Day 3
I hung out with my mom and her friends in their home for the morning, then bid them goodbye at noon and drove to SJC airport to pick up DH.

We drove north to Berkeley for lunch at Alice Water's Chez Panisse. I secured our reservation exactly 1 month prior. Lunch is only served in the upstairs Cafe (read: cheaper). Overall, it was a nice meal but it didn't have a wow factor for me. I started with a little gem lettuce salad with beets which was very good... the beets were sweeter than candy. However, the rigatoni entree I ordered (with capers, anchovies) was too salty and swimming in too much olive oil.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Fp2sH4N-ic/UBw8MbH9mHI/AAAAAAAADbk/5m17r9pgBmo/s1600/IMG_7416.JPG

DH and I split a pluot galette with blackberry ice-cream for dessert. We joked that we will return in 25 years to dine downstairs... We did like the interior decor; I didn't expect it to have a FLW look to it.

Chez Panisse
1517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94709
http://www.chezpanisse.com

The next part of the trip was my least favorite of the entire week - TRAFFIC! Since we didn't finish lunch at Chez Panisse until almost 4pm, we ran into heavy Friday afternoon traffic heading north out of the city. The normally 1-hour trip took almost twice as long, and we didn't check into our hotel in Santa Rosa until close to 6pm. We stayed at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek where the wedding couple had reserved a block of rooms for their guests. We had no complaints about the hotel.

We met up with 2 college-era friends of mine (the bride was a friend from college), and the 4 of us went to dinner at Zazu. Zazu is a rustic Italian restaurant located ~5 miles outside of town, in the middle of farm lands. Not only they grow their own vegetables, they also raise pigs and own a vineyard.

It turns out the diners at our assigned table didn't want to leave after their meal, so we waited at the bar for over half an hour. The restaurant compensated us with glasses of champagne and their delicious bacon-wrapped dates.

I chose another pasta dish for dinner: mezzalune filled with house-made ricotta, backyard squash blossom; plus a side dish of backyard chard. The food was delicious, and I was amazed by how tasty was the chard. The 4 of us shared a blueberry-and-peach "upside down" pie.

Zazu
3535 Guerneville Road Santa Rosa, CA 95401
http://www.zazurestaurant.com/

Day 4
We have the morning for sightseeing as the wedding was scheduled for mid-afternoon. It may seem like blasphemy to most, but because neither DH nor I like wine, we decided to forgo the typical vineyard-hopping and wine-tasting! Instead, we first visited the Saturday morning Santa Rosa Farmers Market a few miles north of town. It is quite large by Boston standard, with a great variety of stalls. Apart from your usual fruits and veggie stalls, there are cheese stalls, meat & fish stalls, mushroom stalls, bakeries, coffee stands etc.

The prices for produce are comparable to what I pay here. What jumps out most is the abundance of different types of fruits. Many of the stalls offer free samples and everything we tasted was sweet and fragrant. We ended up with nectarines, peaches, strawberries, and blackberries. (And a muffin for each of us as breakfast.)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XFL2vJnzjM0/UBxC9ese5PI/AAAAAAAADcE/Z-bgBgq13nE/s1600/IMG_7430.JPG

Santa Rosa Farmers Market
Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
50 Mark West Springs Road
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
http://thesantarosafarmersmarket.com/

Our next stop was the Charles M. Schulz Museum. It celebrates the life of the artist behind Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Our arrival coincided with their daily tour, so we got a nice overview of the museum and of Schulz. The museum isn't that big and we covered it in about an hour.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PrsthVtPP4U/UBxEEZQlSnI/AAAAAAAADcM/cTm0ENii7Nk/s1600/IMG_7425.JPG

Upstairs is his studio (moved from his home to the museum).
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AKA3r89_jE0/UBxEGVrefZI/AAAAAAAADcU/gpP810pDPSM/s1600/IMG_7427.JPG

Charles M. Schulz Museum
https://www.schulzmuseum.org/

We drove back into town and ate lunch at Russian River Brewery. It is a local brewery that has dozens of beer on tap, and it serves food. DH ordered several beers to sample ($0.50 for a 2-oz shot). Quite a number of diners ordered the "full rack sample" which comes with a 2-oz sample of every beer available on tap (19 beers the day we were there). DH & I split a small pizza which was surprisingly good.

