@jshain yeah my kid loves all the places on Durant and inside the Asian Ghetto. Yep, House of Curries is one of them, along with Gypsy’s, Top Dog, etc. I think none of the places there would be mistaken for gourmet places in my opinion, but good food and very reasonably priced which is the big attraction to the college kids. Zachary’s as a “Chicago” place insults the intelligence of this Chicagoan, but the pizza is decent if you ignore the Chicago part. I’ll have to try out Angeline’s soon, pass by it all the time. I’ll also have to try out Chez Panisse, been on my list for a while.
I saw Durant and curries and briefly thought we discussing a local Bay Area basketball team.
Haha nothing like seeing my Cousins eating Green Curry in a Klaypot on Durant Ave.
“…the plum blossoms and cherry blossoms in the area are starting to bloom. So next week is a good time to come, since they all should be out (the plum blossom tree in front of my house is about to bloom any day now)”
Our cherry blossoms look great too. But unfortunately all those blossoms will be on the ground by Tuesday and washed away by Wednesday, if the current weather forecast holds. Bring rain gear, because more of the same is forecast for next weekend!
We reserved Chez Panisse with our S just once during his 4-year stint at Cal and he didn’t like what was on the menu and we had to cancel. We ate UPSTAIRS after that. I liked Saul’s Deli but ate there shortly after returning from a trip to Ann Arbor where I had eaten an extra lean Reuben sandwich at Zingerman’s Deli. That was about as good a Reuben as I’ve ever had. Now, I almost wish I hadn’t experienced Zingerman’s. My Top Dog experiences were many, but always eaten at his frat house. They (KA) would use Top Dog for all their socials when parents were invited.
I miss his college days but fortunately he lives and works in SF so we still get together fairly regularly.
Edit: Our D was in the same HS graduating class as Klay Thompson.
I absolutely love the upstairs cafe at Chez Panisse. In my opinion it is worth all the hype…
Speaking of Top Dog – my best friend had them cater their rehearsal dinner for their wedding lol. Obviously it was quite casual.
Brown Sugar Kitchen S.F. update:
I received an email reply stating their “counter only” hours are from 8 AM to 2 PM Tues through Sunday.
Rain in the Bay Area now. Hopefully no flight delays.
My best Zachary’s pizza story - my oldest kid was born at Alta Bates (Berkeley) by induction. After one day on pitocin with no progress (and no food) they turned the pitocin off and let me eat. Hubby brought me Zachary’s. Daughter was born late the next night.
And my Chez Panisse experience is that’s where hubby and I went after passing our quals. We were poor grad students and that was really the first blowout meal we had.
Well it looks like we will NOT be getting rain Thursday through a Sunday 3/6 to 3/10. Hopefully you were (or are) able to get your Alcatraz tickets for then— a must-see!
Enjoy your trip!
Which is better, @jshain, the daytime or nighttime Alcatraz tour (if you had to pick only one)?
I think it’s going to rain today in SF, according to the forecast. I’m doubly sure of this because I have to go see my probate lawyer today and every time I go it’s always raining. Hopefully it won’t be heavy rain. In a weird way it might be better that it is forecasted to rain - it keeps the crowds down at the tourist spots.
I’ll update when we return but am stopping in to say San Francisco is really cool- a beautiful city. We are in Napa at a vineyard now and it’s an equally beautiful country experience.
jym626, I’ve never been to Alcatraz at night. I was there just before Thanksgiving with my wife’s cousin from Ireland. (Wife was home watching MIL.) Afterward, I took her to Fog City Diner for lunch. She said Alcatraz was the highlight of her trip!
I’ve only been to Alcatraz during the day as well and don’t even know if there are any nighttime tours. I think for watching your step (as it is an aging place) daytime is better anyway.
Angel Island is another fascinating place to tour—mostly self-guided. We caught the boat from Salsaulito. The wooden carvings made by the immigrants are amazing in their intricacy!
So, we had a wonderful time on our trip! I did use an anxiety med to take the edge off, and because of it, I didn’t use the sleeping pills. The flights were pretty smooth both ways, with a little turbulence, but nothing too frightening. We were able to watch a few movies, which helped pass the time. My H was sick on the way out, so that cost us a day of touring SF, but we did have one full day there and now have a reason to return and see more.
SF is a very cool city. We primarily walked along the Bay and saw the usual tourist spots. My favorite was the sea lions. They were so noisy and hilarious. We ate at the pier and sat outside with a beautiful view. Ghirardelli Square was nice and we had fabulous sundaes there. We sat outside across the street and watched people walk along the shoreline, as well as enjoyed the view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Later, we walked through Chinatown and explored several of the shops. What an amazing area. We also spent a day exploring Berkeley, and one day just walking around Rockridge to get a feel for the neighborhood. We hiked at Bothe-Napa State Park and spent time in Napa. We had a good mix of city time and country time.
Thanks to all for the many recommendations. Those who said SF would feel cold even though in the 50s - you were right. I’m so glad I brought both my packable down jacket and a fleece jacket. There were moments when I needed both! The scarf was also a good suggestion. I ended up taking walking/gym shoes, shortie black boots, dark jeans and black pants. Extra jeans came in handy when we hiked and had to wade through ankle deep fast-moving water due to the recent heavy rains. Although we didn’t make it to Muir Woods, we saw the redwoods at Bothe-Napa State Park. It is a beautiful area and we had it to ourselves.
Now we are back to our typical routines, but I have some fun photos to help keep the memories alive!
ps. Zackary’s Chicago Pizza receives an A from us for its deep dish spinach pizza. Giordano’s and Lou Malnati’s continue to rank slightly higher, each with an A+ from us!
@psychmomma I’m glad you enjoyed your trip out here. I know you’re a Chicagoan when you say “gym shoes”. Now if you would have eaten a caramel apple and called it a “Taffy apple” I would have known for sure lol. Too bad it rained a lot during your stay.
Glad you enjoyed your visit! Heading over to the city in 2 hours to meet our son for dinner at The Keystone, a very short walk from his office. Hope you don’t wait too long to return!