Eating & Sleeping
San Francisco 1
5 Bi-Rite Creamery Ice Cream $
(www.biritecreamery.com; 3692 18th St; ice
cream $3.25-7; h11am-10pm Sun-Thu, to 11pm
Fri & Sat) Velvet ropes at clubs seem pretentious
in laid-back San Francisco, but at organic Bi-Rite
Creamery they make perfect sense: lines wrap
around the corner for legendary salted-caramel
ice cream with housemade hot fudge.5 Cotogna Italian $$
(%415-775-8508; http://www.cotognasf.com; 490
Pacific Av; mains $14-24; hnoon-3pm & 7-10pm
Mon-Sat; v) No wonder chef-owner Michael
Tusk won the 2011 James Beard Award: his
rustic Italian pastas and toothsome pizzas
magically balance a few pristine, local flavors.
Book ahead; the $24 prix-fixe is among SF’s best
dining deals.5 Slanted
Door Vietnamese, Californian $$
(%415-861-8032; http://www.slanteddoor.com; 1 Ferry
Bldg; lunch mains $13-24, dinner mains $18-36;
hlunch & dinner) California ingredients,
Continental influences and Vietnamese flair
with a sparkling bay outlook, from award-
winning chef-owner Charles Phan. Reserve
ahead or picnic on takeout from the Open Door
stall.4 Galleria Park Boutique Hotel $$
(%415-781-3060; http://www.jdvhotels.com; 191
Sutter St; r $189-229; aiW) Exuberant staff
greet you at this downtown boutique charmer,
a 1911 hotel styled with contemporary art and
handsome furnishings in soothing jewel tones.
Some rooms (and bed sizes) run small, but
include Frette linens, down pillows, high-end
bath amenities, free evening wine hour and –
most importantly – good service. Rooms on
Sutter St are noisier, but get more light; interior
rooms are quietest.4 Good Hotel Hotel $$
(%415-621-7001; http://www.thegoodhotel.com; 112
7th St; r $109-169; iWs) A revamped motor
lodge attached to a restyled apartment hotel,Good Hotel places a premium on green, with
reclaimed wood headboards, light fixtures of
repurposed bottles, and fleece bedspreads
made of recycled soda bottles and cast-
off fabrics. The aesthetic is like a smartly
decorated college dorm room: youthful and fun.
The big drawbacks are a sometimes-sketchy
neighborhood and street noise; book a room
in the back. Also has bikes for rent. The pool is
across the street at the Americania.Sausalito 3
5 Avatar’s Indian $$
(www.enjoyavatars.com; 2656 Bridgeway Blvd;mains $10-17; (^) h11am-3pm & 5-9:30pm Mon-Sat;
vc) Boasting a cuisine of ‘ethnic confusion,’
the Indian fusion dishes here incorporate
Mexican, Italian and Caribbean ingredients
and will bowl you over with their flavor and
creativity. Think Punjabi enchilada with curried
sweet potato or spinach and mushroom ravioli
with mango and rose petal alfredo sauce. All
diets (vegan, gluten-free etc) are graciously
accommodated.
5 Fish Seafood $$
(www.331fish.com; 350 Harbor Dr; mains $13-25;
h11:30am-8:30pm; c) Chow down on seafood
sandwiches, oysters and Dungeness crab rolls
with organic local butter at redwood picnic
tables facing Richardson Bay. A local leader in
promoting fresh and sustainably caught fish,
this place has wonderful wild salmon in season,
and refuses to serve the farmed stuff. Cash only.
Bolinas 5
5 Bolinas People’s Store Market $
(14 Wharf Rd; h8:30am-6:30pm; v) An
awesome little co-op grocery store hidden
behind the community center, the People’s
Store serves Fair Trade coffee and sells organic
produce, fresh soup and excellent tamales. Eat
at the tables in the shady courtyard, and have
a rummage through the Free Box, a shed full
of clothes and other waiting-to-be-reused items.
NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA.
2
(^) SAN FRANCISCO, MARIN & NAPA
LOOP