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Significant Eater and I recently spent about 10 days in California; the first 4 were in Healdsburg, and the remainder were spent in San Francisco. Flying into SFO, we rent a car (as we usually do - it's California, after all!) and drive straight up to Healdsburg, which takes about two hours (after a pit stop at a dispensary in Santa Rosa).  In Healdsburg, we stayed (for the 2nd time) at the historic Camellia Inn. Strangely, the Camellia Inn is known for its...camellias...there are alleged to be over 80 camellia plants on the property:
 

On the corner, and basically everywhere one looks in Healdsburg, there are citrus plants and trees:

The following posts will not be in the chronological order of our trip; I'm too lazy to do that!  I'm hopping over to the San Francisco portion, where on our first night back in the city, we met a friend for drinks and dinner at Tadich Grill.  Tadich is one of the oldest, continuously operating restaurants in the country (for this trip, I focused on dining at some classic San Francisco restaurants, with one trip to Berkeley). And Tadich Grill is classic.  We even got to take MUNI there. The Martinis are very good, and I like the bar...

The food is...ok...especially sticking with a few standards (e.g.: Petrale sole, simply grilled, for my main). So a Dungeness crab salad, and some marinated squid:

I am now the proud owner of a Tadich Grill swizzle stick. The day after we arrived in San Francisco, it was Significant Eater's birthday.  We did a double header, starting with a drive over the Bay Bridge, and up to Berkeley, for lunch at Chez Panisse Cafe. (I did have some second thoughts, as we drove right past one of my favorite BBQ places right on San Pablo, the great Everett & Jones. It was never passed by during my 16 years living west, after a concert at the Greek, or anywhere else nearby). But Chez Panisse it was.

There really is nothing (in my opinion) quite like the salads in California. And Chez Panisse does an exemplary job.

Healthy start: Star Route Farms greens with avocado, blood orange and grapefruit. And hers:

Which included baked Andate Dairy's goat cheese. And which was quite splendid spread over Acme Bakery's sourdough. (And look at that chervil!)

Chicken al mattone (moist and juicy), served not with the sides it was menued with, but with the sides for the pork loin (yeah, I'm a pain in the ass). Potatoes gaufrette and sautéed greens, carrots that taste like carrots. And fried sage leaves. Sig Eater wants and needs pizza.  I should argue?

Olives, anchovies - what's not to like. We eschewed dessert - as mentioned, we were playing a double header. Which meant a revisit (for the 3rd or 4th time) to a slightly freshened up Boulevard, in the city. Our first meal at Boulevard was 26 years ago, on our honeymoon. I'm such a fucking romantic. And classy that I am, we once again rode MUNI. Our usual schtick - a drink at the bar before sitting down for dinner (cause the cocktails are always better at the bar than by the time they get to your table). Also - the bar at Boulevard is beautiful.

I'm at Boulevard - and having a Boulevardier. My lovely wife - a Perfect Manhattan.

Here's where the crab amped up:

My Dungeness, with "valentine" pomelo, kumquats and the usual Cali stuff, like the flower thing. This was great, the dressing puddled at the bottom to be mixed, or not, as you wish. The Dungeness - simply perfect. And for she...

A gorgeous pea soup, King crab, and a lemon souffle! Plus...flowers. Sig Eater wanted, and got, beef.

I wanted more...

It wasn't all about these huge scallops, which I'm guessing flew 3,000 miles, yet were still fine. That little lasanga - sorry, lasagnette - stuffed with Dungeness - was really great. Plus...lotsa flowers. And those teeny turnips.

She enjoyed her birthday greatly; it was a big one!

Oh - why can't more restaurants do this?

Full page of red half bottles. There was another page of whites by the half bottle. The wine list at Boulevard is comprehensive.

Significant Eater and I recently spent about 10 days in California; the first 4 were in Healdsburg, and the remainder were spent in San Francisco. Flying into SFO, we rent a car (as we usually do - it's California, after all!) and drive straight up to Healdsburg, which takes about two hours (after a pit stop at a dispensary in Santa Rosa).  In Healdsburg, we stayed (for the 2nd time) at the historic Camellia Inn. Strangely, the Camellia Inn is known for its...camellias...there are alleged to be over 80 camellia plants on the property:
 

On the corner, and basically everywhere one looks in Healdsburg, there are citrus plants and trees:

The following posts will not be in the chronological order of our trip; I'm too lazy to do that!  I'm hopping over to the San Francisco portion, where on our first night back in the city, we met a friend for drinks and dinner at Tadich Grill.  Tadich is one of the oldest, continuously operating restaurants in the country (for this trip, I focused on dining at some classic San Francisco restaurants, with one trip to Berkeley). And Tadich Grill is classic.  We even got to take MUNI there. The Martinis are very good, and I like the bar...

