“In San Francisco, you learn to expect that anything will happen.  It’s out of the ordinary for something unusual not to happen.” – Theresa Smith

We’re off for SF for the first time since our mini-honeymoon in July of 2007.  This trip is part business, part pleasure as Bella will be attending the Music Teacher’s Association of California Convention: “The Magic of Music”.  We run into my co-worker Rona who is flying to Vegas for the weekend with her son and husband.  We chat while waiting to go through the security checkpoint.  Unfortunately, our flight out of Orange County’s John Wayne Airport is delayed about an hour.

We arrive at SFO Airport, pick up our luggage and are eventually picked up by Super Shuttle.  We arrive at the Westin San Francisco Market Street (50 Third Street, SF, CA  94103.  P: 415-974-6400.  W: westinsf.com).  It is 11:30pm when we arrive at our room.  Space is limited in SF and our room is no exception.  It is maybe 200 square feet but is laid out very well.  A quick shower and I am prepared to — “get my snore on”.

Westin Hotel

My first stop on my cannoli quest is in North Beach’s “Little Italy” at A. Cavalli & Co (A: 1441 Stockton Street, SF, CA.  P: 415-421-4219. W: cavallicafe.com).  We order the cannoli siciliani, vanilla panna cotta and an iced vanilla latte.

A. Cavalli & Co: Loft

The cannolo has tiny pieces of finely diced orange peel stuffed into each end, chocolate chips and is a large portion.  The taste is quite light on sweetness with the orange citrus juice, chocolate chips and the residual orange peel sauce and powdered sugar drizzled and sprinkled (respectively) onto the shell supplying the “sweet” to this pastry.  I know it sounds like it has a lot of “sweet” but trust me when I tell you this is on the lighter side of sweet.

A. Cavalli & Co.: Cannolo

I know because I have adjusted my once “typically American” sweet barometer greatly since meeting and marrying a Taiwanese girl.  Most Asian cultures are not known for their overly sweet tasting desserts.  The cream protruding from each end has a more grainy texture which I attribute to more air hitting it.  However, my academic strengths had nothing to do with the sciences so it is only a supposition.  Conversely, the texture inside is rather smooth and creamy.

The cannolo is filled to order which is a rarity these days in North Beach and beyond.  It tastes of straight ricotta and given the low “tang” factor I deduce that it is cow’s milk ricotta.  The shell is crisp, crunchy, visually striking and tasty.  A touch of perfection for all of your senses is the citrus juice that flows gently out of each end of the cannolo.  This adds an additional punch of citrus to this dessert which I greatly appreciate in a cannolo.

A. Cavalli & Co: Exterior

The iced vanilla latte is well executed albeit not the ideal choice to be ordered at this “old world” and clearly authentic Italian café.  The vanilla (not vanilla bean) panna cotta (“cooked cream”) is a pure snow white color.  The cream envelops the spoon as it penetrates the thick skin.  There is a profound creamy vanilla taste as the thick custard hits your tongue.  The texture of the cream is very smooth yet heavy, not airy or mousse-like (thank you!).  I despise those so-called “panna cottas” that possess a mousse consistency and are typically served in a martini glass.  Food & Drink Rating = A.

A. Cavalli & Co.: Panna Cotta

Around the corner we’re having lunch at Rose Pistola (A: 532 Columbus Avenue, SF, CA  94133. P: 415-399-0499. W: rosepistolasf.com).  We’ll be meeting Becky, the former administrative assistant at the music school where Bella teaches.  Becky lives in the Irvine area and is studying to be a medical doctor.

Rose Pistola: Bella & Becky

Rose Pistola

Bella and I decide to share three dishes, two of which are appetizers.  The potato gnocchi with Genovese pesto and green beans are small in stature but big on flavor.  Amen! — We left cream-based pesto sauces back in the “concrete jungle” (a.k.a. Irvine).

