I have made it a tradition to go away for my birthday to eat, drink and celebrate. I’m lucky that my birthday surrounds both Canada & the USA’s national days and the kick-off to summer, so I’m able to make an extended long weekend celebration out of it. The one challenge with my birthday weekend is that it’s so darn hot almost everywhere at the beginning of July to the point it hampers my plans of wandering and exploring wherever I am.
Retuning to New York or Nashville were both highly desirable for a over-indulgent weekend, but I knew that the heat in both places, and pretty much anywhere else in the USA were a strong deterrent. Then the proverbial light bulb went off above my head. San Francisco.
It’s been many years since I’ve been to San Francisco and even more to just be in San Francisco (rather as a landing point to head north to wine country). I loved the fact that SFO is a short flight and the city is so accessible by BART, maximizing the time spent in the city. While I know San Francisco is having a horrible PR moment due to its homeless problem, I’m from a place that also has a homeless problem and I knew in SF, I’d still be able to enjoy my time there.
Getting off at Union Square, I immediately noticed how empty the city was of tourists. At the start of summer, there should have been a huge line to get on the cable car and the streets would normally be packed, but it definitely wasn’t the case. I found this would be consistent with my whole experience in the city. While this caused the city to lose a bit of its vibrance, it also meant not having to deal with the summer hoards.
I’d had Kin Khao Thai Eatery marked on my itinerary for my first lunch, but due to electrical problems it was closed. I had a moment of distress because my eating itinerary was so tight that I hadn’t researched alternate destinations for this trip. Thankfully I remembered a fantastic meal I’d had at Burma Love/Superstar in the past and it was a close and easy choice. I never eat Burmese food, so I was excited for the meal.
The tea leaf salad is a must order at Burma Love. I remembered it wow’ing me before and it was just as incredible this time. The salad is mixed table side and composed of a mixture of tea leaves with lettuce, other veg and lots of crunchy things. We also ordered a Burmese chicken curry and platha which were both uniquely delicious, but the star of the meal is really the salad.
After a quick nap, it was time to head out for the evening to the Mission District which seemed to have the largest concentration of places where I wanted to go to pinned on my map this trip. I remember many years ago when the Misson was the place you’d make a trek to for great Mexican, but it’s now turned into an area filled with trendy neighbourhood bars and restaurants.
My cocktail bar list for San Francisco was long enough to fill a week, but with only 3 nights in the city I knew I had to prioritize. I was lucky that 2 bars on my list were within a block of each other.
First up was True Laurel, ranked #30 on the World’s Best North America list this year. It was a true neighbourhood-y spot which I wished were in my neighbourhood. The cocktails looked so simple in their delivery but well balanced and wonderfully delicious. The food i watched being served around me looked so good that I hope to return to have a meal there someday soon.
Right around the corner from True Laurel was Trick Dog, a San Francisco legend in the cocktail scene, which had a great welcoming energy. The bar staff were buzzing with excitement from the launch of their new menu which added to the fun feeling of being there.
Just around the corner from Trick Dog was 1* Michelini rated, San Ho Won and the reason why we were in the area for the evening. When I booked this trip, I knew I didn’t have it in me to sit through and enjoy a many-starred, uber-expensive experience meal. But I knew in I’d be able to find incredible meals that were more relaxed and at more “reasonable” price points. When I found Chef Corey Lee (of 3* Benu) had opened a Korean restaurant I knew this was exactly what I was looking for. Maybe it’s all the K-drama’s I’ve been watching lately, but I can’t get enough of Korean food these days. And the thought of eating elevated Korean flavours had me salivating even as I was making the reservation.
I studied the menu before I’d arrived because I knew I needed to be calculated in my ordering as everything looked like it’d be spectacular. As is often the case, I was sad not to be there with a big group to get to try more but we ordered more than normal, knowing that leftovers would make an incredible snack to munch on in the days ahead.
First up were the sanma pajeon (mountain yam + green onion pancake) and sweet corn + honey butter & chili.
Next was the double-cut galbi, images of which is what originally sold me on my choice at San Ho Won. The succulently tender tasty meat didn’t disappoint and eaten with the ssam (assorted lettuces) and kimchi, I was in heaven.
My at-home Korean obsession has been jjigae (spicy soup stew) so I had to order it here to get a better understanding of what the flavours should be. I swooned at the complexity, with hopes that someday mine will be as close in taste.
The next day started with a visit to Bernal Heights Park where there’s a trail that offers amazing views of San Francisco. While the trail itself turned out to be very short, it made for a good starting point for a walk downhill to the Mission District to view areas of street art.
While the Mission district has some great newer eating pockets, I was craving a Mission-style burrito that was once one of the only reason to visit the area.
El Farolito is old-school divey and wouldn’t be on everyone’s visiting list for San Francisco. But good is good in my books, no matter if it’s high end or low.
