San Francisco Fare

When visiting my sister and brother-in-law in San Francisco, I know that good food will be plentiful. And so on my recent four day trip, the challenge was not figuring out where to eat but at which places we wanted to eat less than others. Needless to say, with the exception of one Indonesian eatery, all meals were amazing. I've selected a few to share with you below.

Chez Panisse

Downstairs kitchen

Opened by Alice Waters and partners in 1971 and a multiple-time Michelin Star award winner, Chez Panisse is often credited with pioneering "California cuisine." For all 40 years, the restaurant has been committed to organic and locally grown food with menus featuring ingredients appropriate to the season and dedicated to nearby suppliers with ecologically sound principles.

Our menu on Saturday:

Cannard Farm leek and cauliflower with sauce gribiche and prosciutto

Spot prawns and Dungeness crab ragout with fennel and spinach

Grilled Liberty duck breast with picholine olives, chicory salad with orange vinaigrette, and green asparagus pudding

Cara Cara orange sherbet with rose gelee and almond cake

(Chez Panisse)

Fish.

Crab Roll (Dungeness crab served atop a toasted Panorama Fish roll with organic butter and chives. Served with shoestring fries.)

Located along the water in Sausalito, Fish. is dedicated to sustainable (and absolutely delicious) seafood. The species carried at Fish. come from not only healthy fisheries but they are also caught with the strictest standards that do not deplete resources. You pay a price for responsibility, but being able to make the right choices while enjoying fresh seafood is definitely worth it.

(Fish.)

Tartine Bakery

Smoked ham open face sandwich with bechamel, gruyere, thyme, and pepper

Bread pudding

Again devoted to local suppliers and organic ingredients, Tartine Bakery is surely one of the best bakeries in the United States. Always crowded and famous for its bread, the smoked ham quiche was deliciously buttery, the open faced sandwich's bread was phenomenal as was the pickled carrot on the side, and the bread pudding was rich and sublime.

(Tartine Bakery)

*All pictures were taken by my iPhone camera, explaining the inconsistent focus.