Quick Picks in San Francisco

I just got back from a quick trip to San Francisco. I don't have my camera with me so I'll have to add a new entry later but here are some quick picks from my trip:

Hotel Triton

Yet another reason why I'm starting to find Kimpton to be my favorite small chain. Whimsical, reasonable prices and great little touches for Kimpton InTouch members. You can't beat the location... caddy corner from Chinatown's Gateway Arch.

One Market Restaurant

Two simple dishes was all it took to show me the light as to why this restaurant earned a Michelin star. One of my dishes begged to be licked clean. I went for lunch and ate at the bar but I imagine reservations are strongly recommended at this celebrated eatery.

54 Mint

Located in Mint Plaza, I really loved 54 Mint. It was the Italian feel - every single person I spoke to... from Claudio, one of the partners, to Nicola and everyone inbetween, was Italian. Italian run through and through led to an authentic Italian experience... a leisurely pace and not the most smoothly run operation but, ironically, that's what I liked about it. It was real and the people were fantastic. I had a nice rughetta salad to start and scrumptious octopus carpaccio.

Cafe de la Presse

Was I in Paris? Seriously... this French owned cafe has absolutely nailed it. I had breakfast so I can't speak to the cafe's "real" menu... all I know is that the experience was great. They had the "right" chairs (straight out of a typical Parisian cafe), French staff and just the right feel. If you've been to France before, go here and you'll know exactly what I mean.

Other...

An eminently walkable town, use your feet to get around. So much to see and do. On a related note, to get to and from SFO, be sure to use BART. Roundtrip tickets cost roughly $16.00 and offer a safe, comfortable ride into the center of San Francisco.

Endless Choices in Tuscany

A visit to the Maremma area of Tuscany is in our future. The more I dig and research the area, the more I realize I face an impossible task of determining what hill towns to visit while there. Small, medieval burgs perched on tufa cliffs, seaside ports, island castles or fortified villages? How do you pick? Seriously, it's just about ridiculous. Here are three candidates... l'Isola del Giglio, Capalbio and Pitgliano (in Italian)

Baked capesante for dinner?

Fresh capesante or scallops for sale in Venice, Italy

My Friend's Exotic Travels...

A buddy of mine took a year off from practicing law to travel across the globe... it won't be long before he finds his way back to the states. Until then, he's been documenting his travels on-line. Hundreds of entries and thousands upon thousands of photographs from exotic locales you've probably never heard of. I've just spent the past hour poring through his pictures and I find the journal fascinating. I think you will too... enjoy browsing through Break from the Law

Quality on the Rise at CityCentre and Hotel Sorella

There's been a lot of buzz surrounding the opening of CityCentre in Houston and the accompanying Hotel Sorella. Rightfully so... the mixed use development is beautiful and you can tell everything is being done with quality and design in mind. Restaurants like Eddie V's, Ra Sushi and Straits and stores like Anthropologie and Bailey, Banks and Biddle have already opened. Yard House is set to open this month and soon others like Brio Tuscan Grille and The Wine Loft will open.

We had a chance to stay at Hotel Sorella and absolutely loved the hotel. Sleek, modern design with nice touches everywhere. The lobby has a modern but very inviting look with comfortable seating that also doubles as a continental breakfast area. To the right of the lobby of the Monnalisa bar with a gorgeous interior featuring an elevated firepit and a big outdoor deck with a pool and private cabanas.

The rooms are nice and roomy - over 400 sq ft with views looking towards the west side or the Galleria/donwtown. Everything is just done really well and if you're a fan of interior design, you'll appreciate the little touches they've made - you'll sure notice the repeating pattern found throughout the hotel.

I can't recommend the place enough, particularly since they have some very nice grand opening rates that can have you staying for as little as $99.00.

Facing into the room - plenty of space. The sofa is modular and movable.

Sorella did an nice job selecting comfortable bedding - this is a king size bed.

Looking down into the main plaza on a beautiful night

Live music on a Thursday night in front of the hotel - the Monnalisa set up a bar on the left.

Buenos Aires photography

If you love Buenos Aires like I do, I guarantee you will get buried and lost in this site - Buenos Aires Photographer. So many interesting subjects and shots... from ugly to beautiful, mundane to extraordinary. As for this photo, I took it on a steamy summer Saturday in February 2009. This couple parked themselves in one of the plazas in Palermo Viejo to get some sun. Two things that made it so Argentine for me are the man's slicked back hair and his ever-present bombilla de mate.


Do you get the feeling I want to only post about Buenos Aires? I should go there more often... that's my take.

Bar La Robla and fileatado

Well, I can't speak for the food but I can say that I liked the use of fileatado in their sign...

Bar la Robla

Dirección : Viamonte 1615

Barrio : San Nicolás

(54 11) 4811 4484