Bart family Annual Thanksgiving Wine Trip 2011, Day 2

I woke up around 8am local time (16:00 UTC), feel completely refreshed. I have to admit: Fairmont beds give those Westin Heavenly mattresses a run for their money. I could have easily slept in longer, but new that would ruin my chances of acclimating to pacific time. Thus, I decided to get some coffee and scones for the Madre and I.

Caffe Cento: My new favorite coffee shop!

Located on level P of the Fairmont is Caffe Cento (pronounced ch'ento), a delightful coffee shop that serves Illy coffee (MY FAVORITE!!!). I picked up two cafe lattes and two blueberry scones, and headed back up to the Madre's room. While nibbling on the scones, we set about planning out the day. It was currently raining, which kinda precluded us from doing any outdoorsy activities. Instead, she read and I set out trying to get the internet working on this blasted laptop. After an hour of futility - including a long session talking to the internet help desk - it was 11am local time (19:00 UTC), so we headed to Yank Sing for a Dim Sum brunch!

I am a huge fan of dim sum, and who wouldn't be?! It's an endless offering of dumplings, rolls, and other friend or steamed delicacies! When we first arrived, we noticed the tell-tale sign that any asian restaurant is a good one: it was full of asian clients. Whether it's asian food, indian food, italian, etc.; the more people of said ethnicity dine there, the better it has to be. It's like a natural law of culinary dining!

Upon being seated, we were served a giant pot of tea, and then like clockwork, servers started coming around asking us if we wanted this or that. Shrimp dumplings, sea bass  fried in a sweet potato batter, fried soft-shell crab, chicken-stuffed mushrooms, chicken lettuce cups, etc. I could go on and on, so I invite you to check out the menu. Our favorite was definitely the Shanghai Dumpling: dumplings filled with chicken and soup. To eat them, you place one in typical asian spoon. Top it with a slice or two of ginger, and then drizzle it with some red vinegar. One then puts the whole thing in their mouth, and as one bites in, you get the soup bursting in one's mouth. Incredible! Just make sure to let it cool, otherwise the entire rough of one's mouth will be singed!

These servers won't stop unless you surrender!

Other favorites included the sea bass with sweet potato breading, fried soft-shell crab, and this delightful cabbage salad. By the end of it all, I was stuffed and had to constantly turn the servers down. I think if it was up to them, I would be stuffed for dead! It was an excellent meal - totally in the glutinous spirit of Thanksgiving - and completely destroyed my prior dim sum experience in Toronto (ask me about the Spicy De-Boned Duck Webs story sometime!).

After a meal like that, all I want to do is walk. Mom and I walked a couple of blocks to the Ferry building, snapped some pics, and then back to Market and California where she hopped in a cab back to the hotel. I continued to walk, first up California, then deviating west until I found myself in the red light district! A few blocks passing strip clubs, and I was on Columbus heading towards Fisherman's Wharf. I walked until I reached the Wharf cable car roundtable, hopped on the cable car heading back to the hotel, and made it in time for the next culinary event: afternoon tea.

From what I have been told, the Fairmont has an excellent afternoon tea that is usually on Saturdays. Today, they were offering a special Thanksgiving tea service, so we thought "what the heck." Of course neither of us was really in the mood to eat after the amazing dim sum. Still, despite living in England for two summers, I have never had afternoon tea. This was an opportunity I didn't want to miss! To be traditional, I went with the Earl Grey, while Mom went with some organic flavored tea. I had a scone, smothered with clotted cream and strawberry jam, as well as a cucumber sandwich. To top it all off, they served us a glass of decent champagne.

You have arrived at a propitious moment, considered to be your country's one indisputable contribution to Western Civilization: Afternoon tea. May I press you to a cucumber sandwich? - Hugo Drax, Moonraker 

After tea, I headed back to Caffe Cento to do some blogging, while Mom went back up to the hotel to rest. Next stop: McCormic & Kuleto's in Fisherman's Wharf for dinner! Located at Ghiradelli Square overlooking the wharf, it is actually a joint venture between the McCormick & Schmick's company and restauranteur Pat Kuleto. It is renowned for it's seafood, which is precisely what Mom and I were looking for.

We ordered a bottle of the 2010 Matanzas Creek (Sonoma) Sauvignon Blanc for the table. Crisp, not too sweet, and a bit of dryness; it had solid notes of pear and apricot. I started my meal off with a caesar salad, and followed it up with Atlantic salmon stuffed with local crab, shrimp and brie cheese. Mom went with the roasted beet salad to start, and followed it up with a spicy cioppino that was simply outstanding. All in all, it was an excellent non-traditional Thanksgiving meal.

McCormick & Kuleto's dining room is quite chic

After dinner, Mom headed back to the hotel, while I stayed around the wharf area looking for an open bar for a drink. I stumbled upon the Buena Vista Club. I was actually drawn into the place by a placard saying that the original Irish coffee was invented there. Always up for whiskey and coffee, I went inside to check it out. I left having tried the Irish coffee - which was amazing - as well as 2 other tips people had left on foursquare: a nutty Irishmen drink, and a "shot of Padron with a sangrita back." Add in the wine I had with dinner, and I was feeling pretty good. That's when I decided to head back to the hotel and check out the hotel bar.

Look at the line of Irish coffees!

A quick cable car ride brought me back to the hotel, where I made my way to the Tonga Room. Apparently it is a famous bar in San Francisco, and it is decked-out in a Hawaiian motif. I ordered the most ridiculous drink on the menu - the Pineapple Royale - which was served in a hollowed out pineapple! I got to talking to a gent sitting next to me - turns out he is moving to San Francisco from Charlotte (NC) to study at a culinary school - and next thing you know it's closing time. Back in the room, I ended up drifting to sleep with SyFy's Bond-athon playing on the TV. Here's hopping tomorrow is just as awesome as today was!

The band actually played some good tunes!