Catch the Up Market Fresh Bus Tour! {Giveaway!}

Y’all remember me blogging about the new Walgreens Flagship Store in San Francisco a while back, right?! Did you know they also have an Up Market Fresh Bus? I didn’t, until they contacted me & told me all about it- they even invited me to check it out in San Francisco this past weekend. Curiosity got the best of me & I had to check it out.  Isn’t she a beauty?! This custom made, 40ft bus is part of Walgreens mobile tasting tour, the “Up Market: Fresh” Experience. The bus visits select locations and special events nation wide. The bus is visiting the San Francisco Bay Area for the month of May. The Fresh Bus is giving out samples of Walgreens Fresh new offerings to celebrate the grand opening of the Walgreens Flagship store & its Fresh stores throughout the Bay Area.The Fresh Up Market is Walgreens approach to healthy, convenient & high-quality food offerings. If you’d like to learn more about Walgreens Up Market, the Fresh Bus is the place to be!  What can you expect to find on the bus? I’m glad you asked!

The “Up Market:  Fresh” bus will be serving free samples of a variety of items to celebrate the fresh food offerings available at the new flagship store. Free tastings include:

• Juices  — Samples of nutritious, fresh-made juices made from a combination of fresh fruits and vegetables.“Painted Lady Punch” is a featured juice and is a blend of apples, strawberries, lemon and ginger. “Cable Car Carrot” is also a featured juice and is a blend of carrots, oranges and pineapple.
• Smoothie — The featured smoothie will be the “Ocean Beach Peach,” which is blended fresh from peaches, bananas, pineapple and coconut water.
• Frozen Yogurt – Two premium, low-fat frozen yogurts will be sampled alongside a selection of toppings.
• Café – Visitors can receive free samples of a selection of coffees brewed using the same fresh roasts and barista quality techniques showcased at Walgreens.

 You know I’m all about the Smoothies, so that’s the first thing I had! 

The bus is fully equipped with everything it needs to whip up smoothies & other tasty treats… Fro-Yo anyone?   

There was even some action going on outside the bus. Walgreens had a few tents set up, passing out more samples of their healthy items. Everything from sunscreen to granola!

True to form, everyone on the bus was friendly and eager to help out. They were happy to discuss the Up Market Fresh items available on the bus & inside Walgreens. You don’t want to miss this bus! I wonder if Walgreens will let me have one of my own?! A girl can dream!

Want to know where the Fresh Bus will be stopping next? You can follow them on twitter at UpMarketFresh. Here’s the schedule for the rest of this week:

Walgreens, 1333 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

• Wednesday, May 29 – Noon – 4 p.m.

 Walgreens, 2801 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA 94703

• Thursday, May 30 – 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Walgreens, 5055 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA 94609

• Friday, May 31 – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Who’s ready for a GIVEAWAY?  (Click on the blue “Rafflecopter Giveaway” icon below to be taken to the entry form!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was provided with a GC in exchange for this post, no other compensation was given. All opinions are mine. Don’t miss the Fresh Bus when it hits your town! Thank you to Walgreens for hosting this Giveaway for my readers! Be Well!

American Icons, here’s to the Red, White & Blue!

