Halloweekend....

Wow, time flies when you're having fun! I have so much to blog about, yet I've been finding it hard to motivate myself to get typing and note down my thoughts...but the time has now come.

I love dressing up, and given that Americans go all out for Halloween, I have celebrated this holiday in San Francisco for the past few years.

I can safely say that this year has been my funnest Halloween yet! I even got to visit a pumpkin patch for the first time in my life, and then carved one (this is where my competitive streak came out) which was a great way to get into the festive spirit (actual spirits - namely, gin - also helped with this).










The pumpkins were surprisingly easier to scoop out than I had imagined, and I saved all the seeds to toast in the oven the next day....unfortunately, they didn't come out so great, as I forgot they were in there and burnt them a little...






October 31st fell on a Sunday this year, so it ended up being a Halloweekend full of fun. Friday kicked off with the party that the swing dance community has been awaiting with much excitement - the now annual Zombie Prom.






Held at Verdi Club, the Zombie Prom featured live music from the Hi-Rhythm Hustlers and Stompy Jones, plus Dj Oran Scott was on hand to play some killer (muahahahha!) sets. Hats off to Tanoa Stewart for organising such a fun party, and for going all out with the decorations. The joint was packed and it was great that so many people made a real effort with their costumes....there were some seriously terrifying zombies walking around!










I went as zombie Jessica Rabbit, and my boyfriend went as a zombie priest, and it was fun from the moment we started getting ready, to the moment I got to peel my eyelashes (yay I managed to glue them on and get them to stay in place all night!) off at the end of the night. I scored on the costume this year, as I found my dress at Goodwill for a bargainalicious $4, and managed to customise it into a pretty accurate representation of the original. I loved wearing a wig too, for the night, although having that much hair (which kept going in my eyes, my mouth...) got to be a little tedious - I have no idea how people with really long hair deal with having it everywhere about them, as it would drive me nuts having a mane that had a life of its own.








The night was the perfect mix of dancing and socialising. I found it tricky to dance too much (and by too much, I mean dancing to nearly every song), due to the combination of make-up, sweat and long hair, but I still managed to meet my exercise quota, and the music was so good, it was impossible not to dance.


It was great to see so many friends in costume (I didn't recognise them all!) and I found it highly amusing when people I knew didn't recognise me with red hair!








All in all a top night, and most certainly the best Halloween party I have been to thus far....


Sunday, Team Brunch hit Mission Beach Cafe in costume, where I had a seriously delicious short rib hash, with yams, brussel sprouts, apple, sweet potato and crème fraiche. I liked the vibe of the place, the 80s pop music was awesome, and our waiter was very knowledgable and helpful with regards to the dishes and his preferences. That said, although my food was yummy, I thought it was a little over priced at $15 for a breakfast dish.


I went to brunch as the devil, and I don't know if it was because it was warm out, or I was tired, or what, but I was so happy to get home and get out of costume, as my wig was driving me nuts, the horny hairband gave me a headache, and the make up was making me feel yucky. It was all worth it though, when on the walk back to the car, Michael Jackson and I were chased down the street and each got given medals for our costumes. Oh to get recognition....




Sunday night we celebrated in Alameda with a tiki twist at Forbidden Island's Hulaween party. Again, there were some great costumes (the lady who dressed up as a scorpion bowl was amazing) and a contest showcasing the crème de la crème of the bunch.


DJ Tanoa was on the decks and the music was the perfect mix of Halloween themed songs and then everything from the 50s to the 80s which got people up and dancing.....whooooooaaaaa here she comes, look out boy, she'll chew you up....






I went as a mime artist, on the arm of a handsome sailor. I think my mime was successful when I saw my boyfriend in his sailor uniform, as my eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets, although, I still need to learn the gestures for 'the coconut shrimp, spicy chicken bites and monkeypods at Forbidden Island are delicious' - because they are.

Kate & Brenda know their brunch.

In our attempt to eat our way across the city, Team Brunch has been out in full force, with the two most recent brunches being very memorable indeed.

First off, we went to Kate's Kitchen in the lower Haight last Monday. Scheduling conflicts meant that we went on Monday rather than over the weekend, and this worked out perfectly, because Kate's normally has a line out the door, but as it was a weekday, we were fortunate enough to only have to wait for them to clean a table that had just been vacated as we arrived.




Wow. Not only does this cute little joint have an exciting menu, but they have exciting prices to match - and by 'exciting' prices, I mean cheap.

