Fun week in San Francisco, Carmel and Big Sur
Nov 1st, 2011, 05:45 AM
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Fun week in San Francisco, Carmel and Big Sur
Trip Report (long!): San Francisco, Carmel, Big Sur October, 2011
Posted on Fodor’s Forum
Day 1: Woke up early for a flight with a tight connection through Atlanta. I was a little worried because it was raining when I left home, but miraculously, Delta was right on schedule and even got us to SFO a few minutes early. We found our way (quite a hike) to the BART station in the International Terminal, figured out how to purchase the train fare, and soon we were on our way to the hotel. Tip: when buying your train fare you can adjust the amount up and down by hitting the “Add or Deduct” button repeatedly. Anyway, soon we were getting off at the Powell Station, and from there it was about a 7 minute walk to Hotel Nikko. We were so proud of ourselves for using public transportation! (You have to understand that we do not live in a big city so buses, trains and subways are intimidating to us simply because we are not accustomed to getting around that way—thanks to fellow Fodorites for providing the information needed to give us the confidence to try it!). I think we were in SF during their hottest week of the year, cause I’m from the south and I was HOT! Once we got checked in at the lovely Hotel Nikko and upgraded to one of the Imperial floors, it was off to the pool for a refreshing swim. I would highly recommend the upgrade; only an extra $50/night and it included concierge level breakfast and a nice little happy hour, access to the pool and exercise facility, along with some coupons for the really nice breakfast downstairs. It was great to get up in the morning and just go down the hall in our very lux Nikko robes, get some coffee and a Danish, then finish getting ready. Also great in the afternoons after tromping the streets all day to come back for a swim, put on a robe, and go down the hall for a glass of wine and some tasty snacks. We took full advantage of that happy hour! For our first night in town we had an 8:45 reservation at The Slanted Door. We decided to stop by the Cable Car stand in Union Square where we purchased a 3-day Muni pass, something else I would highly recommend. When you buy it they will explain how it works. We took MUNI to the Embarcadero stop then walked to the Ferry Building. It was such a beautiful night! There was a full moon and the lights twinkling on the bridge, the water lapping against the boats, and the sound of a saxophone playing somewhere in the distance made for a very romantic ambiance. We were a little early, so the hostess pointed out the bar and we were lucky enough to snag a spot on one of the low, black sofas at one of the cypress coffee tables. It was very comfy and a great place to watch the beauties and the stud muffins working the bar scene. The wine was soon flowing and we just had to have the eggrolls as an appetizer…soooo yummy! For an entrée’ I had the seared scallops, large and perfectly cooked, served with some spinach and a spicy pineapple/coconut sauce. DH had the appetizer barbecued Willis Ranch pork spareribs with honey-hoisin sauce and a side of the Chue Farm Japanese eggplant with coconut milk and roasted chili paste. Everything was perfectly prepared and the wine recommendations were spot on with the food…something German, but I can’t remember the name. German wine with Asian food…who knew??? We were too stuffed for dessert, but a table of ladies next to us was sharing a big twirl of cotton candy. Yes, cotton candy for dessert at a fancy restaurant! I was gawking so much they offered me some, which I gladly sampled!
