jtmartino1
Well-Known Member
Parkside or Chez Maman. Parkside is a dive bar with bar food, but a great happy hour until 8. Maman is a better restaurant with better food but there may be a bit of a wait.
Visiting the San Francisco Bay Area
- Thread starter stupac2
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Parkside or Chez Maman. Parkside is a dive bar with bar food, but a great happy hour until 8. Maman is a better restaurant with better food but there may be a bit of a wait.
litheum94
Well-Known Member
There's a new brewery opening across the street from Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa, Divine Brewing. The guy running things is a former brewer at Russian River. He's released a couple of beers over the past years (brewed at Sonoma Springs), that were pretty good. I'm excited to see what he can do with his own place.
Opening is "spring."
Opening is "spring."
drgarage1
Not a real doctor. Lives in garage.
I'll be curious to see what their stuff looks like as a more regular brewery. The Divine beers were certainly unique, though I can't say I was a big fan of either. I blame the use of grains of paradise.
litheum94
Well-Known Member
Ended up eating/drinking at the Connecticut Yankee right down the street. Standard tap list (think Anchor and Speakeasy), but way better food than I was expecting. Really cool atmosphere too. I'd be a regular if I lived in the area.
litheum94
Well-Known Member
I'm hopeful he can produce better stuff, though the other beers weren't necessarily bad. Sonoma Springs has (well, had, as they're in the process of moving) a dinky ass brewing system, and their brewery wasn't exactly clean.
litheum94
Well-Known Member
Hey Arbitrator you still coming to Petaluma today?:
Taps is tapping a keg of Alpine San Francisco Surpsie today at 1. Also will have a keg of something from KRBC.
Taps is tapping a keg of Alpine San Francisco Surpsie today at 1. Also will have a keg of something from KRBC.
Arbitrator
Not Patrick
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
- Messages
- 12,946
- Reaction score
- 13,278
Yeah, but I'll be there around 5:30 or 6. Thanks for the heads up! I'll check it out.
Bluecane
Well-Known Member
I'm going to be flying out to SF on March 11, and I'll probably be around through March 21. Hopefully I can meet some of you. I'll try and bring some bottles, and might be able to mule some NYC stuff. Shoot me a message if you're interested in hanging out, doing a bottleshare, potential muling, etc. Thinking of renting a car and hitting up RRBC etc. to the north, and Sante to the South. I'm also down to caravan (in a rental or otherwise).
Also, my birthday is during my visit. So. Stoked.
Adam
Also, my birthday is during my visit. So. Stoked.
Adam
Last edited:
Bring back SARA. Will luv u 4eva
shelf_turd_ferguson
Well-Known Member
I went to Jupiter in Berkeley again last week. They had their tasty house beers, an Almanac tap, and a sour red from Tahoe Mountain brewing or something that was great. Jupiter should be put up in OP stupac2
Their only downside is parking nearby and their menu is pretty much salad and pizza, but it's good.
Also went to Fat Grape winery in the NE corner of Treasure Island. Great view of the Cityscape from the Treasure Island drop in for visitors. Fat Grape does no added sulfite wines and they're great. Much better than The Winery wines. Pat owns the place and runs drop-in free tastings (tips appreciated) of his wines when open. He guides you through ~15 wines and tells some good jokes. Bottles run ~$20-26.
Their only downside is parking nearby and their menu is pretty much salad and pizza, but it's good.
Also went to Fat Grape winery in the NE corner of Treasure Island. Great view of the Cityscape from the Treasure Island drop in for visitors. Fat Grape does no added sulfite wines and they're great. Much better than The Winery wines. Pat owns the place and runs drop-in free tastings (tips appreciated) of his wines when open. He guides you through ~15 wines and tells some good jokes. Bottles run ~$20-26.
gregh
Member
I'll be in the area June 1-7. (Are there any other Apple developers on this site who will be at WWDC?)
I'll be staying in the city, but I'm hoping to visit SARA and/or Russian River one of those Saturdays. Does anyone have a recommendation of the best way to get to either? Is there an easier way than just renting a car for the day?
