The base
I was lucky enough to stay with my friends, but if I were to hotel it in San Fran, it would be at the Hotel Vitale or the Hotel Griffin. The Vitale is much more luxe, with a price to match. The Hotel Griffin is still a boutique hotel, but more affordable. The best part of both these hotels (half a block apart from each other) is the location. Right by the Ferry building (and the farmers market!) and an easy walk into downtown.

Java & Breakfast
Philz Coffee – any place that doesn’t have lattes or cappuccinos on the menu is already taking a risk. Philz is all about coffee – they make it to order by the cup and you have a huge menu of beans to try. The coffee is strong (they say they put enough beans for an average 3 cups of coffee in 1 of their cups) but delicious and it’s great fun trying different beans and blends.

Tartine and Four Barrel Coffee – First, Tartine in the Mission District. A MUST vist. The most delicious bakery and cafe in the city with fresh baked treats, breads and cakes for all to try. I didn’t think a bakery could wow me after Bouchon, but this is a memorable bakery. We sampled some delicious banana cake, croissants, and a huge and light gougère. Accompanying our snacks was some excellent coffee from local company Four Barrel Coffee – a coffee that matches the quality of the food. If only we had time to return again.

Ice Cream

When you have a husband with an ice cream passion, you seek out the good stuff. In San Francisco this meant sampling two places: Bi-rite Creamery and Humphry Slocombe, both in the Mission District. Both creameries are excellent, each creating some unique flavour combinations. Make sure you sample lots of flavours before settling on your choice. The “one” at Bi-rite everyone talks about is the salted caramel ice cream – it tastes as rich and good as it sounds. Amazing, but too rich for me, so I went with good ‘ol cookies and cream while the hubby ate a banana split with toasted banana and vanilla ice cream. Humphry Slocombe has a lot of crazy flavours, including the “secret breakfast” flavour of whiskey and cornflakes! Their summer corn ice cream was incredible, as was the velvety Vietnamese coffee.

Lunch & Dinner

Chez Panisse Cafe – This visit to SF was not complete without driving out to Berkley to try the iconic restaurant Chez Panisse. We were already booked solid for dinners on this trip, so we dropped in for lunch, which features a daily a la carte Cafe menu. My favourite dish of the meal was my main of Monterey Bay squid in a lovely light tomato and vegetable ragout. Incredibly tender squid in an subtle yet fresh sauce. The food was delicious, but it was not a cheap lunch ($95 for two). I’d definitely return to Chez Panisee for a dinner tasting menu one day, but perhaps not immediately.

The Slanted Door – Another famous restaurant in San Francisco is The Slanted Door, which makes upscale Vietnamese food using sustainably sourced vegetables and protein. Now, do upscale Vietnamese restaurants exist in Vancouver? I’d love to know if they do. This was an entirely different dining experience from my usual Vietnamese in Vancouver, which is at a modest restaurant and involves a shot of coffee and bowl of pho or rice noodles for about $8. The Slanted Door is a 150-seat restaurant inside the Ferry Building that is packed all the time. The food is more expensive than a casual Vietnamese restaurant, but delicious. Perhaps the best dish of the our meal was the lightly sauteed cellophane noodles mixed with fresh dungeness crab. Beautifully delicate, light, and flavourful. The Vietnamese coffee here comes pre-mixed for you on ice – no little coffee filter over a cup of condensed milk. As a result, it was a lot weaker, but still tasty.

Yummy Yummy – After booking at The Slanted Door, my friends had to also take us to Yummy Yummy to compare, a decidedly more casual Vietnamese restaurant in the Sunset district with (arguably) equally good food at a great price point. We inhaled an insane amount of food – plates of imperial rolls, spiced crab, noodles, beef skewers – you name it – for about $20 a person. There’s even a newspaper article framed in the restaurant where a writer did a direct comparison between The Slanted Door and Yummy Yummy – food wise, it appeared to be a tie.

