Happy Place: San Francisco

I love Colorado, the state that I call home.  Colorado's been good to me.  In fact, I've been known to say "Steamboat Springs is my happy place" for the fact that there's perfect champagne powder blanket over that quaint ski town.  I've also been known to say "The Little Man is my happy place" for the fact that it's a giant milk can, lit up at night, that dispenses the smoothest, creamiest ice cream on a hot summer night.  So it's true.  I actually have many happy places.  But they're not limited to Colorado.  There's also a special place in my heart for San Francisco, California.

What's not to love about San Francisco?  You can't spit without hitting a farmer's market.  A good farmer's market.

Persimmons, dangling form a rope.

Dried figs, apricots, and cherries of several varieties.

Alfajores, aka The Most Delicious Cookie I Have Ever Eaten, South American shortbread cookies sandwiching dulce de leche and dusted with confectioners sugar. Get some. http://www.saborsur.com/

And the live entertainment at the farmer's market can't be beat.

One-man band.

And the seafood is cheap.  Dirt cheap.

So I went out for a quick visit to see my sister, who lives there (lucky duck).  It was a short weekend trip, so every minute counted.  She indulged me by letting me pause to touch, smell, and photograph every single bit of food that crossed our paths.  Case in point: street tacos off a truck.  In this case, we also stopped to taste.

Not that we don't also have these in Colorado, but this time it was a family experience.

 

Lucky Duck isn't an intrepid cook, but she's more adept in the kitchen than she thinks she is.  In just a couple of hours, we'd whipped up a mighty fine dinner, with the last minute assistance/company of my MasterChef twin, Azmina, who is much better at remembering to photograph food than I am.

 

I took full advantage of the fresh produce and seafood Lucky Duck and I came across throughout the day.  We had roasted dungeoness crabs, seafood risotto, and some fresh bread, among other tasty treats for dinner.

It was quite a feast, and none of it was all that hard.  If you want to see recipes, post a comment below and tell me what you want to see and I'll post a recipe in the near future, complete with more photos and instructions for the yumminess pictured above.  (You, too, can eat like we did, though you'll have to provide your own lively dinner conversation and sassy dinner company.)

It's only been a week, but I already miss hanging out with Lucky Duck and Azmina.  San Francisco is my happy place.  There.  I said it.  "San Francisco is my happy place" for the fact that there's good food and good company in abundance there.