After a simple breakfast in our room – fresh bakery panettone from Pat and Christi – we headed back out to Big Joe’s for burgers.  Tradition, again.  I have to have at least one burger there, every time I come home.

Burgers are judged by how many napkins it takes to get through one.  Today’s burger was a seven napkin delight.

I ordered the Joe’s burger.  It is a full half-pound of ground beef on a toasted bun with crisp iceberg lettuce, thick slices of tomato, half an avocado, slices of thick bacon, and jack cheese with pickles, carrot spears, and a huge mound of crisp – and hot – french fries.

I did not clean my plate.  I just couldn’t, although I gave it my best shot.

Victor went for the Patty Melt.  Another half-pound burger with swiss cheese and the most fantastic thick slices of fried onions.  He gave it that old college try, too – but it was just too much to finish.

This may be our last Joe’s visit.  After today, there’s just too many of us to fit in there. Eileen made reservations for 30 of us for dinner at Celia’s tomorrow night.  And there’s going to be even more at her house on Sunday… Then again… there’s always Monday morning…

We stopped off earlier and picked up a bunch of wine and vodka for Sunday’s festivities.  This group likes to have a cocktail or two…..

And tonight we’re off to Concord for dinner at Rich’s.  Thank goodness we can take BART.

Tomorrow morning is back across the bridge to San Ramon.

Getting married would have been so much easier…..

And while I’m at it…  Here are the cookies Christi and Pat gave us.  We ate the panettone before I could get the camera out…

They’re from Dianda’s Italian American Pastry Co., 2883 Mission Street between 24th & 25th.

Sooooooooo good.  Really, really good.