This weekend was filled with family and exploring.
We were so lucky to be visited by B’s sister, her husband and their darling bright eyed little girl.
Friday night was spent at the Santa Clara county fair where we indulged ourselves with bbq tri tip, corn dogs, frozen lemonade and great shows. The Santa Clara county fair is on the smaller side but, it still provided livestock competitions, a plethora of rides and deep fried everything. We watched a circus type show where a couple juggled fire, rode a unicycle and taught the crowd how to make balloon animals. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The performers really knew how to engage the audience, were very witty on their feet and pretty darn talented. It really made B want to learn the art of riding a unicycle.
Saturday we went up to the city. The Ferry Building farmers market is always a fun place to show visitors. We ended up buying scrumptious cheese at the Cowgirl Creamery, lunching at Gotts and snacking on all the juicy fruits available at the farmers market. Have you ever tasted a white peach? I think they are my new favorite thing. We also met up with some friends for dinner and dessert at Bi-Rite. I am telling you honey lavender is amazing! I also had a scoop of malted vanilla, which was equally delicious just in another sweeter way.
Sunday was spent lounging and devouring our cheese with fruits, bread and honey. Perfect Sunday if you ask me. I am so sad to see our visitors go and can’t believe we won’t see them till Christmas. But, Christmas will be all the more sweeter right?
What were you up to this weekend?
You can always follow along on our adventures through instagram and tag #weekendinpolaroids on your pictures so I can follow along as well!
Confession… I have the biggest sweet tooth.
No matter how full I am from lunch or dinner my body still craves something sweet to end the meal. And as I mentioned before , ice cream is my treat of choice no matter the options.
I have tried most every ice cream shop I see . You never want to miss out on an opportunity to indulge in the perfect ice cream cone.
I know Emily shares this philosophy with me so we decided the next top 5 category would be ice cream shops!
1. The Ice Cream Bar (Cole Valley, SF) – This shop was, again, referred to me by my foodie of a sister. We ate here a couple hours after our amazing brunch at Zazie. It is also located in the Coal Valley area of SF and usually has a line out the door. The retro decor and set up make you feel like you are back in the 50’s sharing a milkshake in your poodle skirt. What I love about The Ice Cream Bar is they have vegan options (their chocolate almond coconut ice cream is bomb), the flavors are unique & homemade and menu is diverse with flavored sodas, ice cream style sodas & sundaes. The options are endless and never have I ever found one to be less than divine. We tried an array of floats, phosphates and ice cream cones and each thought, again, ours was truly the best (it was hard to pick between them). I would recommend trying their phosphates and floats since it is unique to their shop.
2. Smitten Ice Cream(Whole Foods, Los Altos) - I had to try Smitten Ice Cream once I heard they bought all their ingredients locally (including strawberries from Swanton Berry Farm — member B and I picked berries from there in the small town of Davenport?). Smitten Ice Cream’s first location was in San Francisco and had so much success that they have expanded down the peninsula and to the east bay. Smitten Ice Cream is made to order by way of liquid nitrogen. This method ensures the ingredients are fresh and creamy. Smitten’s offers about 5-8 flavors and then recommends what type of topping to pair your scoop with for the full experience. I personally enjoy the Hot Stuff Truly Smitten Sundae. I figure the menu already offers the most tried and true pairings so why mess with success.
3. Bi-Rite Creamery(Mission, SF) – Bi-Rite is a San Francisco classic ( you can tell by the mile long lines on the weekends). Those mile long lines are there for a reason because their ice cream is out of this world. I love when ice cream shops provide floral or spice flavors and Bi-Rite has some of the best! I recommend balsamic strawberry, honey lavender, basil and salted carmel. Do skip the popsicle options, it is not worth replacing for any scoop of the heavenly ice cream!
4. Nirvanaah(Sunnyvale) – If you are wanting to expand your ice cream horizons, Nirvanaah is the place for you! Nirvannah serves authentic Indian style ice cream. I am a lover of all things Indian whether it be food, movies, clothing, customs (I am somewhat obsessed and intrigued by this country as a whole) so I knew this would rock my world. Sure enough it did! The worker saw how interested I was in all the unique flavors and gave me a brief summary and sample of the flavors. There are about 30 flavors (including some original American flavors). There were many flavors with Indian names that I cannot pronounce nor can remember, but I do know I loved every sample I tried. The mixture of spices brings a new twist on the classic cold treat. I finally chose a creamy, buttery Indian flavor and Ferrero Roche. Both were excellent!
5. Tin Pot (Palo Alto) – Tin Pot is located in a shopping center fairly close to Stanford University. Its’ modern chic decor make it an inviting space and instagram worthy. I love all the different flavors and toppings they offer. Do note, the flavors are not overly sweet so if you are into that it may not be your spot. I recommend cookie monster and honey lavender.
I didn’t include Penny’s Creamery because technically it is not located in the Silicon Valley, but it is one of the best I have tried! If you are ever in the Santa Cruz area do try!
Also, there are a few shops I haven’t had the opportunity to try, but they are on my list and may have to be added to the top based on reviews: Humphry Solocombe, DeLise and Fenton’s. I will let you know my thoughts once I try!
