General Fashion

Night out at the Tonga Room

 in General Fashion  tagged outfits / restaurants / spring 2025 / staycation by

wearing: statement earrings / black sweater / suede bucket bag / black skirt / gemstone bracelet / spring nail polish / boots /

If you are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, chances are, you have been to, or at least heard of, the Tonga Room in San Francisco. Located inside the Fairmont Hotel, the Tonga Room is part of San Francisco history. It has been there since 1945 and has attracted celebrities, politicians, dignitaries and more. The Tonga Room is more than a fun place for dinner, it is an iconic experience.

The Tonga Room offers both dinner and a lounge/bar experience. Since I still have one child still living at home, we went for the dinner experience. Built over a 1920’s era swimming pool, the floating stage offers lounge music, and the decor surrounding the pool and throughout the venue is tiki themed. The restaurant has tables set up around the floating stage with the bar area on one side of the pool. Our table was opposite the bar which gave us a quiet location and a decent view of the live music on the floating stage.

It was really fun to enjoy good food, live music, tiki decor, and fancy drinks-mine is a non-alcoholic citrus soda, isn’t it fun! If you plan to go, I recommend making reservations. The Tonga Room is very popular, and the tables fill up ahead of time, so making reservations is the way to go. You can make them through OpenTable.

What I wore to the Tonga Room:

Have you been to the Tonga Room? If not, what are you waiting for? This is a bucket list item for San Francisco!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Charcoal latte outing

 in General Fashion  tagged outfits / saratoga / spring 2025 by

wearing: multi-color earrings / necklace / mocha sweater (under $50) / suede bucket bag / spring nail polish / black wide leg pants (avl in petite, reg., and tall) / black boots (old, also love this pair) /

There is a popular coffee shop in downtown Saratoga named Sue’s Gallery Cafe. It was featured on “Zip Trips” which is a local TV show that showcases neighborhoods in the Bay Area and surrounding areas. It airs on local channel two, KTVU. I love this show because it features places I have been, as well as places I didn’t know existed. I grew up here and there are still nooks and crannies I’ve never heard of. This TV show is amazing for showing those locations!

So, when Zip Trips came to Saratoga, I knew I had to watch the episode. One of the places they talked about was Sue’s Gallery Cafe. It is a popular coffee shop which is always busy and attracts locals as well as visitors. One of the customers they interviewed was the one and only Ronnie Lott! If you are a football fan, and a niners fan, you know who he is!

Ronnie Lott told Zip Trips he loves Sue’s Gallery Cafe, and he enjoys their Charcoal Latte! So, my husband and I made it a point to try the famous drink. I mean, we are huge football fans, how could we not try Ronnie Lott’s recommendation? The episode aired last summer, so it took us awhile! We tend to make coffee at home, that’s why it took us so long to finally try the Charcoal Latte!

We decided to grab one Charcoal Latte and one Vanilla Latte; my good ‘ol standby order. I have to admit, the thought of Charcoal in my coffee was a little bit scary, but since it’s served and enjoyed by many, it must be edible! So, this felt like an adventure!

OK, without further ado, here is my take. It tastes slightly different than a regular latte. But, if you sipped it without looking at the color, you may not notice it isn’t a regular latte. Since I tend to like vanilla, I am not sure it will be something I order often. Although, my husband did like it, and he ended up drinking it while I drank the Vanilla Latte. Sue’s Gallery Cafe makes incredible coffee anyway, and when I go there, I have always ordered a Vanilla Latte, so I might just stick with my favorite. That being said, the Charcoal Latte was good.

Have you tried this trendy coffee drink? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

BAF Weekly IT List

 in General Fashion  tagged baf weekly it list / spring 2025 / winter 2025 by

BAF Weekly IT List from top left: spring sweater / Dior spring nail polish / Chanel spring nail polish / black belted tote / suede high heel / long sleeve top / suede bucket bag / boxy tote / sneakers / pink earrings / caramel top handle bag /

Do you love all the neutral hues right now as much as I do? There is something fresh about mixed neutrals in shades of mocha. Love!

Also loving all the pops of pale pink, which is supposed to be one of the hottest colors for fall 2025; of course, it is perfect to wear now too! Love that!

These high heels are amazing! If you missed my blog post from last week, these high heels have arch support and are engineered to fit correctly. I find them incredibly comfortable, and can’t wait to invest in more pairs! They have block heels, kitten heels, and more! Love that!

Shop the BAF Weekly IT List online:

Stay tuned for upcoming spring coverage!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy