I was very pleased that it was what I call "icecream weather" around my birthday. My grandmother Alice, may her memory be eternal, was quite the traditionalist about birthdays and would get annoyed if there wasn't cake and icecream. I don't think I had any cake, but I had a lot of other goodies, and my parents gave me a cupcake cookbook for my birthday.
It was a festive foodie week. The fabulous
* at least 80 F
We went to Ici for dessert, making it the second time in two days I was there. E had one of the specialty ice cream sandwiches, and I had a creme fraiche with pralines. Had a sample spoon first and got that "Oh my GOD this is good" face, no doubt. It was much better than the icecream I had there the day before (a boysenberry-peach double cone - the peach was "meh", the boysenberry was better but not spectacular, although it would have tasted better with vanilla).
The lovely and charming
I walked around the Mission (with an embarrassingly flapping shoe ... I finally took it off inside), then headed off to Tartine, which I had never been to despite hearing much about it. The line was long, which gave me time to study the menu. I ordered my items, and since there was a table available outside (some inside, too, which I am told is rare!), I flopped myself down and ate the eclair I had just bought. It was truly wonderful. I thought of my grandmother Ruth, whose 95th birthday would have been on Friday, and who liked doing fancy pastries for holidays. Including eclairs. I'm tearing up thinking about it now, seriously.
After I was able to scrape myself off the chair (seriously, I was glad I was sitting down to eat that), I walked the half-block up to Bi-Rite Creamery. I had heard from about three people in a week (
So I walked back to the Mission in sweet-and-salty bliss. I harshed my mellow somewhat by driving down Market Street to 1st (during lunch - ergh), but had some protein, and a nice nap, when I got home.
I spent most of Saturday feeding other people, and most of Sunday resting my tired feet up, but I'm working on getting back into the routine thing. ;)