Just A Week in California

[weinoo]

Well, my wife and I just got back from a week's trip to California - 2 nights in Healdsburg and 6 more in San Francisco. I don't really want to review any restaurants in great detail, but will say that we had nary a bad meal and some of our meals were spectacular. As I've posted before, even in a hamburger joint like Mo's, you can get a really nice salad (ask for the dressing on the side!)...greens, for obvious reasons, are always nice and fresh and everyone seems to like serving them.

So, in no particular order of like or dislike, here are most, if not all, of the places we ate...

Cyrus - Scott B. at the bar is great!

Bouchon

Dry Creek Kitchen

A16

Brandy Ho's - one of my old faves

Myth

Chez Panisse Cafe

Yank Sing

Mo's

Quince

Boulevard

Yuet Lee

And we did go out for drinks a couple of nights:

Tosca

Rye - Greg, one of the owners, is a really nice guy.

Wine Merchant in the Ferry Plaza

We stayed in a really nice rental apartment on Green St. Here's the view from the back deck:

Around the corner from our apartment, on Columbus between Green and Stockton, is a nice boulangerie, where we had breakfast every morning...tartines, croissants, breakfast breads were all quite good...I just don't remeber the name of the place!

And on thanksgiving I got to cook with a buddy who recently purchased a "cottage" in Mill Valley...dungeness crab risotto, cornish game hens on the weber, roasted brussels sprouts and some pastries for dessert fit the bill as we watched red-tail hawks swoop down from Mt. Tam. All in all, a great week, and the bay area is still, to me, one of the most beautiful places in this country!!

A great way to spend a week.

[PS]

Great view.

We're just back from a similar holiday - 5 days in San Francisco, then a week driving around to the north, in Mendocino, Sonoma and Napa. It's been pretty hectic since I got back, so I haven't had the time to post about it, but we covered some similar bases - Bouchon, Yank Sing, Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant (loved it in there!) - and a few others - The Girl and the Fig, The General's Daughter, Bistro Jeanty, Lychee Garden, Swan's Oyster Depot...

We had a superb time and hope to head back sooner than last time (6 years ago). On that subject, we stayed in a hotel this time but thought a rental apartment might be a better bet in future - do you mind giving details of how you found it, cost, ease of use etc?

Thanks

Philip

[DaleJ]

Geez! We're flying to SFO Saturday to spend a week at Sea Ranch. Beside frequenting any and all wineries in Sonoma do you have any current tips? (Of course Bouchon is mandatory.)

[dvs]

Geez!  We're flying to SFO Saturday to spend a week at Sea Ranch.  Beside frequenting any and all wineries in Sonoma do you have any current tips?  (Of course Bouchon is mandatory.)

←

sea ranch is BEAUTIFUL!! but make sure you bring LOTS of WARM clothes - it'll be COLD!!

[russ parsons]

i'd really recommend dinner at the Farm House Inn on the Russian River. That guy can really cook.

[weinoo]

Great view.

We had a superb time and hope to head back sooner than last time (6 years ago). On that subject, we stayed in a hotel this time but thought a rental apartment might be a better bet in future - do you mind giving details of how you found it, cost, ease of use etc?

Thanks

Philip

←

Hi Philip,

Sorry for not replying sooner. We've used a site called vacation rentals by owner for our last three thanksgiving trips to Rome, Paris and SF. Here it is: vrbo

Have had very good luck with apartment rentals. The cost for our apartment in SF was $175 a night...which to me is a great deal compared to hotels. We had a front and back deck with grill, kitchenette, and about 400 sqaure feet of space. We always need more space than we get in a hotel, and the trade off having to make our own bed is well worth it.

The arrangements were a snap and the owners of the house met us there with keys. In this case, they lived downstairs, but we saw them maybe once in 6 days - we had friends over for drinks, and it was literally like living there for a week. There's certainly a slight trust factor involved (after all, I'm sending someone money that I don't even know!), but any place you might want to stay should have references.

Give it a try - I don't think you'll be disappointed!

[weinoo]

Geez!  We're flying to SFO Saturday to spend a week at Sea Ranch.  Beside frequenting any and all wineries in Sonoma do you have any current tips?  (Of course Bouchon is mandatory.)

←

I wished we could've tried more places up in Sonoma!! We did eat at Cyrus, in Healdsburgh, and it was excellent - along with great cocktails. Highly recommended.

If you like off the beaten track, then I also highly recommend a couple of small winereies on West Dry Creek Road - just west of Healdsburgh. We loved Everett Ridge and Michel-Schlumberger, Pezzi King is beautiful, too.

Have a great trip.

[ludja]

Geez!  We're flying to SFO Saturday to spend a week at Sea Ranch.  Beside frequenting any and all wineries in Sonoma do you have any current tips?  (Of course Bouchon is mandatory.)

←

I wished we could've tried more places up in Sonoma!! We did eat at Cyrus, in Healdsburgh, and it was excellent - along with great cocktails. Highly recommended.

If you like off the beaten track, then I also highly recommend a couple of small winereies on West Dry Creek Road - just west of Healdsburgh. We loved Everett Ridge and Michel-Schlumberger, Pezzi King is beautiful, too.

Have a great trip.

←

I haven't been to Everett Ridge or Pezzi King so thanks for the tips. I've really enjoyed two visits to Michel-Schlumberger. Nice wines and the winery is beautiful.

What are some of your favorite dishes at Brandy Ho's?

It's been a fave of mine for a long time too. We usually order the Kung Pao Chicken and the Roasted Garlic and Ham stir fry. *Sometime* we'll branch out to their Five Seafood Delight or Ma Pa Tofu. Their Dan Dan mein is always a must order as well.

edited to add: Also, do you have any comments on Yuet Lee? I've heard of it for many years but have never been. Thanks!

Edited December 7, 2006 by ludja (log)

[weinoo]

Oh yes, the winery at Michel-Schlumberger is quite gorgeous - wait till you see Pezzi King and the views from Everett-Ridge! I actually joined the M-S wine club - they send a couple of bottles 3 or 4 times a year, and don't ship when it's hot - my first wine club and excited by the prospects.

At Brandy's, I love the smoked duck - but my friend with whom we ate lunch found it to be a little "challenging." Which was great, 'cause there was more for me. Three delicacies is a winner, as is almost anything with the smoked ham. And their fried or steamed dumplings are pretty good too. Dan dan mein rocks!!

Yuet Lee - no frills (but they do have beer), but superbly fresh seafood...salt & pepper squid is amazing. Whole fish, dungeness,shrimp, etc. We tried a clay pot dish of oysters and pork belly, which I didn't like that much - pretty funky (not off, just funky) to my taste, but some of the other clay pot dishes are evidently good as well. It's so bright as to be a little scary as well.