papito west - organic mexican

serious question: when you go eat mexican food,

how often is it at a sit-down restaurant?

••

for us, rarely. think about it: most mexican places

are quick counter orders -- chipotle, cafe rio,

taquerias, etc. it's one of our favorite foods,

but we rarely get to go out and have a

sit-down mexican meal. while that is part 

of what makes mexican food great (the

convenience + no wait), it's nice to mix it

up and have a different dining experience.

let's be honest, mexican food is AMAZING. 

you know a few weeks ago when i said if i

had to eat one kind of food the rest of my life

it would be italian? well i may have forgotten

to mention that it's a tie with mexican. i could 

never let this food go :) we both love it, (who

doesn't?) so we really loved this meal. papito has

taken mexican food and given it a refresh -- organic

ingredients, a well-designed modern restaurant space,

and the best flavors imaginable. it reminded me a little

bit of a recent feature in salt lake city, alamexo! 

i think i like this trend that mexican food is taking.

we love the location right in hayes valley 

and we loved every bite of this meal.

love the interior here ^^ 

this light, those wood beams, yes yes yes.

so many things on the menu were calling 

my name, it was hard to decide here!

however, i will say i did a great job picking :)

first great choice: horchata.

second: jicama salad. so refreshing with jicama, citrus,

butternut squash, cantaloupe, pomengranate...what a combo.

third: the homemade guacamole was for sure

a great choice, and an obvious one. so fresh!

and, those fajitas. so flavorful that my mouth is

watering for them again! they were sizzling + bueno.

^^ chase loved his super burrito 

with that perfect crisp tortilla!

and dulche de leche filled churros with 

chocolate dipping sauce. yes, you read right.

we happened upon this scene on our walk

home from dinner -- a little midnight festival

happening on the streets of SF! we were too

stuffed to eat anything else, but it was fun to

wander around. one of my favorite parts of

living in a city is walking to and from dinner...

and happening upon things like this!

xo

brunch is best when...

you've earned it.

we definitely earned this brunch...

with a bike ride up up UP lots of hills to 

see a new view of our city, explore some pretty
mosaic steps, and then bike back across the city
with pancakes in mind the entire time. i was SO
ready for this meal by the time we locked our bikes
up and got seated, and it made it ten times better!

when we have a free weekend i have goals:
to see something new & eat somewhere new.
check & check ✓✓
(luckily, in this city those things are always possible!)

mymy cafe was the best brunch i've had in a long time,
and not just because we had biked lots of hills before. 
this is a place that we pass every time we walk up
california street right by our apartment, & there's always 
a long line of locals from the neighborhood -- so we
knew it was a must-try. this is one of those hidden
gem spots: a great breakfast without too long a wait
for the top notch food! honestly, i will return here for sure.
with so many restaurants to try in this city, it's not often
that we return back to the same ones -- but this will be one! 

^^parma benedict = a delicious italian twist on 
eggs benedict with prosciutto, fresh melted
 mozzarella, roma tomato, basil, grilled 
asparagus, hollandaise sauce, and grana 
padano sprinkle. it was served on italian 
bread slices instead of an english muffin
and it was just different enough while still
tasting like the familiar benny. there are a
few different kinds of benedicts so i'll just 
have to come back to try the rest!

and these pancakes? i can't talk about them or
i'll have to head right back down the street and
get some more right now at 10 at night. they are
blueberry soufflé pancakes and they were even 
more amazing than they look. trust me. this 
texture and flavor and lightness was heavenly.
they were going..........going...........gone! 

some breakfast places are just good & solid, but 
others are extra special. this is one of those! 

it's unique + satisfying + perfect whether 
visiting or local! just promise me you'll do brunch
when you're in san francisco...after all, it is coined:

this postcard makes it clear to me 
that we live in the right place :)

xo

the best italian in nob hill

if i had to choose one kind of cuisine to have

the rest of my life, it would have to be italian.

if you read this blog you will clearly know that

i love ALL types of food, but i think italian is

at the top of the list. it just never fails me! 

i can always go for italian food, and it's the

ultimate cuisine to me. i love to eat it, i love

to make it, i love the country it comes from.

 we live in a city full of some of the best food in general, 

including italian. we've realized that the best italian

eats are in different places than you'd think -- 

not in north beach {SF's little italy}...but in nob hill! 

and that just so happens to be our neighborhood. 

hmm..coincidence? i don't think so!

 over the weekend we ventured just a few 

streets over from our apartment to

 allegro romano, one of the city's classic

italian restaurants. the best part about this 

place is my personal connection to it...

 my parents came here on their first trip

to san francisco as a young couple, and tried

gnocchi for the first time! they remembered it

the final day of their visit last time, and told us 

we HAD to go experience it...so we finally did!

eating here made me feel a little closer to them

for one night even though they are so far away :)

 this pink building + old wooden door look straight

out of italy. it's truly so local & part of the neighborhood!

a great choice for date night..

^^ pictures of the owner with presidents + famous 

people who have eaten here...yet somehow it still

flies under the radar so that only the savviest know

about it. it's full, but not with tourists! ...with locals

or returning visitors who know what a hidden gem it is.

 we began with beef carpaccio alla romana

served on the prettiest of plates..

 moved on to the freshest caprese...

just the way it tastes in italy.

 then to the best appetizer i've had this year:

the asparagus alla parmigiana. two of my

favorite things: asparagus + parmesan butter

sauce...it is out of this world. lorenzo, the chef

& owner, came by and scooped all the extra

parmesan butter sauce onto our places and over

our asparagus. none can be wasted! he's a man

after my own heart :) this is a heavenly dish.

 then the black truffles came out..you always

know it will be a good meal when you are 

treated to truffles shipped straight from italy.

 the plates were a work of art themselves!

 getting those truffle shavings ^^

how personal does this restaurant feel?

that is lorenzo pictured above, the owner and

chef of the entire restaurant taking time to serve

the truffles himself. it's like you're in his italian kitchen!

and i truly felt like i was in italy when i took a bite

of this perfect truffled fettucini. the pasta is

cooked al dente the way it is in italy, the sauce

is 10000x more flavorful than any other

fettucine you'd order at a restaurant, and those

truffles...mmmmm! words do not do this justice.

lorenzo gives every lady a red rose at the end of the meal...

that's reason enough to return! if you want an authentic

italian meal served up right in a san francisco neighborhood,

this is your place. thanks mom & dad for the recommendation!

see our feature of their sister restaurant here.

buon appetito!

xo

///

now you tell me: if you had to eat one type 

of food for the rest of your life, what would

it be? we're talking cuisines...thai, mexican,

italian, chinese, indian, you get the picture!

dessert date night

my sweet tooth & my sweetheart 
both LOVED this date night at
 sift dessert bar.

some nights you're just in need of some treats
and a little mini date night. this weeknight 
after a long day of work we were so tired
and just having one of those nights. so we
decided to turn it around and make it sweeter,
quite literally! we walked down to this cutest 
shop and fell in love. our sweet tooth was
satisfied, and our night was so much better!
i love nothing more than a good bakery.

chocolate-filled rice krispies.. heaven!!!!
how have i never thought of this?

sugar cookie ice cream sandwich with
salted caramel ice cream was chase's choice.
he's a smart man, that husband of mine.

the details of the bakery are darling.

frosting shots? yes please.

just some of the goodies 
we took home for later!

loved chatting with the cute manager. 

sift dessert bar began in napa {where all the 

best food comes from} and it got so popular 

that they had to bring it to the city as well!

bakery-loving girl

and don't forget, a salty caramel 

macaron for the walk home.

here's to sweet nights and 

satisfying our sweet tooth!

xo