Tag: craft cocktail

flowers saratoga

even with me being a bit of a scrooge, many of my friends love the holidays. because of our scheduling, it is hard to get together in december to be merry. my dear friend nick insisted on taking melissa and i to this restaurant at the end of january as a way to spread a little holiday cheer. nick first discovered this gem through a work event some months prior and had not stopped raving about it since. after going, i certainly see why. if you find yourself in the bay area, dining at flowers saratoga is a must.

flowers saratoga

one of the best things about dining with nick and melissa is that we have pretty similar palettes. we ordered many things to share and then each had a single item to ourselves. to say we indulged would be a gross understatement. first up – cocktails!

hummingbird – truly a work of art and just as delicious as it is beautiful
cantarito – who doesn’t love mezcal with a little passionfruit?
snow storm – i’m a vodka girl and with strawberry and a little yuzu foam? sign me up.
blanco franco – blanco tequila with campari balanced with strawberry, bell pepper and lemon? more than one of these was ordered for our table

the cocktails were truly one of a kind. the added bonus was the glass of sparkling rosé our amazing server poured for each us while we waited for our first round of drinks. instead of actual dessert, we opted for espresso martinis and they did not disappoint. you could easily go to flowers and just sit at the bar and have an absolute blast. however on this particular night, we were there to enjoy the full experience for dinner and we did not hold back.

the beet garden
two bite tuna taco trio
lobster slider trio – tomato burrata – tuna tacos (making their second appearance)
prawn cigars
flowers wagyu mini slider trio + truffle parmesan fries
slow braised short rib with a truffle parsnip purée
diver scallops with a mascarpone polenta

the initial plan was to sample a bit of everything and each get a different entree to dive into. melissa and nick understood the assignment – melissa ordered the short rib and nick committed to the scallops. they both loved their choices. i had a bite of each and was in heaven. i was having ordering anxiety because i loved so many of the starters. i ended up ordering the wagyu sliders again as my entree so i could enjoy more than just one of them. i ended up taking a slider or two home because i had overcommitted during our two hour long appetizer/cocktail hour. clearly, this is not a bad problem to have.

while this place would be phenomenal for a date (not just because of the delightful food, unique cocktails and extraordinary service) because of its romantic feel, i’d recommend going with a group so you can truly try a bit of everything. i cannot wait to go back. special thanks to nick for treating melissa and i to a stellar dinner. if you call to make a reservation before visiting, be sure to ask if caitlyn is working – she truly provided the most outstanding service i’ve had at any restaurant in the bay area.

if you’ve been to flowers, what was your favorite thing on the menu?

xoxo,

k. tap

34.

each year, i select a word as my theme for my personal new year. after much reflection, going into 34, i chose my word: calm.

with every curveball thrown my way during 33, i focused on “controlling the controllables” (as my coach from grit and gratitude fitness frequently reminds me to do) and something i realized now more than ever is the importance of remaining calm no matter the intensity of the storm. it has served me incredibly well.

during 33, my word of the year was reciprocity. while i could only fit 10 photos on instagram (i was certain to include more here), everyone that helped me celebrate (whether it was in bottle service, at a boozy brunch, over a spectacular dinner or in napa) reiterated the importance of reciprocal relationships and aid in me being my calmest self.

on friday, the 9th, i was determined to dip back into bay area night life. dancing all night at nova in san jose followed by late night nachos at la vic’s brought me back to my early 20s. 10 out of 10 would recommend.

saturday, the 10th, was so life giving. we did a bottomless mimosa brunch at straits followed by espresso martinis at el jardin. for any of you that are new to my love languages, words of affirmation is pretty low on the list. i used to cringe when receiving them and have worked extensively on being better at just being open to being loved out loud. i wasn’t ready for when theo had each person go around and say their favorite thing about me. it definitely got emotional for many – i wouldn’t change a fucking thing.

sunday, the 11th, was so damn sweet. i did a solo coffee date with my twin, anj. next, we did a girly brunch in livermore followed by wine tasting at concannon. i wrapped the day with anj at her bff’s house (blythe is the best host!) and got to spend some time with my nephew.

monday, one of my oldest friends booked a reservation at my family’s favorite steakhouse without even knowing that info ahead of time. if you haven’t been to mastro’s, run – don’t walk. anthony knocked it out of the park.