Flour + Water – This place is a great equation for excellent Italian food in the Mission District. Our table shared everything family style including an amazing pizza with pork sausage, peppers, and buffalo mozzarella. The crust was light and chewy – about as good as I’ve had since eating the ultimate in Naples last year. We also enjoyed some lovely stuffed & fried zucchini blossoms, and a fresh pasta with a pork ragu. Dessert was equally memorable – a dangerous chocolate budino and a deliciously moist polenta cake with a blueberries and a dynamite corn ice cream. The only miss of the night was our third dessert, which I appear to have  blocked out of my mind. All I remember is how horrible the olive oil ice cream went with the dessert. Luckily, the other two desserts more than made up for it.

Wayfare Tavern – And for something new – one of my favourite Food Network chefs is Tyler Florence, so we had to give his new San Francisco Restaurant Wayfare Tavern a try. We went at it, trying a lovely roasted tomato soup and fresh & salty Monterey Bay Sardines to start. Then came the mains: organic buttermilk fried chicken, a smoked pork chop, leg of lamb, and the Wayfare burger. And the sides: over the top decadent creamed corn, roasted shishito peppers, and chilled roasted beets with a grapefruit olive oil. The fried chicken was excellent, but I still give Vancouver’s Refuel Restaurant the edge (with the ultimate being  Ad Hoc’s fried chicken in Youtville). The smoked pork chop was delicious and came alive with roasted peaches and a nutty marcona almond butter. The burger was a huge patty of grass-fed beef with local cheese and bacon on a brioche bun. And for dessert – an awesome organic peach pie with a teeny serving of light goat’s milk ice cream (we needed more!), plus a rich banana pudding. We rolled out of there happy.

Napa Valley

One of the best things about SF – Napa Valley is a mere 45-60 minute drive. Heaven! We spent a lazy Saturday afternoon in Napa – first over a delicious brunch at the Boonfly Cafe at the fancy Carneros Inn and some bocce ball afterwards. Then a milkshake at Gott’s Roadside (formerly Taylor’s Refresher), and finally for the ultimate – a dinner at Ubuntu, a gourmand vegetarian restaurant that earned a Michelin star this year. The restaurant is built on using seasonal and local produce to create vegetarian dishes for all the senses. Much of their menu is based on produce from the restaurant’s garden out back. We put ourselves in the hands of our server, who created an excellent tasting menu of the restaurant’s best dishes of the moment. Dishes included a bounty of summer greens and edible flowers with Sardinian flatbread and soil – yes, soil (the dish worked!). A clear cantaloupe gazpacho – it must have been strained several times as the soup was clear and light but full of sweet melon. A freshly made garden pasta with a bright green sauce of pureed vegetables – the pasta was overdone, but the sauce was just luscious. Steamed buns with a fresh burrata cheese and crunchy corn – anything with burrata cheese is good in my books. And there was more – about 9 courses ending with a few addictive white chocolate & lavender cookies and super fresh milk from a nearby dairy. At Ubuntu you’re getting a delicious meal that’s full of good for you vegetables and vitamins, although you’d never know it as you’re too busy eating the tasty food. My only complaint was that every dish seemed to have 1-2 unnecessary ingredients, but the food overall was beautiful, fresh, and memorable.

So, there ends another trip to San Francisco. Until my next trip, next year!

Our lost day meant pretty much no shopping aside from a quick look at the just released Apple iPad. But, did we eat! Some quick highlights…

The Base

Ace Hotel New York - Located at 29th and Broadway, the Ace is centrally located for any New York Adventure. Rooms are small, but lovely with fun sweat shirt material robes (made in Canada!), good quality linens and pillows, and a well-stocked mini-bar and snack station. Elevators are slow. The hotel turns into a happening place on the weekends with a DJ and big crowd. So, if that’s not your scene, get a room on one of the higher floors or you’ll be hearing the music in your room. I’ve stayed at the Ace Hotels in Portland and Seattle, and the New York location is my favourite.

The Food

The Doughnut Plant – Yes, you can get them all around NYC and beyond, but there’s nothing like getting these doughnuts warm and fresh right from the plant. Soft & sweet basic glazed yeast donut. A melt in your mouth jelly doughnut filled with house-made blackberry jelly. And for something different, a carrot cake donut – dense, light, and full of carrot flavour.