I'll be staying in the city, but I'm hoping to visit SARA and/or Russian River one of those Saturdays. Does anyone have a recommendation of the best way to get to either? Is there an easier way than just renting a car for the day?
jtmartino1
Well-Known Member
You have to rent a car. Plan on spending all day at either spot so you're not driving back even slightly intoxicated - there are a lot of cops and a lot of traffic on 101 north of the city, and coming over the mountains from Santa Cruz is not a drive you want to do "buzzed."
OP
OP
stupac2
Well-Known Member
If it's at all nice out you'll be going 5 mph the whole way. The 3 hours it'd take to get over the mountains would be plenty of time to sober up!
gregh
Member
Thanks.
Hmm... I guess I'll try to make them two separate day trips. I went to RR once before and stopped at Muir Woods, which was awesome. Is there any cool park/beach I should check out on my way down to SARA? Or just take 1 and enjoy the entire drive?
OP
OP
stupac2
Well-Known Member
I was mostly joking, though on really nice weekends there's some truth in what I said. If you go on a weekday and avoid rush hour the drive to SARA should be fine. I don't know what's down there, but bird22 or buzzword can probably make some good suggestions.
Definitely go to Aptos BBQ for lunch, though. I love that place.
RyanG1
Well-Known Member
Highway 1 down from Pacifica/SF is a gorgeous drive if you have not done it. You can stop along the way to take in the sights.
Do you hike, run, or bike? Not far from SARA is
Goregeous trails amongst the Redwoods at Nisene Marks: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=666
Or Wilder: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=549
Nisene > Wilder as far as scenic beauty for hiking and running
If you are into mountain biking that is a whole other awesome world.
Also, you could go surfing but I know squat about that.
Last edited:
I second the aforementioned suggestions of taking hwy1 down, or up. my trips to Santa Cruz usually consist of 280/85/17 down and 1 up, but that's typically traffic-based. if you're looking specifically for beaches, the daytime route down and back might be better.
ABSTRACTlegend
Well-Known Member
New spot opened about 2 months ago Called ISO beers, It's the same owner as bobby's liquors in santa clara. Thought you might want to add it to the list.
ISO Beers - 20-30 taps rotate daily, Great bottle selection with reasonable prices.
Also up north there is a nice new brewery called Woodfour it's up in Sebastapol. Great spot with very tasty beers & good food
ISO Beers - 20-30 taps rotate daily, Great bottle selection with reasonable prices.
Also up north there is a nice new brewery called Woodfour it's up in Sebastapol. Great spot with very tasty beers & good food
OP
OP
stupac2
Well-Known Member
I'm traveling right now so if you write up some text I can do it later, or you could report the post and ask a mod to add it.
Arbitrator
Not Patrick
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
- Messages
- 12,946
- Reaction score
- 13,278
I haven't been -- does he sell HF out the back at the new spot, too? Dee's extremely nice, but he reaffirms my thoughts that small beer stores are the worst.
ABSTRACTlegend
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't doubt it. He has overpriced rare beers at the bottom of the menu. such as Peche N' Brett (50$), Bible Belt (25$), Almanac Farmers Reserve 3 (30$) and i can't remember the other ones.
Arbitrator
Not Patrick
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
- Messages
- 12,946
- Reaction score
- 13,278
I never begrudge anyone the chance to make money legally, so those don't bother me. Somebody will pay those prices, as ridiculous as I think they are.
I just get really teed off at small business owners who try to push the "buy local, support mom 'n' pop, keep it in the neighborhood" mindset but will openly skirt the law in their favor while not doing it in yours.
I've seen bars resell beers not distributed here. But ask them to fill a growler off their taps for you? "No, we'd lose our license." Ask a store to get a keg of Pliny for you? "No, we'd lose our account."
It's ********. I've been seeing the same thing over and over for almost a decade, and I'm not feeling particularly charitable towards any of these "small businesses struggling to make it."
OP
OP
stupac2
Well-Known Member
I asked a local bar proprietor if he could get me a keg of Hoppy Birthday for my wedding, the answer was "Of course!" Awesome dude.
Arbitrator
Not Patrick
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
- Messages
- 12,946
- Reaction score
- 13,278
Okay, SOME bars are cool about it. That's pretty damn awesome.
