Travel Eats documents my food adventures outside of Chicago.
My waterfront view of the Bay Bridge while happily savoring my market breakfast
I took a quick trip to Northern California this past weekend for a friend’s wedding in the Sonoma Valley. The venue, Cline Cellars, was idyllic wine country at its finest, with an abundance of Californian bites and excellent wine straight from the source. However, this post is about the most food-focused part of my weekend: a morning spent at San Francisco’s iconic Ferry Building. Between the indoor artisanal food vendors and the outdoor farmers market stalls that ensconced the building, I was one-hundred percent in my element. As luscious produce and gourmet goods stretched before me in every direction, I practically skipped from row to row, barely able to keep myself from trying one of everything. Below is the best of my market bounty.
Albacore tuna sandwich with roasted golden beets, toasted walnuts, and pickled onion from San Francisco Lox Sandwich at Cap’n Mike’s Holy SmokeApache apricots and Brooks cherries, both incredibly tasty organic varieties from Frog Hollow Farm that I snacked on the rest of the weekendCinnamon bun biscuit (yes, it was as good as it sounds) from Biscuit Bender‘s adorably decorated stall inside the buildingCan’t leave the Ferry Building without a café au lait from Blue Bottle Coffee Co., whose lines often snake around the marketA view of the market stalls and live music from the back of the building
The details:Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, held Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco.
Travel Eats documents my food adventures outside of Chicago.
Sweeping vineyard views in Sonoma wine country
I originally planned this trip around Saturday’s football game – my alma mater Northwestern was playing Cal in Berkeley, and two of my friends from college live there, so it was the perfect excuse for a whole group of us to reunite over the long holiday weekend. The trip also happened to correspond with my birthday on Sunday, so I knew there would need to be some especially good eating and drinking involved. After recovering from an exciting NU victory on Saturday, we spent a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in the Sonoma Valley, with tastings at three different wineries (I couldn’t resist bringing home a bottle from each). For my birthday dinner, I feasted on an incredible whole spit-roasted chicken, which I split with another just-as-excited-and-hungry friend, and later lounged with house-brewed beer on an idyllic patio at Jupiter, the Berkeley equivalent of Chicago’s Piece. The next day, in San Francisco, we ate mostly in the Mission, from a killer brunch platter featuring a green onion biscuit and veggie gravy packed with sage, to legendary Bi-Rite ice cream (roasted banana and cinnamon-snickerdoodle flavors, anyone?) for dessert. And I had to cap off the trip with a mint mojito iced coffee from Philz, which I’d been dreaming about ever since trying it two years ago. The barista turns virtually an entire mint plant into creamy, frothy goodness that you just can’t leave the Bay Area without tasting.
Loved the tasting notes at Ravenswood Winery, our first stopGrapes on the vine at Arrowood WineryArrowood Winery tasting, complete with a little leftover Northwestern spiritMore wine tasting at Imagery Estate WineryImagery Estate Winery’s backyard, with space for bocce ball and other gamesWhole spit-roasted Fulton Valley chicken, served with fire-roasted fingerling potatoes, black beans, achiote rice, and tortillas at ComalBougainvillea cocktail at Boogaloos, with champagne, orange juice, and cranberry juiceThe Boogaloo Classic, with home fries, eggs over easy, and a biscuit with veggie herb-cream gravy and green onionBeer flight at 21st Amendment Brewery, including the well-garnished Hell or High WatermelonThe Ricachu sundae special at Bi-Rite Creamery, with scoops of roasted banana and ricanelas (snickerdoodle), plus brownie bits, caramel sauce, and toasted coconut flakesMint mojito iced coffee from Philz CoffeeExterior of Philz Coffee in Berkeley
