San Francisco Highlights: The Snozzberries Taste Like Snozzberries!

i love the sf muni logo

[more about panama in a bit. today though, san francisco.]

San Francisco is one of my favorite LA-getaway destinations. I have a few good friends who live in the bay area, and we always have a good time. Catching up on all the time we miss each other, eating and drinking really well (and really, a lot) never fails. This trip was no exception. In town for Jana's baby shower (bebe is a girl! welcome Amalia!), our Bay Area weekend seemed to focus on real flavors: simple preparations of exellent ingredients. Nothing flashy, nothing overdone, just snozzberries tasting like snozzberries.

In a world of grande half-caf low-fat double macchiattos -- two pumps and room for cream -- there I was standing in line, about half an hour, for a simple cup of drip coffee. Ample time to notice that the sign at the produce stall next door described one of their heirloom tomato varieties as 'tomatoey'. Really all we want from a tomato, right? So I guess that's why I was waiting in line -- for the most, well, coffee-y coffee I know: Blue Bottle. It's a humble stall, and there's nothing fancy about their paper cups or the brown bags in which they sell their beans, but the laser focus is on the coffee itself. And what makes coffee-y coffee? Well, organic shade-grown beans, ground and brewed, or sold, within 48 hours of roasting.

I feel like I drank more coffee in a weekend in San Francisco than I do in 2 weeks at home. But there was so much good coffee everywhere, I couldn't help it! And often it was served in Heath Ceramics -- at the courtyard at SFMOMA, at Jana and Juan's cozy table (thanks bridal registry!), and again at her shower. Even the dishes at Chez Panisse (more on that below) were Heath. Once again, sturdy, classic designs and nothing fussy.

salsicca pie

The same was true at Pizzeria Delfina (Oh sweet Pizzeria Delfina, with your 4 tiny tables and red Italian tile bathroom, how I love you!).

panna pie

The pizza that has recently gotten the most attention there is the panna pie, so pared down that it even eschews cheese, opting instead for a decadent pour of heavy cream before going in the oven (balanced with a bit of shaved parmesan once it's out). But when all you've got is cream, excellent crust, and a simple tomato sauce, you can taste freshness. Turns out freshness tastes pretty good.

the counter at teeny pizzeria delfina

As does their albacore tuna conserva, served over watercress with white beans. Take your first bite, and the taste of great extra virgin olive oil steals the show. It's all about the basics, kids.

the wood-burning oven at Chez Panisse

And then was there Chez Panisse* (I tell you, we go large in San Fran). Nothing showy about this place (so much so that part of me still feels like it was Aidan's parents' house in My Big Fat Greek Wedding -- boring white people food), but still there were some very special flavors going on here: the duck confit's simple presentation belied its flavors: perfectly browned duck skin around tender dark meat, with a fresh kumquat relish, tart and bright, to cut its richness. Same goes for the wild nettle pizza and rhubarb tart. A few ingredients at their freshest (whether tomatoes, coffee, or snozzberries) and solid culinary know-how go a long way.

* Chez Panisse, whose website has gone from homespun to oddly fancy and French in the time between my coming home from San Francisco and right now.

Bay Area Roundup: The Rest

A few more Northern Cali recommendations, these from Oakland, Berkeley, and San Rafael. (San Francisco ones are here.)

Berkeley and Oakland
Arizmendi Bakery Oakland. So, it's a co-op and bakery, and a local coffee spot, a short walk from Lake Merritt, with those fun potato-based disposable forks that biodegrade faster than plastic, and hearty oat scones and ridiculous cheese rolls. And they have pizza. 3625 Lakeshore Ave. between Lake Park and Mandana. But they learned what they know from...

Cheeseboard Pizza. On the same block of Shattuck as Berkeley's famed Chez Panisse, this offshoot of the cheese-store/bakery co-op next door is quite unique. For one, each one of the twelve 'members' shares equally in working and decision-making. For another, they have only a single, sauce-free, vegetarian flavor each day. But people line up out the door of this sliver of a pizzeria for their delicious pies. Once in, you're rewarded for waiting with a jazz trio playing in the corner, you quickly order your pizza and drinks, then, in classic Berkeley style, cross the street and set up camp on the grassy center median, right under the sign that reads, "Do not sit on the median". 1512 Shattuck Ave. at Vine.

Great China Restaurant. It comes from great authority that this is the best Chinese restaurant in Berkeley. I certainly had the best Peking duck I can recall: lean meat, perfect rectangles of crispy skin. (Be sure to ask for the bones to take home to your Chinese mother so she can make soup!) The crab dish is decadent: a big mound of buttery crab meat, and fluffy buns to split in half, pile on the crab meat, and let the butter soak in. Mmm. Also delightful is the two-skins noodles, the fried tofu, and the sauteed cabbage. Basically everything we had. People have complained about the service, but we were served by the owner's son who was a pretty cool cat, and the service was spot on. 2115 Kittredge St. just east of Shattuck.

Gelateria Naia. I mean, they'll never hold a candle to my beloved Scoops, and once you've stuffed your fat face with duck and crab and all sorts of Chinese goodness, it doesn't leave much room for gelato love, but inventive flavors, delicious product, and very friendly service certainly don't suck. And they have a great web presence (which for this geek, goes a long way). 2106 Shattuck Ave, between Center and Addison (and 4 other locations throughout the Bay area).

