Trattoria Contadina, San Francisco

This was the hightlight of my dining experience in San Francisco. Trattoria Contadina has some of the most personable staff, Alicia, and delicious food in the city. A small, cozy and romantic place. Settling in, I had a delicious MANA'S MOJITO,Cruzan Light Rum, Veeve Acai Liqueur, fresh muddled mint leaves, sugar & fresh lime juice. that was made perfectly. After discussing the menu with Alicia, we decided that a wonderful Grigich Hills Merlot would fit the meal. I started with a Carpaccio di Manzo, thinly sliced raw Filet Mignon with fresh arugula, parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, capers and lemon accompanied with perfect Italian bread. I was told that being only served a few times a year, I would be in for a treat having their version of cioppino. It was generously filled with mussels, clams, shrimp, squid, salmon and clams. The broth was a delightful blend of tomato, saffron, basil... truely heaven. An etherial experience such as this had to be completed with a perfect dessert to help me finish my delicious wine. I chose the Chocolate Covered Gelato Truffle Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Heart with a raspberry sorbet center and much to my delight the staff offered a delicious after dinner drink of Kalana with steamed milk dusted with cocoa on the house.

As I said, this was the perfect meal with a perfect waitress with perfect weather on a perfect vacation. Alicia usually works on Wednesdays, but with luck you may find her on the weekend.

Trattoria Contadina Italian Restaurant

1800 Mason Street

San Francisco, CA 94133

Telephone Number: (415)982-5728

The Slanted Door Restaurant, San Francisco

Before riding around on some streetcars on my last day, I had a wonderful and delicious lunch at The Slanted Door restaurant in the Ferry Building on the bay. I started with a very generous sized German beer and the Slanted Door spring rolls with shrimp, pork, mint and peanut sauce. Both were light and refreshing. For my entre, I couldn't resist the cellophane noodles with fresh dungeness crab meat... again, light and refreshing and very generous with the Dungeness crab. On my waiter's suggestion, my dessert was a Meyer lemon pot de creme
with ginger snaps. A perfect meal that left me satisfied, yet not too full for a day of traveling.

The Slanted Door

1 Ferry Building

San Francisco, CA 94111

(415) 861-8032

Brioche Bakery, San Francisco

Just a delightful little bakery on Columbus street with delicious breads, pastries and assorted goodies. I made off with a delicious baguette with pate and pickles and, also, this absolutely wonderful and beautiful pizza topped with caramelized onions and seasonal vegetables on brioche crust.

Wonderful, friendly employees.

Brioche Bakery

210 Columbus Ave.

San Francisco, CA

(415) 765- 0412

House Of Nanking, San Francisco

On the advice of my friend, Clark, I sought out the House of Nanking for lunch while in San Francisco this past weekend. As Clark described, it is some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. The place is a tiny, hole in the wall place. And, it's best to get there to be seated first as there is alway a line going down the block to get in.

I had some delicious fried shrimpcakes with peanut sauce and followed with perfectly cooked sesame chicken. An interesting twist on this dish was the sliced sweet potato and squash. The prices are some of the most affordable you could ever expect.

It is highly rated by Zagat and Frommer's.

House Of Nanking

919 Kearny St

San Francisco, CA 94133

(415) 421-1429

Andina Restaurant

Andina is a wonderful Peruvian spot in the Pearl District. It is a wonderful place for tapas and has a cozy bar area with a fireplace for those cold rainy days. It is reasonably priced and the menu is deep with a nice wine by the glass offering.

Andina Restaurant

1314 NW Glisan

Portland, OR 97209

(503) 228-9535