Russian River Brewery
725 4th Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
http://russianriverbrewing.com/

My friend's wedding was held at a private vineyard in Glen Ellen. It is not open to public but does host weddings. The food was phenomenal at the wedding! We started with a white corn soup topped with dungeness crab... OMG! This was followed by a salad with heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella. For entrees, I had chosen the fish dish, which was Pacific halibut. DH had beef tenderloin. Both were delicious.

I've gained 5 lbs. just reading this! Carry on, so fun. Heading that way next week.

<<<The food was phenomenal at the wedding! >>>

Who catered the wedding?

A delicious report! Is Zazu worth a detour?

Wonderful report so far. Looking forward to the rest.

"Even though we are there in the middle of summer, we arrived at HMB to find it chilly, overcast, and foggy (60sF)."

Yep - we do try to warn folks about 'summer' on the coast. SF/HMB's 'summer' is in Sept/Oct)

Yes, Zazu is worth a detour. We've been talking
ourselves and friends there for years.
(Although I suppose how much of a detour it will be
is a factor...)

and if anyone is thinking about dining at Cryus, do so
before Oct 29, 2012.

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/cyrus-healdsburg-closing-102912.cfm

R5

R5 Just saw your other post. I'm in shock!

DebitNM, have a good trip!

sf7307, the wedding was hosted by http://www.sonomacatering.com/ I think the wedding package includes the food/catering.

CPG, I'd defer the opinion to R5/locals! I was most certainly pleased with what I ordered (and the comp'd bacon-wrapped dates). However, one of my friends ordered pork chops (from Zazu's raised pigs) and she found them a bit bland. The other friend had cod which he said was good. DH had cuke gazpacho that was REALLY delicious, and then duck breast as his main (good as well).

Originally, I wanted to have dinner at The Girl and The Fig in Sonoma (after reading YOUR report, CPG), but decided it was more driving than I'd like, so we stayed in Santa Rosa and I chose Zazu.

janis, I guess it's just hard to for me get used to the wide fluctuation of temperatures from one city to another! It was sunny and warm (80s) in San Jose when we left for HMB, but our destination was 20F degrees colder! [Here in New England, you can drive for 2 hours and the temps stay within 5-10F max]

Will finish up the report tomorrow. Thank you all for reading and your comments so far!

Always enjoy your reports, yk!

Love the food details. You are terrfic at planning trips!

Day 5
The wedding couple hosted breakfast at our Santa Rosa hotel, so we got a chance to see everybody again before we left.

After checking out of the hotel, we took Hwy 12 to the town of Sonoma. It is a very cute town, and reminds me of Paso Robles which I visited 3 summers ago. The center of town is a large green park, surrounded on 3 sides by retail shops and eateries. On its north side stands the Sonoma State Historic Park, a complex including the Sonoma Mission, barracks, and old servants quarters. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=479

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TB28-X-GwU8/UBxLk1Kke0I/AAAAAAAADc4/EHjlICF0JVI/s1600/IMG_7454.JPG

As it was yet another (!!!) beautiful day in sunny California, we decided to grab a panini sandwich to-go and have an al fresco lunch in the park. We happened to have some chips, as well as fruits from the Santa Rosa farmers market the day before. It turned out to be the perfect lunch.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RfAd912Za0k/UBxLqAhAXhI/AAAAAAAADdI/t2mqcumnPJ4/s1600/IMG_7461.JPG

Without further delay, we were back on the road heading for San Francisco. Traffic was nowhere as bad as Friday, and we turned in our rental car at around 4:30pm. Our hotel, Wyndham Parc 55, is just 2 blocks down the street from the rental car facility.

The Wyndham doesn't get stellar reviews on Tripadvisor, but we found our room adequate. Since I was cheap and did Priceline, we ended up with a double-bedded room on the 16th floor.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RYZ-691Ap_s/UBxT_s4nFdI/AAAAAAAADdk/25c054AYX0Y/s1600/IMG_7462.JPG

The Wyndham is about 2-3 blocks west of Union Square, and a stone-throw away from the Powell Street Station. It is very convenient for us location-wise. Some reviewers complained about noise, but we didn't find that the case (our room faces north). In any case, ear plugs are provided (part of bathroom amenities) if anyone needs them.

Wyndham Parc 55 Hotel
55 Cyril Magnin Street San Francisco, CA 94102
http://www.parc55hotel.com/

After we settled in, we went out for a stroll around Union Square. I don't understand why it's so cold in SF in the height of summer; it was in the low 60sF (brrrr). We then went to dinner a few blocks away at Farallon, known for "coastal cuisine."

