Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

During my 2015-April trip to San Francisco , Scoma's had been recommended to me twice: Once by a lady who worked at Swiss Louis on Pier 39, and a second time by the guide from Dylan's Tours. Surely it had to be good. It even has it's own road in Fisherman's Wharf, for chrissakes ( Al Scoma Way ). Surely it's a San Francisco fixture, a piece of its history. All this puts Scoma's in that dangerous territory of setting high expectations all to easy to disappoint. I got there when their doors were open but before their official start of business. The maître d' was a younger fellow, friendly, personable and professional. He even remembered my name on my way out, and little details such as my leaving for the airport that same night. Sadly I ended up with a pushy waiter who seemed insistent on upselling me their Shellfish Sauté Sec  even though I told him I was just here for a light meal as I had elsewhere to eat on my very last day in San Francisco. I am...

Norman's Ice Cream & Freezes  is located in  The Cannery at Del Monte Square , a wonderful little oasis from the bustle of Fisherman's Wharf and afternoon scorching sun that I found during my 2015-April trip to San Francisco / Berkeley . There's the busy Flying Ninja entrance, but go deep enough (or just enter from the alternate entrance) and you will find yourself in a quiet, shady plaza home to The Cannery branch of the Academy of Art University . Norman's is somewhere in there. Unless you are some sort of ice cream connoisseur who can appreciate the finer differences between ice cream, under no circumstances should you simply buy their ice cream in straight-up scoops. A single scoop is $3.75 in a +0 cent cake cone. When a single scoop of ice cream can cost you more than a bucket of ice cream at the supermarket, my feeling is that it had better be something really special from the very first lick. This is not. Even trying the "most interesting flavo...

Tarantino's is a large restaurant, bright and clean fine-dining area upstairs with spacious seating--a welcome change from many other restaurants, both in Vancouver and San Francisco. After sampling a tasty creamy-thick "award winning" clam chowder at Fog Harbor   during my 2015-April trip to San Francisco , I was mildly disappointed to hear that Tarantino's didn't have award winning chowder, though the server said they had won in the past. On the menu was "Boston Clam Chowder". Was it substantially different from everyone else's? The server explained that Bostom had a white chowder, Manhattan a red chowder. OK. Continuing my mini-survey of clam chowders in San Francisco, I opted for white. After my experience at Boudin with too much bread, I should have passed on the bread and instead gone to yet another clam chowder experience, but I was also curious to try out the chowder-with-bread eating strategy I came up with . Boston Clam Chowder ($...

In early April-2015 when I was in San Francisco , my first experience of the local clam chowder was Boudin on Market Street. I was fortunate not to have started with one that set the standard too high or low because it would have complicated my experience of all others. My second was Fog Harbor at Pier 39. This is a big and lovely beautifully maintained restaurant. I was dressed casually (and probably with "tourist" painted all over me) and underdressed for their fine dining establishment, but the hostess and server were still very friendly and helpful. Going in right at 10:30 AM when they opened, I was basically the first one in and had the run of the place. I highly recommend going early and having a relaxing, quiet, meal, upstairs and away from the throng belong. Also, you are guaranteed a window seat if you like beautiful water/harbour views. I was just there for the clam chowder and nothing else -- I had aimed to chowder my way down Fisherman's Wharf, or at le...

One day per week only (Saturday 8am-2pm) at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, which I visited during my 2015-April trip to San Francisco . Of course I asked what their most unusual pie was and was suggested their signature Salty Honey Walnut. $6 for what looked like 1/6 of a deep dish pie. Salty Honey Walnut ($6 slice) There is a slight eggy (?) flavour amid the caramel flavour. Salted candied walnuts on top, giving an interesting taste combination of sweet and salty masking any bitterness from the walnuts. Not overly sweet, but enough to give you a slight sugar burn at the back of the throat. Amid the caramel flavour there is a slight eggy (?) flavour that sort of ruined this pie for me. Otherwise this is a tasty and interesting pie! They really need to be positioned right next to some kind of juice stand for sheer convenience because after that much pie, you'll probably want a drink. $6 is pretty daunting to pay for a slab of pie, but all their pies are made fro...