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.

670 Inches of Snow - So Far - in Squaw Valley

The more than 670 inches of snow that has accumulated this winter in Squaw Valley and the Lake Tahoe region is hard to imagine -- but it is equivalent to a five-and-a-half story building. And more is on the way. Reportedly some homes across the Lake Tahoe region are nearly buried. So what does that look like anyway? We found one view...

From the San Francisco area, Squaw Valley is a popular day trip -- a drive of 2.5-3 hours, and everyone is taking advantage of it. Rainstorms having been bugging us for weeks, actually months, in the Bay Area; that translates to tons of snowstorms in the Sierra mountains. The auto tire chain rules are strict, and blizzards fueled by high winds can throttle the mountain passes, and I hear from friends that the chain enforcers are truly weary.

Two Christmases ago my son and I spent Christmas at Squaw Valley's vintage Olympic Village Inn -- remodeled since the 1960 Olympics and comfortable though not lavish. On an impulse we found a one-night, two-day package available and spent Christmas Day and the day after on the slopes. We left a sunny Bay Area, encountered the predictable fog in the Sacramento area, and by the time we traveled up the mountain and down into the valley (elevation 6200 feet), it was clear with a temperature hovering around freezing. Not bad. But up on the slopes at elevations between 8200 and 8900 feet it was a different story -- an awesome view from the top of the world across the Sierra one day and a frightening black sky of snow blowing in on the second. Though not much of a skiier myself, I go along for the thrill and the sights that nature delivers.

What I also like about Squaw Valley is that you can eat relatively healthily -- this is California, after all. So it's not all junk and fat foods. For skiers looking for a hearty lunch, I recommend Soupa and Fireside Pizza in the Olympic Village, and for an upscale dinner, the PlumpJack Cafe (California's lieutenant governor and former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom is an investor). At Plumpjack (the company also includes a Napa Valley vineyard), the menu offers seasonal regional foods and premier wines and beers (along with the rest of the bar) in a stylish resort ambiance at fine but not over the top prices. Let's face it, a workout on the slopes during the day deserves a splurge evening with the pretty people.

Here are other good spots to check out and some good end of season deals. With more than 50 feet of snow, Squaw Valley confidently predicts skiing through April and is offering some great deals if booked by March 31. And that's no April Fool's joke!

 

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.

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!

Florence on Foot

Wear your most comfortable shoes in Florence, Italy, and walk anywhere. (Ferragamos preferably when you stroll by the elegant store's home base and museum.) Florence is a small city and you can be anywhere in 30 minutes, yet it's so full of beauty and history that you can't do it all in one visit -- you must keep going back.

We found the Palazzo Magnani Feroni an exquisite hotel just south of the Arno River -- a renovated "palace" (large mansion) that has been in the Giannotti family for more than 250 years. The 12-suite hotel preserves in suites and public areas many antique objects, paintings and tapestries from the early 19th century family patriarch who was one of the most important antique dealers in Europe. At the top of the hotel is a roof terrace that provides a 360-degree panorma of the city and nearby Tuscan hills. It's a perfect place to hear the bells that ring on the hour and view the church domes and bell and clock towers that form Firenze's distinctive architectural landscape.

Our concierge arranged for our first dinner down the street at Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco (wild boar), a casual eatery known for its Tuscan game (I indulged in a wild boar and pasta dish, having had boar before). She also arranged for early morning tickets the next day to the Uffizi Gallery, which was wise given the late-summer throngs that over-crowd the plazas, cafes and sidewalks around town. Loaded with paintings across the span of Italian history, and known as the "Italian National Gallery," the museum orginally was made up of the Medici collections of the 15th-16th centuries. We spent an easy two hours rambling through the galleries and viewing Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Titian, Botticelli, Caravaggio and many many more, as well as classical sculpture dating back to the Roman period. Outside in the Piazza della Signoria, we viewed the "fake David," the full replica that has replaced the original "David" statue by Michaelangelo (the real David is now available for viewing in the Galleria dell'Accademia), and the statues in the 14th century Loggia dei Lanzi (including Cellini's bronze, Perseus holding the head of Medusa). Powerful stuff!

I'm an architecture lover so the exteriors of Santa Croce, the octagonal Baptistery with its famous gilded sculpture doors and the overpowering Duomo cathedral suited me just fine over standing in line for the famous interiors (that will be a plan for the next visit). We had a charming dinner at the Golden View Open Bar with more Tuscan specalities (such as robust red Chiantis) and overlooking the Ponte Vecchio bridge, with its still-bustling shops lit up after dark.

As for Florentine leather, there are great deals everywhere, but beware of the knock-off imports posturing as Florentine products. I walked away from Nannini (several locations in town) with a half-price oversize rectangular pocket book in bright summer red and a fall preview satchel in the hot new ruby-rich deep burgundy for the 2009-2010 season.

