So far the weather has been great so I decided to jump on the F street car to the Ferry Building and see what's going on there
The great thing about the bus system is they give you a transfer ticket and you can ride any line until the time it expires.... If you knew that, don't make fun of me, I just found out!
There's lots of tall buildings in the city and if you're not looking down at your phone then you're looking up to see the grandness of it all, and the interesting displays..
The Ferry Building is a glorious culmination of food, retail, and sights/views
Inside looks like a subway tunnel but lined with different shops selling different things... You can get coffee from one of many vendors, bread from Acme Bread Company, cheese from Cowgirl Creamery and charcuterie at Boccalone, shop around for teas, spices, produce or souvenirs then have ice cream or vegan donuts... There are also several delicious restaurants to choose from as well if you don't want a picnic...
I walked in to Slanted Door, a Vietnamese restaurant on the north-east corner of the building. I've been before and enjoyed it so I wanted to try something else since the other restaurants didn't quite catch me. I asked the bartender for a "final meal" type dish that I couldn't miss and he suggested the Dungeness Crab Cellophane noodles
And since it's my "final meal" he said I couldn't go without some veggies and sent a small plate of bok choy with mushrooms... Delicious! It hit the spot, perfectly seasoned and so comforting. The picture doesn't show it, but the portion was a nice size and had lots of crab too
After lunch I explored a little more, there are lots of streets you can lose your thoughts in just wandering around... If you walk a few block west, you're in Chinatown. If you walk several blocks north, you're in Fishermans Wharf. You'll find that San Francisco city is pretty easy to get around on foot (minus the streets with hills)
I needed the walk too cause I have 2 meals ahead of me... Yes 2! I go hard! So my friend told me about a coffee shop to check out and I trust his opinion cause he knows a thing or two about coffee ☕️
Sightglass Coffee Bar and Roastery
Such a beautiful and photogenic space to have coffee in... I sat in front of the roaster and watched the roasting for like 3 hours. Just outside the door are vertical bike racks to hang your bike while you chill with your coffee. The coffee is delicious and on the lighter side, so if you're used to darker roasts, this may not tickle your fancy. They offer the usual fare of coffee & espresso related drinks as well as pastries, beans to take home, and equipment.
After successfully being hypnotized by the roasting machine I caught the bus to Zuni cafe. I knew they have been busy since the passing of their magnificent chef, Judy Rodgers, so I went during an off time, 4pm, and got a lounge table and ordered the only thing anyone should go there for... The Chicken
A whole chicken cooked to order (so allow 1 hour, they have other great dishes so you won't go wrong with an appetizer or oysters) cut in to manageable pieces, served on top of a bread salad with pine nuts and currants. Last time I had it, there were mustard greens mixed in, this time was frisée
The bread salad is tossed in a vinaigrette and absorbs the juices from the chicken so it's full of amazing flavors... It's supposed to be shared between 2 people and I wanted the chicken so bad I spent most of the time trying to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of it... I ended up making friends with people sitting next to me and I gave them some and they bought me a drink 🍷 Cheers!
Overhearing my conversation with my new friends, my server asked if I was in the industry and about my plans, she handed me a business card and told me the name of the chef to contact at Zuni if I was interested in a job as well as letting me know that she does real estate and she could put me in contact with someone in rentals to help me find a place! This place is great!
(she contacted me the next day to touch base and wish me luck in my travels!)
I gave up my seat for another walk... Literally 3 blocks to the next restaurant haha!
Rich Table
I'm starting to see a trend of open kitchens in San Francisco... This restaurant is so cute and the kitchen is so small! Only 2 people man the hot line and a 3rd can jump in... And that's all the space they have to prep as well! As small as the kitchen is, the food is amazing! I told the bartender I just wanted 2 plates and what I was considering and he said that I needed to try 3, I would have too much food but I needed to try it
Sardine chips with horseradish créme fraiche and Dried porcini mushroom doughnuts with Raclette sauce
Sea urchin and farfalle with fermented chilies and bergamot
I definitely had too much food but it was so spectacular... The little sardines were woven in to the potato slices and fried like chips, the doughnuts were a fried ball of umami/msg awesomeness! (No artificial msg used, don't freak out, just what mother nature put in the mushrooms) I love the texture of fresh pasta and this did not disappoint, the sea urchin provided a great creaminess and briny flavor to the sauce. As for dessert? Fernet Branca please!
