Tag: San Francisco

48 Hours in San Francisco

Mission Dolores Park, San Francisco

“This is what the term ‘melting pot’ means” I muse to Z.  We are in the process of scaling one of San Francisco’s famously steep streets, lines of cars parked perpendicular to the sidewalk, a precarious sight.  A gust of wind thrown just the right way would surely send them toppling like dominos to the bottom of the hill.  But yet they make sense, all while seemingly defying the laws of gravity.  With a couple of tours of this city by the bay under my belt, I’m beginning to think that this is it’s shtick; San Francisco operates by it’s own set of rules and is individual in every sense of the word.  Layered with sophistication and grit, there is a place for everyone and every way in this city.  Z and I arrived on a Wednesday and had the impossible task of absorbing as much of San Francisco’s culture as possible in 48 hours.  We mapped out a list of ‘must-see’ (Golden Gate Park) and ‘must-eat’ (China Town) priorities and hit the pavement, traversing as many corners of the city as we could on this whirlwind of a trip.  Friday morning we would set off for Napa.  For now, the city would ensconce us.


Upon arrival we checked into The Hotel Des Arts (conveniently located a half block from the entrance to China Town) and set about walking to Swan’s Oyster Depot, a small restaurant that consists of one long bar and serves up some of the very best just-hauled seafood you will find.  Patrons have been known to wait for hours for a bar stool to vacate and for the chance to sample the freshly-shucked oysters and piping hot clam chowder.  A mist in the air and our early arrival (I recommend getting there as close to 11am as possible) were on our side and we were able to saddle right up to the counter, no wait at all.  A dozen oysters, a sashimi plate of the day’s fresh catch and the roe of one fresh sea urchin later and I was in vacation mode, my standard glass of sparkling the perfect accompaniment to the ocean goodness.  I am a big believer in small meals when on vacation in a large city, allowing for sampling throughout the day, maintaining a steady buzz of both the local swill and the region’s best food.  Our all-seafood brunch left us just short of full and we were more than ready to dig into an oven-fired pizza from Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, an award-winning spot located in North Beach, the Italian heart of San Francisco.  The ideal afternoon snack, this pit-stop would carry us into the evening, when we would be dining at Atelier Crenn.

Chef Dominique Crenn is French born and helms the small and warm Atelier Crenn restaurant.  This was a meal I had been dreaming of for several months.  The first female Chef in America to ever be awarded two Michelin Stars, Chef Crenn’s menu is dictated to the diner in the form of poems she has penned, poems that tell us of the season we are experiencing, the coolness of winter as felt perched by the sea.  Upon reading the poems my mouth instantly began to water and I felt a calm come over me.  As I have been developing recipes and writing about food, I find a similar comfort and release when I write as when I cook.  Chef Crenn was speaking to my foodie-heart before I had tasted a single bite of her food.

Atelier Crenn, San Francisco

What followed was a dinner experience I will never forget.  We spent a leisurely three and a half hours at Atelier Crenn, a multitude of courses presented to us, each one at just the right time and just the right size to maintain our curiosity, to ensure that we did not become overly satiated.  With the menu presented as a poem we were unaware of how many courses we would be receiving and what, exactly, we would be eating.  We simply had to let go, to trust Chef Crenn and her team, and submit ourselves to this experience.  No foreshadowing, no expectations.  Just simple, culinary bliss.  The meal maintained a theme of seafood throughout many of the courses, serrano ham and a paper-thin slice of wagyu carpaccio peeking through here and there as the meal progressed, the dinner coming to a climax with a perfectly cooked guinea hen and then bringing us gently back down and into the welcoming arms of dessert.  We had the opportunity to meet Chef Crenn during our visit and she was so kind and unbelievably generous to us.  This meal will not be taken for granted.  It’s impression on me was indelible and I am so very grateful for the experience.

Golden Gate Park

If you’ve read any of our past travel posts (find them all here) then you will know that walking is my and Z’s favorite way to absorb the world.  The following morning we set out on foot, winding our way through various pockets of San Francisco for an hour or so, finally finding ourselves at Golden Gate Park.  It was somewhat early and the streets remained quiet throughout our stroll, shop keepers greeting us as they swept off their stoops and readied their stores for the day.  Now there are many ways to take in the beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge but I challenge you to find one more refreshing than gazing from below, standing in the sand of the beach at it’s base.  We relaxed for a bit from our walk and watched dogs dart through the sand, watched the waves crash lightly on the beach.

