Early 25th Wedding Anniversary Dinner at the Bali Hai

It feels so weird to be blogging again...

I didn't miss it too much but it's good to be back. Earlier this evening, Bert and I went out for an early dinner...

Day after highlights...

Here are some highlights from the Day After My Birthday...

at a coffee stop in Eagle Rock...

Christmas Party with Friends 2018

We recently hosted a party at our pad...

This is a piece I bought from Project Reo Collective's past Loteria art exhibit this past spring. It's called "Ang Estrelya", a Filipino take on the Mexican loteria card for "La Estrella" (the "star"; the artist is Nina Cristobal of Nina Cee Studio)...

Desserts round up - Eccentric International Chefs Bakery, Arely French Bakery, home bakers, Niederfrank's & Mexico Lindo Bakery

This post kind of languished since January 2018...

so her it is, a compilation of desserts posts...

South Bay Food Crawl 2018 - IB: Trident Coffee, Deb's Cookie Jar & Star Dust Donuts

Imperial Beach was our next stop...

Caffeine was in order here.  Cold brews to be specific...

Nomad Donuts Bakery & Cafe revisit + a few changes

We took the car in for a service checkup super early this morning...

Afterwards, we headed here....

Blush Desserts (under new management)

Months later...

I'm finally posting my visit to the newly revamped Blush...

Return to International Cafe & Deli

Last month Bert and I stopped here...

The strip mall sign on Linda Vista Road still has "Ryan's Cafe" on it...

It is now this...

I liked it so much during my visit with the Educators GF's (post linked at the end) that a return visit was in order...

Birthday Brunch with MFH @ Cafe 21 on Adams + return to Kouch Lounge

The last Sunday of my birthday month was spent in the company of one of my dearest friends, MFH...

We got to Cafe 21 on Adams Ave bright and early.

I wasn't sure how busy it would be for Sunday Brunch so our plans were to go uber early since they don't take reservations...

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse + "Reservoir Dogs" location across the street!

Chicken Boy is watching you...

in Highland Park that is.

Down Figueroa on 59th, you will see this liquor store...

proclaiming, "The coldest beer in town"...

We made it through the rain...to Pasadena - Pho Banh Mi Che Cali, Cafe 86 and Copa Vida

The weather when we left San Diego was relatively decent, albeit cloudy with an impending storm.

It wasn't until later in the afternoon that the rain started barreling in...

The Incredible Cheesecake Company revisits

We didn't have to walk too far to get here...

It was good since we parked right around the corner.

Thank goodness I found my coupon so we could make use of it today...

Lezzet with the neighbors

Last night we enjoyed dinner with our neighbors at Lezzet Cafe,

a Turkish/Russian restaurant next to the "Nude Girls" sign on Main Street...

Sweet Revenge Bakery

It's been awhile since I last checked out this particular strip mall.

It's in my old 'hood down south...

Valerio's Bakery closed several years ago when the owner passed away. It is now a pizza place. The Filipino takeout place, Zambales is also gone and replaced by Botanas Locas.  Next to it was a "Bakery" sign so I was hopeful...

Cake de Partie - the last stop for TORC's birthday crawl

When searching for a dessert place for TORC's birthday crawl, I wanted to go somewhere that we all hadn't been to before. Here's my "drive by" shot (I was the passenger mind you, not the driver).

There were a couple of choices in this area, but Cake de Partie seemed to be the most versatile since it offered not only desserts, but snacks and drinks (soda, teas, and coffee).

Cake de Partie (only two weeks new at time of writing), is located at the site of the now defunct Tea Garden and next to the now empty Pangea Bakery storefront...

Dole Whip, Belmont Park

Today was the last Friday before our Fall Break ended. Bert took the day off to be with me, TC and a friend. We spent the morning over in Mission Beach, specifically Belmont Park...

The Dole Whip truck didn't open until noon so we made sure to come back later once we had lunch...

Turkish Delight from Balboa International Market and Harvest International Market

Last week Bert and I had some free time and decided to check out a new ethnic market...

I'd just read Cathy's recent post on Balboa (linked at the end) and remarked to Bert that we should check it out.

It's kind of hidden on Balboa Ave (behind Mr. Fish and Chips) and in the same strip mall with Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore and Sufi Mediterranean Cuisine...

Summer Road Trip 2016 Day 6 - Breadologie Bakery, Granada Hills

For our vacations, we USED to just want to make a straight shot down from wherever we were to San Diego.

But nowadays, I see it as an opportunity to explore. A road trip is an excuse to try new places...

and this last day of our summer trip was no exception...

Moscow and Tblisi Russian Bakery

I remember reading online that the Richmond District had a sizable Russian population...

What better place to explore a Russian eatery/bakery on one of the main streets...

Ther ewere several places on our radar, like Europa Plus...

Summer Road Trip 2015 - Day 7 - Our 20th Wedding Anniversary fast forward + Daly City 99 Ranch,Oui! Oui! Macaron, OBSF, Sutro Baths and giving up on going to Lands End

Even though we were on vacation, we still got up early...

the better to beat the crowds at this popular Outer Sunset spot...