I’m always on the lookout for the perfect drink. And it seems a couple of my favorite food bloggers also did a bit of thirst seeking recently too. Lotte + Doof whipped up a beautiful looking ginger beer – perfect for a dark & stormy out on the porch. Shutterbean created some beautiful looking blackberry ginger sours ripe with gin.
Seeing as I still had a few leftover containers of frozen strawberries in my freezer, I decided to use up the whole shebang and whip up a strawberry concoction of my own. Taking cues from both Tim and Tracy, I made sure that I threw in some ginger alongside the sour. But despite a nice 3 inch nub of gingerroot, the flavour was a bit subtle for me. I was looking for a stronger ginger pop, so next time I’ll double (or even triple) the amount of ginger. As a virgin drink, it was the perfect summer sipper. But toss back a shot of rum and it helps to make the summertime last a little bit longer.
Now about San Francisco…we’ll be taking a two week trip to northern California and would love to gather some perfect must-do tips. We’ll be spending 5 days in San Francisco and I’m looking for great affordable (read: budget) restaurants, favorite burrito haunts, awesome vintage shops, cool book stores, rad neighbourhoods, and great walks. Suggestions for Oakland and Berkeley are welcome as well. Also, there will be a few days spent outside of Guerneville so recommendations for things to do and wineries to check out will be greatly appreciated. We also plan to do a hike or two in Yosemite, so if you’ve got a nice easy to moderate hike that has fabulous views, I want to know!
strawberry lemonade cooler
3 c strawberries (frozen are fine)
1 c sugar
3 inch piece ginger, sliced (or double the ginger for more pop)
4 lemons, juicedwater or club soda
rum (optional)In a medium sized pot, bring to a boil the strawberries, sugar, ginger and enough water to cover everything. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve and throw out the pulpy mass. Pour the strained syrup into a large jar and mix with lemon juice. Refrigerate until cool.
Mix syrup with water or club soda and serve with plenty of ice. I’ve found a 50-50 ratio works well, though add more or less depending to your own taste.
Print This Recipe
That looks like a drink my family would love (virgin version for the kids, of course). Have a great time in California!
That drink looks so refreshing – I’ve never had a drink with ginger before so maybe I’ll have to try it out!
We spent a few days in San Francisco in March. Fell in love with the city. You must go to the Bi Rite Creamery in the Mission for some delectable ice cream.
I didn’t discover this little gem until my return home but I will provide it to you prior to your trip. Looking forward to your blog updates on the trip.
http://www.7×7.com/2010-big-eat-sf-100-things-try-you-die
That sounds so refreshing!
Let’s see…there is so much to do in San Francisco, I don’t know where to start!
Some book stores I like: Green Apple, Omnivore Books, Books Inc.
Burritos: You are probably going to get a lot of opinions here! I actually haven’t had their burrito yet, but the breakfast at Little Chihuahua on Divisadero is amazing. Oh! And there are some really cute stores nearby. There’s a crazy vintage store with Pyrex and vintage signs and bowls and gadgets, stacked every which way. I can’t find the name of it, but I know it’s across the street on Divisadero and near another store with games in the window. From a quick Google Search, it looks like it might be called The Other Shop.
Nearby, Hayes Valley is really cute (I used to live there). There’s Blue Bottle coffee, Miette (an adorable candy store), and lots of “cute but unnecessary” shops (read: overprices, but fun to browse).
I live in Russian Hill, which is very cute. I live on Hyde Street, which the cable car runs along. It’s mostly restaurants and residences, but a very cute walk, and there are tons of stores on nearby Polk Street. They don’t call it Russian HILL for no reason though, so be prepared!
Noe Valley is also a very cute neighborhood, and that’s where you’ll find Omnivore Books. Lots of shops, coffee places, and friendly people. A real neighborhood.
Zazie in Cole Valley is my favorite spot for breakfast. It gets crowded, but their gingerbread pancakes with lemon curd and roasted pear are dreamy. And it’s near Haight St where you’ll find my favorite spot for cheap eats – Citrus Club.
Ok, I could go on and on but I’ll stop for now. Feel free to email me with any questions about SF!
Green Apple Books! And Brothers Korean BBQ just a couple blocks away. Greens restaurant at the Marina.
And in Berkeley – Almare Gelato. http://almaregelato.com/
Have fun!
Hello! I follow your blog but have never posted. I live in Northern CA and have been to the SF bay area several times.
Here are a few recommendations!
