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In San Francisco

Jelly Belly Factory Tour: Fairfield Visitor Center

November 1, 2016

Fairfield California is home to the Jelly Belly Factory and they are open for free tours every day from 9am till 4pm. You can get up-close-and-personal look at their candy manufacturing factory.

It is best to come on the weekday as thats when their factory is operating.

Tour Begins Here

The tour starts off in the lobby of the main building close to the store.

As you begin the tour, you’ll get a Jelly Belly hate to wear for the duration of the tour.

Factory

The viewing area is above the factory, so you can watch the whole process end to end. You’ll also get the learn about the factory and the history behind Jelly Belly.

What I noticed instantly was how clean and organized the factory is, everything had it’s place and it’s tidy.

Each room you go into has a different stage of a Jelly Belly.

Watching everyone put together the final product was so interesting like it was an episode of Food Factory of the Food Network. They were on the show a few years ago too.

I definitely have a few found appreciation for Jelly Belly jelly beans because it’s quite a process to get them ready for the consumer.

Presidential Art

Along the way, you’ll see some art made out of many Jelly Belly candies.

Games

There are a few games you can play throughout the tour, one of the is Bean Blitz where you try to prevent the Jelly Belly jelly beans from entering the net.

End of the Tour Treat

AT the end of the tour, everyone is given a pack of Jelly Belly jelly beans to take home with them. All complimentary, which is a nice touch.

Gift Shop

The Gift Shop is at the entrance and there are tons of items to buy here from the famous Bean Boozled, which was a huge hit to stuffed animals and mugs.

Sample Bar

One section that everyone loves is the Sample Bar where you can sample all their flavours. You have more traditional flavours and then the more extreme ones like spoiled milk and barf.

Of course I tried the worst flavours imaginable, but they were not as bad as what I had thought.

Caseload Sale

They also have an area where they sell the deformed Jelly Belly jelly beans that just didn’t make it to the final product. They also have some discontinued items there for a cheap price.

Lunch/Snack Options

They do have a Jelly Belly Cafe with lunch options. I came here really early in the morning, so no one needed lunch yet.

Jelly Belly Gallery

There is also more art in their gallery made out of Jelly Belly jelly beans.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s like a kids dreaming coming here. Jelly Belly is such a big brand that I couldn’t leave San Francisco without coming here. It is a pretty long drive from Downtown San Francisco, but if you have a car, it’s not too bad to get here. The best part about coming here is that the tour is free, you get a pack of Jelly Belly jelly beans for free and you can do as many samples as you like.

Address:
Jelly Belly Lane, Fairfield, CA

Website:
https://www.jellybelly.com/california-factory-tours

In Event

Presidio Twilight: Dining Under the Stars in San Francisco

October 28, 2016

Presidio Twilight is a fun outdoor event put on by Presidio Trust and Off-the Grid. It happens on Thursdays at the Main Parade Ground from 5-9pm at the Presidio from mid-May to October. They have had this event the last 3 Summers. All for FREE!

We came here when we were visiting San Francisco in September and wanted to check out some food trucks and play some games.

Grab your blanket, bundle up, and enjoy the Presidio’s delightful views of the bay, fire pits on the lawn, yoga at dusk, and live music under the stars.

There are lots of food trucks lined up and we were ready to check out the vast array of food.

Southern Comfort Kitchen

We tried out Southern Comfort Kitchen for their Fried Catfish and Cajun Fries.

Bobcha

We also went to Bobcha, which sells Korean food and got their Korean Fried Chicken. The portion was large and definitely enough for 2 people to share.

Beer, Wine, & Craft Cocktails

If you are feeling a bit thirsty, they have a selection of beer, wine and craft cocktails. What better way to enjoy the view than to enjoy an ice cold drink with it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a fun place to hang out with friends. All the cabanas and fire pits are first come first service, so make sure to come early.

Website:
https://offthegrid.com/event/28/#about

In Bubble Tea

Gong Cha: Bubble Tea in Palo Alto

October 27, 2016

Gong Cha is one of my fondest memories from Hong Kong. Having bubble tea with their signature cream on top was something very unique to Asian until Gong Cha started expanding to the United States and Canada.

When I was in Palo Alto visiting a friend, I had to come here for an after dinner bubble tea.

