Pacific Coast Fog Fest

Pacifica is located just 12 miles south of San Francisco along the scenic coast of the Pacific Ocean. The city is known for its natural beauty, and is filled with numerous hiking trails through rolling hills that overlook the ocean surf and forested canyons.

We love watching the surfers conquer the waves, watching spectacular sunsets. We also loves various local restaurants that serve awesome seafood!

This weekend, 9/27 and 9/28, the city is hosting Pacific Coast Fog Fest. http://pacificcoastfogfest.com/

The Pacific Coast Fog Fest is a celebration of everything beautiful in Pacifica which includes the sun, sand, surf and marvelous coastal climate.

The Fog Fest kicks off Saturday morning at 10 am with the Discover Pacifica Parade and Marching Band Competition.  Visitors and then stay and enjoy their Arts and Crafts booths, Food and Beverage booths, Musical Entertainment, Family Fun Fest and a variety of  other activities.

Wine Walk Downtown San Mateo

Wine lovers, you will love this event today at Downtown San Mateo from 2-5pm! http://dsma.org/wine-walk-2014/

Downtown San Mateo is truly booming! With burgeoning restaurant and merchant scenes, we are planning to enjoy this afternoon sipping wine and peruse through local shops.

We were there couple years ago and it was a lot of fun. Merchants opened their shops as “Tasting Rooms” where we sipped wines from various regions.  Many partnered with local restaurants and/or provide light bites for us to nibble while we enjoyed our wine. There was music and a variety of entertainment as well.

We are excited to see how the event turn out this year!

Best Nabeyaki Udon!

If you like Nabeyaki Udon, then you must try Ganko Sushi in San Carlos on 1131 Cherry St. It’s a "hole in the wall" type of place, "mom and pop shop" (literally!! I believe the husband is the chef and the wife is the wait staff).

Nabeyaki Udon is a type of hot udon noodle soup traditionally served in individual donabe (earthernware pot) or iron pots. Besides udon noodles, the soup includes chicken, salmon, crab, napa, carrots.  In addition, an egg (cooked perfectly), 2 large shrimps and tempura shaving are served on top. The broth is super flavorful.

We usually order our own bowl, it’s too good to share!

We’ve had a lot of Nabeyaki Udon and this one is truly the BEST!

Supporting Napa, after earthquake

What happened in Napa was personally devastating because it’s a town that we adore so much! We’ve decided to visit Napa after earthquake to support local vendors and merchants.

The trip brought mixed feelings…many buildings were block off due to the damages,  however, many others also opens up and welcomed visitors. People of Napa are strong and the community pulled together beautifully!

We brought our bike with us so we can cover more distance of Napa without worrying about parking.

We visited the General Napa Store, http://www.napageneralstore.com/

What a great discovery! They offer unique gifts from local Napa artists, personalized wine tasting from local small wineries and exquisite breakfast by the riverfront!

We grabbed a quick lunch at The Pear Southern Bistro http://rodneyworth.com/the-pear-southern-bistro/ and enjoyed “southern comfort food”.

More biking around the river front

For dinner, we spoiled ourselves at Chef Morimoto’s place http://morimotonapa.com/ it was a true dining experience pleasure without any adjectives that can describe the pleasure!

Of course, there were several other places that we supported such as:

·       Oxbow Public Market http://oxbowpublicmarket.com/ (where the locals gather for great food and wine)

      V. Sattui on Highway 29 just before St. Helena https://www.vsattui.com/ (Incredible deli. Try some cheeses before buying, choose a chutney or spread to go with it, grab a baguette and chocolates, and you have a great picnic. Gourmet sandwiches are also great choice).

   

      Overall, it was an amazing experience. We got to talk to the locals about their experience with the earthquake. People of Napa are strong and it's truly a tight community!