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!