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A day that started as celebrating my brother's birthday in the morning and going to a friend's housewarming party in the evening, turned into a day of food! Because there were 4 of us, and we going all throughout the city, we drove everywhere. Approximately, with some side trips, I starting from my KB Home townhome in Sunnyvale. Drove an hour into the city to the Marina where my brother lives. From the Marina, we drove to the Presidio (very short drive) to breakfast at Dixie. From the Presidio, we drove to Japantown for Benkyodo and Sophie's Crepes. From Japantown, back to the Marina for tennis in Moscone Recreation Center. We drove from the Marina to the Sunset for San Tung. Finally, we drove to Lower Pac Heights for the housewarming party. And then back home to Sunnyvale. All in all, a long, but very eventful day!
Dixie (Presidio)
As recommend by the birthday boy, this was a change of pace than the normal fast pace world of SF. Dixie is right on the edit of the Presidio off of Chestnut. Surprisingly, there were a few available parking spots when we drove up. With tons of seating indoor and outdoor, seating wasn't a problem, in fact the place was a bit too quiet. We ordered a few rounds of oysters, our own lunches (Po' Boy Sandwich, Fried Chicken, Waffles, Beef Hash, and Burger) and some drinks. The environment was perfect for chatting, and enjoying the Saturday morning.
Benkyodo (Japantown)
After dropping off my friend (throwing the housewarming so he could prep), my brother and I headed towards Japantown so I could buy some Japanese Mochi. This is my favorite mochi place in the city. It is small corner shop operated by Japanese owners. They make authentic mochi, some with a western spin (like the blueberry flavor). Since the mochi is fresh, it is very soft! Benkyodo close early (at 5pm), so it's sometimes difficult for us to make it. I bought one of each flavor (5 different flavors) and took it for the road.
Sophie's Crepes (Japantown)
Sophie's Crepe is one of the major stops that most people make when going to Japantown. It's just a walk down the street from Benkyodo's, so we made two stops with one drive. They make a delicious sweet Japanese crepe. You can customize the crepe to just the way you like it, or get one of their creations. We always get the crepe with Nutella, ice cream, and strawberries. The only problem here is the line. It takes about 5 minutes to wait through the line before ordering, and probably another 5 minutes for your crepe to be ready. But when it's done, it is warm and delicious!
Moscone Recreation Center (Marina)
The only part of the day that didn't involve food, instead involved some exercise! We wanted to play tennis. Luckily, the nearest park to where my brother lives, was right across the street. Unfortunately, all the courts were taken when we arrived, but we spent some time kicking around a soccer ball and watching organized intramural softball game. When the courts were available, we rallied a bit and played a few games. The weather was beautiful and the courts were in decent condition. The park was really happening, with most of the facilities being used.
San Tung (Sunset)
This was one of the original stops we were planning on making. We stopped by around 7pm and there was a huge crowd gathered outside waiting for a seat. We put out name on the list (probably 15 groups in front of us) and ended up waiting around 45 minutes for our seat. I'm usually okay with the cold, but the weather outside in the Sunset was FREEZING COLD. Make sure to bring a jacket if you wait in line. We ordered fried chicken, sizzling rice soup, dumplings, chicken fried rice, and eggplant. The whole thing after tax came out about $60 after tax and tip. The food was all very good for a decent price. My only complaint here was the huge line, but to be fair, we did arrive during the peak of rush hour. Next time, I might just get takeout and eat at home.
Housewarming (Lower Pac Heights)
After waiting in line forever at Sun Tung, we were thoroughly late for my friends housewarming, but still made it. He had about 10 lbs of various meats to go with tons of cheese and a ton more wine. Snacked a bit on that, conversed a bit, and headed out. 40-50 people in a 1000 sq/ft condo gets a bit packed. A nice place though!