A Salt & Battery - English style fish and chips and oh so good. Crunchy outside, tender fish, tangy tarter sauce, yum. Sadly, the restaurant has stopped serving cod because it’s become over-fished. So, instead of cod, you get pollock or haddock as your choices. Still great, but I know it’s not not cod. Sad, but a reality.

Bar Boulud – We came here our first night around 10pm, having landed at 8pm. I won’t even say how many charcuterie plates we ordered before our mains, but trust that a lot was eaten. Food was great, cocktails were great, service was surly.

Per Se – I went to Thomas Keller’s French Laundry a couple years ago, and it was an unforgettable, albiet pricey experience. The full tasting menu at Keller’s New York restaurant was a bit too much for us this trip ($275/person), but Per Se recently introduced an a la carte salon menu, allowing you to dine in their lounge with a slightly  more casual feel. We couldn’t resist.

This was the highlight dining experience of the year for me, with incredible service and food wrapped together in a pretty bow. We each ordered two a la carte dishes from the menu and were  still treated with a series of surprise amuse courses, just as you’d get in the main dining room. Plus, we got the addictive Vermont butter mixed with fleur de sel for our bread , which I still dream about after having it two years ago at the French Laundry.

All the food is good, but the steak at Per Se and French Laundry is incredibly buttery and tender – just unbelievable. For dessert, the restaurant saved a few orders of the famous “coffee and doughnuts,” which lived up to its famous reputation – soft and sugary donuts with a smooth cappucino semi-fredo.

The service put this experience over the top. We were treated like gold. The staff offered great wine recommendations, served us extra portions of the coffee and doughnuts for dessert, sent us off with a list of NYC restaurants to try, and gave us a tour of the kitchen – there’s a direct satellite feed to the kitchen at the French Laundry in Napa Valley.

It still wasn’t cheap, but was it memorable.

Babbo – Our final dinner was at Mario Batali’s famous restaurant Babbo, where we ate an 8-course pasta tasting menu. The food here is great, some of the best pasta I’ve ever had. But, the place is so busy, it’s an extremely rushed dining experience. Staff hovering over you to take your plate away, the maître d’ looking around at tables taking longer than expected. It dampened the dining experience (or maybe I felt spoiled from Per Se the night before). If I returned, I’d get a 9pm reservation so I’m in the last sitting and not rushed.

*sigh* – so much food and shopping in NYC, too little time. I need to get back more often.

The entire festival was an adventure based on a whim. I saw a link to the festival on Twitter, told a friend about it and we bought tickets. Then, we mentioned it to some dining companions at a Social Bites dinner and they bought tickets as well! Considering the ticket prices ranged from $500 to $1000 USD, I was beginning to worry that my whim was going to be an expensive bust.

Fortunately, the festival was amazing and great value for the money. My package was the Epicurious, which included a foray into truffle hunting plus a the Grand Truffle Dinner on Saturday. But we ended up getting a lot more.

Our tickets were advertised as including an opening night “reception,” which to me meant a glass of bubbly and cheese. What we got? A sumptuous feast of NINE courses and wine to match. Chef Jacques Ratier from France was an esteemed guest and served four courses with French truffles. Chef Rocky Maselli of Marché Restaurant in Eugene served an additional four courses with Oregon truffles. Eight dishes, dessert, and way too much wine meant a night none of us expected. Some memorable dishes: a beautiful cauliflower and leek soup with white truffle and a perfectly slow cooked egg. An intense chicken liver bon bon rolled in hazelnuts and black truffle. A simple but delicious slice of bread with butter, two generous slices of French black truffle, and sea salt.

After a huge Friday night dinner, we got up at 7am to grab light breakfast before our bus departed for truffle hunting. The truffle hunting was fun, but not the crazy outdoor experience many pictured. We were taken to a nice, enclosed Douglas Fir farm (formerly a Christmas tree farm), where Oregon truffles like to grow. After a quick demo with a truffle dog, we were given little rakes to gently search through the dirt for the prized truffles. The good news? We found lots of truffles! Like 20! The bad news? They were really small, under-ripe, and not particularly edible. The frost in December impacted the truffle season and our hunting. But, at least I can say I have (kind of) truffle hunted.

