Flying out of a small airport like Dayton almost always guarantees you will have a connecting flight somewhere along the way. My trip to San Francisco for a work-related conference was no different. My flight out of Dayton was late taking off due to staffing and refueling issues, which meant I had to run across several terminals in Chicago’s O’Hare within minutes to catch my next flight to San Francisco.
Haight-Ashbury
Arriving too early to check into my hotel, I left my suitcase with the concierge and headed out to explore a little of the city in order to kill some time. Requested an Uber through its app on my phone and headed towards the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco. I was dropped off in front of Amoeba Records at one end of Haight Street and went in to browse the shop. Overwhelmed by the size and selection, I left having bought two t-shirts and no records. Getting hungry, the next stop was to find something to eat.
I didn’t have to walk very far. A few blocks down the road was VeganBurg, a fast casual (all vegan) burger place. I decided on the “fish” deluxe and some seaweed fries. The sandwich was amazing, packed full of an assortment of fresh vegetables, bacon and cheese. The strong flavor of the seaweed fries struck me as a bit odd, but I was so full from the sandwich that it didn’t matter.
After walking off a bit of that burger and browsing some of the area’s shops, I popped in for a crisp couple of beers at a local pub before heading back to my hotel.
Having checked into my room, I went back out to run to the Whole Foods across the street for some room snacks. One of the items I picked up was the new (to me) plant-based Babybel cheese. While there was something pleasing about peeling back the green wax that surrounds the cheese, the flavor of it had a sharp tanginess I found rather unpleasant.
Fisherman's Wharf
The next day was the first event of the conference I was attending – a pre-conference meetup of sorts. It wasn’t until the evening, so I decided to explore the Fisherman’s Wharf area and to check out the sea lions. Little did I know that San Francisco’s NBA team won this year’s championship. The ensuing parade snarled traffic in the city, meaning my Uber ride of a couple of miles took two hours. Not fun, although I suppose I did get to see some of the downtown area.
Finally free from the Uber ride from hell, I walked towards the bay where the view of Alcatraz greeted me. To my left was the hangout spot for the resident sea lions, so I made my way around the pier to get a closer look. I could’ve watched them all day! But it was getting crowded, so time to explore.
It didn’t take long before I got hungry for lunch. Wildseed was another on my list of vegan restaurants to try. Time to call another Uber and head in that direction. A very cool and seemingly very busy spot, I took a seat at the bar since I was on my own.
As always is the case when I’m lucky enough to go to an all-vegan restaurant, deciding upon what to eat can be a challenge (a wonderful one to have at that). I ended up choosing their B.L.A.T. – (tempeh) bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato sandwich. A light option for a hot summer afternoon. The bread was lightly toasted yet fluffy, the avocado offered the right amount of creaminess, the vegetables garden fresh, and the tempeh bacon offered the right balance of smoky and salty.
The Conference
I won’t bore you with the conference details, but there were vegan snack and lunch options offered. The best of which was a carrot cake muffin which made a perfect breakfast upon arrival. The lunches were a little lack-luster – a food service-like vegetable wrap with hummus or a salad and a roll (with dairy butter?!). Nonetheless, I appreciated the effort and having something to eat during the breaks while enjoying the view.
Dinner Time
I had two evenings of dinners left to sort out after each day of the 2-day conference. First up, Baia, an upscale vegan Italian place. I started off with the mozzarella sticks. They were crispy on the outside and filled with cashew cheese goodness on the inside and served with marinara sauce. For the main course, it was ravioli filled with parsnip puree in a light cream sauce.
The next night, it was back to Wildseed. Yep, I went back a second time to try their dinner menu. I wasn’t disappointed. I ordered their pasta dish, the orecchiette alla pugliese – ear-shaped pasta with broccolini, garlic, chili flake, beyond sausage, and parmesan. I had overheard a couple talking about it at lunch on my previous visit, so I had to try it. It was delicious and I ate slowly to savor every bite. Speaking of eating slowly, I did the same with the dessert. I savored every bite of the silky vanilla-coconut panna cotta with blackberry jam, fresh strawberries, and pistachios.
Belly full, I headed back to my hotel for some much needed rest before a way too early in the morning flight back to Dayton.