i kicked off my actual birthday on tuesday, the 13th, with coffee with my fellow therapist and soul sister, jaclyn and her youngest son. it was the perfect start to the day. i ended with a late night happy hour at yard house with a coworker turned friend, wilson.

i wrapped up the celebrations on presidents’ day in napa with my fellow aquarian queen and a couple of our girls. we started off with brunch at rh yountville followed by wine tasting at mumm, madonna estate and domaine carneros. we wrapped the day at celadon for dinner. it was truly the perfect day.

few things compare to entering my big diesel year (for my fellow lakers fans) surrounded by being loved in my love languages (quality time and acts of service) and feeling more grounded than i ever have in my adult life.

what is your theme word for your current year of life? or perhaps, your next year of life?

thank you for all of the wonderful birthday wishes – i truly love you all.

xoxo,

k. tap

martini mondays – vanderpump à paris

even though i am typically a huge fan of drinks that are more floral and/or fruity, i was so intrigued by one of the martinis at vanderpump à paris.

le dirty bleu

le dirty bleu is made with gin, blue cheese stuffed olives, rosemary and everything but the bagel spice. with me being the vodka girl that i am, i had them sub the gin for belvedere. it was absolutely delicious. if you are someone that loves a cocktail that is on the saltier side with a bit of a bite, le dirty bleu is for you.

“martinis. they make me feel civilized.” -ernest hemingway

cheers to martini monday!

xoxo,

k.tap

friday fun at flora farms

maybe it’s because i am sitting at an airport as i type this or maybe it’s because i am desperately in need of a stiff yet smooth lavender martini like the one served there but i knew that today, each of you needed to discover the magic that is flora farms.

hillary really knocked it out of the park with restaurant recommendations/reservations while we were in mexico a couple of months ago. each one had something different yet amazing to offer. and each one was good enough to return to on our future visits. what made flora farms special is that it is an organic farm to table restaurant and everything you’d ever need for a restorative weekend getaway could be found somewhere across then 25 acres without ever leaving the premises. do you want a delicious meal? a spa treatment? to adopt a dog? to do some shopping for home decor? to take a cooking or painting class?

look no further.

lavender martini – the best i’ve ever had – perfectly balanced + fresh and floral
rosemary ham and egg – it was hard to decide which lie to go with but i couldn’t say no to this flavor profile
fennel sausage – hilly and sarah thoroughly enjoyed this pie

not pictured were the most seasoned and crisp potatoes with hollandaise and a sweet and gooey cinnamon roll we all shared. TO DIE FOR.

hilly and me 🤍
hilly, sarah (our beautiful bride to be) and me – the grounds were absolutely breathtaking

after spending more time at flora farms, we know that on our next trip, we’d like to spend at least two days/nights there. i think it would make the most sense to start off as we usually do – in party mode for friday and saturday in the city, then shift over to this oasis on sunday to recover completely before heading back to california early the following week.

have you ever been to flora farms? if not, does this seem up your alley?

xoxo,

k. tap

outpost – cabo urban farm to table

the nonstop rain over the last couple of weeks in the bay area has me craving the warmth of cabo, the beauty of these two girls and the dining experience we had at my new favorite restaurant – outpost.

hillary and sarah (our beautiful bride to be)

would it be a night in cabo without margaritas? of course, not.

chili margarita – it had the perfect amount of spice and was slightly smoky (just the way i like it)

the menu was extensive and because we wanted to try a little bit of everything, we decided to order a variety of small plates to share. there’s wasn’t a single thing we didn’t love!

homemade guacamole – it was creamy, flavorful and fresh
esquites – there was so much variety in texture and spices that it felt like my tastebuds were exploding
pastor shrimp tacos – the pastor marinade with the sweetness of the pineapple paired with the shrimp was to die for
asada steak tacos – with all of us being seafood lovers, we were floored that these were our favorite tacos of the night. the steak was so juicy, tender and perfectly prepared.
raw of the day (amazing cuts of hamachi were being served the day we went) – their seafood was next level and this melted in our mouths like butter
citrus ceviche – the mixture of fresh seafood and the bursts of grapefruit + tomato with the crunch of the onion? to die for.

not just the meal, but the service, was impeccable from start to finish. while all of us had been to cabo before, this was our first time at outpost. we all agreed that no future cabo trip would be complete without a dining experience at outpost.

yours truly

have you ever been to outpost? if so, what did you order? if you haven’t been yet, what is your go to restaurant in cabo?

xoxo,

k. tap