Wednesday morning we stopped at Peet’s for an eggnog iced coffee to go with my Ferry Building farmer’s market pear.
Then we made our way over the bridge through the pouring rain,
and up to Muir Woods for a stunningly beautiful hike.
We bought trusty $4 ponchos to get us through the 4+ miles in the downpour, but I wasn’t able to take many pictures.
Mostly we just got shots of Adam and me being goofballs.
We got completely soaked but still had a wonderful time.
Afterwards we went back to the hotel to dry off before our late lunch at Coqueta, a Spanish tapas place that knocked our socks off.
My cocktail – cream sherry, Luxardo amaretto, sherry vinegar, Manchego, and golden raisins – was one of the best I’ve ever had.
We split a variety of small plates, all of which we enjoyed greatly.
Huevos Nacional – deviled eggs filled with spring pea, smoked pimenton alioli, on pickled saffron potatoes and olive oil poached bonito.
Housemade potato chips with shaved Manchego and vermouth vinegar salsa. A play on bagels and lox of smoked salmon, queso fresco, and truffle honey.
Wild and cultivated mushrooms with garlic, chili, and sherry.
And Catalan-style vineyard greens with a caper-raisin puree, raisins, pine nuts, and garlic. <– my favorite dish of the day
For dessert we did caramel popcorn with Manchego cheesecakes that were amazing caramel lollipops with a liquid cheese filling.
And churros with drinking chocolate and a mixed berry powder for dipping.
Every last bite of this meal was inventive, fresh, and freaking delicious.
After more walking,
a stop at Humphry Slocombe for fluffernutter ice cream with butterscotch sauce, (<– Adam got ice cream almost every day)
and a New Orleans style coffee from Blue Bottle,
we were ready to drink our dinner at 21st Amendment Brewery.
21st Amendment brews Hell or High Watermelon, one of my top favorite beers, so we were excited to taste our way through their menu.
We shared Hell or High Watermelon, Vina, Framboise Forte D’or, Belgian Chocolate Stout, and a yummy honey meade from a guest brewery.
Also, a giant plate of fried cheese curds.
Ridiculous! And we were completely sober by the time we finished the 4 mile trek back to the hotel.
Thursday morning I fueled up with a praline chestnut latte and a local apple.
Plus a great rose macaron that we picked up along the way.
But the super steep hills still totally kicked my butt.
We were supposed to spend the morning in Golden Gate Park but unfortunately the crazy rain scared us away. We ended up eating our way through Japantown.
And actually even getting some Whole Foods hot bar while we hid and tried to keep dry.
Thankfully our afternoon plans were an indoor tour/tasting at Anchor Brewery.
We had a great time and definitely recommend it.
The rain cleared up in the afternoon while we spent some time in Chinatown.
And Boba Guys served us the best bubble teas of the year.
My almond milk coffee with boba and housemade almond jelly was delicious.
Then we were back to the Market Building where we couldn’t resist a final Vietnamese iced coffee from Out the Door.
An ironic choice considering our dinner reservations.
The Slanted Door has been on my list for years and it did not disappoint.
Piña colada – El Dorado 3 year white rum, house coconut cream, fresh pressed pineapple juice, pineapple gum, and lime.
Adam got a truly fabulous steak and I did three veggie options for my meal. Fried kabocha squash – palm sugar & lime caramel sauce, thai basil.
A green papaya salad – pickled carrot, rau ram, crispy shallot, roasted peanut – that was my favorite dish of the day.
And the Catalan Farm spicy broccoli – braised tofu, lion’s mane mushroom. The spongy mushrooms were so cool!
We did another round of churros for dessert.
As well as a brown butter cake trifle with huckleberries, lemon curd, and hibiscus meringue.
The meringues were as tasty as they were gorgeous. A great way to end our fourth day!
Eating Chalk 