Thanksgiving Weekend Eats

As per our usual tradition, we spent all 4 days of the Thanksgiving weekend in San Francisco, relishing the quiet of a near-empty city, and just relaxing together. We also decided to dine out every night in an effort to rid ourselves of the stress of washing dishes. Yes, it was a glorious weekend, and filled with some of the best food I've eaten in a very long time. Sadly, I kept forgetting my camera. Was I delirious with relaxation? Perhaps. In any case....

We spent Thanksgiving itself where we always do: At Millennium. It was, as it was last year and all the years before, superb. The highlight for me this year was definitely the fennel and squash soup, but everything from the pumpkin spread on homemade bread to the pecan pie was divine. As far as I'm concerned there is no better way to kick off the holiday season than Thanksgiving at Millennium. See you there next year....

The next day we took a trip down the street to our local Amici's for some good old pizza. And look! I remembered my camera and captured this Daiya-laden beauty. I got black olives, spinach, and roasted garlic because that ish is yummy, and I loved every bite. I know some

people aren't down with the Daiya, but I really like it. So there, haters.

On Saturday we made our way over the bridge to try out a restaurant that's been on my radar for some time: Gather. Oh boy do I ever love it there. It's not all vegan, but it is very vegan-friendly, and everything we had was insanely tasty. Of course we had to order the vegan charcuterie, what with all the hub-bub about it being so good and all:

Of course I forgot my camera, but the internets have come through to provide the pic above. Ours was a bit different, as it changes with the seasons, but this was really one of the single best plates I've food I've ever received at a restaurant. I couldn't even tell you my favorite part. I adored the kabocha squash with cashew sage sauce, but the mushroom pate was so savory and earthy. Then again the smoked persimmon 'salsa' on the pear carpaccio was so unique, so happy-making... Basically every bite was a treat and as soon as it was done I wanted to start all over again. This dish is smart, gorgeous, and filled with flavor. I can't wait to eat it again sometime soon.

Oh, and the kale salad, as well as the fried artichokes (above pic taken from the website, but ours really did look just like that), were also delicious. This omnivorous place really knows it's veggies!

On Sunday, we kept it low-key and got take out from one of our faves: Burma Superstar. I'm happy to report that the tea leaf salad, samusa soup, and wok-tossed broccoli are as good as ever. I'm also happy to report that BStar Bar, their sister restaurant down the street, has a very similar (though condensed) menu and takes reservations. As anyone who has waited in the long, long line at Burma Superstar knows, reservations would be awesome. Next time, I'm heading to the BStar Bar.... full report to follow of course.

Now that the food coma is wearing off, I'm looking forward to trying some new-to-me places in the Bay Area over the next few weeks, so stay tuned for that. Of course I'm also gearing up for a visit from my awesome vegan parents. Can you say holiday eating extravaganza?!? You've been warned.... :)