San Francisco – Page 2 – Breweventures

Seek the Sunshine – San Jose Weekend

Sometime around July in San Francisco, you begin to wonder if the yellow, life-giving disc in the sky is ever going to return. I once spent a 4th of July steps from where they shoot off fireworks unable to see them because of the San Francisco fog. When this happens to you for too long, as a San Francisco city dweller, you know you’re in need of a sunny escape.

Fortunately, the urban conglomeration of San Jose is not too far from San Francisco, and the sun always seems to shine over the capital of the Silicon Valley. So, rent your car and head out on the highway, humming “Do You Know the Way…” all the while. (To reduce your carbon footprint, this weekend jaunt, omitting the wineries I mention, can also be done on the train, as there’s Caltrain Service from San Fransciso to San Jose.)

Day 1: Do You Know the Way to San Jose?
If you wake up fairly early in San Francisco on a Saturday morning, you can have a light breakfast of toast/coconut/espresso over at Trouble Coffee, over on Judah, between 45th & 46th. Then, cruise down the Great Highway over to Skyline Drive, heading south through some beautiful forested areas, and the lovely town of Woodside.

On your left, a few miles outside of Woodside, your first wine stop will be Thomas Fogarty, which makes some great vino– especially their barberas if you’re a fan of those. You can see how much the fog that plagues you in San Francisco contributes to some fine wine production when you taste the many varieties at Fogarty. (You can find Fogarty, along with the best driving directions to find them, online at: http://www.fogartywinery.com/)

Keep meandering down Skyline, one of the world’s great drives. You’ll pass through redwoods, see scenic vistas of the Bay below, and a variety of flora and fauna.

When you get to Highway 9, turn, and head toward Saratoga. (Highway 9 is also known as Big Basin Way.) Your next stop will be the Savannah-Chanelle winery, a maker of some very nice wines, particularly reds. You can also snack on some salami and cheese for sale there, as the winery has a nice picnic area in front. (For some info online, see: http://www.savannahchanelle.com/) From Savannah-Chanelle, you’re just a stone’s throw from San Jose, your final sunny stop.

If you left early enough and were leisurely enough at the wineries, you should be arriving in San Jose around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Maybe earlier. You’ll be checking into the Fairmont, in downtown San Jose, which has great rates on weekends when the Valley’s business activities grind to a halt. The pool at the Fairmont is a fabulous place to soak in the sun. You will forget that the fog ever plagued you after an hour or two here.

After your swim, hit the showers and leave the hotel for the evening. (You won’t need to drive, which is nice if you plan to imbibe.) O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub at 25 N. San Pedro Street is a good time with good pub grub. The staff make you feel at home. There’s often music too. Visit online for more info: http://www.oflahertyspub.com/

Should you tire of the flavors of Ireland, you can head around the corner to the Brit, or Brittania Arms, at 173 W. Santa Clara. The Brit’s a big pub, and often, has some DJ action and/or a BBQ on a nice back patio (http://www.britanniaarmsdowntown.com/) Once it’s time to hit the hay, you’re just a few blocks away from your comfy bed at the Fairmont.

Day 2: Sunshine & Science
Sunday morning, have breakfast in bed with the Fairmont’s excellent room service, or head downstairs to the plaza between the Fairmont’s main building and adjoining tower for some excellent European-style pastries and coffee. Then, hit the pool until you can’t stand the sun any more. (Though fleeing from the fog the morning before, the sun is hot enough in San Jose that you will soon tire of it. Or at least, your skin will.)

Once you do need some shade after your poolside stint, cool down across the street at the San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation. In addition to some great exhibits about the business of Silicon Valley (clean rooms for micro-chips, body scanning, & more), there’s an IMAX theater with a variety of shows. You can even make your own customized Web page as a souvenir by using the museum’s special scanner system. To get the most out of your visit, plan prior using the museum’s Web site: http://www.thetech.org/

At the end of the day, hop on the 101 and get back to San Francisco in around an hour and a half. After so much sunshine, you may even be happy to see the fog.

