Portals and KM

Painting of Prawns and Chips at a Cafe in Cape Town South Africa

Here is a 20" x 24" acrylic painting of a prawns and chips (fries) at an outdoor cafe based on a trip I took to Cape Town in 2010. I now an artist with the Arts Council of New Orleans and particpate in their monthy art market. These markets occur generally on the last Saturday at Palmer Park in New Orleans, at the corner of S. Carrolton and S. Claiborne. Saturday May 25 is the next market and I will have a booth and offer paintings for sale. Since I arrived back in my hometown, I have been painting a variety of themes related to the city but sometimes do other themes like this one.  

Images from Salem Willows Amusement Park

Salem Willows is a wonderful small old fashioned amusement park in Salem, MA that was foudned in 1866. It has both old style mechanical rides and the new electronic ones. There are a lot of willow trees and a small beach. I try to visit it whenver I am in Salem. 

                                       

Images from the Zydeco Cajun Prairie, South Louisiana

Another benefit to going west to take in some Zydeco and Cajun music and dancing is the roadside scenery. There is a Zydeco Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway that we followed a good bit. Here are some highlights. 

                      
                                 

Images of Homes in the New Iberia Louisiana Area

On the way to to going west to take in some Zydeco and Cajun music and dancing, we took the slow route from New Orleans on Route 90 to see some of the pleasant towns and countryside along the way. There were many lovely homes in the New Iberia area, starting with Franklin and continuing through New Iberiato St. Martinville. Franklin had a wide road with white lamp posts and Chtistmas decorations, along with many large homes. Here are some of what we saw, along with a few other local views. The past five posts have covered other parts of our trip. 

                                                  

Images from the Atchafalya Basin, South Louisiana

The Atchafalya Basin is a huge swamp in Louisiana that might become the future home of the Mississippi River according to some. It is a beautifual place. with several state parks for camping, canoing, and walking inlcuding Lake Fausse Pointe. Here are pictures of the swamp and several music venues alongside it including McGeee's Landing where we also had some seafood harvested from the swamp including basin catfish. 

                                       

Shrimp Festival Litte River South Carolina

I was fortunate to be at the Shrimp Festival in Little River South Carolina. There was great food and music in the coastal setting. Here are some images.

                                       

Some Sunsets from Sunset Beach North Carolina

Sunset Beach North Carolina is just north of the border with South Carolina. It is long island that faces South so it gets sunrises on one side and sunsets on the other. Here are some sunsets. I watched a few more over the last few days. I did sunries in the last post. 

                                        

Sunrise at Sunset Beach North Carolina

Sunset Beach North Carolina is just north of the border with South Carolina. It is long island that faces South so it gest sunrises on one side and sunsets on the other. I am staying there right now. Here are some sunrises. The next post will cover some sunsets. 

                                       

The Dunes at Sunset Beach North Carolina

Sunset Beach North Carolina has a very wide beach that goes the entire lenght of the island. It is located just north of the border with South Carolina. There wide dunes behind the beach protecting the island as developers were smart to allow for this protection. Here are some views of the dunes.

                                                   

Beach Views at Sunset Beach North Carolina

Sunset Beach North Carolina has a very wide beach that goes the entire lenght of the island. It is located just north of the border with South Carolina. Here are some views of the beach. There wide dunes behind the beach protecting the island as developers were smart to allow for this protection. I cover the dunes in my hext post. 

                                                   

Experiencing Some Great Meals in South Louisiana 2012

As my last post indicated I recently went to west to take in some Zydeco and Cajun music and dancing. A delicious part of this trip was the wonderful food of the region. Every meal was worthy of a repeat. We are actually back there right now and another post will follow.

It began with lunch at Victor’s Cafeteria in New Iberia that included gumbo, fried shrimp, crawfish ettouffe, frogs leg, and fried fish. There were some inviting deserts. While I was full from the meal I could not resist taking pictures of some of the treats. That night we ate at Miller’s Zydeco Hall of Fame in Lawtel LA as we saw the Zydeco bands. The food included one of the best gumbos I have had, well as some great fried chicken.

          

The next morning we stopped at Ray’s Bakery in Eunice for two dozen fresh doughnuts to take to the Cajun jam session at the Savoy Music center where we had some wonderful boudin. We each had a doughnut on the way and the rest were consumed quickly once we got there. Lunch was at Don’s Seafood in Lafayette and consisted of BBQ oysters, gumbo, along with crawfish five ways: bisque, cocktail, ettouffe, au gratin, and fried. Dinner was at the Mayor’s Gala in Opelousas and included some wonderful gumbo in the same homemade style we found at Miller’s. There is a painting of the gumbo post at the bottom of this post. 

