Foodbuzz Blogger Festival – happy hour and dinner

Hello from San Francisco!!!

I will recap my crazy arrival day a little later because I am sure you don’t want to hear the tale of the blogger whose flight was delayed 2 hours because of “engine failure” (always reassuring when the pilot comes on says one of the engines won’t start up), who then realised as she was sitting on the plane and it’s too late that she has left her USB cable for her camera in her office at home (duh!) and who then participated in a crazed 45 minute taxi ride around SF in the rain looking for a camera store of which there seemed to be only defunct branches….

Anyway, all resolved, mostly due to a lovely lychee martini and lunch with my even lovelier new in-person friend (since we have been friends online a while), Andrea from High Low Food Drink. I will recap a sumptuous lunch with her in a separate post since it deserves a post on its own!

The Foodbuzz Festival started out with happy hour on the terrace of the Hotel Vitale (where I am staying, courtesy of Bertolli Sauces). The rain held off and bloggers from near and far met to eat, drink, and be merry. Many of us were meeting each other in person for the first time and this meant a number of “Where are you standing?” texts ensued, followed by shrieks of recognition when said bloggers eventually made it through the crowd and met!

The view from the terrace of the Ferry Building:


Image courtesy of Christina at The Wayward Chef (thanks!)


(no, my camera and I had not had too much to drink – I think I just need a tripod – or a better camera!)


(if you look closely you will see many bloggers milling about on the lower terrace)

We all then headed over to the dinner event:


Ahem, some of us started out with cupcakes:




Assorted mini cupcakes by Mission Minis.

Followed by a lovely beer:



Beer by Thirsty Bear.


Selection of Fresh Oysters by Hog Island Oyster Company. I am not an oyster fan by Meghan from traveleatlove enjoyed them!!

Everywhere we went there were these:


Chicharrones by 4505 Meats. (didn’t sample these but apparently they were quite tasty…)

I thoroughly enjoyed this:


Greenstring Farms eggplant, dry-cured olive, feta and parsley pizzas by Pizza Politana.

and this:


Chorizo Potato taco by Tacolicious.

Errrr… and this:


Savoury pies (leek and mushroom) by The Pie Truck.

Ummm and then it was time for dessert (again!):




Coffee icecream by Strauss Family Creamery.

Here we are – Andrea, me and Meghan, you know, forcing the icecream down… (ummm, not!):


This image and the next two courtesy of Christina at The Wayward Chef (thanks!)

The crowd:


And… well… there may have been a t-shirt purchase involved:


Ok, off to try to prepare for what is bound to be even more indulgence today! It’s hard to focus on anything except my Bertolli Sauces demo but I am determined to make the most of my short time here in San Francisco and get in much tasting in as I can! I will be back…

20 thoughts on “Foodbuzz Blogger Festival – happy hour and dinner”

  1. Looks like fun. I would have been ALL OVER those oysters, to be sure. And the creamery.

    Re the photo…it's not so much camera as tripod and shutter speed, my dear. But yes, I scoped out an upgrade in sensor size that will allow in mroe light, to help your night shots. (Will do little for your food shots.)

    Have fun today!

    Reply
  2. YAY for food bloggers in SF! I'm so glad you're having a blast, Mardi! Wish I had shelled out the $$ to be there 🙁 The best of luck to you in your cooking demo. You're so going to ROCK IT.

    email me if you need food recommendations and next time you're in SF when things aren't so crazy, we'll definitely have to get together!!!

    Reply
  3. oh my word, where to start? cupcakes before dinner? love. crispy skin? love. (seriously, quite possibly the real reason i make a thanksgiving turkey, aside from simple tradition.) delicious ice cream? love. what a fun, fun night!! can't wait to see and hear more!! have a great time at your demo today – you are going to be spectacular!!

    Reply
  4. Mmm, pork skins — the only thing I have in common with G. Bush Sr. This looks like a very tasty vacation, Mardi. Glad to hear things are picking up after that rough beginning. (If they're admitting to "engine failure", that's just not good.) Hope your demo goes well!

    Reply
  5. I'm so jealous!! I love pork skins! In the Philippines, that is a "national" snack (aside from garlic peanuts) during happy hour. We like to dip it in spicy vinegar, too!

    Can't wait for more updates and photos!

    Reply
  6. Good luck on your demo! I wish I could have joined you all, but unfortunately the timing didn't work out for me, so I appreciate all of the blog updates!

    Reply
  7. Thanks everyone for the comments and support – forgive me if today I don't respond individually but here's a collective group (((hug))) to you all for being great and loyal readers!!!

    Reply

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