Jovino.

Today was probably the last day of sunshine we're going to see for the rest of the week, so I capitalized on this and spent my morning (and some of my afternoon) on Union street in the Marina/Cow Hollow district. The best part about my jaunts over to Union is the fact that I enjoy the entire trip. Getting there, being there, and coming back. It is quite the schlep, and while I always give myself two hours to get there, I love how many different neighborhoods I pass through in the process. There's West Portal, very quaint and homey. The Castro, clean and colorful. All of Divisadero, diverse and full of yummy food. Pacific Heights, replete with grand mansions overlooking the rest of the city to the South and the Golden Gate, the Bay, and Alcatraz to the North. And finally, Marina/Cow Hollow, which is essentially an extension of Pacific Heights but beautiful in it's own right. As I mentioned before, I can feel my intense shopping cycle coming to a much-needed end. But since it's been about a month since my last trip to Union and one of my favorite haunts, Ambiance, I decided to stop in and have another go at spending money. I haven't lost my touch, it would seem! For the record, and I think I said this in reference to Urban Outfitters as well, I only ever shop the sale section. That being said, Ambiance always has a fantastic sale section. I never fail to find something I definitely don't need, whether it be clothes or shoes.

For instance, they currently have these Jeffrey Campbells, in blue and gray, on sale for something like $20 (a faaar cry from the original price) and I almost bought them for that reason alone. But I had to remind myself that I tried them on last time and they didn't quite fit my foot. They're made of incredibly soft suede but I think that's the problem. They're so soft that they're malleable which makes them liable to stretch very easily. Plus I've gotten so used to wedges and very thick heels that I feel like a baby deer in anything this narrow. And it's not even that narrow. But that's just on my foot. Don't let that dissuade you from taking a look. They're so very Tim Burton/Helena Bonham Carter. It takes a funky individual to pull these off.

Anyhow, I did end up coming away with a blue velvet, one shoulder, drapey dress a la 1930 for $10 (had to), a pair of large silver and turquoise earrings (not on sale but they're marvelous), and a pair of cat eye-like sunglasses. I'll be taking/posting pictures tomorrow when there's light.

After that I headed over to Jovino for some lunch, as it was 2 pm and I hadn't eaten since 8 (big mistake). They had me at "Roasted Beet Salad". I do love me some roasted beets, especially when they're on a bed of arugula with candied walnuts and the creamiest goat cheese I've ever had the pleasure to gnosh. 

This is the half size and I'd eaten some before taking the picture. It was plenty. I also had the chicken tacos which were spicy! I do not like spicy foods. Anybody else would tell me they were mildly spicy but any spice is too much in my opinion. However, I still enjoyed them immensely. Probably because the whole day was filled with sunshine and roasted beets and nothing was gonna bring me down.

I couldn't really eat them as a taco so I ended up eating them with my knife and fork. 

I will definitely be going back to Jovino. They were a tad pricey, but that's to be expected in the Marina district. Plus they offer free range chicken and organic beef, among other things, which I look for whenever possible. I get the feeling that their hamburgers and grilled sandwiches would be ridiculously outstanding, so that's what I'll be getting next time. I was going to include some pictures from Yelp but I'm having some uploading difficulties. So check it out for yourself, read the reviews, and next time you're in the Marina get yourself some grub!

And now I'm off to do some reading before getting some sleep. And by sleep I mean laying in bed for three hours, dozing, then waking up again sometime around 5 to await my 5:30 alarm. Adios!

-LG