Sausalito is such a lovely town. Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge or take a ferry from San Francisco, stroll along its waterfront, check out the shops, have lunch at Scoma’s or grab a burger and fries at Hamburgers, maybe an ice cream at Lappert’s or a drink at No Name bar, and you’ve had yourself a pretty darn good day. But venture off the well-traveled tourist path of downtown, and you’ll find some of the best of what Sausalito, and Marin County, has to offer. Continue reading 8 reasons to get reaquainted with Sausalito (hint: it’s all about the food)→
You may not need a reason to enjoy all the incredible nature at our disposal, but if you do, here’s a gentle nudge: on June 9, a number of national parks in the state are free for Get Outdoors Day, including our own Muir Woods just a short jaunt north of the city in Mill Valley. The 554-acre park has one of the last old growth Coast Redwood stands left in the state, nay, the world, and a 1.5-mile trail to enjoy it. The $7 fee is waived for Saturday, and you can even park and ride the Muir Woods shuttle, which also picks up/drops off at the Golden Gate Transit bus stop and Sausalito ferry if you choose total car freedom. Continue reading Procrastinator’s guide to the weekend (June 9-10)→
You would think with all the engineers from the Subcontinent employed by Silicon Valley tech firms, the South Bay would have plenty of good Indian restaurants to choose from. You would be right. Drive down El Camino Real in Sunnyvale and Santa Clara and it starts to look like one big Indian restaurant bazaar. There’s so many, I heard they even opened one inside a Starbucks. (Badaboom) Okay maybe not, but it’s also no surprise to find some of the best curries and dosas and naan in the Bay Area down south. Continue reading Best Indian food in the Bay Area (hint: look south)→
Two delicious taro buns left center, chilled bean curd skin lower right, disinterested toddler center top.
I realize most people don’t plan their dining experience around taro buns.* And I don’t know for fact if this is the best: it’s true, I haven’t tried every taro bun in every Asian restaurant in the Bay Area. But if any of them can outdo the delicate fluffiness and light, sweet taro innards on offer at Fu Lam Mum Chinese Restaurant in Mountain View, I’ll gladly devote an entire blog in their honor. Not only do the taro buns at Fu Lam Mum rise above all other taro buns, but they’re also on par with some of the best pastries around, whatever the ethnic origins of said bread, French, Danish, or, dare I say, Tartine. And it’s not just me saying this. My dining companion, with in-depth knowledge of taro buns from living five years in Japan and traveling throughout Asia, was equally impressed. Continue reading Best taro bun in the Bay Area (and most vegetarian-friendly dim sum)→
I used to think of Pescadero as an overlooked gem. Not so much anymore, what with all the cars lining the main (and only) street on weekends. But this charming village of 643 human souls 15 miles south of Half Moon Bay and two miles east of Hwy 1 takes some effort to get to, whether driving south from the city or over the Santa Cruz mountains from the Peninsula, so it’s not a place to simply ‘drop by’. Which I suppose keeps it from being overrun by tourists. Continue reading The wonderful world of Pescadero: it’s a small town after all→
Drive along Hwy 84 in the Santa Cruz mountains and you’ll come across the occasional Grateful Dead flag flapping in the wind, a reminder that this area was once the stomping ground of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, and their Hell’s Angels friends (in nearby La Honda). Just up the road where Hwy 84 meets Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35), and fitting right in with the counter-culture vibe is Alice’s Restaurant, named for Arlo Guthrie’s ’60s anthem. And just like the song (and the menu) says, apparently you can get anything you want here, within reason. Continue reading Alice’s gives you what you want→
Okay, so it’s the only general store in San Gregorio. In fact, it is San Gregorio, unless you want to count a nearby farmhouse, an old barn and a rusted out VW bug. And this general store is not your grandpappy’s general store, with old-timers sitting on creaky chairs under a rickety front overhang. Located less than a mile off Hwy 1 in San Gregorio (pop. 287), the setting is appropriately country, with the closest town being Pescadero eight miles to the south and Half Moon Bay 12 miles north. But the big difference at this general store is the old-timers ride Harleys. Continue reading The best little general store in San Gregorio→
Sure, you can probably find better pho in the city. (I hear Turtle Tower and PPQ in the Tenderloin are good.) But in my mind, Clement Street in the Inner Richmond is still the home of pho in San Francisco. The abundance of pho restaurants and Asian markets are part of what give Clement its character. It’s easy to get here by bus, safe and easy to park, and an interesting street to stroll and shop. Pho, if you’re not familiar, is a large bowl of soup, with a flavorful broth, vermicelli rice noodles and beef, chicken or seafood. I usually order ‘ga’, or chicken. And every bowl typically comes with a side of bean sprouts, lime wedges, fresh sprigs of basil and sliced jalapeno that you add to taste. Here’s a rundown of the pho places you’ll find here. Continue reading A pho tour of Clement Street→
There’s an old joke about how sex is like pizza. Even when it’s bad, it’s good. But that joke isn’t so funny in San Francisco. There’s a dearth of passable pizza in NorCal, one of the enduring mysteries of San Francisco: with the entrenched foodie culture here, and with pizza such an American staple, you’d think good pies would be found all over the Bay Area. Yet, no. And it’s not even close. From my previous lives in the Midwest (near Chicago) and the east coast (Miami), I assumed good pizza was a common everyday occurrence everywhere in the good ‘ol U.S. of A. Which is why I was so surprised to find it so lacking when I moved to the Bay Area, and why it took some actual research to sniff out the goods. Here’s the best I came up with. Continue reading The Bay Area’s best pizza→
San Francisco is a good sports town. The Giants and 49ers consistently sell out, even during disappointing seasons, and most any bar or restaurant in the city is sure to have a TV or three with a game on. But when you absolutely positively have to watch your team, a sports bar is where you need to be.
SFbaytripper 