Now, when I say “hunt,” I use the word loosely. It was not a cardio workout. Nevertheless, our next stop? Lunch at Sweet Cheeks Winery. I was expecting a wine tasting and some sandwiches. What we got was a three course menu with FIVE big glasses of different paired wines. While Chef John Newman’s white truffle dungeness crab ravioli was to die for, five glasses of wine plus some tasting in the retail room made my mind a tad blurry. We returned to the hotel at 4:00pm and I promptly feel asleep for 2.5 hours.

Nap over, it was time for the Grand Truffle Dinner. Yes, more food! And wine! A manageable five courses with wine. Each course featured Oregon truffles and were prepared by different local chefs, mainly from Portland. All the dishes were excellent, but I loved the blanquette of local rabbit and white truffle. Also one chef sliced pacific ling cod thin and poured this rich broth of foie gras and black truffle over it, cooking it as the course was served. So good. The evening’s topper? Fun drinks with the Sooke Harbour House’s Sinclair Philip, who was also at the festival.

By Sunday, we were ready to go.We dropped by the Truffle Marketplace and picked up Stumptown coffee and these delicious truffled meringues. Unfortunately, truffles were surprisingly absent, exemplifying the tough growing season this year.

We had a fun time at the Oregon Truffle Festival. It’s an indulgent experience to remember and they treat you very well. Consider the 2011 Truffle Festival if you’re looking for a destination in January 2011.

After lots of food, wine, and truffles, we were happy, not hungry at all, and hit the road!

The base

There’s only one place to stay in Venice, and it’s Hotel Al Ponte Antico (Calle dell’Aseo , 5768). Owner Matteo and his staff will treat you like royalty in their boutique hotel steps away from the Rialto bridge and right on the grand canal. Imagine sumptuous Louis XV style rooms, personalized service, and a private patio overlooking the grand canal. During the evening we’d drink grappa and sit on the patio watching gondolas, boats, and the beautiful city of Venice pass us by. I felt incredibly lucky.

To do & shop

Skip the 90 Euro gondola ride. If you want to see the grand canal, hop on the vaporetto (Venice’s public transit) and cruise the grand canal for 6.50 Euros.

Artisan paper maker Paolo Olbi (San Marco, Calle della Mandola 3653) creates beautiful, handmade stationary and gift articles in Venice – perfect for your office. I picked up some beautiful cards, stationary, and a filing box.

To eat

For classic Venetian food, head to Osteria Antico Dolo (Ruga Rialto, 778), an intimate local eatery serving fresh seafood and local specialties. Try the black risotto, made with squid ink and fish (prepare for a black tongue!).

Italians eat at 8 or 9pm at the earliest. Before dinner, Venetians go to Cicchetterias, which are pre-dinner wine and tapas bars. I dug into super fresh anchovies with lemon and crisp roasted potatoes at Osteria Al Ponte “La Patatina” (San Polo, 2741/A).

Take a break from the fancy places and head to Alla Madonna Ristoranti (Calle della Madonna San Polo 594), which services up affordable, fresh cuisine in a casual setting. Don’t let the line-up scare you away – the restaurant is huge and the line moves fast.

The base

I stayed at the Hotel Tornabuoni Beacci (Via Tornabuoni, 3). The rooms were average and a little old feeling, but the location was excellent, located in the centre of the shopping district and within walking distance to everything.

To do

• While the Galleria dell’Accademia and Uffizi are must-dos, make time for the awesome Bargello Museum (Via del Proconsolo 4), which featurs beautiful sculptures including a Michelangelo room with the works of the artist and his students.
• Soak up Italian fashion at the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum (Via dei Tornabuoni 2) and a look at lots of amazing shoes.
• The San Lorenzo Food Market is a huge, indoor foodie haven full of any Italian specialty you can think of.
• Embrace Florence and walk Ponte Vecchio, the pedestrian bridge with beautiful views, live entertainment, jewellry shops, and lots of tourists.