They have a guide on the table if you want to know the different levels of customizations you can do to your drink like sweetness, ice, and toppings.

Milk Foam Green Tea was what I ordered with 50% sweetness and 50% ice. The milk foam on top is a bit salty, but after a while, it starts tasting pretty good with the tea.

We rate Gong Cha:

Address:
439 Waverley St, Palo Alto

Website:
http://gong-cha-usa.com/

In San Francisco

Exploring Lucas Film in San Fransisco

October 23, 2016

I am a huge Star Wars fan and one of the things on my list to do in San Francisco was to take a peek at Lucas Film and their Yoda Fountain at Letterman Digital Arts Center.

I don’t know anyone who works at Lucas Film inside the Presidio, but there are a few areas where the public can enjoy and take pictures.

Yoda Fountain

This calm and serine space was very quiet when we got here, so there was ample time to be weird and take a lot of photos.

Lucas Film Lobby

Directly behind the Yoda Fountain, you can walk into the lobby of Lucas Films where there are life-sized Stormtroopers, Boba Fett, and Darth Vader to pose with.

There are 2 large book shelves filled with old books and Star Wars memorabilia and toys.

Take your time and look at all the figures on the walls as they are quite nice.

All the figurines are pretty awesome and the old books really gives it a nice look.

Don’t forget the silver R2D2 close to the King Kong statue.

A fun place to visit at no cost. You can get here by taking the PresidioGO shuttle free of charge or you can easily take other public transportation to get here. Parking may be a bit tough because they have a security guard on their property. Best to be dropped off.

Address:
Building B courtyard, 1 Letterman Dr, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.presidio.gov/places/letterman-digital-arts-center

In Bubble Tea

Boba Guys: Bubble Tea in San Francisco

October 21, 2016

Boba Guys is a popular bubble tea shop for local and tourists. My hotel at Station Square and Boba Guys was literally a block away, how could I resist to try one of the most popular bubble tea shops in San Francisco. When I got here in the middle of the day, there was a bit of a line up but it wasn’t too long.

The menu has a good amount of drinks to choose from. Since it was my first time here, I couldn’t be too adventurous as I wanted something pretty standard so I can compare to the other bubble tea shops I’ve been to.

Classic Milk Tea with tapioca balls and half sweet. As a Canadian, I still find it funny how it’s called boba since I’m use to calling it pearls. The subtle differences when it comes to our 2 countries. Half sweet was the right amount of sweetness for me since the tea stand out and the quality of the tapioca balls were really good.

Overall, the quality of tea, milk and tapioca balls were great.

We Rate Boba Guys:

Address:
429 Stockton Street, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.bobaguys.com/

In San Francisco

Farallon: Upscale Seafood Restaurant in San Francisco

October 19, 2016

Farallon Restaurant is an upscale seafood restaurant a few steps away from Union Square. They specialize in seafood and they have a raw and seafood bar. While I was in San Francisco, they invited me to give their restaurant a try. As it was literally a few steps from my hotel, I couldn’t resist.

Interior

The interior is beautiful and the high ceilings with sea creature embellishments make you feel like you’re in a grotto.

Amuse Bouche

An Amuse Bouche is a one bite taster from the chef. It was a nice way to start off the meal with this little surprise.

Complimentary Bread

Next, different bread and butter arrives at the table. As we put in our order, it was nice to have something to nibble on before the dishes arrive.

Drinks

They have a wide selection of wines and drinks of the menu – alcoholic and non-alcoholic. You can ask them for advice on what pairs best with the meal. The staff were able to surprise my friend with a virgin cocktail with delicious mango.

Appetizers

Herb roasted bone marrow comes with bragg sea urchin, dungeness crab and grilled garlic sourdough toast. What I liked about this dish was the amount of bone marrow inside and the richness of the marrow was balanced by the delicate seafood tastes.

Gnocchi & Cayucos Abalone also comes with rosemary brown butter, smoked trout roe, dulse seaweed, and aged balsamic.

Entrees

Seared Bone-Dry Scallops with boar-chetta di testa, farro verde risotto, and pomegranate. Very plump scallops and were cooked beautifully.

