Quirky San Francisco

Chef-owner Greg Dunmore, who worked with Hiro Sone at Ame at the St. Regis is cooking up Japanese food that’s beyond sushi. It’s inventive, unique and fun to explore.

Try a little of everything and order in stages, so you can skew the direction of the meal toward lighter, heavier or more variety. Oh, and save room for dessert.

One of the newest foodie havens just opened a few weeks ago – Wayfare Tavern. I went there with friends and everyone had a great meal. The upstairs bar was a lot of fun too. We had fun challenging the bartender with their unique, and very complete collection of bitters. The place was hoppin’ but fun. We had a late reservation, but went early and had high hopes of being seated early. We didn’t, but the reservation was on time.

It all worked out great and Tyler Florence even took time out of his kitchen duties to come over and say HI. He seemed quite calm and was even warm and friendly. Personally, I would have been a nervous wreck, given the pressure of a new restaurant in this city. We can be a tough crowd, due to the array of optional eateries.

I had the smoked pork chop with Marcona almond butter, roasted peaches and fennel purée. It was awesome. Several people had the fried chicken and said it was great. We also managed to try the macaroni and cheese which was good too. I almost ordered the Chicken Pot Pie (only available on Sunday). The bartender mentioned that it usually sells out, but I’m glad I stuck with my first hunch and got the pork. I think mine was the best at the table and I’d have it again in a heart beat. Everyone was so full we didn’t order desert. Maybe next time? Comfort food is the specialty and frankly, it’s not as expensive as I thought it might be. That said, comfort food shouldn’t be too expensive; so it all works out.

Here’s a link to the home page where they’ve posted the old footage of a streetcar ambling down Market Street. It’s been around, but it’s classic and fun to watch if you have a few.

Link to Wayfare Tavern and the streetcar footage.

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Cliff House Sunset View

The Bar

Front

Side

Main Dining Room

I’ve been going to the Cliff House for over 60 years. Wow … I’m old!!! But I digress.

I grew up in Pacific Grove, on the Monterey Peninsula, and I recall my parents getting dressed up to go to “the city”. Mom would wear gloves and a hat and Dad wore a tie, hat and smoked a pipe. They were a smart couple (and still are, actually).

We’d visit the San Francisco Zoo (originally named Fleishhacker Zoo), Golden Gate Park, do some downtown shopping at Gumps or City of Paris (now the Neiman-Marcus store … with the beautiful stained glass ceiling that’s patterned after Galeries Lafayette in Paris). Sometimes we’d come for the day or maybe spend the night; so we’d have two days to enjoy the sites. Over the years, we did it all, and often had a late lunch at the Cliff House before driving back home down Highway 1.

The Cliff House I recall was beautiful as a kid, but over the years had become more and more worn and just plain tired. In 2004, it was totally rebuilt for the 5th or 6th time. Even though the current version is very modern bent, it’s still beautiful in a new, clean and opened way. It’s still a great spot to enjoy a meal, a snack, or a drink. I think the best time to go is late afternoon or early evening. Sunsets are beautiful, but it’s a joy even on a cold foggy day. The new design is opened and lets everyone get a first class view through the big expansive windows to the west.

If you’d like to see a couple virtual reality photos, click here.

I don’t have any old photos of the Cliff House, but they’re easy to find … just do a search and click on images, or click on this link to the Cliff House Web site. You’ll see that it’s been rebuilt several times and each time, I think it’s gotten better, although, the Victorian version might still be a stunning site on the cliffs overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. I can imagine sitting there, sipping a bowl of clam chowder, watching the sun sink slowly into the horizon.

For more info about the Cliff House, click here.

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