restaurant review: slanted door in san francisco

(San Francisco, CA).  The first time I went to Slanted Door was probably around 13 years ago and I'm happy to report (based on a recent visit) that it's still as tasty as ever.   It is a great special occasion/date restaurant - there's always an energetic atmosphere, a gorgeous view, fantastic service and delicious, modern and award-winning Vietnamese cuisine.  It's rare for a restaurant to stay open while maintaining its quality and hype, and yet somehow Slanted Door has managed to stay on top.   My husband had never eaten here before and I was happy to introduce him to some of my favorite dishes.

hotel review: scarlet huntington on nob hill in san francisco

View from our room.

(San Francisco, CA).  Based on reading the lovely reviews on tripadvisor, I decided to try yet another boutique hotel in San Francisco - namely, the Scarlet Huntington.  I had avoided the Nob Hill area in the last few years since I am lazy and didn't want to trek up and down those hills, but the thought of being able to enjoy the views of the city while enjoying an indoor pool/jacuzzi was sufficient to entice me out of my laziness.
 

View of entrance from across the street.

After almost an entire week at a business hotel in the financial district, it was a nice treat to 'upgrade' to a more luxurious experience.  So how was my stay?

restaurant and dessert review: 4505 burgers & bbq with a bonus ice cream at bi-rite creamery

(San Francisco, CA).  I had my first taste of a 4505 burger at the Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building and I was hooked!  The burger is simple and straightforward but what else do you need than fresh, tasty ingredients that is expertly and lovingly prepared?  (Tip - They also serve a delectable breakfast sandwich at the Farmer's Market on Saturdays.)

On my recent trip to San Francisco, I went to the actual 4505 Burgers & BBQ restaurant located at 705 Divisadero.  We got there around 11:30am and there was already a line but it moved quickly.  The menu had several bbq options (pulled pork, brisket, ribs, chicken, etc.), several burger options and some sides (cole slaw, baked beans, potato salad, etc.).   There is also a nice selection of soft drinks, craft beer and a lemonade (with tequila).  We ordered a nice variety of food and beverages and cleaned up!

travel zen on friday: would you travel for some kouign amann?

Some delectable desserts at b.patisserie in San Francisco, including their specialty pastry - the Kouign Amann.  Sometimes carb and butter overload can be zen - no?

terminal 2 at sfo (aka the virgin america terminal)

(San Francisco, CA).  I've always been a fan of flying Virgin America since they were one of the earliest airlines to give travelers their own TVs to watch regular TV, listen to music or watch movies (for a fee).  It made flying less dreary and more entertaining.  Usually if I'm going to San Francisco I will opt to fly on Virgin and it's always a pleasure to land in (or depart from) the Virgin terminal (Terminal 2) at SFO.  

What's so great about it?

hotel review: hilton san francisco financial district

(San Francisco, CA).  I have traveled so often to San Francisco and stayed at so many business hotels here that I was surprised when I actually arrived at the Hilton Financial District and discovered that it was new to me. It is located at the edge of Chinatown and the Financial District, which makes it convenient for work and close to tasty Chinese food!  Bonus points!  

So how was my experience?

travel zen on friday: dogs in san francisco

Amazing street art near North Beach in San Francisco.  Do you see the 'shadow' of the leash?

restaurant review: hog island oyster co (with the best grilled cheese sandwich ever!)

(San Francisco, CA).  Every single time I visit San Francisco – whether for work or play – I make it a point to visit Hog Island Oyster Co. because I truly believe it has THE BEST GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH ever!  The seafood is also quite spectacular but the star of the show for me here will always be the grilled cheese.  In fact, this sandwich has made many a cameo in my dreams - literally.

hotel review: westin st. francis san francisco on union square

View of hotel from Union Square.

(San Francisco, California).  The Westin St. Francis San Francisco is a landmark hotel conveniently located on Union Square near some of the city's best shopping and dining.  It is also close to some of the city's main tourist attractions such as Chinatown, North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, etc.

I was surprised I had never stayed here before even though I've probably walked by the hotel hundreds of times.  (It's right next to a humongous BCBG and I used to like shopping there before I discovered their sample sales, but that's a story for another time.)  Since it was a Starwood hotel, and I'm determined to hoard as many Starwood points as I can, I decided to book a weekend stay here.  I made the reservation directly on the Starwood hotel website since it gave the best rate I found on the internet (after checking on hotels.com, expedia.com and travelocity.com). Average rate per night = $260.

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!

restaurant review: state bird provisions

Mini fried quail with cheese.

(San Francisco, CA).  For over a year my Bay Area friends have been raving about State Bird Provisions, which was awarded one michelin star and won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2013.  They all raved that the food was consistently amazing and the place was
definitely worth the hype.  While I don't necessarily buy into the michelin grading system - which has a very french and western european bias and has not yet fully embraced the amazing flavors and food cultures of the east - it did seem to further validate that this was a restaurant worth visiting.... if you were lucky enough to score a reservation or patient enough to wait in line for hours.

My husband and I had received a gift certificate for State Bird Provisions as a wedding gift.  When we managed to get a reservation on opentable, we booked our flights and hotel around the reservation. But less than a day after booking, opentable cancelled our reservation due to a systems error.  This was extremely disappointing since we had already made our travel plans so I reached out to the restaurant directly and they were absolutely lovely about trying to accommodate us.  While we couldn't keep our original reservation time, they confirmed us for an earlier dinner time.  Yay for State Bird!

ferry building - one of my favorite places in san francisco!

(San Francisco)  The Ferry Building Marketplace is located along the Embarcadero at the foot of
Market Street.  The closest BART stop is the Embarcadero stop.  It is filled with restaurants, gourmet food shops, grocers, and bakeries.  It is definitely worth a visit for any tourist visiting San Francisco but is also a nice hangout for locals especially with the fabulous Farmer's Market there (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays).  For more information go to their official website here.

I visit San Francisco very often and I always stop by the Ferry Building because there are so many places there I adore!  I fondly recall one visit where I socialized there from 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.  - happily eating and drinking the day away at the wine bar, then Hog's Island, then back at the wine bar.  I always know I will be tempted to eat too much so I plan ahead and wear stretchy clothes.

Below is a list of my favorite places at the Ferry Building.  Check them out - you won't be disappointed!

• Hog Island Oyster Bar - All the seafood here is fresh and fabulous but
  
  they also make the best grilled cheese sandwich here.  It's filled with 3 types of Cowgirl Creamery cheese on Acme bread, served with pickled veggies... it's soooo good!  i want one now as i'm writing this blog!  They don't take reservations - it's first come, first serve and your entire party has to be present to be seated.  I usually try to get there early and grab a seat at the bar (or if the weather is nice, a seat in the outside patio with a view of the bay).  They've recently expanded their space with more seating and a new cocktail bar.