Sunday, April 15, 2007
Patrick got home from practice. I woke up and showered. Patrick showered, then took a nap. Usual oatmeal breakfast. Processed photos. Uploaded photos to Flickr. Brunch with Patrick and Mom Ryan at Chez Maman. It was quite possibly our first time to Potrero Hill. When we drove up to 18th and Missouri, Patrick said, "Wow, what a cute little neighborhood!" We got a parking space right in front of Chez Maman, a 14-seat full service diner serving French fare. This tiny place is a huge charmer, right down to our waiter's sexy French accent. All the tables indoors were taken when we arrived, so we were seated at the counter where we had somewhat of a perched viewing of the kitchen—the seats are higher than I expected, but it's really just a few inches more than normal—not dizzying. Patrick saw someone else's croque madame pass by and said, "I must have that!" Not literally, of course—he was content to wait for his own. Mom Ryan ordered the same, and I ordered the vegetarian crepe. We drank coffee, orange juice, and water and chatted while waiting for our food. It arrived quickly, and while waiting and talking we enjoyed watching the chefs at work preparing other orders. The place appears to be very popular; come early to get seated quickly. Food and service were both excellent. We like this place a lot, and a lot of people we know would like it, too. Afterwards, we walked up and down 18th, peering into restaurants closed for the moment and exploring some shops that were open. We drove to 5th and Mission garage, then shopped in Union Square and San Francisco Centre for the next several hours. We focused primarily on clothing, but we did stop for a housewares gift for Phil, Drew, and Danny. At Crate and Barrel I ran into Steven and (Juanita) and chatted with them briefly. Today was mostly hot and sunny, and we became exhausted carrying shopping bags for hours. After shopping, we dropped Mom Ryan off at home then got groceries. Home. Dinner at home with Patrick: noodle soup with fishcake, mushrooms, bean sprouts, shrimp. Watched DVD extras and easter eggs for Spider-Man 2 (2004). Processed photos and uploaded more to Flickr. Photos to come—there are some really good ones.