Cindy Fuller > wrote:

>It's been a crazy two weeks since we returned from Cal-ee-for-nee-ya, so
>here is the report. A good time was had by both of us. Alas, I was
>recovering from a nasty cold and I was off feed for most of the trip.
>The SO will undoubtedly chime in for areas I can't remember.
>
>We landed in Oakland, rented a car (humungous Chevy Impala, identical to
>the one we rented in NY last fall), and drove to the Radisson near
>Fishermans' Wharf. The first night we had dinner at a little Istrian
>restaurant on the fringe of North Beach called Albona. Istria has
>alternated between Italian and Croatian rule for centuries, so the food
>is Italian with an Eastern European accent. The venison was excellent.
>
>The next day we headed to the Ferry Building in the hopes of catching up
>with Charlotte. Unfortunately, she'd come down with a bad cold and
>couldn't meet us. We had breakfast tacos for lunch at the building,
>then had dinner at the Slanted Door. The latter is overhyped. SO had
>shaking beef, and he thought Saigon Cuisine in Greensboro made a better
>version.
>
>Sunday we had drinks at the Zoetrope Cafe, owned by Francis Ford
>Coppola. His film editing facility is above the cafe. The building
>housing the cafe is one of the few that survived the 1906 earthquake and
>fire, and is near the Transamerica Building. That night we had dinner
>at another Italian place near the Cable Car Museum. Monday we headed
>across the Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods and Sausalito. Dinner was
>at a seafood place in Sausalito.
>
>Tuesday through Thursday was spent in Carmel at the Tickle Pink Inn (I'm
>NOT making the name up), an upscale hotel with fantastic views of the
>coast. On the way there we had lunch at a fine Brazilian place in Santa
>Cruz. The feijoada (black beans and rice) was the real deal. We had
>dinner at two places in Carmel that were somewhat underwhelming. Other
>than the Tickle Pink, I was not impressed by Carmel the town. Way too
>chichi for this duo. (For example, it took us hours to find a
>laundromat.) However, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Pigeon Point
>Lighthouse, and Point Lobos State Park were amazing. We saw more
>wildlife at Point Lobos in one hour than we've seen in Washington
>national parks.
>
>The last 3 days was spent at Yosemite. The park was the attraction more
>than the food. We had a good dinner at the Yosemite Park Lodge and
>lunch the next day at the Ahwahnee; however, the rest of the time we ate
>at the restaurant adjacent to our hotel just outside of the park.
>
>For those who want to see pictures of our exploits (but not plates), you
>can go to the SO's website: julianv.zenfolio.com.

Thanks for the report!

I've been wanting to eat at Albona for awhile.

I haven't been to Slanted Door a second time (it's way up there,
price-wise), but I remember really liking it. But it makes
sense that there's good Vietnamese food in Greensboro.

I agree with your description of Carmel. I prefer to stay in
Pacific Grove when I'm down there.

I hope you liked Muir Woods; it's one of our best remaining
redwood groves.

Steve