Foodie Adventure: Old Skool Cafe

A couple days ago, I ventured to the Bayview-Hunter's Point district in San Francisco to try out a 1940's styled supper diner run by at risk youth called the Old Skool Cafe. Bayview-Hunter's Point has been historically described as a marginalized community plagued by high rates of crime, unemployment, and poverty. It's location between the beautiful AT&T Park and former naval shipwreck of Hunter's Point renders this neighborhood as a gray area that is easily overlooked and left behind when it comes to urban and city development. Filled with abandoned warehouses and train tracks that lead to nowhere, plans to redevelop the community into one that provides affordable housing, safe community facilities, and economic opportunities, have taken place within the past ten years as a means to turn this vision into reality.

Now for the actual dining experience...all I can say is, yummmm. I'm not much of a food critic, but the entrees my friend and I ordered were delicious. The menu here is styled after a tap-less bar, so basically all the portions are smaller than usual, but still manage to pack in the same punch and filling a normal entree would bring. My friend and I ordered Abu's West African Peanut Butter Stew, Daniel's Gumbo, and Grexican Burgers. I totally forgot to take pictures of the stew and gumbo because I was so hungry, but I did manage to get a shot of the sliders :) The food was pretty heavy, but soul food is supposed to have that "what-did-i-just-eat-why-am-i-so-bloated" feeling that fills the soul...and stomach. To wash everything down, we had mint lemonade, which was SO GOOD. I really need to try making my own mint lemonade when I get back to San Diego, because I can probably inhale an entire galloon of that stuff if I'm not careful. For dessert, I was squealing with delight when I discovered lavender cheesecake was an option. As an avid lavender fan, I was in heaven when I took the first bite. It was the perfect balance of lavender and cheesecake--not too much lavender that it tastes like you're biting into flower petals, but definitely still a sneaky hint of it. 

Overall, the dining experience was great. The ambiance of the diner was warm and intimate, welcoming gentle conversations and laughter. I loved that they had live jazz music, it really added a fuller atmosphere to the feel of the diner. What a great way to spend my friday night, I mean, what else can beat dining at a 1940's styled diner, while supporting your local community? ;)

Read more about Old Skool Cafe's story right here. 

I was trying to go for a 1940's look. Or maybe 1950's. Or 60's. Or whatever.

Mint lemonade, yum!

Grexican Sliders, I loved the aioli on it!

Lavender cheesecake...why are you so delicious. 

The bathroom decor was too cute!

Summer is the perfect time for road trips to bizarre places you normally wouldn't go to, like Reno. In my opinion, Reno is a smaller and cheaper version of Las Vegas, yet it somehow still manages to preserve all the superficiality Las Vegas entails. However, I guess my preconceived notions of Reno as a tourist death trap were not entirely true, seeing how the less comercialized areas had some hidden gems that were fun to visit. Instead of going to the malls and outlets, I managed to convince my parents to visit the local thrift stores with me. I loved that I was able to share one of my biggest hobbies with them :) 

The thrift shops in Reno were like candy stores for me, vintage items everywhere at affordable prices. I've long given up upon shopping at the vintage boutiques and vintage thrift stores in SF because of the outrageously overpriced items. So to cope, I normally thrift at the Goodwill's, Salvation Army's, and other local thrift stores, and resort to digging through all the rubble to find my own vintage items, or for that matter, anything to my liking. Unfortunately, most of the clothing selections are either from the reject corners of people's closets, or store brand clothing (such as Forever 21, Ann Taylor, H&M, Banana Republic, etc) that were in style two seasons ago. However, in Reno it's a completely different story. Vintage items are found in every corner, from handpicked vintage dresses, to old school stereosets, to vintage sewing kits, to the 1850's Sprite Centenial Collection, to vintage wedding dresses, to even vintage smoking pipes. There are also special sections in certain stores that have "bargin bins", in which you can buy a pound of goods for $1.25. This was where my dad helped me find Type 600 Polaroid film for $0.25, which was probably one of the best finds of the weekend :)  

I spent a majority of my time gawking and drooling over all the amazingly beautiful pieces of history that cause me to wonder what amazing stories they had witnessed in their time. For me, that is probably the biggest lure to vintage items--not only are the items aesthetically beautiful, but they also preserve the stories of a time period left behind by the high speed and efficiency of industrialization. By the end of our trip, I managed to walk away with a new collection of mason jars for $0.30 a piece, a new picnic basket for $7, Type 600 Polaroid Film for $0.25, vintage overalls for $2.00, vintage U.S. Navy jacket for $3.50, vintage denim floral romper for $6. I would call this trip quite a success! 

Here are the long rows of bargin bins that my dad and I dug through to find the Type 600 film. So much stuff!

I'm quite the sucker for old vinyl records. One day, I will own my own grafonola, but for now, vinyls serve as great inspiration for decor and DIY projects. 

Um, I'll take one of everything please. This was hands down the cutest vintage boutique I've ever been to, and the prices were actually affordable too!

On Saturday, I spent the day exploring Ocean Side with my boyfriend and his family. It was a perfect day to walk alongside the peaceful pier, and to enjoy the refreshing salty breeze that came with being near the ocean. Everyone along the pier were so friendly and sweet, most of whom were elderly couples walking their dogs and enjoying each other's company. The pier was lined with shops, restaurants, and of course hundreds of boats! Each boat embodied a unique characteristic, and we had a swell time admiring the differences in architecture between the modern boats and older boats. We ended our day with dinner by the ocean side in Carlsbad, and of course some late night bowling :)

The Common Good Market

Today, I had a great time catching up with old friends and coworkers at Invisible Children's Common Good Market. The idea of this market was to support local vendors and businesses that embrace creativity and ingenuity, while creating a cozy atmosphere of community and conversation. The market was absolutely lovely, with music from live bands, and delicious food from local food trucks. My favorite part was walking from booth to booth, browsing through what each vendor had to sell. They were each so creative in their own ways, selling items ranging from vintage book lamps, to wooden pallet bookshelves. I bought myself a traveller's mug, which I highly look forward to drinking my morning tea from :) With that being said, I truly appreciate all the originality and time it must have taken each vendor to handmake the items he or she sold. It inspired me to start using my sewing machine again, and to start fixing up the vintage dresses I picked up from various thrift stores :)

Wishlist Friday

Ahh, I'm definitely a sucker for chambray shirts and chunky scarves. Next time I go shopping, you know what I'll be looking for! :)

He makes Mondays better :) 

After being incredibly ill for the past two weeks, it was about time for me to venture out of my room and into the beautiful city of San Diego! This past week was a treat for all the food lovers who live in San Diego, because it was Restaurant Week! For those of you who don't know what Restaurant Week is, it's a week dedicated to the exploration of delicious foods and wines within the city. Participating restaurants offer  2, 3, or 4 course meals for lunch and dinner at certain prices that are cheaper than the usual listed ones on the menu. My friend Phil and I decided to eat at this beautiful Italian restaurant named Via Italia Trattoria located in the small and quaint neighborhood of Encinitas. It was my first time dinning at such a fancy and exquisite restaurant, so I was a little intimidated when ordering off the menu. The overall experience was superb though, and quite a treat. I will definitely be trying to explore more of San Diego's restaurants in the future.