Anacapa Brewing

Anacapa Brewing is located in Ventura, Ca located on their main street just a few block from the pier. I had a couple of IPA's that were very good and clean tasting. The brewery had a very nice system out behind the bar. Truly this is how every brewpub should be for purely show purposes but logistically the brewer and bartender have a hard time sharing space.

The brew kettles were in the center with the fermenters on the right side of the bar and bright tanks on the far left side. I sampled several other beers that were all right on style. The seafood enchiladas were beyond delicious and full of fresh fish and scallops.

When traveling through Ventura or working there, which I may be doing, I will be sure to visit again. A near perfect brewery that I could easily call my home bar if I was local.

Santa Barbara Brewing

Made a quick stop at this brewery for dinner. It was actually located within the farmers market I just posted about. The brewery kept losing power due to the fire a few miles away but I was still able to have a great burger and salad before getting back on the road. The did not bottle any beer so I did not get a chance to sample many of them.

The Beer list is below.

The Big Eat SF

I'm a sucker for lists, and an even bigger sucker for food challenges. So naturally I was all over 7x7's list of 100 Things to Eat and Drink Before You Die. I checked off 11 items right from the start, and made it to 18 in just a few days. Here's a few highlights:

#40 Cheeseburger from Taylor's (shown left): I've worked in the Ferry Building for over 3 years and this was my first time here. Delicious indeed, though I can think of many other burgers that deserve to be on the list. Oozing with cheese, nice squishy bun, crunchy pickles.


#27 Papaya salad with salty crab from Sai Jai Thai (left): Nearly burned my face off. The salad was worth the venture into the 'Loin, except for the gray mealy tomatoes and massive hunks of cabbage rind on the side. What was that about?


#36 Dry-fried chicken wings from San Tung (not shown): The place was packed when I showed up around 1:30 on a Thursday. Everyone was eating the wings! I got my order to go and went straight to the N Judah. They smelled so good I got off the bus 3 stops to eat them on the sidewalk. Fried in batter with garlic, ginger and roasted red peppers.

#8 Morning bun from Tartine Bakery (not shown): The bun was good, but the gougère was better. I'm just not that into sweet breakfast. Here's the recipe if you'd like to make them at home.

#50 Giant pretzel with mustard and and beer cheese at Monk's Kettle (left): Giant is an understatement. I came in for a snack and ended up with a meal. Served piping hot with stone ground mustard and house-made cheddar ale sauce. I couldn't resist a glass of the bourbon barrel aged ten FIDY from Oskar Blues.

#91 Albondigas soup at Mijita (not shown): I had this for lunch on Cinco de Mayo. Perfect for the cold rainy afternoon it was. A tomato based soup with beef and pork meatballs and LOTS of veggies. Served with tortilla strips (think fritos).

I'll keep working down the list, even though it has a few flaws. For example, the coffee-rubbed pork shoulder (#2) hasn't been on the menu at Range for quite some time. But, if you're up for the challenge you can track your progress with the Big Eat facebook application. Check back soon for progress reports...

Magic Curry Kart and Amuse Bouche Stand

So we finally made it out to the Magic Curry Kart. We have meant to for a long time but always get sidetracked or never make it out of our little SOMA area. The green curry was great though we were probably the last ones of the evening. It's been some time since we have actually seen decent street food in the US. Street food is a key to all of our trips around the world. Eating food off the street not only supports individuals but also brings you back to the roots of your food supply. Recognizing that eating is a human necessity and not just a fancy private event in a restaurant is very important. Eating food in public and supporting food stalls bring a sense of community that is hard to reach in a large restaurants.

To occupy the time we snacked at the Amuse Bouche Stand below and played some reggae music for the visitors. Murat had some excellent onion tarts as well as a small quiche. He also had some delicious Evening Glory Muffins that were nice little treat while we waited for the curry list to shorten.

Della Fattoria Bakery

Shaping loaves by hand

Della Fatttoria Bakery Tour:

Meaning "from the farm" in Italian, there's no better phrase to describe this small bakery in Petaluma. The bakery was founded in 1995 by Kathleen Weber, and has since grown into a family operation. Most of the ingredients in Della Fattoria's breads are organic and sourced locally, many coming from the Weber's farm and close neighbors. Each loaf of bread is shaped by hand, leavened with a natural starter, salted with course grey sea salt from Brittany and cooked in a wood-fired oven.


