womantraveler

San Francisco "Foodings" - for Your Late Summer List

Keeping up with the abundance of San Francisco restaurants, from tried-and-true to start-ups, is a fulltime job, but every few months I'm motivated to share a list of finds for visitors and locals alike. This latest round of suggestions was inspired by the "fooding" trip of my brother/chef Steve Johnson of Rendezvous Central Square in Cambridge, who is a true "food creative" and Bay Area food fan from his frequent forays here, and the views of some other pals who currently make the city and its best restos their home.

Any time of day: Blue Bottle Coffee is the latest rage, and every story is made better by the story behind the story. Imagine a clarinet player who just can't get the morning cup of java right and sets out to solve that riddle - and you yet another successful Bay Area entrepreneur's story. The easiest access point is Blue Bottle in the Ferry Building, but the inside view comes in the alley in now-hip Hayes Valley where Blue Bottle started in a garage at Jessie and Linden streets (just like Apple started down in Silicon Valley). You have to love it at $20-24 a pound, but if like me you are tired of the same-old same old, the pure and succulent flavors, creative verve and colloquial personality makes a Blue Bottle moment a worthy experience (along with the line of fans that comes with it).

Ferry Building: We have a bias for this panoply of organic and specialty food destinations that are original, featuring regional producers, seasonal, distinctive in quality, perhaps a bit chaotic in experience, but what the heck. This is as close to the land as you'll get without renting a car and traipsing out to the North Bay, West Marin and other nearby locations where the real thing is delivered every day by small (or relatively small) producers. If I sound rapturous, then forgive me, because the artisanal quality of Bay Area food producers is beyond belief, and this stop at Market Street and the Embarcadero just under the Bay Bridge offers an excellent sampler to whet your appetite.

Many San Francisco restaurants seem literally carved out of store fronts, including several of these below. They are jam packed every day but don't let that deter you. Check them out in advance and reserve ahead on their websites, Open Table, Urban Spoon Rez or others. Mark these down:

Boulettes Larder: J'adore ce resto! There's something that feels very intimate about this tiny bistro (enlarged by an outdoor seating area) in the Ferry Building, as if you're at the chef's table in a farm in Europe while also in high-energy urban San Francisco. The menu hand picks and combines ingredients in innovative combinations with straightforward style, simplicity and artful confidence.

Bar Jules: Cozy and busy with a handful of daily offerings and a neighborhoody ambiance that welcomes everyone. In Hayes Valley, steps from the Civic Center, opera, ballet, symphony hall and Asian Art Museum.

Flour + Water: Another small space favorite honoring local producers, a James Beard "rising chef" finalist in 2011 and "best new resataurant" finalist in 2010. In the Mission and described by GQ as "sneakily sophisticated."

Contigo: With homage to Spanish and Catalan food, this resto in Noe Valley supports a long list of farmers, ranchers, fishermen and artistans, another example of the rustic blended with the urban kitchen.

Frances: We popped into this hot little spot in the Noe Valley area for appetizers before dinner --and lucked out with a few tastings from the bartender who was checking out a new decanted wine specialty. This is a place where it's said to be tough to get a reservation and we understand why, since it seats only 35 or so guests. Getting there at opening and sitting at the bar was our smart luck. We also had a birds eye view into the kitchen and watched its efficient behaviors. That calamari with grilled Meyer lemon and chermoula spice was to die for while the grilled asparagus promised superb quality across the menu.

Delfina: Back after some years, this icon in the Mission - an Italian-inspired James Beard Award winner - doesn't disappoint. You just have to go there and taste it for yourself! And over off Filmore Street in Pacific Heights, its Pizzeria Delfina (with pizza combos that you'd love to imagine such as "clam pie" and homemade fennel sausage with bell pappers, red onions and more as well as salads and entrees) is smugly popular with residents who quietly treasure their neighborhood gem.

Mohica: I keep returning to this Peruvian resto offering small plates, amazing sushi-grade cebiches (ceviches), paella and a variety of entrees (seafood, beef, poultry and lamb). In the SOMA (South of Market) area not far from the Yerba Buena Gardens and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Mohica is busy but unpretentious, a favorite for downtown-living locals and people who work in the area. It's a bit off the beaten path but not something to miss.

Picasso Show Ends in Virginia, Travels to San Francisco

Sunday May 15 is the last day for the stunning Picasso exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts(VFMA) in Richmond, before it closes and re-opens in the de Young Museum in San Francisco on June 11. The VFMA will be open until midnight Friday May 13 and Saturday May 14.

"Masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso, Paris" has been touring only three museums in the U.S. (starting last year in Seattle) while its home museum in Paris is undergoing renovation. The exhibit is singular because it embraces the personal favorites that Picasso kept to shape his own artistic legacy.

Having seen the works in Paris, I found that a new environment provided a fresh way of absorbing them. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, one of the best today in the nation, has expanded dramatically since I lived there in the 1970s -- and the modern new wing is but one example. The deYoung in San Francisco, an exercise both in art and architecture following its post-earthquate reconstruction in Golden Gate Park, will add yet another dimension to the pleasure of experiencing Picasso from June 11 to October 9, 2011.

Curiously I was reminded of my own father's paintings of the era, which I've chronicled in my book about his 1950s watercolors in a Midwestern small town. These two men from vastly different backgrounds were motivated by similar truths but expressed them in wildly different ways -- as I described here after my Richmond visit.

Richmond is a hip Southern city, despite an occasionally overzealous grip on its Confederate roots. Next door to the art museum, you can dive deep into Virginia history -- and in fact much American history -- at the Virginia Historical Society.  Under forward-thinking leadership and physical expansion, the museum now promises "cool things inside." It doesn't disappoint on the historical continuum with its faithful rendering of Virginia's contributions to early American history, the Civil War, newspaper and business archives and photographs.

Among my other favorite haunts in Richmond are the always-new ventures in food and wine in some cool spots in the Fan District downtown and the near West End. My friends and I made a repeat visit to Balliceaux in the Fan, not far from these two museums, for an inventive global dining menu -- locally sourced and sustainably farmed products producing plates pulling from Southern cooking, Mediterranean and southern Asia traditions. Check out some of these selections -- crispy brussels sprouts/verbena olives/spiced nuts (appetizer), tandoori fried cauliflower (small plate), seville orange braised pork belly/toasted farro and black garlic/pigeon peas (small plate), potlikker braised catfish with Virginia peanut-cabbage slaw and Chesapeake oyster rice (main dish) and sea salt-grilled farm hen with beluga lentils, lemon cream and Swiss chard. I have to stop writing and go eat!

A View of Thomas Keller's "Farm to Table" Napa Valley

There is nothing like a perfect afternoon in Napa Valley, but the bonus was a farm-to-table view of the provisioning for Thomas Keller's restaurants. How remarkable that the individual regarded as the "Number 1 chef in America" would have an acreage of vegetables and herbs across from his French Laundry restaurant (Relais et Chateaux) in Yountville (pictured here) and up the street from Bouchon, his upscale, though less formal, bistro. And it was like a park that we could respectfully walk through.

It's not unusual for chefs to grow their own gardens, as my brother Chef Steve does at Rendezvous Central Square in Cambridge, Mass., a hip and welcoming resto near MIT and Harvard.  (His herbs and vegetables grow in boxes on his urban roof.) But seeing this expanse that invited us in added an unexpected dimension to Keller's serious efforts at integrating the environment with the dining experience, not simply building a culinary experience from products trucked in.

Having the visual background and context -- kale, fava beans, savory and dozens more -- established a grounding context for the elegant Bouchon lunch.

Oddly enough for Napa Valley, we were temporarily transported into a recreated French bistro. Napa chic and busy (where a famous LA chef sat comfortably like any patron at the bar). While most dining spaces favor the California style, Bouchon is intentionally Left Bank Paris.

Reading the French titles on the menu, I opted for the Salade de Betteraves (beets) with poached rhubarb greens and hazelnuts in rhubarb vinaigrette (and thin slices of Tomme Dolce cheese, one of my favorites), while Steve chose Salade de Porc et Asperges Blanc (glazed pork belly with white asparagus, pickled cherries and egg yolk with warm bacon vinaigrette). You could call it an elegant eggs and bacon salad. We could have stopped there with no complaints, but the main courses approached -- roasted leg of lamb in a ragout of fresh chick peas, merguez sausage, garden carrots, green garlic and preserved Meyer lemon) for Steve, and I selected my occasional beef splurge -- Poitrine de Boeuf Grillee (grilled richly laden beef brisket) with braised radishes, fava bean and potato confit and tongue vinaigrette. I am still savoring the incredible flavors -- why would I eat anything else today? As we strolled back to our car, we couldn't resist another view of Keller's ample gardens and the July East Coast skies of this extraordinary California day.

 

 

  

 

Shanghai in San Francisco

If you can visit the the spectacular Shanghai exhibit at San Francisco's Asian Art Museum before it closes on September 5, it's a must-do. I finally stopped by in the nick of time this week and was fully absorbed by the exotic and complex beauty of Shanghai, as seen through its art in many forms.

