Destination #5: Happy as a Clam

I went to dinner with my best high school buddy who just happens to live in San Francisco as well, and I thought, what better thing to do than for two New Englanders to go eat clam chowder in California? And so our dinner location was obvious: My #5 destination and #28 on the list, Anchor Oyster Bar for clam chowder.

My friend Lizzy is a born and raised Bostonite, and therefore has a refined pallet when it comes to clam chowder, so she would be my guru on this particular adventure.

The restaurant had a funky diner vibe. Small, open kitchen, stainless steal furniture and a long counter with stools. The bread they bring is nothing fancy, just a tasty, medium crust, loaf of Italian bread.

I know it's hard to mess up any food that involves cream, butter and clams, but I've had some BAD clam chowder, the worst of which, if I had tipped my bowl upside down, the soup probably would've fallen out keeping the shape of the bowl with an exciting jiggle.

This chowder was LOVELY. The texture of the soup was smooth and creamy, but not so thick that I felt I was eating "glop." It wasn't overloaded with stuff, but it had a nice amount of chopped potato, bacon, and clams (perhaps it could've used a bit more, but every element was cooked perfectly).

The thing we loved most about it was its simplicity. No bells and whistles here. Just a simple, creamy, sweet and savory New England clam chowder in San Francisco. We were impressed with the restaurant's restraint in keeping clam chowder the way it should be, and not inventing some spicy, swanky, and so called creative chowder. For California, it was good. This, paired with a glass of their house Chardonnay, left me feeling like one happy clam.

Destination #4: My Trip to Candy Mountain

After the butter fritter and ma po ground pork swimming in oil, I decided I needed to lower my cholesterol with some healthier eats. What better cleanser than cookies.

Riding my bike to Hayes Valley, I was sweating while speeding down hills in the 75 degree sunshine, but it could've been 50 degrees and raining when I walked into Miette, my #4 destination, and I wouldn't have noticed. I had to stop myself from singing and doing a little jig in the most adorable, happy, colorful, delicious looking candy shop I had ever been in. Behind the clerk were jars full of multi colored candies. The treats were the only decor the place needed.

On its own pedestal was a plastic tube of the famous ginger snap cookies, #49 on the top 100 list. I bought a tube and gleefully skipped out the door looking like an idiot.

There was something about this cookie. Although lovely and buttery, there was something more, and then it hit me: CARAMEL. What is caramel, really, besides butter and sugar cooked together? But somehow, when a baker slightly burns sugar and simmers it in a pot of butter, the chemical reaction creates a whole new dimension of sweet fat. The flavor of this cookie was bold and nutty with the spicy ginger biting through. Miette prides themselves on using three types of ginger in these cookies (crystalized, fresh, and powdered) so being the ginger fiend that I am, I was one happy kid.

The texture of the cookies, I must say, was perfect. They weren't soft baked (which can sometimes be great, but can sometimes be the sign of a cheap grocery store cookie) and it wasn't so light and crisp that it crumbled in your hand. It had a firmness to it, and a lovely crunch. Yet still, the crystalized ginger gave each cookie a subtle and surprising chewiness.

I will be honest and say I don't quite understand how a ginger snap made it to a list of 100 things to try before dying. I LOVE cookies, but I wouldn't consider any ginger snap to be such a vital part of life. But it was damned good, probably a perfect ginger snap, so what the hey.