My Perfect Day in the San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco is known all over as one of the world's most beautiful cities.   Its inspiring history, postcard-perfect views, romantic weather, mouth-watering restaurants and melodic tingling of the cable car bells all conjure a city unparalleled in its appeal. A perfect day in San Francisco for me would commence with a breakfast brunch at the beautiful and historic Garden Court on Montgomery Street.   The moment you walk in, you will be swept away by the elegant ambiance as you look up to the Austrian crystal chandeliers hanging from the magnificent domed stained-glass ceilings.   Who would have thought that this was once a mere carriage entrance to the Palace Hotel in 1875?   From there I would walk down Market Street to Powell Street and catch a cable car to Fisherman's Wharf.   After enjoying the sights and sounds of the wharf, I would take a ferry to quaint Sausalito and spend a couple of hours there.  This is a perfect place for taking awesome pictures of the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge!  After exploring Sausalito, it's another ferry ride back to the Ferry Bldg, Embarcadero. By this time I would be needing a well-deserved late lunch.  A visit to Chinatown for Dim Sum will hit just the right spot for San Francisco has some of the best Chinese restaurants in the country.  To walk off my satisfying lunch, I would trek around Union Square.  Its bustling fervor makes one shop till you drop! If I had kids with me, I would also visit the Yerba Buena Gardens for a majestic ride on its beautifully-restored antique carousel. Zeum (4th Street and Howard 777-2800) is another place where kids would enjoy unique hands-on arts & crafts.  The Sony Metreon nearby would be next to peruse for the latest tech gadgets both for the young and old. As the day closes to an end, I will take my car and go on a scenic drive from Geary street towards the ocean.  One of the best-kept secrets of the locals is the awe-inspiring sunset at Eagle's Point in the Seacliff area.  A special favorite is the wooden steps leading to a lone bench facing a view of the rocky coastal cliffs stretching from China Beach east towards the Golden Gate Bridge. This is surely another picturesque moment! After witnessing the heartwarming sunset, dinner and drinks at any of the city's restaurants will do. I have a lot of favorites, and I'm sure you do, too. 

San Francisco is one city that touches you to the core. It is no wonder that so many people left their hearts in San Francisco.

By:  James Lim

Pres a Vis - an Asian Fusion in Presidio, San Francisco

Category: Restaurants
Cuisine: Californian
Location: One Letterman Drive, Building D Suite 150, San Francisco, Ca 94129 @ The Presidio
Original Review: Feb., 2008
By:  James Lim

My wife and I love to eat! Our gastro adventure took us to a restaurant, called Pres a Vis. The restaurant is marketed as Asian-Fusion, which includes Spanish, Filipino, French, Italian and Latin American influences. The culinary dishes were created by a fairly well-known chef in the Bay Area, Chef Degala. He is one of the rising chefs in the Bay Area and is more well-known in the East Bay for his restaurant, Va de Vis.

When Cay and I arrived in the restaurant, we were excited as the restaurant has a great vibe to it. The maitre d’ was friendly and we were seated promptly. Our server was very knowledgeable and friendly as well. When our server presented the menu and the wine list, I became more interested in the wine list. It was very impressive with more than fifty wines available by the glass. Each wine is also available in 3 oz taste or six oz glass with clever taste descriptions. One can also indulge in wine flights that has three half glasses of white or reds. Since I was driving, I decided to just have a 3 oz taste of Sangiovese, Cab (Italian red).

We opted to go for the small plates and one big plate. We started off with Pork Belly (a.k.a, Kawali) with green papaya salad. The kawali was delicious as it had some sweet sauce on top. The sweet and salty flavor of the dish were a perfect combination and it goes really well with the green papaya salad that had cucumber, pickled red onions, taro chips, flower petals, bean sprouts and carrots.

After the kawali, it was a complete disaster! We had Hawaiian Ahi Tartare. Cay is the expert when it comes to Ahi tuna as that’s one of her favorite starters. She was completely disappointed with it that she was planning to pass-by Mahalo Grill in Pleasanton the next day to satisfy her cravings for ahi tuna.

We also ordered “Duck Buns,” a duck confit dish in a steamed bun. The confit was prepared with too much salt. One could hardly taste the garlic. The hoisin overpowered, which made the dish even more salty. I could get a better duck bun in Chinatown.

Finally, we decided to order the miso-marinated Alaskan Black Cod. It’s also known as “butterfish” in some restaurants. Again, the dish was too salty that we could not enjoy the texture and the unique taste of the fish that was presented. If you are craving for an Alaskan Black Cod, I suggest you visit Kyo Ya at the Palace Hotel and not bother go to Pres a Vis.