For more than a century Shanghai artists have been documenting its images and its changes through ink and oil paintings, Shanghai Deco furniture, revolutionary posters, silk fashion and more. The cross-cultural influences and tugs between Western and Eastern culture are dramatically illustrated in the visuals and the story -- and provide important insights to the historical influences on today's East-West relations.

The exhibit is relatively compact in four large rooms and you can travel through time in an hour; the free personal audio guide also brings more depth to the tour. Having never been to China, yet fascinated by its extraordinarily diverse history and culture, I left the Shanghai exhibit feeling more knowledgeable and with a trip to Shanghai on my mind.

So I paused and reflected on it all with refreshing chrysanthemum tea and the crab and shiitake mushroom noodle bowl at the museum's Cafe Asia. I would stop there under any circumstances if I'm in the neighborhood. (Paid admission to the museum is not required to eat in the cafe.)

The museum is at the Civic Center, at 200 Larkin a block east of Van Ness. If you're driving, the Civic Center Parking Garage is just across the street. There's plenty of public transportation.

Though departing San Francisco soon and returning home, the Shanghai exhibit is part of a year-long cultural exchange here between the two cities, so watch for more activities as the seasons unfold.

The museum's website contains extensive details about past exhibitions, so if you're reading this after September 5, have a look. And here are some articles that will also allow you to experience the exhibit online if you can't get there in time:

The Asian Art Museum does Shanghai -- opium hulks, Communist propanganda and neon brush strokes

Neon night in Shanghai, with Qin accompaniment

Celebrating Shanghai

Art Radar Asia

Memorial Day Railroad Days in San Francisco

Who doesn't love a train? The Golden Gate Railroad Museum poses that question in its 2010 guidebook, noting there's something "truly amazing" about trains -- and we couldn't agree more.   
We took the inaugural 2010 "Spring Steam Weekend" excursion through Niles Canyon, about 45 minutes east of San Francisco. Now's your chance to participate in this exclusive ride on a steam engine-powered train on the new two exclusive outingsthis year -- Memorial Day Weekend (on May 29 and 31) or Labor Day Weekend (on September 5 and 7). It takes quite an effort to make this happen by some tremendously dedicated volunteers, so it doesn't happen every day.

The train was built in 1914 and restored in 1940 the first time, then again just last year. Its last service occurred in the early 1960s, before the train was retired to become a tasting room at the Charles Krug winery in Napa Valley. We rode in the First Class car, modeled after the vintage lounge cars of the earlier part of the 20th century. Drinks and snacks provided. But there are plenty of other options with great views of the canyons.

Other adventures -- here's an extremely cool option, the Yosemite Flyer Excursion. Totally different train, but extraordinary Yosemite experience.

Hot, Affordable San Francisco Dining

For San Francisco dining, add these to your palate/palette of the best but exceptional and affordable restaurants. Let's face it, the embarrassment of riches in San Francisco makes it easy to settle for less. Here are some of our recent top pix where from an insider's view you'll do far better than the ordinary:

• Pesce. This seafood/tapas restaurant in super-casual Russian Hill is no secret -- in fact there were lines at its opening. But it's not what you think -- small, local, no frills -- and extraordinary quality. Park within a few blocks on the street or in neighborhood garages. We savored: linguine (not your usual), paparadelle, capesante, zucca, pecoroino tosca. Dig into the menu and find out the details! They're partners with Piqueo's if you're in that part of town amd  La Costanera in Half Moon Bay. Peruvian cuisine rocks for classicism, sophistication and flavor.
• Mohica. South of Market, super-hip but "downtown" Peruvian fusion. Don't be deterred by the neighborhood (a bit industrial) nor the misunderstood Yelp comments -- just do it!
• Ferry Building. This is a dilemma but a fortunate one. Chefs from local eateries shop at the Ferry Building Farmers Market Tuesdays and Saturdays. Or make it easy if you're visiting and peruse the shops and eateries inside.
Here's the list of Ferry Building restaurants and food boutiques, but my favorites are: The Slanted Door (major),Cowgirl Creamery (for cheese from West Marin a la a marketplace in France), Hog Island Oyster Co. (also a la West Marin near the ocean,where they're grown onsite and everyone orders for haute parties), McEvoy Olive Oil (you can't live on this stuff but you can buy for guilty pleasures),and Scharffenberger Chocolates -- you gotta have it for late-night experiences and gifts. They love this on the East Coast.

