I returned to San Diego with a suitcase of twice worn outfits, the urge to read Year of Wonders, find potato gnocchetti at Trader Joe’s, buy anything red, watch Casino Royale, make magnets, and organize my shoes. That is what great people do for you. Susie, Rachel B, and I spent a never to be forgotten three days in Washington together. We covered Seattle, Olympia, and the Olympic peninsula braving wind and rain. At Pike Place we ate melting macaroni and cheese (Beecher’s Handmade Cheese), French pastries, mini hot doughnuts. Needless to say, it was gourmand. We dined at Café Flora (vegetarian), Rosey’s on Rogers, and Aqua Verde. The euro hot chocolate at Trophy: Cupcakes and Party was 3 ounces of Wonka bliss. I ate a gorgeous coconut cupcake and Susie chose a lemony flower. Ahh, confections.
I stopped first in the Bay Area for quality time with bakeries, restaurants, public transit. Thrilling. I visited Chez Panisse, Tartine Bakery, Zuni Café. In the Ferry Market Building there was The Slanted Door (modern Vietnamese), Miette Pâtisserie, Cowgirl Creamery, and Lulu Petite. There was the de Young Museum, Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and Muir Woods. It was my first foray to Marin, land of MFK Fisher and Skywalker folk. I will describe it as woodsy countryside with coastline. I kept half a round of cheese in my handbag for much of this visit along with 16 lbs of change from transit machines. The best thing at Tartine (not including the strong croissant) is the rocher. Now you know. Take advantage of this.
On my next visit to this region I will hit Point Reyes, the SF Center for the Book, SF MOMA, and more restaurants and bakeries. You can see I could easily be helicoptered in. On a subsequent visit to Washington I will pluck and eat blackberries.
It was a sumptuous occasion: rich in friends and nourishment. Rachel B. gathered oysters for a stew on Sunday night. She taught Susie and I how to shuck them and we supped at 11 pm after our day up and down the peninsula. We visited the co-op where she volunteers to package cheese once a week. It is a greener city. At Tartine, I drank hot chocolate and ate a croissant at a large kitchen table with studying students, a laptop user, and a newspaper. The laptop user kindly offered me the other half of his scone. Had I not been stuffed to the gills, I would have conceded.
