Food, Food and more Food...
By the time I left California, I felt like I would never eat again. We ate, we drank and we ate again and again...here's the story.
By the time D picked me up at SFO, it was late (by my time, anyway) so I was cold and hungry. We decided to go eat first and then check in to the hotel. After a bit of fussing (on her part, not mine, because at that point I would eaten a chair leg if it had enough sauce on it, we wound up at Paragon. It was nice-a little chichi, but there were people with small children there and many couples too. I had chicken and D had halibut (a pattern we were to repeat many times), sad to say. But the chicken was really good-the skin was crisp and flavorful, the meat was moist and tasty. I do have to say that the macaroni and cheese I had was really special. Cheesy, with a crunchy top, the pasta not overdone, the cheese a mixture of cheddar and Gruyere-it was just what I needed.
Then we checked into the hotel-the Harbor Court Hotel ,and it was really nice. Really, really nice. It's a Kimpton and we got a special rate, the people were really nice-it was great. In the morning we got (we were going to go to the YMCA gym next door but that fell by the wayside of sleeping and than getting coffee). We walked over to the Ferry Building and braved the Saturday crowd of the farmer's market and I had the best mocha I'd ever had. I don't really care about coffee (I know this is heresy for some of you) but that mocha (at Blue Bottle or Bottle Nose or something) was great. We walked along the Embarcadero and chatted...D is my best friend and I've known her for many years...so it was nice to just walk and chat. We talk on the phone and email but it's not the same as just hanging out. And she's the best person to shop with, to eat with-she's great fun. After our long walk (on a beautiful day) we went to Oakland/Berkeley. We went to her favorite store there-a home store, but with great jewelry and clothes called Vessel. It was great and she got bought my birthday present there-a beautiful necklace (we split the cost). She thinks I should buy nicer jewelry, so this was her contribution to it. We went to Oliveto's for lunch (pizza with anchovies for her, a ham and cheese with tomato for me). It had to be the lightest, crispiest, tastiest sandwich EVER. And she liked her pizza but I hate anchovies so we did NOT share. After hitting every home store (and apparently there are a lot of them in Berkeley, who knew?) we went to Chez Panisse for dinner. We went to the Cafe-it's cheaper and you have a choice, as opposed to downstairs-where you have to eat whatever they're making that day. We didn't have a reservation, but we went early and they squeezed us in. I had chicken with sweet peppers and tomato soup with fennel to start and d had halibut and a salad. It was the best chicken ever-I didn't know chicken could really taste like that. It was moist and tender and so flavorful...but dessert was perfect. A sour-cherry crisp with vanilla ice cream. It was one of the best things I've ever had (that line will be repeated but I don't want to get ahead of myself).
This is the saddest part of my narrative-we stayed in SF on Sunday and went shopping 9a good day, we both found things we liked at good prices at the resale stores-it's not always the case) and D found jeans she liked (which was a goal, even though the clerk was snotty) and then we went to to Fillmore Street to shop and eat...and our favorite restaurant was gone. Goodbye Chez Nous! We had many great meals there and more than our share of frites. Goodbye beloved spanakopita and mussels-we loved you. So we went up the street to Florio and shared a roasted chicken with vegetable and frites. It was very good, the broth the chicken was in was garlicky the frites were crisp and hot and the service was great (although they charged her twice).
The next few days were in Palo Alto-a Mexican place we go to a lot when I visit (good chicken soup but I always get the carnitas and she gets prawns), the next night at a noodle place that had spectacular yellow curry with chicken and potatoes-it was great, and the next night at a Chinese place that we've been to before. they have good Mongolian beef (tasty and tangy) but she likes the tangerine beef which is too sweet for me (hard to believe, I know).