Day 2: Today I experienced “The City”! My UrbanTrek tour met outside the Visitor’s Center at 9:30, so while DH went to his meetings I went out to play. Tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Anton, our tour guide, introduced everyone (only 5 of us), and then we were off to the MUNI station. While I already had my 3 day pass, everyone else had to learn how to use the machines to get their tickets, and Anton explained a lot about how to use the public transportation system. It was great to do this tour on the first full day in the city, because we all learned so much, and soon we were zipping around all over town! He was very knowledgeable about the history of all of the different neighborhoods. First we went to the Ferry Building (a little repetitive for me since I had been there the night before—but it was fun to walk around when all the shops were open). Here is a link where you can see all the places we visited…http://www.urbantrekusa.com/Urban_Treks___Rates.html or just google “UrbanTrek San Francisco”. My favorite neighborhood was Pacific Heights. I could totally live there if I had a jillion dollars. I could be Danielle Steel’s neighbor! We could do lunch! Speaking of lunch…we were in the Misison District, (I think) where Anton pointed out some of the better restaurants in the neighborhood. We had the option of splitting up and meeting back at a designated spot after lunch. One of the ladies in the group was a professor visiting from Australia. She and I decided to check out Delfina.. a cute little trattoria with wood-fired pizzas, a tiny wine bar, and some good pastas and salads. I had a delicious pizza and a perfectly chilled glass of wine, which really hit the spot and kept me in the mood to explore more neighborhoods. Later that afternoon we enjoyed some refreshing gelato at an outdoor table in North Beach before taking the bus (apparently not air-conditioned) back to Union Square. It was a fun, educational, and stress free way to explore San Francisco. Kudos to Anton for a job well done! By the time I got back to the hotel I was ready to chill, literally, so it was back to the pool and you guessed it, happy hour! That evening we had an 8:00 reservation at Incanto,a popular restaurant where Chef Chris Cosentino is “big on pig” and practices the snout to tail philosophy, using bits of the pig, or offal, leaving nothing to waste. Using our Muni passes to take the J-Church line to the Noe Valley neighborhood we passed through the Castro area, which was interesting, and then found ourselves in what felt like kind of a safe, but still very urban, yuppie sort of neighborhood. Arriving a little too early for dinner we decided to do a walk about the neighborhood. Spotting a bookstore I headed in that direction. Omnivore is a delightful, tiny little bookstore that only carries books related to food. After picking up a couple of things I spotted an old copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking sitting on a shelf behind the cash register. Since I just loved the book and the movie, Julie and Julia, and thinking this would be a fun souvenir, I had to inquire how much it cost. Are you ready for this? $600! And it was signed by both Paul and Julia Child! Unfortunately that was a little out of my price range for a cookbook, so back on the shelf it went to await its destiny in someone else’s collection. Onward…we stopped in a fun little pet supply store, a neat cheese shop with a friendly young man who let us sample a few things, and finally popped into Fresca, a Peruvian spot where the bartender makes a great mojito. Finally…to Incanto! We started with the vinegar-braised pork (just OK), and a couple of glasses of Verdiccio. I had read that the Handkerchief Pasta w/Pork Ragu was good, so I had that and loved it. The real star of this dinner was my husband’s Pappardelle & Beef, finished with crème fraiche. OMG! Without a doubt the best pasta dish I have ever tasted. With our entrée’s we tried a glass of the Tancredi 07 Donnfugata, a Sicilian wine. A little heavy on the tannin for me, but my somewhat Sicilian hubby loved it. For dessert we had the Fig Leaf Panna Cotta, again to die for, and the Fig Tart and Hazelnuts with ice cream, also very good. This was by far our favorite dinner of the week! (a footnote to that on the last night of the trip…keep reading).
Day 3: I only had half a day to myself, so I headed out to Golden Gate Park for the free library tour of the Japanese Tea Garden. The guide was a wonderful, bubbly little lady named Karen. She did a great job explaining the significance of how the garden was designed and the history. As we were walking along the “avenue of maples” we became aware of a Peregrine Falcon just sitting on a branch, not very far above our heads. Of course we were all very excited to spot this beautiful animal right there in the garden, but our delight soon turned to horror when we realized the reason he was just sitting there not moving. This poor creature had a large nail, probably from an air-gun type machine, going right through his face, just below the beak. He was obviously in need of help, so our tour helped clear everyone out of the area and the guide called animal control to come rescue him. I don’t know what happened after we continued on the tour, but I sure hope he was rescued in time to save his life. Needless to say, this drama seemed to leave everyone feeling a little sad. By the afternoon DH was finished with his meeting and free to join me for an adventure. I had signed us both up for a Taste the City tour, so we headed to North Beach to meet our guide for a walking/noshing tour of the Italian part of the city. I will spare you the details, you can find them on their website. I was expecting a much better experience. Basically, we just walked around and the guide handed out food. Bread at one place, fudge at another. The coffee roasting stop was good, but the rest of it was a lot of standing around waiting for a taste of pretty mediocre food. I would not recommend, especially for the cost of about $60 per person. By the time we sampled bread, bread, fudge, and more bread, we waited for a late dinner at Perbacco. It was OK, but nothing to rave about. I can get as good or better at home.
