Cotogna & Quince

The culinary power couple.

Before I had made my way to San Francisco there was but one recommendation I could not get out of my head.  Chef Floyd Cardoz told me I need to visit Cotogna.  From what I have realized from our own similar tastes in the past, when he recommends a restaurant, I must listen.

Cotogna is a small, rustic Italian restaurant owned and operated by Michael and Lindsay Tusk.  The two chefs first opened their fine-dining flagship Quince in 2003.  A hit right from the start, their passion lead them to move Quince into a more luxurious and grander space taking over Myth in San Francisco's Jackson Square in 2009.  The space included a small corner cafe, and after about a year and a half, and Lindsay Tusk doing much of the design work herself, transformed that cafe into Cotogna, which actually means "quince" in Italian.

Cotogna is centered around the pastas that Michael Tusk became famous for at Quince, having removed all of them from the now four-star establishment, making them more readily available in a more casual atmosphere.  There is not much to the decor of this 50-seat restaurant, with windows looking out to Jackson Square and wooden panels flowing throughout.  But what makes this space stand out is the small open kitchen showcasing a wood-fire pizza oven and a stand-alone grill with rotating spits.  Two cooks man these stations in the front while three more work behind the scenes.  The rest of the kitchen can be seen on a visit to the restrooms.

Getting a reservation here is hard.  Very hard actually.  I was trying for up to one month to see if I could make a reservation here before actually being in the Bay Area.  On a Tuesday night I decided to press my luck and visit the restaurant, and thankfully I got lucky.  I walked in and starting talking to the hostesses about my chances of dining that night.  They told me they accept walk-ins at the dining counters which were full at the moment.  They then took down my number and offered to call me if a space opened up.  Jumping at the chance I was put on the waitlist, and 20 minutes later received a call saying I could dine.  I thanked them profusely for the kindness.

Jardiniere

View of Jardiniere from across the street

Whenever I travel I make it a point to eat out a lot.  There is so much you can learn from a city by eating your way around it.  The dining trends, where people like to hang out, and visit all the different neighborhoods by visiting different restaurants.  With a visit to each city I always splurge on one big-named restaurant.  A restaurant that I don't mind paying upwards of over $150 for myself, as I know it will be worth it and remain a memory worth having.

In the case of San Francisco this restaurant was Jardiniere.  Owned and operated by Chef Traci Des Jardins, Jardiniere has remained one of the top restaurants in the Bay Area for the last 15 years.  Recently just finishing a solid run on Top Chef Masters, Traci has won numerous awards through her career including "Rising Star Chef", "Best New Chef", "Best Chef Pacific Region", and "Best New Restaurant" after Jardiniere opened.  With so many accolades under her apron it was no surprise I made it a point to dine here.

The spectacular ceiling of twinkling lights

Located just across San Francisco's City Hall, the corner building with exposed brick walls is where Chef Des Jardins makes her home.  Walking through the glass door entrance you are transported to a room designed after an inverted cocktail glass filled with champagne.  On the ceiling is a spectacular glass dome with twinkling lights evoking the feeling of effervescent bubbles.  The decor continues downward to a champagne-colored staircase connecting the ground floor.   The ground level has marble floors sweeping throughout, laying home to a large, circular mahogany bar and the entrance to the main kitchen.  Exposed brick walls on the inside of the restaurant give a more rustic feel and counteract the elegance of the tablecloth covered dining room.

Umami Burger

On one of my first days here in SF I did a lot of research for places I could grab a quick lunch during my day.  I realized very quickly while looking up places in SF that this city has A LOT of burger joints.  There's one major contender every few blocks, with more openings coming right after the other.  Umami Burger is one of these contenders, and even though it's an LA export, is easily recognizable by the locals here as one of the best burgers in the city.

Umami Burger is located in the Marina district, known by the locals as "where all the yuppies hang out".  Walking through the neighborhood it looks like San Francisco's version of Soho, just without the models walking around.  Small artisanal shops line up one after the other, with a great mix of food and fashion.  Walking through you will eventually pass by an nondescript building which is Umami, with nothing more on the outside of the restaurant than the strange logo and street address.

I don't really know what to make of the logo, which looks like an imprint of a woman's lips.  I get it is a sandwich bun, except none of the buns the burgers here sit on look anything like it.

In-N-Out Burger

I've never been here.  Imagine my excitement when I saw this:

Hmm...colors seem familiar..

