First morning, first meal. Beach Street Grill within sight of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Encountering our first menu with "organic," "farm to table," and "free-range chicken breasts" as prominent words to describe the food. Steve's whole grain pancakes and my omelet were both wonderful. We felt healthy just eating there.
After taking a cable car ride, we needed some fortification, so we went into a burger place that looked like San Francisco's version of Dub's in Athens or Penn's in Decatur or Hartselle. Notice the choices for topping your burger. Have your ever seen a list that included EGGPLANT???
After touring Napa Valley and a beautiful vineyard, we stopped for lunch in the pretty town of Sonoma. The group scattered, and Steve and I happened upon MAYA, a Mexican place. It turned out to be a great choice, serving some of the best-tasting Mexican food either of us had ever eaten. Take a look at the chicken enchiladas and the oh-so-good nachos (that was actually the name on the menu).
Sourdough bread pretty much originated in San Francisco, so we certainly weren't going to miss having that as many times as we could. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Heavenly! Here is just one of several versions we tried.
In Monterrey, we had dinner at Isabella's on the Wharf. The chef had just been elected president of the West Coast Culinary Association so every patron was treated to free dessert. Cannelloni, anyone? It was entertaining to watch the sea lions play and hear them bark from our seat on the upper deck.
Near our hotel in Beverly Hills, we were able to walk to a great Italian place for dinner called Toscanova. The food was good, but the best part was probably our genuine Italian waitress named Carla. What a zest for life! We dined on Paccheri Contadina and Pizza Caprino. Mama Mia!
After touring Hollywood and other points of interest around Los Angeles, we bade farewell to our tour group and struck out on our own for San Diego. Along the way, we stopped in La Jolla and enjoyed lunch at George's at the Cove, a place that also boasts of their renowned chef. We shared a spicy tuna melt and a fantastic grilled fish taco.
After spending the night in Mission Valley, we luckily spotted a Mimi's Cafe for brunch. Mimi's is one of our favorite places in Montgomery, AL, but apparently California folks like it, too. Mimi's is famous for their muffins, but the quiche is awesome, too.
When our trolley driver took us through Little Italy, she specifically mentioned a place called Filippi's. We found it the next night. From the smells and the atmosphere, we could have imagined we were in the heart of Tuscany. It instantly became one of our favorite places. Take a look at the size of those meatballs. I had eggplant parmesan, and Steve had lasagna. Delectable!
It just so happened that I have a cousin living a couple of hours from San Diego -- Summer Greenhaw Christopher. I talked to her while we were in the area and asked for her recommendations. She suggested Hash House a Go Go, and in her words: "just order one meal because the portions are huge." She was absolutely right. Believe it or not, this is a chicken pot pie. We could have easily fed THREE people with it.
For our last meal on the West Coast, we chose the Fish Market adjacent to the USS Midway and the Bob Hope Memorial. It was right on the bay, and we were craving fresh seafood. That's exactly what we got. Steve had yellowtail tuna, and I had trout. We splurged and decided to share a piece of key lime pie. Too bad I didn't make a picture of that pie. It was pretty as well as delicious. We did get to watch the sunset from this place. A fitting end to our great vacation.
