Travelers’ Needs - San Francisco and Northern California - page 210

The Flavors of San Francisco

If variety is the spice of life, then San Francisco's culinary scene is as red-hot as the tear-
inducing salsa liberally dished out by the city's top-notch Mexican taquerias . You could
find your way around San Francisco by scent alone: the sharp tang of espresso mingles
with robust wafts of marinara sauce in the North Beach Italian sector, the sizzling sabor
de México heats up the Mission district, and cacophonous Chinatown exudes the steamy
fragrance of dim sum and crispy duck. For a sweet finale, indulge in San Francisco's very
own Ghirardelli Chocolate, produced in the Bay Area for over 150 years.

been pulled from the earth
only hours before, such as
freshly-plucked arugula
(rocket) leaves, just washed of
their dirt clumps, and heirloom
tomatoes so juicy you may
have to ask for an extra napkin.
With such agricultural riches,
San Francisco's renowned chefs
are inspired to work culinary
magic, creating minimalist
works of art that beg to be

eaten, from baby artichokes
ringed by vibrant lemon slices
to wafer-thin slices of raw ahi
tuna fanned atop a rainbow of
grilled vegetables.

Asian Food
Explore Chinatown's web of
bustling, pungent streets and
you'll soon discover how the
restaurants here turn out

Salmon Lobster Trout Sole

Swordfish

Celebrated chef, Yoshi Kojima, prepares
a carp for cooking

Tuna

California Cuisine
The Bay Area is the birthplace of
California cuisine. The sheer
variety of fresh produce in
Northern California results in a
culinary style that's all about
the “cult of the ingredient”,
rather than specific dishes,
leaving ample room for
creativity. Many of San
Francisco's best chefs cultivate
a close relationship with
regional growers, so what
arrives at the table may have

Clams Scallop

A selection of ocean-fresh San Francisco fish and shellfish

San Francisco Dishes and Specialties
A true melting pot, San Francisco not only
features authentic Mexican, Italian, and
Asian fare, but a creative commingling of
them all. Each cuisine inspires the other,
resulting in marvelous fusion dishes that
have earned the city its gushing accolades
as a foodie paradise. Feast on anything from wok-
fried spicy greens to sautéed seafood with ginger
salsa or baby vegetables with Vietnamese mint.
R ound out your meal with a warm hunk of the
city's deservedly famous sourdough bread,
widely considered among the best in the
world. The bread's unique taste and texture stems from a
yeast of wild micro-organisms, stumbled upon by gold-miners over a
century ago, that thrive only in the Bay Area's unique climate.

Dim sum

Clam chowder Restaurants on
Fisherman's Wharf serve this dish
of creamy soup in a hollowed-
out sourdough roll.