If you like comics and graphic novels, as well as lots of self-published stuff, be sure to check out Needles and Pens!
For music, Amoeba Music of course. It’s one of the biggest independent music outlets. You can easily spend HOURS in them. There is one in San Francisco and Berkeley. Also hit up Rasputin Music – again, they also have locations in both cities.
For food, if you’re in the mood for vegetarian, try Herbivore. I’ve had GREAT meals there in the past. There are a few other great places, but I’m blanking.
Have fun! San Francisco is nice because it’s really not that big and you can walk/take the bus pretty much everywhere.
Definitely give yourself lots of time for tourist things – Pier 39, the trip out to Alcatraz, Ghirardelli Square, take in a Giants game, a trolley ride through/to China Town and find a dim sum restaurant, cruise over to the COIT tower and the windiest road in the city (Lombard), almost anything in Golden Gate Park is lovely (these is Japanese garden I dream about) and you can get to Haight Ashbury from there where you must at least walk the street once(ignoring the panhandlers and crazy people) to have some Escape from NY pizza; Crissy field is lovely (http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/sanfrancisco/a/sfmargntoftpt.htm), SF zoo is near the water and it can be quite pretty on a sunny day, and drive over Golden Gate and go check out Sausalito (the houseboats are pretty neat to just see!) Just some things off the top of my head!
Holy cats, I love this place with all of my heart! I grew up in San Jose but spent a lot of time in SF!
i grew up in the bay area and LOVE san francisco.
thrift shops in berkeley that are worthwhile are mars, sharks, and the higher priced buffalo exchange. also in berkeley are wonderful used music stores ameoba records and rasputin records.
as for san francisco, i can’t seem to afford anything there so exploring is more my deal. there is a substantial stair hike to coit tower. crissy field (the beach by the golden gate) is awesome. golden gate park is huge and if you have a bike it would be so fun to ride around and have a picnic. of course the touristy things are fun to browse: chinatown, ghiradelli square, lombard street, etc.
have a great time!
I don’t know if you are much of a morning person, but one of my favorite things to do is to take the early weekday ferry from the SF Ferry Plaza to Sausalito (Blue Bottle Coffee + Frog Hollow Farms scuffin purchased in the Ferry Plaza 1st!). Why so early? Well, no tourists wake up to ride the ferry this early, so it’s just you and maybe 5-7 commuters. It’s calm, quiet, and beautiful. You can certainly go later, but that’s when things get busy and the ferry workers start treating riders like cattle. Everyone is very polite on the 7:40am ferry. Whatever you do, have fun!
Berkeley and Oakland, okay:
1) In berkeley, don’t miss the obvious but neccesary stop, the “gourmet ghetto” on uppser shattuck ave. It’s where chez panisse sits, along with the Cheeeboard collective, Masse’s pastries, the Juicebar, and Epicurious (a gourmet food court).
2) College ave, which runs from UC Berkeley Campus all teh way to teh College of the arts in oakland, is a fantastic thoroughfare dotted with great neighborhoods full of clever shops and restaurants– The Elmwood (try Gordo’s burritos, Holy Land restaurant, and Ici Icream) and Rockridge (location of “A Rockridge Life”, a great blog). tara’s Organic Icecream is on college, and Rockridge houses a ton of clever stores.
3) The Temescal neighborhood on telegraph ave is a newly developed hipster neighborhood– cool yarn, reclaimed materials, spirituallity, tattoo shops and cheek-to-jowl food joints. Bakesale Betty’s is an amazing spot for fried chicken sammies and strawberry shortcake. You stand in a huge line and eat on ironing boards set up on the sidewalk. It’s part of the experience.
4) Lake Merritt in oakland– a walk around the lake is about 3- 31/2 miles, and you will see a little of everything: bird preserve, local color, clever coffeeshops, eateries, gorgeous postwar apartment bldgs, and Christ the Light Cathedral, which is a miracle of modern architecture (all passive cooling/ heating, an amazing art installation using perforated metal and ambient light, and it’s the most earthquake-safe place in the bay area).
5) The temesacal, jack london square, and Grand Lake farmers’ markets in oakland. If you go to the temescal one, try the little ethiopean coffeeshop across the street– arguably the best coffee in the bay.
6) If you’re looking for a goregous walk, trty ceasar Chavez park a the berkeley marina, where you can watch the kite fliers do their thing.
that’s just a few to start, but feel free to ask for more 😉
sweetums! I’d love to take you out for something tasty/cheap and a few drinks in the mix when you are out here! drop me a line!
that drink looks delish! I’ve seen a bunch of recipes lately that mix a fruity sorbet with alchies (which I’m so down for!) It would be perfect when you don’t have any fresh fruit on hand!
p.s. love the succulent!
