I'm on a mission remember? I need to find prospective restaurants to work at, test out public transportation and learn about the neighborhood (preferably safe & affordable)
Let me begin by saying I love Google maps and my external charger... Both have been such lifesavers and so convenient on this trip. I've been able to catch public transports on time and know the price before I get on. The external charger is an Anker 5600mAh with flashlight-it takes about 5 hours to charge so I do it overnight and take it with me during the day, I can get 2.5 charges to my iPhone with it and it's super quick
With the guidance of the kind TSA lady (seriously), I learned that I have to take the AirTrain to the BART platform (I was lost for 10 minutes trying to figure out how to get out of the airport... Fail!). The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) runs from SFO/south San Francisco to north Eastbay and Sausilito area to south Eastbay with many connection stations in between. It's a very convenient and inexpensive way to commute, just purchase 1-way, round trip or a refillable card. My round trip ticket from SFO to Powell Street station was $17.30 (hang on to the ticket cause you need it to get out of the station!) and takes about 40 minutes each way
I was initially nervous to ask people for guidance but I noticed that people were really nice... So off to a good start!
My hostel was very close to the Powell Street station so I walked from there, it's the San Francisco International Hostel on Mason St. The staff were great answering questions, the room was a typical shared room, ensuite so it means I had a shower and toilet but there were restrooms and showers on the same floor I stayed on so there was no issue with waiting. There's no curfew and the front desk is manned or womaned 24 hours
Note* Hostels usually have lockers you can store your stuff in but you need to provide your own lock and all hostels have front desk staff 24 hours
I have to apologize in advance, I wasn't able to take pictures of some things, places, food so I'll try to describe them as best as I can... Some things I just didn't care to waste the photo on and some times it was a dark dining room and I didn't want to be that person with a flash camera
With so many restaurants and so little time, I had to squeeze in many meals in to one day... A couple restaurants were just to go and say that I went but most are prospective employers
First stop, Swan Oyster Depot... Heard stories, saw pictures... I needed to experience it myself
There's a line?! At 3!? Luckily I didn't wait long cause there was 1 seat open!
Sit down, order what's on the board, sometimes there are specials, enjoy, repeat... My counter server, a strapping man named Moreno, was of great entertainment. Their seafood is very fresh and they shuck the oysters to order with many varieties to enjoy
1/2 doz mixed oysters, combination seafood cocktail, cup of clam chowder and a Stella Artois for me please! Everything was really good and fresh... Except the clam chowder was broken and loose, unfortunately I don't have a picture
A couple seated to my right ordered almost the same thing as I so we started talking and they told me they just moved to the city 2 days ago, then the girl seated on my left told me she lived in the city 7 years and this was her first time. I told them I was considering moving to the city and they all said "do it!"... So far this is a good sign, they love the city enough to recommend it and they were really nice about answering my questions on where to live, what they do for fun, driving vs not driving...
I left full and excited to have talked to people so easily about living there and getting around
I was meeting my friend, Chris, later for dinner at State Bird Provisions so I thought I'd kill some time by walking the neighborhood and stopped by a new restaurant my friend manages called TBD
TBD is a restaurant featuring food, well, To Be Determined.... By the season and the availability
But the restaurant is unique in that it features only a wood fueled hand cranked grill as the heat source. The space is small but used efficiently and it's decorated beautifully
I sat at the bar and had a glass wine and snack while chatting with JD and the bartender Caitlin. Both were really helpful in giving me insight on living in the city and working for various restaurants and chefs (it's good to know people who get around) buuut it was Saturday night and they filled up quickly so I took that as queue to take my leave as I would be back on Monday anyways and I had a dinner to get to
State Bird Provisions.... James Beard award winning restaurant and chefs, fun concept... I wanted to check it out... They're always booked! If there is a reservation that has opened up, it will appear on their website, they do reserve a portion of the restaurant for walk-ins and I was originally going to go by myself so I figured I wouldn't have any issues...and then Chris called. Chris is my friend, Sherena's friend, both are traveling with me in Thailand and since I'd never met Chris and he lives in the Bay Area we decided to meet. So in fear of having to wait too long or be declined a table, I went to SBP website and there was an opening for 2... At 10pm! 👎 fiiiine... We were seated at what I'll call the chefs bar overlooking the hotline. It was excellent for me cause I got to see them cook and move, or so I thought... Let me explain service at SBP for you
So there are items on the menu but there are also blocks and numbers underneath
You can see how one can easily over order and the bill can rack up... We wanted to order some stuff from the menu and we wanted everything that was being carted around. Sometimes the chefs were making the food in front of us and turning around to sell it... So I was constantly distracted by watching them cook, the food being carted around, and looking for a server.. Any server.. Chris and I were trying to get to know each other in between these distractions.
The food was good.. Flavors that probably shouldn't go together like cheese and sauerkraut actually do. Beautiful colors and interesting favors... Like spicy cauliflower with blue cheese sauce.. What?!
Bone marrow with pink peppercorn sauce, pickled mushrooms and thyme
We also had the sourdough pancakes, the duck ham pancakes, pork dumplings in mushroom broth, brussel sprouts, persimmon granita and tapioca, and genmaicha ice cream sandwiches
My favorites were the cauliflower, and both pancakes. The cauliflower were cut into medium sized pieces, fried and arranged on the plate with blue cheese sauce, sliced jalapeños and greenery. The duck ham was sliced and tossed with a chicory salad and topped on a pecan pancake with persimmon mustard. The sourdough pancake was a sourdough batter that had sauerkraut, pecorino, and ricotta cheese in it... kind of like mini pupusas!
Overall a good meal... And I was in good company so that made the difference... So far I'm really enjoying this city
Tomorrow I will have a huge eating day so I need my rest... Good night!
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