While the surrounding neighbourhood might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I was happy to make the trip for some California-Mexican. I appreciated the huge flavour-bomb (and weight) of my super al pastor burrito and the suiza filled with carne asada, avocado, sour cream and melty cheese was one of the best quesadilla on steroids I’ve ever tasted.
Needing a serious walk to work off the burrito, we made our way towards the Ferry Market Building and the Embarcadero for a stroll along water. This was also my excuse to stop for oysters on a patio.
I always feel like I’m compromising food quality and paying a premium at any restaurant with a premier view (which was the case at Waterbar), but I’m still a sucker for the experience.
My pre-dinner cocktail for the evening was at Pacific Cocktail Haven, conveniently located downtown close to Union Square and around the corner from my hotel. The bar was lively and seemingly filled with tourists when I visited, which didn’t surprise me considering they’ve been listed on North America’s 50 Best Bars list the past 2 years. I found it hard to choose from a menu filled with unique Asian-Pacific ingredients, but landed on the Kung Fu Pandan with whisky, shochu and salted pandan, which was perfect for my palate.
I’ve had 1* Michelin ranked State Bird Provisions on my list for over 10 years, so I made it a top priority to visit for dinner this trip.
State Bird’s small plates, served dim sum cart style was a mind blowing experience for me. No having to decipher what a dish would be like from cryptic menu descriptions, at State Bird, each dish is presented in front of you before you decide if you want to choose it or not. The best thing about sitting at the bar was getting a good look of everything before it left to be offered on the floor. But just as I’ve experienced in traditional dim sum cart situations, I had moments of panic that the trays would be emptied before I had a chance to select the dish. I learned I didn’t have to worry though, as State Bird does an incredible job of refilling the trays so no one misses out.
Getting to see the dishes before committing to ordering led to picking dishes I’d normally not and was happily delighted in getting to try. The portion sizes were so reasonable that we were able to have a great variety even though there were just 2 of us dining. My highlights for the evening were the Hog Island oysters, raw with kholrabi kraut and broiled with jalepeno cream cheese, the broiled trout tail and the strawberry guava salad with mint and pistachio. But everything I ate at State Bird was incredible.
Chinatown’s are not normally top in my priority of areas that I visit when I travel to other cities. Vancouver’s Chinatown, one of the oldest in North America is somewhere I often find myself, picking up traditional buns, baos and dumplings. Other Chinatowns often disappoint me as tourist traps, with inauthentic food. But I’d recently read a book based in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late 1800’s, and with a morning to kill, I was curious to wander the area.
The neighbourhood, while larger than I remember was pretty much as I expected. The steamed chicken bun I had for breakfast was fluffy, warm and super flavourful.
No trip to San Francisco in the summer is complete without going to a baseball game at Oracle Park, my 2nd favorite ballpark in the MLB (that I’ve visted). The scheduling of this weekend away, in fact was planned so we could catch a Giants game.
The sunny, but fresh San Francisco weather allowed us to catch a day game, which is always my preference.
With just 3 nights in San Francisco and so many restaurants I wanted to discover, I originally didn’t have intentions to return to any of my past favourites. But my fond memories of Zuni Café’s roast chicken dinner run so deep, I couldn’t not help but repeat to satisfy my desire.
Ordering a chicken at Zuni Café is commiting to a leisurely meal for 2. It takes an hour from order for the chicken to be perfectly roasted in their wood-burning oven. That means time for a slow sipping cocktail, a slurp of a few delicacies from their raw bar and then maybe a salad or something else on the lighter side that may call to you from the season.
When the star of the show hits the table, you want to make sure you haven’t over-indulged in the time before because this chicken on top of a bread salad that’s soaking up the dripping juices deserves all of your attention. Zuni Café’s roast chicken is a San Francisco iconic for a reason and again, it did not disappoint.
With a morning left in the city before flying home, it seemed the perfect opportunity to visit the SFMoma. I was excited to find they had a special Yayoi Kusama exhibition, including an infinity lights room, which always makes me so happy.
One last meal before heading to SFO and I was happy to get into Kin Khao (1* Michelin) after my failed attempt on the first day. As always, I wished was there with a big group to be able to try more. The starter laab tod (spicy pork meatballs) wrapped with herbs into lettuce was fresh and flavorful and I loved the aromatic wok hei from the spicy pad kee mao.
Places I visited on this trip to San Francisco :
- Burma Love
- True Laurel
- Trick Dog
- San Ho Won
- El Farolito
- Waterbar
- Pacific Cocktail Haven
- State Bird Provisions
- Zuni Cafe
- Kin Khao
As an end note to this post, I wanted to share that the most exciting thing I did on the trip was ride in a Waymo, the driverless ride-hailing service. I curiously watched their Jaguars with their many outside sensors whirring around the city for the first few days and finally worked up the courage to book one. One ride and I was hooked!
And one last note, for anyone who’s hesitant to visit San Francisco because of all the negative press it’s getting, don’t be scared off. The city needs people to visit to help bring it back to life. There’s so much incredible to see and taste, it’s really worth a(nother) visit!
Call Me a Food Lover... 