Amongst our choices were the french toast orgy (which has fruit and granola piled on top of it), pumpkin choc-chip french toast with whipped cream, a yummy meat scramble and a veggie scramble (complete with crunchy bits of fried tortilla in the mix). All of the items on the menu are under $10 (most are between $6.50 and $8.50) and you get big portions. Be prepared...








The ambience is very homely and simple, and there is a huge mural on one of the walls with a map of all the different types of farms across the USA. I am keen to go back to this place and try some of the other dishes on the menu.




Yesterday we braved the smells of the TL to get our French soul food on at Brenda's. We had a feeling we would have to wait, and it is a tiny restaurant, but one and a half hours spent wasting away in the street is pushing it a little. I would say we were suckers for waiting that long, but once we were inside and we tried how yummy the food was, it all appeared to be worth it. Plus, as my boyfriend put it, we went out for a dining experience and it just so happens that this place has a long wait, so if you want to see what all the hype is about for yourself, this is just one of those things you have to deal with.








Whilst we were waiting we did walk a few blocks to another brunch place, but they had a long wait too, so we went back to Brenda's where our party was edging closer up the list. I saw this walk as pre-brunch calorie burning exercise, although the tenderloin is really not the nicest neighbourhood to take a walk in.

During our wait outside Brenda's we were approached by a homeless lady who informed me that she shook hands with two Blue Angels that day. She said they were super hot and how if she only had some decent clothes she would have been right in there....she followed this comment with some hip gyrating. I felt bad for her, but it was probably a good thing that we had a lengthy wait after this encounter as the smell that wafted about her lingered in our noses for rather a long time afterwards, and would not be conducive to eating.


Once we were inside we shared the beignet sampler which had 4 types: plain, chocolate filled, apple filled and crawfish filled. They were big enough for all four of us to try each of them. My favourite was the crawfish, and the others I was not blown away by - I think I prefer the beignets at Just for You Cafe.


The coffee was not enjoyable to me either, nor were the grits - but this is just because I have come to realise that I don't like grits - the rest of Team Brunch loved them. Now I know this is starting to sound like it wasn't really worth the wait for me.....but that's because I haven't mentioned the eggs benedict yet. I chose the fried catfish benny which comes on a biscuit with perfectly poached eggs and a delicious, slightly spicy, cajun hollandaise sauce. It was scrumptious and I cannot fault it at all.






This is probably one of those establishments where it is best to go during the week, if possible, although I can imagine that even mid-week you may have to wait a little while to get in. The whole timing of the day ended up being perfect from my perspective, because on our way back to the car from the restaurant, we ended up running into a couple of sailors, and being fleet week, I have had my eyes open for sailors allllllllll week long....

Alameda Sundays.

I had an absolute blast a couple of weeks ago at the tiki car lot sale held at Forbidden Island in Alameda.


Not only was the weather gorgeous, but the day was filled with lots of friends and familiar faces, cool stuff 'n' things to look at (including lots of cute dresses) and MONKEYPODS!







I had been dreaming about the wonderful rum concoction that is the Monkeypod since the last time I went to Forbidden Island back in May. It was just as delicious as I remembered, and I think I enjoyed it even more this time as I got to sip on my cocktail whilst browsing all the tiki goods on sale...




It was pretty much the perfect day, spending the whole afternoon in the sunshine with my wonderful man, wonderful friends and the wonderful taco truck that I became acquainted with.






I spent the whole afternoon pondering over a dress that I had my eye on, and by the end of the day, I decided to haggle my way in to being its owner...which I now am....


The draw of Alameda struck again last weekend with the Alameda Flea Market. Taking place on the first Sunday of each month, this market is humongous and attracts loaaaaaaaaaaaaaaads of people. As with my last visit to the market on my previous trip to the bay area, it was a beautiful day - just perfect to rummage through all the junk (and treasure) on offer.








This time round I came away with a cute compact mirror and two rose brooches. This market appeals to the pack rat in me, and to be honest if I sorted through all my belongings in London, I would have so much stuff to sell here. It's funny how some old tatty piece of crap can seem like treasure when it is being peddled at an 'antiques market'....








The items on sale at this market call for a lot of goofing around, and so of course, we goofed. The funnest props I have encountered so far, have to be the huge Incredible Hulk boxing gloves....






We had a lot of fun, running into friends throughout the day, taking photos, playing instruments and trying on various items of clothing and jewellery. After this it was over to Forbidden Island again for a cheeky cocktail and those damn delicious spicy chicken pieces and coconut shrimp. Oh my daaaaaaays they are so good...