For any east coaster there is one burger chain that you always hear about but never, ever have the chance to visit.  In-N-Out Burger only exists on the west coast (yes I know technically there are 2 in Texas now).  What is all the hype my friends have built up for me?  What is the "Animal Style" burger?  What makes everyone on the eastern seaboard flock to a burger stand the second they are in California?  Well, I'm about to find out.

I was two days into my trip when I took a photo of the outside of the restaurant and posted it to my facebook page.  Immediately I received responses from friends, "My favorite!", "Get the Animal Style!!", "The fries suck!".  Seems like I have been missing out on an In-N-Out experience...

Ghirardelli Ice Cream Shop

For many people visiting San Francisco for the first time, there are a few landmarks which are easily recognizable.  The gorgeous colors of the Golden Gate Bridge, the curves of Lombard Street, the cable cars easily seen around the city, and to anyone on the pier, the famous Ghirardelli sign.

Say "Gear-ar-delly"

The Ghirardelli sign indicates Ghirardelli Square, an entire block showcasing the original factory, chocolate shop, ice cream shop, chocolate cafe, and other neighboring food vendors.  Started in 1852 by a man named Domingo Ghirardelli, Ghirardelli Chocolate is America's only chocolate company that controls the entire chocolate manufacturing process, from blending their own beans, to methods of roasting, and eventually processing and packaging.  The company ensures the highest level of chocolate making, and if you're one of the few that have yet to taste a Ghirardelli chocolate bar, I highly recommend you do, because you are missing out.

Peppermint Bark, so good.

Ghirardelli boasts over 40 varieties of chocolate, and the chocolate shop located in the Square showcases them all.  I do have a personal favorite, but the sad news is that my favorite one is only available seasonally.  It is the Peppermint Bark, and only available around Christmas time.  During my 10-day stay in San Francisco, I probably bought about 5 of those chocolate bars to hold me over.  Hey, it's only available a few weeks of the year and it they were on sale, leave me alone.

Joe's Crab Shack

"Eat at Joe's."

The slogan is easily identifiable all over the country.  So what exactly am I doing here?  Am I really spending my money at a chain restaurant...willingly?

To be quite honest, there are just two national chain restaurants that I wouldn't mind having a hearty meal at.  Joe's Crab Shack is one of them.  For those that want to know...::sigh::...The Olive Garden is the other.  Yes..  I said it.  Salad, breadsticks, and never-ending pasta bowls?  Come on people!

This meal was very unexpected.  It was my first lunch while in San Francisco.  Waking up early at my hotel, which was just a few steps from Fisherman's Wharf, I took a long walk through the marina and eventually the Wharf.  Past the few food trucks with awesome names (Kung Fu Tacos.  Yes!), the In-N-Out Burger (eventually will return), crab shacks (mouth watering), pasta houses (why not?), chocolate stores (sweet cavity central!), I came to a sudden stop.  There it was. The large "Eat Crab" wall sign.

Yup, this definitely got my appetite going

Being on the bay and not really knowing my way around yet, I longed for seafood.  In fact, I was dying for it.  This seemed like a good enough place as any to start.  And even better, coupon for free appetizer at the door.  Rachel Ray, eat your $40-a-day heart out.

Tea House at Japanese Tea Garden

On my visit to San Francisco I wasn't planning on doing many "touristy" things.  Many buildings, attractions, and sites that most tourists flock to really don't interest me that much.  When I visit a new city, I get to know it best I can through its food and people.  However, when I read about the Japanese Tea Garden located right outside Golden Gate Park, I couldn't resist making the one hour trek over from my hotel to see it.

The Japanese culture has always piqued my interest.  The architecture, the people, the clothing, customs, traditions, language, and food.  I mean, really, what is there not to love?  Everything about it is beautiful.  Offering a type of zen and tranquility no matter what is it you're gazing upon.

The Japanese Tea Garden in SF is said to be America's oldest public Japanese tea garden.  It was originally created in 1894 as a one-acre Japanese-style garden.  Over the next few decades, a man named Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese landscape architect, had moved his family onto the property.  Mr. Hagiwara put all his personal wealth, passion, and creative talents into the garden to achieve in what he thought in his own eyes was perfection, and expanding it to about five acres.

In 1942, along with many other Japanese Americans, Mr. Hagiwara and his family were forced to move from their home and live in internment camps.  When WWII was over, he and his family were not allowed to move back into their home, and in subsequent years, many of the Hagiwara family heirlooms were removed, replaced with other additions, and eventually turning into a public space for viewing.

