Weekend Explorations: Outer Sunset in San Francisco

One of my favorite things about San Francisco is the distinct personality of each neighborhood.  Z does not really care what we do on the weekend, but I have made it a point to start exploring more neighborhoods, and Z is kind enough to come along for the ride (and often drive!).

We visited the Sunset a few times over the past month, and both times we found great spots that we had to share.

Devil’s Teeth Baking Company: San Francisco sure does love its bakeries, and the Sunset has its own claim to fame with Devil’s Teeth. They are famous for their breakfast sandwiches of egg, bacon, cheese, avocado and lemon aioli on a freshly baked biscuit. We also tried their donut muffin and cinnamon roll, which were both delicious. Come willing to share the baked treats!

Andytown: I heard about this coffee roaster from colleagues at work. I particularly intrigued by the "Snowy Plover", an iced coffee drink named after a small bird. The drink is actually espresso, tonic water, and brown sugar over ice, topped with homemade whipped cream. It's delicious -- perfectly sweet and refreshing. They also have delicious scones and soda bread. Z and I shared the cheddar and scallion scone. Despite the line out the door, we would go again in a minute. Plus, one can't help but love their succulents.

Kauai Food Guide

Z and I just returned from Kauai! We had a great time hiking, swimming, and of course, eating. Traveling for me is equally about the food as it is about the sights. For our visit to Kauai, I researched food pretty extensively; I want to make sure that if I am spending money out, it’s worth it! 

Below are a few of the restaurant Z and I highly recommend if you are visiting the Garden Island of Kauai:

Java Kai: Z and I ended up stopping here almost every day for smoothies or coffee. They had a great selection of coffees they roast on site, and the smoothie menu has something for everyone. Z in particular loved the Acai smoothie that had acai berries and pineapple juice. 

Bar Acuda: By far the most acclaimed and famous restaurant on the island, Bar Acuda is the place to go for an extremely delicious (read: expensive) dinner. Their most popular dish is a $15 cheese plate of Humboldt Fog cheese, Fuji apples, and local honeycomb, but I also loved the lamb with feta and roasted tomatoes. 

Ha Coffee Roasters: A great space and good coffee makes this coffeeshop a score. It has a ton of space, wifi (in case your hotel doesn’t have it), and wide selection of coffee. I got the nitro cold brew, which was delicious and highly caffeinated, but Z’s salted caramel blended ice coffee was equally tasty. 

Moloa’a Juice Bar: This side of the road juice stand has all the tropical fruit your heart desires. Z and I loved the acai bowl here, which was a steal at $8 (compared to SF prices). It was giant (big enough to share!) and you get a great view. 

Tropical Taco: The fish tacos at this restaurant are so good that Z and I ate them three times on our trip. The use insanely fresh mahi mahi, and then fry it to a crisp for their tacos. This was bonkers. 

Koloa Fish Market: We tried two poke places, and this ended up being our favorite. Go for two scoops of rice, and then get the avocado poke. The ahi tuna is perfectly seasoned in an avocado sauce. At under $10 per person, it’s a great lunch spot. 

Wishing Well Shaved Ice: Splurge on the organic shaved ice here. It’s $8 for two flavors of shave ice in a large bowl, plus toppings. Lilikoi (passionfruit) was so heavenly. I shy away from fruity desserts (I almost always prefer ice cream), but shaved ice might make me change my mind. 

Lappert’s Hawaii: This Hawaiian ice cream staple is the place to go for macadamia nut and banana ice creams. In particular, I enjoyed their chocolate macadamia nut, which was chocolate ice cream with chocolate covered macadamia nuts. Also, go for the cone! They are quite fresh here. 

Kauai Brewing Company: This brewery in Lihue features food trucks every Wednesday. The beer was good, not amazing, and you can try all 8 for $16. The atmosphere was really fun, and it’s a great low-key outing for the evening. 

St. Regis Princeville Bar: The St. Regis bar has the most spectacular view of Hanalei Bay, and it’s worth the $16 cocktail to go watch the sunset. They saber a champagne bottle every evening which is also fun to watch. The snack mix which they give out for free is tasty as well. 

NYC and SF Guides

In need of a food and travel guide for San Francisco and New York? I just updated my NYC and SF guides, so you can find the best coffee shops, restaurants, ice cream places, plus activities, in the city. The New York City Guide has some updated favorites from my last trip, and the San Francisco City Guide includes some of my favorite, newer places here in the city. Have fun exploring!

