Look at that gorgeous presentation. Isn’t that the most delicious looking meal you’ve ever seen?! That’s a grilled ham and cheese sandwich on french toast from Toast restaurant in Noe Valley (http://www.toasteatery.com. 24th and Noe St.).

My husband and I went to Toast last week and had the most amazing breakfast for dinner (some call “brinner”). My “monte cristo” sandwich, shown above, was glorious. The combination of sweet and salty is one of the reasons I get up in the morning. The french toast was so fluffy. And the curly fries dipped in syrup made me question a lifetime of fry-condiment choices.

My husband got the hot link omelette. He said it was everything he hoped it would be! Hot link sausage, bell peppers, and onions in an omelette. He of course, topped it with hot sauce.

Toast is very modern and hip, but still preserves all the best features of a diner: retro barstools, open kitchen for viewing the sweet griddle magic, and a glass display case full of desserts.

I am a huge huge fan of “brinner”. At night, this place is relaxed, and the prices at Toast are very reasonable. It could totally be a new weekly tradition. I hear it’s hopping in the morning, and it’s a great place to meet a friend for breakfast. Plus the coffee is much better than the diner coffee you’re used to. Maybe someday my schedule will allow for morning leisure and breakfast dates.

Pier 23 is a seafood restaurant with a giant patio the overlooks the SF Bay. They serve fresh Dungeness crab, tuna sandwiches, shrimp salad, and other seafood and non-seafood favorites. My friends and I sat outside… the sun shining…  the cargo ships passing by… and enjoyed our oceanic munchings.

I ordered the fish tacos, because that’s what Guy Fieri ordered on the show. They were good but not the best I’d ever had. The French fries are awesome though! The place feels dive-y and touristy, so I’m not sure I would eat there on a cloudy day. But yesterday, this was exactly what I wanted! We don’t gave many sunny days here, so if you happen to visit SF on one of them you’d better go to Pier 23!

I wrote about City Impact two years ago, when I had the opportunity to serve with another congregation. I can’t believe how much it’s grown since I was there. They have a new thrift store, a new medical facility, and a new kitchen for preparing meals. I am so amazed by the difference they are making in the lives of their neighbors.

The TL (the tenderloin) is a 1-sq-mile neighborhood with 37,000 residents and another 8,000 homeless. The average person makes less than $15,000 a year. (http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Tenderloin-San-Francisco-CA.html)

This morning there were 600 volunteers who showed up ready to spread the love of Jesus to the people of The TL (from Epic, Journey church, and MPPC). We gave haircuts, medical care, and food, plus many more. My team got to prepare over 1000 to-go lunches for the people in the area. I was so touched to see that Trader Joes and Costco had donated crates upon crates of food (huge high five to them!!). Someone else had given lettuce, strawberries and cantaloupe. I was so excited to know that people were going to open their sack lunch and find salad and fruit today!

I got to work with a bunch of great people today. I was so honored to be a small part of the work God is doing there.

City Impact’s website has changed. It’s now http://sfcityimpact.com/. Donate today!

I never thought I’d be so happy to see cranes. Construction cranes that is. There’s a legend that says 1000 origami cranes is good luck, but I’m gonna venture out of the box and say that seeing 1000 construction cranes is better because it means building, growth, and (say it with me) JOBS!

My relocation to SF was in 2010 when there was absolutely zero, zip, nil new construction in the city. I didn’t notice then, of course, but now it’s 2013, and there is a building boom, and it makes it obvious how dry we were 3 years ago.

I drove around last weekend and took pictures of the many cranes towering over the skyline. The more I found, the more I got inspired by the vibration of new growth. The latest unemployment report said that California added 30,000 construction jobs in the month of March and is continuing to grow like crazy. I continued to research employment statistics and found nothing but good news in this industry, especially this report that says March 2013 showed the greatest increase in jobs in seven years! (here’s a graph!)

I never gave construction boom or drought much of a thought before. This is the first time that I have noticed such a drastic change, and took the time to ponder the implications for our local economy. It seems like it all heading up.

If you’re a geek, here’s a list of all the current building projects in San Francisco, including the new Transbay Transit Tower set to open in 2017.

“Construction cranes sign of times in S.F.” – from SF Chronicle

And if you’re a movie-buff, here’s the final scene from The Amazing Spider-Man with some awesome crane/web moves. *SPOILER ALERT* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAxdnjCHpg0

They shut down Market Street. During rush hour. Their message of marriage equality was definitely heard.

