Weekend Update

Had a great 4th of July Weekend, great weather, food and friends. Sonoma on Friday was gorgeous and a nice escape from the cloudy city. Unlike Napa, Sonoma is a real town with a historic city center that was packed for the 4th. We still found time to hit up The Sonoma Cheese Factory, notorious for its tri-tip and burgers with exotic cheeses (I had mine with garlic cheese). Then we went to Benzinger, Ravenswood (where wimpy wines are not allowed) and Valley of the Moon. Benzinger was the best of the three as every wine we had there was delicious, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon. Valley of the Moon was nice because the tastings were free and they had some lighter/Chianti-like red wines. But only Benzinger’s worth the repeat visit.

NOTE: Ravenswood wines are available at Safeway really cheaply. They specialize in Zinfandel (not the white kind), probably worth trying a bottle of it.

Some pictures to flesh out my experience:

Burger at the Sonoma Cheese Factory

Another one:

Benzinger

Ravenswood–where the wine is not wimpy

Sadly, the weather in SF was very very foggy and the clouds blocked our view of the fireworks. We did get a few glimpses and noted how the fireworks lit up the sky in a number of assorted colors. Most picturesque was an American flag (probably around Ft. Mason) waving furiously in the face of the fireworks–it felt as if it was withstanding bombing (sitting on my friend’s rooftop and hearing three sets of fireworks led us to believe we were under siege).

PS A good read in today’s times–Frank Rich comparing presidential election with the movie Wall-E (which I have not seen yet).

More SF eating

Went to two notable places this weekend, which turnd out to be polar opposites of each other:

First, tried Bistro AIX which I have targeted since moving to the Marina but have not been able to go to for a variety of reasons (does not serve lunch and is closed on Tuesday nights).  I loved the place–excellent Calamari (not too deeply fried) and flavored nicely with a side of salad.  The portion was also pretty hearty.  The highlight was the medium rare ahi tuna dish  in a brown sauce on top of a plate of spinach and mashed potatoes.  Very tender tuna, one of the best tuna dishes I have ever had–even better than several places I have been to in Hawaii.

Second, went to Buster’s in North Beach.  Had a Philly Cheesesteak with onions, bell peppers and cheese-whiz (apparently the way you’re supposed to have it).  Had to use three napkins to eat it and the grease soaked through the wrapper.  As good as the bread was, it couldn’t soak up all the grease.  Best Cheesesteak I’ve ever had–can only have one a month, but man that’s a good sandwich.

I know I’m the Homer Simpson of food critics, but it’s mainly because the places I eat are somewhat self-selecting.