Carmel Is Carmel -- and Pebble Beach Is Steps Away

Carmel, California, is not what it used to be -- but it is still Carmel (or properly, Carmel-by-the-Sea). After all, Clint Eastwood was mayor for a while and he is nothing if Mr. Integrity. Just because I knew it one way (back when) doesn't mean that you can't make it your own now. Rather than the haute arts colony of the '70s and '80s, Carmel today seems to waver between tired vintage old money that is so declasse in the post-recession and tacky overpretentious new money that is dreary anytime. Unfortunately I react to Carmel today as just another tourist trap -- but I keep going back because of its extraordinary beauty and surprising charm.

There is nothing like the Northern California coast and its idiosyncratic villages and towns perched on bluffs. I've traveled the East Coast from the top of Maine to Key West, and its welcoming beaches and beach communities are welcoming and intoxicating. The Northern California coast is rugged and makes you work -- and the pleasure is all the greater for the effort.

I was fortunate to be hosted by a dear friend at Pebble Beach late last spring. The weather changes daily on the California coast, and we had fog and chill, so I wasn't motivated to blog about it. What you learn living in California is how counter-intuitive the weather is compared to the East Coast -- in other words, make no assumptions! Now that the late winter is slowly sneaking in some lovely spring days, I'm thinking about Carmel and the California coast again. it's time to see the wild and rangy shoreline before the fog locks it down again over the summer. 

Three of us girlfriends/Womantravelers took a 30-minute walk across the renowned Pebble Beach Golf Course (instead of driving along the renowned 17-Mile Drive) through the mist and chill, and layered-up, I've come to enjoy that wintry trek along the Pacific. Carmel's charm, enhanced by bottle-green cypress trees leaning away from the wind and multi-multi-million bungalows, was an eerie pleasure.  

Parking in-season is frustrating in Carmel, which clearly would like to remain private, so put on your comfortable shoes and walk. You can pop into stores, walk down the hill to the beach, and you might have an artist sighting in a studio not listed on the tourist map. Inspired by the awesome beauty, the fabric of Carmel artists is happily more resilient than the T-shirt shops.

Here are some things to check out in Carmel:

Shopping: Besides the art galleries every where you turn, pop into the luxury homestore Jan-de-Luz. The owner is French and so are the linens. You can get your tea towels embroidered the same day. Augustina Leathers is not your typical Western leather shop, although their belts and buckles are flashy enough to fight off any Texan. The Carmel Drug Store is a fun and funky modern-day apothecary (meaning, lots of hilarious cards).

Dining -- Cantinetta Luca: antipasti courses, long list of Italian wines by the glass, happy hours that are not called happy hours, and an inventive Italian menu; or the always-delicious high-end West Coast Italian chain, Il Fornaio in  the Pine Inn Hotel.

Fine art -- the museum-quality Oliver, Elliot and Sebastian Fine Art is a must-see, but act serious because their clients are.

Golf -- There are public courses in the area, but for special access to the inner circles, try these golf academies: Ben Alexander Golf Academy at Poppy Hills, Pebble Beach, and Pebble Beach Golf Academy.

Lodging: La Playa Hotel down close to the Pacific Ocean is  the "grande dame" of Carmel, Mexican-Colonial decor, with balcony vistas and open views. Cozy yet plush rooms, suites and cottages are worth the splurge -- and good deals can be found so take a close look. Inn at Spanish Bay at Pebble  Beach -- an indisputable luxury!

Pleasanton, California: Perfectly Named

As a woman business traveler and proactive fan of leisure day trips, I've learned time and again that some of the best adventures are close to home. Pleasanton, California, originating in the Gold Rush and existing comfortably today next to the Livermore Valley wine country east of San Francisco, is one of my recent "finds." History, luxury and quality wines and food within a few blocks -- my fundamentals!

Since I often stay overnight in nearby outlying communities when I have an evening event -- to avoid rush-hour traffic, windy country roads at dusk or late-night driving alone -- I calculate at the front end a pleasant evening in new surroundings to finish off my business or leisure commitment. And, Pleasanton, California, has definitely earned its name in my travel journals.

  But the secret -- absolutely -- is the right hotel or inn. A male friend recommended Pleasanton's Rose Hotel, and it turned out to be the right combo of stylish but casual luxury and welcoming service. To wit -- a spacious and well-appointed room with windows that actually open to fresh air, a jacuzzi tub (superb after an afternoon on the links at a Women on Course event at Poppy Ridge Golf Course in the Livermore Valley,) and Peet's Coffee brewed in my room's own French press. That was the first part of the wake-up experience before I went down to the Victorian lobby/loungefor an ample continental breakfast (which comes with the room). Men and women business travelers, a leisure travel couple from Pennsylvania, and more personalities crossed paths in this quietly confident and charming space.

