I just got back from visiting friends in San Francisco and wanted to share a few of my favorite places.  Here it goes.

1) Bakery – Tartine.  Best bread pudding I’ve had, ever!  Flavors change seasonally; we lucked into apple.  Other notable items:  Lattes are served in bowls (how cool is that!?), morning buns are addictive and if you go after noon you can (and absolutely should) order one of their pressed sandwiches. Go for the Niman Ranch pastrami with Gruyere, horseradish and Dijon mustard.

2) Coffee – Blue Bottle Coffee. Of course being from Portland, I had to find the favorite microroaster in town.  My friend Leah said, “You want coffee? It’s all about Blue Bottle!”  And she was right.  Blue Bottle is to SF, what Stumptown is to Portland.

3)  Picnic Pizza – We tried for a dinner reservation at Delfina’s Restaurant, but there were no reservations available.  Option 2, ordering pizza from its pizzaria next door.  Perfect combination: Margharerta Pizza or the Salsiccia, Housemade fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions, mozzarella.  It’s nearly impossible to find a table, but luckily there’s a great park just around the corner, so bring a blanket and friends, sit and enjoy your pie.

4) Eggs and Pancakes – Toast Eatery.  Great local breakfast spot in Noe Valley.  Neighborhoody feel.

5) Mid-Day Craving – Bi-Rite - Tiny specialty foods market where I could have spent hours and hundreds of dollars…Oh, and they have a creamery down the street where they make small-batch, artisanal ice creams, sorbets, and confections. All ice creams are made with products from Straus Family Creamery, an organic local dairy.  Warning, flavors like salted caramel, roasted banana and brown sugar with ginger caramel swirl, you may cause you to overindulge.

6) Chocolates and confections – Michael Recchiuti‘s in the Ferry Building.  Fleur de sel caramels, wow!

Photo from Michael Recchiuti's blog.

7) Brews – Zeitgeist.  My friend lovingly referred to this place as her local ‘biker bar’ and after I walked in, I got it.  Sticky floors and stale air aside, this spot was filled with local micro brews and attitude.  They also have an outdoor patio with plenty of seating and a funky (good funky) crowd to mingle with.  Once you discover this spot, you’ll keep going back.

8 ) Shopping – Valencia Street.  Great vintage clothing and furniture shops.  Thankfully I didn’t bring a huge bag, otherwise, I would have left in debt.  Need a caffeine in the area?  Another great coffee shop on Valencia is Ritual Roasters.