                

On Sunday morning we stopped at the Donut Queen in Mamou for two small sausage kolatch and a boudin kolatch. Both were sausage wrapped in bread. Later we ate at McGee’s Landing in Henderson. Our meal included: grilled catfish, crawfish, alligator, stuffed shrimp, hush puppies, stuffed potato, and syrup cake for desert. Most of the seafood came from the nearby Atchafalya Basin. 

                

Images from Ruby Beach, Washington

This is part of the Olympic National Park and one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere. 

                                                         

Images from Cape Flattery, Washington

Here is the most northwestern part of the lower 48 states in the US. 

                                              

Happy New Year from the Atchafalya Basin

Hope you have a great 2013. The Atchafalya Basin is a huge swamp in Louisiana that might become the future home of the Mississippi River according to some. It is a beautifual place. with several state parks for camping, canoing, and walking. Here are two. First, the Chicot in day time and Lake Fausse Pointe at sunset. We were out in the area for some Cajun and Zydeco daning to live bands on their own turf over the weekend (some posts will follow on this). Now we plan to spend more time at the state parks on future trips.

Happy New Year's Eve - Opelousas LA Happenings

I hope you all have a great New Year's celebration. I decided to go west from New Orleans to take in some of the events in the Opelousas and Lafeyette area know for its Zydeco and

Cajun music and great food. I saw zydeco bands such as Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie (above) and Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band (see right). I will post my experiences in the coming weeks but I am still celebrating now. Meanwhile, here is what I found around this time last year as a preview.

Photos of Lafayette Opelousas Louisiana Area

Taking in Zydeco Music in Opelousas Louisiana and More

Taking in Cajun Music in the Lafayette Louisiana Area

Eating Great Cajun Food and BBQ in the Lafayette Opelousas Area

For Opelousas/Lafayette LA Tourist Information: St. Landry Parish Visitor Information Center

 

 

Images from Mount Rainer, Washington

I climbed this mountain in 1984 but doubt I could do it again now. I was there this summer and it remains as beautiful as ever. As frequently happens, the top of the mountain was covered by clouds. The last pctures were taken from the plane.

                                                               

Images from Seattle's Bainbridge Ferry

Seattle is a place surroudned by water and there are numerous ferries. This is one of the main ones to the Olympic Pennsiula. The first series is the ferry arriving ta Bainbridge. Part way down you see the boarding process in Seattle. 

                                                           

Visiting Seattle's Zoo

Seattle has a wonderful zoo. Here are a selection of photos of the inhabitants. 

                                         

Chiba: Great Japanese Food with a New Orleans Twist

The New Orleans food scene is stronger than ever with over 1300 places to eat, up from 800 pre-Katrina. I have long enjoyed the food of my hometown. Since I returned to live here full time at the end of October, I have been conducting further explorations into what New Orleans offers.

In my own neighborhood, there are easily twenty good restaurants worth repeating within walking distance. One of these is Chiba, offering high quality Japanese food on Oak Street.  Chiba is run by my neighbor Keith Dusko. It has provided the two best meals I have had since I moved here on Halloween.  And their innovation crosses over to wonderful cocktails like a blackberry mojita and a very large sake selection.

You know you are in New Orleans with items like Crawfish Tempura and Bananas Foster Egg Rolls.  And they manage to pull it off with great skill doing homage to both food traditions.  Their sushi and sashimi are wonderful and likely the highest quality in the city. However, their cooked dishes also show great innovation and execution, with examples like the two above and pan-roasted mussels with ginger, garlic and green onions and short rib tempura served on fresh lettuce with sesame soy jus. I think it ranks with any place across the city for culinary innovation and execution.

Here is our first meal: crawfish tempura, pork belly steamed bun, fried oyster steam bun, pan-roasted mussels with ginger, garlic and green onions, soy mirin-glazed NY steak with marbled potatoes, Tasso ham, Thai basil and chili aioli, and we finished with blueberry beignets and ice cream.

       

The tempura was light with plenty of crawfish and we ate it before I got the camera out, The mussels were flavorful, the steamed buns were very light with intense flavors inside, the steak was thin sliced and combined well with the potatoes and Tasso, and the desert blew us away.