Dough resting in antique french bread baskets

Assorted tools


Wood fired ovens

Cowgirl Creamery Tour

Cowgirl Creamery Tour:

Founded by cowgirls Sue Conley (pictured) and Peggy Smith in 1997, the artisan cheese company has come a long way since first opening in 1997. After much success in their small barn in Point Reyes Station, Cowgirl Creamery has expended to a new location in Petaluma's Foundry Wharf. Cowgirl makes a small selection of organic aged and fresh cheeses using milk from neighbor Straus Family Creamery.

Co-founder Sue Conley shares the story of Cowgirl's beginnings.

Here you can see the pasteurization tanks in the Petaluma facility. The stacked forms on the left are cheese molds.

Cheeses soaked in brine for several hours

Stacks of cheese during the aging process

Eric Patterson, who manages the aging of the cheese, allows us to taste cheese at various ages, as well as Cowgirl's different vatieties.

Sacrilicious Bunny

Rabbit sausage, ham steak, BBQ rabbit, salad, carrott top sauce and
beans. Served with Firestone Walker Little Opal Saison beer.

Easter dinner by Fatted Calf Meats and Ryan Farr at Bloodhound SF.

Bacon Brownie & Peeps

w/ peanut butter

Pearl's Deluxe Burgers

After a colorful stumble up Jones Street, we found ourselves inside Pearl's Deluxe Burgers on Post. As soon as we stepped inside, I was instantly reminded of the Coney Island hot dog joints I grew up with in Detroit. The interior was small and brightly lit with a few tables and a window counter.

They serve typical coney fare. Chili dogs, chicken sandwiches, salads, shakes were all on the menu, but this place is best known for their burgers-- beef (certified humane), buffalo, turkey and even veggie.

We ordered off the list of specialty burgers. I had the Prized Pearl-- bacon, sauteed onions, bleu cheese and mayo. Jim had the King, a quarter pounder topped with american and cheddar cheese, thousand island dressing and, get this, a hot dog! Sinfully delicious. We also had a side of sweet potato fries.


It took a few moments for our food to arrive, but it felt like forever since I was starving and already a few beers in. By the time it finally came I was ready to inhale it, and I almost would've had I not stopped to take a few photos. Have a look...

Little Star Pizza

After our Mission Street Food plans were foiled by a lengthy session at Zeitgeist on Thursday, we unexpectedly found ourselves at Little Star's Valencia Street location.

The truth is-- we're not that into pizza. A slice from the corner shop after midnight is about as far as we go, so when I claim Little Star's pizza is my favorite pizza ever-- take if for what it's worth.

We started with garlic bread-- a full head of roasted garlic with bread, still warm from the oven, and soft butter on the side.

Little Star makes a good thin crust, but we're all about the deep dish. We ordered the Mediterranean Chicken, our personal favorite, half without olives per the boy's request. The olives are my favorite part, along with the crumbly corn meal crust. Jim's was the perfect sauce to cheese ratio. Dessert was a pint of Abbey from New Belgium.

Since the large was too much for one seating, we had enough left over for breakfast. The last few pieces even survived a few falls out of my bike basket on the way home.

Iron Springs Brewing

Iron Springs Brewing is located in Fairax, Ca. Fairfax is a little hippie enclave that serves as the gate to Point Reyes when coming from San Francisco. We stopped by on our return from attempting to see whales migrate in extremely high winds. No whales on our day but 23 seen the day before.

"Casey Jones’ Imperial IPA Big, bold, and beautiful, this double IPA will knock your socks off. 9.3% ABV."

"Sless’ Stimultating Stout Sless is back baby!! This creamy Oatmeal Stout is our newest medal winner!
2008 Gold Medal winner World Beer Cup- 6.0% ABV"

Tamale Lady

Zeitgeist is the spot to catch the Tamale Lady. You can find her in
"Our Lady of Tamale".

Featured here is the tasty pork tamale fresh from her cart.

Broken Record & American Single Malts

A great dive bar out on Geneva. Offering house smoke meats, homemade buns and amazing bbq. The Sausages are not house made but they do offer several wild game selections that are hard to come by here in the city.

Their other amazing offering is a list of over 200 whiskeys and bourbons. Pictured are several American single malts we chose to sample, the best chicken wings ever and the menu. No pictures of main courses because we ravaged through those after several drinks.

Organic Mini Donuts

Mmmmm..... Donuts. Seen at Philz Coffee. Mmm....Philz.



photo posted from my iPhone