weekend recap

A peek at the weekend that was…

I’m so in love with the new Kettle & Stone in Mission Hills. The cafe serves locally roasted WestBean coffee, and though $4 for a 12 oz. latte is on the steep side for me, the quality was all there. Plus, it’s worth the money for their amazing sidewalk seating. Lewis Street, where Kettle & Stone is located, has a variety of boutiques, which makes for just the right amount of foot traffic as you sip. On Saturday, we had a perfect mix of friendly people and even friendlier dogs. Good coffee + a gentle breeze + shade on a hot day + amazing doggies—it wasn’t a planned Valentine’s Day excursion, but I was certainly feeling the love.

Another cool part of Kettle & Stone is that it shares a space with the new gift boutique Mod About You. Think of it as a mini Pigment or Progress, with a similar style of products, including stationery, jewelry, home decor, and baby clothes. A very chic addition to the area.

A visual explanation of the charming sidewalk space by Kettle & Stone. I can’t get over Teddy’s expression. What a lovable maniac.

A beautiful bouquet I spotted in Mission Hills. Blackberries in bouquets is my new favorite floral add-on.

The profiterole trio at Stake Chophouse & Bar, a new restaurant that opened on Coronado Island in November. We were invited to try the menu, which is heavy on surf and turf, and dry-aged meats in particular. I stuck to veggie sides—and this massive dessert. No matter your stance on meat, I think we can all agree on banana nutella ice cream sandwiched between two pastry puffs.

We don’t take Valentine’s Day all that seriously, but since Eaman and I usually hang out on Saturdays anyway, we fancy’ed up our usual routine with a picnic in Mission Hills’ Pioneer Park. The spread included my favorite cheese from Venissimo (boschetto—try it), $6 olive oil crackers also from Venissimo that are 100% worth the money, and marinated olives. It was 80+ degrees this past weekend, and when it’s that hot, this is the only meal that sounds appetizing. That, and profiteroles with ice cream.

Isn’t Pioneer Park beautiful? It’s wonderfully quiet, green, and shaded, and even though it’s not an off-leash park, we always let Teddy roam freely. So far, no one has seemed to mind. It’s very much a sit-under-the-trees-and-cloud-gaze kind of space.

The “Power of Love” exhibit at the Chicano Art Gallery in Barrio Logan features works by artist couples. We went to the opening show on Valentine’s night before heading over to Border X Brewing and Salud! (remember both from this post?). The artwork will be on display until February 25.

Came out of the Travel & Adventure Show, held at the San Diego Convention Center this weekend, with plenty of ideas and inspiration.

Yesterday at the Grape Street Dog Park in South Park, one golden retriever kept sitting in the elevated water fountain. It must be his schitck, because I’ve seen him do it before. I think his reasoning is half to evade the other dogs chasing him and half to show off. Teddy went to investigate the situation, and another golden followed suit. Them goldens, they stick together.

Happy Monday!