Local Albacore Tuna has marble potatoes, shaved fennel, smoked mussels and hollandaise sauce. The tuna and the mussels were delicious but the hollandaise sauce seemed a bit heavy for this light dish.

Dessert

Port Poached Pear has almond sherbet, pomegranate, and 2 pignoli cookies. Very delicious dessert with the pear’s sweetness enhanced by the port. The cookies gave a nice balance of texture to the dish too.

Cheesecake Custard is topped with green apple granita, graham crumble, and cotton candy grapes. This dessert was a treat, the tart green apple granita with the grapes give a burst of fresh flavour to the cheesecake custard.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the quality of the seafood is very good and fresh. The menu has a good amount of range to cater to those with varying tastes. The restaurant is high end, so you will want to dress up a little bit. We had a great dinner while we were in San Francisco.

We Rate Farallon:

Address:
450 Post St, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.farallonrestaurant.com/

In Fast Food

Burger King: Whopperrito

October 17, 2016

Whopperrito is Burger King’s new menu item turning a Whopper into a burrito. Whenever I go to the United States, I get super excited to try exclusive menu items like this. We don’t have this in Canada.

The Whopperrito is made with their signature savoury flame-grilled 100% beef patty. It is also stuffed with a creamy Queso, pickles, diced onions, juicy tomatoes, and crisp lettuce all wrapped in a warm flour tortilla.

When I picked this up, it had a good amount of weight to it. The creamy Queso made this burrito a bit too salty for my taste. It’s definitely and interesting concept, but I think I will stick with a regular Whopper.

Website: https://www.bk.com/menu-item/whopperrito

Address:
35 Powell Street, San Francisco

In Cafe

Zombie Runner: Running Store & Cafe in Palo Alto

October 15, 2016

Zombie Runner is a running store and an espresso cafe. They are known to have good lattes in Palo Alto. We were at the farmers market on California Ave. and decided to come here for an early morning caffeine run.

They serve espresso drinks, drip coffee, ZombieRunner Chai, cold-brewed coffee, green tea latte and others.

The line up was pretty close to the front of the store. Just follow the long line to the counter with coffee close to the rear of the store. It’s pretty interesting to see all the running gear as you wait for coffee.

I got a latte as it has espresso and steamed milk with latte art on top. They use whole milk but you can request 2% or soy. It’s a pretty solid cup of coffee to get you going in the morning. I wanted to try a few other items but I wanted to stick with a classic drink.

Overall, a good place to stop for a coffee.

We Rate Zombie Runner:

Address:
429 California Avenue, Palo Alto

Website:
http://www.zombierunner.com/

In Japanese

Yayoi: Japanese Teishoku Restaurant in Palo Alto

October 13, 2016

Yayoi opened their first US location in Palo Alto on University Avenue serving up teishoku-style Japanese restaurant, which are set meals which typically includes smaller side dishes like rice, miso soup, side dish and pickled vegetables with the main course.

My friend took us here when we were visiting for a few days. I was pretty excited since I always love trying new food.

Interior

The interior is nice and large, so there are a good amount of seats. We found that a lot of young families were dining here around dinner time.

Ordering

We browsed through the menu and then we started playing around with the iPad, where you input your order. You do everything on here and it ensures your order is correct and maximizes efficiency.

We even ordered our glasses or water on it too. No need to wait for someone till fill up our glasses.

Dinner Sets

Katsu Toji Teishoku has pork cutlet simmered in sauce and egg. It comes with ice, soup and side dishes.

I ordered the Omaze Don with salmon sashimi, okra, tororo, natto, tomago, seaweed and ontama. You mix it all together in the bowl and enjoy.

It comes with rice, miso soup, and side dishes. It was a very delicious and clean meal. The natto isn’t for everyone as it is fermented beans, people seem to have a love/hate relationship with them.

Nasu Miso Teishoku has eggplant, pork belly, and veggies in a miso sauce. It is served with rice, miso soup, and 2 side dishes.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the portion were good and we were pretty stuffed. The meals were well balanced and I enjoy set meals and you get a little taste of everything. The service was pretty good and they don’t require tipping. I ended up tipping anyways since it was a good meal.

