This summer I have had the opportunity to travel quite a bit.  From London to Turkey and a few trips to NY, last week my travels took me to San Francisco.

As I am recovering from my ankle surgery, I knew it was not going to be the most active trip of my life...but I was able to prioritize and experience many incredible meals.  Below are the major highlights...and with just three full days spent in the city itself, I think I can safely say I made a considerable amount of damage:)

Fresh off the plane, my first meal set the bar very high.  Upon the recommendation of my friend, we made a bee line towards Delarosa, an Italian eatery in the Marina, known for their Roman-style pizzas.  Although we tried a few other items, their spicy fennel sausage, scarmoza and onion pizza definitely took the cake.  What would have been a delicious pizza regardless became a different experience altogether when we added fresh and creamy burrata to it.  It was a perfect blend of spice and creamy with a bit of sweetness from their tomato sauce.

The next day we headed to Lake Tahoe, where a group of us spent Labor Day weekend.  It is such a breathtakingly beautiful place and our trip across the lake could not have happened on a more stunning day.

Although we did not have a food focused itinerary while we were in Tahoe, it did make for a convenient stop in Napa Valley on our way back.  We stopped off at Celadon for lunch and sat in their lovely outdoor patio.  Amid their pork belly watermelon dish and a tasty duck confit spinach salad, their burger was our favorite.  A classic burger with juicy meat cooked to a medium rare became even more outstanding when we added blue cheese and avocado to it.

Later that evening and back in San Fran, we put our name down for a table at Flour and Water, an Italian restaurant specializing in housemade pasta, hidden on a street corner in the Mission.  We ordered almost all of their pastas (tip - you can order half portions), and each was different and interesting.  Pasta is not all that they do here and I would highly recommend their antipasti as well as their maple pork loin. (pictured above)  It can sometimes be a long wait if you do not get a reservation ahead of time, luckily, the Mission is also home to a number of solid creameries - Humphry slocombe is located a small walk away and Bi-Rite (my absolute fave) is worth getting in a cab for.

One of the most memorable meals throughout my trip was undoubtedly our meal at Akikos.   Located beside a raucous Irish pub, once inside, you will are transported to a classic and traditional Japanese sushi restaurant.  We were served an incredible tasting menu which was in fact so mind blowing I will do a separate write up for it in a following post.

With my recent obsession for ramen, this was something I had high on my list.  A good friend and San Fran local suggested we try Underground Ramen, a hipster spot with chalkboard walls just near Chinatown and the financial district.  The noodles, the broth, the egg was some of the best I have had.

Our last meal in the city was at AQ and definitely made our choice to take the red eye back worth it:)  With a changing seasonal menu, we tried a whole slew of menu items from peaches with cured ham, to cucumbers with tahini and egg yolk, okra and day boat scallops.  A true testament to this restaurant's team of wonderful chefs is their Squab dish (pictured above).  Squab is a difficult bird to cook without drying it out and this one, paired with pickled blueberries, coriander and honey and sprouted lentils is a resounding success.

There is such a wealth of fantastic, quality places in San Francisco.  They seem to have the best of almost everything, ice cream, coffee (Blue Bottle), new american and asian...  San Fran does many things well, but its food scene is reason enough to visit.