While waiting for dinner to arrive, the bartender and I chatted about working there and and in the city. A group of 3 sitting next to me who were also mid-dinner and one of them asked how I was enjoying my meal, I told them the doughnuts changed my life and we started talking about other great restaurants in the city, I explained my plans and all 3 said "move here!" We introduced ourselves and kept talking about various things and I kept thinking how easy it was to talk to people in this city and how nice everyone is, we exchanged contact info so we could meet another time or whenever I was in the city again! The bartender ended up taking care of one of the appetizers for me... Why thank you!
I feel silly but I went 'home' feeling good about this city and the people I've met so far... And I was very very full
Day 3
I definitely had to cut back today... I went overboard so I took it easy for lunch (coffee and a banana) and my legs needed a rest from all the walking so I waited til dinner time
Flour+Water
I had heard many amazing things about this place and I was really excited. I walked in at 5:40 and easily sat at the bar. I told the bartender what I was thinking of ordering and following his recommendations, I ordered King trumpet and hen of the woods mushrooms with celery root and kale
And Cresta de gallo with livers, sage and brown butter
I love mushrooms, they have awesome texture and their flavor is unexplainably distinct. This mushroom dish was so satisfying. It's was seasoned perfectly, there was crunchy texture, acidity, and it tasted like mushrooms. The Cresta de gallo, translates to cocks comb, was incredible... I wanted to cry after the first bite and then I wanted to die in the sauce. If you're put off by the taste of liver, you would never know this had livers in it.. It looks like bolognese but tastes like heaven made it
I should've probably listened to myself when I said no more, you're supposed to be taking it easy... But no I wanted to know what else could be this incredible and the bartender said he could do a half order of the Salt cod raviolinis for me. Done!
Raviolinis stuffed with salt cod, tossed in buttery Buddha hand citrus and tarragon sauce
I don't want to leave this restaurant... The raviolinis were salty from the cod, buttery from the sauce but balanced by the Buddha hand citrus. I have enjoyed everything I had at this restaurant and I have been plotting ways to come back ever since I left
I couldn't eat any more and I told JD I was coming to visit again so I'm due for a walk... Down 4 blocks to Humphrey Slocombe! Hahaha I really am crazy...
They do some fun flavors and I went with the Chocolate Smoked Sea Salt... Delicious!!
These were fun too
Food coma... Where am I? Luckily it's still early so I can get to TBD and digest with a drink
TBD doesn't have a liquor license so they find ways to make things interesting. Their "Loopholes" options are a must try
They use lower alcohol content spirits to achieve familiar flavor profiles of traditional drinks
So after veg-ing out for a bit, I ordered the Roasted Carrots with Sprouted Legumes
Also the Arepa and the S'mores Dessert (no photos=fail)
The carrots were so delicious!! Amazing texture in the entire dish... The sprouted legumes were incredible! The Arepa is a South American pancake, topped with cave aged cheese, tofu?, mushrooms and a healthy shaving of truffles! The S'mores were deconstructed with graham crackers next to a chocolate pudding square with strategically placed dollops of burnt marshmallow and a delicious broth I didn't ask about cause I was too busy enjoying myself
I was able to continue my conversation about my experience in San Francisco with JD, Caitlin and Don (another bartender). I also got to talk to a couple other people dining at the bar, it seemed that Mondays are days off for many industry people cause there were a few cooks dining at the bar. Everyone was so willing to offer their advice and guidance on where to work, where to live and the people they knew who could help me with whatever I needed when I was ready
So what was my experience in San Francisco?.... I really love San Francisco! The weather was great, public transportation was easy to use, the people were so nice and food was fantastic! The down side is that it's so expensive to live in the city! The friends I made at Rich Table told me most people find a place to live before they find a job and a lot of people have roommates. Some people make it work by living outside of the city and get in by BART. This city is still in first place for me to work here though, now I'll just have to come back and stage (try out) at some restaurants and see if I can make a living situation work.
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