On Tuesday the Supreme Court will make an historical decision regarding the constitutionality of gay marriage. Here is SF, there is no shortage of  supporters for legalizing gay marriage, and they came out in droves tonight to express their opinion.

The March4Equality rally took place tonight starting at Market and Castro and marching all the way down the busiest street in town. The supporters waved rainbow flags, displayed signs saying “we deserve the freedom to marry”, and chanting “gay straight black white. marriage is an equal right!”

I was impressed by the number of people who came out. Not because I don’t think this cause has many supporters, but because I had no idea about it until I drove by and saw the road blocks.  Yes, they got the police to block off the road for their march. Now that’s impressive.

I have three restaurants to review for you today! Roxanne’s Cafe, Little Star Pizza, and Amber.

Roxanne’s Cafe

You don’t have to wear that dress tonight. Sorry, I had to do it. Roxanne’s is on the corner of Powell and Bush (www.nobhilldining.com/roxannecafe). I went there with a friend after the Chinese New Year Parade. It was one of those nights that was a little too chilly to stand and watch a parade, so about halfway through we ducked into the cafe for coffee. As we stood there waiting for our hot drinks, I saw a waitress deliver Pasta a la Roxanne to a customer. It looked so creamy and delicious. We had to come back for dinner! When we came back, I had the Ravioli al Funghi and she got the Pollo Basillico. Both amazing! Plus it’s this quaint little restaurant that feels comfortable and casual. There have a million things on the menu from Italian to breakfast, to burgers. And the coffee is good too!

Little Star Pizza

Little Star serves the deep dish pizzas like Patxi’s. It’s on the corner of 15th and Valencia (and two other locations www.littlestarpizza.com). The night I visited this joint, I enjoyed appetizers of caprese salad and garlic bread. The garlic bread comes as plain bread, a container of butter, and a whole head of garlic that’s been roasted. Spreading the soft creamy garlic on my bread was really fun and  unique and I applaud them for their creativity. The pizza I ate was deep dish Mediterranean with artichokes, feta, chicken, and basil. It was delicious and hearty! If I had to compare the two pizza places, I would say the crust is better at Little Star, but the wait is better at Patxi’s (we waited 1.5 hours at Little Star!).

Amber

Amber is an Indian restaurant that is hidden in this little alley behind St Patricks Cathedral (25 Yerba Buena lane www.amber-india.com). My friend and I wanted to go to Tropisueno that night but the wait was too long. So  we went next door and hoped for the best. Amber is a really nice place. I felt outta place in my jeans and sneakers. We sat at one of the bar tables for quicker service, and we were thankful to find that the whole menu was available at the bar. This Indian restaurant does not have Tika Masala, Tandori chicken, etc on the menu. I got the impression that the chef invented all the food he served. I ordered an dish that was a whole chicken leg and thigh submerged in red creamy sauce. With rice. It was outstanding. The chicken was so tender and the sauce had that cooked-all-day taste. I also enjoyed naan with cheese in it and I learned that naan is tasty when it’s warm and fresh!

Tuesday night was the grand lighting ceremony for the Bay Lights. I met up with some friends and walked down to the water for the big moment. But someone we didn’t invite decided to show up: the rain. We stood in the rain, without an umbrella of course, with thousands of other people, waiting anxiously for the lights. After a thirty minute delay, I was officially soaked and miserable.

View of the bridge for the Hyatt

My friend James, who is way more adventurous than me, decided that we needed to go find a hotel with a view and watch the show indoors. I was so tired of the rain at that point I couldn’t argue. We walked to the Hyatt on Montgomery and found the “all-the-way-up” elevator. Small problem; it needed a key to operate. So we stood in the elevator for 10 minutes waiting for someone at the top to call it. Finally they did. The elevator dinged, James looked at us said, “be cool”, and walked out like he owned the place. Turns out the top floor of the Hyatt is a private club for members only. We were not members. But we somehow sauntered over to the window and got to see the bridge in all its glory.

