Food Friday: Swan Oyster Depot

Swan Oyster Depot 1517 Polk Street 


It happened. I finally made it to Swan Oyster Depot! Any Anthony Bourdain fans out there? Then you must remember the episode in which he makes a quick trip to SF and stops by this seafood lover's paradise, right? Well, long before that episode aired, I had this place on my list. I'm a hugeee seafood fanatic: I see food, I eat it! Corny jokes aside, if you haven't heard of this place and you're looking for a spot to grab some fresh seafood, put this one on your list.

Beauty Bites: 100% Pure Cosmetics (and Giveaway!)

100% Pure Cosmetics c/o; Break-ups To Makeup Clutch & Tee c/o

I'm all about trying out new beauty goodies, and this week, it's 100% Pure. For those who may not be familiar, 100% Pure lives up to the name in every sake - it's 100% green (all the packaging is made from recycled aluminum and paper and all the printing on the packing is even made from non-toxic soy & vegetable ink!), it's 100% cruelty free, and all the products are made from 100% biodegradable formulas. Needless to say, 100% Pure is healthy for us and the earth. Not bad, right? So, it's no surprise that I was pretty excited to try out some products from the line.

Black Basics

Okay, guys. You know I love you because I'm sharing a post of me with my hair au-naturale. More and more as my tresses reach longer lengths, I've tried harder to give them a break from the heat. While most days my hair is actually in its curly state, I prefer to straighten my mane to make it more manageable (until I regain my pre-hair cut length). Although my hair is almost always curly behind-the-screen (see what I did there?), I feel more comfortable heading to events and snapping blog photos with my straight hair. Nevertheless, once in a while, it's good to get out of your comfort zone. Now, don't be confused - I love my naturally curly hair. But, I can't wait until it hits just an inch or two more of growth. Anyhoo, enough about the hair, time to talk about the 'fit. Wore this simple number to dinner with Veuve (remember Friday's post?). Jen graciously snapped a few photos of me before we walked in and were dined off our feet. To see more of my dinner apparel, click below.

Food Friday: Veuve Clicquot #VCTasting at Namu Gaji

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of dining at Namu Gaji for a private Veuve Clicquot tasting. It was an evening filled with Clicquot-yellow and lots and lots of bubbly! Veuve Clicquot Champagne Specialist, Francois Hurtel hosted the tasting and walked us through four rare vintages including a Vintage Blanc 2004, Non-Vintage Rosé, Vintage Rosé 2004, and Clicquot Demi-Sec. It was such a treat to take part in such a memorable evening. Prior to the event, Namu Gaji was on my foodie list of places to try out, so I was ecstatic to finally cross that one off the list. Okay, but enough small talk - let's get to the food, shall we?  

'90s Boy Band

There are some days in which you get dressed and ready to go, walk out the door and realize shortly after that you look like you're part of a '90s boy band (or "My So-Called Life" - the angst, man). But you continue on and own it because who didn't love the '90s? NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees - I definitely could have passed for one of their groupies. But that's okay. Ripped jeans, flannel shirts, burnout tees, and booties. Make the mental note that if you put together that combo of things, you will run the same risk. Prepare to be utterly cool.

Alyssa Nicole Fall '14 "Still Cold" Collection Preview

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Alyssa Nicole Fall 2014 collection preview, which took place on FIDM's beautiful rooftop deck. True to San Francisco's nature, the Karl the Fog came rolling in just as the models started walking out. And, although it made for a chilly evening, nothing better could have set the mood for the show. This season, the line was filled with deep blues, inspired by coldness and the stars. The line, appropriately named, "Still Cold" was Alyssa's interpretation of fragility. While I've loved all of Alyssa's past lines, I can't tell you all enough how much I loved this one. As soon as the models starting lining up in tweed and soft wool, I knew this was Alyssa's best collection yet. I can only dream of wearing those perfectly structured pencil skirts to meetings! But enough about what I think. Scroll through to see all of Alyssa's beautiful pieces and more scenes from the evening.

YOU'RE INVITED: Zumba Saturday with pancakeSTACKER & ATHLETA SF

I'm so excited to invite you guys to a fun fitness-filled event I'm hosting with Athleta on Fillmore this upcoming Saturday, August 23rd! The event starts early in the day at 8:30am with a one hour Zumba class, where you can all show off your killer dance moves. From 10-12, we'll have prizes, giveaways, food, and juice tastings by Project Juice! Athleta just got in a ton of cute new clothes for fall, so I'd bet my bottom dollar that some of you won't resist the urge to leave the store without them. I picked out my 'fit for the event a little early just to give you guys a sneak peek on what you can expect to see in store. All are welcome to join, so please feel free to RSVP and spread the word! You can sign up, here.

