Travel California, USA – a foodie’s journey
The sunny US state has serious culinary cred. Here’s where to find foodie nirvana
1 MICHELIN STAR MADNESS IN NAPA VALLEY
Where there are boutique wine growers, fine dining is never far away – and California’s Napa Valley is no different. The flash foodie town of Yountville, right in the heart of the famed wine region, boasts an unusually high concentration of Michelinstarred restaurants. The most remarkable is three-starred The French Laundry (thomas keller.com/tfl), which has twice been crowned Best Restaurant in the World! To eat there you’ll need to make reservations well in advance, and settle in for a three-hour dining extravaganza. On the samesam street you’ll also find Michelin-starred Redd (reddnapavalley.com), which offers “Mediterrasian” dishes, while Bistro Jeanty (bistrojeanty.com), one of the area’s original fine dining establishments, has three Michelin stars and serves classic French fare.
2 SEAFOOD TACO TIME IN SAN DIEGO O
Given its close proximity to Mexico and the ocean, it’s no surprise that fish tacos are San Diego’s culinary calling card. Fish taco shacks are scattered across the city – but not all are created equal. The shrimp tacos at Oscar’s Mexican Seafood (oscarsmexicanseafood.com) on Emerald St are world class, while Blue Water Seafood Market & Grill (bluewaterseafoodsandiego.com) in Mission Hills has a killer white sea bass variety. Or head to Hapifish (hapifish.com) in Encinitas for its salmon poke tacos made with cucumber, pickled radish, sesame slaw and homemade avocado sauce.
3 SCOOPS AHOY IN SAN FRANCISCO
The Bay City may y be famous for seafood, afood, but gourmet ice-cream is without a doubt its best-kept secret! Mitchell’s Ice Cream (mitchellsicecream.com) in Bernal Heights has been serving it up since 1953. Treat yourself to a scoop of its famous pumpkin flavour (in autumn and winter), b best described a as a party in your m mouth. You’ll ha have to queue to try B Bi-rite Creamery (birite (biritecreamery.com) near the Mission District, but the salted caramel ice-cream is well worth the wait. Upmarket palates will savour a scoop of quirky foie gras and jalapenos at Humphry Slocombe (humphryslocombe.com), also found in the Mission neighbourhood.
4 BEST. BEEF. EVER IN BEVERLY HILLS
Forget the celebrity tours and flashy boutiques – 90210 is a must-visit for anyone who enjoys a good steak. Mastro’s Steakhouse (mastrosrestaurants.com), The Grill on the Alley (thegrill.com) and The Palm (thepalm.com/ beverly-hills) are known for topshelf beef, while Wolfgang Puck’s Spago (wolfgangpuck.com) is one of the most popular eateries in the ’hood, and has plenty of top-notch meat on offer. If you prefer dinner with a show, head to Lawry’s The Prime Rib (lawrys online.com), where busloads of tourists turn up to marvel at the sheer volume of beef served from a cart, and watch as the servers theatrically spin giant salads.lads.
5 PASTRY HEAVEN IN SANTA A MONICA
Blame it on the influx of Silicon Valley billionaires (and their sweet teeth!) but Santa Monica is the place to find mind-blowing sweet treats. Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe (huckleberrycafe.com) on Wilshire Boulevard has queues out the door. Make sure you arrive before 9am to nab one of its famous salted caramel squares. Meanwhile, Milo & Olive (miloandolive.com), just down the street, will have your mouth watering with homemade bagels and glutenfree treats. Farmshop (farmshopca.com) on 26th Street’s bakery is another big drawcard – try the chocolate-hazelnut Danish.