The Stinking Rose and A Wonderful Day

Today we began our trip into San Francisco earlier in order to explore the city by cable car a bit before having lunch. The trip in on the BART was again fun, as we had an interesting conversation with a college-age couple from Switzerland studying at Berkley. They were very fluent in English but found pronunciations challenging. She said they were looking for PO-WELL Street, which is Powell. Since Kristy and Tim have been living in Costa Rica and have mentioned language challenges, we struck up a lively conversation. 1HW thought that if we lived in the area they would probably be over for both Thanksgiving AND Christmas dinners. Alas for them....

After the BART we headed for the cable car turn-around at Powell Street, having decided to ride it up one way and back down the other before heading for lunch. More interesting people to talk with there, too! An Indian gentleman from Mumbai (who filled us in on the billionaire who built the 27-story home there) who works with Bank of America had all kinds of questions about the city which we were able to answer. Another nice guy also helped, and we had a great time talking until we got off to head for lunch, walking our way through the heart of Chinatown. We thought about getting a trolley but decided to walk, and it was fascinating. Once you have walked there, you wonder if you really have the need to visit China after all. Managing our way through the crowds shopping at the open-air vegetable markets, we headed for the North Beach Italian (and sometimes questionable area) of the city, where we found our son's favorite restaurant that we decided to try: The Stinking Rose.

The question is, would a rose by any other name smell as pungent? Not! This rose is the garlic, well-known and beloved by all Californians, especially in Gilroy, the garlic capital of the country (world?). Everything in this restaurant is totally loaded with garlic, and it is all wonderful, even if I clear the paths for miles away for weeks after eating there. Again, we were graced by a window seat, looking out over the corner of Broadway and Columbus (Italian section, right?), able to watch everyone go by... Fascinating!

The moment we were seated, we were served a heated plate of focaccia rolls and a jar of garlic "relish" to dip the rolls in.

The Stinking Rose Garlic Rose Relish is as follows:

1 bunch chopped parsley, 1/4 cup chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and olive oil to cover. Mix parsley, garlic, vinegar, and salt. Add oil to cover ingredients and stir. Cover and store in refrigerator. Relish is good for 3-4 days.

1HW decided that too much garlic could wreck him for a few days and decided on a Caesar salad with shrimp, which he thought was good. Jerry had already recommended a dish which I love, mussels or/and clams cooked in a garlic, butter and white wine broth, served in a huge soup bowl. YUMMMMM! I had eaten so many of the same type of dishes in the Bordeaux area of France several years ago, and absolutely loved it. The broth was so delicious, just as was the cioppino last night, that one needs to soak up the last drop with the sour dough bread or focaccio rolls served. Our waiter brought us more rolls to thoroughly enjoy the meal, and we walked away needing some exercise.

As we walked back through Chinatown to catch the cable car, all of a sudden a funeral procession appeared, which seemed to take everyone local and tourist alike by surprise. It was like a Salvation Army Band, playing all sorts of familiar hymns, marching along in front of a hearse through Stockton Street in the middle of Chinatown. Amazing!

We caught the cable car and headed for the Wharf area again, thoroughly enjoying the sites of the Bank of America pyramid, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Lombard's curving street as we rode along. After a bit of walking around and shopping, we traveled by cable car back up to the top, switched cars, and headed for the BART to go back, still filled from lunch and beginning to be tired. It felt good to return to our "place" around 6, and Max was happy to see us.

Thanks, San Francisco, for another memorable trip! We leave a little bit of our hearts with you each time we visit!