We rate Yayoi:

Address:
403 University Ave, Palo Alto

Website:
http://www.yayoi-us.com/

In Fusion

Sushirrito: Sushi Burrito in Palo Alto

October 11, 2016

Sushirrito is the original sushi burrito concept before it went big around the world. When I was in San Francisco and Palo Alto, I knew I had to check this place out.

Sushirrito is made-to-order with a mix of Asian and Latin flavours. It’s the perfect alternative to fast food.

In Palo Alto, the Sushirrito is located on University Ave close to Stanford.

When we came here for lunch, it was packed. Its also located beside Blue Bottle Cafe. There are limited seats inside.

Lava Nachos

Lava Nachos are in limited quantities each day. It has brown rice chips topped with tuna picante, melted Pepper Jack cheese, ginger guac, green onions, nori strips, and Sriracha aioli. A very flavourful dish and great for a few people to share.

Geisha’s Kiss has Yellowfin Tuna (Hand-Line Caught), tamago, piquillo peppers, lotus chips, namasu cucumber, green leaf lettuce, ginger guac, yuzu tobiko with a sesame white soya sauce.

I liked the clean fresh taste of the tuna with the crunchy texture of the lotus chips.

Sumo Crunch has shrimp tempura, surimi crab, shaved cabbage, cucumber, ginger guac, and Sriracha Aioli. It is then covered in red tempura flakes. This version was pretty good as well.

Genmai Horchata is one of the drinks they have. It is their blend of green tea and horchata.

Overall, it was a good quick lunch for us and with the 3 items ordered for 2 people, it was plenty of food. The sushirrito reminded me of a large uncut sushi roll with different types of filling and sauce.

We rate Sushirrito:

Address:
448 University Avenue, Palo Alto

Website:
http://www.sushirrito.com/

In San Francisco

Electric Tour Company: San Francisco Guided Segway Tours

October 9, 2016

Electric Tour Company has various tours throughout San Francisco. The most popular tours are the Fisherman’s Wharf & Waterfront Segway Tour, as well as the Golden Gate Park Segway Tour.

We took the Golden Gate Park Segway tour through the westside of park. As this was our first time on a segway, we opted for the basic tour rather than the advanced.

On this tour, we glided through seven beautiful miles of Golden Gate Park’s landscaped trails and roads, visiting hidden sights that include the Lily Pond, Shakespeare Garden and Fern Grotto. The tour explores the east end, including the National Aids Memorial, Music Concourse, Pioneer Grove, and Stow Lake.

Our group had 6 people, so it was a small and intimate group.

We began the day with a 40 minute introductory lesson on using the seaways properly and doing mini exercises to get everyone comfortable with the segways.

For me it was easy to get a hang of maneuvering the segway, but there were a few people who needed extra assistance in controlling their speed and stopping.

Once the guides were confident in our abilities, we went on our way around the park visiting the main loop, Conservatory of Flowers, lake, Japanese garden and then back to where the tour started.

We even got a chance to go off roading with the segways. It was bumpy, but it was super fun.

One of the funnest part of the ride was doing the free ride around the lake so we could break out of formation and test the high speeds of the seaways. The seaways are set to hit tops speeds of 10 miles per hour, which isn’t too quick when going downhill.

The time flies quite quickly, but all of our calves were sore by the end of the tour.

Final Thoughts

The Golden Gate Park Segway tour is a fun way to explore the park while riding a segway. We mostly saw tourists like ourselves were on this tour. At $75, it’s a bit steep for 2.5 hours, but you’ll get some fun photos out of it and you can tell all your friends you are a pro at riding a segway.

Website: http://electrictourcompany.com/segway/san-francisco-golden-gate-park-segway-tour

In San Francisco

Madame Tussauds San Francisco: Review

October 8, 2016

Madame Tussauds has one of their wax museums located in Fisherman’s Wharf. The San Francisco location opened in 2014 and became the 17th Madame Tussauds museum to open worldwide. There are celebrities that are key to San Francisco.

Tony Bennett is the first wax figure that greets you at Madame Tussauds in front of a picture of Lombard Street. He left his heart in San Francisco and is a Giants fan.

Inside the wax museum is 6 areas with different notable stars:

Music Zone
Leaders & Entrepreneurs
Sports Zone
Spirit of San Francisco
Film Zone
A-List Zone

You’ll most likely know a majority of the wax figures here as they are all part of pop culture.

