Angelina | 1er

There are some reliable chains that you can count on when traveling through Paris. Paul was my favorite place to grab a quick bite and of course the above, Angelina. We went to the one next to the Tuileries. Between the two of us we just had the breakfast which included four croissants and two pieces of bread with an assortment of jams to share between two people. Andrew tried their famous hot chocolate--which was delicious but a bit too heavy after the first few minutes. I had orange juice and coffee. All in all, a comparable experience to brunch at Ladurée and surprisingly filling too! The macarons were really good but I'm still ever faithful to Chantal Guillon macarons in Hayes Valley!

Angelina

226 rue de Rivoli

75001 Paris

France

Concorde/Madeleine, 1er

Les Cocottes | 7ème

Our first dinner in Paris was in the 7ème arrondisement at Les Cocottes. We wanted to eat nearby the Eiffel Tower so that we could walk over afterwards to see the lights turn on and sparkle.

This was a really modern establishment compared to all of the other places we had eaten in France at that point. It's run by Christian Constant, who is something like the head judge of the French version of Top Chef. There was swag from his cookbooks behind the bar of the restaurant which made me a little weary. But, all in all it was a wonderful experience--and a really American one at that.

We didn't have to ask for une carafe d'eau; it came automatically. That was the most common mistake I made while traveling--failing to specify what kind of water I wanted. We ended up paying for bottled water needlessly on several occasions. The waiters also come back to check on you and ask how you're doing which is basically unheard of in most French restaurants.

We shared the foie gras to start with. I had the beef bavette for my main dish (pictured above) and it was delicious! Very tender...although it wasn't hot enough in my opinion. For dessert we shared the creme brulee, pretty conventional but it was really well done.

This was a really easy dinner night--no waiting for a table or dealing with grumpy waiters muttering putains under their breath. We walked in around 6 PM (which is extremely early for dinner in France) and were seated immediately at the bar. I'd easily recommend it to another friend.

Les Cocottes

135 rue Saint Dominique

75007 Paris

France

Tour Eiffel/Champ de Mars, 7ème

Barcelona is for food lovers.

"People who love to eat are always the best people." - Julia Child

When we planned our trip, we added Lyon because of its reputation for being France's gastronomical capitol. However, it really did not hold up to the incomparable Barcelona. Everything in Barcelona was delicious, almost pornographically so. We spent a lot of time researching where we wanted to eat (as one does) before taking off for our trip. I knew I wanted churros con chocolate, because uhm. Because. In any case, I spent most of the visit stuffing my face at every opportunity and then walking it off. I'm grateful for a boyfriend who really relishes eating because as Julia Child said, people who love to eat are the best people!

If you are visiting Barcelona soon, you must visit the following three places:

• TICKETS - This was by far the fanciest meal I've had to date. You have to make your reservation months in advance. Expect really inventive tapas, excellent service, and a most memorable meal. I was really glad my boyfriend went through the trouble to snag a reservation way back in March. My favorite tapas was the grilled octopus with kimchee. Best. Octopus. Ever.
• PINOTXO BAR - My brother and a coworker had recommended Pinotxo to me as I was researching joints to eat at. We actually didn't find it our first time wandering through the Boqueria but I am so glad we did. We should have eaten here daily because it was just the freshest, most delicious food. The old man that presumably owns the place is adorable. You just tell him if you want meat or fish and he takes it from there. 
• CAL PEP - This also came as a recommendation from a coworker. Come here if you love seafood. We waited in line for seats at the bar. Go with the recommended courses from the chef and they'll just take it from there. I really loved the fish here. I have no idea what kind of fish it was, but oh my god, I'm drooling at the thought of it.

Healdsburg | Sonoma County

Healdsburg is a darling little town. I find comfort in the similarities between Wine Country and where I'm originally from, Orange County. There's something very familiar in the atmosphere of Sonoma and home.

I had visitors this weekend, so we ventured up north to go wine tasting. But first, we started the day with lunch at Bravas for tapas.

And holy crap, the food was amazing. We all had sangria and shared several small plates like this grilled octopus. So gorgeous, I couldn't resist sharing the food porn.

Our waiter was really friendly too. He lead us on to the two wineries that we visited afterwards.

Needless to say, I would most certainly come back. Until then, I'll be daydreaming about my next visit.

Bravas

420 Center St

Healdsburg, CA 95448

Tartine Bakery.

Finally catching up on some backlogged posts. I've had a lot of visitors lately. When that happens I typically find myself at Tartine Bakery in the Mission. I went here for the first time when I was still at Cal. I remember the first time I went, it was my first time exploring the Mission District with my boyfriend and it was such an adventure. We made a day of it and went to the symphony at night.

Needless to say, I love this place. It has deep ties to how I feel about the time I've spent in the city and I will always return to it with friends new and old. But enough of the sentimentality--this place is amazing for brunch or coffee with a morning pastry. Nothing quite like washing down a Tartine morning bun with a cappucino on a Sunday.

The shiitake mushroom croque monsieur is my favorite thing to order. It's a thing of beauty. The pickled carrots are the perfect compliment too. I ordered this recently when my oldest brother and his girlfriend came to visit for a weekend.

And here are the glorious loaves of bread that people line up for. I love stealing a glance each time I walk by the cashier to see the loaves being freshly pulled out of the oven. FYI, you need to call at least one to two days in advance if you want to purchase loaves. Isn't that crazy?

Tartine Bakery

600 Guerrero St

San Francisco, CA 94110

b/t 19th St & 18th St in Mission