Little Ladies

It's summer time again and for our family that means a slew of birthdays. Well this weekend we kicked off 4th of July and my mom's birthday. My sister's and I always collaborate for our parents birthdays and holiday gifts and this year was no different. But as we get older, we find it harder and harder to get our parents gifts. I mean what do you get someone who has everything?

One day we were bouncing off ideas in a group text message and Dani suggested, "What about a girls day?" And it just clicked. That's what we'll get her. I mean what woman doesn't love a good a girls day? So I have a connection at La Note, a local Berkeley restaurant and staple for the Ladies Who Brunch, and booked us an appointment for a nice breakfast to begin the day. Dani then scheduled the second half of the day by booking us mani pedis at a local nail salon. Michelle then put it all together, as only a ultra planner does, by creating a invitation to send out as a surprise.

We ended up celebrating the birthday a day early and that weather could not have been more perfect. It was sunny but still comfortable enough for a jacket. My mom had not been to La Note in quite some time and really enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Plus it was such a big advantage having a reservation, weekend wait times can typically be at least an hour wait. 

Michelle and I picked out some nail polish and surprised her with a small gift.

We started off our meal with an order of the Toasted Cinnamon Brioche with Hot Cocoas and Mochas all around. And yes, that is a bowl that they come in.

*Cote Nord - two eggs lightly scrambled with cream cheese, over toasted levain bread and served with home fries and Provencial tomatoes

*Omelette A La Confiture- orange marmalade omelette served with grapefruit and a croissant.

*Omelette De Pommes De Terre- potato and carmelized onion omelette, served open face, with Provencales tomatoes and a croissant.

The whole day ended up being a great success and my mom really enjoyed herself. It was nice having a day for just us girls, and I'm sure my dad enjoyed the peace and quiet. We are hoping to do this again when our Aunt Joni comes into town.

We made it to Pittsburgh!!

So we just left Ann Arbor and arrived in Pittsburgh late Thursday night. Friday morning we visited CMU, ran errands, and more importantly visited Pamela's Diner. I haven't been to Pamela's since we first moved Michelle so I happy to revisit the diner and eat their famous breakfast dishes.

I got to meet Nero, Michelle's roommate's dog. He is super cute, super tiny, and my dad's best friend.

Our table at Pamela's --- Traditional pancake, strawberry stuffed pancakes, lyonnaise potatoes, corn beef hash, eggs, and bacon.

And yes, it was as good as I remember .

Ladies Who Lunch: Solano Edition

While Michelle is back in California, our friend Marianna and I decided to put together a Ladies Who Brunch gathering. After many suggestions for places to go in Berkeley, Michelle suggested a good ole hometown favorite, Bab's Delta Diner. Bab's is one of my favorite restaurants in Fairfield and this outing gave us a chance to show Marianna a little around our home town. Once again the attire was dresses and the food was breakfast.

Dani and I enjoying our Hot Cocoa

Marianna and Michelle 

Our crowded table

My meal: Meatless breakfast and a side of blueberry hotcake

Dani's meal: Omelette ( Spinach, Cheese, and Bacon ) with homefries and cinnamon toast

Michelle's Meal: Omelet (Spinach, Bacon, and Cheese) with homefries and a hotcake

Marianna's Meal: Veggie scramble and homefries

The Lovely Ladies who Brunch

Unfortunately today marks Day 4 of my Portland trip, which means I am heading back to California. I only had a few hours before I had to head toward the airport so I decided to venture across the river and head to Pine State Biscuits. I had heard a lot about this place so I made sure get there early. 

They are known primarily for their fried chicken and biscuit sandwiches but since that was not an option for me I opted for The Regina, their vegetarian option.

The Regina
A biscuit with an over easy egg, topped with collard greens and doused in Texas Pete hot sauce .

I decided to compliment my sandwich with a nice glass of fresh squeezed OJ.

Ladies who Brunch

Today was our very first "Ladies who Brunch" gathering. Our requirement for the gathering was to wear a dress and eat breakfast. I thought this would be fun since nowadays no one really wears a dress anywhere. I suggested La Note as our place of choice because of their cute French vibe and tasty breakfast. It was actually supposed to happen last week for my birthday but we had to delay it due to schedule conflicts.

Dani & Marianna in the proper ‘Ladies who Brunch’ attire

Toasted Cinnamon Brioche with Lavender Honey

Hot Cocoa, and yes that is a bowl that it comes in.

My breakfast: Oeuf a la Coque
2 three minute boiled eggs served in their shell, served with thinly sliced toast for dipping, home fries, and Provencales tomatoes

Dani’s breakfast: La Note Pain Perdu
Three slices of semolina French bread soaked in orange-water batter, spindled with lavender honey

Marianna’s breakfast: Cote Nord
2 lightly scrambled eggs with cream cheese over wheat bread, topped with goat cheese and served with home fries and Provencales tomatoes

Ladies in Action

Break from the crazy

Today was the day that many Apple-ites had been waiting for. It was the launch of the new iPhone 5. Launches mean new products, overnight shifts, day long hours, and plenty of customer interactions. Personally, I have never been one to have the latest and greatest in technology so I honestly don't quite understand the hype. So on my lunch break I decided to leave the store and walk a few blocks down to one of my favorite cafes, Tomate Cafe. I decided to order breakfast because nothing calms crazy like a good plate of breakfast. :)

Harvest Plate
2 over-easy eggs, wheat toast, braised kale, cinnamon fried apples, housemade zucchini cheese cakes, and veggie sausage

Oh and fresh OJ. 

Exploring in the East Bay

Today I hung out with one of my favorite ladies, Helene. We ended up having quite the day adventure, which included thrifting and plant nurseries , but before that we started our day with brunch. Our place of choice was Mama’s Royal Cafe. Helene and her boyfriend Phillip opted for Hollandaise dishes while I opted for the Vegi Joe scramble and a hot chocolate.

Hot Chocolate

Vegi Joe scramble 
Morning Star veggie links, spinach, tomato, N.Y. Sharp Cheddar, avocado. Served with toast & fresh fruit.

This place is real good and has that Oakland hipster vibe to it. They even display napkin art done by customers on the wall. So if your ever feeling ‘hip’ in Oakland and want a good plate of breakfast stop by.

PA's Pamela

Today we decided to break our normal routine of Dunkin Donuts and head out for a more fulfilling breakfast. After a little research on Yelp we decided to head to Pamela's Diner, which has repeatedly been voted the best breakfast in Pittsburgh. This place was so good and had lightning fast service. Literally, it took us longer to decide on what to order than the time it took to wait for our food. I ordered stuffed strawberry hotcakes, 2 eggs, and Pamela's famous lyonnaise potatoes. Michelle ordered their famous corned beef hash with over medium eggs and Mom opted for California French toast and bacon. Everything we ordered was simply amazing. The hotcakes were unlike anything I had ever eaten. They were a crepe-pancake hybrid with crisp edges and had sour cream in the fresh strawberry filling. Simply put they were off tha hook! And the lyonnaise potatoes.. mmmm mmmm mmmm.. Just oh so good and cooked to perfection. Mom loved the French toast and Michelle was thoroughly pleased with her hash. If you love breakfast like I do then Pamela's is a definite must.

Old spot, New food

This morning our grandpa took our family (minus Monique) back to one of our classic breakfast spots, Huckleberry's where we all tried something new.