Carbohydrates and gender illusionists in the Bay Area
I just returned from a little jaunt to San Francisco, and let me tell you, the eating was good. Before I get to the carbohydrate-soaked food pornography, allow me to drop just a few restaurant names. I've stopped dragging my camera around to each and every dining experience I have (unlike this fellow!), so a short list of the divine meals I had will have to suffice. In no particular order:
Habana (SF) for halibut, daiquiris and coconut flan
Christopher's (Oakland) for lamb burgers with goat cheese
Bittersweet (Oakland) for dark chocolate macaroons and a stack of fancy chocolate bars
Fish (Sausalito) for a Saigon salmon sandwich and asian slaw
Le Colonial (SF) for lettuce wraps, pork ribs, spring rolls and viognier
Asia S.F. (SF) for pan-Asian appetizers, gender illusionists and my new signature cocktail: Absolut Limon and tonic
Arrizmendi (Emeryville) for an assortment of bread-related goodness
My sister's house for three-bean salad, chai tea and truffles
Of all the places I ate, Fish and Arrizmendi were my favorites. Both were unpretentious with a focus on quality ingredients. Fish was darn near perfect, except that all the deliciousness didn't come cheap. I don't often indulge in a $16 sandwich for lunch, but I daresay it was absolutely, positively worth it. Highly recommended!
And here's a selection of Arrizmendi delights, photographed in my car right after purchase while listening to two women have a screaming fight in the nearby Rite-Aid parking lot (fortunately this did not detract from the wonderfulness of the still-warm focaccia and the sugar-coated scone):
Fig fennel roll
Strawberry scone
Brioche
Arugula, onion and lemon pepper focaccia
Curry cheese roll
Habana (SF) for halibut, daiquiris and coconut flan
Christopher's (Oakland) for lamb burgers with goat cheese
Bittersweet (Oakland) for dark chocolate macaroons and a stack of fancy chocolate bars
Fish (Sausalito) for a Saigon salmon sandwich and asian slaw
Le Colonial (SF) for lettuce wraps, pork ribs, spring rolls and viognier
Asia S.F. (SF) for pan-Asian appetizers, gender illusionists and my new signature cocktail: Absolut Limon and tonic
Arrizmendi (Emeryville) for an assortment of bread-related goodness
My sister's house for three-bean salad, chai tea and truffles
Of all the places I ate, Fish and Arrizmendi were my favorites. Both were unpretentious with a focus on quality ingredients. Fish was darn near perfect, except that all the deliciousness didn't come cheap. I don't often indulge in a $16 sandwich for lunch, but I daresay it was absolutely, positively worth it. Highly recommended!
And here's a selection of Arrizmendi delights, photographed in my car right after purchase while listening to two women have a screaming fight in the nearby Rite-Aid parking lot (fortunately this did not detract from the wonderfulness of the still-warm focaccia and the sugar-coated scone):
posted by cindym at 8:03 PM
8 Comments:
what great photos! i'm beginning to think that food looks best in white - a la 101 cookbooks blog - i really really want a piece of that focaccia right now.
in all my trips to san fran to visit my sister (technically oakland) i didn't hit any of those places, but i'll have to ask sis about them.
That Arizmendi is right near my old office. We used to go there for breakfast. Oh, the memories of the X-rolls! Oh, the fig and caramelized onion focaccia! Oh, sigh.
-- Laura
wow, sounds like some good eating! the Saigon salmon sandwich sounds pricy, yet delicious.
hey folkie - yeah, the focaccia was excellent. it was all warm and the oil soaked right through the bag, which is a good sign, i think.
next time you go to Cali, you should check out Bittersweet! the hot cocoa selection alone was sinful...
Laura - I'm glad you're still checking in! You are solely responsible for me going to Arizmendi...you mentioned it that day when we were cavorting around on our food jaunt. It's odd that I can barely remember key dates in our nation's history or my friends' birthdays, but if someone murmurs the name of a good restaurant under their breath just once, it's forever burned into the "crucial information" part of my brain.
PS - right afterwards i checked out lofts in Emeryville that are located in an old bakery. How fitting would that be?
hey megan! the salmon sandwich was basically a totally fancy pants version of a banh mi. i like the kind you can get for $2, so you can imagine how decadent a $16 interpretation would be...
ps - i just saw that bacon alarm clock and was all excited to send it to you...but that other guy got to it first! :)
I see the carbohydrate part of your title, but where are the gender illusionists?
Also, a friend of mine did something almost exatcly like that "Everything I Ate" guy, only he also took pictures of everything that came out and how it looked in the toilet bowl.
When he put the pictures up on the wall in order, I almost retched.
wow, that's really so supremely disgusting, erin, that i can hardly stand it. did he get a book deal?
there are no pics of the gender illusionists because i drained my digicam battery dead before the big night. however, if you ever feel the need to see illusionistic gender up close, head to Asia S.F. they are more women than i will ever be.
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