Latin-Inspired Cuisine, Michelin Star Worthy

Set in one of Redwood City’s snazziest streets, LV Mar draws a regular crowd of Silicon techs by day; evenings brings couples out for date night.

LV Mar

The dining room is classy yet modern with a touch of lounge atmosphere. There are large inviting windows that open to the outdoor patio with multiple heaters to maximize dining experience.

An inviting bar that hosts a variety of exotic drinks and the menu is full of surprising elements.

We started our night by meeting the talented yet affable Chef Manuel Martinez. We were mesmerized by his creativity and passion for food.

Here is a new drink that he created. We love the spiced rim!!!

We desired the following dishes:

Ceviche Mixto:

A combination of octopus, scallop, halibut dressed with orange, red onion & rocotto chile, lime. The best part was the plantain on the side!!

Calamares Salteados:

Sautéed calamari, mussels and chorizo with saffron lime, garlic aioli, crouton. And the unexpected welcomed guest is the potatoes!

Pulpo y Chorizo:

Grilled octopus and chorizo tacos with olives, fennel, onions and serrano Chile sauce.

Pato Con Mole

Seared duck breast with crispy corn croquette, cherry & pear compote, mole….what an awesome combination!!

We completed our date night by going back to the basics: chocolate cake and ice cream! They were so delectable and sure are not your basic cake and ice cream!

Seal Point Park, San Mateo

Majestic view, fresh air, beautiful hiking trail and a glimpse of San Mateo/San Francisco history.

It’s a place where you can truly just enjoy the nature, and forget about all other things in life!

This park has a three acre off-leash dog park and many walking and biking paths that wander through natural and restored habitats. You may even run into  many types of native wildlife if you keep your eyes open when on the trail.  The park also has a natural stairway as well as kayak and wind-surf launch areas.

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Hidden Gem in the Bay Area-Stanford Cactus Garden

What an exciting discovery!! 

We were walking around the Stanford campus area and all of sudden we saw this amazing cactus garden appeared at the most unexpected place!

We felt like we were in the dessert of Arizona! The garden is serene, peaceful and filled with all types of cactus and succulent.

It sure is a great place to visit either rain or shine!

Sipping Tea and Playing with Kitties

KitTea, a unique tea lounge in San Francisco is welcoming all the cat enthusiasts to join them for an eye opening experience at their adorable tea lounge!

http://www.kitteasf.com/

We were there on a beautiful weekend morning in the city. KitTea is uniquely decorated and when you walk in, you are greeted by their kitty cat display of merchandise. They had all kinds of fun stuff including kitty cat socks, kitty cat books and even kitty cat egg shaper!

We were escorted to the "kitty cat" section and before we were able to enter, we had to sanitize our hands and take off our shoes (which was a great gesture to ensure the kitties stay in a clean environment).

There were about 12-15 kitties running around. We got to play with them, pet them and/or just observe how friendly and curious all of them are. They also had some great selection of tea, scones and sandwiches.

This is truly a unique experience and the best part is they are all up for adoption!!

Best Dumplings

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Chinese New Year Parade

Fun event to attend today!

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Did Anyone Say Private Chef?

Ahhhh, living in the Bay Are truly has many many perks (not to mention the amazing weather and fresh air). There is also affordable private chef service who cooks amazing meal at the comfort of our home!!!

We want to entertain our friends, however, giving our busy schedule, the thought of planning, grocery shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning was daunting. So we decided to give Kitchit a try. Oh boy, we are so happy how this turned out. It's truly the best thing since sliced bread!!

Before the event:

We went on Kitchit website and select the menu that suits our guests.

https://www.kitchit.com/menus

The day of the event:

We decorated our dinning table hoping to impress our guests.

We thought we prepare a cheese plate so our guests and us and enjoy sipping champagne and savoring each bite of the cheese.

We were completely stress free and were able to spend time with our guests instead of slaving away in the kitchen.

About 30 minutes befriend the chef arrive:

Got a text that the chef is on his way.

When the chef arrived all we had to do is show him our kitchen and where pots, plates and utensils are and then he takes over completely.

First course: 

LITTLE GEMS GREEK SALAD

sundried tomato, persian cucumber, pickled red onion, feta, kalamata olives, marjoram vinaigrette

Second course:

PAN SEARED LEMON CHICKEN

wheat berries, roasted red peppers, scallions, purple cauliflower, tahini, espelette, marjoram, mint, parsley

Third course:

BAKLAVA

pistachio, walnut, cinnamon, clove, honey, lemon, phyllo dough

We were so satiated by the end if the night and the beauty is the chef cleaned our kitchen and everything was spotless!!!

We can't wait to throw another Kitchit party!!!!

Sunday Brunch at Madera, Menlo Park/Palo Alto

If you are seeking beauty and serenity while having a burning desire for mimosa and modern interpretation of Eggs Benedict, Madera is the place to go.

We were there on a Sunday morning and the hostess escorted us to a table overlooking the breath taking view of Woodside.

Starter:

Deviled Eggs, Prosciutto, Burgundy Truffle

Entrée:

Oak Grilled Sand Hill Burger, White Cheddar, Bacon, Fries, Pickled Vegetables

Wagyu Hanger Steak, Basted Eggs, Cipollini Onion, Béarnaise, Arugula

It is such a nice place to relax on a Sunday morning! Palo Alto CA Restaurants | Madera - The Restaurant | Restaurants in Palo Alto

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