Taste of Italy in Belmont

“Translated from the Italian language, Vivace means "lively", which is exactly the ambiance at Vivace Ristorante where culinary creations join with excellent wines to celebrate the cuisine of Northern Italy. Highly regarded as one of the best restaurants on the Peninsula, Vivace Ristorante is located in the charming city of Belmont. The warm interior is designed as to permit the viewing of the talented chefs as they prepare an array of Italian dishes with emphasis in the regions of Piemonte and Toscana. With its exceptional cuisine, elegant ambiance, high level of service, and extensive wine list (2003 - 2013 Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence),Vivace creates a wonderful dining experience in which the gastronomia of Northern Italy is celebrated everyday!” http://www.vivacerestaurant.com/home2.htm

Must experience:

Complimentary focaccia with the most incredible dipping sauce

Happy Hour every day from 5 to 6:30pm

Warm crispy Arancini

A tour to the wine cellar and much more!!

For Wine Lovers!

As wine lovers, we find that living in Northern California has truly enhanced our love affair with wines. Being so close to the wine country, we are able to escape the city life on a moment’s notice.

This weekend, we will have the opportunity to embrace the beauty, sample the wines and enjoy the warm hospitality from the Wine Road Barrel Tasting. It’s truly our chance to get to pick winemaker’s brains and explore Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys.

http://www.whatshappeningcalendar.com/events/2013/Sonoma_County_Wine_Road_Barrel_Tasting.html

Our previous wine tasting experience and hoping to recreate! 

Fresh Organic Produce in San Mateo

We enjoy organic produce when every we can get our hands on, and Crystal Springs Produce in San Mateo is truly one of the best places that we’ve visited!

http://www.crystalspringsproduce.com/

 Most of the fruits and veggies are grown locally and there is a large selection of organics as well. In addition, there is a variety of cheeses, fresh dairy, bread, gourmet nuts and a variety of other healthy alternatives.

The best part is when we check out, the prices are exceptionally reasonable and we don’t feel like a whole paycheck was spent on organic products!!

Visit their website and there is a 15% coupon off entire purchase!!

Hope to see some of you out there!

Happy 2014!

We started the new year by attending “New Year’s Day 2014 Food Truck Picnic & Bottomless Mimosa Brunch” sponsored by SOMA Street Food Park. There were gourmet food trucks everywhere, and we got to try almost everything while sipping bottomless mimosa.

http://somastreatfoodpark.com/

The great thing about SOMA Street Food Park is that it opens 7 days a week and different vendors are featured on a particular day so it’s always a surprise when you go there.

After we stuffed ourselves, we explored the city on foot. The city was very quiet on the first and it was quite an experience. We felt that we owned the city.

We stopped by the W Hotel for best cucumber martini and we found the origination of video game “Pac Man” at the W Hotel lobby. We played for hours.

We then walked around Market Street and came across “Pause”….if you never try “Pause”, it’s a must. Quite an auditory experiment.

https://foursquare.com/v/pause-on-market-street/527a968b498e0016b397586d

Quince, San Francisco

We have a true appreciation for the honest flavor of food and we found it at Quince, San Francisco!

All of our 5 senses were awaken by our experience at Quince, and the night filled with pureness, inspiration and satisfaction.

We tried the 9-course menu which expresses Chef Tusk’s interpretation of the market’s freshest and most luxurious ingredients found in Northern California.

PIER 39′s Tree Lighting Celebration

As the holidays approaching, there are many festive events coming up. One of the events that we look forward to is the annual PIER 39 Tree Lighting Celebration on Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24 from Noon – 6:30pm.

As we welcome the holiday season with two days of holly-jolly magic and merriment for the whole family, we will get to experience the music and the fun! There is a 60-foot tree, adorned with beautiful ornaments will be illuminated.  It’s truly a magical time of the year. We plan to dress warm (coat, scarf, gloves) as the temperature can be quit cool as this time of the year, especially at night.

http://www.pier39.com/home/events/pier-39s-tree-lighting-celebration/

Free museum admission

As cooler weather approaches here in the San Francisco Bay area, it’s a great time visit various museums while sipping a hot cup of hot chocolate. What’s even better is that many museums offer free admission on certain days. It’s a great way to explore what the area has to offer!

http://sf.funcheap.com/city-guide/monthly-free-museum-days/

Some of our favorites:

• California Academy of Sciences, love the albino alligator!

• de Young Museum, from September 21, 2013 to February 17, 2014, they are featuring “The Art of Bulgari: La Dolce Vita & Beyond, 1950–1990”. There are some incredible jewelry collection.

Hillsborough Antique Show

For all the collectors, connoisseurs, interiors designers and weekend browsers, there is a Hillsborough Antique show this week (November 1 to November 3).

It’s considered the West’s premier Antique Show where there are exhibitors from all over the world such as Europe and Asia. Over 500 Booths of Antiques, Decorative Arts, Vintage Home Furnishings, 20^th Century Collectibles and more. It’s a great place to find and discover treasures and a great place to learn new things!!

http://hillsboroughantiqueshow.com/index.html'

Local farmers markets

One of the greatest things about living in the Bay Area is that there is abundance of farmers markets, some open seasonally and some open year round!

It’s a great way to explore what is in season while exploring what the city has to offer. In addition, we are also supporting the community!

Here is a map, courtesy of www.TheForestFeast.com, per author Erin, it is an illustration so it is not geographically exact or to scale.

Let’s go to San Carlos for some Art and Wine!

Imaging this….perusing exquisite art collection while sipping a glass of cool, crisp Chardonnay and enjoying bites of BBQ Thai Chicken Kabob – all at the SAME time!!!

On October 12 and 13, One of the Peninsula’s Premier Fall Festivals, the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce’s Art & Wine Faire celebrates its 23rd year! The Faire covers both sides of San Carlos Avenue (between El Camino and Walnut) and down Laurel Street from San Carlos Avenue to Arroyo. The Faire is easily accessible from Caltrain and SamTrans.

http://sancarloschamber.org/san-carlos-art-wine-faire-2013/

It’s a great way to start this upcoming beautiful weekend where weather in San Carlos is going to be sunny and low 70s. In addition, there are tons of other fun things to do on Laurel street!

Few of our favorites:

-Bow Wow Meow

Pet boutique where we purchased UV water fountain for our fur babies

http://www.bowwowmeow.net

-Town Restaurant

A popular steakhouse with creative drink menu and awesome brunch!

http://www.townsc.com/index.html

-Whole Life Natural Foods

Vitamins and supplements, holistic remedies and low carb bread

***Interesting Home Sale trend in San Carlos: http://peninsulahomesupdate.wordpress.com/san-carlos/

San Rafael - Bay Area Pet Fair & Adoptathon

San Rafael is a city of neighborhoods. Surrounded by great natural beauty and mild weather. Temperature ranges between 80Fs during the summer days and goes to low/mid 70s at night. It’s comfortable enough to wear shorts and walk around and enjoy the area during time of the year.

There is a huge effort on promoting the Downtown business to make it a fun, safe and friendly place where people want to come and hang out!

Several events are coming up which makes this city to be a pet friendly place!

On October 5^th and 6^th, there is Bay Area Pet Fair & Adoptathon, where there are hundreds of dogs, cats and small animals waiting to meet their new owners. In addition, there will be K-9s demonstrating crime busting skills. http://www.bayareapetfair.org/

Also on October 11th, Downtown San Rafael is holding “(Almost) Midnight in Paris”, an evening where everyone can  stroll, peruse art galleries, and enjoy music on the street. There will also be Poodle Parade, which we are very curious to check out! http://www.downtownsanrafael.org/