ABSTRACTlegend
Well-Known Member
That is awesome, although these bars are rare. But congrats stu on the wedding and getting a keg of hoppy birthday!
viajero
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
- Messages
- 165
- Reaction score
- 257
Diggin' deep into the archives here!
Lookin' like a June trip to the Bay Area is taking shape. Will be staying in North Bay/San Rafael area. Any favorites for food, drink, or a combination thereof?
Early research has Pizzeria Picco, Farmshop, Marin Brewing, maybe Flat Iron Saloon as nearby spots w/ [decent] beer options.
For seafood, Fish. in Sausalito, perhaps?
For less beer-oriented, Sol Food, Uchiwa Ramen, Thai Aroi-Dee, Sakura/Kamikaze for sushi?
All cobbled together from Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc., so apologies if there's some stinkers on there. Any/all advice appreciated!
Also, anyone ever stopped in at the Pelican Inn in Muir Beach? Cool spot? Saw Lagunitas makes a special pale ale just for the Inn. Figured it might be cool to stop in post-Muir Woods.
Lookin' like a June trip to the Bay Area is taking shape. Will be staying in North Bay/San Rafael area. Any favorites for food, drink, or a combination thereof?
Early research has Pizzeria Picco, Farmshop, Marin Brewing, maybe Flat Iron Saloon as nearby spots w/ [decent] beer options.
For seafood, Fish. in Sausalito, perhaps?
For less beer-oriented, Sol Food, Uchiwa Ramen, Thai Aroi-Dee, Sakura/Kamikaze for sushi?
All cobbled together from Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc., so apologies if there's some stinkers on there. Any/all advice appreciated!
Also, anyone ever stopped in at the Pelican Inn in Muir Beach? Cool spot? Saw Lagunitas makes a special pale ale just for the Inn. Figured it might be cool to stop in post-Muir Woods.
drgarage1
Not a real doctor. Lives in garage.
Pelican Inn is rad! Not as rad as Muir Beach, but worth a stop. Add Baeltane to your list for sure.
viajero
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
- Messages
- 165
- Reaction score
- 257
Done and done!
viajero
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
- Messages
- 165
- Reaction score
- 257
Yeah, RR is absolutely happening, wasn't sure about Lagunitas (not for enjoyment of their beer, which I rather do), Marin was more of a "Hey, it's close by, I've got a wife/baby to keep happy and short car rides might needed at crunch time." kind of thing.
We've got 3 full days, tentatively spread out b/w a Santa Rosa/RR/Sonoma wine country drive on one day, a Muir Woods/Muir Beach/North Bay chillin' day, and a day in the city. The wife, and baby for that matter, are troopers and down to indulge my beerish needs, but I try to pay it back by not dragging to them to every last beer nerd haunt. Thus the need/desire for some closer-to-home spots that can balance out good grub/ambiance and tasty brews.
If you do head to Marin Brewing (I agree with skipping it), eat next door at Belcampo. If you go on a weekend there is either a bunch of food trucks or a farmers market.
drgarage1
Not a real doctor. Lives in garage.
Lagunitas is super-fun. Highly recommended, even if you're not a big fan of their beer.
viajero
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2015
- Messages
- 165
- Reaction score
- 257
My language was clumsy, I think - I totally dig their beer (Waldo's crushed it for me just last week). Man, b/w RR, Lagunitas, and BeerCraft, looks like I'll be driving northward quite a bit. Hoping the new Novato location of BeerCraft opens before we arrive, just to save a few mins in the car.
Avatar's Punjabi Burrito is a worthwhile stop in the north bay - lots of locations to choose from.
also, Fairfax Scoop is great on a warm - or cold - night. Take a drive up to the top of Tam as well. Unreal views.
also, Fairfax Scoop is great on a warm - or cold - night. Take a drive up to the top of Tam as well. Unreal views.
pen15clubmember
Well-Known Member
Not sure if this trip has passed by Beercraft Novato is open. Those Thai and soosh spots are skippable, Sol Food is not. Flat Iron's food is v good, however their beer selection is blah, yet great for Marin if that makes sense. The owners have a new spot in San Rafael called the State Room. Food is good, no surprise there, but they're hopefully still getting their act together with the beer. Still light years better than that Broken Drum, which it used to be. That place was trash.
Similar threads
