Bay Area Wrap-Up

Here’s some photos that go with yesterday’s post.  As I mentioned, we had brunch with friends expecting twins in September.  We were able to see their new house, and were spoiled with a delicious egg casserole, muffins and fruit.  n enjoyed his toaster waffles, too.

I think he will make a great dad.  He already has chalk and bubble skills.  k and n now refer to him as “The Bubble Machine”.

Back to Napa, on Sunday we visited the church that D’s parents’ neighbors attend.  We felt very welcome and the kids were able to go to Sunday School.  We also celebrated D’s dad’s 70th birthday.  We chipped in for a gift certificate to Morimoto’s new restaurant in Napa.

D\

Sons

Grandkids

For belated Mother’s Day we went to The Fish Story. 

I liked how they brought out carrots and celery for the kids and mini banana muffins in addition to the bread basket.

We shared fish and chips and a shrimp sandwich, which were both very good.

Isn’t this sign on the bathroom so cute?

Grandma and k outside of the restaurant

Back at home we had birthday cake.

In the afternoon D and I were able to do a little outlet shopping.  Then it was time for…you guessed it…more eating!

We went to Il Posto, a new Italian restaurant.

Chicken Parmesan

Kid’s pasta with Papa sauce

Bianco Pizza

Yes, there was a lot of good eating that weekend.  But there was also a lot of good visiting with family and friends. 

Napa or Bust

I’m behind in recapping our Nor Cal trip.  Friday night we ate dinner with my second cousin, her mom and her daughter, which was a treat since we do not see them too often. 

Third cousins!

We stayed overnight at D’s brother’s place, who graciously let us crash.  Saturday morning we went to see our friends (who are expecting twins!) and had brunch at their house.  After brunch we drove to Napa.  The traffic was pretty bad.  k was just starting to feel queasy when we pulled up to Addendum, where D’s parents were waiting for us. 

Thomas Keller, who runs the ridiculously expensive French Laundry ($270 per person, food only), opened up a more reasonably priced restaurant just down the street called Ad Hoc.  Now reasonable is relative of course, being that Ad Hoc’s dinner menu is around $52 per person.  However, TK is a smart business man and is now making his famous fried chicken available to the masses for $16 per person at Addendum.    

It also came with corn salad and potatoes.  We also tried the barbecue combo (brisket and ribs) but we liked the fried chicken the best.  Crispy and juicy!

For dinner we ate at Bui Café, but I did not take pictures. 

For Sunday breakfast we went to our favorite TK establishment, Bouchon Bakery.

D is serious about his pastries.

Chocolate donut (with Valrhona chocolate pearls, cherry chocolate scone, blueberry danish, pistachio and espresso macaron).  The macarons were for D’s parents, and we only finished half of the scone lest you think we over-ate.  Hehe.

  

The kids actually declared the donut “too sweet” but I loved the semi-sweet chocolate pudding filling inside. The blueberry danish was an all-around winner, though.

Bitter + Sweet

After Happy Hollow we went to Cupertino to visit D’s cousin’s wife’s coffee + dessert bar, Bitter + Sweet.  We had been wanting to visit ever since it opened last year.  The last time we saw D’s cousin and his wife, I remember her talking about opening a café one day.  She was in the banking industry at the time (and had been there for a long time), so I thought it was just a far off dream.  Little did I know that she was quite serious, and she worked hard to make her dream come true.   

Just like its owner, it is very stylish.

We tried the latte, which was excellent (and pretty).  D gave the latte his highest praise, as it garnered a coveted position on “The List”.

We also tried the ice cream, which is from Humphrey Slocombe in San Francisco.  I love their innovative flavor combinations.  We shared Secret Breakfast (w/ bourbon and cornflakes) and After School Special (w/ chocolate covered potato chips).  Yes, the kids did gobble up more than their fair share of both, (bourbon and all!), so much so that we ordered another scoop of Bittersweet Chocolate later.   

The place was packed on that Friday afternoon so we relocated to the tables and chairs right in front of the store.  It was the perfect place to meet up with one of my old college roommates who now lives in Cupertino, and her younger daughter.  It was fun to catch up and it’s funny to think that we’re both moms now—our college days seem so long ago.  Later on, my second cousin and her family came to meet us for dinner.  Coincidentally, it turns out that she actually works just down the street, and many of her co-workers are regulars at Bitter + Sweet!  Small world!     

Happy Hollow Zoo

I was surprised to learn that Happy Hollow is on the reciprocal Association of Science and Technology museum list.  I guess the educational part comes from the small zoo that is on the premises.

This guy did not look too happy—he was constantly pacing back and forth.

On our way out of the park we came across a sign featuring, quite possibly, the ugliest stuffed animal I have ever seen.

Needless to say, we did not come home with one.

Off to our next stop: Cupertino!

Happy @ Happy Hollow

For Memorial Day weekend we went to the Bay Area to visit family and friends.  Our first stop was in San Jose to re-visit Happy Hollow.  Since we bought the Discovery Museum annual pass, we were able to get in free with the reciprocal entry program.  That plus our first visit to the Discovery Museum pretty much paid for the pass!

When we arrived at around noon on Friday, there were a lot of field trip kids so it was a bit crowded.  However, once they went home, the lines were much shorter and we were able to do everything we wanted in less than three hours.

The bathroom in the new parking lot was cute and colorful, so I decided to snap a pic.

Our first stop, just like last time, was the carousel at the entrance.

It is nice how the kids can ride together without an adult on a lot of the rides.

We happily accompanied the kids on the mini-roller coaster that n was not big enough for last time:

Here is a picture of the Danny the Dragon Ride, which is apparently some sort of childhood icon for many who grew up going to Happy Hollow.  However, we were surprised by how many people in the Bay Area have not heard about this place.  

Curious George 1 Year Old Birthday Party

Yesterday we went to a cute birthday party for a cute 1 year old boy.  It was held at a park multipurpose room nearby.

There were coloring tables.

There were delicious tacos.

There were cute centerpieces.  (We were actually asked to take this home with us, so D is bringing it to work.  If you work with D, feel free to stop by his desk!)

There was even…a bubbleologist!

The bubbleologist was taking volunteers to stand inside a bubble.  n didn’t want to do it, but surprisingly, k did.

Once n saw k do it, he wanted to do it too.

And of course, there was cake!

 

Nothing cuter than a 1 year old eating his first birthday cake.