Do you have a favorite American Icon? Who comes to mind? John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe? Or maybe it’s not a person at all, maybe it’s a food. To me, nothing is more American than Apple Pie! The Everywhere Society invited me to Macy’s for their big American Icon celebration.  First up was a cooking demo in the Macy’s Cellar, with KitchenAid culinary expert, Debbie Slater.  Being a foodie, this was right up my alley. I don’t have a KitchenAid Mixer, so you know I was drooling over her blue one!  Right before our eyes, Debbie made Mini Macaroni Pasta! Right there, on the spot, while we watched! I couldn’t believe how easy it was, she added the Pasta Press attachment to the front of the mixer, added her dough and the mixer did the rest. It was a thing of beauty! Here’s the pasta, right after it came out of the machine:  I wanna make my own pasta, how about you?! I gotta get that KitchenAid Mixer!!! She then went on to make a beautiful pasta salad, the Red, White & Blue Pasta Salad: That’s blueberries in there, with grape tomatoes & blue cheese- it was so good! Debbie didn’t stop there, oh no! She used that KitchenAid Mixer to pump out two more patriotic delights. Here’s the Red, White & Blue Coleslaw:  and the Red, White & Blue Vanilla Wafer Cheesecake Tartlets:  Yes, those are vanilla wafers as the base, great for a party or get-together… bite size! Before the demo was over, Debbie told us about the gorgeous, hand-painted, red, white & blue Artisan KitchenAid Mixer that is going to be given away. She reminded us to enter the giveaway and you know I was first in line filling out that entry form! Look at this:  If I win, I’ll let you know! Next stop on the Macy’s Celebration was upstairs for the Timex Launch Party, to see what the latest trends in watches are.  If you’re like me, you know Timex takes a licking & keeps on ticking, right? Well, they have come a long way & have so many stylish options available, I was very impressed. This crisp white one, below, is going to be very popular this summer, trust me!   Style & fashion editors from San Francisco’s 7X7 Magazine, were on hand to share a few fashion tips with the crowd. Here’s a little snippet for you:

Wouldn’t be an American Icon Celebration without a fashion show, right? These lovely models showcased great looks by Calvin Klein, Levi’s & Tommy Hilfiger.   Macy’s puts on the best events, if you haven’t been to one yet, you are definitely missing out. These events are always open to the public, so check with your local Macy’s to see what events they have planned.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Everywhere Society, and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post. All thoughts & opinions are my own, thank you!

Walgreens San Francisco “Flagship” Store Grand Opening, A Traveler’s Dream! #SFWAG

Growing up, my family always went to our neighborhood Walgreens for all of our over-the-counter and prescription meds. Walgreens was conveniently located near our home and we trusted them, after all, they are the nation’s largest drugstore chain. My mom knew that whatever she needed, she could find it at Walgreens. That hasn’t changed, but boy, so many other things about Walgreens certainly have! If you haven’t been inside a Walgreens lately,  you’re going to love this post. The new Flagship Walgreens just opened up in San Francisco, at the corner of Powell & O’Farrell. When Collective Bias invited me to tour the new Walgreens, I had no idea what was in store for me. The moment I walked through the doors, I thought to myself, “This ain’t my Mama’s Walgreens!”  This Walgreens is big and bright, and did I mention Big?! I’m talking 18,000 sf and 2 stories tall! It is unlike any other Walgreens I have ever been to. There are 15 cash registers and 90 employees, we’re talking huge here! It reminded me more of a department store, than my friendly, neighborhood Walgreens. We began our tour upstairs. First stop, was the LOOK Boutique beauty department, and it is fabulous! It features tons of prestige and niche cosmetic, skincare, and hair care brands that you don’t normally find in drugstores. For example, you can find the U.K.’s number one skincare line, “No 7,” created by Boots, here at Walgreens. No 7 is known for their anti-aging beauty serums. (I’ll take 2 of everything, please!) The specially-trained beauty advisors can help you choose just the right product for your skin type. They’ll even touch-up your make-up for you! If your brows are looking a little rough, just head on over to the Ramy Eyebrow Bar to get some expert brow shaping and grooming services! How fantastic is that? Getting your brows done at Walgreens… I told you this wasn’t your Mama’s Walgreens!  Walgreens main purpose is to help people get, stay & live well… so it made perfect sense that we toured the Pharmacy next. The pharmacy is open 8:00am-8:00pm Monday through Friday, 9:00am-6:00pm on Saturday, & 9:00am-5:00pm on Sundays. Nimesh Jhaveri-Executive Director of Pharmacy Operations, was on hand to give us the grand tour. He explained to us how the role of the pharmacist is changing & evolving. Walgreens wants to be your one-stop healthcare shop. It makes perfect sense, Walgreens’ are everywhere, you can find one on virtually every corner. Why not utilize them to the fullest extent? Vaccines, sports physicals, urgent care- it’s all available at Walgreens. They even  do diabetes screenings and can check your cholesterol levels! Not everyone has access to a nearby doctor, but we all have access to a nearby Walgreens, right?!