Rose Pistola: Pesto Gnocchi

The seafood stuffed calamari with fregula salad and rosemary aioli is simply remarkable.  Finding an Italian dish of this complexity involving squid would be hard to come by in our county and is a nice companion to my glass of Anthilia (Ansonica/Catarratto), a crisp, fruity and floral aromatic white wine.  Tasty lentil beans are a nice light addition to the plate.

Rose Pistola: Stuffed Calamari

The grilled baby octopus with slices of russet potatoes had an adequate amount of “smoke” flavor, a consistent but not overdone amount of lemon juice and was quite tender.  It definitely wasn’t the best baby octopus I’ve tasted but it was notable.  The sautéed potato slices appeared to be pear slices but tasted of olive oil and sea salt.

Rose Pistola: Baby Octopus

Rose Pistola: David & Bella

After lunch we say goodbye to Becky and Bella boards a bus to get back to her music conference.  I walk to Café Greco (A: 423 Columbus Avenue, SF, CA  94133.  P: 415-397-6261. W: caffegreco.com).  Since 1996 this was my favorite cannolo in California until 2007 when I found Café Zucchero in San Diego’s “Little Italy”.  For whatever reason, many years ago my taste buds began to appreciate a cannolo with a decent amount of “tang” (cream cheese sourness) and this one had a very nice amount of “tang” as I recall.

Cafe Greco

I order the last cannolo in the bakery case.  It has powdered sugar sprinkled on the shell, an adequate number of chocolate chips inside, a very smooth and creamy texture and is a medium-sized portion.  The shell is still crunchy but it was not “filled to order” and as a result is not as crunchy as Cavalli’s.  There is a slight “tang” (not nearly the level I had recalled) and a small cream cheese taste.  It tastes of ricotta, there is no citrus taste and the shell tastes “okay”.  The freshness of the product is pretty good via a visual check of the cream.  I ditch some of the shell in the name of “health concerns”.

Cafe Greco: Cannolo

My conclusion on this cannolo is that it simply isn’t interesting enough.  More “tang” and an addition of citrus, almond flavor or a liqueur would add a complexity to it and up the ante.  As it is, it is pretty boring and although the cream tastes good I am left wishing it were more.  Food rating = B-.

North Beach: Alley

Next I visit Caffe Trieste (A: 601 Vallejo Street, SF, CA.  P: 415-392-6739.  W: caffetrieste.com).  Bella bought a coffee (not great) at their San Jose cafe a month ago and we were unable to procure a cannolo.  Today, there are two left and I am able to obtain one.

Caffe Trieste: Cannolo

On the surface it looks pretty stale.  The maraschino cherries have a faded, almost translucent look to them which turns me off.  How long does a cherry have to sit for it to take on that color and heinous appearance?  Their San Jose cafe informed me that someone else makes their cannoli.  At the North Beach cafe I discovered the staff were “men of few words” so I didn’t bother to ask.  The cherries are stuffed in each end, powdered sugar is on the shell and the cream is very thick and tastes pretty good with an almond extract taste to it.

There are “some” chocolate chips, the shell is not soggy but is soft and flimsy.  This isn’t surprising as the stale cherries alerted me to the fact that this pastry was likely made many hours ago.  I toss the shell and eat the cream.  There is no citrus taste but the cream seems tastier and slightly more interesting than Greco’s.

Additionally, I curb the stale formaldehyde soaked cherries.  The cream is dense and heavy, with almost a pasty quality.  It is about as smooth as Greco’s and noticeably smoother than Cavalli’s.  It is the sweetest cannolo I’ve tasted today and definitely pushing my upper limits of acceptable sweetness.  Food rating = C+.   

I decide to walk back to the hotel in order to burn some “cannolo ripples” off the midsection.  Given it is a Saturday I clearly made a mistake by trekking through the overly crowded streets of Chinatown.  Inside the Stockton Tunnel I enjoy the darkness and cool breeze flowing freely.  Upon my arrival at Union Square I check out an art exhibit.