A Barrel o’ Laughs at the Musee Mecanique

Back in the day, San Francisco’s Ocean Beach housed “Playland,” an amusement area like so many beachside fun zones of yester-year. Today, Ocean Beach has some beige clonish condos and apartments where Playland once stood, which may or may not represent progress depending on your attachment to “It’s It” ice cream sandwiches, arcade games, and skeeball.

You can recapture this golden era of seaside fun at the Musee Mecanique, over at Fisherman’s Wharf. The museum houses a collection of the penny arcade games that were over at Playland. (Along with some skeeball and more recent arcade games from the 1980s.) The best part is that, unlike a museum, you can still touch and play everything on exhibit!

It is worth a special trip over to the Wharf to see if you’re still good at Millipede, to watch a penny-pantomime called “Opium Den” from the early 20th Century, and of course, to hear the demonic, creepy cackle of the legendary Laughing Sal.

Cruise over to the Musee Mecanique at Pier 45, at the end of Taylor Street. If you want a preview of Sal’s demonic cackle, check out the Musee Mecanique’s site online at http://www.museemechanique.org/

A Fungus Among Us

You have to buy a gift. You want it be as unique, special, and delightful as the person you’re buying it for. A chain store’s gift certificate will not suffice.

If you happen to be passing through San Francisco, the Ferry Building has many exciting offerings, but none that will grow on you as much as the items available at Far West Fungi. For just around $25, you can purchase a log pre-seeded with chanterelles or shitaki mushrooms that will yield multiple harvests.

Even if the recipient is not a foodie, getting to grow fresh (typically, expensive) mushrooms within a very short period of time at home is pretty amazing…and fun!

Taste the difference for yourself at Far West Fungi, 1 Ferry Building, Shop 34. You can check them out online at www.farwestfungi.com as well.

Pittsburgh’s Pub

There are days when you just want an icy cold beer, some TVs with sports on, along with a few pool tables, dart boards, pinball machines, and video games for good measure.

Pittsburgh’s Pub will satisfy all these needs, and the jukebox isn’t too shabby either.

Named in honor of the owner’s hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (adulation which has finally paid off with the Steelers over the past few years), Pittsburgh’s is a good place to get a drink and sit at the bar peacefully solo or with pals.

When you’re sitting at the bar, you’ll generally have an interesting conversation or two with the area residents who frequent the establishment. The management’s also kind enough not to eject you from the premises if you and your friends happen to be wearing random hats when you call on Pittsburgh’s at midnight, a degree of openness which is always good to know about a place.

Sometimes, a brewski while shooting pool is all you need. Especially when wearing funny hats.

Check Pittsburgh’s out for some day drinking or lates at 4207 Judah (at 47th Avenue).

Scoma’s San Francisco Seafood

Scoma's Seafood Restaurant, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco

Sometimes, you just want some fresh fish, perfectly cooked, without all the oddball extras some San Francisco hipster joints tend to layer on plates (chamomile chardonnay reduction with fudge nibs on swordfish). And, if you live in SF and have out of town guests, you’re probably desperate to find a place where you can meet your friends and family at the Wharf, where you won’t feel like you’ve fallen through the looking glass into a tourist circus.

Scoma’s is just the place. With boats still delivering catch straight to Scoma’s, it’s one of the last relics of when the Wharf was a more authentic place: where fishing and crab boats, and not chain restaurants, were justifiably king.

When in season, this is one of the best places in the city to sample locally caught Dungeness. Other times, you can try sand dabs and petrale sole, 2 San Francisco classics. Ask for whatever’s fresh and you won’t be disappointed.

The area outside Scoma’s has one of the best views of the Golden Gate bridge, and the view of the fishing docks from Scoma’s bar is a great place for a pre-dinner cocktail. Great wine list, featuring several of California’s best wines, to complement your meal as well.

As always in life, getting to Scoma’s is half the fun. You take a turn off the main drag– a tourist laden goldmine of gift shops and chain restaurants– and instantly, everything’s bustling in a different way or just quiet. You’re in a working port, where real fishing boats ply their trade, and seagulls swoop over boats to see if there are any scraps.

See it, and taste it, for yourself at Pier 47, Al Scoma Way, SF, CA. Online, check Scoma’s out at: http://www.scomas.com/