I came on a weekday afternoon with a friend and it wasn’t very busy, which was good so I could take my time posing with Obama.

They keep their wax figures up to date and one of their newer ones is Stephen Curry – the Golden State Warriors All-Star.

Jeremy Lin grew up in San Francisco and has done his city proud, so you’ll see him making a slam dunk…but no basketball is seen here.

You’ll even see older icons like Muhammad Ali. You can try to KO him, but he won’t budge.

In the Music Zone, Madonna, Lady GaGa, Elvis, and Beyonce are a few of the many celebrities you can pose with.

You can touch all you want and make weird poses. Everyone does it, so don’t be embarrassed.

You can even have a fake breakfast with Tiffany.

Our favourite one of all was ET! They have a red hoodie that you can wear, just like in the movie.

Spiderman is hanging around, so watch out for him.

Since it was pretty empty, it is pretty eerie that all these beautiful wax figures are staring at you with weird poses.

My favourite guys – Neil Patrick Harris looking dashing as always.

I got up close and personal with George Clooney on the couch. Apparently it’s a very popular pose, so I had to do it.

It was fun to see all the wax figures, but it’s definitely one of those tourist places located in major cities in North America. I normally wouldn’t think about going to Madame Tussauds as there are so many other things to do in San Francisco, but I’m glad I tried it.

Buying adult tickets online, you save 20% off rather than purchasing it there, so I would suggest you purchase your tickets ahead of time.

If you have the GO San Francisco Card from Smart Destinations, it’s part of the pass, so you might as well come here as there are many other attractions like Aquarium of the Bay, Ripley’s, Bay Cruise, Exploratorium and San Francisco Dungeon are very close by. You might as well hit them all to make the most out of the pass.

Address:
145 Jefferson St, San Francisco

Website: https://www.madametussauds.com/san-francisco/en/

In lunch

Arguello: Lunch at the Presidio of San Francisco

October 6, 2016

Arguello is located in the historic Presidio Officers’ Club. They serve up Mexican cuisine capturing the cultural heritage of the Presidio and a contemporary bar with craft cocktails. Chef Traci Des Jardins put together their menu for Arguello.

I was invited by the Presidio Trust to check out their lunch menu.

Interior

The interior is dim with lower ceilings. It makes the atmosphere cozy. There are a few booth seats but majority are tables of 4.

Sides

Chips, Salsas and Guacamole was aa good way to start the meal. The chips were crisp and was good to snack on them while waiting for the meals to arrive. The guacamole was my favourite item to dip the chips into. I have an obsession with avocados.

Tacos

Grilled shrimp, cabbage slaw, and citrus-habanero salsa had a few pieces of the plump shrimp. This was one of the popular tacos on the menu. Seasoned well, but I wish they did something more to the tortilla like grill or warm it up.

Marinated Asada, cascabel-ginger and salsa was the second taco I got. It was very meaty and tender but the sauce that went with it wasn’t what I was expecting.

Cemita is a sandwich with beans, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and oaxaca cheese. My friend seemed to like this for lunch.

Dessert

Churros were a nice treat at the end of the meal. There are 2 pieces of churros that come with each order. Horchata ice cream was my favourite ice cream that was served with it.

Overall, all the items we tried were pretty average. Nothing was wrong with the food, but with Mexican food, I felt the like bright vibrant flavours were lacking in the dishes.

We Rate Arguello:

Address:
50 Moraga Ave, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.arguellosf.com/

In Cafe

Philz Coffee: Amazing coffee in Palo Alto

October 4, 2016

Philz Coffee in San Francisco is very popular and has several locations. I was visiting a friend in Palo Alto and she recommended we come here for a cup of coffee.

They aren’t your typical coffee shop.

The coffee shop was packed and full of people on the weekend when we were here.

You order your drink with the barista, then you pay at the counter a bit further away, then you go back to the barista to wait for your order. Weird system, but it works.

Mint Mojito Ice Coffee is very popular for the sprigs of mint. It is minty, sweet and creamy. I was surprised by how well mint and coffee go together.

Jamaican Blue Mountain is described as having the aroma of citrus, milk chocolate and honey. It as a medium acidity and body. Very good!

