Travels to San Francisco, California

San Francisco is the leading financial and cultural center of Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area.  Spanish for "Saint Francis," the city was founded on June 29, 1776, when colonists from Spain established a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for St. Francis of Assisi a few miles away.  The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought rapid growth, making it the largest city on the West Coast at the time. Today, San Francisco is renowned for its cool summers, fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of architecture, and landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, the former prison on Alcatraz Island, and its Chinatown district. It is also a primary banking and finance center.

PREVIEW Super Bowl Snacks

Last year, Keith had the creative idea to make snacks from the cities to honor the two teams competing in Super Bowl XLVI.  It was a huge success, so we decided to continue the tradition this year for Super Bowl XLVII.  In preparation for my next installment of What Micky Eats...At Home, I want to highlight some twists on the classic Super Bowl Snacks that we are considering to make. We did a little research and below are a few ideas - I  encourage you all to check out these recipes as well for your game day party menu.  Stay tuned for my follow-up post on Sunday with actual recipes and pictures of the items we made for our Super Bowl Snacks.  I'm sure it will be quite an adventure in our kitchen this weekend.

Foreign Cinema

Open since 1999, Foreign Cinema restaurant has garnered local, national and international acclaim as a quintessentially San Francisco dining experience. Offering a daily changing California/Mediterranean-inspired menu in an industrial chic setting located in the heart of the bustling Mission district, Foreign Cinema is a unique experience.

Brenda's French Soul Food

Brenda’s French Soul Food is a Creole diner in the Civic Center area of downtown San Francisco serving rich, flavorful food with French style and New Orleans soul. Chef-owner and New Orleans native Brenda Buenviaje serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner with flavors that are at once bold and nuanced, uncomplicated and refined, gourmet and down-home. On the menu you will find some traditional French and Creole fare as well as a few unique items like their signature stuffed beignets (fried doughnuts) and Sweet Watermelon Tea.

Incanto

Incanto takes great pride in serving sustainably grown and harvested produce, meats and seafood because they "aspire to leave the world better off for future generations and because food tastes better when its ingredients are the product of thoughtful stewardship."  Located in the Noe Valley of San Francisco, Incanto offers contemporary Italian fare with a daily changing menu that almost always includes one or two dishes featuring "odd cuts" and offal because "serving these parts of the animal honors the whole animal and helps preserve an important, yet increasingly overlooked, part of our culinary heritage."

Scoma's

In 1965 when brothers Al and Joe Scoma heard about a small coffee shop on the Wharf that was for sale, little did they know they were on the road to creating a landmark restaurant. The brothers bought the tiny, six-stool coffee shop on Pier 47 that served local fishermen breakfast and burgers and began the long and ultimately successful process of turning the hidden local hang-out into one of the nation's highest grossing independent restaurants.

Eagle Cafe

Located along the San Francisco Bay, billed as “San Francisco’s premier bay attraction,” the Eagle Cafe has a longer history than it's location at the Pier 39 arcade might suggest. In the 1920s, the building was a hash house on the northern waterfront, serving a mixed crowd of longshoremen, fishermen, bus drivers, and artists. In 1978, the building was moved to Pier 39, where the Eagle Cafe sits today.  Fresh seafood highlights The Eagle’s offerings—and superior service from the friendliest folks you’ll ever know—completes the experience you’ll receive.

Out the Door

Charles Phan and family have a legacy in San Francisco with providing Vietnamese cooking techniques with fresh local ingredients. Their third location in San Francisco is a tribute to their original Valencia Street days. Occupying the same square footage as the original Slanted Door, Out the Door on Bush Street offers Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, 12 wines on tap, and a unique sake and beer selection all in a casual neighborhood setting.

San Francisco Fish Company

San Francisco Fish Company, located in the historic Ferry Building since January 2004, offers a wide selection of beautifully displayed raw fish from around the world.  The offerings depend on the season, fishing restrictions, the weather, and other variables that contribute to what is available.  Choose from items as raw product, prepared and ready to cook at home, prepared and ready to eat, or cooked to order. San Francisco Fish Company offers lunch seven days a week. The menu ranges from sushi to hot fish sandwiches to crab cakes and other seasonal products. They also have a wide range of salads and hot soups.