Food of San Francisco

Okay we’re about to set sail for Hawaii but I wanted to do one more blog as a tribute to San Francisco.  And all of you know how much I love my food so here is San Francisco from a food perspective.

Happy Hanukkah

Food, food, food wonderful food!  Yes, San Francisco is a real delight for food lovers.  Top of the list right now is a bakery in the Mission district called Tartine .  Not only did this recommendation come from my nephew, Daniel whose wife is a baker extraordinaire (or so I’m told) but also from another friend Sierd.  Sierd sent an urgent message on skype saying:

“Check out this bakery in San Francisco.  The new cookbook from Chad Robertson comes from a man many consider to be the best bread maker in the United States. Chad Robertson, co-owner of Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, a city that knows its bread.  To Chad, bread is the foundation of a meal, the center of daily life, and each loaf tells the story of the baker who shaped it. He developed his unique bread over two decades of apprenticeship with the finest artisan bakers in France and the United States, as well as experimentation in his own ovens. Readers of his new book,  Tartine Bread, will be astonished at how elemental it is. A hundred photographs from years of testing, teaching, and recipe development provide step-by-step inspiration, while additional recipes provide inspiration for using up every delicious morsel.”

Tartine Bakery – 600 Guerrero Street and 18th

Well, it lived up to its well deserved reputation.  Located in an eclectic area of San Francisco it caters to all from the area with a lively cafe culture resulting in a wonderful place to sit and watch the world go by and the characters that inhabit it.

Jumping across the bay to Berkeley takes us to Masse Pastries in Berkeley’s gourmet alley (1462 Shattuck Avenue).  Masse Pastries make the most incredible pain au chocolat and croissants not to mention the incredibly decorated cakes.  A small shop that provides friendly service attracts people from miles away to their delectable selection of pastries and some of the best croissants I’ve had in North America.  Druel as you gaze at these delights:

Of course I can’t resist.  This is one of only two very special bakeries I’ve visited in San Francisco.  We can’t put this kind of food on the boat for a trip to Hawaii other than the odd item that will only be good for the first two days.  Of course, the first two days are the days one doesn’t eat much as one is trying to adjust to the motion and the watch keeping.  However, a few of these delectables hidden away in the Captain’s cabin never hurt!

On top of having to endure these bakeries we also have to do the provisioning for the trip.  This is made easy by such shops as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Andronico’s, and last but our favourite for provisioning because the price is right is Berkeley Bowl – see photos below.  Just an amazing assortment of vegetables and all the other items one badly needs to make eating at sea a pleasure two weeks down the road.  Here are a few pictures – the selection is amazing.

Connie calling Marilyn for advice – just too many types of apples

Yes, it may look like all we did was food shopping in San Francisco.  But it’s true – one of travelling great delights is to discover the local foods and try different types of cuisine.  The pacific islands are not a gourmet delight but we are looking forward to Asia and a whole new adventure.  For the time being we’ll suffer in the pacific islands eating mangoes, pineapples, papayas and the odd roast pig.

So to all a happy holiday season (we’ll be celebrating Christmas at sea or even better yet in Hawaii with friends).  And of course a Happy New Year.