California Dreamin’

Friday night Michelle, Emma and I met up in San Francisco to see Vermeer’s “Girl With A Pearl Earring” exhibit at the de Young Museum. It was beautiful and fun looking at all the art while hearing the eclectic accordion, guitar and violin musical accompaniment complete with ballerina. Afterward we went searching for food (as per usual). We heard really good things about this Persian restaurant called Lavash, so during our 45-minute wait, we decided to duck into a Thai wine bar. We each got a flight of wine to try, which we didn’t realize was almost equivalent of three full glasses. We got a call saying our table was ready when we still had two glasses to go. So naturally we chugged our wine and tipsily made our way across the street. All of the photos I took from dinner came out ridiculously dark, but you have to take my word for it when I say this food was absolutely amazing. It was like nothing I had ever tried before. We got Sabzi Panir (a sampler that included pita, grapes, cucumbers, feta cheese, mint and cilantro), Kashk-e Bademjan (a seasoned eggplant appetizer) and the Taste of Persia Combination (kabobs of chicken, lamb, beef and vegetables). It was so tasty. And we each had enough left over for a meal the next day. I cannot wait to bring my parents/friends/visitors here and try everything else on the menu. I highly suggest trying this place out (and be prepared for a wait since the place is tiny and very popular). Oh, and I found a vegan restaurant that sold vegan cheesecake! Be still my heart. God, I love California.

Saturday Emma and I decided to search Berkeley for some fancy duds since we’ve got some exciting events coming up. On our way we found a farmers market, tried some vegan ice cream (so good) and ate at Cafe Gratitude (aka the most adorable place ever). This place was entirely local, organic and vegan. They even had coconut, maple “bacon.” Needless to say I was beyond excited. (And for those curious, I’m definitely not vegan, I just love vegan food– especially when nuts, seeds, etc. are used instead of dairy since I’m lactose intolerant). Also, any place that names their dishes and drinks “I am thriving” and “I am dazzling” is pretty awesome in my book. I got raw pad thai and Emma got a hummus plate. They had a pizza dish that I have to come back and try. The bottom of my coffee cup even asked me to reflect on what I am grateful for. California, I am grateful for you.

Sunday Emma joined me in Pleasanton where we decided to knock out this week’s long run and we actually ended up doing 8.35 miles all together. We started out hiking very much uphill (and very much walking) at the Pleasanton Ridge and continued our journey around my neighborhood. There was a lot of walking involved, but I’m definitely feeling it today. We ended this awesome weekend by eating delicious sushi at Sushi Hanabi and seeing The Great Gatsby, both of which did not disappoint. 

Needless to say, I had an amazing weekend. Now I just need to start finding fun, cheap things to do. 😉

Linking up with Sami’s Shenanigans.