Jump to content

San Francisco


Recommended Posts

it was good. here's where we ate:

state bird provisions
yank sing
copra
del popolo
city view
606

dinner at copra was outstanding. perhaps the best indian meal i've ever had in the u.s and up there with the best in london. and we preferred city view's dim sum (and experience) to yank sing.

more detailed reviews of all the meals will start showing up on the blog next week.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

My wife had a business trip to San Francisco recently; I decided to tag along,  and we went a couple of days prior, which gave us nearly a full week.  First couple of days AirBnB'ed in the Castro, then moved over to a hotel just off the Embarcadero.  Had a couple of old-fashioned breakfasts those first couple of mornings...

image.jpeg.1b7d037583880e7f2dd169e6fd14ae49.jpeg

Orphan Andy's, followed by the following morning at The Cove.  Both fine for breakfast.

Took a drive out to Tomales Bay for lunch with a friend. 

IMG_2816.jpeg.8f771b144475c4ed36478f0a5d032afd.jpeg

Northern Cal's best. Tomales Bays and Humboldt Bays, at Hog Island.

First two dinners: one at Delfina, the night was arrived, was okay. And easy. Then State Bird, which is really good. Met a friend there, and cranked up the bill. Some nice wines, some excellent food, and the sweetest service west of the Mississippi; I love that staff.

Our final in the Castro,  a nice find, recommended here or by previous hosts, was this place on Castro St.

IMG_2819.jpeg.382feb01825980fdb4966ec62f7fa5f0.jpeg

No res - we waited about an hour after writing our name on the white board - and they close early (like 8?). It's just the kind of food I want to eat when local...

IMG_2821.jpeg.1554ec2089ef6c440058fed79ae50588.jpeg

Crab. Just...crab.

IMG_2823.jpeg.b2d1c71be06dfb11913740dcd67e01da.jpeg

A really excellent wild shrimp dish. Which may have been a special, or based on the entree?

IMG_2824.jpeg.cdc4130365d4c9752ceb42634f0d756e.jpeg

A piece of local rockfish of some sort, mash, butter, lemon. Kind of a perfect meal for me, with sweet service, easily drinkable wines, and 2 blocks from our AirBnb. The Castro could turn into my favorite neighborhood in San Francisco.

Moved to the hotel - view from our barely openable window on the 8th floor:

IMG_2845.jpeg.6fd85a9884287358143266667cd8369c.jpeg

When Significant Eater started dealing with work,  I was able to go off on some adventures.  I climbed the fucking Filbert Steps. I'm old. I hadn't climbed the Filbert Steps in a decade (or maybe more). It was warm, because the most beautiful time of year, at least in the Bay Area, tends to be the beginning of football season and for the next month or two. 

IMG_2848.jpeg.cc98537fef446e4e0288c38ac9a08738.jpeg

Above - iykyk.

IMG_2849.jpeg.0f46ddf9c251b617d8d47d16b7448a88.jpeg

Climbing to get here...

IMG_2850.jpeg.d17e7ba5e9e889eb172781e4501778bb.jpeg

Fog cooperated:

IMG_2852.jpeg.547a951b60eaef4902a71b60712266a6.jpeg

IMG_2853.jpeg.ec760adfc2f554b2d994ce738c1654e3.jpeg

IMG_2854.jpeg.59deddfd1dee550b1d8dc0c9bf2d521a.jpeg

In every which way.

Hotel was around the corner; I'd reserved the bar area at Boulevard, where the menu is a la carte, and the food is good.

IMG_2862.jpeg.9c55f999dbac42c7d3d3ef3526ea7d49.jpeg 

Especially the California Abalone Roll:

IMG_2866.jpeg.d2b4841a7406a763cb4796a85e0d4b99.jpeg

 Met a friend at Angler...

IMG_2842.jpeg.0c669e38b071855116fd0c4a46d64cbe.jpeg

More to come.

Edited by MitchW
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The abrupt ending of the post above? I forgot something was on the stove, almost boiling over.

Re: Angler - that whole bird, which basically comes as you see it, was one of the tastiest birds I've had in a while. Cooking with wood helps, the brine was just right, and they use a good quality bird. Along with Parker House rolls and a side salad, it makes for a nice dinner.

 As a solo diner, I hit Yank Sing one day for lunch and had a nice assortment of dim sum. The caveat at Yank Sing?  Don't order everything from the first cart that comes your way...they're pushy!

My other solo lunch was at old favorite, after wandering North Beach a bit (and popping into City Lights)...

IMG_2880.jpeg.b58258260922eee864f5642115a41b7a.jpeg

And having an old-school espresso at Cafe Grecco, wasn't here...

IMG_2881.jpeg.a51cc35b67d2c3169368b7681878ccf5.jpeg

But here...

IMG_2883.jpeg.e4452eaeaac22f94c845eac9715a8fb8.jpeg

(Y'all thought Sam Wo, huh?). No, Brandy's, along with Henry's Hunan, was where my first exposure to Hunanese food in the US took place.  Both restaurants were around 35-40 years ago, and visited extensively. On this gorgeous SF day, I had the lunch special...

IMG_2884.jpeg.505f05296786c29ce0c704faa11456fd.jpeg 

Which included the starters above. Hot and spicy soup, cold noodle and cucumber salad, and a fried big dumpling...followed by a spicy stir-fry. All in around $20.

After lunch, I walked to San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art (reciprocal entry with Whitney Membership!).  They have a nice Warhol collection, including this Dolly:

IMG_2892.jpeg.76a5090c2e3944d6c5313f4a7611b9fa.jpeg

A Brancusi...

IMG_2899.jpeg.0cc84c425cc3dcc3f9eb0643d2f70cbb.jpeg

Quite a few Calders:

IMG_2885.jpeg.bbf49702c8c98e1ddba65c4b966db95a.jpeg

IMG_2888.jpeg.7ef3902c611a5fb5a7293e7ebf7b0d87.jpeg

And a Robert Arneson, a local Bay-area artist, and a leader of the Funk Art movement.

IMG_2905.jpeg.f17be1ec63fa792751a238d6d1d97cdf.jpeg

That one is called Smorgi-Bob, The Cook. And I thought it apropos.

Our final dinner - thanks to @voyager above, was at her recommended place in Dogpatch - Piccino. Dogpatch might be a little out of the way if you're staying out in the Richmond or Sunset or Noe Valley, but it's practically a hop skip and jump from where we were on the Embarcadero. 

IMG_2910.jpeg.842ad620ee0d188adb349524a809ca8f.jpeg

A nice California melon salad, with obligatory flowers.

IMG_2911.jpeg.386de0cfd59c06a88b1b1db50632266e.jpeg

House-made pasta with sausage and greens was good (I might've cut back on the bread crumbs), and should've been shared.

IMG_2913.jpeg.bd4f41590f688f536ecb23b6131c2a31.jpeg

Oat and berry crumble desert topped it off just right. Lovely meal, another place with lovely service as well.

Early flight the following morning...

IMG_2916.jpeg.12e8bb5c182fae41275ca3d729537e69.jpeg

 

Edited by MitchW
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do love going to Anchor when I'm in the Castro and the wait isn't too bad.  For dessert, I recommend both Castro Fountain (homemade cakes plus ice cream sundaes and milkshakes) and Aegean Delights (a Greek/Turkish shop with lots of baklava and the best Turkish delight I've ever had).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...