Here is our second meal; tempura calamari salad with Dikon radish and green vinaigrette, sashimi special served in a crispy fish that was also very eatable, short rib tempura (partially eaten as we got carried away before I took the picture), crispy skin salmon with spinach and a peanut sauce, and closing with bananas foster egg roll with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

   
 

Each dish was innovative, fresh and well prepared. There were lots of calamari, the sashimi was subtle and the presentation in a whole crispy fish was a pleasant surprise, the short rib reminded me of a high end version of chicken fried steak and I say this with great homage to a dish I grew up on, the salmon had a nice combination of crispy outside and juicy inside. Once again the desert blew us away.  We will be back many times as there are many other innovative choices left on the menu to sample.

Chiba is located at 8312 Oak Street,
New Orleans, LA 70118 (504) 826-9119. They do take out but we enjoy sitting at the bar watching all the new drinks being prepared. If you are comig to the city, add it to you list of places to eat.

Images from Lake Union, Seattle

Lake Union is a landmark of Seattle with many houseboats, views of the city, the Gas Works Park, and sea plances. We even had a great meal on the shore as a multitude of sail boats cam eout at sunset. 

                                                    

Images from the Seattle Art Museum

I spent some good time at the Seattle Art Museum. Here are some of my favorites. 

                                       

Images from Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew in Volunteer Park Seattle

We watched Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew in Volunteer Park as part of a Summer series they run every year. Here are the highlights of a great performance. 

                                                        

 

Images from Volunteer Park Seattle, Washington

Volunteer Park is a wonderful place located at 1247 15th Ave E.  Volunteer Park is home to the Volunteer Park Conservatory and the Seattle Asian Art Museum. They are both pictured below. There is also a great collection of trees. They do Shakespeare play outdoors. I will present images from one, Taming of the Shrew, tomorrow. 

                                                   

Images of a Market In Seattle's Central District

I was struck by the products and produce offered in a grocery store in Seattle's Central District. I always enjoy exploring grocery stores when I travel. Here is some of what I found. I wish I was there long enough to enjoy everything. 

                                           

Images from Seattle's Central District

The Central District is an interesting area within Seattle and I sepnt a few weeks there in August. As theWikipedia notes, the Central District is a mostly residential district in Seattle located east of Cherry Hill, west ofMadrona and Leschi, south of Capitol Hill, and north of Rainier Valley. Historically, the Central District has been one of Seattle's most racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods and is the center of Seattle's black community. 

                                               

Images from Pike Market, Seattle

Here is the well known Pike Market in downtown Seattle, Washington. 

                                 

Images from Downtown Seattle, Washington

Here is Seattle, Washington in August, the ideal time to visit a great city. This is the first in a series on the area. 

                                                                

Highlights of 2012 Oak Street Poboy Festival - New Orleans

As I mentioned yesterday, now that I moved to New Orleans, I have discovered that there are free festivals almost every weekend with music, food and art vendors.  Here are highlights of the Highlights of the 2012 Oak Street Poboy Festival which occurred a block from where I live. The 2012 Festival's Featured Charity is Tipitina's Foundation.  There were tens of thousands of people there. We went to a series of talks on the origin of poboys and local lost restaurants. Before Katrina there were over 800 restaurants in New Orleans and now there are over 1300.  There are over twenty good ones walking distance of my house It is hard to choose. The image below is from the event Web site. 

There were 26 food vendors at the festival with every kind of poboy you can imagine and then some! - even fried lobster poboys shown below. We had from the following: GW Fins – fried lobster poboy, Chiba – short ribs and tempura shrimp steamed buns, Jacque Imo’s - roast duck poboy, Palate - Shrimp corn dogs, Big Fisherman – crawfish pies, Mondo – pastrami, Gruyere and pickled slaw poboy and an Asian Sesame Oyster poboy from unknown vendor. Music included Flow Tribe, Honey Island Swamp Band and our neighbor Chad Toups’ two band’s playing on another neighbor’s porch – Mowath and ZamaPara. There was also a stage for young musicians. The young drummer below was quite good.  

                                              

Highlights of Magazine Street Blues Festival

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  Down here we will be making gumbo with the left over turkey. Now that I moved to New Orleans, I have discovered that there are free festivals almost every weekend with music, food and art vendors.  Here are highlights of the 4th Annual Magazine Street Blues Festival that was held last weekend on Saturday November 17. It was sponsored by and benefiting COPS 2, a group that supports the Second District Police District. Tomorrw I will be reporting on the Oak Street Poboy Festival that was held the next day. 

