Anniversary Weekend in San Francisco

I love these little pics from last weekend which I visited during Fleet Week Oct, 09 in San Francisco.  It was my fiance' Don and I's 5th Anniversary and we came to nosh at the Farmers Market (which he had never experienced) A tragedy of course, so I had to explain (having been a S.F. resident for five years), that the S.F. Ferry Farmers Market on Saturdays was by far the most stunning offering of gastranomical excitement, compared only to that which you might find in N.Y. or a small town in Europe.

We began our morning with double shots of Peets Espresso and steamed milk with a perfect Crema' , then on to the aromatic end of the pier where skillets were bubbling with exquisite creations from local chefs; Knowing that pacing ourselves was imperative, we began slowly by sharing a plate of Chilaquiles with organic home farmed eggs, tangy Queso Fresco cheese, wicked homemade salsa's and fresh blue corn tortillas. Then we strolled throughout the market portion, grabbing nibbles of champagne grapes, figs and fresh, crisp fall apples. We tasted fresh blood orange and lemon marmalade and infused olive oils, and marveled at the fresh broccoli stalks half as tall as I am. We spent an hour at Cowgirl Creamery tasting as much cheese as humanly possible before they realized that I was both number 22 and number 24 in line, and leaving finally with a small wedge each of the Truffled cheddar, the Aged Gouda (which was like a burst of burnt sugar and caramel in your mouth) along with some stinky Red Hawk chevre. Then, of course, some hand selected artisinal fresh baked Ciabatta and walnut currant breads, and a few delicately carved thin slices of Italian Parma Proscuitto and some salty Marcona almonds from the Italian deli. We bagged it all up and walked all the way to the Marina green to watch the Blue Angels who's hour long performance which was the sole reason for coming to S.F. for the weekend, was regrettably canceled. We sadly watched as the fog strolled slowly under the Golden Gate and tens of thousands of disappointed and lost spectators melted in different corners of the city.

We still had a great afternoon, enjoying all the fun that is San Francisco.

Multiple Irish Coffee's to take the chill off at Buena Vista tavern near Ghiradelli Square, then up the hill for Fresh Shui Mai and shrimp Dim Sum on the streets in Chinatown, a formal tea ceremony and tasting, and a giant almond cookie for .80 cents that was as big as a frisbee. We also enjoyed Russian Cabbage Soup and fabulously greasy and crispy potato pancakes at Max's in Union Square at about 11pm, and finished with a ridiculously, absurdly decadent Panna Cotta at E' Tutto Qua restaurant in North Beach!! Good God things should NOT taste that crazy good! However the highlight, without a doubt to our visit, was meeting this crazy culinarian and lover of all things tasty, who boxes himself a seat at the Farmers Market every single Saturday a.m., and brings his own tablecloths, exotic foods, fresh flowers and then blogs about who he met that came to marvel and take photos of his dashing spread of goodies.See him at "saturdaysatthetable.blogspot.com"

San Francisco is truly the dining capital of California. You can easily make a day of eating your way around the city. I think we accomplished precisely that.