Archive for the 'eats and drinks' Category

Where to go in San Francisco to Feel Like You’re in Another Country

Posted by Ekua on March 9, 2010 in California, eats and drinks and local discoveries ★ 5 Comments

It’s been awhile since I’ve done some serious traveling. When I am not distracted by things I have to do, stir craziness begins to creep up on me. I am hoping to find an affordable last minute Spring Break getaway, but in lieu of any concrete travel plans, I’ve been thinking a lot about where I can go in San Francisco and feel like I am in another place, even if it’s only for a few hours…

» Bissap Baobab & Little Baobab

The first time I walked into the Senagalese restaurant, Bissap Baobab, I knew immediately that I’d left San Francisco and entered West Africa. And true to West Africa, it’s full of friendliness, randomness, and hearty flavorful food. Little Baobab is Bissap’s sibling and is located just around the corner. They offer the same menu as Bissap Baobab up to a certain point and then push aside the tables and dim lights so you can dance the night away to the beats of West Africa and the African diaspora.

» Nonstop Bhangra

Bhangra is a type folk music and dance that comes from the Punjabi region of India. San Francisco’s monthly event, Nonstop Bhangra, fuses this style of music with hip hop, reggae and other genres. The event is fittingly held at a venue called the Rickshaw Stop, and at the party you can enjoy a dance lesson, music and dance performances, and plenty of time to shake and groove on your own. When it gets packed, it tends to get pretty hot and sweaty, but to me, that just adds another element of India to the event.

» 24th Street and the Mission

As the hipsters extend their adhesive jeans with saggy butt legs from the 16th Street part of the Mission to the 24th Street side, gentrification is on everyone’s mind. But there are still times walking down 24th Street when you can feel like you are in Central America as people live their lives on the sidewalks, Spanish is the dominant language, and the smells of pupusas, tacos, and baked goods waft out of the restaurants and panaderias. And of course, the Mission hosts some of San Francisco’s most interesting annual festivals like Carnaval and Day of the Dead.

» Clement Street

I was first introduce to Clement Street in the Richmond by a friend of mine who is a chef. It was pretty easy to see why she liked it– it feels like a culinary tour of Asia. Some of the restaurants on the street are delicious and well known, but I think the most interesting cultural experience is at the Richmond New May Wah Supermarket. It is stocked with Asian produce and products that are hard to find in the US. Chicken feet and other such things not commonly eaten in the US are vividly displayed with no hesitation about what would make the average American squeamish.

» BR55

My obsession with Brazil runs deep. After returning from volunteering there, I needed a regular fix of the genres of Brazilian music I find to be corny but incredibly endearing. I found what I was looking for at the monthly event, BR55, held at Shattuck Down Low in Berkeley. There are a few other Brazilian events in the San Francisco Bay Area that I really enjoy, but they tend to strive for a more cosmopolitan Rio vibe. BR55 serves straight up forró to two-step to and axé in all of it’s cheesy glory.

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Tags: blogsherpa, California, local travel, San Francisco, travel.

My 3 Travel Secrets

Posted by Ekua on December 7, 2009 in Brazil, Vietnam, Washington, destinations, eats and drinks and why i travel ★ 7 Comments

I was tagged to partake in Tripbase‘s My 3 Best Kept Travel Secrets phenomenon by Lauren of Lonely Girl Travels and Neha of Flying Suitcase. So I perused my memory for fantastic places and travel moments and here’s what I came up with:

1. A late afternoon motorcycle tour of Hue, Vietnam

Angkor Wat was the expected high moment of my 2008 Southeast Asia trip. But an unlikely afternoon in Hue was the unexpected high moment. After the drivers picked us up, it wasn’t long before we were out of the nondescript city center and zooming through tiny tree-lined alleys and paths on the outskirts.

Our drivers stopped in the middle of the woods. We loved it. But we weren’t quite there yet. We walked through the gates of one of the loveliest places I’ve ever seen, the Tu Hieu Temple. We took off in different directions and were brought together again by the wonderful sounds of gongs and singing. We had arrived at the perfect time to see the monks’ daily chanting.

