We flew out of NYC on Saturday, 9/14 and landed late morning/early afternoon in SF. Peter and Linda picked us up from the airport and we headed straight to the Ferry building and the farmers' market right by the pier. SF farmers' market are sooo generous in samples - you can practically get full just from sampling something from each vendor. We were starving by now since Fanny and I only had a parfait at the airport before our 5+ hour flight.
The first thing we ate was this fruit galette - it was delicious
Then we got some fresh oysters
And Peter was nice enough to wait on the long line for these amazing porchetta sandwiches
Generous free samples for all
One of the best coffee's I've ever had - Blue Bottle's New Orleans style iced coffee
We then went into the Ferry Building market to explore the market and also to find Fanny's meat cones that she had been dreaming about since her last trip to SF. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as she remembered...
We then hopped into the car (thanks Peter for driving us EVERYWHERE!) and drove to Coit Tower to get a 360 view of SF from the highest point in the city. Admission was $7 per person which is quite pricey for a view that left something to be desired. The views at the top of the tower were sealed with windows all around. Some of my favorite views of SF were free, more to come on that later.
Next stop was Lombard Street - world's most crooked street. It's a popular street in SF due to the crazy zig zag road.
We headed to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square - it was amazing to see a park, a beach, and shops/city feel all in the same area.
We had to stop by Boudin for their famous sourdough bread - we shared 2 bowls of clam chowder in their sourdough bowls. So good! I think I really like sourdough!
Our next destination was Twin Peaks where we can see all of downtown SF. The famous SF fog started to roll in as we were driving up to the Twin Peaks and I started to get nervous that our view would be ruined by the fog but to our luck, it was perfectly clear! It was just really really cold up there and the wind was so strong, it was almost hard to stand. We stayed there for 10 mins or so to absorb in the views and then headed to dinner.
We drive to Mission to eat at El Farolito. This place was recommended to me by Diana - she said it was mind blowing. I was skeptical since I am a huge Chipotle fan but the food definitely was great and so cheap! One of my favorite item there was definitely to my own surprise, their cantaloupe agua fresca. I ordered it on a whim after seeing Linda order it and I still think about it. It tasted like the pure essence of a super ripe cantaloupe! The shrimp ceviche taco was also really good.
It was starting to get dark by the time we finished dinner and we headed to Alamo Square to see the house from Full House! It was so beautiful - with the view of downtown SF behind it and all. Full House was definitely my favorite show as a kid.
After that, Peter and Linda dropped Fanny and I off to get Thai massages, after they raved about it at Coit Tower. I suddenly felt all my muscle tense up and knew we should go get one. The massage was relaxing but definitely didn't think it was intense enough for my liking. I should have told them to go harder on me. Fanny on the other hand thought it was intense and felt even more pain after! LOL
After our massages, Linda and Peter came to pick us up and try Yogorino. They love it, but I personally still prefer Pinkberry :)
We were so productive! It felt like we did a million things and it was only our first day!
Sunday, 9/15: Day 2
We woke up and headed to the Marin Farmers' Market near Linda and Peter's apartment. It was so awesome - so much fresh produce and delicious food...and FREE SAMPLES!
We started off with a waffle - not gunna lie, I don't like waffles but this one was so good! The texture was chewy...I could have ate a whole thing by myself.
We also tried this really delicious fig and bacon pizza topped with arugula - the flavors were so complementary!
This smoked salmon was so good! Usually when I think smoked salmon, I think it looks more on the raw side (kinda like sushi), but this one was more "cooked" looking. It was so delish!
We bought from fruits to go and were on our way. I had to get another cup of the Blue Bottle coffee but it was just soooo good.
Before heading into the city, we went to Marin Headlands to see and take pictures of the Golden Gate bridge. This location was my favorite view of the bridge.
My favorite photo from the trip - pure joy!
We drove into the city to have lunch at Burmastar. I've never had Burmese food before and was so excited to try, especially given all the great reviews this place had on Yelp. Lunch was amazing and our waitress was the sweetest lady ever. We had such a great time.
Samusa soup - very interesting
Tea leaf salad
Rainbow salad - my fave from the meal
Lamb curry - sauce was amazing, meat was a bit dry
There were plenty of cute shops in the area and we stopped by Schubert's bakery to try their princess cake. We ended up taking it to go because we were so stuffed from lunch and ate it in front of the Palace of Fine Arts.
Next stop was some biking along Crissy fields - this area is so fun and beautiful. There's a path where people can bike and stroll with large areas of grass where you can sit and enjoy the amazing view of the water and bridge.
We couldn't come to SF and not ride on of their iconic trolleys so we headed to Union Square. Roger was nice enough to come meet us for a bit while we checked things off our SF list. We met him by the Union Sq trolley stop and rode it all to Chinatown. SF is so hilly! Amazing. No wonder ppl are so skinny here. We walked through Chinatown and wanted to stop by the Golden Gate Bakery to try their famous egg tarts, but the line was so long that we didn't have enough time because we had dinner plans.
