What to you when you have one week in Oahu? Besides wishing it were two weeks? Our official summer vacation was a return to Hawaii, where I haven’t been since before Isabelle was born, meaning it’s been far too long. This trip was thus Isabelle’s first visit to the islands, a family reunion, and also […]...
{Palo Alto}: [esc] at Four Seasons Silicon Valley
Is [esc] at Four Seasons Silicon Valley the perfect escape? [esc], the new cafe/lounge space in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley is a sleek and welcome addition to the luxury hotel. Chef Eric Keppler, the in-house pastry chef, creates morning pastries like croissants and kouign amann for breakfast along with coffee […]...
{Sweet San Francisco}: Dinner at Dirty Habit
Becoming a parent means nights out become fewer and further between, especially fancy dinners at a San Francisco restaurant. It also means that when we do get date night, we pick our dining spot with over-meticulous care; after all, there’s fewer worse disappointments than drawing a dud out of the city’s current crop of hot […]...
{Sweet San Francisco} Sweet Alchemy: Michael Recchiuti’s Chocolate Lab
A dessert cafe is probably the last place you would expect to see an Erlenmeyer flask, but it’s quite apropos at Michael Recchiuti’s Chocolate Lab. Recchiuti has already cemented his place as one of San Francisco’s premier chocolatiers, and he’s decided to go back to his restaurant roots with the opening of Chocolate Lab, a […]...
Dessert Before Dinner: Hui Lau Shan
If you would like a refreshing break from walking around the streets of Hong Kong, there are few places more well known or more appealing than the Hui Lau Shan dessert restaurant chain. Why don’t they have more of these types of places in the US instead of opening more Starbucks? (Actually, I just found […]...
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. 