Stockton Tunnel

Emporio Armani

Back at the hotel I head to the fitness center to do some weights and recumbent bicycle.  I am limited on cardiovascular machines until my hoof heals from my Morton’s neuroma surgery this past March.  The fitness center has nice big windows and a view through the windows of some historic buildings which house office suites.

Westin: Fitness Center

Bella arrives at our room and we head to dinner in the Castro District.  On our taxi ride we stop at a traffic light and I get a huge waft of ganja, Indian hay, giggle smoke, rainy day woman.  My eyes take a gander for a “kick stick” but it appears the “two youts” are being half-smart in spite of their brazen behavior.

Arriving in Castro we are greeted to “Three Nude Dudes” (NOT an art exhibit at SFMOMA) “hanging” out on a concrete bench area near the historic street car stop.  The threesome is middle-aged, thin with slight pot bellies and their tools dangling in the wind.  Note to self – “no sitting on public benches in Castro”.  Some diners at an adjacent café are getting a bird’s eye view of these fine physical specimens.  I’m guessing there will be a lot of dinner salads ordered at that café tonight.

Bella and I are early for our dinner reservation so we pop into A.G. Ferrari Foods (A: 468 Castro Street, SF, CA  94114.  P: 415-255-6590.  W: agferrari.com) and buy some pricey imported torrone candy by Steckli.  The clerk provided us a sample prior to purchase so we doubled our order.  It is of superior quality with a strong almond scent and taste while not being over the top sweet.

Afterwards we buy some faux designer $10.00 and under sunglasses at Sunglasses on Castro (A: 415 Castro Street, SF, CA  94114. P: 415-487-9800).  Around the corner, we walk up the stairs to Poesia Osteria Italiana (A: 4072 18^th Street, SF, CA  94114.  P: 415-252-9325.  W: poesiasf.com).

Poesia Osteria Italiana

We open the meal with calamari alla griglia which consists of Monterey Bay fresh grilled squid served over baby arugula with lemon olive oil.  This was nearly as delicious as the seafood stuffed squid we had for lunch albeit not as exceptional.

Poesia: Calamari

For an entrée I opt for the gnocchi con ragu’ di branzino e pomodorini which featured gnocchi in a fresh Mediterranean sea bass ragu, cherry tomatoes and ciro’ bianco wine sauce.  It was an unfamiliar combination having fish accompany gnocchi but it was surprisingly good.

Poesia: Gnocchi

Bella chooses the branzino al forno which has Mediterranean whole sea bass served deboned with broccoli crowns, zucchini and roasted potatoes.  This is a delectable piece of fish and the fact that it was deboned made it even better.

Poesia: Sea Bass

Unfortunately they aren’t serving what looked like an amazing cannolo I viewed on Yelp.  Therefore we select the spuma ricotta which is similar to an ice cream cake with thin layers of caramelized cake on the top and bottom and candied almonds and raisins inside.  Cinnamon sauce was drizzled on the plate.  While this wasn’t my first choice it was very well presented and resulted in a tasty new dessert experience.  Food and drink rating = A.

Poesia: Spuma Ricotta

The “Three Nude Dudes” showing appears to be closing as the gents are packing it in for the evening as we board the historic street car.

Castro: Streets

Castro: Historic Street Car

Back at our hotel I relax for an hour before returning to the fitness center to work on the gutler.  I complete 60 minutes on the recumbent bike while watching HGTV home shows.  Back at the room I admire the criss-cross pattern design elements of the off-white woven wallpaper design in our bathroom.  Okay, give me a break, I just watched home shows while firming up my physique and earlier ate a gourmet dinner in the “Castro District”.

Westin: Woven Wallpaper

Sunday morning we walk around Union Square before meeting Bella’s friend Piju (whom Bella’s known since elementary school) and her husband.  It is hot already with the bay area breeze absent and unaccounted for.  We eat at Puccini Pinetti Italian Bar & Grill (A: 129 Ellis Street, SF, CA  94102.  P: 415-392-5500.  W: pucciniandpinetti.com).  Feeling rather “greasy”, I immediately order a mojito.  I order the steak salad which consisted of grilled flank steak, mushrooms, peppers, caramelized onions, gorgonzola cheese and balsamic dressing.

