Destinations

I was expecting a mellow, loungey wine bar with overpriced small plates and overdressed working class women sitting next to corporate guys in expensive suits… And I wasn’t expecting to get carded at the door. Turns out that District, a fairly new hot spot on the corner of Townsend and 3rd has held its own on the border of SoMa and South Beach (San Francisco neighborhoods), packing out with a bar-like atmosphere most every night.

At 8:30pm on a Thursday night, I had to politely shove my unwieldy commuter bag through a dense crowd ranging from early 20s to mid-40s, dressed in everything from jeans and t-shirts, to business casual, to those outfitted for clubbing later on. I slowly circled the place, not a seat to be found at the tall cocktail tables on one side, low cushy couches on the other side, nor at the central U-Shaped bar.

An advantage to traveling alone, I found a tiny little opening at the bar and squeezed myself into a standing spot. Once at the wood-finished bar, with the crowd at my back, District seemed to open up and I was able to notice that it was a converted warehouse, given away by the high ceilings with wooden rafters and exposed brick walls. There was a flat-screen tv on one sidewall playing an old black and white movie.

One of the bartenders handed me a paper menu, featuring over 30 wines by the glass and 10 flights with an impressive global diversity. I turned over the menu to find a selection of Mediterranean-influenced samplings ranging from an artisanal cheese plate and charcuterie plate, to arancini, calamari, ahi tuna tartare, pizzetta, and main dishes like lamb lollipops and roasted organic chicken.

The prosciutto San Daniele and arugula hand rolls with goat cheese and balsamic fig jam caught my eye and I asked the bartender for a pairing recommendation. He seemed very familiar with their by-the-glass offerings and recommended Cold Heaven Viognier from Santa Rita Hills. I normally drink Sauvignon Blanc, but this particular wine was full-bodied enough to stand up to the rich flavors of fig, goat cheese, and prosciutto, notwithstanding a nice acidic, palate-cleansing finish. I happily stood and ate at the busy bar, enjoying the wine and chatting with a local woman next to me. She and her friend raved about the hangar steak from local Prather Ranch, sliced and served over white beans with a homemade salsa verde.

The menu only seemed slightly overpriced, but well worth the experience – and the location. I walked out the door and down the block to catch the Caltrain back to San Jose. District is also about a block away from AT&T Park. Open Monday through Friday from 4pm to 2am and open at 5pm on Saturdays, District is closed on Sundays. The full menu is served from 5:30-10:30pm and a limited late night menu is served from 10:30pm to midnight Thursday through Sunday. Not bad for a pit stop.

My wife and I recently took a 15 day cruise on the Costa Allegra on Costa Cruise Lines. The cruise started in Hong Kong and visited Manila, Kota Kinabalu, Brunei, Singapore, Saigon, Danang, Sanya, and back to Hong Kong. We chose this line because of the expansive itinerary and wanted to celebrate our Christmas and New Year’s at sea. However, the experience left much to be desired.

Port of Call - I would not recommend Sanya, China. It is touted as a beach resort where most of the Chinese locals visit, but when we arrived it was clearly not well maintained and the sidewalks did not look clean.

The Ship - I was told the ship had no stabilizers. I don’t know if this is true or not, but the stretch from Hong Kong to Manila is supposed to be the worst. It was very calm seas and smooth going. All the other times we were at open sea - which was about 5 days - were bad. There was a stretch of about 70+ hours where my wife and I were taking Dramamine every 8 hours. I believe everyone was on Dramamine, so much demand in fact, that by about the 60th hour, the ship ran out of it. I was fortunate I had some extra pills.

For about 3 full days, the ship was moving all over the place. Lying in bed at night was no relief. The ship seemed to be moving in all directions, and, it became worst because the springs in the mattress made you bounce up and down like you were on a trampoline! There was one night at dinner where the ship was moving so bad that dishes, glasses, wine bottles were crashing and falling over.

The Menu - On paper, the menu looked excellent. In reality, it turned out to be rather poor quality and hit or miss on the taste. I had shrimp scampi once and lobster twice. All three times the food tasted like it was previously cooked/frozen/cooked mushy/or powdery. Even their pasta was not consistent in quality and taste.

The only saving grace on food was their pizza bar which served fresh pizza from 10pm to 1am. Costa is an Italian cruise line, so I’m glad they got this one right. In addition, their service from the dining and bar personnel was also to a high standard.

Sora Lella in the Tiber Island, surrounded by rushing water (in the winter). The island is one of Rome’s earliest settlements and hosts now one of the oldest hospitals in town. Try the “tonnarelli all cuccagna” a specialty of the chef.

Da Pierluigi, in the lovely Piazzetta de’ Ricci, near the Campo de’ Fiori area, a popular source for centuries-old Roman recipes, as beloved as ever. Begin with one of the specialties: pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans) or minestra broccoli (broccoli soup). Follow up with spaghetti con frutti di mare (spaghetti and seafood sauce), and then complete it with pesce al sale (fish baked in a salt shell) or calamari e gamberi fritti (fried squid and shrimp).

Trattoria da Giggetto al Portico d’Ottavia: A fine Roman-Jewish restaurant with a terrific backdrop—the portico of Ottavia. Still family-run, still using authentic Jewish Roman recipes, this restaurant bears the official cucinaromana designation.

Ostaria Margutta: An incredibly romantic restaurant on a charming street. The all-red Ostaria Margutta serves specialties such as linguine and prawns, tortellini made in-house and baked turbot with potatoes, all in a candlelite setting. Changing art exhibits add to the decor.

Camponeschi: An upscale restaurant near the Michelangelo-designed Palazzo Farnese, which now houses the French Embassy. Try the fusilli calabresi (corkscrew pasta with fresh tomatoes and eggplant sauce) or, if you favor fresh seafood, maltagliati all’astice (short, flat pasta with lobster sauce). For an entree, ask for rosette con carciofi (veal with artichokes) or agnello al rosmarino (lamb with rosemary). There’s a wide selection of rich, creamy desserts.

Casina Valadier: on the Pincio (Villa Borghese) a great place for an aperitivo or for lunch al fresco which commands one of the most splendid vistas in the city.

La Rosetta: Serves the freshest seafood in Rome. Chef-owner Massimo Riccioli haunts the fish auctions on the coast and pays top lire for top quality, so don’t expect your meal to be inexpensive. Main-course fish and crustaceans are simply grilled, steamed or baked, allowing the clean tastes to shine.

Dal Pallaro: Surely one of Rome’s most endearing trattorias, located also near tha Piazza of Campo de’ Fiori, on an obscure, irregularly shaped piazzetta near the famous “Teatro di Pompeo” where, supposedly, Julius Ceasar was killed. Lunch can be consumed on tables outside in the warmer season and what you get is what chef-partner Paola Fazi cooks. The progression might begin with good bread and oily black olives, than go to pink borlotti beans with tomatoes and basil, followed by a slice of pancetta-dotted frittata, or suppli’ al telefono (Roman rice croquettes made with bits of mozzarella cheese that melt to form strings that, to the romans, resemble telephone wires), fried eggplant, all preceding wide pappardelle ia a meaty sauce and perfectly moist roasted veal with hot potato chips cut in rounds and ovals textural contrast.