farewell, san francisco

(on San Francisco)
"It's simply a very romantic place. Just one look at any of those streets, and you couldn't be anywhere else -- it's so beautiful, and there's that location, and the sense of the free spirit~. Who couldn't become ravenous in such a place?"~Julia Child

"Leaving San Francisco is like saying goodbye to an old sweetheart. You want to linger as long as possible." ~Walter Cronkite

koko cocktails

When I walked into Koko Cocktails, I knew it was my kind of place.

1. A DJ was bumping cool 40's music throughout the joint
2. When I sat down at the bar, they had my current favorite liqueur behind the bar (St. Germaine, and the bartender knew how to use it - as pictured)
3. They had the movie Caddyshack projected on the wall (!!!)
4. All cocktails are $7

The crowd was low key, but still lively. It wasn't too crowded, the bartenders were friendly and made awesome drinks, the clientèle wasn't too snobby/hipster/yuppie/scary. Audrey and I each had a St. Germaine and mint martini, something I had never tried. It was sweet and intense, but not too much so. I sipped on my drink, chatted with my friends, watched Caddyshack out of the corner of my eye.

Our second round went like this... I had a black cherry cosmo made with Effen black cherry vodka (lol, I said effen), triple sec, fresh lime and cranberry. Very good! Audrey had the casino which is made with gin, luxardo (marashino liqueur), orange bitters and fresh lemon juice. Hers was a bit harsh and bitter, but I can see why people might like it, but we just aren't those people. Brandon stuck with the dark and stormy made with rum, ginger beer and lime juice. It was very well put together. These were quality drinks in a quality environment. Go there and take me with you!

fenton's creamery

Cookie Creation - 1 Brandon - 0

Brandon ordered this for himself at Fenton's. FAIL. While obviously completely gluttonous and yummy, he didn't even come close to finishing. I ordered a single scoop sundae and only could finish half of it. I just wanted to play the sad Charlie Brown music while he skulked away from the ice cream monstrosity that beat him.

l'osteria

San Francisco, especially North Beach, is such a strange place. There is a mix of tourist traps and great restaurants within feet of each other. The problem is differentiating the two. It's a crapshoot most of the time, but we were lucky to stumble on L'Osteria one night while walking the city.

L'Osteria is the real deal. This is a teeny tiny little hole in the wall that always has a wait. Actually, now that I think about it, everywhere in San Francisco is a wait! Anyway, this place literally only can accommodate 24 people in the entire restaurant. Just our luck that a party of 8 was just one party in front of us. We didn't mind terribly much because we had been walking all day long and just sat out in front of the restaurant for about an hour until a seat finally became available.

When we were seated, we got the wine list. I have recently discovered Italian reds, and I am definitely a fan. Every wine we have ever ordered there (probably 6-8 wines) have been very, very good. I got a glass of the cheapest Sangiovese ($7) and was very happy with it. Brandon and Audrey had the Spinelli ($5.50) and it was very decent as well.

When our food came out, I have to admit, none of it was very pretty. Sometimes, though, ugly food is the tastiest, and this was the case here. Audrey got the roast beef, which by the headliner picture you can tell is sliced very thin. It was served at room temperature with olive oil and pepper. She really liked it. The butter lettuce salad that came with it was very tender and tasty.

I got the special butternut squash raviolis with butter sage sauce and OMG, they were so good. The pasta was kind of odd. It almost reminded me of what a dim sum pork bun (the actual bread of it) would taste like if it were a ravioli. The dough was sweet and insanely good. The filling was to die for... perfectly balanced. Although only 6 raviolis came with the meal, it was enough food for a hungry Cori. Mmmm.Brandon and Keoni each got a pizza: sausage/mushroom and margherita , respectively. Brandon was kind enough to only get sausage on 1/2 his pizza so I could partake (the joys of being newlyweds, ahhhh), so I did. The crust was really thin and crispy, just the way I like it. It wasn't greasy in that orange oil way pizza can be (you know, the kind that cures a hangover in two minutes flat). The guys each liked their pizzas, everyone was happy.