Puccini Pinetti: Steak Salad

Bella orders the rustic Italian minestrone soup and the mussels with sliced fennel, fresh garlic, anisette and spinach served with grilled bread.  The food is above average in quality and my salad left me surprisingly satiated.  Food and drink rating = B.  They walk us back to our hotel before we part ways.

Old St. Mary’s Cathedral

We grab a sweatshirt from the room and go around the corner to Peet’s Coffee & Tea for an iced latte.  We take a bus to the Ferry Building Marketplace (A: One Ferry Bldg, SF, CA  94111.  P: 415-983-8030.  W: ferrybuildingmarketplace.com) where we seek out an Italian restaurant rumored (per Yelp) to have a good cannolo.  Unfortunately we find it to be an outdated rumor as store #33 no longer exists on the map and we perused the area to no avail.  Regardless, they have some very interesting stores here including Blue Bottle Coffee (which we will visit tomorrow).

Ferry Building Marketplace

Ferry Building Marketplace

We make the long and sweaty jaunt to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf.  It gradually gets a tad cooler but it is much hotter than the hottest day from our 2007 trip where Bella purchased a light pink colored heavily insulated hoodie parka jacket.  That was quite a visual on a petite Asian girl in the middle of the day in early July.  It made her look like a little kid; minus the parents in tow.

Coit Tower

Fog City Diner

Pier 39: “Cattle”

We walk a few blocks away to get away from “the cattle” and get a cold tea drink at Starpuke’s.  We rest our hooves for a few minutes in a couple of high-back chairs before venturing to Pier 43 ½ and Pier 45 (Fisherman’s Wharf) for some fresh seafood at the casual street vendor stands.

The Crab Station: Menu

Fisherman’s Wharf: The Crab Station

We snag a small pub table with four chairs and Bella waits in line to purchase a Dungeness crab and fried calamari at The Crab Station (A: 2803 Taylor Street, between Fisherman’s Wharf and Jefferson Street, SF, CA  94133.  P: 415-474-8796.).  I am immediately reminded why Bella loves this place so much.  It is similar to the “night market” style of eating that is so popular in Taiwan.  For more information on Taiwan’s night markets: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_markets_in_Taiwan.

The Crab Station: “More Cattle”

While Bella is away a troupe of five grotesque foreigners move in on our table.  Without a mere acknowledgement of my existence the two women sit while the men stand.  All begin shoving their grubby paws into various boxes of seafood and cramming the food into their faces.  One blonde haired woman ate as sloppily as a wild boar, talking loudly and spraying food chunks across what was — “our table”.  The wild boar and a male companion keep eyeing the backpack that is reserving Bella’s seat.  One grubby paw touches it and I’m — “getting medieval on their asses”.

I realize that this is communal dining but one iota of common courtesy would be greatly appreciated.  Bella returns and is clearly not a fan of the foreigner troupe blocking her from reaching her seat.  She forces her way in, throwing those skinny pointy elbows and sets the food on the table.  I slide one of our boxes of food, slamming it into their box of food in order to clear some room for us to eat.

The Crab Station: Fried Calamari

Bella begins to “Daryl Hannah” her crab ala “Splash” style.  Okay, it wasn’t as primitive as watching a starving mermaid devouring a shellfish but it was very methodical, efficient, enthusiastic and energetic.  But seriously…what do you expect from an island girl who grew up on fresh seafood?

The Crab Station: Bella & The Crab

Bella, Crab & Foreigner Troupe

After the foreigner troupe leaves a foursome of Filipino’s looks in our direction.  A girl in the group appears to be too shy to speak to us.  Eventually one of the guys in the group meekly asks if he can use our extra chairs.  I respond “of course, no problem”.  He graciously thanks me and they sit down with the other two in their party who are occupying an adjacent mini counter table.

