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Trip Report:: San Francisco Open your Golden Gate!
Trip Report:: San Francisco Open your Golden Gate!
I recently had the pleasure of a quick (4 night) work trip to San Francisco. Along with my partner in crime/coworker, I headed for the city and hit the ground running. Unlike the trip this report is unlikely to be super short because I am just wordy.
Warning: Heavy on Food and Beverages and light on culture! This trip was all about the food and drink of San Francisco. How much could we cram into 4 nights?!?!?!?!
My flight out of DCA was through Minneapolis. Just the breezeway from the airplane to the airport in Minnesota in Winter demonstrated by striking lack of cojones! I don't know how you people survive! The flights were uneventful, if you don't count the part where I was patted down by the TSA. Happens to me EVERY time.
We arrived in the mid-afternoon, dropped our bags at our swank hotel (The Parc 55), and headed to work to get ourselves situated for the next day. Post-work commitments we decided to hit our hotel bar, cityhouse, to have a drink and discuss dinner plans. It was here that the "Honey & Almonds" and I became friends. Wild turkey american honey, disaronno amaretto, fresh lemon juice and a splash of soda. Unbelieveably yummy!
We settled on John's Grill, a historic San Fran haunt, for our first dinner out for two reasons. 1 - It's historic and we are all about the history and 2 - it was a block away. That was about all we could handle after being on the go for a good 15 hours!
We started with the special drink, being the tourists we were. Yummy but it has nothing on the Honey & Almonds!
Mmmmmmm sourdough. San Fran, I love you so.
We both had the steak as it was a steak house.
Post-dinner we decided to wonder around and bar hop a little. Hey, a childless mother has to make the post of her opportunities right? First we hit 4th Street Pub and then quickly moved on to Johnny Foleys (thanks Mr. Marcia for the recommendation on the fly). Soon enough Flipper was in her happy place.
Both of those are not for me. I swear.
Day 2: Mels Drivein, The Stinking Rose and North Beach
We grabbed a great breakfast at Mel's Drive-in. Delicious yummy sourdough toast and the biggest omelet ever.
We headed to work to get things settled and then found ourselves with 2 hours to kill before the craziness began so we headed to Yerba Buena Gardens (thanks CaGirl for the 2nd on the fly recommendation that we took advantage of) and enjoyed the beautiful garden in the center of the city.
We wandered along and discovered a cool sculpture garden. ooooooooooooo.
Before we knew it, it was time to get to work! Boo. So we spent the afternoon convening.
Post-work we hit the cityhouse bar again (you can't beat two for one drinks) before heading out to North Beach for dinner at the Stinking Rose. I love the Stinking Rose. You have to REALLY like garlic to enjoy eating there. If you are a fan, it is SO good.
We started with the Bagna Calda (Garlic soaking in a hot tub Garlic cloves, oven-roasted in extra virgin olive oil & butter with a hint of anchovy served with focaccia bread.) I, personally, take the cloves and smear them on the bread. OMGOOOODNESS. No vampires were getting anywhere near us for the week.
Followed up with an entree of Spicy Prawns, fettuccine, pancetta, and onions in red pepper garlic oil. Religious experience! SOOOOO very good.
For those who do not know, North Beach is sort of (ok not sort of, but totally) the Red Light district of San Fran. Of course, I had not known this on my first trip there oh 12 years ago when my hubby and I were wee babes. I booked us in a guest house (affliated with a hostel) in North Beach. Awkward.
We survived and I was determined to find it again.
And find it I did. That's me pointing to the sign in the dark (this was right before my travelmate thought she smelled a skunk. It wasn't a skunk but instead someone toking on the corner).
Wow, what I was thinking back in the day. I can still remember it was $40/day!
A little more of the North Beach scenery
After dinner we decided to head to the Tonga Room (thanks Pete and/or CaGirl not sure who recommended this but we LOVED it). It was so funny, in the cab on the way, the cabbie was like "why do you want to go there?" Us: "we heard it is really kitchy and fun." Him: "It's really cheesy" Us: "Perfect!!! WE LOVE CHEESE!" lol. So we'd had a few drinks. At least Jana didn't ask this one where he got his hookers like she had the previous cab driver when she realized he was dropping us on a questionable red light corner. We are very good at holding our alcohol! Luckily he had laughed.