Yet another successful and delicious meal courtesy of L'Osteria. We'll be back!

universal cafe

I swear, this is my last breakfast post from San Francisco! I really loved my super simple breakfast from Universal Cafe... grapefruit, oranges, kiwi, alongside toast with fromage blanc, cinnamon, honey. The fruit was ripe, the toast was yummy. My black tea was good. The service was not particularly personable, but it wasn't rude, either. No complaints here.

My fellow diners had more of a problem with the menu. They thought it was a bit too ecclectic. I have mentioned it in the past, Brandon (the hubs) has simple tastes. The fact that you couldn't order simple french toast bothered him a bit. I told him that he should at least try the rhubarb compote on top, and awesome, trusting husband that he is, he did. The french toast came to the table smothered with delectable whipped cream and some rhubarb compote. It was superb for the first piece, but the whipped cream melted within a few minutes. He would have been wise to get it on the side. He liked it, although I think he would have preferred the simple french toast by itself.
Audrey got the eggs benedict type dish... two perfectly poached eggs atop the fattest, softest latkes I have ever seen. All of this was drenched in a hollandaise sauce paired some sauteed greens. It was rich! She only ate half of this puppy and was full for quite some time afterwards.

Everything was really fresh. You could tell that the produce changed often and with the seasons, which I personally love. I could have eaten for days from the menu, but the other members of my party felt that the menu was limiting by the eccentricity. I would definitely go back if I were a local, but I would have to find another group to go with!

mama's grill

I'm not really too much of a breakfast person. Give me a simple tender scone and a cup of tea, and I'm happy. This probably doesn't ring true based on my last two posts, but there are certain things I look forward to waking up to. This is one of them.

Walking up to Mama's, you can tell that this joint is popular. Although possibly a bit touristy at times, it really does live up to it's badges of honors plastered along the outside wall. They scream "Trust me! I'm worth the 30 minute wait! Yelpers and Zagat think so!" They definitely do not lie.

The food was really yummy. I got the farmers omelet: bacon, melted leeks, goat cheese. I substituted turkey sausage for the bacon as I don't eat pork, and I think it would have been much better with the bacon my husband was indulging in. The home fries were not my favorite part... just barely done and a bit too al dente.

But then there was Brandon's cinnamon chocolate french toast. Super good. Everything about it was delicious, right down to the unseasonably ripe fruit on top.

Worth the wait!

tartine bakery

Brandon went to school in San Francisco... Berkeley to be exact. I was at school at UCLA at the time, so to make our long distance relationship work, he would come down once a month and I would make the trek up to SF once a month.

Food lovers that we are, we ate our way through San Francisco, one weekend at a time. We started in Berkeley, but almost always took at least one day to go on through San Francisco. We would BART into the city, eat somewhere, walk around a bit (just until we were hungry again), eat somewhere, walk around a bit, cycle, rinse, repeat. We wanted so badly to be hungry just a bit more often. In fact, this Onion article comes to mind, describing my feelings perfectly.

I digress. I wish I had taken pictures of my amazing pastries and tarts from Tartine, but it was rainy and I was hungry. Things just didn't work out. But we ordered a TON of food to make up for it.

I started with quiche of the day with nettles. Yes, I had no idea what nettles were, either. Apparently, they are a really mild leafy green, and barely noticeable in this quiche. It was absolutely divine. Soft, creamy, light eggs with a browned top and buttery crust. It was perfect with my English Breakfast tea. Brandon had the ham and cheese croissant, which he said is the best specimen he has ever had.

We had a banana tart for our breakfast dessert. It was very, very yummy. The tarlette crust was lined with chocolate and the bananas were bathed in a not too sweet caramel sauce. It was all topped with freshly made whipped cream and shavings of Valrhona Chocolate. Mmmmm.

In the car on the way home, we had the chocolate croissant and lemon tart. The croissant was very rustic, buttery and intensely chocolate. I have noticed that they like their pastries cooked a bit passed the golden brown color, and instead take it to a deep chestnut. It makes the crusts taste toasty and nutty all at the same time. The tart was sweet, but mostly sour, perfectly balanced. Definitely worth the food coma that ensued.

Oh my gosh, I know, I'm gushing. I love San Francisco, I love bakeries, and I love Tartine. Even in a city with so many enticing food options and a finite amount of meals, I do not miss a chance to go to Tartine.