SAN FRAN I AM

We're back! Over the week of Thanksgiving, we went to San Fran to visit our friends Carlos (Los) and Meredith (Mer) Yturria. Christopher and Los grew up surfing the island together and were roomies when he was in culinary school. We try to go back at least once a year - the last time we were there was for their wedding.

((Los and Christopher at Grand Pu Bah, a thai restaurant and bar Los created the cocktails for))

((Los heads up the spirits programs at a lot of chef-driven restaurants in San Fran, many of which are either new or undergoing a re-vamp. His cocktails are amazing. You can google him, and see all the articles, from the SF Chronicle to Sante Magazine. He most recently won the Iron Bar Chef Competition and is a top pick in the next generation of mixology talent. All that being said, he knows his drinks - and we had fun drinking them.))

 
((Krystal and Mer...what's that? is that Jeff in the background?!?))
 
((The last two times we've been to the city, it's actually been warm! Today we headed towards Santa Cruz and had a picnic on the beach while the boys went surfing.))

((The night we all made dinner together.))

((On Friday, we headed into China Town to window shop and have some dim sum, yum! Christopher got a bunch of treats from a pastry shop there - one of the mini desserts looked like a creme brulee pie!)


((As if we weren't stuffed enough, we walked the 20 or so blocks to the Ferry Building for oysters, clam chowder, grilled cheese and wine from the Hog Island Oyster Bar - had to represent for Scott Woodward of Appellation Wines. Most of you remember him from the Oyster Wine Dinner we had earlier in the year.))

(We waited until San Fran to celebrate our 3rd anniversary at Chapeau, a great little French neighborhood bistro that's been a staple in the city's dining scene. My fav of the evening were the mussels with frites. Christopher had the lamb loin.))