Farley's Bar, Cavallo Point, Sausalito (BDYW)

Our last blog-lunch of the year was fabulous!  Rosalie and I enjoyed a light, mid-afternoon lunch at Farley's bar at Cavallo Point. 
The bar was gorgeous inside, with old leather club chairs, big stone fireplaces and pounded tin ceiling. Since it was such a beautiful day, our staff photographer and I chose to dine on the porch, looking at the spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Across the green, you saw the historic Fort Baker's officer's quarters, now used as guest lodging at the Cavallo Point Lodge.  
The Lodge's restaurant (Murray Circle) is Michelin star rated, so you can imagine just how delicious our lunch was.  Although Farley's is famous for it's oysters and champagne, Rosalie and I decided on salads of fresh leafy greens, goat cheese, roasted hazelnuts and persimmons, dressed in a lovely champagne vinaigrette.  I added herbed chicken to my salad and we both enjoyed the fresh-baked sourdough bread and European butter.
Absolutely delish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Farley's is a place you have to try.  The combination of causal dining elegance with fab food prepared by a famous chef and breathtaking views, ranked Farley's Bar #1 in 2011 on our blog.
Rosalie and I know that we're only as good as our last "blog-find", so watch out for 2012. We are on a mission!

Ferry Building, The Embarcadero, San Francisco (EOPB)

For foodies, the Ferry Building is a must!  Not only can you dine at a restaurant like the "Slanted Door" or try one of the gourmet delis, you can shop for everything you need for a dinner party and cocktails.  High-end meats, truffles, cheeses, baguettes, olives & olive oils, confections, etc., and tons of specialty gift shops line the entire building, making your holiday chores for entertaining really quite glamorous. The Wine Merchant is stocked with the finest wine and the staff know exactly what to recommend for that "Rombauer" taste, without the "Rambauer" price.  Excellent staff!!!!!!
One last comment on the shops, then on to the restaurants. The house-made mascapone from the cheese shop was too good to even try to describe.  OMG!

 

Soooooooooooooooo, Rosalie and I decided to take advantage of writing a food blog at Christmas in San Francisco, so we have been devouring all the Ferry Building has to offer. We had to go two Wednesdays in a row to even make a dent in the casual, but fantastic food and festive ambiance!
We first dined at "Il Cane Rosso", which is one of the deli style cafes.  The food was fresh, organic and delish!
I had the parsnip soup and an endive salad with herb roasted chicken and Rosalie had their famous Petaluma Farm's warm egg salad sandwich, served open-faced.














When you dine at one of these little cafes, plan on wearing a jacket,  because the cafe seating is along the huge isles where the doors open out onto the pier.  But............... you're in the Ferry building, so a good hot cup of "Blue Bottle Coffee" is right around the corner.

The second Wednesday, we tried "Boulettes Larder".  This lovely little gourmet deli served a delish special that day that Rosalie and I both decided to order.  (All the little cafes serve local organic fare, so the menus are usually decided on in the morning of the day you enjoy it.)  The dish was an herbed chicken with a brussels sprout puree, butternut squash and a tangy cranberry chutney.  A glass of Prosecco for the staff photographer and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc for me, topped our festive blog- lunch.  Fresh baked bread and European butter was enough to stave off dessert.
It was absolutely exquisite.
Now........., it was the Holidays, so we weren't trying to be so easy on the pocketbook.
Everybody deserves a little splurge at Christmas!!!!!!

Gorilla Barbeque, West Coast Hwy, Pacifica EOPB)

Gorilla BBQ is a fab find!  First it was featured on "Dinners, Drive-ins and Dives" and then neighbor Steve told me about it, so Rosalie and I are not exactly "Lewis & Clark" here.
If you don't know about it, let us tell you that the food is delish.  The venue is in a class of it's own and the staff and customers are "home-town" friendly.  As you can see, out staff photographer was snapping like crazy.
This place is famous for it's BBQ ribs, brisket, and pork.  (Supposedly, they cook up a mean chicken too.)
I had the pulled pork sandwich with BBQ sauce on the side and a side-order of coleslaw.  Rosalie had the brisket and both were unbelievable.  (Enough food for at least 4 people.)  When it comes to barbeque, this is the real deal.  You order in the caboose and dine up on the hill. It's freezing cold, so bundle up your appetite and enjoy!  Guy, Rosalie and I give it a huge "thumbs up"! (I wonder if Rosalie and I should have left our stamp on the wall?)