Day 4,5,: A beautiful Saturday morning! We were up early for a good breakfast, then down to pick up our rental car from the Enterprise located right there in Hotel Nikko. Armed with our Garmin we set out for Carmel. Along the way we stopped to check out Asilomar (for future reference) and we just randomly came upon a memorial at the site of John Denver’s place crash. As a teen I was a huge fan, and coming upon this site really was very poignant for me. I wanted to take some flowers to place on the memorial, but never got around to it, which I kind of regret.
As this report is getting long I will just say that we loved the little town of Carmel, our hotel (TradeWinds), and Casanova for dinner. The Porsche Club of America was having an event in Carmel that day, so it was fun to see all the beautiful cars parked all about the town. DH almost bought one, for goodness sake, I had to talk him out of it! Big sigh. Last time he had a Porsche he almost killed himself, but I digress. We spent the next few days driving the coast, picnicking, practically soaking ourselves in wine, taking pictures, hiking and just enjoying some much needed R&R (and arguing over the Porsche!). The drive to Big Sur and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park was totally worth it. Loved the walk to where you can view McWay Falls. When we were there someone had drawn a heart in the sand with rose petals and written “JC will you marry me”! What a romantic proposal! Stopped for lunch at Nempthe and had the famous Ambrosia Burger, which was indeed a very good burger. On Sunday evening we went to Mass at the San Carlos Borromeo Mission and Basilica. Afterwards it was just down the road to Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch for drinks and then into Pacific Grove for dinner at Passionfish. Very fresh and tasty seafood, but again, nothing I couldn’t get at home.
Day 6 and 7: Drove back along the 17 mile scenic drive. What do those people DO that live in those houses??? Got back to SF and checked into our hotel near the airport (a freebie from Marriott points). After dropping off our bags and a quick shower we headed back to Incanto for one last amazing dinner. At least that was our hope! Alas, DH had enjoyed the Paperdalle so much on night #2 that he just ordered “the paperdalle” without actually reading the menu. BIG mistake. It was not the same dish at all. This time no meat what-so-ever, but it did have Douglas Fir. And it tasted just like you would imagine a tree would taste. Bleh! I don’t even remember what I had but it was nothing special. Such a disappointing end to our trip. From there we sadly drove back to Hotel Nikko, dropped off the rental car, then took BART to the end of the line and walked 2 blocks to the airport hotel. Let me just say, after all the nice hotels and restaurants, the Fairfield Inn left a lot to be desired. Won’t do that one again. But, we will be back in San Francisco next October and already I can’t wait to start planning our return to one of my favorite cities in the world! Next year I think we will go to Sonoma after the meeting…hmmm, lots to think about! Thanks to all the folks on Fodor’s who responded to my many questions with kindness and patience, except that one guy who said “you sure do plan to eat a lot”. Well, yes I did, and it sure was good. Except for that Douglas fir. Happy travels!
