Tuesday, February 2, 2010

California (and Oregon) Dreamin'

So Neil and I are finally getting married this May. I'm very excited about the wedding, but I'm perhaps even more excited about the honeymoon. We're spending four days in San Francisco and then driving up the coast into Oregon, staying at little seaside motels and enjoying the gorgeous beaches and forests. In true Erin and Neil style the trip is shaping up to be quite food-centric, and I'm wondering if we might have to extend the San Francisco portion of the trip a bit to fit in all our eating. Here's what we have planned so far:

Foreign Cinema - A former classmate told me about this place at my 10-year high school reunion last summer, and I immediately wanted to go there. It sounds both fun and delicious!

The Rogue Ales Public House - We are both huge fans of Rogue beers (mmmm, Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout), and while the food sounds like average pub grub, it will be a blast to go somewhere with all those great beers on tap. And it's only a mile from our hotel. :)

Cowgirl Creamery - This creamery's Mt. Tam cheese is one of my very favorites, and it so happens that the first time I had it was the night that Neil proposed to me at L&N. In fact, it may be the cheese that my mouth was full of the moment he popped the question. I am super psyched about touring the creamery and sampling their other cheeses!

Chez Panisse - I'm a big fan of Alice Waters and have been quite excited about going to Chez Panisse, but looking over online review just now, a not-unsubstantial number of people seem to think that it's over-hyped, overpriced, and not very good. Perhaps we'll just do lunch there.

Those are our big plans so far. I am still researching our possibilities for amazing sushi, and I'm also looking forward to trying little hole-in-the-wall ethnic places. And we haven't yet made plans for winery visits, although those will definitely be part of the trip.

I feel very fortunate to be marrying someone who is an adventurous, passionate eater. Our honeymoon will definitely be a celebration of our love for each other and our mutual love of food. <3

2 comments:

Louisville Juice said...

You need to rent a car and head up the coast to get the full feeling. It's a long haul, I know, but if you drive up to River's End in Jenner you'll talk about it for the rest of your life. It's a little restaurant that sits on a cliff where the Russian River runs into the sea. It's fogbound and spooky like the pinot noirs they produce in the are, most of which are on the wine list. It's so quiet all you can hear is the crashing waves is barking seals. The chef is incredibly inventive, making heavy use of local seafood and produce.

It's a two hour drive across the Golden Gate and up the 101. I've sent a half-dozen people there in the last year, and everyone was glad they went. It's far from teh city, I know, but well worth it.

Erin said...

We are actually planning to drive up the coast into Oregon, and that place looks fantastic! We've planned out the part of the trip in which we drive up the coast (restaurants, motels, etc) but haven't really planned the trip back down to SF yet. We're going to eat at River's End and probably spend the night there too. Thanks for the tip!