The food

Chef Fabio Picchi has three fabulous dining options in Florence – definitely go to one of them:

• First option: fine dining Ristorante Cibreo, featuring a different menu nightly
• Second option: Cibreo cafe, a cozy bar offering drinks and coffee plus the Cibreo Restaurant menu
• Third option: Cibreo Trattoria. At a more affordable price point, this bustling trattoria features a more casual take on the Cibreo experience

I ended up a the Cibreo Cafe and we had a lovely meal with excellent service. I ordered the polenta for my starter but mentioned the fish minestrone looked good, so our waiter brought a sample of the minestrone as well! We decided against having dessert, but they gave us a slice of lovely cheesecake with our bill. And then after paying, our waiter poured us two glasses of lovely dessert wine.

The base
The Al Cappello Rosso Hotel has been serving guests since 1375, so they know how to treat guests. Rooms here are beautifully updated and luxurious and the staff is very helpful. The hotel is centrally located in the heart of Bologna’s old town, steps away from Piazza Maggiore and within walking distance of all the major city sites.

To do
In addition to being the foodie centre of Italy, Bologna is also home to Ducati Motorcycles, which offers factory and museum tours by appointment in English. Book ahead for an informative and interesting tour on the history and design philosophy of Ducati.

Bologna is a quick drive to Modena and Parma, home to balsamic vinegar and parma ham. Learn about these foods plus the entire making of parmigiano-reggiano cheese on a food tour with Alessandro from Italian Days. Alessandro picks you up early and gets you to the cheese factory, walking you through the entire process of making this excellent product. Then you’re whisked off to an acetaia to see how traditional balsamic vinegar is made, complete with a taste of a 40 year aged balsamic over ice cream. Finally, you’re off to an organic winery where you sample wines over a lunch of incredible meats, cheeses, and bread – all products the Emilia-Romanga region is famous for (and, coincidently, local restaurant Campagnolo’s menu is inspired from). Alessandro, by the way, had never heard of Starbucks – seriously.

The shopping
Bologna’s shopping scene is excellent, including being the origin for “Fiorentini” in Fiorentini + Baker, makers of some excellent Italian leather boots. Their storefront in Bologna is quite modest and away from the main shopping areas of the city, but it’s a fun visit if you’re a fan of the company. Otherwise, do as I did, and check out the excellent shoes and bags at Cappelleria Trentini (Via Indipendenza 33/e) , a tiny boutique in Bologna packed with lovely items.

The food
Ristorante Diana (Via Indipendenza, 24) is the place to go to for the classics: bolognese, lasagne, and some impressive trays of roasted and boiled meats. I also enjoyed divine salad of truffles, porcinis, and parmigiano-reggiano.

Additional Bologna Resources
Go to this site for a list of excellent Bologna restaurant recommendations – they did some great research.

General advice:
- Don’t stay at a hotel near the train station. It is a dirty area with lots of people not looking out for your best interest. Our hotel sent a taxi with a fixed rate, which they arranged to avoid any rip-offs. We stayed on Vomero Hill, and it was lovely and safe.
- You do have to keep your wits about you – keep your purse close to you and don’t randomly walk down dark streets, but overall I found Naples to be quite safe.

The base
Weekend at Napoli (via e. alvino, ,157) is a charming bed and breakfast and a great base to start and end your day. Paolo took excellent care of us, arranging an itinerary and restaurant recommendations to maximize our short time in Naples. Accommodation is basic and clean, and you’re treated to nice breakfast in the villa each morning. If you are going to Naples, book ahead with Weekend at Napoli. Having a host like Paolo makes all the difference.

To do
What you must do in Napoli is find a busy part of Naples (I was in the Vomero Hill shopping district), buy a panino or pastry, and find a bench outside while you munch. Then sit back, and enjoy the show of Naples. No lines on the road, barely any traffic lights, and an onslaught of cars, scooters, bicyclists, and pedestrians navigating through organized chaos. Watching lets you feel the energy of the city.

Naples National Archeology Museum - all the best jewellery and artefacts from Pompeii landed here, a fascinating museum displaying the goods of this lost city.