The Crab Station: Bella & The Crab

Fisherman’s Wharf: Classic Car

Next we walk up the street to Caesar’s Italian Restaurant (A: 2299 Powell, SF, CA  94133.  P: 415-989-6000.  W: caesarssf.com) which has that East Coast, small town, family-run, Italian restaurant feel.  We enter in the bar and there is a hyped up child playing on the floor.  The older gent behind the bar seems annoyed with it.  We sit at the bar and order a bowl of vanilla ice cream and a cannolo.

Caesar’s: Bar

The cannolo has bright colored maraschino cherries in each end, a smooth cream, powdered sugar (on the shell) and is made to order.  There is a decent amount of “tang” with that nice cream cheese taste being clearly present.  The shell tastes nice and is crisp.  There were only 3 chocolate chips inside but chocolate isn’t of paramount importance to me.  Overall, I find the cream to be quite tasty.  Food rating = B+.

Caesar’s: Cannolo

We trek up the hill and arrive in “Little Italy” at Caffe’ Roma (A: 526 Columbus Street, SF, CA  94133.  P: 415-296-7942.  W: cafferoma.com).  I buy a cannolo to go and we take a bus (a borderline “sardine can”) back to Market Street.  At our hotel, I immediately head back to the fitness center for another 60 minutes of “ripple burning time” on the recumbent bike while watching HGTV via headphones.

After my shower I inspect the Caffe Roma cannolo.  It has a chocolate covering on the interior of the shell (“no interest”), smooth cream and was pre-made.  The shell is very light, airy, flaky and tasty like a cookie.  There is a hint of cinnamon which I could do without.  I’m impressed by the shell given these were pre-made and I’ve allowed it to sit for a couple of hours.

Caffe Roma: Cannolo

The cream is a very smooth texture but unfortunately without a mere note of citrus.  The cream has a definite cream cheese taste with a modest amount of “tang”.  The clerk had advised me that they make their own cream but not their own shells.  Food rating = A-.

It’s morning and Bella is due back at her music convention so I’ll be on my own for a few hours.  I take the bus to “Little Italy” for my final day of cannolo tasting.  I take a photo of Bella at the window of our hotel room as I board the bus.  Yes, four years plus into the marriage and we’re still a tad goofy.

Westin: Bella at Window

I decide to begin with a cannolo breakfast at A. Cavalli & Co. where I order an iced vanilla latte and a cannolo.  Again, I should have ordered a cappuccino or an espresso at a true café of this caliber but I’m preparing for another warm day.  The finely diced orange peel and the big waft of orange citrus juice really make this cannolo distinctive.

A. Cavalli & Co.: Cannolo

The cheese on the ends does have a grainier appearance than the cheese inside.  The shell is extremely crunchy and the portion size is the largest I’ve had in SF.  There are regular sized chocolate chips inside and I again notice the mild sweetness to this cannolo.  I wonder if a touch more powdered sugar in the cream might make this even better.  “Asian sweet palate” or not I want no uncertainty as to whether I’m eating a dessert pastry.

While I’m eating a “Whitey McGee” looking mother enters the café to purchase a bottle of water.  Per “David’s Dictionary of Sarcasm, Slang & Other Notorious Phrases”, Whitey McGee is a name given to any white person that acts in a way that is so clearly “white”.  These individuals tend to be very safe and prefer the comforts of their whitey American food, local neighborhood and familiar surroundings (i.e. sheltered).  They don’t like the unknown and fear or have no interest in things like culture, International travel, reading literature and International news.  Ex. Honey, look at the Whitey McGee ordering orange chicken and following it up with a Coca-Cola.

I watch her husband and young child waiting out front.  These McGee’s have no idea what they’re missing.  I initiate a conversation with the owner, Santo Esposito, in which we discuss his café, the cannolo, consumers, marketing and our Asian wives.  He is from Ascea Marina on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

A. Cavalli & Co.: Santo Esposito

He discussed preserving the quality and integrity of the desserts and coffee drinks that he offers.  Other bakeries will offer “everything under the sun” whereas he currently offers six desserts and eleven coffee drinks.