Overall, I really enjoyed the coffee and they were super unique. I would highly recommend it.

We Rate Philz Coffee:

Address:
101 Forest Ave, Palo Alto, CA

Website:
http://www.philzcoffee.com/

In San Francisco

San Francisco CityPASS: Review

September 30, 2016

For our trip to San Francisco, we used the CityPASS to tour around town to see a few of the attractions in the Bay area. I’ve used CityPASS in the past before and they have some of the top attractions for tourists.

The hand-picked attractions include:

7-day Cable Car and Muni Bus Passport
California Academy of Sciences
Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise Adventure
Exploratorium OR de Young Museum
Aquarium of the Bay OR Monterey Bay Aquarium

We went to explore the city of San Francisco and below is our experience at each attraction.

7-day Cable Car and Muni Bus Passport

The CityPASS in San Francisco gives you 7 days of unlimited travel on cable cars, Heritage street cars and Muni Buses. This starts on the first day of CityPASS use.

We used this quite a bit since it was easy to hop on buses and the trolleys through most of the popular areas of town.

If you plan on taking public transportation, the CityPASS is worth it. You just flash it to the driver and hop in. We didn’t have any issues using this.

I found this to be best part of the CityPASS.

Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise Adventure

What better way to explore the city than by the water so you can see the city from afar. When you get to their box office, you have 2 options cruise adventures to choose from:

One-hour narrated Bay Cruise Adventure
30 minute high speed ‘RocketBoat’

The 1 hour Bay Cruise Adventure takes you close to Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Angel Island on a narrated tour around the breathtaking pier.

We opted to go with the 30 minute RocketBoat, the fastest and thrilling boat ride in the harbour.

We were all given ponchos and instructed to secure any loose items as they will most likely fly off due to the intense speed. We took a quick ride out of Pier 39 and headed towards Oakland Bridge past the Ferry Building. For a majority of the ride, it was light mist into the boat, as we sped and spun all over the harbour.

As we returned back to the pier, we went at higher speeds ended with an unforgettable ending. Definitely really exciting and great for those looking for a short adventure.

Monterey Bay Aquarium or Aquarium of the Bay

With both options, we went with Aquarium of the Bay as Monterey Bay Aquarium was quite a ways way from the Downtown San Francisco area.

The Aquarium of the Bay is right outside Pier 39 close to Blue & Gold Fleet, so you can do this before or after your Bay cruise adventure as it’s just steps away.

The Aquarium is pretty small compared to some other aquariums in other cities, but you start off seeing different varieties of fish like anchovies and clown fish swimming around the tanks and then the calm serine jelly fish. You can go to another deeper level to explore the water tunnel filled with shark, bat rays, and other sea creatures.
You will also be able to touch sea stars, anemones, baby bat rays, and sea cucumbers.

There are also 2 adorable sea otters at the end of the aquarium, that were just so cuddly with each other.

de Young Museum + Legion of Honor

de Young Museum is located in Golden Gate Park and the CityPass gets you general admission to both de Young + Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museums, if visited on the same day. You won’t be able to see their special exhibitions unless you pay a bit more.

We came here instead of the Exploratorium since we were already in Golden Gate Park and we were excited to go to the Hamon Tower to check out the sights from high up.

The view from Hamon Tower was amazing.

Legion of Honor is on the other side of Golden Gate Park, so you’ll either need to drive there or take the bus. We ended up not coming here since we were a bit tight on time.

California Museum of Sciences

CityPASS gives you general admission to all exhibits including their aquarium, rainforest, planetarium, natural history museum and living roof. It’s right across from de Young Museum. Super easy to go before or after.

What we linked out the California Academy of Sciences is that you get a little bit of everything here.

Final thoughts

Overall, the San Francisco CityPass takes you into a few key areas to explore attractions – Pier 39 and Golden Gate Park. Other alternate attractions are definitely out of the way if you are exploring the core areas of San Francisco.

The Muni pass was great at utilizing the public transportation system and made getting around much quicker. Plus, you can even use it for trolley rides. it’s definitely worth it if you are using it for the full 7 days.

The pass is worth it if you plan on visiting all the attractions and taking public transit.