To eat & drink

Anza Cafe, via scarlatti 139, is an excellent place for an afternoon drink and snack. Located in the centre of the Vomero Hill shopping district, it’s an oasis from the hectic pace of the city. We sipped on cappuccino fredo (Italian iced cappuccinos) and munched on Napoli’s authentic, sweet pastries,  sfogliatelle frolla, on a busy but comfortable open patio.

Pizzeria da Michele, Via G. Martucci, 61. One does not go to Naples without eating pizza. Paolo from Weekend at Napoli sent us to Pizzeria da Michele, which churns out a classic Neopolitan pizza in their hot wood burning ovens. For 5 euros, you get a huge margherita pizza for one – one of the best you’ll taste.  A nice, salty and chewy crust, super thin centre, minimal (but flavourful) toppings, and cooked up in a super hot, 800 degree wood burning oven. Awesome.

CAPRI
A 40 minute ferry ride from Naples is Capri, a gorgeous resort island where tourists and the Italian rich visit to relax and spend money.

The base
Your options in Capri are: expensive resort, really expensive resort, and super exclusive crazy expense resort. OR, you can go to Hotel La Tosca, Via D. Birago, 5, which is a lovely, affordable haven in Capri, just a few minutes down a narrow and windy path from the main square in Capri.

To do
Head over to AnaCapri and catch the chair lift to Monte Solaro, a 15 minute open chair-lift ride to a high point on the Island of Capri. You’ll go over local gardens and at the top are rewarded with an excellent view.

The shopping
Walk around the Capri Centre square and take in all the beautiful designer windows. Also, make sure you hit La Parisienne, home of the “Jackie O” capri pant, which they make in classic black and a range of additional colours and prints.

The food
Buonocore Patisserie (via v. Emanuelle)  – pick up breakfast, lunch, or a snack at this excellent bakery on Capri. Imagine some of the best gelato you’ve tasted with freshly made waffle cones, or to-die for Lemon cookies – a Capri specialty. We came here about four times during our 2 day stay on Capri.

Edivino (via sella orate, 10a), is an excellent wine and tapas bar on Capri serving homestyle food at reasonable prices. The restaurant is actually part of the owner’s house, with tables set-up in their living room and out in their beautiful backyard. We took an outdoor seat and enjoyed some crisp Italian white wine with tapas, including: bruschette with Italian gorgonzola and caramelized onions, thick and flavourful chickpea soup, and homemade lasagne with paper thin fresh pasta noodles.

Da Gelsomina, via Migliara, 72. Take a nice, 30 min. walk from the main square in Anacapri and you’ll be treated with two things. First, the restaurant Da Gelsomina, where you’ll experience authentic Capri home cooking over a beautiful view of the Island. Afterwards, take a short walk down to the Belvedere Migliera viewpoint and take in the surrounding beauty.

Ristorante Paolino, via Palazzo a Mare, 11 – I recommend this place with some reservation. Its best feature: their setting. You are seated outdoors under a beautiful grove of lemon trees – a one-of a kind setting. The downside: it’s quite touristy and not in Capri Centre, which means you need to take a cab to the restaurant, about $15-20 Euros each way, a lot for a restaurant with good, but not memorable food and average service.

Still to come: Florence, Bologna, and Venice.

Additional reference: I noticed Vitamin Daily featured Naples and Capri recently – here is their lovely itinerary as well.

As a first timer to Rome, wow – an incredible place and Italians are SO welcoming.

With only 4 days in Rome, the focus was on getting to the big sites. While it was important we ate well, we weren’t looking for a  Michelin restaurant experience (i.e. No La Pergola this trip). What we were looking for, was locally run Italian eateries, and we found lots. Here are some Rome Highlights:

The base
Roman Residence (via Cavour, 47 – third floor). I highly recommend this place. It’s a 4-room hotel run by Massimo, who is a great host offering tips on transportation, sites, and restaurants. Roman Residence is clean with good sized rooms and bathrooms. Nothing fancy, but everything you need. It also has an excellent breakfast. You are given a voucher to the nearby Caffetteria dell’Orologio (Via Cavour, 77/79), which hooks you up with a morning cappuccino, freshly squeezed orange juice, a croissant drizzled with honey or nutella, and a delicious ham and cheese panini. For breakfast! We didn’t need to eat until 3pm each day. The service from Massimo made the experience extra welcoming.

