All About the Food
Anyone who knows me is well-aware
that eating is high on my priority list. In fact, one of the first things I do
when planning a trip is to search guidebooks and the Internet to get an idea of
what to eat there. After trying many different kinds of restaurants over the
years, I have come to the conclusion that the best meals are simple ones found
in small, ethnic eateries. When a return trip to San Francisco presented itself,
I rubbed my hands together in anticipation and got to work on my “research.” I
was overwhelmed by the range of culinary experiences the city had in store:
Ethiopian, Turkish, Afghan, Sardinian, Burmese. I could hardly contain my
excitement!
On our first night we chose
Aicha, a Moroccan restaurant a short
walk from our hotel. This tiny place—maybe ten tables—has a relatively small
menu, apparently a bring-your-own-wine policy, and quite a diverse clientele.
Hubby went for the lamb tagine, a type of stew with onions, prunes, and almonds,
while I chose the grilled lamb kebab with rice and salad. Each dish seemed like
“good home cooking”…exactly what our jet-lagged selves were looking for after
two tiring flights and a long walk through downtown.
The next afternoon, after wearing
ourselves out climbing Telegraph Hill to see the view, Coit Tower, and the
famous parrots, we were starved. Fortunately, Chinatown was just a few steps
away and we had our choice of dim sum locations on Jackson Street. The first one
on our list had exactly one table and maybe three chairs with people occupying two
of them…so we were off to place #2. Bund Shanghai down
the street had an actual dining room where we could sit and rest our poor,
aching feet. The guy sitting next to us was having a bamboo steamer of soup
dumplings that were irresistible so we got that along with an order of crab
and pork soup dumplings. Hot, juicy, and delicious. So far this trip, the
Cheapo Snobs in us were flying high!
Walking
around we had noticed an Indonesian restaurant which looked quite appealing. So
on the second evening we decided to try Borobudur, a really
popular spot which required some waiting for a table. But, boy, was it worth it! I had read
that one of their specialty plates was Nasi Goreng Kari. Described unassumingly
as “a spicy curry fried rice dish with egg and onion,” it was so delicious and so
unlike any fried rice we had ever had before! Along with it we had Kari Udang,
shrimp and vegetables in coconut curry sauce, and a house carafe of white wine.
Great!
Of all the terrific meals we had had
in San Francisco this trip, the most inventive was at Saha on
our last night in town. An “Arabic fusion” restaurant located interestingly in a hotel lobby, it is the creation of a
Yemeni chef, who was schooled in France and has lived in the Bay Area for
thirty years. The“small plates”/tapas restaurants can be confusing
but our delightful waitress was a big help in deciding the number of dishes
which would be right for us. We started with small Egyptian okra in a tomato
sauce, followed by Lahem Sougar, a traditional Yemeni dish served over baba
ganoush with pita bread. Really the best lamb I’ve ever had! The third plate, a special, was
also delicious though I can’t remember exactly what it was. We even celebrated
our good luck with dessert and some bubbly Prosecco.
As you can tell, we were not at all
disappointed in our meals in “the city by the bay.” Nor with the sightseeing in
and out of town, for that matter. San Francisco is one of my favorite cities. Can’t
wait to get back there.
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