ERMAHGERSHHHH! I just had one of the best weekends of my life! Day 1 of Foodbuzz went like this:
– Meet Lynda in Milpitas to drive into SF together.
– Chat the whole way and bond over Mormon bread.
– Park by our restaurant, then walk through the Tenderloin and survive. (We passed some sketchy looking people, let’s just say we were grateful it was daylight!)
– Arrive at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel (I’m related to his brother; random claim to fame) and get checked in!
I love seeing my name with Kara in the Kitchen underneath, makes me feel so official and happy :) And make really dorky faces, apparently. I’m good at that.
– Head up to the Harry Denton Starlight room at the top of the hotel for cocktail hour. I asked for something non-alcoholic and he made me a delicious fruit juice something, I felt fancy. They had some appetizers for us, but I didn’t take any pictures. They were good!
This year, Foodbuzz and Open Table partnered up to give each of us $50 to Dine About Town. It was so much fun! I loved this setup because last year, it was so loud that you could barely hear the person next to you, let alone the person across the table from you! Thanks to the Facebook page, I linked up with Caitlin who I met at Foodbuzz last year and joined her reservation at Jardiniere. I also stayed at her place that night, she is the BEST! I felt like I really got to know every person at the table andΒ thoroughly enjoyed the company.
There’s Sara Miller (saw her name when I signed in, Kara and Sara Miller!) and Cat of Cous Cous Tangerine. Can you tell we’re food bloggers? It was so nice to feel normal while taking pictures of my food before I ate it! Although some of us DO take longer than others. Ha!
Below are the three pastas: Carnaroli Risotto, Garganelli, and Farro Pappardelle. They were all excellent, even better than the main course!
Would you look at that set-up? Mmm! We all ordered something and shared. The Duck Breast Confit with Turnips and Smoked Apple Puree was my favorite. And those Duck Fat Fried Potatoes were so good! Many thought they were too salty but I thought they were perfect.
By the end of dinner, everyone said that they were too full for dessert, and closed their menus. Caitlin and I sat there with ours still open and I leaned over and said, “You wanna share the Bonne Buche with me?” She nodded. We knew better though and asked them to bring enough spoons for everyone because sure enough, when those cute desserts showed up, everyone made a little room for some!
My favorite was the Chocolate Truffle, was planning on it being the CremeΒ BrΓ»lΓ©eΒ but they messed it up and put coffee in it. The Opera Cake was fitting because we hadΒ Coco from Opera Girl CooksΒ with us!
I had to document my outfit for my fashionable sister. I love my blue cords! And I generally don’t accessorize as much as I’d like (scarves can be awfully hazardous when you have two toddlers yanking on them), so I was proud to go out looking cute with my non-diaper bag and my leopard-print flats…that my sis has had for years.
I grabbed my suitcase from Lynda’s car after dinner and walked with Caitlin and Cat to Pacific Heights. They asked me if I was okay pulling my bag and I said, “This is easy! I’m used to having a stroller in front of me and/or a baby in a carrier on my body!” Which was the total truth! But on San Francisco’s hills, it did feel nice to burn off some of the calories consumed at dinner.
More about the many calories consumed on Day 2 coming soon!
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