Let's Play Ball!... But first, drink & eat!

The best time to visit San Francisco is from April through September, maybe even October on a great year.  Why?  Giants baseball season!

Every single trip back, I'm either at AT&T park or at a bar with friends enjoying a game.  When I do get a chance to watch at the park, eating and drinking always accompany the afternoon and evening.

The SOMA district is filled with bars and restaurants with pre-game fun.  Beer and appetizers are the best way to go.  One of the best spots is right at the park at Public House.  It's a fun restaurant and bar swarming with Giants fans.  You can even access the bar during the game.

After a couple of beers and snacks at Public House, my brother and I walked around to The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen.  Grilled cheese has been making a scene lately throughout the states.  I love it - it's one of my favorite childhood foods.

A few blocks away from the park are also a handful of taverns and bars, like Pete's Tavern, Pedro's Cantina, 21st Amendment, etc.  There's something for your every mood and craving.

Once you've filled up on snacks and tasty beverages, you're all set and even more excited for game time.  Go Giants!

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

If you can't see the slideshow, check out my Flickr album: Pre Game Grub

Off the Grid at Golden Gate Fields

When I'm planning my trip back to the Bay Area, I always look at the schedules for concerts, Giants games, Niners games, Sharks games, and food events. One such food event caught my eye. Off the Grid was having an event at Berkeley's Golden Gate Fields. The poster totally sold me: Food Trucks, Racing, Big Hats, and Bloody Marys. What's not to love?!

The food truck spread had a pretty good variety with a nice Asian representation. It was really great to see some creative Filipino trucks, too. I tried some Sisig Fries from Senor Sisig. Totally not the real deal for sisig (which consists of pig head parts), but it's a clean, fun version. It's basically tender cuts of pork meat diced and really well seasoned. You also have a choice of chicken or tofu. It's all put together with a very Californian influence. The Sisig Fries are basically like San Diego's Carne Asada Fries.

The Bloody Marys were a bit weak and not as good as a bar, but it's was still fun to drink a huge cup during the event.

As for the races, it was a memorable afternoon at the tracks. We were fortunate to meet the marketing manager who gave us a front row tour of the tracks. We were able to get right up to the rails to get a great view of a photo finish. We even took pictures with the winning jockey (who's height matched our Asian lady height).

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: OtG

Go Giants!!

I have lived in the Bay Area for most of my life. That means, I will forever be a San Francisco Giants fan. That also means, I go to several ballgames every summer. Earlier this year I tasted the Crazy Crab Sandwich -- crab salad between two toasted garlic breads. It is definitely the best item they have in the park, but you do pay a price. Is it worth it? If you have the extra money to splurge, go for it! If not, there's plenty of other great choices all around the ball park. Every time I go, I try to have something new.

Giants Hot Dog
If you want a hot dog, go to the Doggie Diner Carts. Don't to the Doggie Diners themselves. The carts take effort to really grill the hot dogs so they have that grilled glaze on them.
While I loove ketchup, I always have just mustard and kraut on my hot dogs. I picked that up in high school during summers in Manhattan. I heard it's the local New Yorkers choice. I've also heard it's the "purist" choice.

Orlando's Burrachos Nachos
If you like the works, this is the nachos to get. It's filled with jalapenos, jalapeno-pickled carrots, black beans, onions, tomatoes, and so on. Pretty decent, but I don't know if I'd repeat this. Usually when I go to the Orlando's stand, I get the Cha Cha Bowl. That's a great choice is you want to eat something on the healthy side.

Ghiradelli Hot Fudge Sundae
A standard and solid hot fugdge sundae. Yum!