The Sunset collections...

I have been getting Sunset magazine for years. I used to love reading it at my grandma's house as a child. I have so many of them squirreled away in piles and I finally started going through them and ripping out things I want to save. One of my favorite recurring articles is "Northern California Weekend."  It's usually two or three pages highlighting a trip that could be a day drive or a weekend getaway. I've often longed to try many of them and have done a couple. I'd like to take a stab at sharing some of them with you on a semi-regular basis.

My first one is high on my list of places to go, mostly because I really want to try a particular restaurant. Sadly it's been on my list for a while now, I think I just need to go and enjoy it so I can come back here and tell you all about it!

Outer Sunset - San Francisco, Ca





The "Sunset" is an area of San Francisco that is mostly residential and is usually engulfed in fog. One of the things I like about this part of the city is that you still get the SF vibe but it's a bit more relaxed and you're out near the beach and the surfers. The city is a great place to visit in the fall because the fog recedes a bit and the sun comes out. 

The article recommends several places to get a bite to eat and one hip surf shop that begs a visit.  At the top of my list is Outerlands. I've been wanting to visit this restaurant since I read this article and it came out all the way back in January of this year.





Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

The menu looks delicious and homey. It changes with the seasons and all of their foods are sourced as locally and organically as possible. They make their own bread and beer is served in a mason jar! On the breakfast menu are a yummy sounding baked egg dish with rosemary and Parmesan, dutch pancakes, and eggs in jail. Dinner is a warm beet, mustard greens, farro and manchego salad with cauliflower soup or braised pork and grits. There is definitely more on the menu that sounds delish!

I was impressed to find that they have been reviewed by the New York Times. This is an excerpt from the NYT article...

This restaurant exists to refute San Francisco’s appealingly gloomy Outer Sunset district, or at least to offset it with fine food. Neglected by most travel books, the bleak western edge of the city attracts beach strollers, wave seekers and anyone else looking to infuse a San Francisco day with a little natural moodiness. But until Outerlands, there hasn’t been a culinary option equal to the stark seascape or the ghostly fog. Bone-chilling and ethereal parts of town need non-ethereal bean soup with fennel, tomato and croutons.

They do not need fancy tables. David Muller and Lana Porcello, both visual artists and farmers’ market veterans, converted the small space themselves, and the D.I.Y. aesthetic contributes to the larger vibe: homey and epicurean. Lovely driftwood arrangements cover parts of the wall, and the wall itself is salvaged fence wood. A local surfer fashioned the chairs from reclaimed barn wood. The result is a casual, cozy nook where your beer glass is a Mason jar and you pay before you eat.

In addition to Outerlands there are several other places mentioned in the article. One of them is a surf shop called Mollusk Surf Shop. One of my multiple personalities is that of a surfer girl so I do enjoy a good surf shop, even though I don't surf. I have tried it, but I didn't stick with it.  Mollusk carries boards, gear, clothes, and posters by local artists.

Other places to check out...

 Trouble Coffee Company... they have a fantastic looking cinnamon and sugar toast.

Java Beach Cafe

and

The Pizza Place on Noriega

One of my best friends lives in this neighborhood and I love visiting her there. I know Java Beach Cafe because I turn on that street to go to her house. If you decide to visit the neighborhood you could also go to the SF Zoo! It's right across the street from Java Beach!

I hope you found this inspiring and are planning a visit soon!