Is that Cinnamon?

Gluten-free Cinnamon Roll from Mariposa Bakery in Oakland, CA

Ground hazelnut paste looks a lot like cinnamon goo (like the kind on cinnamon rolls). When visiting Swiss bakeries, Isaiah and I would often spot some delicious-looking pastry filled with what appeared to be cinnamon goo. Time and time again we'd order the pastry hoping maybe this time it would be cinnamon-y. We actually never learned our lesson and never found a pastry made with cinnamon. 

Friends in Switzerland, does such a pastry exist? Perhaps in the French region? The only time we ever had cinnamon rolls was at an American-Swiss household. Now don't get me wrong. The Nussgipfel makes a sweet breakfast on the go, but I think the Swiss ought to experiment with a "Zimtgipfel."

I heart SF: Day Trip to San Francisco

Coit Tower

Isaiah and I have both said, in passing, that we could see ourselves living in San Francisco. Great restaurants. Fun neighborhoods. Beautiful parks.

During our weekend in the Bay Area, we rode the BART from Berkeley to the city to do a bit of exploring. Our day started with croque monsieur from Tartine, which had a queue wrapped around the block. Armed with coffee and our cheesy bread, we found a picnic table at Dolores Park and devoured breakfast.

To work off that béchamel sauce, we hiked up to Coit Tower, but in true cheapskate fashion, we didn't pay the admission to go up the tower. I still have yet to see the crooked part of Lombard Street, but I did manage to capture it with my camera while we were up at Coit Tower.

We also walked through the shops at the Ferry Building. Lots of gourmet stalls, including organic hot dogs and Argentine empanadas. Later that night we had South Indian cuisine at Udupi Palace. It was my first time having a paper-thin dosa and uthappam. After that, we went to a Bhangra dance party at the Rickshaw Stop. It was hands down the funnest dance party I have ever been to.

The next day, we had a fantastic Thai brunch at a Buddhist Temple in Berkeley and an early dinner at Zachary's in Oakland before our flight back to San Diego. (Food was a major theme during this trip, apparently.) We're looking forward to our next trip back to the Bay Area in September for my friend Marissa's wedding!

Dolores Park in the Mission

Croque Monsieur from Tartine Bakery

Ferry Building Marketplace

Lombard Street

Steep Hills Galore

Deep-dish Pizza in Oakland

For Your Rolodex:

Breakfast
Tartine Bakery
600 Guerrero Street 
San Francisco, CA 94110

Lunch
Ferry Building Marketplace
One Ferry Building
San Francisco, California 94111

Dinner
Udupi Palace

1007 Valencia Street

San Francisco, CA 94110

On Campus: UC Berkeley

Well, I've been thirty for over a month now. They say 30 is the new 20, but I definitely don't feel like I'm 20 again. Anyway, to celebrate my birthday, we took a weekend trip up to the Bay Area. We stayed with my friend Katy in Berkeley.

Our first day there, we just wandered around the UC Berkeley campus while we waited for  Katy to get out of class. It's a gorgeous campus and I just love being around University students. They have a great vibe.

After Katy got out of class we went out to lunch at Cafe Intermezzo. Later we enjoyed some beers at Jupiter. Berkeley really is a lovely town!

Giant Salads at Cafe Intermezzo (and cheap too!)

I seriously ate salad leftovers for dinner that night...

Beer out on the patio? Yes, please!

We're thinking that we may need to make a drive up to Berkeley once we're in the market to furnish a house. They have the most amazing antique shops on Shattuck Avenue!


For Your Rolodex:

Eat @ Cafe Intermezzo
2442 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 849-4592

Drink @ Jupiter
2181 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) THE-TAPS

Vintage Mesh Handbag

What do you think? Does this scream "old lady" or whisper "vintage chic"?
(This is a Whiting and Davis bag I spotted at the Mission Galleria Antique Mall in Riverside, CA.)

Fair Trade Spotlight: Cafe Virtuoso

Serving up house-roasted, organic Fair Trade certified coffee is virtuoso indeed.

We stop by every two weeks to pick up our beans and get a free 12 oz. cup of whatever's brewing.

We sit around, munch on bagels and cream cheese, and chat with one of the proprietors, Laurie.

She gives us something new to try.

We take our beans home, grind 'em up, and put 'em in a stove top coffeemaker.

When we buy the Amaro Gayo kind (not Fair Trade but certified by Women's Alliance), our coffee smells and tastes like blueberries. 