San Rafael
Sol Food. Possibly the hippest place in all of sweetly sleepy San Rafael. Shockingly green building generally has a line outside the door. Inside, delicious Puerto Rican food in very satisfying portions: Try the camarones criollos with tostones -- plantains flattened into a large disc, fried, salted, and garlicked; and go home with a bottle of their fiery pique sauce. 732 4th St. at Tamalpais, and another, smaller one about a block away on 3rd.

Places in San Rafael I Should Have Tried But Didn't
Graffeo. Fancy gourmet coffee. And they even have a French press grind.
Mayflower Pub. Great-looking pub, 35+ years old, Boddington's on tap (not that I like beer all that much, but still, that says something), quiz night. Need I say more?

[thanks to rwclark and _e.t for pizza and gelato photos, respectively]

Bay Area Roundup: San Francisco

I was lucky enough to spend an extended weekend in the Bay area. The trip's activities consisted primarily of:
- eating
- drinking
- walking (thank God!)
- rolling (katamari, that is. have you seen this amazingness?)

Ah, good times indeed. My travels took me to Oakland, Berkeley, San Rafael (with a special field trip to the Skywalker Ranch), and of course, the windy city itself (San Francisco, not Chicago. But it was really windy. Reeeally windy.). This, for the most part, was not a taco-stand, hole-in-the-wall trip. We went large. I did pretty well. Which means I have much to share and recommend.

I'll just cover San Francisco in this post, because there is just so much and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, and save the rest for a subsequent post.

But, my first recommendation spans all areas of the Bay, and is not food-related. Its name is Fernando and Greg. They are the morning show on the area's dance station, and among gossip, cattiness, and raunch, they manage to fit in social commentary as well, helping the medicine go down with a spoonful of glitter.

On to the foods.

Delfina. Finally made it to the restaurant where a friend's brother, Matt Gandin, is the sous-chef, and wow, what a treat. The ambiance: casual, hip, local (to the Mission). The food: seasonal Italian, with the menu changing daily. Everything was delicious, from the light, fresh gravlax with radishes, fennel, and cucumbers, to the ridiculously decadent bread salad (a simple side exalted a lot!), to the homemade bucatini with fava beans and guanciale, to the roast duck with farro and kumquats, to the rhubarb crostata, to ... (I could go on and on. Really, everything we ate was delicious.). 3621 18th St. between Dolores and Guerrero.

Tartine Bakery. Down the block from Delfina is the classic local cafe, elevated. Subtle Parisy decor, tattooed hipsters behind the counter and espresso bar, not to mention at the tables, but true to its NorCal sensibilities, after you've scarfed down fresh berry bread pudding, gorgeous pastries, renowned croques monsieur, or impossibly flaky croissants, you bus your own table, straight to the kitchen. 600 Guerrero St. at 18th.

Canteen. So a guy works as a chef at a well-thought-of restaurant in town. But all he really wants to do is open a diner. It's tiny -- only about 4 booths and a few counter spots. The decor is modern, funky, and sparse, as is the service -- when we were there for breakfast, a single sprightly woman played hostess, busboy, and waitress. Salmon omelet was nice; corned beef hash was huge chunks of beef and potatoes under poached eggs. 817 Sutter St. at Jones.

Magnolia Pub. Although the focus at this thoughtful brewpub is on the beers brewed in the basement, the food is not an afterthought -- pretty much everything we tried was fresh and tasty, from the hottest wings ever, to salmon cakes, onion rings, and pressed sandwiches. Magnolia is keenly aware of the Haight's history, and pays subtle and tactful homage to the area's Dead- and Phish-head sensibilities in the bustling eatery's decor. 1398 Haight Street at Masonic.

Ferry Building. This place is kind of a dream world for food people. It's pretty much a long stretch of shop after shop of gourmet goodies -- olive oils, dainty baked goods, exotic mushrooms (have you ever heard of a lion's mane mushroom? or a pink oyster? wowee), chocolates, cheeses (from the Cowgirl Creamery), and on and on. Then outside is a fantastic farmers' market -- produce, yes, but also sausages, fresh Hog Island oysters, and more. All right on the waterfront. On the Embarcadero at Market.

Rose's Cafe. This place should be the local hang, but the prices seem prohibitive to being a regular. But then, in the ritzy Cow Hollow neighborhood in the Marina, it works. For Sunday brunch, sit at one of the sidewalk tables, enjoy the prime peoplewatching and perfect Paris cafe ambiance (authentic unhurried service included), and try the chicken-tarragon sausage with polenta and poached eggs. Also it should be noted that this is the same Rose as Rose Pistola in North Beach -- an awesome Italian restaurant with fantastic casual ambiance, and a chocolate cake that once brought tears to the eyes of my fellow diner. 2298 Union at Steiner.

Mauna Loa. Quintessentially what a dive bar should be. On a row of mostly post-frat bars, this place was friendly (perhaps it helped that I came with a regular) and posturing-free. There are games in the back (pool, basketball, etc.) if you're into that kind of thing, and Kirk, the proprietor, knows everything there is to know about the city, so you'll come out of the bar with two new tips that will make your life easier each time you go there. 3009 Fillmore St. at Union.

Phew, I'm full!