I Left My _______ In San Francisco
Four days out on the left coast are always rejuventaing, even if they do involve a touch of jet lag and a couple days' worth of wine headaches. Definitely a class-A trip all around though.
Stayed:
The Clift Hotel. Sister hotel to a couple of my favorites (the Delano in Miami and the Mondrian in NYC), the rooms were small but the hotel proper was just delightful. Great service, eclectic decor (including a neon purple elevator and a Goliath-sized chair in the lobby) and good location in Union Square. Don't stray too far in either direction or you're liable to end up surrounded by seedy Asian massage parlors and manic street preachers though. Plenty of beautiful people staying at the hotel or hanging out in the Redwood Room (alledgedly the hotspot in San Fran right now). I felt pretty out of place when we got back from hiking Sunday afternoon ambling through the lobby in hiking pants and a grubby tshirt, and just wanted to run and hide in the nearest purple elevator as quickly as possible.
Ate:
Harrington's. Financial District pub grub in a city where pub grub's damned hard to find, with locals eschewing burgers and brews in favor of arugala and smoothies. Great grilled blackened halibut and the usual assortment of Ilk-friendly West Coast microbrews on tap.
The Coffee Garden. Rustic little place tucked away in downtown Sonoma. Good coffee, monstrous-sized and tasty omelettes. Appeared to be a favorite spot for locals and their dogs. Establishment gets its name from the Victorian garden/dining area out back which we didn't check out...for some reason the thought of dining al fresco in 55 degree temps just was not a very appealing one.
Cafe Citti. Sonoma Italian diner located right off Hwy 12. Great wine selection (no shock there) and killer polenta. K ate a rigatoni with creamy porcini mushroom sauce that just oozed garlic. Simply amazing.
Clement Street Bar And Grill. A long time ago in a city far far away, this joint was called Tevia's restaurant and owned by my Mom's boyfriend/soulmate/life partner Shelley and his brother Murray. The Brothers Simon sold the place to new investors in 1981, and the new guys changed the menu a bit but preserved the 1930's era ceilings and decor. Don't let the "Bar And Grill" name fool you, as the name of the game here leans much more toward classic American cuisine than burgers and chicken sandwiches. The braised short ribs in red wine sauce were great. K claims that her fliet mignon and porcini mushrooms (smell a trend here yet, folks?) was the best she'd ever had someplace that didn't have "steakhouse" in the name. I did introduce myself to Harold the owner, and although he spoke very highly of my un-stepfather I wasn't even able to sweetheart a free dessert out of him.
The Pinecrest. A block from the hotel, this diner is the Lou Mitchell's of San Fran, except instead of crusty old Greek women in support hose, it's staffed by nubile young Japanese waitresses in lowcut billowy blouses. One cretin tried to snap our waitress' picture and was met with a withering stare. Oh yeah, the pancakes are superb but the 2 egg special seems more like 1.5 eggs in terms of quantity.
The Pelican Inn. Kris: Hey look, what a charming little bed and breakfast! Let's eat there! Ilk: Sure! Sounds great.
Kris: (40 minutes and one trip to the carvery buffet later) Wow, that sucked.
Ilk: I'd really like my 50 bucks and the past hour of my life back.
At least it's charmingly decorated. But the food was lukewarm in both temperature and quality, their in-house Pale Ale tasted suspiciously like Anchor Steam, and the service was wretched.
Santorini. Pity poor Santorini. It was about our fifth choice for a place to eat on Sunday night, since Scala's, Max's, Colima and Asia de Cuba were all completely jampacked at 9:45. Santorini plates up solid Mediterranean cuisine, with the only really out-of-the-ordinary item on the menu being pomengranate chicken, which I naturally ordered. K had the moussaka, which was a touch spicier than what you'd find on Halsted in Chicago but still good.
Cioppini's. Named for the dish that's their speciality, this open air bistro on Fisherman's Wharf was a great place for a last meal in the city (in a nice twist of irony, you can look out at Alcatraz while dining). Cioppini is a spicy seafood soup that's gazpacholike in consistency and just packed with mussels, clams, fish, calamari and shrimp. One of the few times I've eaten soup and didn't find myself asking what the next course was.
Jack In The Box. What better place to stumble into at 1 am drunk than this West Coast institution?
Did:
Oakland A's game. It's a lowdown awful dirty crying shame that the A's always bitchslap the White Sox, because otherwise they're a hard team not to like. Passionate and knowledgable fans who make the most of their spartan stadium in a vast wasteland lovingly called the mausoleum, while their team forever labors in the shadow of a hyped but largely unsuccessful juggernaut across town.
SBC Park Tour. The aforementioned overhyped baseball team plays 81 games a year here, and it's no wonder that they sell almost every single one. This little gem (much like Camden Yards, it has a less-than-15-acre footprint) by the bay is just gorgeous. Doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the house, the food service looks top notch and the field is immaculate even though the park plays host to rock concerts and even a monster truck rally in addition to the Giants. I was a little bummed I didn't get to check out Bonds' leather recliner and bigscreen in the home clubhouse though.
