By the time spring break comes around every year, I’m ready for a vacation. In my eyes, an ideal vacation entails sunny weather, good people, and zero stress. But what makes one even better is all of that, and even better food.
My friends and I were unsure of where to go: Madrid, New York, Colorado, Costa Rica? Until…I pitched California, and boom, spring break plans were set. We booked our tickets to the West Coast, spending our break evenly between San Francisco and Los Angeles. We were stoked: to see the views, slow our pace, and most importantly, stuff our faces.
San Francisco
Our first stop was in the Bay Area, beautiful San Francisco! While the city is known for its steep hills, the Golden Gate bridge, and being home to the nostalgic show Full House, my friends and I will remember it for some yummy meals.
One of our favorite stops was over in Mission Bay at Plow. While the farm-to-table menu was extremely hard to choose from, we went for the Fried Egg Sandwich, the Soft Scramble and an almond flour pancake. Even the side salad was excellent. To top it off, it was a chilly morning so the restaurant had blankets waiting on each seat. What’s better than a brunch and blanket combo?
To hold us over until dinner, we headed over to the Fisherman’s Wharf to grab some seafood. With so much to choose from, we went to Boudin Bakery to look at several options. Finally, we locked in on their world famous Clam Chowder.
We slurped it down, and even ripped apart the bowl to eat as well. Let’s just say it’s world famous for a reason. And, if you want to take some sourdough to go, you can take one home in the form of any sea animal!
After a day of trekking the San Fran slopes, we were thankful that Chinatown was only a short walk away from our hotel. We headed over to House of Nanking, a renowned spot that has been dominating the neighborhood for years. As everything was sharing style, we ordered chicken potstickers with a sweet chili sauce, orange chicken with a sweet potato side (divine), pork bao buns with a honey mustard glaze (delectable), and chow mein. The restaurant was slammed, but for good reason. It was filled with locals all having a good time, munching, and washing it down with a good Sapporo or sake.
For our last day in the Bay, we started off with a good ol’ matcha/coffee and bagel combo over on Fillmore Street. I had probably one of the best coffees I’ve ever had, and my friends said the same about the matcha. Thank you Compton’s Coffee House, I’ll be back.
To accompany our drinks, we walked a few doors down to Boichik Bagels for another hit. I built my own bagel sandwich: chive cream cheese, avocado, red onion, and cucumber. Wow. Absolutely incredible breakfast.
A few hours later, I hit the go-to spot while visiting the West Coast: In N’ Out. I was in between getting a normal cheeseburger and a Flying Dutchman (bunless, and smothered in onions), but I wanted to at least get a safe option for my first time.
It was so so good, and layered with their house sauce and a crisp Coke: perfection. The meal was followed up with Ben and Jerry’s because I can never say no to a sweet treat, especially ice cream.
Los Angeles
For the second leg of our trip, we touched down in LA! Obviously our first stop was Erewhon. We prepared our wallets for the damage that was about to be done and headed into the grocery store to be amazed. I left with the Rotisserie Chicken Avocado Sandwich and coconut water. While I don’t agree with paying 8 dollars (I know) for water, I needed to take home the glass bottle as a souvenir.
Dinner that night was one we had been waiting for before we even took off. Because of my last article on my visit to DTF, I was invited out to do another menu tasting at any location we were passing by. So Din Tai Fung was our first dinner stop in LA, of course. While I was slightly familiar with the menu, my friends were jumping at the chance to try the entire menu, so we did exactly that, and went completely overboard. We practically rolled out of the restaurant and ended our night in a food coma.
Our plans for LA were based on our interests for the trip: food and shopping. Naturally, we stayed by the Grove, an outdoor mall with a farmer’s market. I had been a few years ago with family, but I knew I wanted to return and try it with my new, refined palate.
My friend and I split a “La Summer” sandwich from All’Antico Vinaio with prosciutto, tomato, mozzarella, and basil. On top of that, I also had a hot dog from Downtown Dog. Odd combination, I know, but so good. I was dreaming about them for hours after.
After walking off our carb loaded lunch and doing some retail therapy, we headed to our dinner reservation at Mother Wolf. Known for its Italian food, romantic vibe, and aesthetic dining experience, we dressed to impress and ready to eat. We went for the Risotto Croquettes, the Quattro Formaggi pizza, a cherry tomato and stracciatella toast, and some tiramisu to top it off. It was such a good meal, and I plan on visiting their Miami location the second I get home!
To bring our trip to a close, the girls and I ended our last night with dinner at Scarlett. We were drawn to it thanks to TikTok, but this place genuinely did not disappoint. Absolutely worth the hype. Not only was it cool inside with an amazing ambience and energy, but the food was phenomenal.
I started with the Dirty Pear martini (to die for, btw), calamari, Truffle Mushroom flatbread, and the caesar. While these all may sound basic, they were far from. The flatbread and caesar from there might be at the top of my list in these categories. Oh, and of course and another Tiramisu!
Our adventure to California is definitely one of my favorite trips. Not only is the energy different out there, but the food left me beyond impressed. I thought Miami and New York spoil me with good food, but now California is high on my radar. See ya next time Cali!