If you’re going to be in Berkeley, the Gourmet Ghetto (http://www.gourmetghetto.org/) in the North Shattuck area can be fun to wander around in (this is also where Chez Panisse is, but there are definitely some cheaper eats in the area).
Also, seconding the recommendation for Bi-Rite creamery in SF. Humphrey Slocombe (http://www.humphryslocombe.com) in the mission is also another good spot to check out for their unique ice cream flavors. I’m also quite fond of the Chow restaurants (http://www.chowfoodbar.com/) in SF. There’s one near Golden Gate Park, and one closer to the Castro. I’ve never had bad food there and the prices are reasonable.
You must go to Pizzeria Delfina! Life changing pizza. Also nearby is Tartine Bakery, absolutely delicious. Taylor’s Refresher for yummy hamburgers. Blue Bottle Cafe Kiosk and Ritual Coffee Roasters. Ti Couz Creperie. Katana-ya is an affordable, small Japanese place that makes a nice big bowl of spicy tofu miso ramen. They have line-ups though! If you are in the Mission area keep your eye out for the Magic Curry Cart, the Creme Brulee Cart, Mobile Pho Truck, and Chez Spencer on the Go. You can follow them on twitter to pinpoint their whereabouts for the day. If you find yourself near Outer Sunset visit Outerlands. If you are a total cheezeball like myself and decide to venture to the Full House park (Alamo Square Park) you are not too far from a lovely candy shop called Miette (salted caramels! mini cakes!).
For vintage shops I found many were in Mission or in Upper Haight. This list was given to me by someone but I didn’t make it to nearly half! My boyfriend and I found lots of items at Wasteland though.
Held Over – Lots of guys stuff, if your boyfriend likes vintage! the store is affiliated with La Rosa (see below) so they get the stuff that’s not nice enough to go there
Wasteland – Don’t be fooled, this place may seem like just hipster haven cast offs, but I’ve found some really old and lovely things there!!! Just keep digging!
Neda’s – Taxidermy, vintage clothing, and cut flowers
Decades of Fashion – the staff is awful but there’s a lot of stuff in there! from 30s-70s, I’ve found some of my favorite items here!
Goodwill – the best Goodwill in the city! They know there’s a lot of vintage shoppers on Haight so they send the good stuff there! however their prices are like 4x normal goodwill prices
La Rosa – suuuuuper expensive boutique, but its right across the street from Decades and just a block away from Neda’s so you might as well pop in!
Okay! That’s enough of my exhaustive list of suggestions! Have a wonderful trip!!
I could have used a drink like this today with this sweltering weather…not that I’m complaining about the intense heat beating down on my head, no way 🙂 I have some raspberries from last summer in the freezer, that I can use to recreate this drink. I’m so envious of your San Fran trip. I’ve always wanted to go there and just reading about all the food recommendations above, has made me hungry.
if you want thin crust pizza and are in Berkeley, the cheeseboard collective on Shattuck Ave (across the street from chez panisse) is a must- one pizza a day, never a tomato-based sauce, always vegetarian, always delicious. eat it then. make the most of that incredible crust. if you have a car, drive a couple of miles to hopkins st. and have another marvel of a thin-crusted slice at gioa. they have a bunch of pies to choose from and i can vouch for all the veggie pies. again if you have a car, in emeryville, rotten city pizza is also serving up incredible slices of the thin-crust love. the acciughe slice (anchovies!) is so good as is the bianco verde (spirals of pesto and scrumptious ricotta). non-pizza recommendation: on 4th St. in Berkeley, Tacubaya is an upscale taqueria that i think about all the time/love their little tacos, papas con crema, green salad that makes other salads wilt in shame. happy to serve as a guide if schedules work!
what an amazing trip you have planned!
san francisco:
ditto on pizzaria delfina! probably my favorite restaurant in the world! try the panna pizza for sure, and the starters are amazing!
four barrel coffee on valencia between 14 and 15 is delish, but the ritual coffee bar at flora grubb gardens is the perfect way to spend some time in the sunshine. dreamy.
burma superstar on clement or in north oakland: the tea leaf salad is a must!
while you’re keeping an eye out for food carts in the mission, be on the lookout for the tamale lady! she’ll make your day.
i crave the veggie burrito at papalote on valencia and 24th if i’m out of town for more than a week!
i’d also recommend mission thrift, on mission between 19th and 20th.
east bay:
tacubaya on 4th street: fish tacos & tamal de verduras!
gorilla cafe: blue bottle lattes in giant bowls and cinnamon challah toast
you could eat your way through the bay area and never get enough! every time anyone visits, figuring out where to eat is our biggest priority. good luck!