Food Friday: Eat Drink SF

Imagine a day where all you do is eat and drink - sounds heavenly, doesn't it? @OnlyinSF (San Francisco Travel) hear this foodie's prayers and granted me two tickets to the annual Eat Drink SF fest (formally SF Chefs fest). After three hours of nonstop eating and drinking, I felt nothing but painful happiness. I can't even begin to tell you everything I ate that day, but I will say that I made it about 90% of the food booths. Scroll for more sights to delight those tastebuds & find out which dishes stood out in this foodie's mind.

Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair

Jenny and I shot together one chilly Sunday afternoon and wanted to try something different. I love, love flowers (what girl doesn't, right?). So, while certain blooms are in season, I just have to take advantage. I've seen so many beautiful bougainvillea arches in my neighborhood and have always wanted to shoot with them. They're alluring in the simplest way. Their color, their delicate nature, and the tiny treasures left behind once they've fallen and dried - it's all so captivating to me. So, when we saw this archway taking over a neighbor's garage, it was too tempting not to trespass...oops.

Outside Lands 2014: Day Three + Video Recap

We made it to day three of Outside Lands. (Missed day one or two?) So while day one's weather was so-so and day two's weather was miserably cold, day three's weather was surprisingly sunny (so sunny that I got a tan!). Wish I had known that the weather was planning to warm up because I dressed like I was ready for another foggy evening with Karl. Day three was much more relaxing and filled with lots and lots of food (which you will soon see when you scroll through the snaps). Aside from the ramen burgers, mac and cheese, and sweet potato tots, I also had the pleasure of seeing my favorite act - Flume. Flume was by far my favorite set of all three days. (No surprise there - remember Coachella?) I had no problem dancing in my Restricted "Country" boots to the entirety of his set! To see the aforementioned ramen burger and more, scroll through for more photos and my final recap video!

Outside Lands 2014: Day Two

Day two of Outside Lands was nothing short of amazing. It was the coldest day out of the three (whomp, whomp), but I didn't let that stop me from frolicking around in my maxi and midriff. Those who follow me on Instagram might know that I also teamed up with Restricted Footwear this year. Restricted Footwear was so gracious in equipping me with my dancing shoes for all three days of the fest. (You might remember the brand from my time at Coachella!) And, they even let me share the wealth with three lucky ladies, all of whom won three pairs of festival footwear! On day one I wore my "Westside" booties (as seen in yesterday's post). But what about day two? Scroll through to see my snaps!

Outside Lands 2014: Day One

Another Outside Lands festival has come to an end, and boy, am I having withdrawals. It's no secret that I am an avid festival-goer. I love the free-spirited feelings, the loud music, the dancing-with-no-inhibitions, and the good, good vibes. There's nothing that music can't heal, so imagine three days of non-stop, back-to-back jams! This year, I was so very excited to partner up with my pals at Chictopia to give followers a look at Outside Lands through the eyes of an true Bay Area native. From the fashion and art to the music and food, I tried to capture it all for my Instagram-takeover. If you didn't catch all my snaps on Instagram, fear not - I've got dayssss worth of posts to catch you up, starting with this one.

Behind The Scenes: LeTote Video Shoot

Photos and Video by: Rob Schanz

Remember Monday's post where I said August was full of some super sweet stuff? Get ready for sweet stack number one. Last week, I had a chance to work with LeTote on a fun video project. It's been a while since I've done video, but boy, do I love it. We shot around Noe Valley (a neighborhood I need to revisit) and I styled a couple of looks from the new items in at LeTote, including the Rocky Vintage Ringer Tee (pictured above). I showed this video to my gal pal, Alyssa and she said, "I have never seen a video so true to anyone's real life." Videographer and photog, Rob Schanz basically captured my inner self - a foodie-loving and Instagram-aholic, smiling Stacker. Check out these photos from our shoot and be sure to press play when you get to the video!

pancakeLEFTOVERS: July

Ah, August - where did you come from? July flew by and August came out of no where. I can't even believe that Outside Lands is this weekend! Speaking of, any of you going? (I, for one, cannot wait to see Flume kill it on stage again. He was a dream at Coachella!) Ah, I digress (but you should know there are some gooood things cooking up for that, so do keep an eye!). Before we get on to another beautiful month (the month that marks four years of blogging over here at pancakeSTACKER, btw), let's take a quick look at the memories that made up July. Shall we?