Cindy Fuller wrote:
> We were in the Bay area last week for business and pleasure. The first
> stop was Foster City for business. The traffic on 101 north of Palo Alto
> was hellacious. If the SO even remotely entertained notions of moving
> down there, they were dashed quickly when it took over an hour to go two
> miles. We had dinner one night at an excellent Thai restaurant just west
> of Redwood City. The following night we went to Half Moon Bay and had
> dinner at an overpriced seafood joint. We ordered paella for two, which
> was more tomato-ey than what we make at home.
>
> The following two days were spent roaming around San Francisco. We
> managed to see two of the aborted America's Cup races, one from the
> vantage point of Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge. We had lunch
> at a fish store in the Ferry Terminal Market: Crab quesadillas and
> soft-shell crab po' boy, with gazpacho and gumbo. These guys know from
> seafood. Dinner the first night was at Osteria al Forno in North Beach.
> The pancetta-wrapped figs were excellent, but SO was not happy with the
> pork braised in milk. The next day we had a late lunch at the Marina
> Bistro, a small Turkish restaurant on Chestnut Street. This was the best
> random find of the trip. The meze platter was excellent.
>
> Sunday we met friends who moved to San Jose back in June for brunch at
> the Restaurant Bay Watch in Burlingame. Our former next door neighbors
> and other members of our Friday night group were also down there for the
> weekend, so we had a good crowd. The restaurant staff was fantastic
> dealing with all 15 of us, as well as accommodating the gluten
> intolerant folks in our group. After brunch, we took Highway 1 down to
> Carmel and Point Lobos State Reserve. We visited this park on our trip 3
> years ago and were fascinated by the wildlife. The critters didn't
> disappoint this year, either.
>
> Monday we had a rude awakening when the water main to the hotel where we
> were staying in Carmel broke. The restaurant staff at the hotel handled
> things as best they could and still served breakfast. The hotel took 1/2
> off our hotels.com rate as compensation. Thereafter, we went to Monterey
> Bay Aquarium to see the otters. Lunch was at the Clement Hotel down the
> street. Their grilled veggie sandwich and homemade ketchup were
> outstanding.
>
> Dinner en route to the airport was at a hole in the wall Vietnamese
> restaurant in San Jose. The name of the restaurant was Bun Bo Hue, and
> they served a good version of that soup. We were the only non-Asians in
> the place, which is always a good sign. The SO said I got lost on
> purpose just so we could eat there. It wasn't planned, but it worked out
> quite well.
>
> Cindy
>
I love it! That is the kind of report I wanted from my parents whenever
they went away.
--
Jean B.