The One Reason Why I’m a Morning Person

Fuji X100 | ¹/60 sec, f/4, ISO 1250

This is definitely what I call starting the morning right. Waking up extra early for the sole purpose of chilling at Four Barrel over a cappuccino? Worth it:

For me, coming here during the week means coming when the shop opens. People trickle in here and there, but it’s certainly not busy.

Later in the morning, however, Four Barrel is bustling. The pour-over coffee station opens up, and people pile in to get their fill of individually brewed cups of coffee. After grabbing my own cup, I head out side to hang out with Suki and Bridge at the public “parklet.” We sip away while watching the Valencia street traffic whiz by.

I’m not a morning person at all actually. I just really, really love coffee.

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Early Morning Images: Fuji X100 | Film Sim: ASTIA (JPEG output)
Late Morning Images: Fuji X100 | Film Sim: Provia (JPEG output)

Seven Years Ago Today

Yesterday was quite special. We started with brunch at Blue Bottle, where for the first time I had a chance to try one of their famous Siphon Pots. Add a Belgian waffle and a grilled cheese sandwich, and whoo, what a brunch:

A few hours of goofing around town, and we settled in at Salt House for dinner:

Bridget easily picked the best dish of the night with her appetizer choice: Kennebec fries covered in Vermont cheddar and short rib gravy. Would have gone great with my NY steak if we didn’t eat them all in like 30 seconds!

Yeah, I know, lots of pics of Bridget. Can’t help but snap away in the direction of the one who I married seven years ago, today. Love you honey, happy anniversary =)

(ok technically yesterday but you swear I’d blog right after a dinner like this!)

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All images: Fuji X100, Film Sim: ASTIA (black and white conversions in LR3)

Food Trucks and Pink Peonies

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 35mm f/1.4G | ¹/4,000 sec, f/2, ISO 400

Off the Grid is awesome for two reasons: great food, and Suki is allowed. The large, 30 food truck Off The Grid Market is held every Friday night at Fort Mason here in San Francisco. It was windy and drizzle fell on us the whole time, but oh well. Let’s eat!

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 35mm f/1.4G | ¹/2,000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 800

Bridget and I had a very interesting dish: spicy curry chicken over sweet potato waffle fries. Sort of reminded me of the Pork Fries at Broken Record. Great stuff. We also got to meet up with artist and blogger Karleen, along with her husband. We spent most of our time with our cameras pointed Shibaward:

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 35mm f/1.4G | ¹/1,600 sec, f/1.4, ISO 400

Suki had no issue doing “roll overs” and “shake paws” with her new friends. Impressive!

I’m sure you can see from the last three images that Suki is quite a tolerant Shiba!

I should probably mention that the images in this post are all processed in Lightroom 3 using Cara Rose’s “Suki” preset, a custom preset inspired by the artist’s first encounter with Suki. Cara was kind enough to send me the preset as a gift! The punchy contrast and warm glow it applies to my images was perfect for combating tonight’s dreary weather. The “Suki” is available as one of 12 custom-made presets in Cara’s San Francisco inspired preset package, which she sells here. Thank you, Cara!

Nikon D700 + Nikkor AFS 35mm f/1.4G | 1/2,000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 800

My little X100 stayed in the bag most of the evening, mainly due to all the drizzle. It still found its way into curious hands, however. Make sure to check out Karleen’s work at pinkpeonyphotography.blogspot.com.

Dinner at Broken Record

Broken Record – San Francisco, CA | Images: Fuji X100

I’ve been coming to Broken Record for some time now and am never ever ever ever disappointed with the dining experience. I heard some good things about the food not long after they opened, but when we first visited the place, I was a little skeptical. From the outside it just looks like your typical bar, nestled in the middle of a neighborhood where you wouldn’t really expect to find fantastic food…uhhh…

Fuji X100 | ¹/40 sec, f/2, ISO 1600

Cross through the bar, where they have whiskey on tap (yes, on tap), and you’re met with a cozy little dining area. Behind the counter, a tiny kitchen where two people crank out dish after dish. Trust me, when your crawfish grits, pulled pork sandwich, beef and bacon burger, or roasted beet salad hits the table, you’ll know this place is special.

Fuji X100 | ¹/40 sec, f/2, ISO 2000

Above: cold asparagus with warm prawns and crab meat over a white truffle aioli. Below it a warm chocolate brownie with ice cream. Incredibly good stuff.

Fuji X100 | ¹/20 sec, f/2, ISO 3200

The “Nachos Gringos,” pulled pork over waffle fries with a cheese sauce. We get this every time without fail. Oh, and on a photographic note, the Fuji X100′s image quality at high ISO blows me away!

Not bad for a little bar in the Crocker-Amazon area of SF! Don’t believe me? Take a look at the Yelp reviews. Yummmm…

The Broken Record
1166 Geneva Ave, San Francisco
www.brokenrecordsanfrancisco.com