4 Barrels would be perfect if...

it played mellow (not headbanger!) music and had more than 2 items on the menu! I am sitting at 4 Barrel Coffee, the new coffee roaster/seller that just opened on Valencia in the Mission between 14th and 15th, just blocks from our abode. I have been peaking in the window for days (including after the Greek crab feed) and my mouth was salivating at the site of cool old wood long bars and a big warehouse space. The space is beautiful, but it is not an optimal workspace (which is why I am writing this blog instead of working right now!) My soy milk is super-delish (not Silk!) and only $1. Luckily, the view of the amazing coffee roaster (pictured) is mesmorizing me so much I think I will never leave. Filled with hipsters with an edge, I think they were going for the days when this neighborhood was really rough, and wanting to put San Fran on the map with more than one hip roaster (that is, more than Blue Bottle) roaster. Ugh! The thrasher music starts again...

ps. here's more of a review of their coffee for those who go to cafes to drink coffee.

I LOVE SAN FRANCISCO!

As a new arrivee in the City (migrating from Palo Alto), I wanted to chronicle all of the amazing discoveries and experiences I/we are having, and thus this blog. It has only been 3 weeks, but literally every day brings a new adventure. I feel like San Francisco is breathing new life into me. I am already wearing leopard spotted leggings and being a bit more outrageous than I was in Palo Alto.

I am working on getting back in shape after having fallen off the wagon in my Southeast Asia hopping NGO job a little over a year ago. Today I took a Zumba class at 24 hour fitness just around the corner from me. It was rocking. Samba, merengue, salsa, shake your booty and work up a sweat too. But of course the funny twist, that made the experience quintessentially San Francisco, is when after the class I went into the bathroom and the person passing me said "excusez moi." No one in Palo Alto would deign to use a French phrase, but here it seemed apropos.

I have already found a little natural food store that wants my ideas on products to carry. My top two lately, for those who have been around me, are Zambian honey and Cambodian pepper. Zambian honey is dear to my heart not only because I have connected beekeepers in Zambia, but it is super-delicioso. Medicinal, earthy flavor that brings the African forests to life on your palette, unlike any other honey I have ever tasted and just what you need if you are ever under the weather. It has a slight smokey flavor because they smoke the bees out of the nest. You can find it at my alma mater Country Sun and some Whole Foods. Cambodian pepper is a subject about which I could write a book. For now, check out my blog post from Cambodia.