Aloha, as a transplanted San Franciscan in Hawaii, you must try Park Chow (so cheap and fantastic, 9th & Irvine if I remember correctly), Miss Millies on 24th in Noe Valley, Greens in Fort Mason, for a very special meal, go there for lunch (a bit pricey but soooooo worth it)and you will have the beautiful Marina and Golden Gate Bridge at your fingertips. Delphina is amazing, as is Town Hall. Have a wonderful trip, you lucky duck!
This drink looks so incredibly refreshing!
I went to SF this past October and my favorite place that I ate at was called Burma Superstar. Amazing. And Bi-Rite Creamery for ice cream. Double amazing.
Dottie’s True Blue Cafe! It’s at 522 Jones Street sort of between Union Square and the Tenderloin. It’s so good that I memorized the address. Basically, they serve the breakfast of my dreams. They bake their bread in-house and have the BEST french toast I’ve ever eaten. Fancy sausages and delicious fruit salad round things out along with a number of other delicious breakfast items. I have been known to eat there several days in a row.
Slanted Door (I’m obsessed with Charlie Phan), Tartine, Citizen Cake! That drink looks quite lovely!!
SF is amazing for food, fun and exploring!
Food:
Tartine (not super cheap but their sandwiches/pastries are some of the best I’ve had)
Burritos: Papalote, La Cumbre, El Toro/Pancho Villa
Blue Bottle Coffee
Ferry Building Plaza Farmers’ Market
Pizza: Little Star Pizza and Pizzeria Delfina
Out the Door (take out version of Slanted Door)
Sunflower Vietnamese
Bi-Rite Creamery
Ike’s Sandwiches
The Sandwich Place (literally called that – so amazing!!)
Walks/Outdoors
Try the Mission Mural Walk Tour in the outer mission – you can pick up a map for $3 at the Precita Eyes Mural Center. The murals are truly amazing!
Crissy Field/Presidio is always lovely
Golden Gate Park – Botanical Gardens and Japanese Tea Gardens are great
There is really so much to do, you’ll always find something!!
San Francisco! I grew up there too, and miss the food more than anything.
Burritos: I like La Taqueria, El Farolito, and Gordo best.
Crepes: Crepevine or Ti Couz!
Ice Cream: Bi-Rite, like everyone says.
Pizza: Another vote for Delfina!
Chinese: Shangri-La Vegetarian is dirt-cheap and unbelievably awesome. It’s a little out of the way, but it’s near Golden Gate Park, so it might be worth a little detour! Try the dry-cooked string beans, Pie Po Tofu Balls, and the sweet and sour walnuts!
I took a solo trip to San Francisco a couple of years ago. Everything had to be on the cheap. I rented a bicycle and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and took the ferry back. Because I booked my bike online, I saved 20%. I bought a bus pass at the airport, it was 24$ for a week and it covered the bus and train, just not the trolley or BART. I also went to the Botanical Garden, it was only 5$ or so to get in. Something cool that not everyone sees is the Wave Organ. It’s really cool! It’s a piece of art that makes music at high tide. The incoming waves bang up against pipes and it makes sound. I didnt hear it when I went, but the structure itself is neat to see. I would second the suggestion to pick up a pastry at Tartine in the Mission. The pastry counter is visually stunning and the pastries and bread are awesome. Orphan Andy’s in the Castro has amazing milkshakes.
I wish I knew something-anything—about San Fran. But I DO know that I want drinkable strawberries, stat. My air conditioning is shot, so I think I’ll be have to make one of these on ice!
agree with the other commentators. you must go to the james beard award winning tartine’s. don’t let the line out the door stop you. enjoy and then just a few blocks away go to creativity explored. a nonprofit visual arts center where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art. visit the gallery and you can also tour the workshop to see the artists in action. http://www.creativityexplored.org
the slanted door is amazing, but hard to get into without a reservation. definitely visit their sister restaurant, out the door, at the westfield shopping center (home of bloomingdales, nordstrom, etc.) you can almost always get a table and less expensive than slanted door, but just as amazing.