Then we headed to Napa and Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. Cindy Pawlcyn is a well-known Napa chef and she has three places in Napa. It was funny, because we went there for the first time last year and then sat at the very same table again this year. We both had marinated hangar steak with fries. It was wonderful-marinated in garlic and sugar and some spices, cooked to perfection with a pat of butter with garlic and something else in it...(I have a picture) it was great. I had it last year and I'll have it again next year. Also, I was drinking champagne everywhere we went but I didn't bother to notice what they were-except at Cindy's. It was a Mumm's Blanc de Noirs (yes, it was pink but I don't care, it was dry and cold and just right). For desert we shared an apple crisp, which was good but did not compare to the sour-cherry crisp at Chez Panisse.
We had mud baths the next day and hung out by the pool. the weather was beautiful (80 and sunny every day), it was perfect. We went to dinner at Zasu, a tapas place in Napa. I had pumpkin and squash soup and polenta-D had a bunch of salads. She raved about them but it was SALAD. however my food was very good. The soup was slightly spicy and tasty, was the polenta was hot and crispy, with a nice flavor (and bacon on top!Yum!0. However dessert..a pot au creme...well it gave the crisp a run for its money. Soft, velvety chocolate that was like whipped creme but thicker and hugely chocolate..it was one of the best things I've ever had.
The next day we went to Healdsburg (another home store)...to be honest, the food I had there was good but was not as good as the other places and it was more expensive. The Squash soup was great but the crispy rabbit was difficult to eat. the risotto was good though. This meal was really notable for the fact that D was taking my picture at dinner (we were sitting outside and it was a really nice setting) when she stopped and had an odd look on her face. I asked why she stopped and she whispered that she would tell me later. So we ate and then I looked around a bit...and right behind was a woman with enormous implants and long blond hair-she looked like a porn star (and clearly from LA or Las Vegas). Her top was tight and cut very low, he was tan and his shirt was unbuttoned to his waist-it was tacky and hilarious. D told me that when she started taking pictures, she thought D was taking HER picture and started to pose. It was pretty funny and more memorable than the food.
Sunday we went to Cesar in Berkley (next to Chez Panisse) the way back to Palo Alto. I just had some serrano ham and we split some frites. It was good but not spectacular. I liked it but I'm not sure I'd go back.
What we drank will be covered in another post...
By the time D picked me up at SFO, it was late (by my time, anyway) so I was cold and hungry. We decided to go eat first and then check in to the hotel. After a bit of fussing (on her part, not mine, because at that point I would eaten a chair leg if it had enough sauce on it, we wound up at Paragon. It was nice-a little chichi, but there were people with small children there and many couples too. I had chicken and D had halibut (a pattern we were to repeat many times), sad to say. But the chicken was really good-the skin was crisp and flavorful, the meat was moist and tasty. I do have to say that the macaroni and cheese I had was really special. Cheesy, with a crunchy top, the pasta not overdone, the cheese a mixture of cheddar and Gruyere-it was just what I needed.
Then we checked into the hotel-the Harbor Court Hotel ,and it was really nice. Really, really nice. It's a Kimpton and we got a special rate, the people were really nice-it was great. In the morning we got (we were going to go to the YMCA gym next door but that fell by the wayside of sleeping and than getting coffee). We walked over to the Ferry Building and braved the Saturday crowd of the farmer's market and I had the best mocha I'd ever had. I don't really care about coffee (I know this is heresy for some of you) but that mocha (at Blue Bottle or Bottle Nose or something) was great. We walked along the Embarcadero and chatted...D is my best friend and I've known her for many years...so it was nice to just walk and chat. We talk on the phone and email but it's not the same as just hanging out. And she's the best person to shop with, to eat with-she's great fun. After our long walk (on a beautiful day) we went to Oakland/Berkeley. We went to her favorite store there-a home store, but with great jewelry and clothes called Vessel. It was great and she got bought my birthday present there-a beautiful necklace (we split the cost). She thinks I should buy nicer jewelry, so this was her contribution to it. We went to Oliveto's for lunch (pizza with anchovies for her, a ham and cheese with tomato for me). It had to be the lightest, crispiest, tastiest sandwich EVER. And she liked her pizza but I hate anchovies so we did NOT share. After hitting every home store (and apparently there are a lot of them in Berkeley, who knew?) we went to Chez Panisse for dinner. We went to the Cafe-it's cheaper and you have a choice, as opposed to downstairs-where you have to eat whatever they're making that day. We didn't have a reservation, but we went early and they squeezed us in. I had chicken with sweet peppers and tomato soup with fennel to start and d had halibut and a salad. It was the best chicken ever-I didn't know chicken could really taste like that. It was moist and tender and so flavorful...but dessert was perfect. A sour-cherry crisp with vanilla ice cream. It was one of the best things I've ever had (that line will be repeated but I don't want to get ahead of myself).
