My Non-Traditional Thanksgiving

 I decided to break away from tradition for the Thanksgiving holiday and head up north to visit my Pop and see some of the sights of Nor Cal!

So a few weeks ago I found this internet show called 24 Hours of Gluttony where these two adorable fellas go to different cities and  try 24 restaurants in 24 hours! So after watching their San Fransisco episode I decided to make my dad take me on a quick tour to try a few of the 24 places.

The first place we tried was a coffee shop called  Front Cafe where we had a very exotic slow drip coffee.  I NEVER drink black coffee, but the barista insisted that this was not a coffee to add anything to.  My coffee was Ethiopian and it was sweet and delicate and very delicious. My dad opted for the Columbian roast. They also had a really cool work co-op connected to the coffee shop which could be rented by the day, week, or month.

 

Dad and I at Front Cafe

There were about 20 more restaurants on the list to choose from that were right in the area.  We were very interested in this place called TBD where the theme of the restaurant was wood fired food!  Unfortunately the place was out of commission due to fire damage. Hopefully on my next trip they will be back in business, because the menu looked delish! 

While trying to figure out what our next move would be, my dad took me to his office and introduced me to all of his employees.  He also showed me the new buses that the city bought recently, which are zero emission, electric buses that can carry up to 200 people!! So of course I had to test drive one of these new beauties!

 

Jessica the Bus Driver!

Just kidding! I'm not qualified to do that! But I looked pretty cool faking it though, right? :)

We decided to go with my second choice which was a BBQ place called 4505 BBQ.  I didn't take any photos of the meal, because I'm not into food porn, but if you like meat, and you appreciate good BBQ, this is the place to go.  The brisket was to die for! This place is pricy, but so totally worth it!

I have no idea how those guys from 24 Hours of Gluttony are able to do 24 in 24, but it took my dad and I 5 hours to do 3 restaurants! 

We finished up the evening with cocktails from Bergerac.  This place was really cool looking! Very swanky furniture, low intimate lighting (better for a date than with my father, but whatever...) a fake fireplace, and super cool bartenders! This place has it all! I have just recently broken out of my favorite cocktail box, and started trying random craft cocktails.  I was pleasantly surprised by this place.  I asked the bartender to surprise me, she came back with something that smelled like fire, contained Mezcal, but was sweet and smooth with a smoky finish.  I think it was called The Firing Squad, I can't be sure exactly! :)

 

Bergerac with Dad

We finished up the holiday weekend with a little bit of wine country. My dad and I love to relax and be pampered so we headed out to Calistoga for Hot Spring water and massages at the Golden Haven Spa. If you like to relax, this is a great place to unwind.  They also do couples massages, which is really cool if you go with your LOVER....not your FATHER. Luckily we got the point across pretty quickly before they tried to stick us both in one room (AWKWARD!!)

We also visited a winery that I had never been to before called Alpha Omega. My dad lives right outside of Napa, so he goes there quite a bit, and doesn't like to pay for tastings, so we opted to taste with a promise to purchase.  Lucky me! I came home with a delicious bottle of Sauvignon Blanc that I will horde for a few months!

 

Alpha Omega Winery

Shown here is the Pinot Noir, which I could not afford, but it too was delicious!

I very much wanted to find a Pilates studio to go to while in the Bay, but time restrained me from doing everything. So while my dad watched car videos on YouTube, I did a fairly strenuous Pilates Mat workout in his living room! :)

So that was my non-traditional Thanksgiving.  It was wonderful and I love the Bay Area.  When you get the chance, go there.

Aloha!

Jessica

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