Two Words: Good Food

The food in San Francisco is amazing. While I was there I was treated to a plethora of culinary options, from Thai to Armenian cuisine. Here are some of the highlights:
On the night I arrived we went to Little Tokyo, for a dinner of Japanese noodles. The restaurant makes its own noodles and broth fresh in-house. The Udon with seaweed, or Wakame, was a good way to start eating my way through the city.
The following morning I got breakfast from the aptly named “Le Boulangerie.” The bread was fresh from the oven. I especially enjoyed the breakfast bread, which was baked with cranberry, apricot and almonds.
Later that day, we stopped at North Beach pizzeria, which is apparently one of the oldest in the city. From our table I could see the dough being kneaded in the kitchen. While ordering a pizza that satisfied everyone’s topping preferences was a bit of a challenge, the result was quite satisfying. I have ordered mushroom, garlic and breaded eggplant pizza in many places around the world, and this was one of the better results.
The next day we ate Thai food for dinner. The small restaurant we went to featured a chef from one of Thailand’s more remote provinces, who is known to try unconventional combinations of ingredients. Indeed, this made the usually pedestrian dish of Pad Thai, new and interesting. The red duck curry was also quite good.
One of the best restaurants was called “La Mediterranean”. The owner of this restaurant is an Armenian who grew up in Lebanon. The menu combines these two cuisines with a decidedly French influence. The olive quiche, served with lentil soup, hummus and fresh pita bread eloquently demonstrated the synergy that can be created from the combination of culinary culture.