For dinner, I hiked up and down Main Street to check out the multiple options (40 nearby restaurants), from lively outdoor gardens to indoor white table cloth candlelight -- but chose the originality of The Oasis Grille across the street from the hotel and its Afghan/Middle Eastern specialties and featured wine list. Grilled shish kebab and a Riva Ridge Chardonnay from one of the California originals, Wente Vineyards in Livermore, were perfectly matched!

Napa Valley's CIA Cooking (the Other One)

Wine inspires, but food sustains in the San Francisco Bay Area, so the Culinary Institute of America (the other CIA) in Napa Valley is a must-do for cooking classes. And they're quick and easy -- 1 to 2 hours. This ongoing series of classes the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena makes it easy to actually develop a small skill in the midst of experiencing the marvelous vineyards.

We girlfriends were jaunting through the Valley one spring day and discovered the Spring Table series at Greystone, the former home of the Christian Brothers Winery. Classes are Friday-Monday and a demo is held the first Tuesday of the month. The 1-hour public cooking demonstrations ($15) include the recipe and tasting while the 2-hour hands-on cooking classes (75)consist of a 30-minute lecture, 90-minute cooking and tasting with a glass of wine. Classes in May, for example, include "Terrine of Salmon with Spring Vegetables," "Lamb Carpaccio with Greek Feta Cheese, Black Olives, Lemon Vinaigrette and Mint Oil" and "Sweet Pea Ravioli with Sauteed Pea Tendrils." I'm getting so hungry I don't think I can finish this post!

There are also Wine Enthusiast classes and elegant dinners at The Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, which you can check out on their website.

San Francisco Stalwarts Keep Coming -- and One Sad Going

We solo womentravelers spontaneously checked out two of the three "iconic" San Francisco restaurants featured recently by the San Francisco Chronicle -- and all with women chefs -- Zuni Cafe and Hayes Street Grill (we'll dish on the third, Greens, very soon). Here are some some tips for getting in the door when the evening is booked. Plus, read on for a change of face for another iconic brand...

Tips #1-10: Repeat after me, "smile a lot, be friendly, don't be pushy and have faith." The good karma you're putting out will return to you.

Zuni Cafe: hip and cool, between downtown and trendy Mission and Castro districts. Dinner service starts at 6 pm. What's especially welcoming is that they serve all day. So, walk in at 4:45 or 5, grab a seat in the (very small) bar area, have an appetizer and get on the waiting list for dinner in the bar area. Maybe a 30 minute wait or so, and you can eat from the full menu (more limited lunch menu until the 6 pm change). Specialties -- intriguing wine choices, the freshest oysters this side of the Pacific Rim (which is to say locally in West Marin or not far up in the Northwest) and Mediterannean-inspired featured plates.

Hayes Street Grill: white table cloth and "older" crowd (for the most part, Baby Boomers and their parents, but welcoming to all). Said to have "the best seafood" in San Francisco. Maitre d' running around with his hair on fire and lines nearly pushing out the door. Walking in is not a guarantee, but it can work. So we put our names on the list for the small bar area and waited patiently, for 35 minutes. People pushed in front of us, nonobservant customers took a bar stool or two, we kept smiling at the waiters, hmmm...And then, two great seats, right in front of the bartender, who took fabulous care of us. Be patient, gals, the rewards will come. Fish cooked all ways, choice of many sauces or none, steamed vegetables, diverse wine list, great service. Even when there were empty tables, the maitre d' wouldn't seat guests early because he wanted to make sure there were servers available to attend them well. This is a well-run destination that you can count on. Future planning tip, because it's near the ballet, symphony and opera, tables tend to open up after 7:30, when the neighborhood locals come in -- and the mood is more convivial and relaxed. 

Greens (our opinion coming soon): still a top choice after founding chef Deborah Madison, who was influenced by Alice Waters, who is one of Obama's "kitchen cabinet." This high-end vegetarian setting has kept to its roots, supplied by the organic gardens of the San Francisco Zen Center's Green Gulch Farm in Marin County.

Speaking of organic, sadly Bill Niman's revolutionary vision, humanely and sustainably raised meat at Niman Ranch, has changed hands. Great idea, popular brand, high-end chefs as clients...but no profit. Niman himself is gone from his Bolinas, California ranch, but the name continues with the new owner, Chicago's Natural Holdings. Just wanted to make sure you knew that. Darn -- loved those Niman Ranch hot dogs my brother used to grill in the fireplace back East. Sort of sad to see the idealist bought out by the corporation, but let's remain optimistic about the quality.