Wine Country Weekend

Only 3.5 more days until the weekend--yay for short weeks! Today, I'm sharing a few snaps from the weekend. Z and I took off Friday night for Santa Rosa. After so much cold weather in the city, it was great to escape for some sunshine.

Saturday started off with a 12 mile bike ride around Healdsburg. We rented bikes from Spoke Folk Cyclery, and we biked along West Dry Creek Road. The road was filled with vineyards, and we stopped by Lambert Bridge Winery for a taste of their wines ($15 for the signature sampler). After a little bit of wine, we caught our bearings with a break in their garden, and then we headed back to Healdsburg for lunch.

Post bike ride, we walked over to Shed. Part market, part restaurant, part community space, it's hard to not love Shed. The produce is local, the kombucha is homemade, and the design is impeccable. While waiting for a table, we wolfed down a delicious, but oh so simple, sandwich of butter, honey, and brie (with some black rose and honey kombucha). At lunch we shared a peaches, burrata, and mint salad, but then chose our own entrees. I particularly enjoyed my charred asparagus and leek quiche, and the blood orange shrub. Because we hadn't had enough food (yeah, right) we got some fancy ice cream (Brown Butter & Peach, Blood Orange & Raspberry) from Noble Folk.

Saturday night was spent at Russian River Brewing Company, trying out their 20 beer sampler! To be honest, I am not a fan of their hoppy IPAs, but Z was enjoying himself.

Sunday brunch was absolutely delicious at Girl and the Fig in Sonoma. We splurged with drinks and pastries, but hey, you only live once, right? In particular, the avocado toast with hardboiled egg and smoked trout, plus a sunflower sprout salad, was awesome.

Our last stop of the weekend was at Domain Carneros, a winery owned by Taittinger that specializes in sparkling wine. Though it does have a much more corporate feeling than many other wineries, the chateau and setting was lovely. For $30, you can get a sparkling wine tasting of their four most popular wines!

Puerto Vallarta!

Hi everyone! I am sorry for the lack of posts last week. I went to Puerto Vallarta, was delayed heading home, and then was only home fore three days before leaving for DC for the weekend. It's been a very hectic two weeks.

I'm writing this post from the Atlanta airport right now. Outside it's gray, dark, and rainy, but I'm inside looking at these photos from Mexico which are just filled with sunshine and color...the perfect start to the first work week of Spring!

Z's family and I went to Puerto Vallarta for a few days to relax and soak in the sun. We stayed a resort south of the city that had a great view of the ocean and beaches. We laid out by the pool, spent some time paddleboarding, and ate a lot of guacamole!

I particularly loved the flavored waters and juices the resort would distribute to everyone. My favorite was a honeydew, lime and mint combination that was simply delicious. I'm definitely inspired to create more interesting non-alcoholic drinks like this.




We also had to order a few tropical drinks, mainly because I've had "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" stuck in my head for the past few weeks.

We also went out for an amazing dinner to celebrate Z's sister's birthday at a restaurant called Cafe Des Artistes. They brought out a very traditional ceviche, but then we enjoyed delicious French food the rest of the night. They sure know how to celebrate a birthday!

What family vacations have you enjoyed recently? Where do you want to go next?

Travel Guides: New York City and the Peninsula

Today, I am sharing two new travel guides with you! One covers New York City, while the other one focuses on the Peninsula, just south of San Francisco.

When traveling or eating out, I look for welcoming and delicious restaurants that fail to disappoint. In my mind, there is nothing worse than spending your money at a restaurant and leaving less than satisfied. Whether it's the latest trendy small plates restaurant or the corner deli, you should feel as if your meal is worth every penny. 

New York has been one of my favorite places to travel to since I was a child. We spend a few Thanksgivings in New York/Connecticut, and I fell in love with the theater (what child wouldn't love Beauty and the Beast on Broadway?), restaurants, and the Plaza Hotel (I think some days I still secretly wish I was Eloise). Zach and I celebrated our one-year anniversary in New York, and it was the first trip we took together. 

Follow Hilary Stone Soup's board New York, NY on Pinterest.

The San Francisco Peninsula includes many of the wonderful cities just south of San Francisco like Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View, and Redwood City. Despite being a collection of suburban cities, there is great food and wonderful places to visit, like my alma mater, Stanford. The Peninsula is definitely worth a visit next time you are in the Bay!

Follow Hilary Stone Soup's board The Peninsula on Pinterest.

To not miss any updates on these travel guides, make sure to follow me on Pinterest. Also, you can check out my San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. guides here. I'd love to hear what your favorite travel spots are!