Situated side-by-side on Valencia Street, the two Therapy stores are your one-stop shop for practically anything. (Okay, not your groceries.)

In one store, you’ll find cards, gift items, knick-knacks, small housewares, clothing (e.g., Ben Sherman, Tulle, Paul Frank, Free People), shoes, jewelry and handbags. The goods appeal to budgets big and small; my most recent visit yielded a cute ceramic bird that set me back just $5.

The Therapy next door stocks furniture, artwork, pillows and rugs. Sofas dominate the store. I was especially happy to see several that were less than 60″ wide, making them perfect for smaller living spaces.

The staff at both shops is friendly and helpful (you may notice that they switch between the two locations). You can take your time and browse, yet there always seems to be someone nearby to answer questions or grab your shoe size in those adorable Seychelles.

Therapy
541 & 545 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 621-5902
(415) 861-6213

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If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson’s Tartine Bakery, you can understand why I was looking forward to trying their three-month-old restaurant, Bar Tartine. Since the bakery is one of the best in the city, I walked into the full-service eatery with very high expectations. And I’m happy to report that those expectations were exceeded.

With its dark wood floors, marble-topped bar and walnut tables, Bar Tartine has a stylish yet comfortable feel. Like the bakery, the restaurant has a large communal table in the front. Upon checking in with the hostess, we were led to a corner banquette in the back of the dining room — the perfect spot for spying on the open kitchen as well as taking in the very busy bar scene.

There were four of us at the table. Rather than ordering one starter and entree each, we opted for sharing various dishes. This decision was largely based on the fact that there was a plethora of small plates on the menu, but only four entrees.

We sampled the butternut squash soup; asparagus salad with a sunny-side-up egg; arugula salad; manila clams with grilled bread; house-smoked sable with creme fraiche and caviar, served on top of potato salad; serrano ham with dates and almonds; lamb with creamy polenta; and the guinea hen. Although we finished off every single item, the soup (I loved the bacon and chestnut in it), sable and lamb were my favorites.

Given the restaurant’s pedigree, desserts were a must here. The sticky date cake was hands-down my top choice of the evening’s selections. (An Australian diner at my table said it reminded him of the sticky date pudding that is so popular in his homeland.) The vanilla pot de creme with lemon curd was also quite tasty.

The service was good throughout our meal; our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable. The complimentary bite-size meringues that arrived with the check were a nice, sweet ending to a wonderful dinner.

TIP: The restaurant has no exterior signs boasting its name. Look for the antler chandelier in the window, and a sign for the Curtis Hotel is just above the entry to Bar Tartine.

Bar Tartine
561 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 487-1600

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Located in an old Victorian on Union Street, shopping at Brown-Eyed Girl feels a little bit like rummaging through your best friend’s closet… If your BF is super-stylish, that is. The boutique is chock-full of the latest and greatest fashions.

Stacks and stacks of denim (yes, all the brands you read about in the magazines) and adorable t-shirts greet you when you enter. Dresses, loungewear and accessories are also carried here. While the front of the store is devoted to women’s sizes, the back is for girls. Since these days even young folks like to keep up with the trends, Monkey Wear, Seven and True Religion can be found in this section.

TIP: Getting married? Check out And Something Blue, the wedding shop adjacent to Brown-Eyed Girl’s original location on Washington Street. That store also sells furniture (but no kid’s clothing). In Marin, you’ll find women’s and girls’ collections.

Brown-Eyed Girl
2120 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 351-2122

2999 Washington Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 409-0214

3 and 5 Ross Common
Ross, CA 94957
(415) 461-2172

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When Restaurant magazine came out with its 2005 list of top 50 restaurants worldwide, I couldn’t help but notice that not a single San Francisco eatery made the cut. In California, honors went to Chez Panisse (#13), French Laundry (#3) and Manresa (#38). When the list was published, I hadn’t yet tried Manresa; but a recent visit took care of that.