Posted on Fodor’s Forum
Day 1: Woke up early for a flight with a tight connection through Atlanta. I was a little worried because it was raining when I left home, but miraculously, Delta was right on schedule and even got us to SFO a few minutes early. We found our way (quite a hike) to the BART station in the International Terminal, figured out how to purchase the train fare, and soon we were on our way to the hotel. Tip: when buying your train fare you can adjust the amount up and down by hitting the “Add or Deduct” button repeatedly. Anyway, soon we were getting off at the Powell Station, and from there it was about a 7 minute walk to Hotel Nikko. We were so proud of ourselves for using public transportation! (You have to understand that we do not live in a big city so buses, trains and subways are intimidating to us simply because we are not accustomed to getting around that way—thanks to fellow Fodorites for providing the information needed to give us the confidence to try it!). I think we were in SF during their hottest week of the year, cause I’m from the south and I was HOT! Once we got checked in at the lovely Hotel Nikko and upgraded to one of the Imperial floors, it was off to the pool for a refreshing swim. I would highly recommend the upgrade; only an extra $50/night and it included concierge level breakfast and a nice little happy hour, access to the pool and exercise facility, along with some coupons for the really nice breakfast downstairs. It was great to get up in the morning and just go down the hall in our very lux Nikko robes, get some coffee and a Danish, then finish getting ready. Also great in the afternoons after tromping the streets all day to come back for a swim, put on a robe, and go down the hall for a glass of wine and some tasty snacks. We took full advantage of that happy hour! For our first night in town we had an 8:45 reservation at The Slanted Door. We decided to stop by the Cable Car stand in Union Square where we purchased a 3-day Muni pass, something else I would highly recommend. When you buy it they will explain how it works. We took MUNI to the Embarcadero stop then walked to the Ferry Building. It was such a beautiful night! There was a full moon and the lights twinkling on the bridge, the water lapping against the boats, and the sound of a saxophone playing somewhere in the distance made for a very romantic ambiance. We were a little early, so the hostess pointed out the bar and we were lucky enough to snag a spot on one of the low, black sofas at one of the cypress coffee tables. It was very comfy and a great place to watch the beauties and the stud muffins working the bar scene. The wine was soon flowing and we just had to have the eggrolls as an appetizer…soooo yummy! For an entrée’ I had the seared scallops, large and perfectly cooked, served with some spinach and a spicy pineapple/coconut sauce. DH had the appetizer barbecued Willis Ranch pork spareribs with honey-hoisin sauce and a side of the Chue Farm Japanese eggplant with coconut milk and roasted chili paste. Everything was perfectly prepared and the wine recommendations were spot on with the food…something German, but I can’t remember the name. German wine with Asian food…who knew??? We were too stuffed for dessert, but a table of ladies next to us was sharing a big twirl of cotton candy. Yes, cotton candy for dessert at a fancy restaurant! I was gawking so much they offered me some, which I gladly sampled!
Day 2: Today I experienced “The City”! My UrbanTrek tour met outside the Visitor’s Center at 9:30, so while DH went to his meetings I went out to play. Tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Anton, our tour guide, introduced everyone (only 5 of us), and then we were off to the MUNI station. While I already had my 3 day pass, everyone else had to learn how to use the machines to get their tickets, and Anton explained a lot about how to use the public transportation system. It was great to do this tour on the first full day in the city, because we all learned so much, and soon we were zipping around all over town! He was very knowledgeable about the history of all of the different neighborhoods. First we went to the Ferry Building (a little repetitive for me since I had been there the night before—but it was fun to walk around when all the shops were open). Here is a link where you can see all the places we visited…http://www.urbantrekusa.com/Urban_Treks___Rates.html or just google “UrbanTrek San Francisco”. My favorite neighborhood was Pacific Heights. I could totally live there if I had a jillion dollars. I could be Danielle Steel’s neighbor! We could do lunch! Speaking of lunch…we were in the Misison District, (I think) where Anton pointed out some of the better restaurants in the neighborhood. We had the option of splitting up and meeting back at a designated spot after lunch. One of the ladies in the group was a professor visiting from Australia. She and I decided to check out Delfina.. a cute little trattoria with wood-fired pizzas, a tiny wine bar, and some good pastas and salads. I had a delicious pizza and a perfectly chilled glass of wine, which really hit the spot and kept me in the mood to explore more neighborhoods. Later that afternoon we enjoyed some refreshing gelato at an outdoor table in North Beach before taking the bus (apparently not air-conditioned) back to Union Square. It was a fun, educational, and stress free way to explore San Francisco. Kudos to Anton for a job well done! By the time I got back to the hotel I was ready to chill, literally, so it was back to the pool and you guessed it, happy hour! That evening we had an 8:00 reservation at Incanto,a popular restaurant where Chef Chris Cosentino is “big on pig” and practices the snout to tail philosophy, using bits