“I've long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we're talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime 'associates,' food, for me, has always been an adventure.”
- Anthony Bourdain
When it comes to food, there is one thing I love more than trying new things and that is introducing people to a new food experience. Especially a food experience that leaves them wanting more.
A couple of months ago I took a trip to the Bay Area. My little sister cam back with me on her way back to school in San Diego and decided to stay a few days in the Bay Area. This gave me an opportunity to take her to a few of my favorite places in San Francisco.
One thing I always want when I visit the Bay Area is raw oysters, and one of my favorite places to go is Hog Island Oyster Co. in the Ferry Building. With a farm less than 50 miles from San Francisco, you are pretty much guaranteed fresh oysters. My sister's experience with raw oysters had not been so great, but I convinced her to try it out one more time. I ordered some of the Hog Island Sweetwater Oysters. I told her to add a little bit of their vinegar sauce and a dash of Tabasco. She took a slurp of her first truly fresh raw oyster and loved it! I couldn't have been a more proud older sister.
Another great dish the at Hog Island is their chowder. I will even go as far as to say it is my favorite clam chowder. The ingredients are fresh and the soup flavorful. The best part about it is the fact that they top it with fresh clams. The fresh clams give it that final touch to make it a great chowder.
After a great lunch, I decided to take my sister to my favorite ice cream place in San Franciso, Bi-Rite Creamery in the Mission. No matter what the temperature is outside there is always a line, but it is well worth it just to try their salted caramel ice cream. Every flavor I've tried there tastes like a cold, creamy version of the real thing. For this trip, I opted for the Salted Caramel (obviously) and the Roasted Banana.
Stay tuned. More posts to come soon from my Bay Area trip!