Although most people seemed to order the chef’s tasting menu, my husband and I opted for the three-course meal. There was not one, not two, but three amuse bouches. First up was a salty mango lassi; I wasn’t too fond of this salty (rather than the usual sweet) version of this drink. The second amuse was a delicious salt cod fritter. And finally, there was “The Egg” — a custard-like egg, sherry vinegar, chives and maple syrup layered in an eggshell. On the first bite, the contrast between the egg and the maple syrup was a bit too strong. But subsequent bites — once the runny yolk had been broken — were much better.

Now, on to the actual food that we ordered! We had the butterfish (served sashimi-style with olive oil, chives and sesame seeds) and the abalone (in brown butter, which sat atop layers of onions). Both were fantastic. For our main course, we enjoyed the farm poularde and the beef bavette. Again, we had absolutely no complaints.

I was glad the previous courses’ portions were on the small size, so we weren’t too full to enjoy the molasses cake and warm chocolate pudding. The cake was served with pears poached in port (a favorite of mine) and spice ice cream. The pudding was presented in the jar in which it was steamed, along with a scoop of rocky road ice cream. We easily finished off both desserts. As you would expect at a restaurant of this caliber, a platter of complimentary sweets were also provided at the end of the meal.

At the end of the evening, we rolled out of there completely satisfied. This restaurant in the ‘burbs (Los Gatos is about 45 minutes from San Francisco) definitely lives up to the accolades. If you’re looking for an adventure in taste and texture, it’s worth the trip here — even if, like us, you get a little lost finding the place!

Manresa Restaurant
320 Village Lane
Los Gatos, CA
(408) 354-4330

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Before re-opening on October 15, 2005, the earthquake-damaged de Young — the city’s oldest and biggest art museum — was shuttered for nearly five years. The new, state-of-the-art facility is a blend of copper, stone, wood and glass; it’s a huge change from the previous Spanish-style incarnation.

The rebuilt de Young totals 293,000 square feet. The emphasis here is on American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries, as well as art of the native Americas, Africa and the Pacific.

In addition to art galleries, the museum includes an educational area, a store, a cafe, an auditorium and — possibly my favorite part of the place — an observation floor. Outdoors, you’ll find a sculpture garden and children’s garden.

TIP: Who said you can’t get anything for free? Admission to the tower observation floor is free. Nine stories up, it offers spectacular panoramic views of the city. The outdoor spaces are also free. And the entire museum is free on the first Tuesday of every month.

de Young
Golden Gate Park
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 863-3330

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I still remember my first Ciao Bella experience: My sister and I were at The Slanted Door — this was back in the day, when they were on Valencia Street. We ordered a pear galette that was served with a scoop of pear sorbet. Since the lunch rush was over and the restaurant had few patrons remaining, we were able to chat with the pastry chef about the delicious dessert. In addition to telling us how to make the galette, she told us where we could find the sorbet. As soon as I got home, I did the research.

At the time, Ciao Bella had a South of Market storefront that wasn’t near much else, so you were probably going out of your way if you did decide to visit it. Oh, but it was so worth it. I would load up on pints with each visit. In addition to the pear flavor, mango and lychee are some of my favorites.

Fast forward quite a few years and now you can find Ciao Bella inside the Ferry Building. The location may have changed, but the gelatos and sorbets are just as good. At any given time, up to three dozen flavors are offered here — ranging from the traditional to the unexpected. I am currently obsessed with the blackberry cabernet sorbet, but maybe next time I’ll give the lemongrass coconut a try. Shakes, smoothies and Italian beverages are also available.

If you’re not in the mood for an icy-cold treat while you’re doing your Ferry Plaza shopping, don’t worry: Ciao Bella sells special bags for keeping their products nice and chilled until you can get them home and into your freezer. How sweet is that?

Ciao Bella
One Ferry Building
Shop No. 8
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 834-9330

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