San Francisco has many qualities in common with New York–fabulous restaurants, great museums, diversity–which may be why I find it so simpatico. SF also has this iconic bridge which was great fun to drive over en route to Sonoma.
Shortly after arriving, I strolled through Yerba Buena Park, a small gem near our hotel. In the park, among other attractions, is a tea restaurant called Samovar (odd name for what seemed more Japanese than Russian) where I had blood orange tea, described as having “notes of citrus, spice and rain dampened earth.” 
The pot was exquisite; the tea, um unusual.
That evening, for our first boffo meal we went to Bix, a restaurant celebrating its twenty-third year in a setting that evokes supper clubs of the 50s. Our waiter, AJ, urged us to try the zucchini blossoms and he was right. I also ordered the marrow bone appetizer which was out-of-this-world and not a dish found on a lot of menus. The marrow is in the little towers of bone; you scrape it out with a special spoon, apply it to the grilled bread and top with parsley salad and a pinch of sea salt.
From marrow bones to art, the exhibit The Steins Collect at SF MOMA details the experiences of Gertrude, her brothers Leo and Michael, and Michael’s wife, Sara, in Paris during the 20s. The Steins recognized the genius of avant-garde talents including Picasso and Matisse well before other did and bought many of their works. The art is wonderful, made even more so as it’s interspersed with large, blown-up photos of the Stein salons showing the paintings as they were originally hung, mostly in long groupings.
Matisse's Woman with a Hat
Notable meal #2 took place at Anchor and Hope, a seafood spot that offers creative twists in a laid-back setting One of us had Angels on Horseback, meaning house-smoked bacon wrapped around oysters remoulade sitting on a bed of seaweed and rock salt.
Angels on Horseback at Anchor and Hope
I had (among other delights), warm sea urchin and Dungeness crab in a lemon beurre blanc–incredibly rich, incredibly yummy.
For another cultural infusion, we went to the DeYoung Museum where a Picasso show is on but we opted for the Balanciaga exhibit highlighting how Senior Cristobal took his inspiration from great Spanish artists, the bullfight, dance, court dress and other things Spanish. Many of the outfits have a timeless quality that would make them wearable in any period (assuming one had both the money and the appropriate occasions to wear them!)
DeYoung Museum
I can’t sully the glorious food with a mundane recipe so won’t. More SF to come.