"When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."

                    Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist) 

food for my sol

If I had to pick one place to eat for the rest of my life... well, I could never do that. But Sol Food in San Rafael, Calif. would definitely be a possibility. Besides that, they will undoubtedly be catering my wedding (sorry, future husband, where ever you are, you don't have a say in this). This restaurant is incredible and their food is something I always look forward to eating when heading back to the Bay Area. Although technically Puerto Rican cuisine, many of the menu items reflect some of my Cuban family favorites, which is another reason I like this place so much. As you can see from the photo above, Sol Food has an obnoxious yet endearing bright green exterior. Inside, photos of the owner's family members and other iconic Puerto Ricans cover the walls and are featured on the numbers you receive after placing your order.

Almost every day of the week, Sol Food has a line out the door of faithful patrons trying to get their fix of arguably some of the best food in Marin County. If you don't feel like waiting, recently relocated next door to the restaurant, Sol Food offers a to go shop called La Bodega, where you can get the full menu to go without waiting in line. As if things couldn't get any better, if you live close enough to their Lincoln Avenue location, THEY DELIVER.

Interior

One of Sol Food's specialty's is their Pollo al Horno, made with farm raised, organic chicken and coated in garlic and a plethora of herbs and served with salad, beans, rice and a platano (tostones if you're into the more savory platano or maduras if you prefer the sweet strain).

Although they don't serve alcohol, Sol Food has homemade, fresh squeezed juices (limeade shown above) that they serve in a mason jar.

Since I am very much a creature of habit, I always order the same thing: the vegetarian platter, served with black beans (so good they give my mom's homemade beans that marinate for 24 hours a run for their money), Sol Food's delicious and buttery rice, salad and a platano, I always choose the garlicy tostones.


But the last time I was at Sol Food, I decided to branch out and try something new, so I got the veggie deluxe sandwich with tostones instead of bread. Although there was just a tad too much mayo, the sandwich was absolutely delicious and I loved how they used the platanos instead of bread, super creative and tasty! (It was devoured too soon to snap a photo...)

college educated, she graduated

[The Thrill- Wiz Khalifa]


Some might call it cliche, but I think this song is more than appropriate for our current state. College graduation, an event that's supposed to make you feel accomplished and grown up has left me feeling depressed and confused these past couple of days. Our entire lives, up until this point, have been spent in a classroom: learning, taking tests and completing homework assignments or busy work. But although our time in the classroom has ended (at least for now), the learning has not. This time, however, the learning is done in the real world, where mistakes are not just a lower grade on the report card, but can lead to major consequences, which is, for lack of better words, SCARY AS HELL. But even though I've been the queen of the "my life is over, I have nothing to look forward to now that college is over" mindset, our lives are just beginning. In the week and three days I've been graduated, I have probably spent half of that time sobbing, convincing myself that my life really is over, and the other half of that time drinking and partying the tears away (not to sound like an alcoholic or anything). But now that I've calmed down a little and taken the time to actually feel like a college graduate, it feels kind of good, refreshing, even. I've started to think about all the things I want to do with my life: projects I want to start, jobs I want to have, businesses I want to create and trips I want to take, all of which are now possible with a college degree. As everyone has been telling me, there is a life after college, and that life is good! I could sit here and make a list of everything that I'll miss (the beach and my friends, to name a few), but it's important to concentrate on the things that will be gained after college. Thinking ahead two weeks to my six month adventure to India, I know I will be gaining tons of perspective and knowledge that no college professor could have ever taught me, and that is not only exciting, but just one thing out of a million I have to look forward to.

the last supper

As everyone already knows, I have actually officially left San Diego. It's still a little painful to talk write about. My best friends and I have been conquering San Francisco for the past few days, but today, Lauren left the Bay Area today and the tears started flowing all over again. So I'll keep the grad talk to a minimum and instead discuss one of my last meals in San Diego at Searsucker. This restaurant was praised by San Diego Magazine, and since none of their suggestions have failed me thus far, I decided that since Grammy was in town, we might as well take one last trip downtown to find out what all the hype was about. Needless to say, we were not let down. It was truly an incredible meal and an all around impressive experience. When we walked in, signs like the one below decorated the spacious restaurant...

Cheddar puffs to start... basically a croissant filled with gooey cheese. YUM.

Grammy ordered the baked eggplant

Guilty pleasure... a side of butter mashed potatoes to share...

Salmon, served with goat cheese fondue and beets...

And one of my favorite details: mismatched chairs.


Searsucker, thanks for an amazing last supper and San Diego... you will always have my heart (post graduation post coming soon).

happy hour = happy day

As the school year and my school career come to a close, I've found the best way to combat the inevitable tears and stress is to indulge in some happy hours. After extensive research, my friends and I came across Whisknladle in La Jolla, a pretty pricey restaurant during lunch and dinner hours, but during happy hour, 5 to 7 p.m., their tapas and drinks are not only affordable but delicious and of amazing quality for their price. Tapas run at just $3 per dish and sangria (the white is a personal favorite) for only $5 per glass or $20 per pitcher. Needless to say, this place is cute and comfortable and makes for the perfect study break (or I suppose now, CELEBRATION THAT WE ARE DONE WITH SCHOOL FOREVER!)

True words

White sangria

Wikki Wikki and I

These lamb meatballs almost made me throw vegetarianism out the window. Sio said they were fab!

Garlic shrimp

Crudo ahi tuna with grapefruit and avocado (YUM DOOD)

Grilled asparagus

Holy god, patatas bravas, definitely the best part. These little morsels were clearly coated and fried in copious amounts of butter and were exploding with flavor; potentially the best thing we ordered.