Venice at Dawn

Sailing into Venice at dawn aboard Silversea cruise's Silver Wind took our breath away as this floating "city of water" revealed itself in dewy silence before our eyes. Hours later, the plazas and canals would be jammed with people and boats (unfortunately) typical of hot August tourism. But we experienced the postcard-perfect serenity that preserved the magic of the Byzantine-to-Renaissance grandeur of the Grand Canal and its singular landmarks, just like the Venetian explorers  who returned after exporting the luxurious and refined lifestyle of Venezia to other exotic lands.  
Venice is a city that you have to see and feel in your own way. It is primarily a miracle but can also seem an unpleasant nightmare (as in schlepping suitcases on boats and over pedestrian bridges where no cars can travel). That said, the memories of Venice will never leave you, despite any inconveniences.

Midday we caught a glimpse of Piazza
San Marco (St. Mark's Square) and its renowned Basilica di San Marco and Palazzo Ducale, mixes of Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance styles and notable for the eras of Venetian commercial power that they represent. But because the lines were forbidding (and the pigeons aggressively teasing them), we meandered more peacefully through a few interior canals. Best not to visit Venice in August!

Understanding the situation quickly, we opted for the best outing -- hiring a water taxi for an hour-long tour in the late afternoon through the Grand Canal and its offshoots so we could explore on our own terms and see the "back streets" of Venice. The gondoliers are charming as they navigate the 150 canals, but the water taxi ride gave us more space, more distance and a more affordable price. Just go to the Piazza San Marco docking area and pay the 100 euros for your own cruise through "La Serenissima" (Venice at its most serene) with a guide in your own language -- and a taste of the city's sturdy grandeur that you will never forget.

Passing the "palaces" or mansions still preserved over the water from the 12th to the 18th centuries by the city's richest families is a movie scene that you must witness in person. Viva Venezia!

Split, Croatia's Roman History

Split, Croatia, is a boisterous new-world presence signifying dramatic old-world Roman conquests. Croatia's second-largest city is southeast of Venice across the eastern Adriatic Sea. It was our last destination before landing in Venice on our Silversea cruise. Split's historical old town is dominated by the Diocletian Palace, finished in 305 AD as a massive "retirement" home for Roman Emperor Diocletian. The great reformer wanted the once-opulent fortress constructed near his hometown of Salona on the central Dalmatian Coast.

We sailed into Split on a miserably hot August day on our Silversea cruise, but the historical journey through the old town and the palace were well worth a two-hour jaunt. The dimensions of the palace alone are stunning -- walls from 570 to 700 feet long and 50 to 70 feet high, enclosing an area of 9.5 acres. At times it was inhabited by 8,000 to 10,000 people, so it was also filled with outdoor areas and gardens. You can walk among the ruins, go down into the cavelike foundation and see the remnants of the aqueduct spring that fed the palace water supply.

Before Diocletian, the region was part of the Greek empire, and after the Roman Empire fell, Spalatum became part of Byzantium. Today much of the old town meanders in and out of the palace remains, and the Mediterranean-influenced city is a lively shopping destination with old world and contemporary products for tourists and a transition point to the beautiful Dalamatian Coast beaches.

Medieval Kotor, Montenegro

The Bay of Kotor is a glistening fjord off the Adriatic Sea on the southern shore of the Dalmatian Coast; in fact, it's the largest natural port in the eastern Mediterrean region. Continuing on our Silversea cruise, we entered the bay at dawn with its 100 miles of coastline.I stood quietly with several passengers above the bow of the ship for the serene entry into the mountain-rimmed passage that once stood as a defensive military position in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The bay's amazing beauty comes from the blue sea, stony shore, pine-covered mountains and rocky bulwarks crossed by conquerors and traders.

Kotor, Montenegro today is a throwback to ancient eastern Europe. Once part of Yugoslavia, the nation of Montenegro is only 14,000 square kilometers in size, with remarkable geographical contrasts -- glacial lakes, rocky cliffs and the second deepest canyon after the Grand Canyon. Kotor has had many historical identies and today it remains caught between east and west -- a Balkan nation that was once in union with Serbia, that was part of the Venetian empire, that uses the euro but is not part of the European Union, that communicates in both Cyrillic and Roman alphabets.

Because of its important location linking eastern and western Europe, Kotor has always been a city of traders and sailors. Much of what we visit today in the walled city was built between the 12th and 14th centuries. Nearly destroyed several times over the centuries by earthquakes, it remains one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe. It's protected by rivers and mountains and three city gates. About 20 fortifications stand along the serpentine fortress walls, which climb up 260 meters above sea level, and the more adventurous tourists still make the 1300-step trek. In fact, the climb is so treacherous that churches were constructed on the on hillside walls so that soliders would not have to go all the way down the mountain to worship.