of the pig, or offal, leaving nothing to waste. Using our Muni passes to take the J-Church line to the Noe Valley neighborhood we passed through the Castro area, which was interesting, and then found ourselves in what felt like kind of a safe, but still very urban, yuppie sort of neighborhood. Arriving a little too early for dinner we decided to do a walk about the neighborhood. Spotting a bookstore I headed in that direction. Omnivore is a delightful, tiny little bookstore that only carries books related to food. After picking up a couple of things I spotted an old copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking sitting on a shelf behind the cash register. Since I just loved the book and the movie, Julie and Julia, and thinking this would be a fun souvenir, I had to inquire how much it cost. Are you ready for this? $600! And it was signed by both Paul and Julia Child! Unfortunately that was a little out of my price range for a cookbook, so back on the shelf it went to await its destiny in someone else’s collection. Onward…we stopped in a fun little pet supply store, a neat cheese shop with a friendly young man who let us sample a few things, and finally popped into Fresca, a Peruvian spot where the bartender makes a great mojito. Finally…to Incanto! We started with the vinegar-braised pork (just OK), and a couple of glasses of Verdiccio. I had read that the Handkerchief Pasta w/Pork Ragu was good, so I had that and loved it. The real star of this dinner was my husband’s Pappardelle & Beef, finished with crème fraiche. OMG! Without a doubt the best pasta dish I have ever tasted. With our entrée’s we tried a glass of the Tancredi 07 Donnfugata, a Sicilian wine. A little heavy on the tannin for me, but my somewhat Sicilian hubby loved it. For dessert we had the Fig Leaf Panna Cotta, again to die for, and the Fig Tart and Hazelnuts with ice cream, also very good. This was by far our favorite dinner of the week! (a footnote to that on the last night of the trip…keep reading).
Day 3: I only had half a day to myself, so I headed out to Golden Gate Park for the free library tour of the Japanese Tea Garden. The guide was a wonderful, bubbly little lady named Karen. She did a great job explaining the significance of how the garden was designed and the history. As we were walking along the “avenue of maples” we became aware of a Peregrine Falcon just sitting on a branch, not very far above our heads. Of course we were all very excited to spot this beautiful animal right there in the garden, but our delight soon turned to horror when we realized the reason he was just sitting there not moving. This poor creature had a large nail, probably from an air-gun type machine, going right through his face, just below the beak. He was obviously in need of help, so our tour helped clear everyone out of the area and the guide called animal control to come rescue him. I don’t know what happened after we continued on the tour, but I sure hope he was rescued in time to save his life. Needless to say, this drama seemed to leave everyone feeling a little sad. By the afternoon DH was finished with his meeting and free to join me for an adventure. I had signed us both up for a Taste the City tour, so we headed to North Beach to meet our guide for a walking/noshing tour of the Italian part of the city. I will spare you the details, you can find them on their website. I was expecting a much better experience. Basically, we just walked around and the guide handed out food. Bread at one place, fudge at another. The coffee roasting stop was good, but the rest of it was a lot of standing around waiting for a taste of pretty mediocre food. I would not recommend, especially for the cost of about $60 per person. By the time we sampled bread, bread, fudge, and more bread, we waited for a late dinner at Perbacco. It was OK, but nothing to rave about. I can get as good or better at home.
Day 4,5,: A beautiful Saturday morning! We were up early for a good breakfast, then down to pick up our rental car from the Enterprise located right there in Hotel Nikko. Armed with our Garmin we set out for Carmel. Along the way we stopped to check out Asilomar (for future reference) and we just randomly came upon a memorial at the site of John Denver’s place crash. As a teen I was a huge fan, and coming upon this site really was very poignant for me. I wanted to take some flowers to place on the memorial, but never got around to it, which I kind of regret.
As this report is getting long I will just say that we loved the little town of Carmel, our hotel (TradeWinds), and Casanova for dinner. The Porsche Club of America was having an event in Carmel that day, so it was fun to see all the beautiful cars parked all about the town. DH almost bought one, for goodness sake, I had to talk him out of it! Big sigh. Last time he had a Porsche he almost killed himself, but I digress. We spent the next few days driving the coast, picnicking, practically soaking ourselves in wine, taking pictures, hiking and just enjoying some much needed R&R (and arguing over the Porsche!). The drive to Big Sur and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park was totally worth it. Loved the walk to where you can view McWay Falls. When we were there someone had drawn a heart in the sand with rose petals and written “JC will you marry me”! What a romantic proposal! Stopped for lunch at Nempthe and had the famous Ambrosia Burger, which was indeed a very good burger. On Sunday evening we went to Mass at the San Carlos Borromeo Mission and Basilica. Afterwards it was just down the road to Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch for drinks and then into Pacific Grove for dinner at Passionfish. Very fresh and tasty seafood, but again, nothing I couldn’t get at home.
