Going out to eat is one of life’s great pleasures. Food and drinks have a way of bringing people together and creating connections. I enjoy going out for a nice meal, having a few drinks, and chatting with company.
This weekend a friend came down to visit and we spent the weekend in San Francisco. We went on a culinary journey, trying out many different restaurants and cafes as we explored the city. This week I would like to channel my inner food blogger and provide an overview of all the eateries we sampled, along with my reviews.
Sweet Maple
We started the weekend with a Friday morning Brunch at Sweet Maple in Palo Alto. We both got the eggs benny with their signature Millionaire’s Bacon. This was some seriously thick-cut bacon, and seriously good. Also on the benny was asparagus, which I wasn’t sure about but it actually added a nice balance to the rich bacon. I am a big eggs benny guy and this benny receives my stamp of approval.
Verve Coffee
We followed up brunch with coffee at the nearby Verve coffee. I have been to Verve before and enjoyed their brewed coffee. They advertise themselves as roasters and their coffee has a more complex flavor profile than most other chain coffee shops. This time, I ventured out of my comfort zone and got a latte. While I can appreciate milk-based drinks, they aren’t for me. The latte was good but I will stick with my black drip coffee and Americanos. We also got a chocolate oatmeal cookie as a treat.
Il Casaro Pizzeria
For dinner, I had a hankering for an iconic duo: pizza and wine. We went to Il Casaro Pizzeria to get classic Neapolitan pizza. We ordered the prosciutto pizza and the spicy salami pizza, my two favorites. Prosciutto is one of the simple pleasures of life. Paired with some red wine this was a delicious and very satisfying meal. It’s an iconic duo for a reason.
Jane on Filmore
Saturday’s culinary escapades started with coffee at Janes. This was a lively coffee shop full of people dressed in workout clothes, who didn’t look like they had worked out, getting coffee. There must be a memo going around about wearing oversized vests and ON running shoes. I got the avocado mash which had pickled onions and jalapeños on it, not something you usually see. Served on a thick, thick slice of bread I would recommend this as a unique spin on standard avocado toast. Along with this we also got a cinnamon brioche bun and a savory scone. The Cinnamon bun was great, a less sweet cinnamon bun. The savory scone had cheese in it which was not what I was expecting. I would mark the scone down as a miss but would recommend the coffee shop as a fun place to be on a Saturday morning.
Cafe Reveille
After some used bookstore shopping, we stopped at a second coffee shop for more coffee. Here we got an Americano, a Chai tea, and a baked chocolate good. The coffee was good but we weren’t the biggest fans of the Chai tea, perhaps just not our drink. The baked chocolate good was average, which means it was still good considering it was just chocolate and carbs but wasn’t notable.
Ghirardellis
We stopped at the first location of the well-known Ghirardelli’s chocolate to get one of their famous drinks, the nob hill. This drink is pretty much a chocolate milkshake with fudge and chocolate chips added in. Usually, not much of a sweet tooth, but the fudge in this drink was really good. The sugar in this gave us a burst of mid-afternoon energy.
Crab Sandwich
We had been on the lookout for some seafood and stopped for a street crab sandwich from one of the vendors along the wharf. Although the area is quite touristy, the crab sandwich was tasty. However, a large sourdough bun loaded with crab and mayo is hard to mess up…
Chubby Noodle North Beach**
For dinner, we decided to go for something Asian. We found Chubby Noodle close to the jazz bar we wanted to go to later. Here we got the Korean pork tacos, shrimp chow main and Tso’s chicken. The pork tacos were amazing. By far my favorite dish of the weekend. I put the taco down between each bite just so I could extend the experience as long as possible. The other dishes were also great, and a nice change to the other food we had been eating so far. The restaurant itself had a modern and lively vibe.
The Baked Bear
Post jazz bar we walked past an ice cream shop with a strong odor. Wanting to nicely cap off the day’s culinary experience we stopped in. Known for their custom ice cream sandwiches we got vanilla ice cream between white chip macadamia nut cookies. It was a satisfying way to end the day.
Chestnut Street Coffee Roastery
Sunday morning called for more coffee! This time at Chestnut Street Coffee Roastery. Here we got a bagel breakfast sandwich and a raspberry oat bar. The breakfast sandwich hit the spot after a good run, which partly overlapped with the SF half marathon that was going on that morning.
Radhaus
We spent most of Sunday enjoying the sun and checking out the farmer’s market and craft market. These are situated in the Fort Mason Centre, an old shipyard with warehouses. This is a cool way to revitalize the area. In one of the warehouses is Radhaus, a german restaurant with a wide selection of beers. We stopped in for lunch and got the Weihenstepahn Hefeweissbier, which was perfect for mid-day on a sunny Sunday, light and fruity. We accompanied this with a pretzel and bratwurst. The pretzel came with mustard and cheese spread, both of which were great. The bratwurst came with mashed potatoes, gravy, and sauerkraut which made it feel like a hearty german meal. The old warehouse was also really cool, with big windows letting in light and providing a view of the golden gate bridge.
Home Cooked
Tired after a full weekend of digesting, and back in Menlo Park, we ate in Sunday for dinner. As good as eating out is, nothing quite matches a home-cooked tuna melt and spinach salad (not)
As many restaurants and cafes, we tried we barely scratched the surface of what SF has to offer. There are tons of restaurants of all different ethnicities which I am excited to go back and try. Overall I would say we did pretty well on the eating front… But we made sure to also get our steps in!
– Mitch
Quote of the Week
Meals make the society, hold the fabric together in lots of ways that were charming and interesting and intoxicating to me. The perfect meal, or the best meals, occur in a context that frequently has very little to do with the food itself - Anthony Bourdain