For dinner, I had plans to meet up with Esther, whom I haven't seen in YEARS. Literally since college, so probably 5+ years. It was so good to see her! I wish I had remembered to take a picture with her. Jaz and her husband, Andrew, were sweet enough to come meet us for dinner at PPQ Dungeness. We had so much fun chatting and laughing that some lady in the next table yelled at us to keep it down. She was jealous that we were having such a great time while her family stared boringly at each other. Chill lady - you must be from out of town - why so bitchy? Jaz was quite offended from her comment - love her boldness! LOL
Before heading home, we stopped by Creations Dessert for a bite of Asian delight.
Monday, 9/16: Day 3
We woke up early to beat the morning crowd to "hike" (more like stroll) John Muir Woods to see the famous redwood trees. They were so tall! So glad we came early because 1. we didn't have to pay admission since the park hadn't even opened yet, but most of all 2. to avoid the crazy crowds! By the end of our hike, the place was filled with people and it would have been hard taking pictures without people being in all of them. We took such great photo since we had the park to ourselves!
LOL. Don't ask.
Zen.....?
We had plans to go to Napa Valley after the hike. But we were pretty hungry after our adventure at Muir Woods. We stopped by a local Mexican joint near their apartment and picked up some bombass platain chips at Sol Food. We also purchased some of their cutely package hot sauce to take home as souvenirs.
We stopped by to have lunch before hitting the vineyards. We were all either lightweights or were "allergic" to alcohol so we had to cushion our tummies. We walked around Oxbox market but ended up eating at Gott's Roadside for burgers. Linda said this place was famous for their burgers but they were just average.
Our first vineyard stop in Napa was Robert Mondavi. I remember Jin had gifted me a bottle of their Moscato for my house warming party and was excited to see the source! We arrived at 2pm, just in time for one of their walking and tasting tours (so lucky!). We quickly signed up for the Discovery tour. Our first tasting was a dry white - think it was a Sauvignon Blanc - we didn't like it.
Our final tasting was their Moscato, which was apparently the original owner's favorite wine that they produced. It was delicious - I had to buy some!
We drove past Thomas Keller's French Laundry, just to see it. Definitely want to come here next time I'm in SF :). His original Bouchon bakery is actually in Napa so we had to stop by. We sampled a few of their pastries, but nothing was too memorable for me.
Ad Hoc is known for their fried chicken and boy, did it exceed expectations. We were so lucky to be able to have it since apparently, according to our waiter (who was so charming and sweet!), only offer it twice a month and only on Mondays! WHAT? It was pure luck!! That's why our trip was so amazing, we just had so much luck - with restaurants and especially the weather - it was sunny and beautiful every day we were there! Needless to say, our meal at Ad Hoc was nothing short of incredible. It was one set prix fixe menu of 4 courses and everything was just perfect.
Tomato salad to start - the tomatoes were actually from the French Laundry garden :)
The amazing fried chicken main course with broccoli rabe and potato wedges as sides. It was so crispy, tender and JUICY.
3rd course was unexpected since we all thought we were heading straight into dessert. It was a fantastic course to bridge the gap between a heavy main course and dessert. We all loved it - it was a dish of balanced flavors between a local DELICIOUS goat cheese (I love love goat cheese), fresh figs, honey, and pistachios. Peter and I had a great time "plating" our own dishes as all the courses are served family style.
Dessert was amazing - I think it was a strawberry shortcake.
Last stop was the Ferry Building at night...so pretty and such a different sight night vs. day.
Tuesday, 9/17: Day 4 and last day :(
We were determined to do "everything we missed" today before heading home on our last day - which basically included a lot of eating. We stopped by Sausalito to get some great, dreamy views of SF before heading into the city. A bit of morning haze definitely made everything more special.
Japan town was on the itinerary so we could pick up some mochis as souvenirs but the store was unexpectedly closed for vacation. Disappointing but at least we got to check out Japan town!
So we didn't get to try the egg tarts at Golden Gate Bakery the other day and we knew today would be better since it was a Tuesday afternoon. The line was short and we immediately ate them fresh and hot! Seriously, the best egg tarts. The egg custard is thick while the shell is thin and flaky.
For our last meal in SF, we went to Tartine bakery. Everything is good here!
We had 2 croque monsieurs, one turkey and one ham (ham was better!). The side of pickled carrot was SO good. Definitely one of the most memorable things I ate in SF for some super weird reason, because I actually hate carrots! This one was perfectly pickled and had such a good kick of spice to it. It was so good, I am actually trying to pickle some myself! Let's see how it turns out :) *cross my fingers*
Mind blowing banana tart. How is it so rich and light at the same time?
Morning bun - a California thing because we've never heard or seen it anywhere else. So interesting - a sugary coat to a chewy cinnamon-bun-like texture with hints of orange zest.
Thanks Linda and Peter SO much for hosting and showing us around. We had the time of our lives! <3