Day 6 and 7: Drove back along the 17 mile scenic drive. What do those people DO that live in those houses??? Got back to SF and checked into our hotel near the airport (a freebie from Marriott points). After dropping off our bags and a quick shower we headed back to Incanto for one last amazing dinner. At least that was our hope! Alas, DH had enjoyed the Paperdalle so much on night #2 that he just ordered “the paperdalle” without actually reading the menu. BIG mistake. It was not the same dish at all. This time no meat what-so-ever, but it did have Douglas Fir. And it tasted just like you would imagine a tree would taste. Bleh! I don’t even remember what I had but it was nothing special. Such a disappointing end to our trip. From there we sadly drove back to Hotel Nikko, dropped off the rental car, then took BART to the end of the line and walked 2 blocks to the airport hotel. Let me just say, after all the nice hotels and restaurants, the Fairfield Inn left a lot to be desired. Won’t do that one again. But, we will be back in San Francisco next October and already I can’t wait to start planning our return to one of my favorite cities in the world! Next year I think we will go to Sonoma after the meeting…hmmm, lots to think about! Thanks to all the folks on Fodor’s who responded to my many questions with kindness and patience, except that one guy who said “you sure do plan to eat a lot”. Well, yes I did, and it sure was good. Except for that Douglas fir. Happy travels!
Nov 1st, 2011, 09:25 AM
#5
Nice report. Here is a link to info on the hawk with the nail. Appears to be doing well:
http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-10-2...-rats-nail-gun
Sorry you weren't impressed with Perbacco. We loved it for both the food and service.
http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-10-2...-rats-nail-gun
Sorry you weren't impressed with Perbacco. We loved it for both the food and service.
Nov 1st, 2011, 10:31 AM
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MichelleY, thank you for the link to the story about the hawk. Poor thing, it must have been starving. I'm so glad they were able to resuce him.
Toncasmo, I think TradeWinds would be a fine place to stay with your pup. I was missing mine when I saw how dog friendly the shops are in Carmel. We were in a room (#7) that was on the top floor and I think it was one of their nicer rooms. I didn't notice anyone taking their pet out, so don't know if they have a designated "doggie zone". One place you might want to check out is Doris Day's Cypress Inn. They are known for being especially dog friendly.
SF7307....Birmingham, AL. Yep, that's right! We have wonderful restaurants here too. If you are ever in the area be sure to check out Frank Stitt's Highlands Bar & Grill for great, fresh seafood flown in every day, and Gian Marco's for some of the best Italian I've had this side of Roma! And thanks to you in particular for all the advise you have given on my past couple of trips to SF.
Toncasmo, I think TradeWinds would be a fine place to stay with your pup. I was missing mine when I saw how dog friendly the shops are in Carmel. We were in a room (#7) that was on the top floor and I think it was one of their nicer rooms. I didn't notice anyone taking their pet out, so don't know if they have a designated "doggie zone". One place you might want to check out is Doris Day's Cypress Inn. They are known for being especially dog friendly.
SF7307....Birmingham, AL. Yep, that's right! We have wonderful restaurants here too. If you are ever in the area be sure to check out Frank Stitt's Highlands Bar & Grill for great, fresh seafood flown in every day, and Gian Marco's for some of the best Italian I've had this side of Roma! And thanks to you in particular for all the advise you have given on my past couple of trips to SF.
Nov 1st, 2011, 12:50 PM
#9
Thanks for the great trip report.
The only dish I know of that comes with Douglas Fir is a plank roasted whole salmon. You eat the fish but none of the wood.
Are either of you on a high fiber diet?
The only dish I know of that comes with Douglas Fir is a plank roasted whole salmon. You eat the fish but none of the wood.
Are either of you on a high fiber diet?
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