In the first few years of our marriage, we spent a lot of time in San Diego and then San Francisco for Tom's work. At the time, I wasn't following an AIP/Paleo diet. In fact, I was a vegan. But one of the best things about the Bay Area is the food. I wasn't disappointed as a vegan, and on our recent trip, I was determined to find places that wouldn't disappoint this AIP foodie. If you are in the Bay Area or planning a trip to the Bay Area, here's some great places to check out: 1. Pressed Juicery This wasn't the first place I went, but I have to list it first because you guys-- I hadn't had frozen yogurt in almost a year. Before I was AIP, I had fro-yo at least once a week. Sometimes, when Tom was out of town, I would have it for dinner. I freaking love fro-yo and there are about a million ingredients in the regular version that are in no way AIP-compliant. I love my homemade banana ice cream version, but it doesn't quite satisfy me. This place is just frozen fruit and ice, but because they use the industrial machines, the quality is amazing. Their chocolate nibs DO NOT HAVE SOY LECITHIN!! Is it pathetic that I almost cried when I asked about the soy lecithin and they said their chocolate was soy-free? Their other toppings include dried fruit, dried coconut, nuts, honey, and berries. I wish I could have visited this place more than once on my trip, especially because I ate my fro-yo bowl so quickly I forgot to take a picture of the glorious goodness. This place is a gem and if you are in the area, make sure you stop by (especially if you miss frozen yogurt as much as I do). 2. Belcampo This place is amazing! Five stars for Belcampo's. Located on Polk Street, this place is half butcher shop, half restaurant. At night, the butcher shop closes and the steak house is open for business. The best part about this place is that they source their meats from their own farm! I emailed ahead to make sure they could cook my meal with olive oil and accommodate my AIP requests and they delivered. I ordered the ribeye steak with a fried egg, asparagus, and roasted fingerling potatoes (I know potatoes aren't AIP, but I've never had a problem with them. For those that do have a problem with them, they are more than happy to swap another veggie for you). Tom ordered the burger and it looked absolutely delicious. The service was also five stars-worthy; the waitress double-checked with me about all of my allergies, let me know she had communicated with the kitchen, and then asked me again if everything looked ok once our meal came out. Confession: we had had appetizers earlier so I wasn't that hungry when my steak arrived. But it was so good that I ate the whole freaking thing. In the photo below, you can clearly see I got my game face on to tackle eating that whole thing. My brothers would be so proud. 3. Little Gem If you have to pick one place to go in San Fran, go to Belcampo's. Little Gem is a solid option though and even better, they also have a breakfast and lunch menu. The atmosphere here is much more casual than Belcampo's and it was a little less pricey than the steakhouse. They didn't have any dishes that were completely AIP-compliant, but because they use olive oil, they were able to accommodate me. I had a delicious pork dish. Tom had an asparagus, egg, and potato salad. 4. Heirloom Cafe
Finally, the one that got away. We had planned to go here for breakfast one morning, but it was too far away from where we staying. When I was doing research on where to eat for our trip, this place popped up over and over again. All the reviews I read from paleo reviewers gave this place a thumbs up for how they source their ingredients and their ability to make accommodations. If you are in the Bay Area, check this place out and let me know what you think. If all else fails, the Bay Area has a ton of farmer's markets with amazing NorCal produce AND there is a fresh-pressed juice bar on every corner to make sure you get your greens!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2017
Categories |