mission peak x2

on new year's eve last year, someone (i can't remember who) decided it was would be a great idea to climb mission peak in the middle of the day. i'd never climbed mission peak so i had no idea what i was in for. and boy, was i out of shape. it was me, my sis, our friends from zurich, and our friend's 10 y/o niece. hey, if she was up for it, why wasn't i? if you've never been up there, know that it is very difficult. it is basically all up hill with very few non-climbing breaks in between. it actually says that it's challenging at the front gate. and if you go too late and return after the sun sets, apparently you'll come down to the police waiting to cite you. it's quite dangerous to be up there in the dark.

we lucked out and it was slightly over casted so the sun wasn't burning down on us. unlucky for us, it was quite windy. it was actually almost the perfect weather for that hike. it took a while but we made it up there. it was so windy that i lost my fitbit getting to the top. on the way down, we were almost swept away by a small twister. and i'd never been so close to cows before on that hike. luckily, i asked fitbit to replace my tracker and they did! i received it in time for my hot chocolate race.

the second time i went up mission peak was the day before our friend, thao, was going to back to zurich. nearly a month later. my sister didn't get back to us so this time, it was me, thao, and her sis. and we decided to go when it opened at 6:30a. believe it or not, it was packed on this sunday morning. everyone and their mothers were there, really. on the way to the top, the sun started to rise. it was a beautiful sight. the image of the clouds are 3 different photos that google photos stitched together automatically. on the way down, the sun was beating down behind us. and there were crowds of people wishing they were heading back down like us. with the exception of the crowds, we had a great hike.

chef's menu at rich table

*** more back-dating! ***

rich table is in hayes valley in sf. my best foodie friend and some friends of ours wanted to try it. we got there and got rockstar parking right in front. it was amazing! bites at rich table (from left to right, top to bottom): oysters, kale & beet chips, sardine chips w/ horseradish creme fraiche, beet marshmallows, dried porcini doughnuts & raclette, bone marrow madeleines, dirty hippie (savory panna cotta), something with escarole & burrata, and kampachi. highlights were the oysters, beet marshmallows, dried porcini doughnuts, and the dirty hippie. the dirty hippie was particularly good. it had different textures and flavors that were very complimentary. it was like a party in my mouth. plates (from left to right, etc): white bean curry poppadom, fois gras w/ pomegranates, king salmon collar w/ pomegranates, chitarra w/ dungeness crab, beets & octopus pasta, and new york steak w/ fried shallots. everything was pretty delicious in this category. the highlight might have to be the foie gras since we have been deprived of it here in california until recently.

and finally desserts: chocolate mint mousse with cookie layers, some lemony goodness, and chocolate bon bons. i think these speak for themselves, don't you?