My Life :): June 2007

It was a long weekend and Boris took an additional day off and finally went to SF. We stayed at the Westin St Francis right in the center of town – the rooms in the old wing were a little tight but we moved to the new wing and it was great...the elevators in the new wing are external which is a little strange at first and it is a bit of a bumpy ride…
We walked all around town and I really recommend straying from the tourist paths onto residential streets and enjoy the city rather than spending time on pier 39/fisherman's wharf with the other 10,000 tourists – crowded and boring.
We went to a great Jazz club on Broadway and Columbus called House of Seafood – I don't know about the food but the music was great.
About food: Fleur de Lys (777 Sutter str.) – good but overpriced; Calzone's (430 Columbus ave.) – simple and good; right next door is Stella Pastry Café (446 Columbus ave.) – just amazing!!!; Sakana (639 Post str.) – great small sushi place; Osteria del Forno (519 Columbus ave.) – great little Italian with great appetizers and pizza, 10$ corkage fee; Segafredo (235 Powell str.) right near Union square – great coffee, great sandwiches and cakes – the best place for breakfast.

Calzone's:

Stella Pastry cafe:

Napa Valley

We rented a car to go to Napa Valley and I really wished we had more than a day to spare…We visited only two wineries Robert Mondavi which has a beautiful setting, a 25$ tour which we didn't take, not the best staff but a cool tasting policy – you pay for the tasting and get to keep the glass you used :) The second one was Mumm with a beautiful terrace where you get to sample all the bubbly, yum! They also have a free tour as well as a photography gallery.
We also stopped at Younville for lunch at the amazing Bouchon (one star Michelin guide) which is next door to Bouchon bakery – both are worth a visit :)