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Nordic Bakester goes NoCal

Writer's picture: ginamaunuginamaunu

As you may or may not know, second to my passion for being in the kitchen is travel. Growing up the only vacation outside of Minnesota I experienced was the all too common "trip to South Dakota." What midwestern childhood is complete without a stop at Wall Drug and the infamous corn palace after all? I boarded a plane for the very first time as an adult and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel to a variety of destinations for my job during my 20s. Fast forward to now, with my husband's rotating work schedule, our busy home and crazy kid sports era, taking a vacation is few and far between. So, when my husband told me I had three days to get away, I started planning.


Ultimately, I decided on San Francisco, partly due to the opportunities it afforded me to gain additional insight for my micro-bakery, but also to take in some sun and enjoy the outdoors. With no school scheduled for that Monday and her fourteenth birthday in days we decided to make a mom-daughter trip of it.


Friday | January 24th


We had a somewhat uneventful flight, the views as we passed over the mountains was incredible.


After a bit more time taxying waiting for our gate than we would have liked, we hopped into our rental car and entered Tartine Bakery into Google Maps. Tartine offers three locations in San Francisco, we opted for the bakery on Guerrero Street.

Immediately we were drawn to the display case just steps from the front door. Starving, and ready to order one of everything.

We decided on the Ham and Gruyere for something savory, a seasonal Peach Brioche Pastry for something sweet and Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies along with a Banana Cream Tart to go. Everything was a 10/10. From SF we took 101 over the Golden Gate Bridge to San RaFael to our cozy AirBnb. Our host, Shanna was phenomenal, and I would highly recommend her studio. We wrapped up the evening with my daughters first In N Out Burger experience. Unfortunately, she was underwhelmed and did not understand the hype.





Saturday | January 25th


Saturday was our day to be a complete tourist in the bay area. We started off the morning with a tour of Alcatraz. I was surprised to learn during the tour that Alcatraz was known to have offered the finest of prison food in its day. I stumbled upon a cookbook of recipes from the wives of the prison staff. So excited to test out a couple of the 1950's recipes.


After a quick stroll towards the Ferry Building, we were pleasantly surprised to come across the farmer's market. Hands down this was one of my favorite experiences on the trip. The bounties of fresh citrus, all with samples...heaven!




We pretty much ate our way around the Ferry Building. Some of the highlights:


Senior Sisig- Filipino Fusion Street Food (Sisig Nachos)

Ocean Malasada- Hawaiian/Filipino Portuguese Yeast Leavened Fried Dough (Mango Malasada)

Le Bonta Italiane- Pop up Sourdough Bomboloni (Custard and Pistachio Bomboloni)

Acme Bread Company (Recommended by one of my customers)-Since 1983 (Almond Croissant & Sourdough Swirl) ***Also the inspiration for a recipe I am currently testing.





Although we were too full to order anything from this vendor, shoutout to Saltwater Bakery for the most stunning, gorgeous pastries I have ever laid eyes on. They were all truly a work of art.


Next, we took a Waymo ride to Pier 39. Seriously the coolest thing ever! So much better than an Uber.

First stop...the holy grail of Sourdough.

It is said that sourdough in the United States dates back to 1849, during the gold rush. San Francisco's Boudin Bakery opened its doors in 1849, and is known to be the gold standard, the "OG."

Hopefully I don't make any enemies with this comment, but disappointed is an understatement. It tasted and looked extremely commercialized and did not taste one bit like true sourdough. Such a bummer...


What was not underwhelming and is majorly in our dreams still to date was the phenomenal Puerto Rican food we enjoyed that night for dinner. Sol Food in San RaFael, you know what you're doing! Yes, I was totally enjoying a burrito in bed, don't judge ;)





Sunday | January 26th


A beautiful, but slightly brisk morning as we made our way through the switchbacks on Hwy 1 to Muir Woods National Park. Photos simply do not do these trees justice of their sheer beauty and size. Our fun fact on our cafe table had us curiously searching the park for the infamous Banana Slug, but much to our disappointment we had no luck in spotting one in the wild.





We decided to spend the remainder of our afternoon venturing further north up the shore to Reyes Point and Drake's Beach. The peace and quiet the windy roads and more remote areas offered was refreshing compared to the day prior.


Dinner in Sausalito was our kind of last hurrah of the vacation. We decided on the Barrel House, no real reason other than we were starving and it had stunning harbor views.


I have never had Clam Chowder served and prepared this way before, but I was a big fan. Fresh clams still in their shells, with more of a broth consistency than a chowder, and leeks! So good.





We certainly tried our best to enjoy as much of NoCal as possible in the brief time of our visit, but the elephant seals at Drake's Beach were a great reminder that sometimes all you need is a sandy beach and some Vitamin D.



Elephant Seal | Drake's Beach
Elephant Seal | Drake's Beach

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