The food is...ok...especially sticking with a few standards (e.g.: Petrale sole, simply grilled, for my main). So a Dungeness crab salad, and some marinated squid:

I am now the proud owner of a Tadich Grill swizzle stick. The day after we arrived in San Francisco, it was Significant Eater's birthday.  We did a double header, starting with a drive over the Bay Bridge, and up to Berkeley, for lunch at Chez Panisse Cafe. (I did have some second thoughts, as we drove right past one of my favorite BBQ places right on San Pablo, the great Everett & Jones. It was never passed by during my 16 years living west, after a concert at the Greek, or anywhere else nearby). But Chez Panisse it was.

There really is nothing (in my opinion) quite like the salads in California. And Chez Panisse does an exemplary job.

Healthy start: Star Route Farms greens with avocado, blood orange and grapefruit. And hers:

Which included baked Andate Dairy's goat cheese. And which was quite splendid spread over Acme Bakery's sourdough. (And look at that chervil!)

Chicken al mattone (moist and juicy), served not with the sides it was menued with, but with the sides for the pork loin (yeah, I'm a pain in the ass). Potatoes gaufrette and sautéed greens, carrots that taste like carrots. And fried sage leaves. Sig Eater wants and needs pizza.  I should argue?

Olives, anchovies - what's not to like. We eschewed dessert - as mentioned, we were playing a double header. Which meant a revisit (for the 3rd or 4th time) to a slightly freshened up Boulevard, in the city. Our first meal at Boulevard was 26 years ago, on our honeymoon. I'm such a fucking romantic. And classy that I am, we once again rode MUNI. Our usual schtick - a drink at the bar before sitting down for dinner (cause the cocktails are always better at the bar than by the time they get to your table). Also - the bar at Boulevard is beautiful.

I'm at Boulevard - and having a Boulevardier. My lovely wife - a Perfect Manhattan.

Here's where the crab amped up:

My Dungeness, with "valentine" pomelo, kumquats and the usual Cali stuff, like the flower thing. This was great, the dressing puddled at the bottom to be mixed, or not, as you wish. The Dungeness - simply perfect. And for she...

A gorgeous pea soup, King crab, and a lemon souffle! Plus...flowers. Sig Eater wanted, and got, beef.

I wanted more...

It wasn't all about these huge scallops, which I'm guessing flew 3,000 miles, yet were still fine. That little lasanga - sorry, lasagnette - stuffed with Dungeness - was really great. Plus...lotsa flowers. And those teeny turnips.

She enjoyed her birthday greatly; it was a big one!

Oh - why can't more restaurants do this?

Full page of red half bottles. There was another page of whites by the half bottle. The wine list at Boulevard is comprehensive.

Significant Eater and I recently spent about 10 days in California; the first 4 were in Healdsburg, and the remainder were spent in San Francisco. Flying into SFO, we rent a car (as we usually do - it's California, after all!) and drive straight up to Healdsburg, which takes about two hours (after a pit stop at a dispensary in Santa Rosa).  In Healdsburg, we stayed (for the 2nd time) at the historic Camellia Inn. Strangely, the Camellia Inn is known for its...camellias...there are alleged to be over 80 camellia plants on the property:
 

On the corner, and basically everywhere one looks in Healdsburg, there are citrus plants and trees:

The following posts will not be in the chronological order of our trip; I'm too lazy to do that!  I'm hopping over to the San Francisco portion, where on our first night back in the city, we met a friend for drinks and dinner at Tadich Grill.  Tadich is one of the oldest, continuously operating restaurants in the country (for this trip, I focused on dining at some classic San Francisco restaurants, with one trip to Berkeley). And Tadich Grill is classic.  We even got to take MUNI there. The Martinis are very good, and I like the bar...

The food is...ok...especially sticking with a few standards (e.g.: Petrale sole, simply grilled, for my main). So a Dungeness crab salad, and some marinated squid:

I am now the proud owner of a Tadich Grill swizzle stick. The day after we arrived in San Francisco, it was Significant Eater's birthday.  We did a double header, starting with a drive over the Bay Bridge, and up to Berkeley, for lunch at Chez Panisse Cafe. (I did have some second thoughts, as we drove right past one of my favorite BBQ places right on San Pablo, the great Everett & Jones. It was never passed by during my 16 years living west, after a concert at the Greek, or anywhere else nearby). But Chez Panisse it was.

There really is nothing (in my opinion) quite like the salads in California. And Chez Panisse does an exemplary job.