The Tonga Room is an institution. It is in the old pool complex at the San Fran Fairmont Hotel. There is a boat in the pool with the "band" in this case a pretty darn good singer and two dudes playing various instruments. She sang stuff from every genre. The people watching is classic and we were both bitterly disappointed when a gal who could generously be described as a cross between a Russian mail order bride and a prostitute left the dancefloor shortly after our arrival! We had so much fun. We scored leis and a poolside table and enjoyed a couple drinks.
Tonga Time
For some reason when we got our fill of the Tonga room we decided it was a good idea to try to walk back to our hotel. The cabbie had said it was downhill. Helpful, no? Well we thought we could handle it so off we went. About 10 blocks later we were definitely NOT LOST in Chinatown when we decided maybe a cab would be a good idea.
Day 3: WORK, Samovar Tea Lounge, Dinner at the Crab House
With a full day of work ahead (unfortunately), we grabbed a quick bagel sandwich and a VERY large coffee and headed to the Moscone. Fun Times! We were able to escape for a quick lunch at Samovar Tea Lounge (props again to CaGirl for the recommendation - who needs a guidebook when you have such informed friends) and we were so not disappointed! Delish meal and a great atmosphere. Very Zen.
I had the Chinese Duck & Veggie Stir-fry, Squash Dumplings, & Pu-erh tea (blood orange tea). Really really amazing!
After lunch it was back to work and then a little rest before heading to the Wharf and Pier 39 for dinner and shopping.
Did I mention I LOVE sourdough?
Cute little sourdough turtles
For dinner we settled on the Crab House (thanks again Mr. Marcia/Pete!) for some dungeness! Another amazingly good meal. Yes, we were totally eating our way across the city.
Dungeness, in my belly! (Unfortunately in the middle of the night following this dinner I paid for this meal, I have been in denial about a shellfish allergy for YEARS. A mild one. Usually complicated only when ingesting alcohol in conjunction with said shellfish. Well, this time I literally woke up from a dead sleep itching from HEAD TO TOE. As Vicki said, "So you are telling me you were itching from head to toe because you had crab(s).")
It was OH SO GOOD though. Dungeness legs in garlic butter.
Accompanied by Garlic Fries.
My partner in crime
Traveling with coworkers (as I often do) can some times be challenging and can sometimes be a lot of fun. This girl is SO easy to travel with, as we have such similar styles. We basically want to see and do as much as we can, we like cheesy and classy equally well and we hit the ground running knowing we can sleep when we're dead! And we pretty much spent the entire week quoting "The Hangover" .... SO so so much fun!
After finishing dinner we headed from Pier 39 down along the Wharf.
Of course we hit Ghirardelli for some chocolate
This is the point in the story where all I can remember is the FOOD!
Day 4: Another full day of work, lunch at Green Papaya and dinner at Maya
After days of dealing with folks like this, my attention to detail was waning. Yes this was a professional conference I was attending. Not for my profession but one related to what I do.
We found a great Viet restaurant near the center and enjoyed a delicious meal. I am married to a Viet guy so I know my Viet food and the Green Papaya was probably one of the top 3 Viet restaurants I have been too. LOVE the Bun (vermicelli/rice noodles) thit heo nuong (with grilled pork and spring roll) accompanied by a cafe sua da (basically strong french press coffee with sweetened condensed milk over ice).
Re-energized I was able to face the afternoon of my final full day!
Dinner was at Maya, on the recommendation of our hotel concierge.
Some of the best guacamole I have EVER had, with a glass of red sangria.
Followed by chicken mole tacos.
My flight out of San Fran was the next morning, so I called it a night!
Getting home was uneventful other than again having the pleasure of a secondary screening and going in the glass box for my pat down.
I absolutely love San Francisco. This was my third trip, my 2nd for business and I find something new about it that I love each time. If you get a chance, I highly recommend visiting!
San Francisco, let me beat my feet
Up and down Market Street
I'm gonna climb Nob Hill, just to watch it get dark
From The Top of the Mark
Warning: Heavy on Food and Beverages and light on culture! This trip was all about the food and drink of San Francisco. How much could we cram into 4 nights?!?!?!?!
My flight out of DCA was through Minneapolis. Just the breezeway from the airplane to the airport in Minnesota in Winter demonstrated by striking lack of cojones! I don't know how you people survive! The flights were uneventful, if you don't count the part where I was patted down by the TSA. Happens to me EVERY time.
