Recommends: SanFran, Berkeley, Monterey and Santa Barbara [General]
2014 Nov 3
In SF, do bother trying to get a loaf of the Tartine sourdough bread. Fully worthwhile. Simple, and seems to fit your bill. Definitely the most memorable foodstuff from my trip and something you can't get elsewhere with that same unique character.
Ferry building is great too.
Went to SF and down the central coast earlier this year and found that the serious eats website was a much better resource than chowhound for the very reasons you state. The good news is that it is hard to get a bad meal (with even a modicum of effort).
Had some tasty tacos, mission burritos, etc. Best thing though was to score some of that ridiculous Tartine bread, buy a bunch of other meats/cheeses/wine and go for a picnic. What makes the place great is the freshness and quality of the food around there.
Ferry building is great too.
Went to SF and down the central coast earlier this year and found that the serious eats website was a much better resource than chowhound for the very reasons you state. The good news is that it is hard to get a bad meal (with even a modicum of effort).
Had some tasty tacos, mission burritos, etc. Best thing though was to score some of that ridiculous Tartine bread, buy a bunch of other meats/cheeses/wine and go for a picnic. What makes the place great is the freshness and quality of the food around there.
2014 Nov 3
San Fram - Dottie's, Brainwash or Mama's for breakfast. Expect a line at Dottie's and a memorable line at Mama's, but worthwhile. Brainwash is this cute little laundry/breakfastlunch counter that does great great food for stupid low prices.
In Haight Ashbury i cannot recommend Cha Cha Cha for dinner highly enough. Latino food done gloriously, embarrassingly affordable, avoid the temptation to over-order the plates are HUGE.
The Ferry Building is insane foodie heaven. Look for the meat-in-a-cone.
If you do head north La Texinita is actually worth all the praise Guy Fieri heaped on their Mexican food, and a little place called Buster's in Calistoga is a bbq dream the locals don't want anyone to know about.
Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove -
In Carmel Clint Eastwood's ranch really does amazing prime rib.
For a masterful fish dinner i suggest Passion Fish in Pacific Grove.
In Monterey the cool kids go to 1855. The club look of the place made me skeptical but the food delivered on all fronts.
None of these are cheap, but not French Laundry prices and i thought all were worth what they cost. Rez's required.
Wherever you end up, just my $0.02, but most places in Carmel were overpriced and underwhelming. Better options in Monterey or the Grove.
If you're looking to stop and eat somewhere between Monterey and Santa Babs...
Big Sur - Nepenthe Lodge - great food, great view. Lineups likely.
Cambria - Linn's has the best pie in the known universe. Everything else is good too. Cambritas does killer tacos, way way better than anything in LA :)
Cayucos - There's a place called The Shoreline Inn. If you face it, turn right and walk to the beach access, there is (i hope still) a little white lunch shack that does fish and shrimp tacos, which are really more like wraps. Wraps of manna from heaven that is.
Santa Barbara - Only had one dinner here, at Le Petit Valentin... French food with a cali flare. High end, very nice. Honestly didn't see a whole lot of 'ethnic' or original food in Santa Babs.
The Food Network On the Road and Roadfood apps are damn handy for Cali.
In Haight Ashbury i cannot recommend Cha Cha Cha for dinner highly enough. Latino food done gloriously, embarrassingly affordable, avoid the temptation to over-order the plates are HUGE.
The Ferry Building is insane foodie heaven. Look for the meat-in-a-cone.
If you do head north La Texinita is actually worth all the praise Guy Fieri heaped on their Mexican food, and a little place called Buster's in Calistoga is a bbq dream the locals don't want anyone to know about.
Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove -
In Carmel Clint Eastwood's ranch really does amazing prime rib.
For a masterful fish dinner i suggest Passion Fish in Pacific Grove.
In Monterey the cool kids go to 1855. The club look of the place made me skeptical but the food delivered on all fronts.
None of these are cheap, but not French Laundry prices and i thought all were worth what they cost. Rez's required.
Wherever you end up, just my $0.02, but most places in Carmel were overpriced and underwhelming. Better options in Monterey or the Grove.
If you're looking to stop and eat somewhere between Monterey and Santa Babs...
Big Sur - Nepenthe Lodge - great food, great view. Lineups likely.
Cambria - Linn's has the best pie in the known universe. Everything else is good too. Cambritas does killer tacos, way way better than anything in LA :)
Cayucos - There's a place called The Shoreline Inn. If you face it, turn right and walk to the beach access, there is (i hope still) a little white lunch shack that does fish and shrimp tacos, which are really more like wraps. Wraps of manna from heaven that is.
Santa Barbara - Only had one dinner here, at Le Petit Valentin... French food with a cali flare. High end, very nice. Honestly didn't see a whole lot of 'ethnic' or original food in Santa Babs.
The Food Network On the Road and Roadfood apps are damn handy for Cali.
2014 Nov 3
For a totally old school experience check out Lefty O'Douls on Geary in San Fran.
If you get norht of SF and have to choose between Sonoma and Napa, I would pick Sonoma-it's a real town. Napa has no downtown and the outlet mall is more of a draw that the wine industry. Sonoma has a weekly get together in the town square with food vendors etc. Bring a blanket and a bottle of wine. Great chance to meet the locals.
Osolo's travelogue reminded me that in Cambria we stayed in a motel run by a woman from Gatineau.
If you get norht of SF and have to choose between Sonoma and Napa, I would pick Sonoma-it's a real town. Napa has no downtown and the outlet mall is more of a draw that the wine industry. Sonoma has a weekly get together in the town square with food vendors etc. Bring a blanket and a bottle of wine. Great chance to meet the locals.
Osolo's travelogue reminded me that in Cambria we stayed in a motel run by a woman from Gatineau.
Tracinho
I'm probably more interested in good 'ethnic' styles that we can't get much of here - Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Filipino, soul food, different Mexican and Latin American, west coast seafood, etc. With a small group so the hyper-high end joints (i.e. French Laundry) are likely out.
Thanks, any thoughts or opinions are appreciated. I find that the chowhound threads often devolve into the worst kind of unequivocal, non-sequitur attacks between the worst kind of chauvinistic food snobs. (i.e. There are NO good tacos in San Fran....LA tacos are sooooo much more authentic.)