The interior decor is quite intriguing; the entrance and bar area is quite art nouveau. A mosaic arched ceiling graces the main dining room. It turns out that this used to be the swimming pool for the Elks Club back in the early part of 20th century.

I had the Dungeness crab salad appetizer. At $17, it had a generous serving of crab meat. For my main dish, I again chose pasta (tho this was the primi portion) - truffled corn tortellini in corn brodo. DH had duck breast prosciutto followed by Pacific spearfish. I didn't care for the fish; it's similar to swordfish in texture. I thought the food at Farallon was pretty good but a bit pricey for the portions (I'm sure we were paying for its convenient location.) BTW, I don't drink alcohol so I ordered their blood orange lemonade. It was one of the best lemonades I've had!

Farallon
450 Post Street, San Francisco
http://www.farallonrestaurant.com/

After dinner, I called a friend of mine who came to pick us up at our hotel and drove us to the Richmond District ("new" Chinatown) for Cantonese-style dessert at Creations Dessert House. I thought it was just so-so, my black glutinous rice with tapioca, coconut milk, and mango tasted watered down. But it was just wonderful to see this friend whom I last saw 3 years ago.

Creations Dessert House
5217 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94118
http://creationsdessert.com/index3.html

yk, it sounds like you had fun. ANd you liked chard!

<<I don't understand why it's so cold in SF in the height of summer; it was in the low 60sF (brrrr)>>

yk: I'm always reminded of Mark Twain's quote about "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." LOL

I love your trip report and am printing it to save for our next trip. Thanks for all the web sites, addresses etc.

"I don't understand why it's so cold in SF in the height of summer; it was in the low 60sF (brrrr). "

>>Yep - we do try to warn folks about 'summer' on the coast. SF/HMB's 'summer' is in Sept/Oct)<<

When it was 60F in SF it was probably 85F in Napa and 95 or 100F a few miles farther inland. That's just the way it is. The HOT summer temps inland (and we can get really HOT -it is going to be 104 today) cause an inversion that draws in fog/cool air from the Pacific. So often the hotter it is where I live, the colder it is in SF, HMB, Mendocino.

nanabee, janis, I know! I actually mentioned the Mark Twain quote to DH while we were there. The last time I was in SF was 3 yrs ago in end of May, and it was pretty chilly then (60sF high). I just assumed it would be warmer by end of July!

jubilada, I know I like chard, but everytime I try cooking it at home, it doesn't come out right so I stop buying them.

Day 6

DH got up bright and early to meet with our friend (who was also at the wedding) for their 9:10am trip out to Alcatraz. I wasn't that interested so I passed. I slept late, watched some Olympics on TV, then went out for a walk around Union Square (and did some improptu shopping!). I then walked over to Yerba Buena Gardens and people-watched for a while. DH eventually came back around 12:45p. He said he had a good time there. (In case anyone is taking note, he was on the island for 3hrs; including ferry rides and wait times, the entire trip took 4hrs starting from Pier 33.)

I met DH at the "3rd/Kearny" stop of the F street car line. We walked up Kearny to Ramen Underground for lunch. It's a tiny hole-in-the-wall place that serves Japanese Ramen in the Financial District.

I'll admit that I will never become a ramen fan. While the miso broth is pretty thick and flavorful, I always find ramen broths overly salty. The ramen noodles are nothing special, especially when compared to those at Totto Ramen in NYC (where I ate at back in June).

Ramen Underground
355 Kearny St (between Bush St & Pine St)
San Francisco, CA 94108
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ramen-underground-san-francisco

We spent the rest of our afternoon at SFMOMA. The main attraction for me was the Cindy Sherman retrospective, which I had missed by one day in NYC back in June. I think my expectations were too high, as I found it disappointing in terms of size. I thought there would be more photographs on view. I was feeling pretty tired, so we zipped through the rest of the museum and its rooftop garden fairly quickly.
http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events/exhibitions/448

After a power nap back at the hotel, we walked over to Jackson Square for an early dinner at Cotogna, thx to Fodorites' suggestion. I could only get a 5:45p reservation for a Monday night weeks in advance. I must admit that what I ordered was close to perfect. We split a squash blossom fritto - stuffed with 3 kinds of cheese then deep-fried. The dish was adorned with thinly sliced summer squash and halved cherry tomatoes. Everything was farm-fresh and tasty. I then chose a corn fagoletti (purse pasta) with chanterelles. When I bit into the fagoletti, I got an explosion of fresh corn flavor. It was wonderful. DH had sea bass which was very good as well. We split a chocolate semifreddo for dessert.

