Day Two in San Francisco (East Bay and San Jose)

My second and final day in the Bay Area began fairly early as I headed form my hotel near San Francisco International Airport to the East Bay area that includes Emeryville, Oakland and Berkley (home to the University of California).  The drive was interesting and even though I went during the rush hour, traffic was surprisingly not to bad!  I had to cross San Francisco Bay via the Bay Bridge, which if you have not driven on it, is very interesting.  It is a two level bridge with the east bound lanes on the lower level.  As I was driving over it, I kept thinking, "Please no earthquakes!" as this is the bridge that the upper deck collapsed on the lower level during the 1989 Earthquake.  That it is called a bridge is really a misnomer as it really should be called "bridges" because it passes through Treasure Island midway across the bay or better yet tunnels through the island.  Interesting side note, Treasure Island was the terminus of the famous Pan Am Flying Boats to Hawaii and Asia in the pre-World War 2 era.


Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe



 "My Own Private Eyedaho" Breakfast

My first stop was in the town of Emeryville, which is at the eastern base of the Bay Bridge.  This town has a special place in my heart as it is also the western terminus of the Amtrak transcontinental railroad train called the "California Zephyr".  In 1998 I took this train from Emeryville to Chicago and then onto Culpeper, VA and it was an awesome trip!  If you ever get the opportunity to travel across the country on a train, do it!  The USA really spreads out right in front of your eyes, but beware, Amtrak long distance trains and on-time are not usually compatible.  My first stop was at a small but really cool cafe called "Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe".  It was pretty busy for a Tuesday morning and I took a seat at the counter.  I decided to try a breakfast called "My Own Private Eyedaho".  This dish is a portion of real hash brown potatoes covered with Cheddar Cheese and topped with an egg.  I am not a real fan of eggs, but this dish was very tasty. 

From Rudy's it was onto Berkley and "Rick and Ann's Restaurant".  This small cafe is set in a small neighborhood strip mall and is very popular.  I tried an Espresso Milk Shake, a creamy Frappachino drink and a Chocolate Chip and Raisin Scone.  I met the owner Ann and we talked about about the filming and my travels.  I think that this was one of the friendliest places that I been to on my travels, everyone was so nice there.  From there it was on to one of the more unique places that I have visited, "Bette's Oceanview Diner".  This place is also in Berkley and is in a very busy downtown walking strip mall area.  It really is just a store front place, but as soon as you walk in, you feel that you have just walked into a New Jersey Diner, lots of stainless steel, whit and black tile floor and at the counter, small Juke Box machines that actually work! Ten cents for a song and 4 songs for a quarter!  I was amazed just watching the cooks and chefs do their work.  I got a Grilled Cheese sandwich, which was very good.  From Bette's it was back to the hotel and a break before I headed to my 2 last places.





Small Falafel Sandwich and Stuffed Grape Leaves




I headed south to the San Jose area, which is also known as the Silicon Valley.  My first stop was probably one of the USA's more unique Drive-Ins.  The place is called "Falafel's Drive In".  It is over 40 years old and started by a Persian family as a regular burger drive in, but as they got a steady following they introduced Falafel sandwiches to the menu, from their heritage.  Falafel's are crushed and fried Chick Pea balls and it is now their best selling item.  I tried a small Falafel Sandwich and got a side of Stuffed Grape Leaves.  Both were delicious, I wasn't sure if I'd like either and really liked both!  My final stop was at an old Garage turned carry out called "Naglee Park Garage".  In the Naglee area of San Jose, this place is in a beautiful building and I tried the Tri-Tip Beef Sandwich.  The Tri-Tip" beef cut is popular on the West Coast and to me seemed like Brisket.  Very tasty!

That ended my visit to the Bay area and my DDD count now stands at 195.  I will take a short break so I can go out to Hawaii in early December to visit 5 places and bring my count to 200.  My 200th will be on December 11 at Murphy's Pub in Honolulu!  So Hawaii, here I come!






Naglee Park Garage Restaurant

 
 

Day One in the Bay Area (Checking out San Francisco!)

At the end of my vacation I had the opportunity to make a quick trip out to San Francisco to try some DDD locations all over the area. My vacation was almost over and I aggressively planned to come home from a Caribbean cruise and then almost immediately fly out to San Francisco.  My Sunday began on the Royal Caribbean ship "Freedom of the Seas" in Port Canaveral, Florida.  After a delayed flight back to Dulles, I boarded an evening flight to San Francisco.


The following morning I headed into the city to start visiting some great DDD places.  My first stop was "Joe's Cable Car".  This small restaurant specializes in hamburgers or more aptly described, steak burgers as all burgers are made from freshly ground beef, done on the premises.  I got a 6 ounce burger and it was very tasty.  I also got to meet, the owner Joe, who was featured with Guy on the DDD episode.  The one thing that became very apparent is that San Francisco is a pretty expensive place to eat, I knew that I wasn't Indiana anymore!

Basic Joe's Cable Car Fresh Ground Hamburger

From Joe's it was on to a really cool place in the center of the city called "Tommy's Joynt".  This "joynt" is really two places in one.  On one side is a full and very eclectic bar, on the other side is a great sandwich shop.  They offer all kinds of sandwiches from fresh cut products to hot dogs and kielbasas, but I opted for a Brisket sandwich, fresh cut from a huge steamship roast and served on a fresh, crispy Sourdough Roll and presented with a small pot of au jus.  This was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had and the price was pretty cheap for the size and quality of the meal!

Tommy's Joynt



Brisket Sandwich with homemade pickles at Tommy's Joynt

My next stop was in the ocean side town of Pacifica at one of Guy Fieri's favorite places that he showcased, "Gorilla Barbecue".  They serve true southern style barbecue, which is a rarity in the San Francisco area.  Their mantra is "If it's Smokin', We're open!"  The place was opened by two friends, Rob and John and they really love their work!  Rob has become one of Guy's buddies and has been on a few of his other Food Network shows.  This place is inside a orange painted Railroad Freight car.  I tried their brisket sandwich along with their popular Goldfish encrusted Mac and Cheese.  Both were excellent, although the sauce was a bit spicy for my taste.  I think I have found my two new sandwich places the next time I visit the Bay Area.

 

I headed back into the city and the fun traffic that it offered!  Actually it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be!  I tried a Grilled Banana dessert at a very eclectic restaurant called "Q Restaurant".  This is one of those places that I figured most of the places in San Francisco would be like, in an art area and sort of hippie like.  That being said the dessert was so good and so decadent.  Bananas grilled in their peels and smothered in chocolate along with Vanilla Ice Cream and topped with sweet and spicy walnuts.  I have never had anything like it and it was delicious!  The coolest thing in this place was the tables.  Each featured it's own theme and diorama in the table, mine was made up of a small slot car track and cars, very cool.

Q Restaurant in San Francisco





Grilled Banana Dessert at Q



After a very tasty day I headed to my hotel to rest up and start my second and last day in in the Bay Area.  It had been a very good day!