As someone who loves to travel, I’m lovin’ this new Flagship Walgreens! Imagine being a tourist here in San Francisco and getting sick. You don’t know where the nearest doctor is, or urgent care… but you do know where the nearest Walgreens is, at the corner of Powell & O’Farrell! (They have suitcases too!) Walgreens is working hard to be your first choice for health & daily living. Once you’ve taken care of all your health and beauty needs, you might be a little hungry. Walgreens has that covered too!  Your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a smoothie bar. Smoothies are available at the new Walgreens in San Francisco, along with a juice bar. But that’s not all. In keeping with their mission to keep you well, Walgreens also offers hundreds of fresh food items. Produce and high-quality, on-the-go meal options such as wraps, sushi, salads and sandwiches are made fresh daily.  When I tell you this Walgreens is like no other I have ever been to, I truly mean it! You can purchase Fro-Yo here… awesome! You pay by the cup size, not by weight… even better! There’s a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine dispensing 130 varieties of Coca-Cola fountain drinks. (I’d never even seen one until I toured this Walgreens!) The Upmarket Cafe’ offers a barista preparing fresh brewed premium coffee & espressos. Got a sweet tooth? You’ll love the freshly baked pastries and other goodies the Upmarket Cafe’ has to offer.  And then there was this! The promised land for chocoholics! A replica of Ghirardelli Square. It has one of the largest (and yummiest!) selections of Ghirardelli premium chocolates and gift selections in the San Francisco area. I could go on & on about this new Flagship Walgreens. It’s the first of its kind here in Northern California and it promises to bring customers a unique shopping experience. This store has it all! With offerings like fresh food, an enhanced beauty department and unique pharmacy- this is My Walgreens! Next time you are in San Francisco, be sure to drop by and check it out for yourself, and don’t forget to try the Vanilla Fro-Yo, it’s delicious!

Y’all know I love to take photos, and I have many more to share with you. You can see them all all on my #SFWAG Google+ Album.

For more Walgreens info, here’s their website. You can follow them on Twitter and FB too! Be well!

**I was invited to the opening of the Walgreens store opening by Collective Bias®.  I was compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias ™ and Walgreens #CBias #SocialFabric  All Opinions are my own.**

You Say McWrap, I Say McYummy! {Giveaway for S.F. Bay Area Readers!}

I was recently sent a couple “Be Our Guest” cards by McDonald’s so I could try their new Premium McWraps. I’d been hearing a lot about them from some of my blogger friends, and was anxious to sink my teeth into one.

• The new line of meal-size wraps combines fresh vegetables, tasty sauces and juicy chicken breast fillets in a warm tortilla.
  • All Premium McWrap varieties come with a choice of either grilled or crispy chicken, so that guests can customize their meals according to their individual dietary needs. There are 3 Premium McWraps to choose from:
    • Sweet Chili Chicken McWrap: sweet chili sauce, creamy garlic sauce and sliced cucumbers
    • Chicken & Bacon McWrap: creamy garlic sauce, bacon, cheddar jack cheese and tomato
    • Chicken & Ranch McWrap: ranch sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, cheddar jack cheese, sliced cucumbers and tomato
    I’ve been a McDonald’s fan my entire life. Growing up, I didn’t get to eat there as often as I wanted, so anytime we made a special trip to the Golden Arches, it was party time! I am happy to see McDonald’s incorporating healthier food options into their menu. Grilled Chicken, can’t get much healthier than that, right?! The Premium McWrap is something I would make at home. I tried the Sweet Chili Chicken McWrap, with the Grilled Chicken. As you can see from my photo (above), along with sliced cucumbers, there’s also some greens in the mix! Was it good, you ask? Yes! It was delicious! The sweet chili has just the right amount of sweetness to it. It’s very flavorful and filling. One Premium McWrap filled me up. But don’t take my word for it, McDonald’s want you to try out their Premium McWraps for yourself! 
• This GIVEAWAY is open to San Francisco Bay Area readers only, sorry to everyone else. If you live in the Bay area-please enter for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I was provided “Be Our Guest” cards so I could try the new Premium McWraps & to facilitate this giveaway. No other compensation has been provided. All opinions are my own. I hope to bring you many more great meal options from McDonald’s in the future!

