Putting my money where my mouth is.

That’s not much money for such a big mouth.

As soon as I found out that BlogHer 08 would be held at the Westin St. Franis in Union Square in SF, I knew I had to go. As soon as I registered, I began contemplating where I was going to eat. Because, hello! Eating first, blogging second. A girl’s gotta have her standards.

I fly in on Thursday evening and leave Sunday afternoon. With the conference committments and a few social ones, it seems I have three meals in which I can choose where to eat:

Dinner, Thursday.

Dinner, Saturday.

Lunch, Sunday.

I have narrowed the following options:

Dinner on Thursday will be at Pot Sticker (the Waverly location). I have not tried Pot Sticker before, but I love spicy cold noodles. I did a search on FoodieBytes and found this location. Since I will be traveling with my daughter and I wanted to curl up in the hotel for the evening to let her get used to the place. Also, we arrive somewhat late-ish, so I needed to pick a place that does delivery.

Dinner on Saturday will be at Shalimar (Jones St. location), one of my very favorite Indian spots. The haleem is to die for and the nihari is to kill for. Talk about perfect harmony, no? I am attempting to get together a big group. Unfortunately, the location on Jones is fairly small, but I thought it would be fun to massive amounts of takeout and have a carpet picnic at the hotel.

Lunch on Sunday is still undecided. The last time in SF, we ate at a sweet little pastry place on Columbus St that I am tempted to try and scout again. In the meantime, I will use FoodieBytes to find some options and potentially, may just meander my way through the streets of SF letting my nose guide the way.

Or maybe not.

Flippin’ the Bird

When I was a kid, we always went to my grandma’s house for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. She has 6 siblings and when you add in spouses and offspring, the math got quite crazy. These days, my family rents a hall for Thanksgiving. Then, for Christmas, we go our separate ways (for example, I host a smaller gathering at our own house. It makes me feel quite grown up. ahem.) It is actually quite nice that we get to see each other all at once, in one place, once a year.

Anyway, I cannot imagine not getting together with family for the holidays. In college, I met a gal who said that every major holiday, her family ate at a fancy restaurant. I was shocked. Until then, I did not realize that restaurants were even open on Thanksgiving. Now that I am all “grown up”, it is a topic that I have thought about – particularly considering the fact that I may not always get to live so close to my family. If we do move away – what would I do? Eat in a restaurant? Or cook at home? The mind boggles…………

Cooking at home?
It has its pros and cons, to be sure. It can get quite expensive – turkeys are not cheap birds. And personally, I require the Full Fixin’s. I need bird, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce and some sort of pie. Preferably a pumpkin and a fruit. I guess the food pyramid insists on some sort of veggie and grain, too. Whatever. And let us not even get started on the Time Factor. You slave for hours, only to consume everything within a matter of minutes. But still. Dinner. At home. With football in the background. And burnt food with half-cooked bird. Salmonella? Is an under-rated tradition.

Eating in a restaurant?
Everyone is relaxed. There is no hurry. No rushing around, ensuring that all the dishes are timed to within a minute of the cooking completion. And there is not just a simple selection of foods, but a full range of choices. And all the food is cooked to perfection. And when you get home, the house is still clean. Yum! Right?

I think it really comes down to personal choice, of course. And it is not a simple case of economics, either. Depending where you live, Thanksgiving dinner can get quite expensive. Kansas City blogger, Goofy Girl, talks about her family going to a high-end restaurant in a high-end neighborhood of Kansas City – all for $20 an adult, kids for free. Which, compared to the rest of the country is pretty damned good:

Alioto’s, in San Francisco is serving a traditional dinner for $26.95 per person (includes soup, salad, and fresh free-range organic roasted turkey, served with all the trimmings)

Bistrot Margot in Chicago is serving a 3-course, prix-fixe menu for $29.95 per person (they offer many selections, including Turkey and Stuffing, along with many of their menu specialties)

Top of the Hub in Boston’s Back Bay is serving a 4-course, prix-fixe menu for $58 per adult, $25 per child under 12 (a credit card is required to hold your reservation, 48 hour advanced notice required for cancellation)

Georgia Brown’s in DC is serving a traditional dinner with turkey and all the fixings – $36.95 per adult, $25.99 per child.

Scarlatto in the Theatre district in NYC is serving a 4-course traditional turkey dinner for $49.95 per person.

Still, I wonder. Is it socially acceptable to loosen your belt when not within the safe confines of your home.