Music and dance included the: Marc Stone Blues Band, Soul Rebels – brass dance, Pussyfooters – dancers in pink, Wiseguys – 70s and 80s cover dance band, 610 Stompers – dancers in red jackets, and Rockin Doopsie and the Zydeco Twisters. All were great and it was a nice mix of musical styles. We ate the following from Woody’s Tacos – Shrimp, fish, and pork and from the Praline Connection - chicken wings and beignets and gumbo. The food and music was great. You can see things in order of appearance below. 

            

   
             

   

Images from Farms, Point Reyes, Marin County

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. These images are from Point Reyes National Seashore where they allowed the farms from the 1800s to remain, which was a wise decision. 

                                 

 

Images from Drakes Beach, Point Reyes, Marin County

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. These images are from Drakes Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. I visit here often and they even a nice place for local seafood.

                                 

Going to Top of Mount Washington

This summer I went to the top of Mount Washington in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. It is the site of most of the worst weather in the world and the highest recored winds at 242 miles per hour. We drove to the top but I have climbed it in the past. Fortunately we had a calm sunny day as you can see. There used to be a hotel at the top and it is now a museum.

                                        

Images from 2012 Onset Blues Festival

This is the sixth year in a row I have gone to the Onset Blues Festival. Bands included: Willie J. Laws, Tons of Blues, Sean Chambers, Diane Blue with Toni Lynn Washington, Ricky King Russell and the Cadillac Horns with Jeff Portnoy.

                                                 

Images from Tomales Bay, Marin County

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. Tomales Bay is known for its oysters and sunsets. Many of these photos were taken from Nick’s in Marshall, including the food shots. 

                

               

 

Images from Tomales, Marin County

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. We stayed in the own of Tomales and went on some walks where the people we met invited us into their homes. Here are a few images. 

                                                                           

 

Driving Through Hurricane Sandy To New Orleans

Hurricane Sandy was a storm of huge proportions. I feel for those who suffered losses from its arrival. Here is a link to ways to help them. I was fortunate to simply experience some of its range as it took me two full days of steady driving to get through it and its sister snowstorm from the West. I drove a 22-foot truck to New Orleans during the storm with much of my stuff in the back. My trip began near Sandy’s northeastern reach in Cambridge MA. I did not get through the twin storms until two days later south of Louisville KY.

I decided to move to back to my hometown, New Orleans, last spring. During the summer I changed my move date to the end of October. I was eager to get there to start my new life. I also wanted to leave before the Cambridge winter.  This was accentuated by the lack of heat in my apartment, a situation that was helpful in terminating my lease. I picked October 30 to give me an extra day before the end of the month.

Then I saw the forecasts for hurricane Sandy. I closely monitored what was happening as it approached, ironically reminding me of Katrina’s approach at a time that I first thought about moving back home to New Orleans. There were strong winds predicted throughout my intended path. I changed from my original route via Scranton, south through the Shenandoah, and passing through scenic eastern Tennessee before going west. To get out of the storm as soon as possible, I decided to go straight west through upstate New York and on to Cleveland before turning south, where the winds were only predicted to be 50 mph. I was going to drive an unfamiliar truck.

I had decided to rent a truck and drive my belongings myself to both save money and to have them arrive with me. I hired some professional movers to carry my stuff from the top of my third floor walk up (see on the left), load and pack the truck for me. As the storm approached, I moved things forward a day, to the 29^th; I was lucky the movers could handle this new date. Then Sandy moved forward as well. I was grateful that the movers agreed to load the truck despite the weather.  I was eager to get out of town and not be struck for days.

My good friend, Thierry Hubert, helped make the departure reality. My Jeep was already in New Orleans, as I did not want to tow it. So Thierry drove me to the required stops for errands as the wind was picking up. There was a series of good and bad turns. Thierry took me first to the cable company whose Web site said they would be open at 8:30. The truck was to be ready at 10 and the movers would arrive at 10:30. However, the sign of the cable company door said it would open at 10. Concern rose. Luckily in a few minutes, there was a woman standing near the door. I asked to give her the cable boxes, as I had to go get my truck to move. She said I could not come inside but she took the boxes I handed to her in my black garbage bag.

The truck was 30 minutes late and came with no gas. Thierry used his GPS to find a place that had diesel. We negotiated some narrow streets in Somerville and into Cambridge. The movers were waiting. Thierry went out a got some rope to allow the movers to securely tie in the contents. They did a great job, as the load did not shift at all during trip.

