A Venture to the West Coast of the West Coast

We make the trek to San Francisco quite often to get tattooed and overindulge in the bountiful offerings of the City by the Bay. Of our many times here, we haven't ventured to the coast before considering there is so much to do inland. 

Like most people nowadays, we follow many talented and interesting Californians on Instagram and kept seeing visits to Outerlands pop up in the feed. Enticed by the beautiful photos, Four Barrel coffee with perfect latte foam leaves, and farm fresh ingredients, we made it a point to head out to Ocean Beach on this visit. 

I checked in advance, and since there are no reservations, we were given the advice to head there early to beat the crowd. We thought 9:30am for San Franciscans was pretty early, but everyone else seemed to have the same idea. We only had to wait 30 minutes, and the weather was cool - it was well worth the wait.

It was a different experience being seaside - 15 degrees cooler than inland, lots of barefoot surfers waiting in line for coffee, and the laid-back vibe of the locals. We definitely recommend Outerlands as a must-visit, and we'll certainly be back.

Four Barrel Coffee Latte

Four Barrel Lattes

Dutch pancake with baked apples and housemade ricotta

Smoked pork with crispy potatoes, fried eggs

Buttermilk scone with coconut and sweet potato

When you're on a trip for two, it's tough to get photos together, so we try to at least photo across the table when we can remember. We sat outside, as the wait was much less, but peeked inside to see the beautiful interior covered with wooden planks and a rustic vibe.

Ashley at Outerlands

Matthew at Outerlands

 

Stinky cheese makes everything better.

We love to host Sunday brunch. It's the best day of the week to get your favorite people together and have a potluck. Our group of friends is filled with people who know their way around the kitchen, so we always end up with an amazing spread.

I have my usual go-to's that I like to make: Spicy Baked Grits, anything from the Bubby's cookbook, a blood mary bar. But since I have been on a kick cooking my way through David Lebovitz's new My Paris Kitchen, I decided to give the Ham Pear and Blue Cheese Quiche a whirl.

I've never made this more French-style "deep dish" quiche, which definitely requires more cook time, but comes out with a much more impressive presence than using a shallow pie or tart pan. I originally thought I had done a crummy job with the crust, but not much, if any, of the creamy goodness leaked out. David made a great tip to cover the sides and bottom in foil, just in case you have any leaks. Avoiding oven messes is always a good idea! To my surprise, I ended up with a pretty perfect, nicely browned crust. All around, this was so flavorful and an amazing combination of flavors. Heavy cream, a touch of nutmeg, salty ham, pungent cheese. The pear added just a touch of sweet to a stinky cheese that can easily overpower your palate. I am definitely planning to make this again, but vary the ingredients -- the possibilities seem endless! And that excites me.