Saying Goodbye (Temporarily) to San Francisco.

We lived here for almost 20 years. We have roots: family, dear friends, favorite places, favorite dishes. So saying a temporary farewell to all of that in a mere ten days hasn't been easy. We started at Peter's sister's house, where we ate and drank and talked and laughed for many pleasant hours. Catherine and her husband David cooked us several excellent meals. While they were working Ophelia lunched with several of her girl friends and I revisited favorite SF haunts.

Though O. and I have been lucky enough to have dined at many of the the world's best restaurants, we find that the dishes that call us back again and again are usually simple, flavorful peasant fare. For me, no trip to SF is complete without a visit to Brandy Ho's in Chinatown for their smoked ham with whole cloves of garlic. I love Hunan food and Brandy does it very well. They smoke their on ham--very smoky, but the texture and flavor of the pork comes through, then flash-fry it at extremely high heat with whole cloves of garlic, chunks of still-crisp onion, bamboo shoots, green onion, and plenty of red pepper. Oh, I have missed it so.

Other longed-for tastes that I was able to revisit this trip include: lightly breaded eggplant sandwich on the world's best focaccia at Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe in North Beach, the curry chicken over rice lunch special at Hunan Taste in San Jose, and the juicy, flavorful cheeseburger studded with onions on crusty sourdough at Original Joe's in Westlake where we spent a convivial evening with our friends Doug and Amy and Amy's dog, Roxie. Original Joe's is a wonderful throwback to the fifties--waiter and busboys in tuxedoes, old-school cocktails in individual shakers, tuck-and-roll naugahyde, and formica throughout. Always jammed, never-changing.

Roxie is an exceptionally well-behaved poodle. Amy carried her into the restaurant in a mesh gym bag, which Roxie entered without complaint. Not a peep from the dog during the entire meal! She was just happy to be with us.

Next, we stayed with our dear friends Aston and Eileen. More drinking and eating and laughing. They are originally from Bombay and they cooked us several deleriously delicious Indian meals of what seemed like at least ten courses each. Bertha, Eileen's mother, lives with them and does much of the cooking. By the time we left, we had probably gained several pounds.

We also visited our friends Beth and Howard at their beautiful flat near the Presidio. After a refreshing lunch, we walked to Baker's Beach and into the second sandstorm of our trip. The wind was fierce, and had sand in our hair and teeth within a few seconds, but the views of the white-capped sea, the mist-veiled Marin headlands, and the Golden Gate Bridge were worth it. On the way back from the beach, O. slipped and fell. Didn't seem like much at the time, but the next day her shoulder was very sore and we couldn't figure out why until Eileen reminded us of the fall. Duh.


Before the Fall. O. and Beth enjoy a sandy stroll. WARNING: Seriously annoying wind noise. Adjust your settings before playing.

Our last night in the Bay Area we spent with our friends Steve and Michele. They just got back from three weeks in China where they had attended a cooking school. Check out their blog about their trip here. What a Chinese feast they cooked for us! The next day they took us to their favorite Shanghai dumpling place for XLBs. It was our first tasting of these lovely little treats, which have recently attained cult status among lovers of Chinese cuisine. Check out this link for details.
After lunch, we visited Oliveto's in Oakland to buy various salamis and cheeses so that we could picnic the following day on the long drive to Boise. And then we pointed the GPS system for Redding and headed north.

Thanks to all those who offered us such lovely hospitality and companionship on our (Temporary) Farewell Tour. We love you all very much and will miss you fiercely in the months ahead.