Dan recommended a place to eat in Willits, so we stopped at Gribaldo’s for lunch. He actually told us that he didn’t remember the name of the place, but that it had a big sign that just said “DINNER” (not “diner”) and that it was in Willits across from the Taco Bell.
I was originally going to go with a breakfast dish, but the waitress recommended the fish, which is locally farmed in Fort Bragg. She did not lead us wrong! Tim C and I both got the 3-piece fish and chips, expecting each piece of fish to be like a roll of quarters. Instead, we got this:
Each piece was bigger and thicker than a chicken breast!
Continued to SF with a mild case of food coma after that. Got Tim C back to his place OK, though. I went home after that, and the plan was for a nap between the morning and evening festivities, but unfortunately I did not have time for it if I wanted to take the bus out and not worry about parking and potential drunk driving later. Hopped in the shower and ran to the bus stop.
Met up with Aaron L, Sue L, and Gio Linh at Plouf, where I was dying to have moules et frites for the first time in forever! Started the night off with a Chouffe. Gio Linh appreciated the bottle, if not the contents:
For dinner, I got the “prix fixe,” which was a soup or salad, moules, and a dessert. The soup was a clam chowder. Overall, not as good as the chowder from Crudo, but it was interestingly spiced — there was some heat from chili oil on top. The mussels were great! My only complaint there was that I wish they gave us more broth in the bowls for dunking our fries and bread. And for dessert, I had the profiteroles. You should have heard the waiter say it, because Gio Linh couldn’t hold back her laughter. The cream puffs had ice cream instead of regular, and the whole plate was covered with a dark chocolate sauce, pistachios, and raspberries.
Unfortunately, both my borrowed camera and my phone seemed to be low on batteries, so I did not get a lot of pictures, but here’s the main dish:
After that, Gio Linh went home because she’s still a baby. Aaron L and Sue L also went home because they had Bay to Breakers in the morning. I wandered around the corner to Rickhouse, where I met up with Albert T and Tim C.
Our first round:
There was a solid line outside at this point, though, and the rain was picking up, so we moved to the Burritt Room to met up with Almira V, Dorothea C, and Chris H. Unfortunately, my cameras completely died at this point, but I really like this bar. No line or cover to deal with outside. Very chill bar area with ample seating. (Yes, I’m old and I like to sit and chat with friends while I drink.) There’s a side room with music and dancing if you wish. And most importantly, the drinks rock!
My first drink was a “Torii Toddy,” which was Japanese whiskey with hot chrysanthemum tea and some other flavorings. (It’s fun to watch the drinks made, each bartender has a set of 12 or so small unmarked glass bottles — think soy sauce bottles at an Asian restaurant — of aromatics.) It doesn’t sound like it would be a good combo, but it was amazing. And probably the best self-medication I had for the cough I had that night that was aggravated by our walk through the rain.
We sat around there for a while, talking about our jumps and what we were going to do for next year. (Still nothing set yet. Any suggestions?) Then Dorothea C gave me a ride home and that was that.