Another stop was a cliff high above the Perfume River. We explored a former U.S. Military bunker near our lookout spot. Standing in a place so beautiful and tranquil, it was hard to imagine that it was a fairly recently a site of an ugly war. We hopped back on our bikes and zigzagged across a narrow path with flooded rice paddies on both sides. Motorcycle riding is thrilling in itself, but this took exhilaration to the next level.

Monks at the Temple

Overlooking the Perfume River

2. Cozinha Aberta, Lencois, Bahia, Brazil

After a long day of hiking in Chapada Diamantina, my friend and I went in search of Cozinha Aberta, a restaurant recommended in our guidebooks. We walked into what looked like someone’s home. It was beautiful and rustic with just a few tables and simple decorations. There was an open kitchen where we could see a woman making everything from scratch. Wanting something I hadn’t eaten yet in Brazil, I ordered coconut curry chicken. Lovely presented plates of food were brought to us. I took my first bite. My friend and I looked at each other with widen eyes. Our food was mind-blowingly good. It was unreal. I took my second bite. Amazingness confirmed.

The following night, we decided to go to the other Cozinha Aberta restaurant, just around the corner from the one we’d already been to. I couldn’t resist the handmade pasta I saw the cook rolling as we entered the restaurant. I ordered ravioli and was again treated to an incredible meal. It was the freshest pasta and marinara sauce I’ve ever had. In the food at Cozinha Aberta, we tasted massive quantities of love and care and passion. Three years later, I can still remember those tastes.

3. Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Mt. Vernon, Washington

Last year, I made a last minute spring break trip to visit friends in Seattle. Since I was already in Seattle, my wanderlust led me further north to Vancouver. One of my Seattle friends had mentioned a tulip festival somewhere between Seattle and Vancouver. It was said to rival the famous tulip fields of Holland. I looked up the information and directions so I could make a stop there on my way to Canada.

Unfortunately, I arrived too early in the season. Mother Nature must have decided she wanted a bunch of late bloomers. But though there was not too much tulip viewing, my eyes were not disappointed. There were tons of daffodils with a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. I’d say I frolicked in fields of daffodils, but that would be a lie. But I did venture (against the rules, shh) into the flower rows to take a few awesome pictures.

Daffodil Field

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Tags: blogsherpa, Brazil, destinations, Hue, Lencois, my three best kept travel secrets, Skagit Valley, travel, tripbase, Vietnam, Washington.

Photo Essay: Grapes of Rapture

Posted by Ekua on November 17, 2009 in California, captured on memory card, eats and drinks and local discoveries ★ 3 Comments

This past Saturday, I joined my friend and her coworkers on a wine tasting trip to Sonoma. Napa tends to take much of Northern California’s wine glory, but there are several other great wine tasting areas near San Francisco that are just as nice and kinder to your wallet. Sonoma is Napa’s more down-to-earth neighbor to the west.

Our first stop was Cline Cellars. I found the staff at this winery to be full of character and very personable. The guy who ran the wine tasting had a lot of useful information and entertaining anecdotes about his personal journey to appreciating wine. Cline had fun descriptions for their wine, including one that they claim is perfect for drinking with leftovers. This was a great winery– earthy, old school, and unpretentious.

Next, we headed down the street to Viansa Winery where we had a short tour of their property. After a tasting, we had lunch and then relaxed on the sunny patio which overlooks their vineyard. We talked to a youthful old couple who were originally from Holland. They said they came there every weekend to enjoy a bottle of wine. The woman told us, “We don’t even have to ask for what we want anymore. We just sit at our table outside and they bring us our wine!” That is my definition of aging well.

When we arrived at Nicholson Ranch, we found the perfect spot for our tasting. They had a wonderful patio with a view of vineyard-covered rolling hills, flowers, and extremely comfortable chairs. One of the owners came around to pour the wine while we enjoyed conversation and the late afternoon sun. Here, I felt complete relaxed and content. I was able to peel myself out of the chair for our last stop, Gloria Ferrer, where we enjoyed glasses of sparkling wine at sunset.