The streets of China Town

Lunch time was near and we caught a cab back into town.  We had somehow missed the opportunity to dine in China Town during our previous visit to the city and had vowed not to make the same mistake twice.  We were  given several recommendations for go-to dim sum spots and, after much deliberation, settled on lunch at Lai Hong Lounge, located on Powell Street just off of Broadway.  It was clear upon arrival that we were the only tourists in the restaurant.  All eyes in the large, red dining room turned to look at us as we waited to be seated.  My first instinct was to turn around but I knew that this was a very good sign that we were somewhere authentic and that we would be sampling food that was blissfully un-Americanized.  Our waiter spoke very little English but wore a large and genuine smile, putting me at ease quickly as he poured us cups of piping hot tea.  We ordered dim sum from a large menu, marking our selections with a bit of trepidation as the bulk of the items were unfamiliar to us.  Standards were obvious – dumplings both fried and steamed – and fantastic.  The fried shrimp dumpling, while incredibly simple, packed a crunchy wonton full of plump and perfectly cooked shrimp.  It was a highlight for me along with the stuffed tofu skins.  Z became instantly addicted to the steamed pork buns and, since our return, declared them his best bite of the trip.  We ordered eight items and our eyes proved to be larger than our stomachs.  We left in a pleasant food-coma, strolling leisurely through the streets of China Town, our schedule open and the sky a beautiful blue.

We had visited our favorite bookstore, City Lights, the previous day however I had heard of a foodie-centric bookshop that I was anxious to peruse.  We made our way to the Mission neighborhood where Omnivore Books on Food resides.  It feels as if you are on the set of a movie when you enter, the small, neatly arranged store almost too perfect and too quaint to be true.  Thankfully it is very real and we took our time scouring the shelves that lined the walls and stretched toward the ceiling, small foot stools available for any books that were out of reach.  Intermixed with the current must-have-food-reads and classic tomes such as The Art of French Cooking and The Joy of Cooking, vintage copies of food and beverage related books can be found.  Tucked in the nooks and crannies you feel as if you are coming across something hidden, an item that was left behind many years ago by someone who loved the culinary world as much as you.  It was a lovely place to spend part of our afternoon.

One our way to Omnivore we had passed a large park set against a steep slope and complete with a wonderful view of San Francisco.  Called Mission Dolores Park, we took our new reads and spent some time in the sun, taking in the view and relaxing, soaking in the wonderfulness of not having to be anywhere, to do anything.  Later that evening we would find ourselves wine tasting at The Hidden Vine, a dark and loungy spot in the financial district.  Luck would be on our side for dinner and we would manage to score a table at State Bird Provisions, the highly acclaimed mixed-service establishment named 2013’s best new restaurant in America by James Beard.  For the moment however all that I sensed was the grass at Dolores Park tickling my arms, the pages of my book shuffling in the breeze.  A group of friends several feet away passed around a pet snake, reminding me that I wasn’t just anywhere.  I was in San Francisco where the beat of the drum is different.  It is a beautiful sound.

Foodie-Girl Goes to Napa

 

As the plane was landing in Louisville last year, bringing us home from our first Napa adventure, I was already turning the pages of my mental calendar.  Perhaps we can go back in five months for the harvest?  What about November when the hordes of people have subsided?  The desire to return quickly exhibited signs of desperation as I unpacked my suitcase, fawning over every precious bottle of wine we had discovered and brought back to add to our small, but beloved, collection.  We couldn’t let this be a one-time trip.  Napa appeals to all of my senses – the smell of the wine caves, the taste of the grapes, the views that are so beautiful and sweeping you must blink to make sure they aren’t figments of your wildest dreams.  And blessedly they are not.  So, after a fun-filled day and night in San Francisco, waves of relief began to come over me as we made the drive from the city by the bay to the valleys of Napa.  We’d made it back and nothing had changed.  Including Matt and Glynnis, some of our dearest friends who now call Napa home.  After hugging our friends and dropping our luggage we were off, cruising past vineyards and views – the adventures of Napa, 2012, had begun!

