Was lucky enough to vacation on the Big Island of Hawaii this year. Beautiful place with many sites to see, including Pololu Valley and the Kilauea volcano.
Taking a detour back to SF from Northern Napa Valley via the Sonoma Coast, you ride down US 1 and end up in a little town called Marshall right along Tomales Bay. You’ll pass a handful of oyster bars, and a favorite of ours is the Marshall Store. Sit at picnic tables six feet from the bay and enjoy BBQ and oysters.

BBQ oysters with garlic butter & house sauce
Fish Tacos with chili lime slaw & avocado tomatillo sauce
Chorizo oysters with chorizo butter
Grilled Tri-tip with salsa verde, grilled onions & aoili
When growing weary of the fog covering San Francisco, Sausalito is a just quick trip across the Golden Gate Bridge. As soon as you make your way over to the one of the marinas, the clouds part and the sun beams down vibrantly. Located in one such marina is the charming french bistro, Le Garage. The waterfront restaurant boasts beautiful views of boats and the bay where guests can sit back, relax, and enjoy the view. Sometimes, a restaurant can rely heavily on its location and fall short on the delivery of a delicious meal, but Le Garage is no such restaurant. While I’ve only been for brunch and lunch, the service has been great and the food delicious. My meal of choice: Stella on draft and the Masami Kobe beef burger (1/2 lb Kobe, Morbier cheese, tomatoes, butter lettuce, grilled red onions, and aioli on ciabatta) served with a side of fries. It’s hard to beat a beer and a good burger on a beautiful day.
The wife and I have found a new favorite lunch/breakfast spot in Sonoma, The Fremont Diner. It’s everything you love about comfort food with hints of gourmet and a farm-to-table mentality. If you end up having to wait for a table, the back patio area overlooking the Sonoma countryside has a bar with great shakes, beers, and a few local wines. We had lunch on this particular visit, but we’ve been back since for breakfast which is just as good.
Nutella Milkshake
Deviled Eggs with Pickled Mustard Seed and Chives
Fremont Burger – Five Dot Ranch Beef, ABC Potato Bun, Sauce, Pickles, & Lettuce with Hand Cut Fries
Whole Hog – Sonoma County Pork on ABC Bun, Fremont BBQ Sauce, Coleslaw, Pickled Fennel with Succotash Salad
Strawberry Shortcake (Biscuits made in-house, and they are amazing.)
These are images I shot for the IDEO‘s annual party in July. The concept for the party was “Barbie’s Dream House,” and when Barbie is away, IDEO will play. From my point of view, I created images of what I envisioned Barbie having displayed in her house. Below are images I snapped with my phone from the actual party to give an idea of how they were presented and scale.