California Trippin' - San Francisco

After a long absence from the blog, I was inspired to write again after Crystal and I's recent trip to Northern California.  In addition to a mixture of adventure and relaxation, we really set out to enjoy what some call the food and wine mecca of North America. As with most of our trips, many a day was spent discussing where we should eat lunch and dinner and making sure all scheduled activities did not conflict with our eating and drinking schedule.

Our trip was broken up into 3 parts:  San Francisco, Napa Valley (Yountville), and Half Moon Bay.  Since this is a food blog, I will focus mainly on the San Francisco and Napa portions of the trip, as the food in Half Moon Bay was rather mediocre overall (there was one highlight though), but will hand out awards for each stop.

Today's post will center on San Francisco.

San Francisco

Best Dish:  NOPA, Country Style Pork Chop w/ potatoes and spinach

This was the BEST pork chop I have ever had (yes, better than Patti's) and was very unique.  It was glazed and then grilled and cut in a way that retained a nice fat content, reminded me of a tomahawk steak cut, without the huge bone sticking out.  It was cooked medium rare and the flavors were intense and rich and everything you want in a large cut of meat.  Just phenomenal.

 

Pork Chop - sorry for bad picture

Best Wine:  NOPA, 2007 Calera "Ryan's Vineyard" Pinot Noir

Really well balanced and full bodied for a Pinot, this was a memorable bottle.  Paired nicely with our selection for dinner (see above for my pork chop, Crystal had Halibut).  Have been hoping to see this bottle on other wine lists since, but have come up empty so far.

 

Best Lunch: Tie, Slanted Door & "Picnic" on the Embarcadero

Upon arriving in San Francisco we immediately went to the Slanted Door after hearing numerous recommendations.  The restaurant overlooks the water at the Ferry building near Pier 1 and was a perfect setting to kick-off the vacation.  The food was well prepared, and while lacking a bit of a punch we were expecting in Vietnamese fusion, offered a satisfying meal.  We started with their famous shrimp and pork spring rolls and a cold noodle salad.  We split a lemongrass chicken entree that was devoured quickly as well.

Spring Rolls @ Slanted Door

The Ferry Building, which houses Slanted Door, is also home to many artisinal shops that were really fun to browse.  On Sunday, we decided to pick up a loaf of San Francisco's famous sourdough bread, some Fromage Blanc cheese from Cowgirl Creamery, fruits and olives from the market and had an impromptu picnic on the Pier.  It was so great to sit out next to the water, enjoy some high quality food at a very low price, and be reminded of my lunches in Europe.

"Picnic"

Honorable Mention: Boulevard
While no one dish stood out above Nopa, it would be hard to leave our meal at Boulevard out of the discussion.  Boulevard was Californian cuisine, presented in a very elegant and upscale environment.  The service was impeccable and we were treated to an amazing meal.  We started with the soft shell crab, which is always hard for me to pass up when it is in season.  This was a nice tempura presentation and allowed the crab to shine without overpowering it with breading.  Crystal had the filet, which was extremely tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare.  It was one of the richest filets I have tasted (may have been the butter!) and really nice. I had the lamb t-bone, which was flavorful and rich and served with some mint and potatoes.  I really enjoyed the lamb, but have to say the filet stole the show.  Dessert was a "Candy Bar", a chocolate ganache with roasted peanuts and caramel ice cream.  It was not our absolute favorite dessert of all time, but certainly was presented in the same upscale fashion as the rest of the meal.  Very nice restaurant that really left us with an impression of San Franciscan cuisine.


Lamb



Filet - Yum

"Candy Bar" with homemade Marshmallow