Books got me drunk/Eating in San Francisco

Books got me really, really drunk. Somehow my travel/inspiration blog has turned into me getting really drunk in amazing cities. Should I just change the name of the blog to Drunk in Amazing Cities? We will see what happens when I do DC-NYC-PHX-LV-LA-AUS, but hopefully I can pull things together. On the positive side my journey to San Francisco down to L.A. and back home was amazing. It was full of ups and downs but in the end it was an incredible journey that gave me what any good journey always should: answers.

Now onto good food in San Francisco and how leather and paper bound books alike got me hammered.


San Francisco might be the food heaven of the west coast. I'm not knocking San Diego which is steeped in lovely mexican inspired dishes amongst many other treats, and L.A. which honestly I don't like so ok, I'm going to knock L.A. but San Francisco has a lot and it would take a lifetime to get through. There is this amazing mixture of latin, asian, organic, and seafood that makes every street an option.

Before I dig into where I went though there is an area I highly recommend and that is Valencia street. This is a short metro ride away from the CBD and once you emerge from the depths of the tunnels you see a vibrant, lively, and colorful area that oozes San Francisco. You walk through beautiful graffiti, little shops, and those classic San Francisco houses you see in movies and T.V. Then when you hit Valencia street, there are tons of places to eat, drink and indulge. I was lucky enough to indulge at a place called Dandelion Chocolate (http://www.yelp.it/biz/dandelion-chocolate-san-francisco) it has amazing chocolates, coffees, and other treats that are perfect for a saturday afternoon. Valencia street is a great place to go because you get an authentic experience, great food, and it's not too far from anywhere else in the city that you might want to check out.

Onto my recommendations:

I. Breakfast

Farm:Table (http://www.yelp.com/biz/farm-table-san-francisco#query:farmtable)

This cute little hole in the wall is the best breakfast I had in San Francisco. When you walk there you will see two tiny tables outside and one table inside. The menu is written in chalk on the walls and people in the kitchen work away brewing coffee and making breakie. It does not cost a lot, tastes great, and is the perfect way to start your day so definitely check it out. Be warned, it is closed on Mondays.

II. Dinner

Pisco/Destino (http://www.yelp.com/biz/destino-san-francisco)

This place absolutely knocked it out of the park. The restaurant portion, Destino, is elegantly designed and has a great laid back atmosphere. They have a really good menu of tapas sized plates and my friend and I were filled up after some scallops and a plate of pork belly and steak. What really sets the place apart is it's really good drink menu. I do not like drinking or alcohol but the drinks are mixed so well that I could not even tell they were alcoholic. Their desserts are also very nice and I recommend the mousse. If you are going to go I say dress nice and have a lot of time to spare because it is a restaurant you could spend hours in with someone lovely. A+

P.S.

To finish my meal at this lovely establishment I had a Fernet Branca. If you have seen The Dark Knight Rises you will remember a scene where Alfred recounts drinking this on the Arno river in Florence, Italy. I tried it and it was absolutely terrible. I don't know what Alfred was thinking, maybe he is just a bolder man than I.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwxuWbx_jCA




Honorable Mention:

Upcider

This is a nice hidden gem in the Tenderloin part of the CBD. It has really good plates to share amongst which I shared calamari, salmon sliders, lamb flatbread, and some really good zucchini plus if you want a nice selection of ciders this is the place to go.


III. Dessert

Ok so this is a tie but depending on where you are that could determine where you go. If you travel to the previously mentioned Valencia street, then no doubt you have to try Dandelion Chocolate. Why?

A Samoan smore? A cookie with Nutella baked into it? And much, much more.  This place is really good.

But if you are downtown and went to upcider or pisco, you can walk or cab to ENO.

ENO

This place caught my eye as my companion and I walked together through the chilly SF air. It had a fire place, cheese, chocolate, and wine. We decided after going to upcider to check it out and it was great. The service is really good (we did not have bad service at all in 4 days), it is a little pricey but the chocolates, cheeses, and wines are all really great in taste and quality plus the atmosphere is wonderful.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/eno-wine-bar-san-francisco


IV. Drinks

Here we go. Books + I = @^#%$!

Pisco, Upcider, and Eno are all great places to get different kinds of drinks. But putting my detective skills to use I found another speakeasy. This was in the heart of the CBD on the corner of O'Farrell and Jones. Above the place is a sign that reads "Anti-Saloon League" referring to the movement that brought prohibition into play in the 20's. There is a plain door and a button. You press it and out pops a dapper flapper girl straight from the Great Gatsby. She asks "Password?"

I say "Books,"

She says go around the corner, which we did and after being identified we got to go into a dimly lit library. A few hours later after some expertly made and fairly priced concoctions it was time to go home.

Now, if you would like drinks before this place opens, right down the street there is another bar called Tradition. We had to wait here before we could get into the speakeasy and it was great. Everything was top notch and I would definitely say go here before the speakeasy.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/tradition-san-francisco#query:Bourbon%20%26%20Branch

If you are ever in San Francisco definitely give these places a try.

Chapter 2 of this journey will be things to do in San Fran, Santa Monica, and L.A.

Enjoy and Cheers!