Can't wait to hear about the Faberge/Tiffany/Lalique show. I'm planning to go see that in May!

yk-the "Artistic Luxury" show was stunning.
I didn't know about it until another friend mentioned he was going so we went to meet him there. It was really interesting, especially if you like that era. Well worth the extra $10 per person admission.

WHEN WHEN WHEN WHEN WHEN WHEN WHEN....AND where.....

Kristina - one reason that the Sci Academy is crowded inside at 11 am is that it opens an hour earlier on Sundays for members. Did you get to see the 3D film "Bugs" and the planted roof? Both were wonderful.

Your TR is very enjoyable!

mom-Don't know...and don't know. We gotta find those cheap tickets...

Centralparkgirl-Yes, I forgot to mention that there was a separate line for members and even though they were allowed in at 10, there was still a line outside for them when we arrived at 10:30!
No, we did not get to see the Bugs film, but yes, we did make it up to the planted roof top which was very cool.

I am working on the photos for this part of the TR on my website. OMG, this always takes longer than the trip itself!

I am bending to any ticket, any where...Going to Chicago does NOT count as a trip.

Hurry--want to see the dinners at SPQR and A16.

Thanks for posting! We just booked a Memorial Day weekend trip to San Francisco--one of my favorite cities, but it's been almost 10 years since I've been there for fun.

Mom-I'm working on it, but I spent so much time yesterday on the computer, my right arm hurts up to the shoulder. Plus, I need to go garden...

ms_go-We'd not been for over 10 years either. Now I don't know why. We had such a great time I can see myself going back again and again.

Just so my mom doesn't think I'm a slacker, here are the photos from the first half of day 2-
http://www.wired2theworld.com/sanfrancisco2009Day2.html

Hi Kristina!

Great trip report!

The Ferry Building and its foods are just great! Last time I had a panini sandwich with prosciutto and it was just fabulous! There's a stall outside where I get dried fruit and just can't get enough of it to last till the next time, so trips to the Ferry Building are more often than necessary!

For other visitors: the outside produce market is held every Tuesday and Saturday.

http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace....ers_market.php

The inside stores are open all week long.

This week I was in LA where there's a wonderful variety of places to eat also.

Please continue! Looking forward to more of your trip report!

yk: Look for email coming your way soon!

For other visitors: the outside produce market is held every Tuesday and Saturday.

Just be aware that the Saturday outdoor market is MUCH bigger than the Tuesday market. The Saturday market is all along the front, sides and back of the Ferry Bldg., the Tuesday market is just along the front.

sf7307-Do you know if the Rotisserie guy is there on Tuesdays?

After leaving the museum, we take the bus back to market street where there is a huge line waiting to get back on the cable car. We decide to take a bus instead and start walking. But the street we're on is one way, opposite to the way we want to go. In the end, we just keep walking and end up walking back to the hotel, all the way through Chinatown and Little Italy.

Along the way in Little Italy, D makes us stop at every wine shop and liquor store we can find. He's looking for Amaro Lucano, a digestif we discovered last year in Rome and have been unable to find in the US. I even searched using my restaurant vendor contacts to no avail. Again, we are unlucky, most shop owners not selling any amaro, or even knowing what it is. However, we do discover a great gelato shop called Naia, where they make their gelato and sorbet fresh daily. It's on Columbus, about a block from Washington Square. Because we are so close, we also walk over to check out Liguria Bakery, well known for its foccacia. Of course, they are closed, but we now know where to go when we return tomorrow.

We finally make it back to the hotel and take a bit of a rest. Our plan for the evening is to go to SPQR which does not take reservations. It's over on Fillmore St. which is two bus rides from the hotel for us. But we're fortunate, and don't have to wait long for either one.

When we exit the bus, there's a liquor store across the street called D&M Wine and Liquor. I ask D if he wants to go across the street and check for the Lucano. I say, "it will only take 30 seconds because they won't have it anyway." We walk in and D says, "I'm looking for this really rare liquor called Amaro Lucano..." The owner says, "your search is over my friend!".
Hallelujah!
We buy 2 bottles, one for us, one for our friend T. who will be joining us tomorrow and who also fell in love with Lucano when we were all in Rome together.

D is elated and I'm just relieved we can stop looking in every Liquor store we pass.