I was lucky again as the whole time the movers were loading the truck in Cambridge, it was only misting, even though the winds were high. Some trees fell near us but the rain
held off. There was sense of urgency!  My neighbor kindly let me watch the latest forecast on her TV. As soon as I closed the back end of the truck, at 2:30PM, the driving rain started. So the movers and my stuff missed getting soaked.  I put on Clifton Chenier, the Zydeco great, doing “Bon Ton Roule” as I pulled the big diesel away from my curb. The large windshield wipers were keeping time with his drummer. The truck cab was as high as a semi and passing cars looked like the Matchbox series. I was right to get this size truck, given all I was taking south.

As I drove out of Cambridge, several streets were closed with big trees across the road. There were strong winds and heavy rain until I was half way across Massachusetts. The truck swayed a bit in the wind. I drove slowly and began to get used to the truck. It was a leap of faith or perhaps the desire to go home that pushed me to not stop. Then the strong wind changed to a steady wind.

The service area on the Mass Pike was out of power. Fortunately, the gas pumps and minimart were on a generator. It was the first of many rainy, wet fill-ups at the diesel pump isolated from the regular gasoline pumps and their overhead cover. The food venders were closed with no power; they were about to shut the bathrooms. I bought a bunch of snacks for dinner. I hoped that I could find a place to sleep with power that night. I did have a flashlight, some pillows and a quilt in the cab as a backup.

When I got to New York State the rain changed to a mist with the steady winds so I was able to drive at normal speeds, although I do not go too fast with the big truck at first. However, I wanted to put as much distance behind me so I drove late. I spent the night in Geneva NY, between Syracuse and Rochester.  The first motel had no water, and the second was full. Third took me in and had wifi. I slept well.

On Tuesday I drove 14 hours from Geneva to Munfordville KY, about 90 min south of Louisville KY. The truck and I were beginning to be friends. I increased the speed more. There were  strong winds and rain. It took me two days to drive through Sandy. This shows the reach of the storm. I drove diagonally across the whole state of Ohio from Cleveland to Cincinnati. I sprinkled Obama dust along with way. I thought about how this one state may decide our next President. There was snow on the ground in mid-state Ohio but not on the road as I went through, only rain. I got caught in Cincinnati’s evening rush hour. I finally got out of the storm south of Louisville and stopped for the night.

The third day was long - 12 hours - but sunny and calm.  I got an early start and watched the sun come up as I entered Tennessee. To celebrate the sun I had breakfast at a Waffle House. It was the only time I sat down for a meal, surviving on hot dogs and fried chicken take out from the various truck stops, not wanting to waste time. I had to stop often to fill the fuel ravenous truck.  I went through Nashville’s morning rush hour and on through Alabama and Mississippi. I discovered there was a governor on the truck preventing it from going over 70, even down hill. It made passing a challenge at times but also made me not worry about any speeding tickets.

I entered Louisiana around 5PM. I drove over the long bridge at Slidell with the sun shinning through mist at a low angle over Lake Pontchartrain. I arrived in New Orleans for dinner at 6:30. As I drove into New Orleans there was a big traffic jam on I-10. I took a chance and got off at the Orleans Avenue exit just as traffic was stopping completely. I drove through Treme, past Dookey Chase’s, and reached North Carrolton, turning left toward the River.

Once I crossed Claiborne I saw the green streetcars I often rode in my childhood. I was home. It felt very comfortable going down the familiar Carrolton Avenue to my new home near my old neighborhood at Riverbend. Each street name was now part of my childhood. I put on Clifton Chenier again and the sounds of “Bon Ton Roule” rode with me down the narrow bumpy street off Carrolton near the levee to my destination. As I parked people walked by in costumes. Then I remebered it was Halloween. Below you can see my rental truck parked beside my new home. 

The next night I walked to the top of the levee near my home and watched the sunset over the Mississippi River. I had a beer in a go cup as barges quietly passed in the red glow. I felt that I had been given early admissions to heaven. 

Images from Mount Vision, Point Reyes, Marin County

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. These images are from Mount Vision in Point Reyes National Seashore.  There is normally a great view over Point Reyes but it was fogged in bringing its own beauty. 

                     











 

Images of Seals, Point Reyes, Marin County

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. These images are from one end of Point Reyes near Chimney Rock where there are a lot of seals. 

                           















 

Images from Chimney Rock Area, Point Reyes, Marin County

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. These images are from one end of Point Reyes near Chimney Rock and the life saving station. 

                                                     

























 

Images from Drakes Bay Oyster Company, Point Reyes, Marin County

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. These images are from Drakes Bay Oyster Company in Point Reyes National Seashore. 