Plentils- Crunchy Lentil Chips!

You guys remember a few months back, when I attended the FoodBuzz Bloggers Conference In San Francisco? One of the products I tried was made by Enjoy Life, and it’s called Not Nuts! Seed & Fruit Mix. It was fantastic! I knew I had to reach out to the company and tell them how much I enjoyed their product. I did, and guess what? They sent me one of their brand new products to share with all of you!

I am super excited to tell you about Plentils-Crunchy Lentil Chips! I know what you’re probably thinking, “Lentil chips, really?!” I’d like to say, “Yes, really!” But before I do, here’s a little more about Enjoy Life. All their products are gluten free and allergy friendly. They are also free of the top 8 allergens: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish & shellfish. Most products are also free of potatoes, sesame, sulfites and casein. Add to that Kosher certified by Chicago Rabbinical, Halal certified by IFANCA, and non-GMO by the Non-GMO Project. Enjoy Life products contain no artificial ingredients or trans fats; and have been featured on the Food Network, The Today Show and numerous other media outlets.

Now, on to the goodies! I was sent all four flavors to try: Garlic & Parmesan, Light Sea Salt, Dill & Sour Cream, and Margherita Pizza. I was excited to sample these and ripped one of the bags right open, don’t worry I didn’t spill anything! First one I tried was the Margherita Pizza. I really did not know what to expect, as I have never had a Lentil Chip before. I liked it, I really did! They are very crunchy, and full of flavor; not to mention made from high protein lentils!  Hubby liked them too, and he’s super picky about what he eats! LOL! The real test was going to be my little one… would a five-year old like them? There’s only one way to find out. I offered him some from the bag, at first he hesitated. “What’s that?!” he asked. “It’s a new chip, it’s really good,” I answered. Nothing. I continued eating mine, he slowly reached into the bag and pulled one out. I didn’t say anything. He put it in his mouth… and didn’t spit it out! He likes it! Success! We are trying to eat healthier (No, I don’t sit around chomping on celery & carrots all day… I wish!) so I am glad he likes Plentils. I would much rather have him eat these than some of the other “chip” options out there.

Plentils have 40% less fat than the leading potato chip and are cholesterol free. Since they are brand-new, you may not have seen them in your local natural food store or grocery stores yet. You can find out where to buy them here. Connect with Enjoy Life on Twitter and FB. Look for other Enjoy Life products like their cereals, cookies, granolas, chewy bars, seed & fruit mixes, chocolate for baking & chocolate bars!

Which Plentils flavor do you want to try?

**Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post-I was not paid to write this. I rec’d 4 bags of Plentils to facilitate this review.  All opinions are my own. **

Jardiniere – San Francisco, CA {Foodbuzz Blogger Festival 2012}

I recently attended my first Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, in San Francisco, CA. The first night we were treated to a cocktail party (that I have yet to blog about). Then we were off to the Dine About Town. Groups of bloggers each went to a different restaurant in the SF area. Prior to this event, I did not even know any other food bloggers.

Our group was quite impressive! There was my carpooling buddy- Kara, from Kara in the Kitchen– she’s a real sweetie and we bonded over our love of a particular bread! Sara, who works for the Dairy Council of CA– I told her how I consume 2 gallons of fat-free milk a week, all by myself! I buy 4 gallons a week, 2 for me & 2 for the rest of the family. Yes, I’m a milk freak and I’m not ashamed! Caitlin, who once had over 400 comments on one of her blog posts! Coco, the soft-spoken opera singer, yes, I did say Opera Singer! Last but not least, was Cat … she has a really cool job and a blog called Cous Cous Tangerine!

