more to come...

I'm gonna write some more about our SF trip... we had some more delicious fun at Ghirardelli Square, saw Jimi Hendrix's house on Haight/Ashbury, and other neat stuff worth telling. Consider the first two posts as appetizers. Just ran out of energy for now... more to come.

Revised 7-6-13

So when we got off the ferry from Alcatraz at Pier 33, we proceeded up to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. I won't elaborate as it is a tourist trap like any other. We had lunch there at Boudin Bakery, famous local chain not at all unlike Panera Bread but much fresher. I enjoyed a lovely turkey sandwich as AA munched on salad, and Eliz had the tomato soup in a bread bowl. From Fisherman's Wharf, it is a short stroll up to Ghirardelli Square: best place for dessert in San Francisco.

This original chocolate manufactory is now relegated to gift and ice cream shop status as current production requires a much larger factory and corporate HQ in San Leandro. Nevertheless, a few of the old machines are set up and running to impress tourists like me and add a bit of a Willy Wonka motif to the room. The building itself is a stunning old brick structure with wrought iron and neatly manicured lawn overlooking the Bay. On a clear day I'm sure one can see Alcatraz, the Presidio, and Golden Gate Bridge quite nicely.  I digress from the main topic: chocolate. We had some intensely rich ice cream and drinking chocolate.

Ghirardelli's description of my sundae:
Two scoops of chocolate ice cream, freshly homemade dark chocolate hot fudge, dark decadent chips, whipped cream and an Intense Dark Twilight Delight® 72% chocolate.
and drink:

Decadent Drinking Chocolate with Biscotti Made with melted Chocolate Chips and packed with intense chocolate flavor in every rich, velvety sip.

The drink ordered by AA was so rich we tried cutting it with half & half creamers. It ended up being more than we could handle in one sitting, so a to-go cup was needed. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of our trip and as evidenced by the lines out the door when we left, I encourage you to go early and soon!

Next on my list was The Haight. This neighborhood marked by the intersection of Haight & Ashbury was ground zero for 1960s Hippies, especially the 1967 "Summer of Love" that coincided with America's war in Vietnam. Notably, there were no long-haired, tie dyed, Birkenstock wearing folks smoking dope when I arrived. It felt more reminiscent of Atlanta's Little Five Points or the off campus Dead Head shops in Tuscaloosa and Auburn. Historically Jerry Garcia's Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin all lived nearby. That is more than I care to know about it and we didn't stay for more than half an hour. So there it is; check The Haight off your list. 

      

Santa Barbara Birthday Fun!

So a couple of weeks ago, I made my first visit to Santa Barbara. My wife and I are big fans of a the British singer Florence + the Machine who was performing at the Santa Barbara Bowl on my birthday.  We talked my mother-in-law Kathi into joining us so we could ride up together from Santa Monica (about a 65 minute drive in light traffic). Kathi, MIL, was so kind to find the concert tickets, as well as a reservation for us at the Santa Barbara Four Seasons!

My twenty-ninth birthday celebration was a culinary delight of four meals intersected by an old mission tour, wine tasting and the long anticipated concert. I had homemade German chocolate cake (by Eliz) for breakfast in Santa Monica before riding up to Santa Barbara with Eliz and my favorite MIL. We took a quick tour of the Mission to work up an appetite for lunch on State Street at Bucatini Trattoria. I recommend the Pennette Pollo & Pomodori Secchi (pasta chicken).

If you are wanting something cooler than tiramisu for desert, State Street has plenty of options. But forget about Cold Stone or Yogurtland and don't even think about Pinkberry. Go to Rockin' Yogurt at 620 State Street, a block away from the Italian restaurant. They have the best quality organic fro yo and possibly the freshest cone (it's a crepe!) you will ever find. It is not self-serve, so you needn't worry about kids putting their filthy little hands in the toppings like at Yogurtland or any of the other DIY places. It is run by a cute older Korean couple and is a truly unique spot in an area filling up with national brands.

Later we walked down to Stearn's Wharf where I enjoyed a wine tasting at Deep Sea Wine, then we headed back to the Four Seasons for naps. Before the concert we grabbed some supper at Bella Vista, the hotel restaurant. I had a broccolini and pepperoni pizza with chocolate icecream- YUM. Now we were ready for Florence + the Machine.

I have nearly exhausted this post just talking about food, so I will give a more thorough report on the concert in a later entry. Florence + the Machine were phenomenally entertaining. All of the aforementioned businesses have positive to perfect reviews on Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Urbanspoon. For more information on these Santa Barbara gems click the links below.  

To round out my birthday, I ordered a glass of chocolate milk and chicken quesadilla with sweet potato fries after the concert back at the resort hotel. Gastronomically amazing! Thank you Kathi & Eliz for making this the best birthday ever ;o) !

Bucatini
Rockin' Yogurt
Deep Sea Wines
Four Seasons