Website: http://www.citypass.com/san-francisco

In Italian

Scala’s Bistro: Dinner near Union Square

September 28, 2016

Scala’s Bistro is located in the Sir Francis Drake Hotel just steps away from Union Square. They have crafted cocktails and Italian inspired fare on the dinner menu. You’ll want to make reservations ahead of time as it can get quite busy. When we went, there was already a line up during peak dinner time around 7:30pm. As we were staying in the hotel, they invited us to try a few items off their menu.

Interior

The interior is quite nice and is dim, which give it a nice romantic atmosphere. Tasteful decor too.

Drinks

21st Amendment “Hell or High Watermelon” is a local San Francisco brew. It’s an American wheat beer, with a hint of watermelon. Very delicious, light and refreshing.

Appetizer

Octopus has sugar‎ snap peas, fiddlehead ferns, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, and herb aioli. The octopus was super tender and I was amazed that octopus could ever be that tender. I would highly recommend this dish.

Main

Orecchiette has spicy calabrian sausage, pangrattato, broccoli diciccio, and parmesan. Great flavours.

Roasted 38° North Duck Breast has a disc of duck confit hash, pickled & roasted strawberries, and natural jus. Very good dish and the skin on the duck was crisp. A good size for a main dish too.

Halibut Saltimbocca has baby artichokes, roasted carrots, early girl sundried tomatoes, and a herb aioli.

Ora King Salmon has roasted summer vegetable tart, herb salad, and crisp garlic. The salmon was very moist and the veggies are all under it.

Dessert

Scala’s Classic Duo has Mini‎ Bostini Cream “Pie” and Mini Chocolate Pecan Torte. We were pretty full at the end of the dinner and wanted to fit in something sweet, so we went with this option. A few bites between us and it was what we needed to cure our sweet tooth.

Overall, the dinner was delicious and I would come again. The food was well executed and the service was good.

We Rate Scala’s Bistro:

Address:
Sir Francis Drake Hotel, 432 Powell Street, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.scalasbistro.com/

In Anaheim

Disneyland Bachelorette Party on a Budget

August 26, 2015

Before getting married, one of the items on my bucket list was to go to Disneyland. What better time to go than with your besties. We planned to be here for 2 days so we could go to both Disneyland and California Adventure Park. Since we were all adults, we knew we didn’t need any additional days since we could get through each park effectively in a day.

When budgeting, the top 3 items that would be most expensive were transportation, tickets, and accommodations. I didn’t want my friends to go broke celebrating my bachelorette. We agreed to try to save wherever we could without being too cheap.

Transportation | Airfare

Being from Vancouver, Canada, we needed to take flights down to California. I prefer direct flight, so I’ll do what it takes to get a good price for them. We could have drove to Bellingham and then taken a cheaper flight, but it’s a hassle.

I like to use Google Flights to track flights to see if the price drops. I’ve had some pretty good luck using it. I would track it a few months in advance of the trip for the flights I wanted. If I’m lucky, I can save 50%.

Transportation | Sign up for Uber and Lyft using Promo Codes

Getting from LAX to Disneyland is going to be an expensive taxi ride and other options would still be pricey or take too long to get to Anaheim.

We took an UberX using a $20 off the first ride coupon that we found online. There’s tons of them around, so make sure you find those codes. From LAX to the hotel, it was just under $40. With the coupon applied, it was $20 in total, which was then split among 4 of us. This is a quicker and cheaper option than taking the Disneyland shuttle.

Uber also has a referral program where you get $20 and your referee gets $20. We kept referring each other, so we could maximize the amount we spent. It’s very useful and we saved over $150.

Lyft also has free credits too, so make sure you utilize it.

Tickets | Free Admission Tickets

Finding cheap tickets as a tourist is a hassle. Only buy tickets from authorized sellers or else you will be SOL when you discover they are fake. There are some online discount sites like Official Ticket Center, Undercover Tourist, and ParkSavers, but you usually have to spend more to save a bit. Some people have said you can get discount tickets at AAA or Costco, but we had no interest in hunting at either of those 2 places down before doing to Disneyland. We were on a tight schedule.

Our group of friends found 2 alternatives to get free entrance to Disneyland, thus saving our group over $500 in admission tickets.