The only slight drawback would be the location. You’re close to the train station, which is handy for getting in/out of Rome, but you’re a 20-30 minute walk from the city’s centre area, where many of the sites and restaurants are. There’s a bus that takes you to the area pretty fast, so it’s definitely do-able. You’ll pay more for hotel rooms in the more central areas, but you’ll possibly walk less.

The shopping
The Spanish Steps area is best known in Rome for shopping, with every high-end Italian retailer you can think of. We walked around this area, but spent so much time in the Belstaff store that everything was closed when we came out. Oops.

Also, walk through the nearby streets around the lovely Campo Dei Fiori and you’ll find lots of excellent boutiques, mostly locally owned.

And…a quick walk from St. Peters Church is via Cola Di Rienzo, a great shopping street with a local flavour.

The coffee
Sant’Eustachio (Piazza di Sant’Eustachio, 81). It took us forever to find, but the coffee was excellent. Sant’Eustachio makes a “Gran Caffe,” espresso a sugary kick. I’m not big on sugar with coffee, but this was excellent.

Tazza d’Oro (Via degli Orfani 84). Depending on who you ask, Tazza d’Oro is arguably the best coffee in Rome. I didn’t get to try it as everytime I was in the area they were closed. But, if it’s better than Sand’Eustachio, it must be good.

Both coffee places are located near the Pantheon. Italians generally don’t sit down for coffee. They order at the bar, drink their espresso, and go on their way. People who take table service and sit down for coffee typically are paying double the price for the same coffee. Sitting down costs a premium!

The gelato
Il Gelato di San Crispino (Via della Panetteria, 42) – close to the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon.
You read about this place in a lot of magazines and TV shows and the gelato is excellent. The chocolate gelato was delicious, full of Valrhona chocolate. Dan’s pistachio gelato was nutty and sweet with great texture.

Giolotti (via Uffici del Vicaro, 40) – this was the best Gelato we ate in Rome. The strawberry gelato fresh and sweet, and Dan didn’t share any of his chocolate gelato with me, a good sign of how good it was.

Dan ate gelato at some other places, and they were not always good. There is a difference in gelato. Go to the good places for the best experience. It might take longer to find, but it’s worth it.

The food
Italians are my kind of people – they don’t eat dinner until 9pm, a practice I have down to a tee at home! Walk by any Italian eatery frequented by locals at 8pm and it will be empty. Walk by again at 9pm and it’s packed. Generally, if you want more authentic food and better prices, eat away from the main tourist areas. People will say you can go anywhere in Rome and have good food – this is true, but the restaurants away from the main tourist areas will be better, cheaper, and more authentic. Where we went:

Pizzeria Da Baffetto,  Via del Governo Vecchio 114. The menu here is simple. Super thin crust pizzas and that’s about it. My pizza was topped with sweet tomato sauce and zucchini flowers. Dan’s was topped with anchovies and mozzarella. The pizza crusts were razor thing, crispy and slightly blackened from the hot oven. Yummy and cheap eats. One drawback: service was surly and they wouldn’t serve parties of 1.

Antico Forno Roscioli, 34 Via dei Chiavari, 39. I’m chewing on a pizza bianca from Antico right now and it’s so simple, but so good. Pizza dough topped with sea salt and olive oil, with a crispy crust and chewy texture. Mmmm. It’s located very close to Campo Dei Fiori, but not in the actual Piazza. Look for it, it’ll be better than the ones in the square.

Da Tonino, via del Governo Vecchio, 18. I was looking for simple Roman food and found it here. Pasta alla Carbonara, artichokes all Romana, grilled steak topped with lemon. All well prepared and tasty.

Spinosi Alberto - Via del Mascherino, 60. We ate here after the Vatican museum. The owner came out and said you’re having spaghetti vongole and insalata. We said okay. The insalata came with two huge buffalo mozzarella balls, which were incredible.