Healthy start: Star Route Farms greens with avocado, blood orange and grapefruit. And hers:

Which included baked Andate Dairy's goat cheese. And which was quite splendid spread over Acme Bakery's sourdough. (And look at that chervil!)

Chicken al mattone (moist and juicy), served not with the sides it was menued with, but with the sides for the pork loin (yeah, I'm a pain in the ass). Potatoes gaufrette and sautéed greens, carrots that taste like carrots. And fried sage leaves. Sig Eater wants and needs pizza.  I should argue?

Olives, anchovies - what's not to like. We eschewed dessert - as mentioned, we were playing a double header. Which meant a revisit (for the 3rd or 4th time) to a slightly freshened up Boulevard, in the city. Our first meal at Boulevard was 26 years ago, on our honeymoon. I'm such a fucking romantic. And classy that I am, we once again rode MUNI. Our usual schtick - a drink at the bar before sitting down for dinner (cause the cocktails are always better at the bar than by the time they get to your table). Also - the bar at Boulevard is beautiful.

I'm at Boulevard - and having a Boulevardier. My lovely wife - a Perfect Manhattan.

Here's where the crab amped up:

My Dungeness, with "valentine" pomelo, kumquats and the usual Cali stuff, like the flower thing. This was great, the dressing puddled at the bottom to be mixed, or not, as you wish. The Dungeness - simply perfect. And for she...

A gorgeous pea soup, King crab, and a lemon souffle! Plus...flowers. Sig Eater wanted, and got, beef.

I wanted more...

It wasn't all about these huge scallops, which I'm guessing flew 3,000 miles, yet were still fine. That little lasanga - sorry, lasagnette - stuffed with Dungeness - was really great. Plus...lotsa flowers. And those teeny turnips.

She enjoyed her birthday greatly; it was a big one!

Oh - why can't more restaurants do this?

Full page of red half bottles. There was another page of whites by the half bottle. The wine list at Boulevard is comprehensive.

Significant Eater and I recently spent about 10 days in California; the first 4 were in Healdsburg, and the remainder were spent in San Francisco. Flying into SFO, we rent a car (as we usually do - it's California, after all!) and drive straight up to Healdsburg, which takes about two hours (after a pit stop at a dispensary in Santa Rosa).  In Healdsburg, we stayed (for the 2nd time) at the historic Camellia Inn. Strangely, the Camellia Inn is known for its...camellias...there are alleged to be over 80 camellia plants on the property:
 

On the corner, and basically everywhere one looks in Healdsburg, there are citrus plants and trees:

The following posts will not be in the chronological order of our trip; I'm too lazy to do that!  I'm hopping over to the San Francisco portion, where on our first night back in the city, we met a friend for drinks and dinner at Tadich Grill.  Tadich is one of the oldest, continuously operating restaurants in the country (for this trip, I focused on dining at some classic San Francisco restaurants, with one trip to Berkeley). And Tadich Grill is classic.  We even got to take MUNI there. The Martinis are very good, and I like the bar...

The food is...ok...especially sticking with a few standards (e.g.: Petrale sole, simply grilled, for my main). So a Dungeness crab salad, and some marinated squid:

I am now the proud owner of a Tadich Grill swizzle stick. The day after we arrived in San Francisco, it was Significant Eater's birthday.  We did a double header, starting with a drive over the Bay Bridge, and up to Berkeley, for lunch at Chez Panisse Cafe. (I did have some second thoughts, as we drove right past one of my favorite BBQ places right on San Pablo, the great Everett & Jones. It was never passed by during my 16 years living west, after a concert at the Greek, or anywhere else nearby). But Chez Panisse it was.

There really is nothing (in my opinion) quite like the salads in California. And Chez Panisse does an exemplary job.

Healthy start: Star Route Farms greens with avocado, blood orange and grapefruit. And hers:

Which included baked Andate Dairy's goat cheese. And which was quite splendid spread over Acme Bakery's sourdough. (And look at that chervil!)

Chicken al mattone (moist and juicy), served not with the sides it was menued with, but with the sides for the pork loin (yeah, I'm a pain in the ass). Potatoes gaufrette and sautéed greens, carrots that taste like carrots. And fried sage leaves. Sig Eater wants and needs pizza.  I should argue?

Olives, anchovies - what's not to like. We eschewed dessert - as mentioned, we were playing a double header. Which meant a revisit (for the 3rd or 4th time) to a slightly freshened up Boulevard, in the city. Our first meal at Boulevard was 26 years ago, on our honeymoon. I'm such a fucking romantic. And classy that I am, we once again rode MUNI. Our usual schtick - a drink at the bar before sitting down for dinner (cause the cocktails are always better at the bar than by the time they get to your table). Also - the bar at Boulevard is beautiful.