greens is THE vegetarian restaurant at fort mason, but can be pricey and hard to get in without a reservation. instead, go during the day and just inside the front door is a to go counter, with sandwiches, pastries, cookies, soups, etc., everything you would need for a picnic. keep walking toward the bay and have your picnic on the pier, or better yet, leave fort mason and head west on marina blvd. at baker st, stay to the right and get on mason st. (don’t go on the golden gate bridge) you might want to stop at sports basement. http://www.sportsbasement.com for discount sporting goods in the presidio. otherwise, keep going until you get to the parking lot. park and you’ll find picnic tables and from the left to the right you’ll have the golden gate bridge, the bay, alcatraz, treasure island, the bay bridge, and the city.
also, if you visit the ca academy of sciences and/or deyoung museum in golden gate park, they both have amazing food, not your usual museum food at all.
and if you find yourself at ocean beach, you must go to camera obscura: http://www.yelp.com/biz/camera-obscura-san-francisco. if its a clear day, its the coolest thing.
have a great time!
Tons of great suggestions so far. It’s hard to go wrong in SF.
Definitely recommend Bi-Rite Creamery for ice cream, which just happens to be near both Tartine and Pizzeria Delfina. Around the corner is Dolores Park, which has lovely views of downtown if you’re willing to walk to the top of the park (alternately, you can take the J church streetcar to the top of the park, take in the views, and then walk down for pizza and ice cream) – yum!
If you are in the Mission, Taqueria Cancun (2288 Mission Street, open late) for a cheap yet completely delicious mission style burrito. A little further out is Humphrey Slocombe, already mentioned above as another SF ice cream experience.
In the outer Mission on 29th between Mission St and San Jose, there is restaurant called the Front Porch, with a cool tin roof and some funky CA/southern fare. On weekdays, they have a special blues hour menu with lots of tasty nibbles on the cheap. They also serve Bundaberg, which is some of the best ginger beer ever. (http://www.thefrontporchsf.com/main.html) Around the corner on San Jose St is Mitchell’s ice cream (http://www.mitchellsicecream.com/), which is always popular. It has an old fashioned feeling though a wide variety of unusual flavors reflecting the great cultural diversity of the bay area. Besides – where else can you try purple yam ice cream? The new lilikoi and mango swirl is a current favorite.
If you don’t make it to the Cheese Board in Berkeley for pizza, there is a similar pizza/bakery called Arizmendi in San Francisco (http://www.arizmendibakery.org/). A new location is opening on Valencia Street, though not sure when it will open. Their main location is in the Sunset neighborhood on 9th Ave, which is not far from Golden Gate Park.
North of Golden Gate park is the Richmond neighborhood which features Burma Super Star (http://www.burmasuperstar.com/), mentioned by at least one other poster. The coconut rice is amazing, as are the pea shoots… and the super star noodles… and the samusa soup… I could go on – so much deliciousness! They don’t take reservations and can get crazy busy at dinner, so lunch is a fine option if your schedule is flexible. If you get stuck in the dinner rush, they will take your phone number so you can shop in the neighborhood while you wait.
great comments! I’ll be coming back to this post in a little while too, since Hubs and I are hitting up the pacific coast highway in august – hopefully going from portland to LA. I’ve been to napa before but can’t wait to head down through all of OR and CA. have a great time!
The Ferry Building. Everything about it, especially the olive oil, the “Tasty Salted Pig Parts,” and happy hour at the bar there, where you can get fresh oysters for a dollar a piece.
San Francisco recommendations:
You WILL be sorry if you miss out on Bi-Rite Ice Cream. Eat it soaking up the sun in Delores Park.
Ike’s Sandwich
Tartine
Dottie’s True Blue Cafe (LONG lines for a small place so go on a weekday or early early on a weekend)
Sushi Time (in the Castro)
Movie at the Castro Theater
Mural walk in the Mission
Omnivore Books (in Noe Valley)
Phil’s Coffee (in Castro – I’m surprised no one has recommended it)
Patxi’s Chicago Pizza (Hayes Valley) or Little Star Pizza (Mission) Both excellent deep dish pizza
North Beach for Italian
You are going to have a fantastic time! Hopefully you get a few warm days!
Tartine for breakfast – it’s worth braving the line for that delicious bread pudding.
I am now desperate for strawberry season. It looks so good.
Have never been to SF but am likely going in a few months, so I am enjoying all of these suggestions.