A. Cavalli & Co.: Dessert Menu

He clearly understands that being all things to all patrons seldom works.  His next goal is to add a personal selection of wines and appetizers for the dinner crowd.  Santo’s face becomes very expressive as he shows me photos on his laptop of his two beautiful children (a boy and a girl) who split time between Italy and the Philippines.  He tells me he and his wife do this for the sake of the children’s upbringing and to insure they have a high quality of life.  We discuss how expensive it would be to provide for a family of four in SF.

Cavalli’s has a lot of that “old world charm” that allows patrons a temporary escape from modern day society.  It includes dark wood high-back bench seating, a creaky staircase, subdued lighting, a loft with a saloon style railing and San Fran accents and art for an added touch of flair.  Above the seating area are chalkboards which list the coffee drinks and dessert menu.

A. Cavalli & Co.: Drink Menu

Stepping into Cavalli’s is an experience reminiscent of that emotional escape into the past that you get while watching a TCM movie featuring Bergman, Bogart, Grant or Hepburn (either will suffice).

A. Cavalli & Co.: Interior

A couple of the other cafés in the area have some character but none have the character and the charm that Cavalli’s does.  Santo does realize that he needs to make some changes to bring in a little more light.  He jokes with me that the entry is so dark that during the day his front window acts as a mirror for pedestrians and he’ll observe them checking their hair in his “mirror”.  He educates me that Cavalli’s Bookstore has been around since 1880 and the café portion of the business began about three and a half years ago.  In parting I promise Santo I’ll be back tonight for a “real coffee drink” (i.e. cappuccino or espresso).

I walk around “Little Italy” before stopping at Mara’s Italian Pastries (A: 503 Columbus Avenue, SF, CA  94133.  P: 415-397-9435).  Their cannolo is medium-sized, has a nice cream cheese taste with some “tang” and a very smooth texture.  The shell is not soggy but is barely crisp and is very fragile and crumbly.

Mara’s: Cannolo

The ends of the shell were dipped in chocolate which again I have zero interest in.  There were two miniature “mystery chocolate chips” inside and there was no citrus or liqueur taste.  Given the cream cheese taste and “tang”, this may be the tastiest cream I’ve had excluding Cavalli’s.  Food rating = B-.

I walk around the neighborhood before visiting Victoria Pastry Co. (A: 1362 Stockton Street, SF, CA  94133.  P: 415-781-2015.  W: victoriapastry.com).  Here I have my final cannolo of the trip.  A nice woman in her sixties heads to the back to fill the cannolo.  This one is sweeter than nearly every one I’ve tried thus far but still not a “diabetic’s nightmare”.  There is WAY too much powdered sugar on the shell so I brush almost all of it off with a napkin.  It is an extremely pretty cannolo, second only to Cavalli’s in the “work of art” category.  A maraschino cherry is in each end with a noticeable but light cream cheese taste and not a lot of “tang” present.

Victoria Pastry: Cannolo

The cream is ultra smooth and for the “tangy” style of cannolo this cream is my favorite in SF.  There is a single “mystery chocolate chip” inside.  This is not an overly complex cannolo as there is not any citrus or liqueur taste.  The shell is okay and crunchy but rather delicate and flimsy and not very tasty.  I purchase some homemade torrone candy on my way out.  Food rating = B+.

Victoria: Torrone Candy

Needing something salty I walk down the street to Pizzelle di North Beach (A: 314 Columbus Avenue, SF, CA  94133. P: 415-398-3555.  W: pizzellepizza.com).  I had window shopped pizza joints the day before and this one looked decent.  However, my suspicion is that you have to try a café or restaurant for an above average pie in this hood.