It’s become my custom to begin every vacation with a glass of bubbly.  It just seems fitting.  So as Z and I set out on the streets of San Francisco we had this objective in mind.  Combined with dreams of delectable seafood we knew our steps would lead us toward the water first.  Not the type of travelers who need to see every historical sight, check every museum off of a list, Z and I prefer to simply walk through a city, linking each neighborhood together and allowing their unique nuances and characteristics to be our guide to experiencing a place.  Food is the cornerstone of this method and we have never found that to be so true as in San Francisco.  Starting with a walk to the Ferry Building, we explored the shops and food stalls while we waited for the lunch bell to ring.  My favorite find was Happy Girl Kitchen, where they specialize in farm-fresh artisan preserves.  I couldn’t leave without a bottle of their spicy kimchee.  I think it will be the perfect partner for pork loin.  As soon as 11:30 hit we sat down for oysters and sparkling wine at Hog Island Oysters.  With six pairs making up our dozen, we tasted one by one, comparing the sweetness from the Pacific Coast varietals to the more briny flavors of their Atlantic cousins.  Deliciousness.
After a lengthly but leisurely stroll to the North Beach neighborhood, we ventured into several shops (including the BEST bookstore – we could have spent hours getting lost in the pages of their unique offerings – City Lights Books) and decided it was time for a pick me up.  In the same way that I begin vacations with champagne, a mid-afternoon espresso is essential.  And San Francisco is best characterized in it’s independent coffee-shops.  Please don’t make a Starbucks stop while you are here.  And this is coming from a self-declared Starbucks Chai-Tea Latte addict.  Trust me, find a divey-looking corner coffee brewer and take a seat in one of the mis-matched chairs.  You won’t regret it and your drink will be undoubtedly outstanding.

North Beach is San Francisco’s little Italy.  We absolutely couldn’t leave without enjoying something from my favorite food-genre.  We elbowed our way into a tiny deli and settled on splitting a meatball sandwich with fresh mozzarella.  Perfectly balanced, the meatballs weren’t overworked or dressed up beyond recognition.  They were simply Italian meatballs.  And I can’t wait to practice this at home.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent wandering through Nob Hill and Chinatown.  Alas, my camera failed to capture these distinct and complex boroughs of the city.  Chinatown was especially dynamic, bright and undoubtedly delicious.  Well worth the visit.

Our day was capped off with dinner at Zuni Cafe where we experienced an unusual pairing that, when all parts were combined, was harmonious and delightful.  Broccoli rabe with oranges and procuitto.  Bitter, salty and sweet, the textures played off of each other.  I will be putting my own spin on this concept at home.

An early rise the next morning brought us to Napa!  We arrived and Glynnis and Matt’s beautiful home, ecstatic to be back.  It wasn’t long before we were pulling the car into Robert Sinskey Vineyards.  Large lemon trees framed the entrance and Glynnis and I made sure to help ourselves – this was pre-approved, of course :).  I would be cooking dinner the following night and was sure the fresh, gorgeous lemons would come in handy.  Glasses of their crisp and fresh 2010 Pinot Gris in hand, we traveled through a lush vegetable garden and into the caves where precious vintages of their creations were stored.  Our guide was laid-back, knowledgable and set a great pace for the visit.  I highly recommend making this a stop on your travels through the Valley.

Once our walk through the caves was complete we were treated to a beautiful assortment of freshly made delicacies.  They enhanced the sips of full-on-fruity 3 Amigos Pinot Noir and the long, licoric finish of the Cabernet Franc.  We brought home a bottle of each.

Our next visits were pop-ins at Baldacci Vineyards and Pina, both extremely small productions, resulting in focused, layered wines.

A bottle of the smooth and earthy Elizabeth Pinot Noir, named for Thomas Baldacci’s mother, and the four element blend in honor of the four Baldacci sons, IV Sons Fraternity, made the trip home with us.  Pina presented us with an outstanding Late Harvest Chardonnay that I can’t wait to pair with bleu cheese.  Then we were off to our tour at Far Niente where their boutique ‘winery within a winery’ Dolce, stole the show.

Our final stop of the day was at the Flora Springs Tasting Room.  We visited the vineyard on our first trip to Napa and have been huge fans ever since.  Outside of their fantastic and varied wine offerings, they are just really fun, exciting people, who make you want to stay a little longer, encouraging your questions and not once making you feel silly or unwelcome.  Last year it was their Ghost Wine release that we fell in love with, among other varietals, and this year we couldn’t leave without a couple of bottles of their 100 year anniversary Sauvignon Blanc and their Bodacious Cabernet Sauvignon, both only to be found at the winery.