1. Find someone who works for Disney or sister companies

Disney and some of their sister companies give employees free entry for family and friends. Usually, the employee has to be present when bringing you in for free. Luckily, one of my friends knew someone who had a shift during the day we were going, so she brought 3 of us in.

2. Apply for Media Accreditation

Having a food blog definitely has it’s perks.

Qualifying media can request two Park Hopper tickets, good for one day at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Parks, once every 12 months. Just contact their public relations department to apply. You will need to provide them stats from your blog like unique monthly visitors, amount of Facebook./Twitter followers and other engagement metrics.

Accommodations | Indigo Hotel Anaheim

Indigo Hotels in Anaheim was our go-to location for a budget stay close to Disneyland. It is about a 15 minute walk or 6 minute drive to and from Disneyland. It’s an older hotel that recently got renovations done, so it is clean and modern. This came highly recommended from a coworker of mine. It’s a lot cheaper than staying in the Disneyland resort.

With 5 girls, we crammed ourselves in a 2 Queen-sized bed room. It’s supposed to only hold 4 people, but we made a bed with a chair and a bench. Seems weird, but it was still comfortable.

At $113.99 (USD) per night, it was a good price to split amongst 5 people. Check-in is at 3pm and check out is at 11am. It’s close to Anaheim Gardenwalk and a CVS. Easy access to booze since you won’t find alcohol in Disneyland.

Dining | Snack, Snack, Snack

We didn’t end up spending a lot on food while we were inside Disneyland and California Adventure Park. Since we were so preoccupied with taking selfies, lining up for rides, and finding Disney characters that we mostly ate snacks or smaller meals.

You can’t leave without having a corn dog, turkey leg, Dole Whip and churros. All these items were well under $10.

We didn’t find that there were any other sit down restaurants that we wanted to dine at. We kept finding quick and simple meals at the parks. For our larger meals, we decided to eat closer to our hotel later in the evening. You can find the full list here.

Have Fun!

We didn’t dress up all bachelorette-style for this portion of our trip (we saved it for LA), but we had so much fun for 2 days! It’s fun being a kid again. We saw other bachelorette parties here too.

The best time to go would be in the Winter or Fall. Just remember to avoid any major holidays. It’s not fun if the parks capacity is at it’s maximum. We went in early February and the lines were quick and not too crowded.

If you have any money saving tips, please share!

In American

Bubba Gump Shrimp: Happy Hour in Anaheim

March 5, 2015

We spent a whole day in Disneyland and needed a late night snack. Close to our hotel is a Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant inspired by the movie Forest Gump. If you are a fan of the movie, you gotta visit this place at least once. It’s a good thing I watched Forest Gump a few weeks ago, so I understood all the little references it makes to the movie.

They have happy hour daily from 9:30pm until closing. Also, Monday to Friday from 3:30 to 5:30pm. Select items on their happy hour are $4 – $6. Select drinks are $3 to $6. Great deals!

Since 9:30pm is quite late, the restaurant is pretty empty. Everyone must have been tired from all the Disney Parks madness. We were all tired, but we needed some food.

At your table, you have these license places that have 2 sayings to indicate if you need assistance.

Run, Forest, Run = Everything is A OK
Stop, Forest, Stop = I need some service here

We grabbed a beer to go with the meal. $5 for imported pints. It’s been a few weeks so I forgot what type of beer we ordered.

Bubba’s Far Out Dip ($4) has spinach, roasted red peppers, artichokes and Monterey Jack cheese with homemade Tortilla chips. The dip was really good and creamy. It probably has a lot of fat but we’re on vacation so we eat everything.

Cajun Shrimp ($6) is sautéed in a hot and spicy cajun butter sauce. It is also served with garlic bread. It wasn’t very spicy at all. The quality of the shrimp were ok but not great.

Fried Fish Tacos ($6) is pretty disappointing, its breaded fish with cheese and lettuce with a side of lime. You can just avoid these at all costs unless you order a side of salsa and sour cream.

Shrimper’s Heaven ($21.49) has hand breaded coconut shrimp, chilled shrimp, fried shrimp, and Japanese style tempura shrimp with fries. It also comes with a few sauces – Tangy Asian, Cajun Marmalade, and Zesty Cocktail.

This items is a good way to try all their different shrimp.