Happy Weekend all and what a weekend it has been! Yesterday kicked off the 4th Annual Foodbuzz Festival ~ something I look forward to every single year. I love seeing running into old friends and making new ones…..not to mention all the delicious food and fun the festival entails.
The highlight of my day was having the chance to meet up with my sis in the city for lunch.
We both decided that we wanted to eat some place local and to have soup. After yelping a few ideas for soup places around the convention she was at, we ended up at San Francisco Soup Company.
I started with a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
She ordered their chicken tortilla soup that everyone raved about. Both soups had simple flavors that made them totally hit the spot.
We made our own meal “combo” by splitting their Cabo Chicken Salad which is HUGE. This was only about 1/3 of the container.
Plus a warm slice of fresh San Francisco Sour Dough Bread.
After lunch we grabbed lattes and I headed over to the Sir Francis Drake to register The Husband and I for the Foodbuzz Fest.
Foodbuzz partnered with some fantastic companies this year to bring us some pretty cool swag bags.
Seriously, how cute is this reusable bag?! I love it!
Our Nature Box was stacked with bags and bags of snack mix.
The mix I cannot wait to try first includes the little star chocolates I used to get as a kid.
I had the chance to meet Gerry of Foodness Gracious this weekend who is launching his new Toot Sweet Artisan Caramels.
What I think is awesome about his products aside from being homemade is that he uses honey to sweeten them. I love that they use simple, quality, sustainable ingredients in their caramels that are perfectly seasoned with sea salt.
Yup, I pretty much tore open both flavors as soon as I got home. The Pistachio Rosemary is pretty interesting with the perfect balance of herby, salty, nutty crunch.
My favorite flavor to date ~ Honey Sea Salt….it literally melts in your mouth.
Once The Husband finished worked, we headed back to the City for the Welcome Reception and Cocktail Party which was held at the Harry Denton Starlight Lounge on top of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.
The hotel is so swanky (in a good way) inside complete with a disco ball ~ so fun!
The views of San Francisco from the wall windows were amazing.
After grabbing club sodas with lime, we were off to chat it up with everyone.
The Appetizer Table was under the Disco Ball….Can you all believe I tried the Miso Soy Glazed Tofu and I liked it?! Tofu is pretty much up there on my list with stinky cheese….but, this had so much flavor it tasted pretty decent….It’s just a texture thing now
Other favorites aside from the Beet Salad pictured above….
The Gluten Free Pork Belly with Mango Salsa on a Taro Root Chip
And Spiked Watermelon with micro greens and sweet peppers.
Earlier in the week, we were all allowed to pick one of the 484 restaurants listed on Open Table to book a reservation at and dine out on the town!
As tempted as we were to go to House of Prime or Sears Fine Foods, we decided to try something new and headed over to the Daily Grill.
The Daily Grill is all about taking Classic American Dishes, including grilling great burgers, steaks and chops, and putting a contemporary twist on them.
One of the main reasons I wanted to go was the Daily Grill Simply 600 Menu.
The décor totally lives up to their theme ~ a fancy renovated diner.
My Date for the night
He started with their mixed green salad with a tangy, balsamic dressing.
I started with Pinot Noir Wine
Action shot a la The Husband after “slyly” taking my camera….
I started with the butternut squash soup ~ it was light, broth based, yet, decadent and creamy from the fancy crème fresh on top.
I am pretty sure every restaurant in San Francisco has to serve their version of hot, crusty sour dough bread….and, every time you eat in San Francisco….you NEED to try it
I ordered off the 600 calorie menu picking the Herbed Chicken Caprese.
“Grilled Herb Chicken Breasts, Served with Fresh Mozzarella, Vine Ripened Tomatoes, Arugula and a Balsamic Glaze.”
The chicken was smoky which went well with the salty mozzarella, sweet tomatoes and balsamic glaze. The lemon balanced out the arugula and made this dish so satisfying you’d never guess it was less than 600 calories based on flavor alone.
We also shared a side of Fully Loaded, Double Smoked Bacon Mac N Cheese. If you order one thing at the Daily Grill ~ order this. It’s beyond cheesy with sweet crispy pieces of bacon and garlicky mushroom slices.
Once our waiter told us the recipe for their Key Lime Pie came from the Chef’s Wife, we knew we had to try it.
The perfect finish ~ light, creamy, tangy and that fresh raspberry sauce and whipped cream made this dish one I’d order ever single time I go there.
After dinner we strolled through the City before heading back to get ready for Day 2 of the Foodbuzz Festival.
I have so many pictures to share with you all ~ I honestly think I might have taken over 500 today at the Farmer’s Market, Tasting Pavilion and the Gala Dinner at the California Academy of Sciences.
Stay tuned tomorrow for more FoodBuzz Fest Fun…..Until then, I put together a Pin Board for everyone to see all the posts I’ve done to date for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and now 4th Foodbuzz Festivals on Pinterest.
Night all!
All the food looks fabulous! Hope you have a great rest of the weekend!
Daily Grill is one of my favs!
Looks like a tasty time was had by all 😀
Cute date! Everything looks so great. Hope to get out there sometime and try some of the sourdough bread! You look like you are having a blast….
Okay, this entire post was awesome, but those breads looked killer!
Danica, you are awesome for linking up my caramels, I totally appreciate it 🙂 It was great to meet you and give yourself a pat on the back for getting up a post so soon!!
looks fun!! i love your action shot!! hehe