                           














 

Images from Drakes Bay, Point Reyes, Marin County

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. These images are from Drakes Bay in Point Reyes National Seashore. There is a great oyster company here that will be the subject of the next post.

                           

Images from Northern Marin County Interior

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. Here is the northern portion.  

                                 

 

Images from Southern Marin County Interior

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. Here is the southern portion.  

                                 

















 

Images from Marin County Flowers

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is another in a series on my experiences. I find the interior as beautiful as the coast. The climate and people conspire to create some wonderful flowers. Here area few.   

                             

Images from Marin County Coast

I was in Marin County in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. This is the first in a series on my experiences. I begin with some images of the varied coast. 

                             

Images from Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco

I was in San Francisco in early July and, as always find it one of the most beautiful places anywhere. It is one of the few cities I could live in. Here are images from the Japanese tea garden in Golden Gate Park. 

                                                  

 

Photos of Potrero Hill, San Francisco

Here are some photos from the Potrero Hill neighborhood in San Francisco. It is one of the sunniest areas in the city with great views looking in all directions. It has a street just as curvy as Lombard Street where they have a tricycle race every year.

                                            

 

Photos of Ferry Terminal and Marina Areas San Francisco

Here are some photos from the ferry terminal building in San Francisco which has become a great collection of food shops and restaurants. I am also including photos from another wonderful waterfront area at the Marina.

                                                       

 

San Francisco Restaurants: 2012 Update

I was in San Francisco recently and want to report on some new places I tried as well as some recommendations I received. As always I am interested in your thoughts on this topic.

Farmer Brown describes itself as farm fresh soul food and I would agree. We had some great fried chicken with greens and mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, and gumbo seen below. It is located at 25 Mason at Market. 415-409-farm.

   

Moss Room is located inside the California Academy of Sciences, and open for both lunch and dinner service. We had a great dinner. I had shrimp and polenta repeating my shrimp and grits from Farmer Brown but it was different and great with speck. There is actually moss on a living wall with lots of carp and other fish swimming underneath. It is located at 55 Music Concourse Drive,
Golden Gate Park, 
San Francisco CA 415 876 6121.

Gallery Cafe - I had a very fresh breakfast sandwich here. It is located at 1200 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA (415) 296-9932

   

Greens is one of the original gourmet vegetarian restaurants. I have had their first cookbook for some time and they now have several. Fresh local produce is the starting point. Even non-vegetarians like myself will like it. It is on the waterfront at Building A, Fort Mason Center Restaurant: 415-771-6222 Greens to Go: 415-771-6330

   

Cowgirl Creamery makes a small collection of cheese -- four, soft aged and three fresh cheeses. They get their milk from Marin County and have an outlet at the Ferry Terminal Building in San Francisco. I had a selection of their cheeses and a wonderful tomato soup. It is located at 1 Ferry Building # 17 San Francisco, (415) 362-9354

   

R and G Lounge – I had a wonderful two pound hard shell crab that had been battered and deep fried. You had to pick apart like eating a lobster. There was a nice combination of the greasy fried exterior and the light clean crab meat interior.  “For years, every Christmas evening, the SF food mafia converge for a special in-kitchen banquet @ R&G”.- John Maloney. It is located at 631 Kearny Street  San Francisco, (415) 982-7877

 

Others recommended by another dinner at R and G who seemed quite knowledgeable.

Thanh Long – Great for Vietnamese style garlic crab. It is located a4101 Judah Street on the corner of 46th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 415.665.1146

Zushi Puzzle – great sushi and sashimi – good for the exotics. It is located at 1910 Lombard Street  San Francisco (415) 931-9319

Dumpling House – It is known for its Shanghai dumplings. It is located at 3641 Balboa St.(between 37th Ave & 38th Ave)  San Francisco (415) 831-9288

Tony’s Pizza. Excellent old style pizza. It is located at 1570 Stockton St.  San Francisco (415) 835-9888

Trattoria Contadina is located at the corner of Powell and Mason. Traditional family style Italian cuisine. 1800 Mason Street San Francisco (415) 982-5728

Java Beach – 60s style coffee house near Thanh Long - It is located at 2650 Sloat Boulevard  San Francisco. (415) 731-2965

 

 

Images of Sunset at Lycabettus Hill, Athens

After exploring ancient Athens (see other posts) I took a cable car to the top of Lycrabettus Hill for sunset. It is the highest hill in Athens with amazing 360 degree views. I watched the sun set over the surrounding mountains and then walked down. Here are the views.