After the cocktail party was over, we made our way over to our restaurant, Jardiniere.
“Jardiniere, opened in 1997, is housed in a beautiful landmark building in San Francisco’s chic Hayes Valley neighborhood. Highlights of the elegant setting, designed by Pat Kuleto, include a gorgeous bar and stunning staircase. The highly refined and sensual food of Chef/Owner Traci Des Jardins is a celebration of Northern California’s best seasonal bounty prepared with classic French technique. The J Lounge features a full list of specialty cocktails and wines, and offers a variety of creative lounge food and small plates. Its proximity to the theaters makes it an excellent place to dine before or after a show.”

The restaurant is gorgeous! Definitely someplace you’d want to take a date, or celebrate a special occasion. We were seated upstairs. Our camera-shy waiter, Aaron, was very knowledgeable and guided us in our menu selections. Everything on the menu sounded great and it took us a few minutes to make up our minds. Correction: It took a few minutes for some of us to decide, I knew immediately that I wanted the Diver Scallops. (Diver Scallops, Autumn Truffles & Potato Butter, to be exact!) The ladies all decided to order several dishes and share them. I was not in a sharing mood! I knew I wanted those scallops all to myself, so I asked them if they would be offended if I ordered for myself & did not share… they were fine with it! Here are my scallops:Yes, they were delicious! Like butta! They melted in my mouth and left me wanting more! (The last time I ate scallops at a restaurant, I encountered a couple grains of sand, such was NOT the case at Jardiniere).

I also ordered the Rabbit, prepared three ways: Loin, Confit & Leg… with bacon & mustard. Here it is:

See that portion on the far right… my, my, my… that was my fave! It had a little piece of tasty liver in it…I was in heaven! Matter of fact, we were all in Heaven! Every last one of us was licking our lips and savoring every bite.

Here are my dining buddies. These ladies are all fantastic & I really enjoyed meeting them. Even though I was the oldest… and have been blogging for the shortest amount of time; they were all very nice to me! They know tons more than me about fine dining, and I was like a sponge soaking up everything they were sharing. I’m a very shy person, so I didn’t say much throughout the night… but I had a blast! Thanks for the wonderful night, ladies.Back to the food! Here is my Potato Mousseline, it was a huge portion; but I was able to finish it off! I could eat this all day- talk about comfort food!

The staff at Jardiniere was very attentive to our needs and even treated us to a few tasty morsels, on the house! If you are wondering what everyone else ordered, here it is. The ladies all shared this Duck dish (Breast, Confit, with turnips and apple puree).They also enjoyed the local White Sea Bass (with tomatoes and Shelling bean stew).

Here’s a few more pics of the culinary delights that we were treated to:

Everyone knows it’s not a meal without dessert, right?! Well, check out the dessert(s) we had at Jardiniere!They were tiny & cute and I said I was too full to try any of them… but I managed to find a wee bit of space in my full belly and I sampled most of them! It was the perfect way to top off a magnificent dinner!

Our waiter, Aaron, shared with us that Jardiniere has it’s own cheese room…so of course we had to see it! 

How cool is that?!

I want to thank Jardiniere for a night I will not soon forget. I will definitely be back with the family! I would also like to thank DailyBuzz Food & OpenTable.com for making this amazing night possible.

Jardiniere offers a Three Course Prix Fixe Meal on Monday nights, for just $49. It’s from 5:00-9:00PM. If you have a chance, pay them a visit, you will not regret it. The food is absolutely delicious!

I hope you enjoyed my visit to Jardiniere, I know I enjoyed sharing it with you all!

(I was not compensated for this post, but if Jardiniere would like me to be their guest in the future, I will gladly accept!)

4th Annual SF Weekly Dish Event in San Francisco! OH-EM-GEE!!!