Cotogna, 490 Pacific Ave, Financial District (BDYW)

After New York, Rosalie and I had to wean ourselves off fancy fare and get back to the world of  "More is less Mula.......fab food that's easy on the pocketbook".  We decided Cotogna was a good half-way house, between Minnie's BBQ and Sardi's. 
It was a gorgeous Wednesday afternoon and the temperature in the city was in the 70's  We lucked out and got one of the 4 outside tables, had a glass of wine (Rosalie had presecco) and indulged. 
Cotogna is located right next door to the very elegant "Quince" and is owned by the same famous chefs.  Cotogna's interior is very cool, modern and chic, clearly catering to the young San Francisco professional.  The menu is modest, but offers brick-oven pizza's, pastas and the meats are cooked over open flames.
Rosalie had a pizza, topped with butternut squash, ricotta and sage, while I dined on organic beets in olive oil, topped with creme fraiche and focaccia that was absolutely delish!
This casual (compared to Quince) Italian restaurant is not "easy on the pocketbook" ($$$), but certainly provides a fab dining experience.
Rosalie and I were back from New York, but somehow found ourselves in Italy.  Salute!

Sardi's, Theater District, Manhatten, New York City (BDYW)

Rosalie and I took a "long week-end" trip to NYC.  FAB food!!!!!!  From "Un Deux Trois" to Todd English's new "Ca Va" restaurant at the The Intercontinental Hotel, we indulged and enjoyed.  We had delish breakfasts at the new Grand Central Terminal food court and the Lucerne Hotel's "Nice Matin" located on The Upper West Side.  We had cocktails on Bleecker Street in The Village and dined on steak at "Bobby Van's".  We both agree, though, that our favorite "dining experience" was (and always will be) lunch at Sardi's in the Theatre District.  Red wine, pasta, New York cheesecake and old Italian waiters.  That's a take!

Roam Artisan Burgers, Union Street, Cow Hollow/Marina (EOPB)

Sometimes, especially when you're trying new ethnic neighborhood restaurants, you just need a good burger. 
Rosalie found this eco-friendly burger joint on Union Street.
You order at the counter, and start by choosing your meat from hormone-free beef, bison or turkey, and of course they have veggie burgers.  Roam specialty burgers are pretty wild and can include fried eggs, jalapeno peppers, white corn-tortilla strips, etc.  Our custom burgers came with caramelized onions and included your choice of cheese and pickles.  They make the buns and pickles in-house!  The options and different combinations are endless!!!!!!!!!
I ordered an organic beer and Rosalie tried one of their agave nectar sodas, both of which were delish!  Probably the biggest surprise was the zucchini-onion haystack, which was even better than the fab sweet potato fries.
Bottom line:
Creative, great burgers with healthy ingredients, really great sides and a restaurant "green" policy that you rarely find when eating burgers and fries. 
Next time you're on Union Street, pass up "Perry's" and give "Roam Artisan" a try.  You'd never know it was good for you.

"The Trucks" (Mobile Gourmet), Hiller Aviation, San Carlos (EOPB)

This is one clever dining venue - brightly colored food trucks, parked together in a car park to create a  pop-up restaurant and "Bourbon Street-like" experience.
Rosalie and I skipped the city this week for the popular "gourmet food truck" experience.  It was an experience!  We only wish the food matched the creative, fun atmosphere. 
Rosalie and I chose the "Speedy Panini" truck for our lunch destination.  We both had sausage & red pepper sandwiches with Pecorino cheese on ciabatta rolls.  We topped it off with salted, chocolate-covered organic yogurts in waffle cones from "Swirl & Dip".  Actual dining is picnic-style, in an area shared by all the foodies. 
Unfortunately, although this sounds delish..... it wasn't that great and was pretty pricey too.
Great idea - very artsy, fab names (i.e., Rice Paper Scissors), bright, creative & inviting design styles.
It's a diversion from the sandwich shops you frequent all the time and kids appear to love it.
Bottom line, there are tons of gourmet trucks to try and the venue is cool.  Maybe the Lobster Shack" (pictured below) would have been a better choice. 
Regardless, it's another dining experience and worth a try for those of you who still think all food trucks are "roach coaches".  Pop-up restaurants seem to be all the rage!