious and beautiful.

we're working hard this weekend but i plan on resting on memorial day. that will probably entail curling up with a good book. i've been lax on sharing my favorite books so try and i'll catch up now: i've enjoyed MFK Fisher's serve it forth, elizabeth gilberts stern men, isabelle allende's daughter of fortune, and my most recent favorite the particular sadness of lemon cake. an exploration of the connection of taste to emotion and a girl's journey to adulthood.

i also hope to see bridesmaids. it looks hilarious!

i have some extra strawberries here so i'm going to try this recipe but i've also seen alot of rhubarb cake recipes lately and might branch out in that direction next.

jacob's been working on his new album lately and has posted a demo. this one delves into the themes of journeying on the high seas. listen and share it with your friends!

yashica revealed

i love the vastness of this photo. its my favorite on my first yashica roll. it makes me feel both like setting off for the hills and lying in the grass. thanks harpers for stopping for your crazy picture friends.

cafe love: home

so there are many things to love about brewing coffee at home. you can make it many different ways and to your own perfect taste. and its only a few feet from your bed, the best place to drink coffee. it can be confusing though and it can seem like you need alot of gadgets. but this is not true. there are many options for home brewing and many price ranges. as well as as things that are essential and non essential. i have french pressed coffee for the past few years, and love the rich, oily flavor. but since working at readers cafe i have learned more about the clean, crisp taste of pour overs. a standard grocery cone is about 5 dollars and with a regular kettle a good cup of coffee can be enjoyed. most recently though jacob bought me a chemex and i can't get enough. its sweet, complex flavor has been a wonderful breakfast staple and we are both enjoying mastering the technique. the best way, i've found to learn about new methods and gain skills, outside of becoming a barista is the brew methods website. many roasters have instructions on their websites but this puts them all in one place, and has every method under the sun. how do you like your coffee?

happy weekend!

i am looking forward to this weekend. golden gate seminary's graduation is tonight and i feel like a lot of people are transitioning like us, which makes me feel better. i also can't wait to celebrate my friends' graduate school successes. jacob and i are hoping to hit up sol food as well while we're there.

Also this weekend, i'm preparing to put some photographs up at jacob's starbucks. i'm a bit nervous about curating, printing and framing them, as well as how people will respond. if at all. but i think its a step that moves me closer to feeling like a photographer. another way i'm trying to stay on top of that aspect is updating my flickr.

in the coffee realm,

stuff like this, excites me about moving back to texas.

this recipe was as delicious as i hoped, i'm planning to spend some time in the kitchen with my heart of the artichoke birthday present. i hope your weekend is full of things and people you love.

birthday love

i heard from so many wonderful friends and family. jacob took me around the city, bought me an awesome medium format camera, the yashicha {pictures pending}, we ate bun mee in the park, watched the sunset together and dropped by delarosa.

i can't wait to see what 25 brings.

cafe love: four barrel

four barrel is a brilliant cafe for many reasons. they offer options and simplicity. not an easy balance. in the world of specialty coffee one of the hardest steps is conveying your product to the consumer. explaining why your coffee is more expensive than starbucks, why there are contraptions everywhere and what to order based on the customers taste without being snobby is not an easy mission. but with four barrels well designed cafe you can choose either simplicity and speed with a french press basic coffee or other espresso drinks. Or for those with curious taste buds you can also try one of six pour overs or single origin espressos. the slow bar barista is also excellent at explaining the brewing process and the taste sensations it will produce while preparing your cup. customers are treated to vinyl records while watching the roaster expertly perform his duties on the german probat behind the bar.

the barista at the slow bar called us over and i could not resist the ethiopia leka wato. as i sipped, cherries and lemon zest flitted over my tongue. we took our place at the bar enjoyed the creative atmosphere created by the masters at four barrel.

birthday question

thanks for your response to my birthday question. unfortunately blogger was down most of my birthday and the comments that i saw on wednesday were lost, i'm betting, naively maybe, this is why there are not more responses. but if you commented and its no longer showing up or forgot and want to answer now, you still can. the question for you to answer is where were you at 25? i've gotten some interesting and fun answers so far and can't wait to hear yours.

now for my question: what has it taken me 25 years to learn?