As promised, I went to the SF Weekly Dish event in the city over the weekend (SFWeekly.com). It was like no other foodie event I have ever been to. First, it was the only inside foodie function I have attended, all the others have been outside. It was also the first one where I only had to pay one fee to sample all the goodies. Usually I pay per food item. From the moment I stepped inside, I felt like “I had arrived”. If the other foodie events I have been to were high school dances, then this was the Prom! I was surrounded by “my people”, other foodies… and it felt so right!

 This was a three-hour event, and we used every bit of that time sampling tasty morsels from over 30 different establishments! It was foodie heaven, 4 (YES 4!) floors of foodie fun! Take a look!

 The event was very well-organized… you walked in, checked in at the front table, your name was checked off the list and you were handed a plate and glass…for food and wine. (Recyclable of course!) Then you were off to explore all four floors of culinary delights!  I tried just about everything did not try the “Live Sushi” only because by the time I reached it on the top floor, it was all gone! I did however, get to try some Halibut Ceviche, courtesy of La Mar (www.lamarcebicheria.com)! I had never tried ceviche before and I must say, it was fabulous!

There was even a DJ present for our listening pleasure:

 All proceeds benefitted La Cocina  (http://www.lacocinasf.org/) a non-profit that helps low-income entrepreneurs start their own restaurants.

 The lines for the food, if you could even call them lines, were all very short. The longest lines were for wine, and since I do not drink, that did not affect me. (I must add, I did try a sip of white wine…it burned my throat! LOL!)  But enough of the small talk, I know y’all want to see pics of food, so here they are!

 Shrimp from Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine (www.solfoodrestaurant.com)

 Mr & Mrs Miscellaneous ( 699 22nd Street, SF) dishing up ice cream!

 Chef & Owner, Dontaye Ball, of Good Foods Catering (twitter @goodfoodcaters) above & his Organic pork belly, smoked tomato jam, spicy mayo, micro organic field greens & pickled onions slider below!

 Are you drooling yet?! Chef Dontaye’s got a good thing going with these sliders!

I’m not a tomato person, but the ones below have me rethinking that decision! You are looking at Sonoma Grown Cherry Tomatoes w/Bell Weather Farms Ricotta Cheese, 3 Salts, Basil Pesto & Extra Virgin Olive Oil, courtesy of Cliff House (www.CliffHouse.com). Mighty tasty!

  Chabaa Thai Cuisine (www.chabaathaicuisinesf.com) had two samples available (below), I tried the Massaman Curry and the sauce was delicious! I wanted more, much more! Here’s a close-up of the curry sample:

Alfred’s Steakhouse (www.alfredssteakhouse.com) was handing out little cupfuls of Zinfandel Braised Tenderloin Stew. Full of flavor & hearty, I can see myself eating a big bowl of it on a cold winter’s day!

 Look at that potato! Yummy!

By now, I was thirsty & needed a cold beverage… yes, beverages were included in the admission price… here’s my coke!  

Next stop: Turtle Tower Restaurant Vietnamese Cuisine (www.TurtleTowerSF.com) for some of their Chicken Noodle Soup… which I thought was really Pho!

 Close-up below. Great flavor, but a bit more salt than I am accustomed to.

 Papalote was there with their salsa, but what I really wanted to try was one of their Burritos! 😉  Below, we have Wing Wings Lower Haight (www.wingwingssf.com) with what else? A Chicken Salad Sandwich! 😉 Not sure why they didn’t have any wings, but the sandwich was good (according to hubby)…they also had a homemade punch that was off the hook good! I had three little cups of it! (Great thing about this function, you could have more than one sample, it was great! Since I did not try the sandwich, I filled up on punch!)

The venue was not too crowded, plenty of room to move around, everyone was enjoying themselves!

Any idea what these are below?!

Answer below!