Originating in the 3rd century BC, Kotor reflects its rich cultural heritage -- including Byzantine, baroque, Venetian and multi-ethnic Balkan influences. And today it's a popular summer destination with a lively club scene and festivals. I highly recommend the guided tour, with engaging and novel stories about a varied history, its churches and museums and the pirates who once ruled the coasts. At one time there were 30 churches along these narrow passageways and small squares. Still remaining are such edifices as St. Luke's, built in the 13th century and, the latest, an Orthodox cathedral constructed just after the turn of the 20th century.

Kotor is a remote treasure enriched by unsurpassable rugged beauty, a destination that is locked in firmly as a jewel of this cruise.

Venetian Flourishes in Corfu, Greece

 Corfu, Greece, or Kerkyra, lies just southwest of Albania, the southernmost country of the Balkan peninsula. Our Silversea cruise next takes us to Corfu, one of 100 Greek islands that stretch from the Aegean Sea to the Baltic countries. An Ionian Island just off the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas, Corfu is a natural bridge between Europe and the Middle East. The Venetians discovered its particular appeal passing through Corfu in their commercial trading ventures and leaving vestiges of their distinctive architecture in Corfu Town.

Renovated for the European Union summit in 1994, Corfu Town is one of the most elegant capitals in Greece, though many fine buildings were destroyed by Nazi bombers in World War II. Two massive forts protect the crescent-shaped harbor at each end, one constructed by the Byzantines in the 12^th century 100 years before the Venetians began work on the “new” citadel.  In the brutal August sun, we stroll gingerly through Corfu Town, where a major arcaded street front resembles Paris’ Rue de Rivoli, thanks to the French occupation earlier in the 20^th century. The city’s architecture is a hybrid of styles from the occupying armies passing from East to West over the centuries, including the Byzantine Museum in a restored church, with icons, frescoes, sculptures and mosaics from the 15^th-19^th century, and the Orthodox Cathedral built in 1577. Among its icons, the cathedral displays an image of Saint George Slaying the Dragon and three dark atmospheric Italianate paintings from the 16^th century.

As we leave port in the early evening, I consult Henry Miller, quoted in Travelers’ Tales, Travelers Tales Greece: True Stories (Travelers' Tales Guides): “The traveler awakes aboard ship at dawn, with land ahead of him and one shoulder of an island hunched up to the right of the vessel. It is an easy island to identify – those polished great fruity-looking mountains are Albanian. They are spacious and bare, and warmly painted in by the sun as it struggles up to shine over their shoulders on the sea. Corfu lies like a sickle beside the flanks of the mainland, forming a great calm bay, which narrows at both ends so that the tide are squeezed and calmed as they pass into it.”

“He is not of course the first visitor to be electrified by Greek light, to be intoxicated by the white dancing candescence of the sun on a sea with blue sky pouring into it,” Miller goes on. “...Wherever you go in Greece the people open up like flowers...No country I have visited has given me such a sense of grandeur...Greece is a little like China or India. It is a world of illusion.”

Autumn in New York with Jude Law

A perfect Saturday in New York -- a stroll up the West Side, sensational steak dinner at Porter House and Jude Law's magnificent performance in Hamlet. Hurry! The show ends Dec. 6, 2009.

Law displays the same range of raw emotional power in the grueling angry and troubled Hamlet role as he does in his sweet and gentle performance in The Holiday, one of my seasonal Christmas favorites. Outside the historic Broadhurst Theatre after the 3-hour and 10-minute play, gawkers lined up for a view of the cast as they escaped into the dark night. The Hollywood fan gauntlet has arrived on 45th Street.

The afternoon began on Amsterdam Avenue off Broadway in the Upper West Side with a delightful light Tuscan lunch at Salumeria Rosi, a small neighborhood salami shop and small plate restaurant. I happened in and out of shops along Amsterdam and Columbus avenues, before taking an espresso break in the animated but intimate Nice Matin on the corner of Amsterdam and 79th Street. For our early dinner, Porter House, the window-lined award-winning steak house in the Time-Warner Center, was top-tier all the way, from service to presentation to flavors. It also was a terrific alternative to the stodgy steak house scene in the theater district. We sat in the corner booth that looked up Broadway and across Central Park South. It was a lovely autumn evening. The Columbus Circle uptown mega mall, just south of Lincoln Center, was jammed with a pre-holiday spirit in its high-end and yuppy shops, restaurants, markets and bars and other nightlife. Our waiter timed our experience perfectly so that we could easily hop a cab and get downtown for the show.

The previous evening, an early evening rendezvous at one of the most enduring New York eateries, PJ Clarke's -- in the Lincoln Center location -- was dependable as ever. Noisy and jolly, the pub-style atmosphere was a good Friday night jump start to the weekend. The featured lobster roll was absolutely delicious!