Delicious San Francisco! (and I’m not just talking about food) Part 1

San Francisco is a delicious city in both the food possibilities and also with things to see and do. The choices are endless!

San Francisco loves me!

How do I know? Well, if you knew my luck with traveling and the weather, you’d know that my presence has brought desperately needed rainstorms to parched Italian soil on more than one occasion.

You’d be savvy to the fact that during my 9 week trip to Europe, the weather was brilliant in England while I was in Scotland. Once I arrived in England, the sun decided to shine upon Scotland instead. I honestly didn’t really see the sunshine until I reached Sicily, half way through my trip!

I seem to have a knack for having bad weather follow me when I travel, except when I go to San Francisco.

Every single time I have been to this wonderful city, the weather gods have smiled upon me! This is actually quite a feat, especially if you take into consideration the following quote, which is often attributed to Mark Twain (but most likely not his actual words):

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

All I know is that it is such a walkable, enjoyable, beautiful and delicious city, and that everyone who can, should really try to venture into San Francisco and take advantage of all it has to offer, at least once in their lifetime.

Here’s my caveat, before I share my thoughts and experiences on the food places I visited: just as no two people share the exact same values, styles, beliefs and taste buds, my opinions are just that—opinions. 

Are you a food snob? According to my definition, I bet not.

I know that I have high standards when it comes to certain food, and it’s not that I’m picky, it’s just that I’ve been very fortunate to have tasted “the best of the best” of so many cuisines, that the bar has been set very high.

I have had my Dad’s fish and chips in Scotland from his shop using the freshest haddock from the North Sea. I’ve had many delightful afternoon teas in England, with the freshest scones and cream!
 

I’ve eaten mouth-watering pastries in Paris, authentic apple strudel in Germany,  and the tastiest weiner schnitzel in Austria. Chocolate in Switzerland is the best, homemade pasta in Italy is heaven on earth, and trying fresh swordfish and arancini in Sicily was phenomenal.

Eating just picked sweetcorn in Michigan, and having homegrown citrus and avocados in California are other delicious experiences I’ve been fortunate to have. I think you get the idea.

I also want to clarify that I don’t believe I’m a “food snob”. If I had to choose, I prefer peasant food and pub food to haute cuisine, although I do enjoy that, too. I just go by what my tastebuds tell me, and most of the time they are screaming at me (in true Italian fashion).

To me, a food snob isn’t a person who enjoys and knows good food, it’s someone who refuses to eat at some place that’s less than a high end, 5 star establishment, or a Michelin star restaurant. What do you think a food snob is?

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So, without further ado, here’s my take on the things we did in and around San Francisco. I hope it is both helpful and enjoyable and I’d love to hear what you think.

First of all, the fog in SF is not a rumor. This is on a bright sunny afternoon, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.

And just a few minutes later: a view from the road on our way to Muir Woods.

Muir Woods National Monument

About eleven miles north of San Francisco, just past the Golden Gate Bridge, you will feel as if you have just traveled 111 miles from the city as you near Muir Woods. Named after John Muir, (a Scotsman!) who is known as the founder of the US National Parks system. All I can say is that you will not be disappointed if you decide to leave SF for a short trip to see this awe-inspiring area.

The Redwood trees’ age and height is enough to inspire awe! There are salmon in Redwood Creek which runs through Muir Woods, so the time of year you go will determine what stage of the salmon’s life cycle you will see.

My daughter, Denisa, practiced her photography skills on nature’s beauty, as we walked through the forest.

Sausalito

On our way back to San Francisco, we stopped to see the famous little town of Sausalito. What a slice of heaven!  Subdued and elegant, but also like a diva showing off all she has, Sausalito has a fabulous, yet laid back atmosphere, which made me want to stay the night, or maybe the year…hey, did someone say “coolest retirement spot, ever?” All this and only ten minutes away from San Francisco!? Just, wow.

Don’t have a car in SF? Then just ride over to Sausalito on the ferry; how awesome is that? By the way, I would recommend not driving a car into San Francisco for several reasons:

1. The parking prices alone are reason enough. Plan on at least $50/night at hotels.

2. The city is very “walkable”, so if you are in decent shape, you can walk much of it. However, keep in mind that the hills are very steep, so depending on where you will walk, there may be no incline or very steep hills.

3. The public transportation system is fabulous, and don’t you want to ride on a cable car?

So, back in Sausalito, we popped into a little cafe in town and had some coffee and pastries,  then walked along the main street which offered little boutiques selling their jewelry, gifts and knick-knacks, interspersed with restaurants and other shops.

There was one shop in particular that caught my eye, called Venice Gourmet, which sold lots of gourmet food, kitchen tools, gifts and even loads of British candy! Alas, their prices were quite high, so I only came out with a few bags of dried lupini beans.

That night we decided to go to North Beach, which is San Francisco’s “Little Italy”.  We went back to a restaurant we’d been to last year. (Update: the restaurant is closed so here’s another one I can highly recommend: China Live).

The next morning, Denisa and I went out for a little shopping and had a chocolate croissant from…

Boudin Bakery

Now, I could do an entire post on Boudin Bakery. They’re famous for their fabulous sourdough bread which they have been making since 1849 (okay, Europeans, for example, may “pooh-pooh” this, but in the US that’s a long time!) I absolutely adore their clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl!

Unfortunately, I didn’t have it on this trip (massive traffic jam on the main road it is on, so I had to give up) but it’s something you won’t want to miss if you’ve never had it before. (I must add that we had hot chocolate from Boudin Bakery last year, which was so bad no one could drink it and we had to throw it away, so stick to their baked goods and chowder!)

I’m glad we didn’t want to ride the cable car this time as I have never seen such a long queue! People must have waited hours to ride it, but again, it’s something you just have to do at least once!

Union Square, San Francisco

If you like to shop, I have two words for you regarding Union Square: GO THERE.

The list of stores and shops is in the link above, but I do want to point out that you won’t want to miss Williams-Sonoma’s flagship store–all three floors of it!

Nearby, I spotted two Scottish flags which lured me across to them like magnets. The Whisky Shop sold everything from Scotch whisky to kilts and keychains.

Down the street from there we found Fiona’s Sweetshoppe, which was filled with all the different sorts of candies (sweeties) I grew up with in Scotland! It’s a lovely little shop, and I ended up buying some Barley Sugar, Strawberries and Cream and Lemon Sherbet “sweeties”, which are all made in the UK!

Denisa took a photo as it reminded her of Honeydukes Sweetshop from Harry Potter (gee, I wonder where J.K. Rowling got that idea?)

Continued on San Francisco, part 2.

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