Dinner that evening was in Sonoma at The Girl And The Fig.  Best meal of the trip, hands down.  Rooted in traditional French inspirations, the menu is driven by fresh, local ingredients with slight modern touches that aren’t overly showy but manage to elevate each dish to a level that lets you know you are experiencing something special.  We began with a variety of seasonal radishes, some thinly sliced, some left whole, that were accompanied by an unbelievably delicious anchovy butter.  You will be seeing a post on my attempts at this in my own kitchen very soon.

Dinner brought us a lovely filet of wild flounder meuniere over a bed of spinach and yukon potato puree.  Topped with a lemon-caper brown butter sauce, this dish, in all of it’s butter-laden glory, managed not to weigh me down but simply warm my soul.  Z enjoyed a fabulously rich top sirloin burger with cheddar, bacon and a freshly fried farm egg.  Each bite was better than the next.  And if you’ve read any of my past posts then you know how much I enjoy the use of fried eggs as a garnish!

The next day began with breakfast fit for a day of wine tasting at Napa Valley Biscuits.  Decadent and over the top, fried chicken, cheddar and fried eggs are sandwiched between perfectly baked biscuits.  A necessary start for this particular day.

After stops at Joseph Swan Vineyards and Dutton Goldfield we headed up a one-lane rocky road to the top of a clearing where we found the outdoor tasting room for Iron horse Vineyards.  Flights of sparkling wine were shared and we were thrilled that our beautiful friends Becca, Joe and sweet, adorable Emma joined us for the afternoon!

From Iron Horse we completed our day by tasting the wines of Chateau St Jean.  We couldn’t leave without two bottles of their perfectly balanced, simply wonderful 2008 Cinq Cepages.

Upon returning home I set about preparing my rosemary roasted chicken with vegetables.  The lemons from the trees at Robert Sinsky’s Winery made the perfect stuffing and the fresh rosemary, growing wild in the backyard, added herby richness.  As the chicken roasted away, we bundled up and sat by the fire-pit, enjoying several bottle’s from Glynnis and Matt’s collection.  My favorite of the night was a bottle of Vina Tondonia from Rijoa that Matt opened in honor of our upcoming trip to Spain.  It had such great personality and attitude – it was a treat!

Sunday was our third and final day in Napa.  We took a long drive to the top of Pritchard Hill, where my favorite winery, Chappellet, resides.  My romance with Chappellet began last year, when we stopped in for a simple tasting.  It was then that I discovered their Chenin Blanc and I have been in love ever since.  We joined their wine club and I anxiously await the new arrivals of the season.

I know that part of my love for Chappellet is rooted in the artistic elements that present themselves throughout the experience.  We took a full tour this year, walking well into the vineyards where we were able to observe the design of the building, created to blend in with the hillside.  As the daughter of an Architect, I tend to geek-out over this type of thing.  The contemporary paintings in the entrance draw me in as well.  You feel like you are somewhere extraordinary – and you are.  I treated myself to a very special bottle of their Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon that I plan to enjoy for my upcoming 30th birthday.  I can hardly wait!

We traded the views of Pritchard Hill for the equally amazing sweeping landscapes at CADE.  This LEED Gold Certified Winery is perched atop the hills of Napa Valley.  We tasted through their fantastic portfolio while watching birds bathe in their reflection pond.  This is a truly gorgeous winery and my new favorite find for our second visit.

Slightly sunburnt, we realized that the day was growing short so we set off for our final appointment at Hall.  Art and wine played dual roles at this refined and elegant wine post.  Instillations could be found throughout the property as we set off on an in-depth tour of their history.  The wines are award-winning and deservedly so – they offered us the perfect toast to conclude our days of tasting.

 

As we set off the next morning on our flight back to Louisville, I didn’t experience the same desperation to return that I had felt previously.  I felt calm and confident in the fact that we will make the journey to Napa every year.  We couldn’t go longer without visiting Matt and Glynnis.  They have given us a home by the Pacific, nestled in Napa Valley.  The sadness of leaving is trumped by the excitement of coming back.  The adventure is not over, just on pause.  We’ll see you in 2013!