Most of my must-dos are in the south bay, since that’s where I live(d), but there’s one great Thai place on the second floor of an old victorian house on Haight. It’s definitely in the touristy Haight, but it’s so good, and pretty cheap! And within walking range of Golden Gate Park, no less.
http://www.ployii.com/
OMG!! Thanks everyone for such great information. I love it!!! I’m already writing out places and I’m sure I’ll have a great vacation because of all the tips. Thank you so much!!
This looks tasty-tasty! Thanks for the recipe!
Well. My neighborhood has the most fabulous of bookstores (Green Apple Books) and every type of awesome neighborhoody good food you could want. I love the fried kitchen at Hard Knox, dim sum at Ton Kiang, margaritas at Tommy’s, thai at Chaing Mai, and my new favorite brunch place Eats. I could go on and on so if there is any specific type of food/activity you’re interested in, email me. Maybe we can grab a drink somewheres, like at Toronado (the best bar full of microbrews on tap and across from some seriously awesome BBQ)
Love ginger in just about anything – this drink would be welcome in my place anytime. As for SF, try Saigon Sandwich for cheap and fabulously tasty banh mi (http://www.yelp.com/biz/saigon-sandwich-san-francisco).
Gotta have dim sum when you’re here. I like Tong Kiang in the outer Richmond (Geary and 25th I think?) — go during the week to avoid the crowds. You’re just a stone’s throw from the Presidio and Land’s End from there as well. Everyone I know is eating at Out the Door (casual dining off shoot of Slanted Door). Nopalito is GREAT, too. I second the vote for Philz coffee in a major way. If you find yourself near the Tenderloin stop by Bodega Bistro for Vietnamese food. Have a fab time!
Mmm this looks like a great summer drink! Have fun planning your trip. 🙂
There really are plenty of things to do “budget” wise in SF.
Wear layers, bring good walking shoes 🙂 Walk around China town…even just looking in the windows of restaurants is fun (try the egg custard tarts at Golden Gate Bakery). I’m with everyone in a special trip to Omnivore Books (it’s a cookbook store). The Ferry Building (even if you go during the week and not on the crazy farmers market days) can be interesting and there are a couple of places where you can get bites of things (maybe order just a couple of oysters from Hog Island, try a small Blue Bottle Coffee). You can walk across the Golden Gate Bridge for free. And don’t forget all the street food!
As for Guerneville,a drive out to the coast to enjoy the beaches is a must.
I don’t actually live in the Bay Area, but from my last trip there I’d recommend:
Muir Woods
Musee Mechanique (free entry; tons of really old arcade games to play)
Needles and Pens
Curiosity Shoppe
Sutro Baths (ruins of a 19th-century bathhouse, near Ocean Beach)
So much more…I just can’t think at the moment!
Oakland:
In Temescal…
East Bay Depot for Creative Re-Use
Bake Sale Betty -pear-ginger scones and strawberry shortcake
Burma Superstar- tea leaf salad…sooo worth it.
SF-
Thrift Town (on mission)
Zeitgeist- for fabulous drinks and an apperance by the tamale lady.
Delores Park, for sunbathing-get Bi Rite on the way there.
Valencia, for fabulous shopping- all in the mission dist
If you feel the desire to go to the Castro, you can have a very gay, fabulous brunch experience with bottomless mimosas at Lime. weekends only. Have loads of fun!
I just got back from my SF & area trip. I’ll write a post shortly about my faves. Thanks again!
I’m looking forward to what you have to say about your trip. I’m heading to a food-centric mission to San Fran in September and need some serious “intel” to start off my itinerary plans. I’m especially interested to see if you went to any great vintage shops, especially pyrex collectible related. Pizza? Burritos? Croissants? Anything in between?
I could fill an entire blog with SF suggestions, but here are just a few (which may overlap with the others above…I didn’t read through all of them):
*I suggest a day of grazing on the stretch of 18th Street between Guerreo and Dolores. Start at Tartine for breakfast (sit outside for excellent people watching); move on to Pizzeria Delfina for lunch; browse around Bi Rite grocery store (or, skip Delfina, pick up some picnic food at Bi Rite and eat in Dolores Park for more people watching); get a cone at Bi Rite Creamery.
*Get a cheese board and a glass of wine or a beer at Mission Cheese, a new cheese bar that recently opened at the corner of 18th and Valencia.
*Dosa (Southern Indian) on Filmore has a pretty good happy hour (5:30 to 7ish) special featuring glasses of wine and cocktails and a few dishes for $6 each.