We have returned home from our trip to CA but I am behind in my blogging. Today is a recap of Saturday's events.
We awoke in Monterey quite tired from the late evening before. OK, I'll admit it. Paul was hung over - he blamed it on the grappa that he consumed. I felt fine. Being the considerate partner that I am I headed out to get coffee while he drowned his tired head in the shower.
After breakfast we loaded up the car and headed north to the wonderful city on the bay. This was our fourth trip to SF and as always we were excited. We had a weekend of art, food, and shopping planned before we headed home to TO.
The trip north was varied - we traversed artichoke fields, redwood forests, estuaries, cattle grazing areas, sub divisions, and mountains. We arrived in SF well before our reservations at the Slanted Door (1:45). Parking was a challenge but we managed to prevail.
Having parked we enjoyed the splendour of the Ferry Terminal market. The market was the busiest that we had ever seen - the glories of spring in norther CA were everywhere. We ohhed and awed over all of the fresh berries, flowers, and vegetables. I even consumed an order of beer-battered asparagus with an amazing dipping sauce to tide me over until our late lunch.
Inside we went to many of our favourite vendors. I picked up some olive oil from Stonehouse Olive Oil and coffee from Peets. As we walked about we noticed folk carrying bags with the slowtravel insignia on them - clearly these were the gang we were to meet later in for lunch!
Lunch at the Slanted Door was an arranged slowtravel get together (GTG); 17 people were to drop in on this favourite SF restaurant for good food, good company, and good times. It promised to be even more special when a ST board member form the UK who would be arriving from London the night before suggested that she might pop in for a visit after she arrived in the city. In the back of this pic you see her and her husband - welcome to SF!
Paul had picked the menu months before. We were to enjoy:
Appetizers:
crispy imperial rolls with shrimp, pork and glass noodles
Slanted Door spring rolls with shrimp, pork, mint and peanut sauce
green papaya salad with tofu, rau ram and roasted peanuts 
Entrées
chicken claypot with caramel sauce, chilies and fresh ginger
Meyer Ranch shaking beef cubed filet mignon with garlic, watercress and organic red onions
caramelized tiger prawns with garlic, organic onions and chili sauce
bok choy with baby shiitake mushrooms
The restaurant gave us their glassed in private room which allowed for lots of talk and laughter in this amazing place.
After lunch Paul and I headed to our hotel - the Hotel Diva. The hotel is a small boutique hotel located about 2 blocks from Union Square on Geary Street. We had no difficulty finding the hotel and when we did we were advised that they didn't have a king room for us but they would put us in a suite for no additional charge. It turned out to be a wonderful compromise!
The room was wonderful - quirky yet warm. Both the bedroom and the living room had huge wall-mounted flat screen TVs. The furnishings were high end and quite modern. Once we checked in we knew that we would enjoy our two night stay here.
Our reservation including in and out parking. This is a significant consideration in SF because parking can be quite expensive. The hotel charges those without a special reservation $ 35 plus taxes for parking - ouch! The only drawback was that you needed at least 30 - 45 minutes advance notice if you wanted your car. Once we had figured this out we were fine.
Later that afternoon, after a short rest, we decided to check out some of our favourite shops in the area.
After shopping it was time head back to the hotel and to dress for dinner.
Dinner was at a restaurant called NOPA. Nopa is a San Francisco gathering place north of the Panhandle, serving urban rustic food and specializing in organic wood-fired cuisine. One side of the 110-seat restaurant is devoted to the bar, with 20 seats at the polished concrete counter and a large communal table -- design elements that enhance the already festive mood. This area was quite full with people who hadn't been able to score reservations. Luckily I had persevered and made one a month ago.
The crowd is as eclectic as the area. There are loads of young professionals, artists who adopted the area before it became cool and a few older residents who have called the neighborhood home for decades. The servers, know what they're doing, yet still maintain a relaxed attitude.
Chef Jossel has placed his new J and R rotisserie in the place of honor in the front of the open kitchen, and treats it like his firstborn. It's manufactured by the same company that produced the spit at Oliveto; at Nopa, you'll likely see up to 18 chickens slowly turning above asparagus or other vegetables on the grill, alongside fresh-ground hamburgers dripping their luscious fat onto the almond wood below.
The crew not only brines the birds, but also tucks fresh herbs under the skin. In the same vein as the Zuni Cafe, Jossel serves a half chicken ($17) with spring greens, drizzling mustard vinaigrette over the salad and the bird. The spit is also used for the smoked-kissed London broil ($19) that's accented with horseradish cream and a mound of mashed potatoes.
The grill under the rotisserie can also take credit for producing one of the best pork chop ($18) I have ever enjoyed: Almond wood accentuates the thick chop's natural sweetness, and it's served with braised greens and creamy-tender flageolets. I ordered the pork chops and it was one of the most amazing pieces of meat I have had in recent memory!
Few kitchens I know of can grill, wood-roast and fry, another indication that the food is at the heart of this operation; the execution is fantastic.
There's so much to love, all you want to do is to sit back and be pampered, which brings us to the final reason that Nopa stands apart from much of its competition: even before you get to the end of the meal, you realize that this is truly your lucky day. The wine lists and drinks are outstanding!
After dinner we caught a cab home through the SF drizzle and enjoyed a relaxing night at the hotel. It had been a full day in SF - wonderful food and amazing company!
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