Well-Traveled Wife: July 2014

Thursday, July 31, 2014

ala romana

part of the fun of moving to a new neighborhood

in the city has been exploring all the darling new

restaurants and shops on the streets surrounding us.

that's what i love about a city...a few blocks can have

an entirely different feel, with all new places to try!

nob hill is such a great neighborhood, and ala romana

only adds to that! i walked past this darling corner

restaurant and knew we had to come back and try it.

so, last week before i left town for the weekend,

we had our date night here. it didn't disappoint!

really, how cute can this corner restaurant be?
immediate appeal. and my date isn't so bad either!

it's equally as nice inside as it is charming

on the outside, with the quality that

every restaurant strives for: ambience.

the pasta is made right in the restaurant, so i heard

that and already knew this would be a good meal.

prettiest heirloom tomato salad

(with homemade ricotta cheese...)

the owner also owns the great allegro romano

a few blocks away, and he comes into ala romana

to have the pizza...the chef told us it must be

perfect for lorenzo because he comes here to

relax and enjoy after being chef & owner all day.

that crust!! it's perfected and simple-- just right.

they have incredible italian seafood dishes

that change daily, so we got the seafood special.

and, gnocchi. my husband will never say no to it..

especially when it's homemade in the restaurant!

the best part is the personal feel here because

of the great people behind this place.

we loved the manager mike, chef philippe,

and the greatest waiter ever: miguel.

we can't forget dessert!! nutella filled beignets

(i know... i was speechless too.)

we enjoyed this darling restaurant and

love having it so close to our apartment.

be back soon..xo

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

my new job!!

a few weeks ago i got a job offer to work at google

and started a few days later! it has been a whirlwind and

definitely a dream come true. i have wanted to work

at this company before we even lived in california, then

chase got an amazing job there so it was a no-brainer

once i finished TFA and my master's degree...

i HAD to apply! it was a long process and i was

trying to find a good fit with different start-ups and

companies in san francisco, but at the end of the day

all i wanted was to work at this amazing company.

i still can't believe it's real! i love it and feel lucky to

be part of it. i'm working in recruiting as an RC

and the best people work there! i'm loving being

able to meet chase for breakfast or lunch any day,

go to a work out class together, or take the g-bus.

(although we've both been so busy that sometimes

we don't even see each other until we're back at

our place despite working a few buildings apart!)

google is not only insanely fun, it really is

changing the world. the information it provides

{for free!} to the world has changed the way we live

our lives and the way we communicate. daily i use

google maps, gmail, search, google shopping express,

blogger :), google news, google wallet, chromecast,

google drive, youtube, ... the list goes on and on.

they are always innovating and trying new things

and working on being the best possible. it makes me

want to do the same! here is a taste of life at google:

^^ reallllly serious meeting in the ball pit...

^^ just a normal gourmet lunch being served.

i freak out every day at the amazing food!

^^ see what i mean? so many options.

^^ morning muesli, now addicted.

^^ so much healthy goodness

^^ also sooo many good treats :)

different froyo flavors every day with

every topping, what's a girl to do? also,

although i don't drink coffee i still stop by

the coffee bar a lot for my new favorite:

iced hot chocolate. slightly in love.

^^ fresh fruit + acai bowls = the best.

^^and, lots of fun pictures from our first day

scavenger hunt all around google headquarters.

{don't worry, our team won!}

lunch dates during busy weeks ^

^^ can google get any more perfect?

regardless of all the fun + good food,

i really am so proud and happy to work

here because of the impact they have.

here's to a fun new chapter!

see chase's first week of work at google,
one year ago almost exactly.. crazy!

Monday, July 28, 2014

SF flower mart

here's proof that there is always more to

discover in this city. my friend and i saw

pictures of the SF flower mart on pinterest

and read about how martha stewart just visited

and called it "the best flower mart in the country!"

i saw this peony picture and...obviously had to go

on my morning run down here. it was a delight for

all of the senses and i just wandered around pretending

i knew what i was doing while i just took in all of the

pretty flowers. it's amazing because they are in such

volume that it's overwhelming! it's the place to come

for planning parties, showers, weddings, or just for a

pretty outing in the city. here are a few of the many many

pictures i took on my phone in this delightful place.

^ ribbon heaven. seriously rows upon rows.

thanks for the beauty, SF flower mart!

i'll be back, i can't resist!

you can find the flower mart at

640 brannan street, san francisco.

open 6 AM until 12 PM daily.

video: mendocino!

last night after our marathon (and naps..and massages..and FOOD)

i finally had time to throw together some of the footage i took on our

mendocino getaway. it's short but sweet, so here it is! see links to the

rest of our trip below, in case you want to plan a similar weekend!

recap of our mendocino weekend:

Sunday, July 27, 2014

blended oatmeal cookies

i saw this recipe listed in my grandma's recipe

book as "best cookies you will EVER have"

and had to write it down. i never tried it

until a rainy thursday night a few

weeks ago when we had a movie

night with our roomies and we

needed these "best cookies"

of course! i tried them out and...

(we really like our chocolate chip
cookies around here, and have some
favorites...) but these are amazing
because they are different. the blended
oatmeal gives them a great texture and
the flavor is so good, especially with
the combo of semi-sweet chocolate
chips with hershey's milk chocolates.
also, big tip: they are amazing warm, but
seriously even better the next day.

we are running the san francisco marathon
today, so i thought these were perfect to
post because i have a feeling i'll be
whipping these up later tonight
after those 26.2 miles...

ingredients:

1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2.5 c blended oatmeal
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz chocolate chips
1 4 oz grated hershey bar

directions:

first, measure oatmeal and blend oatmeal to fine powder. set aside and cream butter and both sugars. add in the eggs and vanilla, then mix with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powders and baking soda. after it's well combined, add chocolate chips and the grated hershey bar. if you can stand it, chill the dough in the fridge for a few hours {i NEVER have patience for this!!} spoon dough out into LARGE balls on pan, and bake at 375 until they're light brown on top ...around 10 minutes. enjoy!