Sunday morning came in San Francisco and Eusebio and I woke up without the beating drums and rhythmic chanting of the labor strike going on at our hotel. I'm pretty sure they just took Sunday off. We felt surprisingly well considering our drunken escapades the night before at the Awards Dinner. Good times were had by all.
Foodbuzz set up a farewell brunch for the festival attendees at Restaurant LuLu courtesy of Nature's Pride, Frog Hollow Farm, Kerry Gold, and Skyy Spirits. Skyy had a build-your-own bloody mary bar as well as all the vodka we could drink for other various cocktails. I decided to start my day with a screwdriver in order to use a little "hair of the dog" to fight off the slight lingering hangover that I was suffering from.
My Morning Screwdriver Courtesy of Skyy Vodka
After the lines died down for the brunch buffet Eusebio and I got up to serve ourselves. Restaurant LuLu did an amazing job working with the breads, pears, and butters that were provided by the sponsors. Everything tasted great and looking at the pictures below makes me want to go back and eat it again!
Foodbuzz Farewell Brunch Plate #1 at Restaurant LuLu
I'll start with the bacon and move clockwise around the plate from there. Bacon is the candy of all meats and I was happy to enjoy several slices of the thick cut, crispy swine on Sunday morning. Next we have the nutty oak french toast with pear compote and whipped cinnamon butter which was absolutely amazing. Moving on there is a frittata with aged cheddar, whiskey, and wild mushrooms. It was very similar to a quiche or omelet in that its main ingredient was eggs and everything else made it taste so good! The frittata is followed by a couple crouque monsieurs with smoked ham, swiss, and truffle mustard on whole wheat bread. They were nice, but not good enough to go back for more. Finally we have a pear and bleu cheese salad that added a little roughage to the brunch in a very good way.
Foodbuzz Farewell Brunch Plate #2 at Restaurant LuLu
You can tell what I enjoyed the most by looking at what I went back for in round two! The french toast with pear compote and cinnamon butter was fantastic. I really wanted another wedge of the frittata with cheddar, mushrooms, and whiskey because it tickled my fancy as well. And of course, how could I not get more bacon?
After we said our goodbyes and bid adieu to our festival friends, Eusebio and I decided to make one more San Francisco stop before calling our tour complete. No matter how full we were from the brunch, we knew that there is always room for ice cream! Back to the Mission district we went so that we could visit the Bi-Rite Creamery which we had heard a lot about.
Ice Cream Flavor Options at the Bi-Rite Creamery
We heard about the Bi-Rite creamery on the day we arrived in San Francisco and knew that we needed to find some time to make it over there for some delightful frozen treats. That suggestion proved to be worth every penny because the ice cream was incredible! Bi-Rite had many different flavors including some classics like cookies 'n cream and vanilla, as well as some original and unique flavors of their own. I think I tasted about eight flavors, then ordered a cone with two of them.
Two-Flavor Ice Cream Cone at Bi-Rite Creamery
My sugar cone featured one scoop of salted caramel on top and a scoop of Ricanelas (cinnamon ice cream with snickerdoodles) on the bottom. Both flavors were scrumptious but if I had to pick one, I'd go with the salted caramel. It perfected the combination of sweet and salty that everyone loves in a good ice cream. I could eat it every day so it's probably a good thing I'm not living in the Mission area right now!
After the ice cream adventure Eusebio and I were off to the Oakland airport to catch our flight home. We had no trouble getting on the flight from Oakland to Las Vegas, but from there it was a different story. Too bad what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! Actually, that's not completely true this time, but you will have to wait until the next post to hear about that part of the trip! San Francisco impressed the Hell out of me and I really didn't want to leave, but every vacation has to come to an end. No worries though, I'm sure I'll be back. I also want to give a final "thank you" to everyone at Foodbuzz for putting on a great festival that was enjoyed by many foodies and fellow bloggers. Speaking of fellow bloggers, to everyone that I met in San Francisco, thanks for checking out my blog. It was absolutely wonderful to meet everyone and share stories, ideas, and memories with each other!
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