There were only a few options by the slice so I went with pesto, tomato, mushroom, black olive, red onion and green bell pepper.  The veggies don’t look that fresh whether or not they were exposed to extreme heat.  They have a mini pizza oven near the door where the cashier re-heats my slice.

Pizzelle di North Beach: Slice

The crust is thin but not ultra-thin and even with the re-heat it’s not hot enough for my tastes.  The cheese is of good quality but surely not significant.  The crust is pretty airy with good crispiness but nowhere near NYC quality.  It must truly be – “in the water”, as New Yorkers say.  Food rating = C.

Fiat with “All Wood Interior”

I walk to Caffe’ Greco for a San Pellegrino Arcanciata (orange soda) on ice to go.  This is the best canned soda on the planet.  I board the bus for Market Street to meet Bella for our voyage to Blue Bottle Coffee.

We walk several blocks to Blue Bottle Coffee (A: 66 Mint Street, San Francisco, CA  94103.  P: 415-495-3394.  W: bluebottlecoffee.net).  The coffee they serve is extra fresh (beans less than 48 hours out of the roaster) and they are known for utilizing the siphon method of brewing which brews a very clean cup of coffee.

Blue Bottle Coffee

Blue Bottle: Siphon Brewing

I order a drip coffee and Bella selects the New Orleans style iced coffee.  The color of Bella’s drink is striking and it is served in a lean highball glass.  And it tastes even better than it looks.  I forgot to ask but I assume this is chicory coffee which is standard New Orleans coffee.

Blue Bottle: Drip Coffee

Blue Bottle: New Orleans Coffee

This place truly is for the coffee purists.  Check your request of funky flavored coffee drinks, whipped cream and caramel sauce at the door my friends.  A transient passing by has paused to give some “hard looks” at patrons before yelling loudly (I can’t make out what his message is) through the large casement windows pushed open.

Are there that many angry, belligerent San Francisco transients or are we just fortunate enough to be exposed to the select few?  We’ve encountered several of these types on this trip.

On one of Bella’s prior trips to SF she and her friend were accosted by a transient who wanted to sell them some “tea”.  The girls weren’t considering his kind offer given his disheveled appearance and dirty plastic bottle (label absent) filled with a golden colored liquid but they assumed he actually meant his — “pee”.  When they said “no, thank you” he chased them down the street yelling “buy my tea…here, buy my tea”.  Fortunately he did not resort to — “tossing pee”.

So why do SF and San Jose transients appear to be angrier and more aggressive than NYC transients?  They don’t have the extreme cold of NYC winters to endure.  However, I will admit that SF is clearly no Bahamas in the wintertime.

Blue Bottle Coffee

This style of brew takes me back to our UCC Café in Walnut.

SF Chronicle Building

On our walk back we stop off at Beard Papa’s (A: 99 Yerba Buena Ln, SF, CA  94103.  P: 415-978-9972.  W: muginohointl.com).  Bella purchases a few vanilla bean cream puffs.  I’m not a huge cream puff fan but for a chain they make a fantastic cream puff.  You can see the specks of vanilla bean throughout the tasty custard.

Beard Papa’s

We walk back to the hotel where I head to the fitness center for a workout with weights.  Next, we’re off to dinner in “Little Italy” for a culinary experience at Vicoletto Italian Restaurant (A: 550 Green Street, SF, CA  94133.  P: 415-433-5800.  W: vicolettosf.com).

Vicoletto Italian Restaurant

We have a concert to attend so we’re pulling another “early bird special” maneuver.  Who am I kidding, we’re middle-aged and married; we would pull an “early birder” regardless.  A few things are missing off the menu so the waiter generously offers to comp us desserts.

Unfortunately, one of the missing items was the calamari.  As a result, we opt for the sautéed mussels in a white wine sauce.  They were tender and plump and the broth was moderately salty and delicious.  Right on cue Bella begins dipping into the broth with her spoon.  She will turn nearly “any” warm edible liquid into a soup.