Walking up to the Japanese Tea Garden is very minimalistic.  Open landscape with a few small statues and man-made stools in front of an Asian-style gate.  On one of these stools sat an older Asian male, playing a Japanese flute for passer-by's.  What made him stand out was his engaging smile as he played, saying with it "I am happy, and there is no other place in the world I would rather be than here right now".  As you then walk through the main entrance, you are transported into another world.

The Crab Station at Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood located in San Francisco's north-east corner.  Back in the day Fisherman's Wharf used to be the area where fishermen settled and fished for Dungeness Crab.  Although it is still used as a port for many of San Francisco's fisherman and their fleet, the area has mainly been redeveloped into a tourist attraction, attracting many people from all over the country.

Crab Houses lining the street along the Wharf

Walking into Fisherman's Wharf you start to see your usual tourist traps.  Small stores selling cameras, t-shirts, mugs with "I <3 SF", museums, and...an In N Out Burger?  Walk even further and you start to see pasta houses, seafood restaurants, and crab stalls that have been handed down from generation to generation.

If you're an avid seafood lover, there is no way you can turn down the idea of eating fresh seafood along the bay.  Seafood freshly caught hours beforehand, boiled, broken down, and served with nothing more than cocktail sauce and lemon.  Heaven.

Incanto

Anyone who loves offal as much as I do knows the name Chris Cosentino.  He is considered to be at the forefront of nose-to-tail dining in North America.  His restaurant, Incanto, has been named by some as the most adventurous restaurant in the United States.  He runs the website, Offal Good, educating people on how to buy, handle, and cook offal.  He opened a small shop called Boccalone in the Ferry Building, selling San Francisco's famous "meat cone".  For someone with so much passion for what they do, it is no surprise that I made Incanto my first dinner stop during my trip to San Francisco.  I was psyched.  

The restaurant is gorgeous, and very well put together.  Large wall-size windows overlook the sidewalks of Noe Valley, pictures of pigs grazing, figurines of pig heads on the walls, colors of light brown and white stretching from the front of the restaurant to the back, an open kitchen, and humorously, a bookshelf in the bathrooms containing cookbooks that would make any avid collector smile.

A friend and I decided to go big.  Heck, I flew 3000 miles to come here.  When talking with our server we asked if we had ordered enough, and when she said yes, we ordered some more.  The restaurant started us off with a bread platter containing house-made tapenade, breads, and breadsticks.

Incanto's Bread and Breadsticks with House-Made Black Olive Tapenade

Like many restaurants, I tend to skip on bread platters, as they serve no more purpose than to just get your palate going, while filling you up in a few bites.  Incanto was no different, serving bread which was passable, but not exceptional.  The olive tapenade didn't do wonders for me.  This was pushed off to the side.  Now bring on the offal.

Roli Roti

Disclaimer:  This following post may cause panting, fainting, hot sweats, jaw pains, dreams, and an increase in hormones.

Yes.  It really did.

Like 4505 Meats, Roli Roti is a meat and sandwich vendor located at the Farmer's Market outside of the Ferry Building.  Unlike 4505 Meats, though, they only serve twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays.  Is it worth going?  I might just fly back to San Francisco for a weekend to savor their amazing porchetta sandwich once again.

Call me crazy, but if this sandwich does not make the new show "Best Sandwich in America", I may just kill Adam Richman and his team at The Travel Channel.  This is one of the, no scratch that, THE best sandwich I have ever had.

4505 Meats

If you're going to be in San Francisco, I highly recommend making a visit to The Ferry Building.  Ride a trolley car down the Embaracadero, take in the sights of the beautiful San Francisco Bay, get off at The Ferry Building, take a walk inside, and savor the smells of all the beautiful artisinal vendors that await you.

The Ferry Building has a little of everything to satisfy the foodie inside of you.  Save your appetite, though, and after venturing through, make sure to take a walk outside on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, to visit the Farmer's Market outside.  This is where you surely will not be disappointed.

4505 Meats is a small meat vendor serving freshly grilled meats to patrons visiting the Farmer's Market.  The smell of the grilled meats intoxicates you, attracting you closer to their chalkboard menu portraying some of the best items you possibly could imagine at a Farmer's Market.

Turducken sandwich?  Duck Sausage?  Fried Turkey Leg?  Yes, please.