This is the saddest part of my narrative-we stayed in SF on Sunday and went shopping 9a good day, we both found things we liked at good prices at the resale stores-it's not always the case) and D found jeans she liked (which was a goal, even though the clerk was snotty) and then we went to to Fillmore Street to shop and eat...and our favorite restaurant was gone. Goodbye Chez Nous! We had many great meals there and more than our share of frites. Goodbye beloved spanakopita and mussels-we loved you. So we went up the street to Florio and shared a roasted chicken with vegetable and frites. It was very good, the broth the chicken was in was garlicky the frites were crisp and hot and the service was great (although they charged her twice).
The next few days were in Palo Alto-a Mexican place we go to a lot when I visit (good chicken soup but I always get the carnitas and she gets prawns), the next night at a noodle place that had spectacular yellow curry with chicken and potatoes-it was great, and the next night at a Chinese place that we've been to before. they have good Mongolian beef (tasty and tangy) but she likes the tangerine beef which is too sweet for me (hard to believe, I know).
Then we headed to Napa and Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. Cindy Pawlcyn is a well-known Napa chef and she has three places in Napa. It was funny, because we went there for the first time last year and then sat at the very same table again this year. We both had marinated hangar steak with fries. It was wonderful-marinated in garlic and sugar and some spices, cooked to perfection with a pat of butter with garlic and something else in it...(I have a picture) it was great. I had it last year and I'll have it again next year. Also, I was drinking champagne everywhere we went but I didn't bother to notice what they were-except at Cindy's. It was a Mumm's Blanc de Noirs (yes, it was pink but I don't care, it was dry and cold and just right). For desert we shared an apple crisp, which was good but did not compare to the sour-cherry crisp at Chez Panisse.
We had mud baths the next day and hung out by the pool. the weather was beautiful (80 and sunny every day), it was perfect. We went to dinner at Zasu, a tapas place in Napa. I had pumpkin and squash soup and polenta-D had a bunch of salads. She raved about them but it was SALAD. however my food was very good. The soup was slightly spicy and tasty, was the polenta was hot and crispy, with a nice flavor (and bacon on top!Yum!0. However dessert..a pot au creme...well it gave the crisp a run for its money. Soft, velvety chocolate that was like whipped creme but thicker and hugely chocolate..it was one of the best things I've ever had.
The next day we went to Healdsburg (another home store)...to be honest, the food I had there was good but was not as good as the other places and it was more expensive. The Squash soup was great but the crispy rabbit was difficult to eat. the risotto was good though. This meal was really notable for the fact that D was taking my picture at dinner (we were sitting outside and it was a really nice setting) when she stopped and had an odd look on her face. I asked why she stopped and she whispered that she would tell me later. So we ate and then I looked around a bit...and right behind was a woman with enormous implants and long blond hair-she looked like a porn star (and clearly from LA or Las Vegas). Her top was tight and cut very low, he was tan and his shirt was unbuttoned to his waist-it was tacky and hilarious. D told me that when she started taking pictures, she thought D was taking HER picture and started to pose. It was pretty funny and more memorable than the food.
Sunday we went to Cesar in Berkley (next to Chez Panisse) the way back to Palo Alto. I just had some serrano ham and we split some frites. It was good but not spectacular. I liked it but I'm not sure I'd go back.
What we drank will be covered in another post...
posted by SHbookworm at 1:30 PM
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