We arrived in the mid-afternoon, dropped our bags at our swank hotel (The Parc 55), and headed to work to get ourselves situated for the next day. Post-work commitments we decided to hit our hotel bar, cityhouse, to have a drink and discuss dinner plans. It was here that the "Honey & Almonds" and I became friends. Wild turkey american honey, disaronno amaretto, fresh lemon juice and a splash of soda. Unbelieveably yummy!
We settled on John's Grill, a historic San Fran haunt, for our first dinner out for two reasons. 1 - It's historic and we are all about the history and 2 - it was a block away. That was about all we could handle after being on the go for a good 15 hours!
We started with the special drink, being the tourists we were. Yummy but it has nothing on the Honey & Almonds!
Mmmmmmm sourdough. San Fran, I love you so.
We both had the steak as it was a steak house.
Post-dinner we decided to wonder around and bar hop a little. Hey, a childless mother has to make the post of her opportunities right? First we hit 4th Street Pub and then quickly moved on to Johnny Foleys (thanks Mr. Marcia for the recommendation on the fly). Soon enough Flipper was in her happy place.
Both of those are not for me. I swear.
Day 2: Mels Drivein, The Stinking Rose and North Beach
We grabbed a great breakfast at Mel's Drive-in. Delicious yummy sourdough toast and the biggest omelet ever.
We headed to work to get things settled and then found ourselves with 2 hours to kill before the craziness began so we headed to Yerba Buena Gardens (thanks CaGirl for the 2nd on the fly recommendation that we took advantage of) and enjoyed the beautiful garden in the center of the city.
We wandered along and discovered a cool sculpture garden. ooooooooooooo.
Before we knew it, it was time to get to work! Boo. So we spent the afternoon convening.
Post-work we hit the cityhouse bar again (you can't beat two for one drinks) before heading out to North Beach for dinner at the Stinking Rose. I love the Stinking Rose. You have to REALLY like garlic to enjoy eating there. If you are a fan, it is SO good.
We started with the Bagna Calda (Garlic soaking in a hot tub Garlic cloves, oven-roasted in extra virgin olive oil & butter with a hint of anchovy served with focaccia bread.) I, personally, take the cloves and smear them on the bread. OMGOOOODNESS. No vampires were getting anywhere near us for the week.
Followed up with an entree of Spicy Prawns, fettuccine, pancetta, and onions in red pepper garlic oil. Religious experience! SOOOOO very good.
For those who do not know, North Beach is sort of (ok not sort of, but totally) the Red Light district of San Fran. Of course, I had not known this on my first trip there oh 12 years ago when my hubby and I were wee babes. I booked us in a guest house (affliated with a hostel) in North Beach. Awkward.
We survived and I was determined to find it again.And find it I did. That's me pointing to the sign in the dark (this was right before my travelmate thought she smelled a skunk. It wasn't a skunk but instead someone toking on the corner).
Wow, what I was thinking back in the day. I can still remember it was $40/day!
A little more of the North Beach scenery
After dinner we decided to head to the Tonga Room (thanks Pete and/or CaGirl not sure who recommended this but we LOVED it). It was so funny, in the cab on the way, the cabbie was like "why do you want to go there?" Us: "we heard it is really kitchy and fun." Him: "It's really cheesy" Us: "Perfect!!! WE LOVE CHEESE!" lol. So we'd had a few drinks. At least Jana didn't ask this one where he got his hookers like she had the previous cab driver when she realized he was dropping us on a questionable red light corner. We are very good at holding our alcohol! Luckily he had laughed.
The Tonga Room is an institution. It is in the old pool complex at the San Fran Fairmont Hotel. There is a boat in the pool with the "band" in this case a pretty darn good singer and two dudes playing various instruments. She sang stuff from every genre. The people watching is classic and we were both bitterly disappointed when a gal who could generously be described as a cross between a Russian mail order bride and a prostitute left the dancefloor shortly after our arrival! We had so much fun. We scored leis and a poolside table and enjoyed a couple drinks.
Tonga Time
For some reason when we got our fill of the Tonga room we decided it was a good idea to try to walk back to our hotel. The cabbie had said it was downhill. Helpful, no? Well we thought we could handle it so off we went. About 10 blocks later we were definitely NOT LOST in Chinatown when we decided maybe a cab would be a good idea.
