Eating in San Francisco: Beretta

I found this beautiful place for my 21st birthday meal with my sister, during my year in the city. Perched at the top of Valencia Street in the Mission District where I spent so much of my time it had rave reviews and the menu looked decadent without being over the top. Not only did it live up to my (pretty high) expectations, but it surpassed them.

To dine at this little gem you can only call an hour ahead to pop your name on the wait list, no reservations.

So we arrived and were told there was a 15-20 minute wait for the table. There was really only one thing for it, cocktails at the bar. The place was already bustling and we stood taking in the dark wood surfaces, hanging line of bulbs and high, open ceilings while we sipped on apple/gin/lemon/basil/honey concoctions.

Ferry Building Farmer's Market

My parents came to visit a few weeks back and, having not seen them since August, it was incredibly surreal showing them the city. I was completely spoilt, and benefited from being a tourist all over again for a week - discovering new areas I hadn't even ventured into before and getting a bit more background from tour guides! 

One morning we headed over to the Ferry Building for the Farmer's Market and were greeted by endless stalls of produce and other items for sale and to eat. There was such a variety and it lulled the separation from the countryside a little bit. I'm a big supporter of fresh produce, particularly from local growers - the less packaging, processing, and air miles the better! It was a brilliant education in the best things to grow in California and the variety that's available locally. I also enjoyed all the little free tasters far too much...

Here's some snapshots of things we saw...and ate!

Ferry Building with the City behind it. The clock tower mimics Big Ben in London!

Bundled Asparagus - I love the purple heads

One of the first things I saw and smelt...spit roast - quickly induced hunger!

Fresh greens

All types of colourful mushrooms inside the building

We may have had some oysters for breakfast, overlooking the Bay Bridge...

Crunchy but sweet pears...

...which we paired with this delicious sheep's milk cheese (cured for 70days). And took the remainder on a walk around Land's End.

A perfect city day intertwined with the outdoors.

I'm off to Coachella next week...hope all of you there this weekend have a brilliant time!

For more regular updates find me on Twitter @mlle_milly
& Instagram @millysampson
x

Wandering the West Coast: Portland

A seriously whirlwind tour of our trip to Portland...

Top tips include:
Brunch at JAM on Hawthorne and be prepared to be full all day
jamonhawthorne.com
Visit the Pearl District for some posh eats and cute shops
explorethepearl.com
The area around Powell's Bookstore on West Burnside has record shops, vintage clothing & the flagship Dr Martens store - as well as Sizzle Pie - before heading down to the infamous Voodoo Doughnuts
powells.com
voodoodoughtnut.com
Pop by Reed College campus if you want to see English boarding school style buildings planted firmly in the American landscape. You can even take a walk round its very own 'canyon'.
reed.edu
Eat at Old Town Pizza (mac&cheese and garlic knots are highly recommended) & soak up the surroundings

oldtownpizza.com

Infamous Voodoo Doughtnuts...

Voodoo Doughtnuts extensive menu and colourful store (there is a LOT of pink)

I went with the 'Old Dirty Bastard'...chocolate frosting, Oreo's and peanut butter !

Powell's Bookstore - you can pick up a map of this wonderful, and very large, independent book store inside. 

Grab a slice at Sizzle Pie across the road from Powell's - perfectly concocted pizza.

Coming soon...back to the city for restaurants, days out, exploring new areas and much more.
Plus adventures down Route 1 / the Pacific Coast Highway and visits to San Luis Obispo.

We also can't wait for Coachella in two weeks time, can you?!

x

Wandering the West Coast: Seattle

A while back the girls and I headed North for a little adventure. We crossed state lines to visit Seattle (Washington) and Portland (Oregon). A lot of fun, wandering, and, of course, eating - here's a whirlwind tour of some of the spots we visited in Seattle via photographs...

We drank a lot of coffee and read our books (The first Starbucks was in Seattle don't cha know?) at some beautiful little independents, wandered the infamous Pike Place market, rode the Monorail, visited the space needle and more. 

First ever Starbucks

Seattle Fire Truck !


Infamous Pike Place Market


Fish inside Pike Place Market.
The guys on the 'Pike Place' specific stall draw people in by throwing fish to each other amongst the counters and crowd whilst yelling... We also tried 'Salmon Jerky' - seriously good.


Bubblegum Alley...two of the girls added to this beautiful? wall


Blue trees in the city centre...


Top of the Space Needle

Next stop was Portland, Oregon...
Where have you been visiting lately?
x

Outerlands, SF

This little spot is seriously worth waiting for - just sign up on the list and take a walk to the beach in the mean time. It's got a beachy feel but also reminds me of a lot of the fancier little cafes I frequent in London in the summer months. It also features one of my favourite things about restaurants - you can see into the kitchen! We took a seat at the window, looking out onto wooden benches, and I ordered a delicious gingery warm cider. The menu is something that took a lot of contemplation. There's not too much on it but it's all oh so tempting. 

In the end I went for the grilled cheese and soup deal - and luckily it was the perfect choice. Their grilled cheese is to die for, I'd go for it alone. Perfectly full we opted out of any sort of coffee/pudding ideas, but I'd definitely go back. 

Find them at: outerlandssf.com
4001 Judah St @ 45th Ave

Hope you're having a good week! 

xxx