San Francisco Delights

Hello internet followers. I have been m.i.a. because I have been doing a bit of traveling. Nothing too extravagant, Tucson, Arizona for a family wedding, and then this past weekend Brent and I spent four days in San Francisco. And that, my friends, is what this post is all about.

San Francisco was an amazing city, and I would definitely recommend it to everyone who is looking for somewhere to visit. You've got history, landscape, shopping, people watching, and food, oh the food. Unfortunately I didn't end up taking as many pictures of my meals as I had planned, because frankly when the food comes to your table, sometimes you just want to eat it. That being said, I thought I would mention a few places that were fantastic.

Midi
This restaurant was located in our hotel, and our first night we arrived and checked in around 7:30, so decided to check it out. What a treat. We started with a couple of drinks and the artisan cheese platter. Everything went really well together, and the presentation was great. For dinner Brent had the grilled hanger steak and I had the braised spring lamb. Both meals were fabulous. Funny note, the waiter asked Brent if he wanted fries with his steak, even though that's not how it was served, the waiter was just concerned because 'there's no starch with your entree'. We both found that kind of funny. We finished up the meal with some dessert, unfortunately I can't remember what it was, but it was also great.

Pier Market
This restaurant is located in Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf, one of the biggest touristy spots in San Francisco. However, following our trip to Alcatraz we decided to check out this tourist area, and all I wanted was some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Touting that their New England Clam Chowder was voted best in Fisherman's Wharf, I decided to check it out myself. Let's just say, it was so good that I was digging into the bowl at the end, and even returned the next day for another cup of chowder.

Catch
This seafood restaurant was recommended by a friend and colleague who also happens to be a bit of a foodie (having previously been a restaurateur). I was anxious to see if it would meet my expectations. And meet my expectations it did. We started the night off the best possible way, with some beer and fresh oysters on the half shell. Next we had the grilled artichokes with lemon pepper aioli. These were so good that I will definitely be trying to imitate them this summer on the grill. For our mains Brent opted for the classic Fish and Chips, and I chose the seafood grill, which was three types of fish grilled, Mahi mahi, salmon and another whitefish. All of the food was great, although the portion was a little bit large, but we did have two appetizers. The service was great, and we finished again with a dessert, I believe it was creme brulee. Interesting tid bit about this restaurant, it is the same building where Harvey Milk had his Castro Camera shop in 1978.

Sears Fine Foods
The first few days we were in San Francisco I saw this restaurant and didn't really think anything of it, probably being from Canada and associating Sears with the department store, I was picturing the restaurant inside Zellers or something. However, when reading different books in our hotel room looking for places to eat, this one kept coming up as a San Francisco Tradition. So, on our last day as we were looking for somewhere we could get breakfast at noon on a Monday, we came across the signs. Now I don't know about you, but it seems as though they really want you to know they are there.

Once inside I felt like we were transported to a diner from years gone by. We both had to try the World Famous Little Pancakes, and believe me they were awesome!

I can't wait to get back to San Francisco sometime and try out the many restaurants I missed. It was a great vacation, and such a quick flight from Vancouver. Don't forget to bring back some of the Ghirardelli chocolates for your friends!