That didn’t last long. The staff at the Hyatt became aware of our illegal presence very quickly, and kicked us out. James, who kept getting more daring as the night went on, then suggested that we go to the Marriott on 4th. Thankfully, at the Marriott, the top floor was open to the public, so we didn’t have to sneak our way in. The SkyBar, as it’s called, is an amazing place to have dinner. There are panoramic views all the way around. I really want to go there next time there’s a special occasion. My friends and I sat down at a table by the window and got a great view of the bridge one more time. Beautiful! We decided to order a few drinks and grabbed the menu. Holy expensive drink menu! We were way out of place! We all kinda gave each other that  look that “I-cant-afford-this” look, got up and waked out.

me and my friend, Katie

The last stop of our crazy evening was the Westin on 3rd. One friend was actually staying there so we figured we’d be able to get to the top no problem. We piled in the elevator and ascended to the top. The doors opened, we walked out, only to find we were not at the top, but two floors down. James, in his final act as Mayor of the Unpredictable, found a stairwell to the roof. We climbed two flights and spilled out onto the roof. We found, for the triumphant conclusion of the evening, a giant building blocking our view of the bridge. There was nothing to see.

By then it was midnight (on a school night) and I was tired and wet and ready for bed. I said goodnight to my companions and headed home. As James said goodbye, he actually remarked “I”m glad it’s early because I still have work to do tonight!” Unbelievable guy.

Live streaming of the Bay Lights!!
http://www.livestream.com/acmelive

The Chinese New Year Parade is a great display of traditional Chinese culture. It included Chinese musicians, big guys playing those loud booming drums, martial arts, dragons, lions, and firecrackers. There were also several entries from the local Chinese community; school children dancing to gangnam style, Miss Chinatown in the back of a convertable, and the Chinese Cultural Center marching band! But the true magic of the parade comes from the big floats with bright colors and lights.

The route of the parade changed this year. It no longer makes a loop around union square park, but instead u-turns one block north. I went around to the north side to meet my friend and stood on Powell Street to watch the show. Since powell has a steep incline, it was like watching the chow from stadium seating!

photo courtesy of my good friend C.D.

If you read about the parade two years ago, you know it has a grand finale. After the last entry, all the lights went off to set the anticipation. Then there was the sound of fireworks echoing off the buildings. An entourage of dancing lions, sword twirlers, and tangu drummers set the stage for what was to come.

And finally, it came. The giant illuminated dragon!! The bright orange dragon was carried by over 100 men, and lit with thousands of lights. I stood there with hundreds of fascinated spectators and watched as the magnificent dragin snaked its way down the street.

photo courtesy of C.D.

It’s the Bay Bridge’s 75th birthday, and it is getting all fancied up for the occasion.

For the milestone anniversary, they city hired Leo Villareal to design a spectacular light display for the bridge. It will be the world’s largest light sculpture at 1.8 miles wide and 500 feet high using 25,000 white individually programmed LED lights.

The display took 6 months to install, starting in September 2012 and it will cost 8 million dollars. But don’t worry, it’s being paid for by private endorsers, not the tax payers.

The Bay Lights, as it’s called, is being tested right now, but it will officially illuminate on March 5. You know I will write about it again so stay tuned. For more info, check out http://thebaylights.org, the pdf fact sheet, and this SF Chronicle article.

And before you ask, no, you can’t see the lights while you’re driving on the bridge. We need drivers to focus on the road and stuff.

image from apertosf.com

The first time I walked by this place, there was a couple sitting by the window eating a fabulous-looking dessert. A few weeks later some friends and I went to dinner, and I begged them to do Aperto with me.

It’s small, like every other restaurant in town, but thankfully they take reservations. They have a simple menu with only a few appetizers, pasta dishes, entrees, etc. And you know me, I like it when it’s easy to decide.

I ordered the caesar salad, and the butternut squash ravioli. The caesar salad comes as three whole leaves of romaine, two crouton/crakers, a wedge of parmesean, and the dressing on the salad. So basically, you have to construct the salad yourself. I didn’t mind the extra effort, because it made the salad more enjoyable in the end. I am very picky about my caesars, so when I say it’s good, you should take me seriously.

My butternut squash ravioli was TO DIE FOR! It was so creamy and rich. The sweet squash paired with the savory onions is pretty much my favorite. My two friends ordered the short ribs, and the risotto, and they both said their food was excellent!

Aperto has a really nice romantic atmosphere, and it’s perfect for a date or to show off to family. If my husband is reading this, I want to go to Aperto for Valentine’s Day!