I got the rare opportunity to be able to visit my best friend in her new apartment in San Francisco. I had never really explored the city prior to this trip, so I was particularly excited to run around town with someone who was familiar with the area and knew of all the good food spots. San Francisco's weather is so hard to deal with! I never knew how to dress because i would be hot one moment, and freezing cold the next. It definitely made me appreciate the consistent weather I live in in SoCal.
My dad grew up in San Francisco, so before my trip, I asked for some restaurant tips. My entire family always raves about this little seaside restaurant called Scoma's in Fisherman's Wharf, so I decided to give it a try. We just shared some clam chowder and oysters, since it was a snack stop for us. The oysters were incredibly fresh, and it was great to just take back some of those with a glass of white wine. There is nothing like straight up seafood from a place right on the water.
Next up was Burmese food! There are a lot of Burmese restaurants up in San Francisco, and they are really popular. There is a restaurant called Burma Superstar that we did not get to go to, as the line was out the door. Instead, we went to a smaller joint with the same owners, called B-Star. It was my first time trying Burmese food, so I was excited to give it a shot. The menu had some items that were familiar to me, one in particular called jook. Jook is a rice porridge and usually has some add-ins such as pork, vegetables, fishcakes, etc. This jook had so many toppings! I really liked it. The other dish we ordered was the fermented tea leaf salad. It was also packed with so many ingredients, but I'm not sure if this flavor combination was for me. It was nutty, spicy, sweet and sour all at the same time, and I think I would have preferred some of the toppings left out.
When visiting other cities, I love to get tips from not only my friends and family, but also Anthony Bourdain! My friend and I watched his show on San Francisco in which he mentioned a neat tiki bar called Tonga in the basement of the Fairmont hotel in Nob Hill, so we got all dressed up and went! Their drinks were so strong, and some were literally on fire. It was such a fun place to drink and dance!