I'm at Boulevard - and having a Boulevardier. My lovely wife - a Perfect Manhattan.

Here's where the crab amped up:

My Dungeness, with "valentine" pomelo, kumquats and the usual Cali stuff, like the flower thing. This was great, the dressing puddled at the bottom to be mixed, or not, as you wish. The Dungeness - simply perfect. And for she...

A gorgeous pea soup, King crab, and a lemon souffle! Plus...flowers. Sig Eater wanted, and got, beef.

I wanted more...

It wasn't all about these huge scallops, which I'm guessing flew 3,000 miles, yet were still fine. That little lasanga - sorry, lasagnette - stuffed with Dungeness - was really great. Plus...lotsa flowers. And those teeny turnips.

She enjoyed her birthday greatly; it was a big one!

Oh - why can't more restaurants do this?

Full page of red half bottles. There was another page of whites by the half bottle. The wine list at Boulevard is comprehensive.

Significant Eater and I recently spent about 10 days in California; the first 4 were in Healdsburg, and the remainder were spent in San Francisco. Flying into SFO), we rent a car (as we usually do - it's California, after all!) and drive straight up to Healdsburg, which takes about two hours (after a pit stop at a dispensary in Santa Rosa).  In Healdsburg, we stayed (for the 2nd time) at the historic Camellia Inn. Strangely, the Camellia Inn is known for its...camellias...there are alleged to be over 80 camellia plants on the property:
 

On the corner, and basically everywhere one looks in Healdsburg, there are citrus plants and trees:

The following posts will not be in the chronological order of our trip; I'm too lazy to do that!  I'm hopping over to the San Francisco portion, where on our first night back in the city, we met a friend for drinks and dinner at Tadich Grill.  Tadich is one of the oldest, continuously operating restaurants in the country (for this trip, I focused on dining at some classic San Francisco restaurants, with one trip to Berkeley). And Tadich Grill is classic.  We even got to take MUNI there. The Martinis are very good, and I like the bar...

The food is...ok...especially sticking with a few standards (e.g.: Petrale sole, simply grilled, for my main). So a Dungeness crab salad, and some marinated squid:

I am now the proud owner of a Tadich Grill swizzle stick. The day after we arrived in San Francisco, it was Significant Eater's birthday.  We did a double header, starting with a drive over the Bay Bridge, and up to Berkeley, for lunch at Chez Panisse Cafe. (I did have some second thoughts, as we drove right past one of my favorite BBQ places right on San Pablo, the great Everett & Jones. It was never passed by during my 16 years living west, after a concert at the Greek, or anywhere else nearby). But Chez Panisse it was.

There really is nothing (in my opinion) quite like the salads in California. And Chez Panisse does an exemplary job.

Healthy start: Star Route Farms greens with avocado, blood orange and grapefruit. And hers:

Which included baked Andate Dairy's goat cheese. And which was quite splendid spread over Acme Bakery's sourdough. (And look at that chervil!)

Chicken al mattone (moist and juicy), served not with the sides it was menued with, but with the sides for the pork loin (yeah, I'm a pain in the ass). Potatoes gaufrette and sautéed greens, carrots that taste like carrots. And fried sage leaves. Sig Eater wants and needs pizza.  I should argue?

Olives, anchovies - what's not to like. We eschewed dessert - as mentioned, we were playing a double header. Which meant a revisit (for the 3rd or 4th time) to a slightly freshened up Boulevard, in the city. Our first meal at Boulevard was 26 years ago, on our honeymoon. I'm such a fucking romantic. And classy that I am, we once again rode MUNI. Our usual schtick - a drink at the bar before sitting down for dinner (cause the cocktails are always better at the bar than by the time they get to your table). Also - the bar at Boulevard is beautiful.

I'm at Boulevard - and having a Boulevardier. My lovely wife - a Perfect Manhattan.

Here's where the crab amped up:

My Dungeness, with "valentine" pomelo, kumquats and the usual Cali stuff, like the flower thing. This was great, the dressing puddled at the bottom to be mixed, or not, as you wish. The Dungeness - simply perfect. And for she...

A gorgeous pea soup, King crab, and a lemon souffle! Plus...flowers. Sig Eater wanted, and got, beef.

I wanted more...

It wasn't all about these huge scallops, which I'm guessing flew 3,000 miles, yet were still fine. That little lasanga - sorry, lasagnette - stuffed with Dungeness - was really great. Plus...lotsa flowers. And those teeny turnips.

She enjoyed her birthday greatly; it was a big one!

Oh - why can't more restaurants do this?

Full page of red half bottles. There was another page of whites by the half bottle. The wine list at Boulevard is comprehensive.