Vicoletto: Mussels

I select the gnocchi with Calabrian sausage and broccoli rabe leaves in a cream sauce.  The sausage with gnocchi combo was exquisite and the sauce put it over the top.  Bella chose the tagliarini al nero di sepia which consisted of homemade pasta, squid, Gulf prawns, Calabrian peperoncino in a light cherry tomato sauce.

Gnocchi with Sausage

Pasta with Prawns

For dessert we each order vanilla raspberry panna cotta.  This was a delicate style and I’m glad we finally found a pastry chef who incorporated raspberry into this delicious dessert.  Food Rating = A.

Vanilla Raspberry Panna Cotta

After dinner we walk to A. Cavalli & Co. for a cappuccino.  Another employee is behind the counter as I spot Santo on his laptop.  I check the menu again before Santo arrives to prepare my cap.  He was chatting with his family online, I assume via Skype.  We talk for a moment and I tell him to get back to his talk with his family.  Bella and I sit as I savor this perfect cappuccino finally facing the unpleasant reality that this is my last time at Cavalli’s until our next trip up north.  “Bad times”…

A. Cavalli & Co.: Cappuccino

In front of the restaurant is the bus stop where we wait for a bus to get us back to Market Street.  While waiting an “interesting” dude engages in melodrama playing harmonica and then busting into funny raps.  I hear bits and pieces and try to write them down as fast as I can.  He uses his arms to draw an “X” in front of his face and says “I punked the biggest baddest wolf…I said…I punked the biggest baddest mother FUCKIN’ wolf”.

An adorable 4 year-old black boy and his mother are seated across from him.  The mother chuckles (somewhat awkwardly) while the boy has the most perplexed look on his face as he stares at “Cypress Phil”.

Bella & “Cypress Phil”

I’m guessing this kid will surely select another occupation given this traumatic experience.  Cypress Phil starts up again, “I smoke the shit that’s green…you know what I mean”.  There are more rap rhymes including the “west coast” and “No Cal”.  Unfortunately, I missed his best and longer raps due to my short-term memory and our bus approaching.

The bus is “Taiwan crowded” and people are getting edgy including the bus driver.  He is barking loudly about people not moving to the back and blocking the back door (inhibiting him from opening the doors).  I guess somebody is “fired up” about working on July 4^th.

Back on Market Street a section is blockaded and a drummer is seated at his set and is rocking out a loud, great sounding drum solo for a crowd gathered curbside.  I wish we could stop for a bit but we are almost at the escalator to the Bart train.

We take the Bart to the Oakland Marriott City Center (A: 1001 Broadway, Oakland, CA  94607.  P: 510-451-4000.  W: Marriott.com).  Pianist (and a former professor of Bella’s @ USC’s Thornton School of Music) John Perry is performing.  Find more on JP at:  http://www.johnperrypiano.com/aboutJP.htm.

Prior to the performance and at intermission we chat with UCSB professor and pianist Charles Asche (a former student of JP’s).  JP plays various pieces by Bach, Beethoven and Schubert.  Unfortunately, there is a loud AC unit in the back corner of the convention hall which is much better at producing noise than it is at producing cold air.  After the performance I take a photo of Bella with JP before we head for the Bart station.

Bella & JP

Back at the hotel we pack, relax and watch TV until bedtime.  In the morning we are picked up by Super Shuttle and are on our way to SFO Airport.  At an airport food court I chow down on a tasty tuna melt at Lori’s Diner while Bella eats Chinese food.  SFO has very nice quality fast food options for travelers.  An hour in the air and we’re back at John Wayne Airport.

“Leave the gun.  Take the cannoli.”  — Peter Clemenza, “The Godfather”

Final Statistics (consumed/purchased by David):

Bricks of Torrone Candy = 3

Cannoli = 8

Coffee Drinks = 10

Panna Cotta = 1.25

Vino (wine) = 3

Italian Meals = 4

Total Cannoli Fat Grams = 136

Total Cannoli Calories = 2992

Total Cannoli Protein Grams = 80