We ought to try one of their teas next.

The Coffee Bar

Roasting Machine

In Stock

Beans from All Over the World

Teas

Green Beans!

For Your Rolodex:

Cafe Virtuoso
1616 National Ave
San Diego, CA 
(619) 550-1830

Fair Trade Spotlight: Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream

During our time in Switzerland, whenever Isaiah and I were feeling a little homesick AND in the mood for something sweet, we'd reach for a "pint" of Ben and Jerry's. At nearly $10 a pop, it was definitely an indulgence. However, we were always pleased with the fact that many of our favorite flavors featured Fair Trade certified ingredients. Unfortunately, upon our return to the States, we were hard-pressed to find Ben and Jerry's pints with the U.S. Fair Trade logo. 

Although I have yet to see such products in the larger chain supermarkets, they are out there. You can have your ice cream and support a great cause. Even if you haven't spotted the Fair Trade label on your favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor, be sure to check out their scoop shops. Their menu indicates which flavors are made with Fair Trade certified ingredients, and really with so many options, it's hard to choose! Guess we'll have to go back and try each one at least once! What would you like to see made with Fair Trade ingredients?

A recent visit to Seaport Village in San Diego included a mandatory stop at Ben and Jerry's:

Homemade Quarkini

We did it! We recreated one of our favorite treats from our time in Switzerland. It's not often you see quark in the stores here. In fact, I had never heard of it until we lived in Europe. Now, we've spotted it at Whole Foods and the farmers' market. Once I spotted it, I knew we had to try and make our own quarkini. Isaiah found a recipe online and used Google translate to translate it from German to English. The result? These slightly ill-shaped yet totally delicious spongy dough balls.

Please excuse the messy kitchen

The Kitschy Home

Space 87: "Mid-Century Furniture, Decor, Records, and More"

Whether or not I will always be OK with a little kitsch in my home remains to be seen, but for now I am 100% delighted with kitsch. Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that we don't own a home yet and all of our furniture is hand-me-down (from my mom and Jim). Kitsch just kind of fits with where we our in our lives at the moment. 

My sense of style when it comes to home decor is a bit schizophrenic, to tell you the truth. I love the colors and textures of "the cultural home" (as in batik prints and embroidered wall hangings) as well as the neutrals and florals of a french country cottage home. All this to say, I fell in love with a booth in the Mission Galleria Antique Mall in Riverside, California. It's called Space 87 and every little bookend and tchotchke caught my eye. If it were my shop, I'd call it "The Kitschy Home" and I'd have a very difficult time parting with a lot of the merchandise.

Here are the two items we picked up and have lovingly incorporated into our home:

Grecian Coaster Set

This trinket was no doubt a souvenir someone brought home after a trip to Greece, back when souvenirs were actually made in the country you went to visit. (An inscription on the bottom reads "Made in Greece," which totally blew me away.) Each coaster features a photo of temple ruins or another traditional cultural aspect.

Plastic Desk Clock w/Alarm

Riverside, California: A Darling Downtown and Historic Hotel

Friends, you met Mom and Jim around this time last year when they came to visit Isaiah and me in Switzerland. We took a magical train ride, visited a glacier and explored western Austria. Well, last week, the happy couple made it official and tied the knot in Riverside, California! Isaiah, my sister and I were the only witnesses to Mom and Jim's special day, and later we all celebrated their nuptials with a buffet lunch at The Mission Inn Restaurant.

Hotel Lobby at the Mission Inn

Dessert!

The Mission Inn Restaurant

The Courtyard Patio at the Mission Inn Restaurant

Despite having family living in Riverside County, I had never actually visited the downtown Riverside area. It's just lovely! What I found most impressive was its charming art-deco-meets-Spanish-mission architecture throughout Mission Inn Avenue. An award-winning cupcake shop, a massive antique mall, and an historic hotel all welcome visitors to this little corner of Southern California.

Mission Inn Avenue

Mission Inn Avenue

On the top: "Cupcake of the Month"
with raspberry cake and lemon curd filling.
Oh my. All cupcakes should have fillings! :)

On Main Street: One of the Winners of the Cupcake Wars

Entrance to the Hotel

View of the Hotel off Mission Inn Avenue

Lunch at The Mission Inn Restaurant was very enjoyable and I would highly recommend it. Great food, great drinks and great company -- I don't think Mom and Jim could have asked for a better wedding day. Congrats Mom and Jim! We love you!

The New Mr. and Mrs.