Raw and Vegan Getaway to San Francisco

What do my husband (yes, we got married two weeks ago!) and I do when we are short on cash but need a weekend getaway? We go San Francisco; it’s only an hour away from where we live, but it’s definitely a world away as far as sights, sounds, and flavors. Our San Francisco escapes have become a ritual for us and they usually follow a basic pattern. First, we force ourselves to get up early on a Saturday and we catch the ferry from Larkspur to S.F. If you’ve never taken the ferry before it’s a real treat. Not only do you get to enjoy the fresh sea breeze, a view of the ocean, but it’s the only time I know of where you can get a great view of the Bay Bridge, Richmond Bridge, and the Golden Gate Bridge all at the same time! 

The ferry conveniently drops us off at the Ferry Building, which has an amazing farmer’s market on Saturdays from 8-2p.m The farmer’s market it the perfect place to eat breakfast with a great view of the water. A cool tidbit about the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market: all the packaging used is biodegradable and compostable. Darrell goes straight for the tamale booth and enjoys a vegetarian tamale plate with beans. I prefer raw fare for breakfast and head to the Alive Restaurant booth where I enjoy one of their agua frescas. (means fresh water in Spanish and is usually a watered down sweet fruit juice) So far I’ve tried the watermelon, kiwi, and berry, all very light and refreshing. The Alive booth also has raw salads, wraps, and desserts if you want something heartier. Then I pick out the most ripe seasonal fruit I can, to snack on while we walk. This last weekend it was red grapes and fresh purple figs. Mmmmmmmm! The neat thing about the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market is that it has just about any type of food to please any palette, so it makes it a great place to take family and friends.

After we’ve enjoyed the market we usually walk to China Town, but this last Saturday we explored an Organic Café called The Plant Cafe  that just opened up a 2nd location on Pier 3. I wasn’t sure what the menu would be like, but I was pleasantly surprised that it had a few raw options and many vegan options, even though it is not an exclusively vegetarian restaurant. The coolest thing was that it had a raw organic juice bar; we ordered two brightly colored veggie juices and off we walked to China Town.

In China Town Darrell stocks up on the best green tea he can find. It is a ceremonial experience as we sit down at the tea bar and he tastes tea after tea until he chooses the best one. I order an herbal tea to not feel left out:) I always travel with stevia liquid in my purse so that I can sweeten tea or sparkling mineral water when I travel. When my husband and I were first going out, he was avid coffee drinker a he let me know very clearly that he was never going to give it up. Oneday I gifted him some green tea leaves and honestly I haven’t seen him drink coffee much since.

After China Town we discuss dinner options. For an all raw meal Alive and Café Gratitude  are our only choices. Don’t get me wrong, they are great restaurants and I’ve been to both, but honestly sometimes Darrell and I get tired of going to the same raw restaurants over and over. Sound familiar? So lately we’ve been going to vegan friendly restaurants where I can eat at least some raw with cooked vegan and he gets to enjoy a change of menu and scenery. Last time we were in the City we dined at Millennium Restaurant and were pleasantly surprised. It’s a high end all vegan restaurant, and you definitely need reservations. They always have one raw salad on the menu and one raw drink (kombucha), and if you ask them a week ahead of time they will specially prepare you a raw meal. I’ve had them prepare a three course raw dinner for two and it was excellent. It’s a little pricey, but definitely worth it. This last weekend we decided to go back to The Plant Café on Pier 3 for dinner. The prices are reasonable, the view can’t be beat, the restaurant is solar powered, and almost everything is organic. As far as raw, they have one raw salad, a raw cheesecake, and as I mentioned earlier the raw fresh juices. I had the raw salad and a cooked quinoa vegetable miso plate. Both were lovely.

After dinner we try to do something fun like dancing, a comedy club, walking down pier 14, or just head back to our hotel and relax for the night. The next morning we feel refreshed like we’ve really gotten away, even though we didn’t travel far. Then it’s off to the Plant Cafe for more juice and to catch our Ferry. I hope you are inspired to take a little weekend getaway and if possible come down and explore San Francisco.

♥,
C

Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market
http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/farmers_market.php
HOURS
Tuesday: 10am–2pm
Thursday: 10 am – 2pm
Saturday: 8am-2pm
Phone: 415-291-3276

The Plant Cafe
http://www.theplantcafe.com/
3352 Steiner @ Chestnut
and
Suite 108, Pier 3, The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA

Alive Restaurant
http://www.aliveveggie.com/
1972 Lombard St.
San Francisco, CA
Phone: 415-923-1052
email: aliveveggie@sbcglobal.net

Cafe Gratitude
http://www.cafegratitude.com/
2400 Harrison Street (@20th Street)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Phone: 415-830-3014
Fax: 415-695-1989
Hours: 10 am to 10 pm

Millennium Restaurant
http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com/
580 Geary Street 
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 415-345-3900
Fax: 415-345-3941