Trattoria da Enzo, via dei Vascellari, 29 – We headed to the Traverstere neighbourhood of Rome intending to go to another restaurant. However, when we arrived that restaurant look a little too fancy for us, so we decided to walk around and found Trattoria da Enzo – this was our best meal in Rome. We arrived at 8:45pm and before we knew it the place was packed with a long queue out front. The kitchen and restaurant were tiny, but productive, making their own bread and gelato in addition to the full menu. We started with fried artichokes and fried zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovy. Next, cacio e pepe pasta for me (carbonara for Dan), and then fresh grilled salt cod  with a side of rapini. And our wine? 1.50 Euros per half litre. We left stuffed and out 50 Euros. Incredible.

The Traverstere neighbourhood has a real local feel to it and I think it showed in the restaurants.

My list of shops and restaurant to visit in Rome is SO long….we hit about 5% of the list. I see many trips back to Rome in the future.

Next up: Naples and Capri.

1) I like having a record of it
2) I spent a lot of time finding places and things to do. So, even though I am no local, I might as well share what I know!

Chicago

An awesome city – I had an excellent time and would happily return. Here are my highlights:

THE BASE

Hotel Felix – A new, boutique style hotel with reasonable prices and an excellent location. The hotel is right between the Gold Coast and Magnificent Mile districts and walking distance to most attractions. Rooms are small, but nice.

TO DO

The Chicago Architecture Foundation’s River Boat Cruise is an excellent 90-minute history of the Chicago skyline. Accept no substitutes and make sure you take the CAF’s boat cruise, not another one! Buy tickets in advance to avoid disappointment

The Chicago Art Institute hold some excellent collections, including an amazing impressionist artist collection and the famous painting “American Gothic.”

Buckingham Fountain, modelled after Latona fountain in Versailles, is just beautiful. Situated in a huge square with lots of benches for you to sit on, bring a book and enjoy the fountain and outdoors.

Millennium Park, home of the kidney bean shaped sculpture Cloud Gate, which is a must see. I know it’s hard to believe, but a kidney bean sculpture where you can see your reflection is strangely mesmerizing.

SHOP

The Bucktown/Wicker Park district features several independent boutiques, including lots of Canadian designers! A cross between Vancouver’s Main St and Commercial Drive.

Gold Coast district is an older, high-end neighbourhood with some lovely streets and shops (including my favourite mainstream store  – Anthrolpologie).

EAT

Alinea – Reserve two months in advance and save up. If you do this you’ll be rewarded with one of the best restaurant experiences ever.

Frontera Grill – Excellent Mexicain-American cuisine from celebrity chef Rick Bayless

Mirai Sushi – Inventive menu and incredibly fresh sushi

Green Zebra – Upscale vegetarian food (fellow carnivores, you won’t miss the meat)

Feast Restaurant -  Straight forward, moderately priced restaurant

Pizzeria Uno – One of the original Chicago deep dish pizza places

Garrett Popcorn – I waited in line 20 minutes for this famous Chicago popcorn, known for a homemade caramel corn and cheddar popcorn. Greasy, but tasty!

And yes, it is windy in Chicago, but you’ll love it.

Bellingham is a lot more than Bellis Fair! In fact, I find Bellis Fair quite over-rated and do not understand the draw, but I had a lovely time at our Bellingham stops:

Avenue Bread -  3 locations in Bellingham.We stopped in for breakfast and enjoyed some delicious “eggenue” english muffin style sandwiches. I had mine on a freshly baked 8-grain english muffin, which was delicious! I bought a pack of five to take home.

The Bagelry – A yummy local bagel shop with several cream cheese flavours.

Mallard Ice Cream – Home made ice cream? Sign me up! Mallard Ice Cream attracts big crowds for their freshly made ice cream in various flavours, including the standards (chocolate/vanilla), Earl Grey, Black Cherry, and Peach Cheesecake. Options! Mallard is open until 11:30am during the summer, so you can stop by for a fix until late.

The Fairhaven part of Bellingham looked lovely. Lots of brick apartments, local restarants, and loads of great bookstores. I can’t believe I have never ventured into Bellingham before!

…and okay, THEN go to Bellis Fair.