Day 3: WORK, Samovar Tea Lounge, Dinner at the Crab House
With a full day of work ahead (unfortunately), we grabbed a quick bagel sandwich and a VERY large coffee and headed to the Moscone. Fun Times! We were able to escape for a quick lunch at Samovar Tea Lounge (props again to CaGirl for the recommendation - who needs a guidebook when you have such informed friends) and we were so not disappointed! Delish meal and a great atmosphere. Very Zen.
I had the Chinese Duck & Veggie Stir-fry, Squash Dumplings, & Pu-erh tea (blood orange tea). Really really amazing!
After lunch it was back to work and then a little rest before heading to the Wharf and Pier 39 for dinner and shopping.
Did I mention I LOVE sourdough?
Cute little sourdough turtles
For dinner we settled on the Crab House (thanks again Mr. Marcia/Pete!) for some dungeness! Another amazingly good meal. Yes, we were totally eating our way across the city.
Dungeness, in my belly! (Unfortunately in the middle of the night following this dinner I paid for this meal, I have been in denial about a shellfish allergy for YEARS. A mild one. Usually complicated only when ingesting alcohol in conjunction with said shellfish. Well, this time I literally woke up from a dead sleep itching from HEAD TO TOE. As Vicki said, "So you are telling me you were itching from head to toe because you had crab(s).")
It was OH SO GOOD though. Dungeness legs in garlic butter.
Accompanied by Garlic Fries.
My partner in crime
Traveling with coworkers (as I often do) can some times be challenging and can sometimes be a lot of fun. This girl is SO easy to travel with, as we have such similar styles. We basically want to see and do as much as we can, we like cheesy and classy equally well and we hit the ground running knowing we can sleep when we're dead! And we pretty much spent the entire week quoting "The Hangover" .... SO so so much fun!
After finishing dinner we headed from Pier 39 down along the Wharf.
Of course we hit Ghirardelli for some chocolate
This is the point in the story where all I can remember is the FOOD!
Day 4: Another full day of work, lunch at Green Papaya and dinner at Maya
After days of dealing with folks like this, my attention to detail was waning. Yes this was a professional conference I was attending. Not for my profession but one related to what I do.
We found a great Viet restaurant near the center and enjoyed a delicious meal. I am married to a Viet guy so I know my Viet food and the Green Papaya was probably one of the top 3 Viet restaurants I have been too. LOVE the Bun (vermicelli/rice noodles) thit heo nuong (with grilled pork and spring roll) accompanied by a cafe sua da (basically strong french press coffee with sweetened condensed milk over ice).
Re-energized I was able to face the afternoon of my final full day!
Dinner was at Maya, on the recommendation of our hotel concierge.
Some of the best guacamole I have EVER had, with a glass of red sangria.
Followed by chicken mole tacos.
My flight out of San Fran was the next morning, so I called it a night!
Getting home was uneventful other than again having the pleasure of a secondary screening and going in the glass box for my pat down.
I absolutely love San Francisco. This was my third trip, my 2nd for business and I find something new about it that I love each time. If you get a chance, I highly recommend visiting!
San Francisco, let me beat my feet
Up and down Market Street
I'm gonna climb Nob Hill, just to watch it get dark
From The Top of the Mark
-
California Girl
CaGirl your recs (and Pete's) were spot on. I loved them all. If I had to pick I would say Savomar Tea Lounge would be the one I'd definitely push folks to try!
MB - we had relatively easy days 930-530. Totally unlike the conference I'll be attending in August where I'll be going from 6:30-7am-730-800pm every day.
But this is why we tacked on a week after to explore Vancouver and Victoria!
MB - we had relatively easy days 930-530. Totally unlike the conference I'll be attending in August where I'll be going from 6:30-7am-730-800pm every day.
But this is why we tacked on a week after to explore Vancouver and Victoria!
Re: Trip Report:: San Francisco Open your Golden Gate!
Ah... The Fairmont Hotel - The venue for my Senior Prom 32 years ago. I had dinner with my date in the Tonga Room that evening, prior to the Prom. I gotta say, it wasn't a great night. I don't really think I liked my date very much.flip-flop wrote:After dinner we decided to head to the Tonga Room. The Tonga Room is an institution. It is in the old pool complex at the San Fran Fairmont Hotel.
I love San Francisco; was born just north of the city in Marin County, and spent many of my formative years the south bay area. I still look forward to any time I can spend in Northern California. Thank you for sharing your trip with us; the next best thing to being there!
Lovermont