Muir Woods/Muir Beach. Less than 45 minutes from San Fran proper lies this vast wilderness. Look up at the redwoods. Look down at the fresh babbling brooks. Muir Beach is a bit surreal in that it's the only beach I can remember being on where everyone was wearing sweatshirts, jeans, and didn't want to go barefoot because of the chilly air. Muir beach overlook is worth the hike (or drive) up for some of the most spectacular views you'll ever see in your life, plus the chance to see WW II gun emplacements.
Wineries:
Far too big to go under the "did" list, but here goes. We stayed on the Sonoma side of the region to avoid the Labor Day weekend crowds and were still blown away by the selection and scenery. Any wine comments are right from my notebook, as there's just too much to weed through and try to make sentences out of..plus I'm in a metal tube 37,000 feet above the Great Plains right now and I just want to get this done because, damnit, I'm missing "Mr. And Mrs. Smith," which involves a scantily clad Angelina Jolie)
Valley Of The Moon. Calfornia's second oldest winery is one of the first you hit heading up winery row from the south. Super new tasting room and barn, great label art. Excellent, ultralight pinot blanc with an almost clear complexion. Supposedly pairs great with Thai food. Made sure to buy bottle to validate this theory. Average Barbera with a rich bouquet but not much flavor, slightly dry finish. Crisp Syrah laden with berry. Sangiovese had an almost clear taste, but sweet finish.
B.R. Cohn. Owned by Bruce Cohn, manager of the Doobie Brothers, the tasting area is a mini-shrine to the Doobies and their fleeting popularity in the 1970s. Good '03 Chardonnay with a dry finish. '04 Rose is sweet like all Roses are, but I brought back a bottle for Aaron to thank him for not killing the dog or burning down the house. Just what the hell is the difference between Rose and White Zinfandel, anyway? Are they the same? Is it like calling Oakland "East Bay" and putting a dress on a metaphorical pig? '03 Pinot Noir very smooth and light all through. '02 Reserve Cabernet had a touch of heat in addition to usual big red boldness. The "Moose's Meritage" was super balanced with nothing that stuck out, but K felt compelled to buy a $45 bottle because of the doggie on the label.
Arrowwood. Easily the best of the bunch. Gorgeous tasting room on a hill overlooking their vineyards. Our tasing was guided by Christine, the tasting room manager who wasn't just a pretty face pouring wine and taught us more about grapes in 40 minutes (a feat in itself) than I'd learned in my 8 years of pseudo-oneophilia. '03 multi-batch Chardonnay had nice balance up to the typical dry finish, gorgeous golden color. '02 Russian River Chardonnay was almost too spicy with hints of grapefruit. '01 Alta Vista Chard was nice middle ground between the previous two. '04 Gewurtztrammer was the first dessert wine I've had in a long time that didn't make me gag or want to shoot it out my nose, in fact I'd almost serve it with food if I had to. '03 Cote De Lune Blanc had a wimpy nose, crisp but sweet. '03 Cote De Lune Rouge was underwhelming with no real smell or taste. '03 Sarah Lee Syrah almost tasted sour. '03 Sonoma Syrah was mind-blowing with boldness and a great fruity bouquet. Richard Arrowwood dubbed it "Le Beau Melange" and who can argue with that? '00 Merlot had lighter complexion than most of its siblings with a notable lack of that smoky Merlot sensation. '00 Cabernet Resrve was so dry yet so amazing that I joined the damned wine club just so I could get 25% off a few bottles.
Kenwood. Boring experience from this boring but reliable mass producer. '03 Russian River Pinot Noir had nice color, clear finish, mild nose. '02 Sonoma County Zinfandel finished ultra-dry. Jack London Cabernet (long a personal favorite) is just as dry at the winery as it is off the shelf. Also bought a bottle of their $10 bubbly to keep on hand should the White Sox accomplish anything momentous this October. If the Sox fail, I'll make mimosas with it.
The Wine Room. This shack right off Hwy 12 serves as a hippie commune of sorts for local small batch types to offer their wines for tasting while keeping costs down. Friendly Dog Vineyard offered up Barney's "Muttage" (what is it with winemakers and canines?) which had a suitably cutesy label, but not enough taste to buy. Moondance and Orchard Station Chardonnays were both light and fruity. Deco Port combines chocolate and port and I probably would have bought a case of the stuff if I had room for it. Also got to try grappa for the first time--which tastes like white wine that's been sitting on the counter for a week that decides to coldcock you in the face. Wow. Peaty finish like a good single malt.
St. Francis. Personally recommended to us by Neighbor Girl, St. Francis is where the beautiful people go to taste wines poured by beautiful people in beautiful surroundings. '03 Chardonnay was grapefruity-tart with a dry tail. '01 Sonoma Claret has a nice berry finish. '02 Cabernet might have been the darkest of all the dark reds I sipped which has an almost-too-dry seeming nose, but finishes super full. '02 "Old Vine" Zinfandel finished so tart I actually puckered my lips. '02 Leras Ranch Pinot Noir was dry through and through with a hint of spice at the tail and a nice berry smell. '00 Behler Reserve Merlot was underwhelming. '00 McCoy Cabernet Franc was smooth, only tasted dry if left in mouth for a while. '00 Nuns Canton Cabernet super smoky all through with an almost-black color.
For the record, we came home with 23 bottles of wine.
All in all, San Fran's not a bad place at all. Sage advice for fellow travelers--pack pants, and if you want to eat out, make reservations.