Can't wait to hear your review of SPQR (I hope you like brussels sprouts and had them!).

Roli Roti has a website .... here's their calendar.

http://www.roliroti.com/locations_new.html

SPQR

We walk down the street a couple of blocks to SPQR (http://www.spqrsf.com ). The restaurant is full, but the host tells us there are two seats at the "chef's counter" in the back and asks if we'd like to sit there. Would we? Of course!

The restaurant is a narrow space, filled with small tables, close together. There is a short bar in the middle with seating and another bar along the kitchen's hot line near the back which is where we sit. It's dimly lit where we're sitting, so I'm not really able to take photos.

Our server is a wonderful woman named Natasha whose passion and knowledge of the food and wine absolutely enhances our meal. We tell her our story about finding the Lucano and amazingly, she is familiar with it and excited to learn where she could buy a bottle. Again, no bottled water is offered, just a nice looking small carafe placed on the bar. This is something I notice in every restaurant in San Francisco and I wish we would follow the trend in Los Angeles.

Natasha walks us through the wines by the glass list which is lengthy and 100% Italian. I'm shocked that I only recognize a few of the wine producers; there are a lot of unusual selections. Almost everything is offered in s 3oz taste, full glass and 375ml carafe. D opts to start with the Ferrari Brut Rose and I get the Calabrian Wine Flight which is 4 2oz pours, 2 white, 2 red for $15. D later gets a glass of Campanian red to go with the rest of his meal.

The menu is small, but packed with interesting choices. It's set up with an "Antipasti" page divided into three sections (Cold, Hot, and Fried). All choices are $8 each or 3 for $21. We chose one from each section; Tuna conserva with puntarelle, garlic, anchovy and mojama (cold), Jones Farm Rabbit with carrots, frisee, mustard and pancetta (hot), and Brussels Sprouts with garlic, parsley, capers and lemon (fried). They were all good, but the rabbit salad was my favorite. In general, I don't like brussels sprouts, but cooked this way, crispy with a ton of fried garlic and lemon, what's not to love? I'd even order them again.

Every month, the menu celebrates the food of a different region of Italy. This month was Calabria, as evidenced by my wine flight and the rabbit dish. All of the pastas are made in house so we each order one. I have the Amatriciana and D orders the Carbonara. My pasta is very good, but D's dish is the star of the night. It could not have been more perfect.

While waiting for our dishes to arrive, sitting at the the chef's bar gives us the opportunity to watch the cooks in action. There's the sous chef, standing on the outside of the line calling the orders and pick-ups. There's the young woman working the fryer and cold plates. There are two guys cooking the pastas and hot dishes and everyone is sharing a space about 8 feet long. I am impressed by how calm and organized they all are given how busy the restaurant is. There's no shouting, no missed orders, only one extra plate made by mistake. One of the guys is also training a newbie; the young kid is hesitant and unsure, but the trainer is patient. I'm also surprised they are all dressed in street clothes; t-shirts, jeans, lots of tattoos and a white apron seem to be the standard uniform. But the food coming out of the little space is impressive.

For dessert, D orders a little grapefruit sorbet and we call it a night. Dinner for two (apps, pastas, wines, sorbet) including tax and tip is $120. We take the bus back toward the hotel and four loud teenagers get on, obviously drunk. The bus driver goes about two blocks and then pulls over and kicks them off the bus. The passengers applaud. Our second bus is not running so we have to walk about 10 blocks back to the hotel.

Next; Day 3-Alcatraz, Hog Island Oysters and A-16.

sf7307-thanks for the link! That's good to know.

Photos from SPQR now up on my blog:
http://formerchef.com/2009/04/11/din...room-and-spqr/

Hey, thanks for sharing your websites. Great photos and I see you're a very seasoned traveller!

111op- Thanks!

The rest of the photos for day 2 are now online:
http://www.wired2theworld.com/sanfrancisco2009Day2.html

Kristina - My mom and I went back to the Ferry Building/Farmers Market on Tuesday morning looking for the Rotisserie truck (since she was so disappointed that she missed it on Sat). The truck was not there in the morning - however we didn't stay for too long, so I can't say if the truck comes later in the day...

yk- it looks like they are only there on Saturdays (see the link for their site above).

I promise to continue writing soon. I had to take a break yesterday to work in my garden and cook Easter Dinner. Today I'm back at work (sigh).