a quick 2-day trip to san francisco

Golden Gate Bridge.

(San Francisco, CA).  My husband and I had planned to do a quick trip to San Francisco to eat at State Bird Provisions - see my review.  What we envisioned as a relaxing trip where we could enjoy some tasty food turned into a jam-packed whirlwind of activity - partially because our friend in SF has way too much energy and doesn't like to take no for an answer.

Day 1:
Our flight from LAX to SFO was easy as pie.  We grabbed a taxi because we missed BART and would have had to wait another 20 minutes for the next train and we were simply too hungry for lunch to wait.  That was a costly choice since the cab ride (with tip) was about $56 and a BART ride to Union Square for two would have been under $10.  But our stomachs won out (sigh).

Our first stop after checking into the Westin St. Francis (hotel review will be up tomorrow) was Yank Sing (Stevenson location) because I was having a serious craving for dim sum.  We got there before the lunch crush and was able to get seated and start eating within 2 minutes of arriving (awesome).  The soup dumplings here are quite delicious (almost as good as Din Tai Fung).  We also had some fried

Yank Sing soup dumplings.

asparagus & scallops, hargow (shrimp dumplings), fried taro buns, and pork buns.  Everything was good but be warned - this is not a cheap dim sum joint like you could find in any Chinatown.  It's an upscale place for business clientele in the Financial District.  For the two of us the total bill (with tip) was almost $60.  A bit pricey, but it hit the spot!

After satisfying our hunger, we shopped around Union Square.  I'm not sure why but I enjoy the Neiman Marcus in SF much more than the one in Beverly Hills.  I sampled some perfumes - took a turn around the store to test out the longevity (fail!) and then headed back to the hotel. 

Union Square.

While my husband was taking a super long business call, I decided to do a wine tasting at Chateau Montelena (conveniently located in the hotel lobby and the winery that was showcased in the movie Bottle Shock).  I'm not a huge Chardonnay fan but it was quite good, although I definitely enjoyed their Cab more.

After the wine tasting, we took a nice stroll to the Ferry Building to pick up some Blue Bottle coffee.  Then we had a quick drink and snack at Slanted Door before having wine and olives at the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant.  Our friend met us there and persuaded us to go to Hog Island for another round of drinks.  We had wanted to get some raw clams but they were already sold out. (boo).  It was probably a good thing we didn't eat there since we had an early dinner at Zuni Cafe - another famous SF restaurant that deserves its stellar reputation.

Famous roast chicken at Zuni.

I think I was pretty buzzed at this point so I didn't put up a fight when we headed to see a Giants game even though it was really really windy and cold.  I also didn't put up a fight when the boys got me ice cream despite the aforementioned windiness and coldness.  We ended up seating in really nice seats which weren't actually our seats.... luckily we didn't get kicked out or anything.

AT&T Park.

I think we went somewhere after this, but honestly I can't remember now...











Day 2:

Porchetta Sandwich.

The first thing on my mind when I woke up was to get to Roli Roti early so we wouldn't have to be stuck in a long line for our porchetta sandwich.  We arrived at the Farmer's Market and as luck would have it - there were only 3 or 4 people in line AND they were handing out samples of crispy cracklins.  We shared a massive sandwich and then roamed around the Farmer's Market until we ran into our friend, who, randomly, introduced us to Stuart Brioza (an owner of State Bird Provisions).  We then got in line at 4505 for the breakfast sandwich - so good - before sampling the delicious fruits of the season.  The cherries and nectarines and plums were particularly tasty.  I was headed to get some ice cream at Humphreys Slocombe but got sidetracked by the bombolini lady - but ultimately I made it to the ice cream shop and downed 2 scoops.

Filbert steps.

After all that eating, it was probably a good thing that our friend suggested we take the hike up Filbert Steps (up Telegraph Hill) to Coit Tower.  It was a lovely area and the views were amazing!  I definitely envy the residents there for their spectacular views (if not the steep climbs and lack of parking).

Coit Tower.

We took a quick detour to look at Billionaire's Row - beautiful houses at ludicrous prices and then checked out the San Francisco Art Market - a 4-day art fair.  After a brief bit of culture, we hung out in the Marina area and had coffee at Peet's before we went into a random sports bar to watch the Preakness.  (Go California Chrome!)

I was dying for a nap at this point but our persistent friend insisted that I power through so we visited Fort Point where we got amazing pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge.  This is where some famous scenes of Hitchcock's Vertigo were filmed.  (Remember Kim Novak pretending to be suicidal near the bridge?)

 Our dinner was coming up so we went to Dosa for a quick pre-dinner drink and then had a wonderful meal at State Bird Provisions.  Our friend picked us up after dinner and we were off to a few more bars.  My favorite was probably Rickhouse Bar - really great (and strong) cocktails.

At some point I tapped out and went to sleep.  I think I'm getting too old for these type of adventures, but it was fun!