This was a disappointing experience as the chef is also Filipino-American. My recommendation is that if you decide to visit Pres a Vis, go for the wine flights and just a couple of small plates.

Spanish-Filipino Fusion in San Francisco

I could not agree more with how Patio Filipino, one of my favorite Filipino restaurants in the Bay area, was described on their website.

Filipino cuisine takes much of its influence through Spain and the partners wanted to celebrate the flavors of both cultures. What better way to share the fusion of Filipino-Spanish fine dining which has long been absent in the States than through a restaurant we can be proud of. The perfect representation of such a place was found in El Camino in San Bruno which had a beautiful patio reminiscent of many childhood homes in the Philippines. The partners were blessed with the experience of a seasoned Spanish-Filipina chef from Manila and on June 2005 Patio Filipino was born. Patio Filipino aims to bring families and friends together through its inviting atmosphere, courteous staff and of course delicious, sumptuous and unforgettable dishes.

If you visit San Francisco, this restaurant is surely a MUST TRY.  The "Crispy Binagoongan," a signature dish, is one of their best dishes.  Skip the sinigang or adobo and try the other unique items on the menu such as the "Calamares Fritos" or the "Sizzling Softshell Crabs."  I assure you that you will not be disappointed.

Lea Salonga's Food Trip in San Francisco

Backstory
One happy foodie

By Lea Salonga
Philippine Daily Inquirer

LOS ANGELES—My little family and I have just returned from a road trip. We were all up in Monterey for the wedding of Rob’s cousin. It was a fabulous and fun occasion, at times touching and emotional. Lots of friends and family from all over came to attend, which made my husband extremely happy.

We wish Adrian and Renee Flores a wonderful life together.

Rob, Nicole, and her Yaya Maricar arrived at the San Francisco Airport on Oct. 24, the evening before the wedding. I had driven up to Monterey the day before, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to come and get them.

Yes, of course

The morning of the 24th, I attended the wedding rehearsal, and then got ready to head up to South San Francisco to pick up my family. Since I was heading up early, I thought to call a couple of friends, James and Cay Lim, to get together for dinner. I inquired about a restaurant close to the airport; they came back with Intramuros. Ah, Pinoy food! Of course I said yes.

I had no idea what to expect from yet another Pinoy eatery in North America. My experiences with Filipino restaurants in the United States have ranged from the sublime to the questionable. I didn’t go online beforehand to check reviews by previous customers (be they pleased or dissatisfied), so I went into the realm of the unknown. I asked James how the food was, but he didn’t really say. He wanted me to judge the food objectively, and to allow the cuisine to speak for itself.

Familiar names

At 5 p.m. on this perfect Saturday afternoon, we walked into Intramuros. The décor was not ostentatious, thank heavens. The walls were of warm wood, with Filipino mirrors hung on them.

There were large pots and long leather seats, as well as prints of old maps of select areas of the Philippines. I have to laud whoever took care of decorating the place. The design is understated, easy on the eyes, and it never pulled the focus away from the food.

Oh, the food, my favorite part!

We checked out the menu, and saw many familiar items. According to James, one of the specialties is the crispy binagoongan. We didn’t order that; instead, we zeroed in on four items: camaron rebosado, the crab and aligue rice, beef caldereta, and laing. I hadn’t had laing in a very long time, and I was homesick for it. James and Cay were all right with that… they had ordered the binagoongan on their previous visits, so something new (new to them, anyway) was a good idea.

The food didn’t take long at all to arrive.

Our meal began with camaron rebosado. The last time I remember having this dish was about 20 or so years ago at Alex III Restaurant in the midst of a movie promotional tour, so I was eager for this first dish’s arrival.

New twist

I was not at all disappointed. The shrimps were nicely spiced and very flavorful, very different from the camaron that I remember, but not in a bad way. This was a new twist on a classic dish, and one that put a smile on my face.

Next came the aligue rice (my eyes danced at the sight of this orange-colored creation… and my heart was filled with joy), the laing (which looked exactly as I remember laing to be) and the beef caldereta (lots of short ribs in a stew filled with the more familiar accompaniments). James took photos of the dishes (thank goodness, I have something to show for the meal!).

The dinner was nothing short of absolutely delicious! It was a full-bodied reminder of what I love about Filipino food, as well as a modern twist on dishes well-loved and frequently served.

We ordered bibingka soufflé and buko con seta for dessert… ah, the perfect ending to an already perfect meal.

Thank you, Barry Picazo and Mark de Leon, for your warm hospitality and the great food! I shall definitely return on my next visit to the Bay Area. Bravo! This is one Filipino restaurant I am most definitely proud of.Intramuros is located at 101 Brentwood Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080. For more information, visit www.theintramuros.com.

October 2009
Inquirer.net
Photo by James Tecson Lim