Yep, organic gummy slugs! Courtesy of Heather Young, at Rock Candy Snack Shop! (rockcandysnackshop@gmail.com) Remember that wine glass I was given when I first walked in the door? Well, I did manage to smuggle a handful of these gummi’s home for my little one in that glass! 😉

There was a plethora of cupcakes upstairs, to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. I really liked the Carrot Cake cupcakes from Let’s Cupcake (www.letscupcake.com).

I tried the Truffle Oil Infused, Caviar topped Deviled Eggs below, and Loved them! Thank you, Linda, for letting me know these tasty gems are from Kuletos!

The next tasty morsel was a Bruschetta, I believe. It was from The Plant Cafe Organic, (www.theplantcafe.com) It was vegetarian, & had figs & some type of mushroom, I think! All I am certain of is that is was awesome…I wanted to go back for another, but I was good and continued on my merry way! 😉

 The Cookies below were delicious, they were from Goody Goodie (www.goodygoodie.com) but what I really wanted y’all to see, are the tiny little glasses of milk they gave out with the cookies! Genius! Way to go!

Below we have some good ole Fried Chicken from Gussie’s (www.gussieschickenandwaffles.com) When we got there, we were told they had just run out of their Peach Cobbler…NOOOOO!!!  I do not have the restaurant name for the Dumplings & Fried Rice below (So sorry!) but I just wanted y’all to see the portion size! This would be considered a meal at some of the other foodie events I have been to & I would have had to pay at least $5 for it… here at the SF Weekly Dish event, it was given out as a sample! Gotta love it!   My last food photo is one of my favorites! It is Aerated Cheesecake! I never even knew such a jewel existed, but there it is! The top was light & fluffy and 100% cheesecake in flavor…underneath was a fig… My oh my! It was the perfect way to end the day. It was made by Knead Patisserie (www.kneadpatisserie.com) I can honestly say, this was THE best foodie function I have been to, since moving here two years ago. Great venue, wonderful food, friendly people. I will return again & again! Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I do want to mention Slow Hand BBQ, I did not get any pics of their sample because I was too busy stuffing my face with it! BBQ was tender, 2 different sauces were provided both were outstanding! Cannot say enough good things about them! (twitter @slowhandbbq)

Y’all take care,

The Cookin’ Mama

SF Weekly Dish & Greek Fest, here I come!

This is going to be a great foodie weekend for me! First, I am going to a Greek Festival tomorrow, Saturday. I have been to this festival twice before…the Gyro’s are amazing and the atmosphere is…well…festive! It’s a blast! Everyone always looks so happy to be there, from the folks working in the food booths to all the attendees. I always leave feeling upbeat and loving life! Opa! Here’s a pic I took at last year’s festival:

Don’t worry, I’ll take lots to share with y’all next week! And if that weren’t enough, Sunday I get to attend the 4th Annual SF Weekly Dish event in San Francisco! I have never been to this event before and I am thrilled to be going! I know there will be 30 different restaurants there (It’s an indoor function) and we will get to sample a little of what each restaurant has to offer! There will also be wineries there, pouring wine for all the attendees. I do not drink, but I am thinking I might take a tiny sip of wine, just to see what all the hoopla is about! LOL! Who knows, I might enjoy it! 😉

I will have my camera with me, battery fully charged and I’m gonna be a picture-taking fool! Can’t wait to try all the goodies and share the pics with you all! Most of the food festivals I attend are outdoors…this will be my first indoor affair… I’m thinking it’s gonna blow my mind! 😀

Y’all take care,

The Cookin’ Mama

 

San Francisco Street Food Festival, here I come!!!

Tomorrow is the big day! For the second year in a row, I will be attending the San Francisco Street Food Festival! This festival is Heaven to a Foodie like me! There will be approx. 60 food vendors there and over 50,000 people are expected to attend this all-day event. Admission is free & food items cost between $3-$8 each. The food is as diverse as the crowd that attends, I had a blast last year & know this year will be the same. I will be taking lots of pics for y’all! And will let you know what the most popular booth/food was!

Take care,

The Cookin’ Mama