This year has shown me that there is value in slowing down and not always striving for the next thing. i've enjoyed reading and exploring and working without a definite end or goal in mind. prioritizing what i enjoy is acceptable and even valuable at times. in the coming year i have some goals that i would like to attain. {more on that later} but feel that i will be more able, informed and competent because of this year's experiences.

i look forward to hearing from you!

birthday

i love the month of may for many reasons. not least of which is my birthday. i love birthdays. but i have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. i've thought about turning 25 alot while i was growing up. i always planned out my future until 25. high school, college, adventure and then 25 and uncertainty. what if i hadn't gotten married, how would i feel? (yes, i did just let you in on that) i didn't know what it would like for those five years till i got old and mature at 30, this is my 13 year old mind working here, but still i think these projections have shaped how i feel about 25. that i better start getting started on the rest of my life, that i better have purpose now, that i can't just have fun forever. are these assumptions true? i do hope that 25 finds purpose but i really hope that i drink lots of good coffee, listen to lots of wonderful music and eat many more amazing meals with the people i love. here's to 25!

i also have a couple of questions from my friends emily and sarah. one for me and one for you:

what has it taken me 25 years to learn?

(i answered this last year here)

and

where were you at 25?

i'd love to hear your answers, think of it as a birthday gift.

cafe love: ritual coffee roasters

i heard about ritual when i first moved to san francisco. it was the cool place to be. there were only a couple of other third wave cafes at the time and ritual was the first. i met the owner a couple of months ago at the cupping they offer every friday at 2. eileen was sweet but you could tell she was tough. she opened ritual when everyone said that it was no place for a cafe. that there was no money in the mission. those people missed the boat. eileen wanted to be where the next literary movement was and thought with 826 down the street, this was quite possibly the place. i love her vision. its not just about the best coffee but the community that the best coffee provides. i enjoyed a latte, made with the sweet tooth espresso, when my dad visited last week and was impressed as always by everything ritual offers.

dads' visit

we had a wonderful time with our dads' this weekend. i love traipsing around the city with mine. i'll be upfront here. we eat alot, but we also have alot of adventures, take a lot of pictures and overall enjoy ourselves. these are my favorites from my dad's camera.


sutro heights

dolores park, bi-rite sandwiches and ice cream

buena vista breakfast, my dad and i first enjoyed this meal when my parents drove up the coast with me as a baby, and they wonder why i had to come back.

pigeon point lighthouse

skipping stones, mr furr won but i am pretty sure a couple of my stones skipped twice, atleast

focaccia bread from the best place ever

hat shopping at Goorin bros, its over 100 years old

steak dinner together

bun mee sandwiches and carmelized citrus rice bowl

moishe's pippies chicago, jewish deli

smitten's ice cream, made in small batches to order, as well as home made cones,

le mediterrenne, my dad's favorite!

final burgers at whiz burgers. i'm so glad they came to visit, love yall!

happy weekend!

i know this weekend will require some recuperation after such a big week with our dads but I already have some plans in the works. we're going to have to go back to bun mee, where i had the most amazing carmelized citrus rice bowl with jacob and my dad. i'm also going to continue to perfect this strawberry shortcake recipe with my favorite berry ever. i'm excited about hearing the MAIS capstones this saturday. i remember being super nervous and excited last year for my own and i can't wait to hear the culmination of their work. i hope this spring weather continues to stick around.

finches: behind the scenes

when jacob asked me to help him work on his album cover i was really nervous. i thought about using a photo but none fit perfectly. he kept saying he wanted a collage but i was imagining cheesy photos of gregory peck and couldn't feel good about a direction. its like he's said many times that you can't force creativity but i was definitely trying.

until we were at readers' cafe, surrounded by old books and we mentioned maybe using one for the album cover. i began to search for the perfect thing with a few images of book art i've admired drifting through my head. i stumbled across a beautiful book flap in a work by George Elliot. From there,i was cutting out letters and bits of text. and its been very meaningful to produce something with jacob and about something that i think is beautiful. show your support by downloading and liking it here!

cheese

cowgirl creamery is our favorite place to get cheese. we love picking out a new one to try when we go to the ferry building.

cafe love: contraband

i heard about contraband through a friend a couple of weeks ago but when he mentioned it again and said that they had the kone i booked it there this week. located in nob hill at 1415 Larkin St, it wasn't where i envisioned quality coffee but i was in for a treat.

contraband offers multiple single origins brewed in chemex and pour over as well as a choice of espresso. they roast their own coffee in oakland and they had the most interesting espresso grinder i've ever seen. it allows multiple different espressos, they have three, to feed into its chamber. the disk that spins to start the grinder in motion is captivating to watch. i tried the peaberry in the chemex kone at the barista's suggestion because she said it was sweet. that was very true, it was juicy with a ripe cherry flavor. it was bold but well balanced. i really love the body that the kone offers, its right between a french press and the paper filter pour over. very smooth but still crisp. i read, while many seemingly neighborhood patrons came in and out, studied and chatted. it has a really sunny, community vibe that i soaked up.

i sipped a gibralter, my signature drink, before leaving and was surprised by the earthy, bright taste of the ethiopian yirgacheffe espresso. it was distinct and unique, almost a little too sharp for me but sweetened by the milk it was the perfect stimulus for my walk back down polk where i meandered amongst the shops and sunlight.