Before we headed off to Alcatraz, we happened to stumble upon the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. I love going to these open markets where you can buy fresh produce and people watch. This Farmers Market surpasses the ones close by to us though. There are multiple vendors cooking up breakfast dishes and lunch items, stalls with vacuum-sealed meat and fish, and performers every few feet away. I walked around distracted by piles of fresh fruit and flowers, the smell of Korean food at one corner while freshly brewed coffee steamed from the next, and listened as a saxophone crooned in the air while a man a bench away composed his own tunes with a guitar, cymbal, and harmonica. All the while, Taro is standing patiently in line getting our lunch from Roli Roti Gourmet Rotisserie.
Roli Roti caught our attention because it literally looked like a converted truck with a rotisserie grill. All you could see was meat on large rotating metal sticks and we just had to try their food. Since Taro was craving chicken, he ordered a quarter chicken while I tried their porchetta sandwich. You can’t beat pork loin rolled into a pork belly wrapping. We really enjoyed both the chicken and the sandwich, especially out on the pier with a bunch of other people enjoying their food as well.
If you are visiting San Francisco, I highly suggest attending the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on a Saturday morning. There is plenty to look at, but on a nice, sunny (but slightly chilly) day, there is no better place to be. Also, there are vendors across the street selling arts and crafts items; we actually picked up two beanies for our trip to Japan and what was really neat about it was Erin Cowan of Topi actually crocheted my beanie right then and there! If you need a hat, you should check it out because they are super soft and warm!
We saw these mushrooms that you could buy and grow at home. It looks like it comes on a large block (the texture is similar to the stem of the mushroom) and you can grow them at home. I read the pamphlet about them and it’s amazing because within 24 hours, you can have mushrooms to pick! Supposedly they grow quite large and I was quite tempted to get one, but I wasn’t sure if I could fly it back. I’m sure it would not have been a problem, but it might have been a little strange and awkward. The best part of it was that they were also selling t-shirts that said, “Got shrooms?” I almost died.
Lunch, courtesy of Roli Roti Gourmet Rotisserie, which was delicious!
One of the most interesting sources of entertainment by the Ferry Plaza was a group called Jugtown Pirates. Their music was extremely catchy and I loved that it was under the genre of Bluegrass or as they describe it, psychedelic. What was also really neat was that if you donated $5, you could get a CD so I, of course, picked one up.
We picked up some great pieces from an artist from San Francisco, Takashi Honda:
During our month of travel, Taro and I must have been really lucky because we rarely had problems flying with Jet Blue. Our trip to San Francisco was bumpy to start – 30 minute delay – but we made it. Some people on the plane complained openly and vocally about it; I figured it gave me some time to grade those darn IB papers so the slight delay wasn’t that big of a deal. Once we got to San Francisco and our hotel, though, we had to get our priorities straight, which essentially means food. Instead of traveling too far only to wait an hour plus to get a table, we just walked a couple doors down to Chaya, which turned out to be a great experience.
Chaya blends French and Japanese cuisine together. The menu had an array of choices, but we had to figure out what to blend together. To start, we ordered the Rainbow Sashimi and Seaweed Salad (ahi tuna tataki/hamachi/scottish salmon/wasabi pickles/citrus dill/salmon caviar/yuzu pepper garlic vinaigrette). The appetizer was packed with flavor and the sashimi was delicious with the roasted garlic on top. Practically anything with yuzu is a favorite of ours and we thought that this dish was the perfect way to start.
Afterwards, our Kaffir Lime-Scented Seafood Chowder (lobster/shrimp/calamari/mussels/fish) came out. Our waiter actually suggested putting a spoonful of sherry into the chowder in order to accent the seafood flavor. Taro and I decided to do a taste test and we tried the chowder without the sherry first. It had a much more creamy taste to it and once we added the sherry, the seafood really did stand out much more. It definitely gave the chowder a different taste and it was fun experimenting based off the suggestion of our waiter.
Following the chowder, we had Seared Day Boat Sea Scallops (cauliflower/peas/chard/veal jus/truffle sherry vinaigrette). Strangely, I am not a huge scallops fan; I want to say it’s because when I was younger, I would give my scallops to my brother in exchange for his lobster pieces. However, these scallops were fantastic! It had just the right amount of truffle so that it wasn’t overwhelming and the pieces of cauliflower with the vinaigrette gave it nice flavoring. After this, I just might have to reconsider giving up my share of scallops.
The sushi rolls came out next, which were good, but nothing extraordinary. Although we were stuffed, I had to order the dessert after reading reviews on Yelp about the dessert alone. Chaya is known for their Warm Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding (with caramel ice cream). I thought Mastro’s dessert was pretty darn good, but this bread pudding beats it. According to Taro, it was “Goooood.“ It was warm and savory…plus I had to nearly fight to have my share because Taro wanted to devour it up! That alone should tell you how good it was.
Overall, Chaya was a nice way to spend our first evening in San Francisco. We were able to enjoy good food and sake and rest up before the adventure in the Bay area. We definitely look forward to going to Chaya again in Downtown LA!
The English Department tries to get together with other departments throughout the school year. One thing we always look forward to is a lunch BBQ with the Science Department. As a department, we trek over to what is known as “Man Land” where the grill is fired up and the hamburgers await. It is always fun a week prior to the luncheon when the sign-up list is compiled up; each person claims a food item that coincides with burgers while jabbing at another individual – sometimes from the same department, usually to the other one – through a Google document. By the time we meet, though, there is just good food, good times, and a nice bond between two different departments – and of course, the continuing of the jokes and jabs.
It is always a treat to go over to “Man Land” and speaking for the English Department, we look forward to the next BBQ! Thanks again, Science Department, for hosting lunch!
We celebrated Princess Ron’s birthday as well. Happy birthday again, Ron! Also, we had our own birthday celebration in the English Department to the true princess, Jen! Love you, friend!
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