It's definitely a place we would return again if we find ourselves back in SF!

Cotogna
490 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, Ca 94133 http://www.cotognasf.com/

Day 7
On our final morning in SF, we met up with another friend of ours around 9:30a at the SF Ferry Building for breakfast. We ended up at MarketBar for convenience. After eating "bad" for a week, I decided to get something healthy, so I ordered the granola with yogurt and fresh fruit. It came as advertised, topped with plenty of in-season fruit. DH got French toast which looked pretty good. Before we headed back to our hotel, we stopped at one of the stalls at the farmers market for a couple nectarines.

MarketBar
1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94111
http://www.marketbar.com/

We checked out of Wyndham and hopped on the BART ($8.25pp) from Powell St station towards SFO. We flew out of Terminal 2 which is quite new and has a pleasant atmosphere, as well as decent eateries (albeit pricier than your usual airport fast food stalls). I opted for Japanese beef curry while DH got a burrito. And we ate the nectarines (from Ferry Building) as dessert.

I think that concludes my trip report! In case anyone is wondering, I flew JetBlue from Boston into San Jose (nonstop), and we flew Virgin America from San Francisco nonstop to Boston. Ticket prices were pretty much the same on both airlines and both were comfortable. JetBlue has more leg room but it isn't a huge issue for me as I'm only 5'2". On the Virgin America flight home, DH & I had 3 seats to ourselves so I was able to stretch out a bit anyway.

Thank you all for reading and thank you for your comments. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.

P.S. What I enjoyed the most on this trip (food-wise), was the fresh fruits and produce! Although we have fresh produce here in New England during our (short) growing season, I don't think it tastes as flavorful as the ones out in California. I've been buying local peaches, blackberries, nectarines at our farmers markets, but none of them are as sweet and fragrant as the ones I ate out in CA.

Ooh! I'll have to try Cotogna for sure. Sounds wonderful.

janis gave a good explanation for why it is cold in SF in the summer. It's a vacuum effect, the hotter is gets inland the further the fog gets sucked into SF and the Bay Area, there can and often is a 40 degree difference between the coast and the interior. Many people, particularly down south talk about the "June gloom"; up here in SF we call that summer!!!

BTW the quote about the coldest summer is misattributed to Twain, he never said it.

<<<BTW the quote about the coldest summer is misattributed to Twain, he never said it.>>>

And I was just going to say "It's a lie!"

Well, with this thread, I have been able to complete my dinner reservations for our upcoming trip. Got reservations for Cotogna and will do the happy hour bar menu at Farallon. Thanks!

And always, I love your TR, yk~

Great report, yk!!

I echo your comment on the fruit and the produce in CA. It is something I miss terribly out here.

We took a dear friend to dinner at Farrallon the last time we were in SF, and while our appetizers were wonderful, the entrees were just so so, and at those prices one expects to be dazzled.

(PS Good plan, Deb. The appetizers, which I would expect to be on the bar menu, were yummy.)

As usual, a most enjoyable report! We like to walk around the town of Sonoma too. There's a good bakery facing the square. There was a good, small kitchen shop that unfortunately closed. The woman in there really knew her gadgets and recommended some that were outstanding. We also had a very good meal in Cotogna on our last trip, but weren't lucky enough to have semifreddo on the menu that day. It sounds like you were disappointed with HMB. Were you? We still haven't gotten there yet.

sf7307--it's the lawyer in me!!!!!

Deb, I'll look for your trip report! Yours are always lovely to read.

CPG, we were initially going to get food from that bakery, but then we went inside the cheese shop (which is huge and sells tons of other foods) and ended up getting a panini there instead.

HMB was okay, I somehow thought the town's main street would be right along the coast but it isn't. Since my mom and I aren't shoppers, the town just didn't hold much interests to us. I think it would have been more enjoyable if the weather were nicer and if we didn't have to drive that far to get there (for us, it was 1-hr there and 1-hr back).

Yummy report, yk. I don't usually read trip reports about food but I loved the title

Thank you.

I'm sort of w/ you. Others may think of it differently . . . But when I say "Half Moon Bay" I mean the San Mateo coast/Pillar Point/the state beach -- not really Half Moon Bay the town.

IMO HMB town isn't the attraction, the bay/beaches/Pt Montara lighthouse/etc are.

HMB town is a very pleasant suburban main street. Not a destination in and of itself.

Great report as usual. We just finished dinner but reading this made me hungry!