The Dead Fish with lively friends

 This is a huge restaurant and my first visit thanks to Doug and Barb yesterday.  The Dead Fish is right off the highway in Crockett and it sits almost on top of the Bay (first photo). I loved the Basa, a delicate white fish and we shared fried artichoke, salad, bread ~ wayyyyyy too much great food. There were warm heaters and we sat out on the patio. So wonderful. Afterwards we drove a bit to see the little towns of Crockett and Port Costa ~ a whole different world about 30 minutes from SF. Delightful day for sure.

lunch at Perry's

 I met Ken (the Person) down on the Embarcadero for a really nice lunch after a fine solo walk from 4th Street to this classic (dare I say iconic?) restaurant. Good food, good conversation and I'm happy to report that Perry's was packed and my SF streets bustling with people. An excellent Wednesday.

La Traviata

 This old restaurant on Mission Street used to be a favorite and it somehow survived Covid and it was a lovely experience last night. Pat, Neti and I opened La Traviata at 5pm and enjoyed the quiet until the place filled around 7:30 and we could no longer hear each other. But so happy that they are busy and the pasta was excellent and we three had a delightful time. The rest of my day? Lazy. Self-indulgent.

rainy day lunch

 I met Gini yesterday at the Magic Flute on Sacramento Street and we had some good catch-up talk in this lovely setting. Also yummy food, should you be interested. 

old friends in an old SF restaurant

 Pardon the bad top shot of Ken the Person, but I wanted you to see the wonderful photos in those old oval frames in the background. Yesterday we celebrated Ken's birthday at Sear's Fine Food on Powell Street and it was great because they weren't busy and we could actually hear as we tried to determine the year we met and our many career changes and mistakes since then. Also a few good times along the way, of course. Downtown is coming back, yay!

finally to Dragon Beaux

I was always curious about Dragon Beaux on Geary and I was not disappointed as we celebrated Jeanine's birthday at lunch yesterday. We had tons of dim sum treats for a reasonable price and of course lots of chit chat. The restaurant is huge and was crowded on a lazy Tuesday.

a walk to/fro dinner

 Precita Social is open and I think that they are doing just fine. We celebrated Barb's birthday there last night and the food is excellent. Yes, a little pricey, but certainly worth every penny. Perfectly cooked steak and fries and an unusual salad and hot Parker House rolls. We went early (duh) but almost every table was full when we left. A treat for me to walk there, yay!

yes, that was loverly

 I needed a good old solo day yesterday so off I went for duck noodle soup at King Thai Noodle and then to the SF Playhouse for My Fair Lady. I had a splendid time and so enjoyed this musical which I have seen many times, so nostalgia was my companion and a most welcome one. I prefer to live in the present, but once a a great while I do sink back into the days of yore. And that's OK. Oh, the dog belongs to SF Playhouse and she came out for intermission yesterday. Very cool.

Half Moon Bay Day

 Mr. and Ms. Blogmaid joined Neti and me at It's Italia for lunch to celebrate Neti and just chit chat about everything under the emerging sun. Pumpkinville was busy and bustling and we had a terrific time. So many interesting retail stores and a delightful little coffee shop because we needed a sit down and lattes after a lot of "shall I buy this?" kind of earth shaking decisions. An excellent day ~ thank you HMB.

lunch at the Ferry Plaza

 Susan was down from Davis yesterday and we hopped in Lyft to enjoy the sunshine and crowds down at The Embarcadero. We had delicious salads for lunch at A16 and did a bit of walking as we caught up on each others' lives. There was a bit of "whatever happened to so-and-so?" but we both mostly like to live in the now. (And we are hell bent on staying positive.) A very good Sunday.

clever name, lovely lunch

 So nice to see Sylvia again (bottom right) and thanks to Mr. and Ms. Blogmaid for driving to/fro Mill Valley and for treating us to an excellent lunch of salad, fries, pizza. For my hundreds of out-of-town readers (joke). we are located here almost right next to Mount Tamalpais, usually just called Mount Tam. Such a nice day, gratitude abounds once more.

friends, art and food

 Sarah and Sam were kind enough to invite me to the Helen Berggruen artist exhibit yesterday, I love her work and they are friends of hers up in Napa. That was very special. And THEN...talk about special. We went to Zuni for a spectacular dinner. The roast chicken was as glorious as ever and then all the extras and the delightful atmosphere. It was such a wonderful time. I am so fortunate. And still full...

a new restaurant ~ soon!

 The sign for Precita Social was up when I walked by yesterday. This will be a burger and oyster dinner spot with a famous chef (Greg Lutes who lives here in Bernal Heights) at the helm. I hope it isn't too expensive. I like walking to/fro dinner. Fingers crossed as it is supposed to open in 3 weeks or so.

women who rock

 We four celebrated Neti's birthday last week at the Mission Rock and you can see actual blue sky in the top photo. Outside dining! What a treat. At table, from the left: Pat, Neti, Jeanine and the Blogger.

birthday dinner with pasta

 Sorry about the photos ~ by now you realize that I have never quite mastered the editing tools. But hey, I'm a writer, not a photographer. My nice neighbors invited me to join them to celebrate Rob's birthday last night up at Vega on Cortland. Such a delightful family and they are so very good to me. From the left: me, Heidi, Evan, Peter and Rob. A really nice evening.

an excellent Saturday

 I met Dancing Jen at the Wayfare Tavern downtown on Pine Street yesterday. I love this restaurant which was busy, warm and welcoming with great American food ~ I had never been there before and it was a FIND and I will return. The best part was catching up with Jen, of course. People are returning to SF, I'm happy to report ~ tourists and locals. Yay!

time for comfort food

 Doug's brother Rick and wife Paula were in town so we all gathered for a delightful dinner at the Blue Plate on Mission Street last night. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes, steak, butterscotch pudding and so much warmth and happiness. Such a nice evening, how blessed (overused word, but true) I am with friends.

a sunny day on the Bay

 Joe and Pamela and I met down at Ferry Plaza yesterday and we decided to sit outside at Gott's to enjoy yummy burgers and to catch-up on our lives. Travel talk, of course, and what have you been reading? So a very good day for the three of us. 

Florio on Fillmore

 Our friend Pat (on the left in bottom photo) had a gift certificate for Florio and who better to spend it on than Neti and your blogger? We enjoyed a fine early dinner last night and by the time we left the restaurant was packed and getting a bit too noisy for us. A very nice evening. Gratitude.

we did Dogpatch

 Doug and Barb have been traveling a lot, but we got together yesterday to enjoy a fine serendipitous lunch at Guilianna's Just for You Cafe on 22nd Street in the Dogpatch district of SF. None of us had been here before, but Doug found parking across the street, so of course that was such a good sign. Excellent burger and sandwiches and beignets for dessert. So lovely being with my friends again and very nice of them to treat, even though I offered. Honest.