Fisherman's Wharf Hidden Gems

Some of the best eating at Fisherman's Wharf isn't inside traditional fish restaurants or at the stands of steaming crab pots and sourdough bowls of chowder.

Suzanna Acevedo and co-worker

It's found tucked away on the edge of a parking lot along Jones Street, where the creaky old streetcars from around the world end their run on MUNI's F Line. Two colorful food trucks are permanently parked here, on a quiet block just a short distance from the main wharf tourist attractions.

Codmother fish tacos

Both are dishing up some surprisingly good food (not surprising, perhaps, to those following the food truck phenomenon).

Tanguito's

The first is The Codmother, where a cheery Englishwoman, Suzanne Acevedo, runs a traditional fish 'n chips stand but with California twists, including super Baja-style fish tacos. The fare here is simple and straight-forward, all based on fresh fish, mostly west coast cod. The fish 'n chips come in regular and junior portions with the junior including two good-size fillets. The fish tacos are made with corn tortillas, topped with cabbage and the traditional creamy Baja-style sauce. Acevedo uses her fryer for other goodies, too: fried Oreos and fried Twinkies, among them -- but I haven't had the stomach to try those. Codmother is open daily 11:30 a.m.- 7 p.m.

Tanguito burger

The second little spot is next door, the Argentinean truck Tanguito, which serves Argentinean empanadas and juicy half-pound Angus beef hamburgers that some swear are the best burgers in the city. Tanguito, which means "little Tango" in Spanish, was in the local foodie spotlight last year when it won raves from guests on the KQED TV show Check Please! Bay Area. You can see why when you line up at the truck, order and grab a table at the covered, outdoor patio. The food, even the burgers, are Argentinean in flavor: they're topped with zesty chimichurri sauce, made of parsley, garlic, olive oil and spices. Tanguito is open Tuesdays through Sundays 11 a.m. -7 p.m. Cash only.
Both are featured in the new edition of my North Beach/Fisherman's Wharf travel app for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches, available in the iTunes app store. I've added more than 20 restaurants and other spots that are new in North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf in this edition.

Spring Northern California Deals

Some tempting San Francisco and northern California packages and deals have appeared recently as hotels and destinations amp up their promotions for the spring and summer. Here are a few of the most interesting:

*In honor of Earth Day April 22 several California wineries are having special events through April.  A sample includes Concannon Vineyards in the Livermore Valley, offering free daily tours of the vineyards and $5 tasting flight of special wines, sourced from its vineyards which were placed in a trust to protect them from urban development. Grgich Hills Estate in the Napa Valley is conducting two-for-one biodynamic estate tours and tastings. Kunde Family Estate in the Sonoma Valley arranged a special “Hike and Taste” tour of its “sustainably certified” vineyards. And, four wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains Organic Wine Trail are pouring their organic wines. For a complete list of events and deals see www.discovercaliforniawine.com 

*The Sonoma Creek Inn, which is near the Sonoma Mission Inn outside the town of Sonoma, is discounting stays by 40% for the month of April. Room rates begin at $71.40 Sunday through Thursday nights and $107.40 on weekends.  Those rates include tasting passes to local wineries and a complimentary upgrade at check-in if available. Over in Napa Valley, The Mount View Hotel and Spa in Calistoga put together an eco-friendly weekend getaway package called “Relax, Renew and Cycle” starting at $399 per couple, Sunday through Thursday.

 

*Two San Francisco hotels near the bayfront also have come up with new packages. The Hyatt Regency San Francisco, within walking distance to the AT&T Park (home of the World Champ Giants for those who slept through last fall), continues to celebrate the 2010 Giants victory. Its “20 Paces to the Bases” package includes accommodations, a $20 food and beverage credit at the hotel and a $25 gift card to the Giants’ Dugout team store. The price starts at $209 per room. At 15-minute walk north along the waterfront, the Fisherman’s Wharf Hyatt created a package called “Awaken” with rates starting at $219 and including a full breakfast for two people in the hotel’s Knuckles restaurant. And the hotel also has a "Home Run" plan, celebrating the Giants, with two all-day MUNI passes to take the F-Line to the park, appetizers at Knuckles and rates starting at $164 (this package is bookable only through April 30).

Updated San Francisco Travel Apps Released

In time for San Francisco Chinatown's annual big event -- New Year's -- my Chinatown travel guide app for iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches has been updated and released by Sutro Media with more photos and information on places to see, where to eat and shop in this most historic of the city's neighborhoods.

This year's festivities -- celebrating the Year of the Rabbit -- kick off on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 10:30 a.m. with a procession of lion dancers, bands and local dignitaries starting at St. Mary's Square and following the original parade route -- down Grant Avenue -- first established in the 1860s.

Of course, the big deal comes a few weeks later -- this year on the evening of Feb. 19 -- when the Chinese New Year's parade, sponsored by Southwest Airlines, makes its way from downtown to Chinatown, a brightly-colored 250-foot-long Golden Dragon capping it all.  It's the largest celebration of Asian culture outside of Asia, and hundreds of thousands watch the spectacle (even in chilly, rainy weather).

My second San Francisco travel guide app, North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf  was also just updated and rereleased with more entries and photos, including the newish bar and restaurant, Comstock Saloon, which combines a taste of the city's old Barbary Coast (it's named after Henry Comstock and the famous Comstock Lode) and today's trendy "mixologist"  cocktail culture in one swell place (my favorite spots are the booths along the wood-paneled bar's walls). Check out the apps by clicking on the links above or searching on iTunes (under Travel and San Francisco). Enjoy them on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

'Floating White House' Sails from Wharf

The USS Potomac, the 165-foot vessel that served as Franklin D. Roosevelt's yacht during his years in the White House, docked at San Francisco's wharf last week to promote its new ties to the Red and White Fleet, one of the city's oldest ferry companies.

Red and White, the family-owned company that was founded in San Francisco in 1892, is now marketing the Potomac for corporate events, weddings and receptions on the historic yacht as it sails the bay.

The Potomac, which at one point sunk near Treasure Island, was restored and is operated by a nonprofit group, the USS Potomac Association. Michael Roosevelt, FDR's grandson and a Bay Area resident, is association chairman.

The boat, now a National Historic Landmark, is berthed at Jack London Square in Oakland but, for special events, the Potomac will depart from the Red and White Fleet's Pier 43 1/2 at San Francisco's Wharf.

On board, you can tour the cabin where FDR slept (it's small and spartan) and have a drink and appetizers in the salon where Elvis Presley, Danny Thomas and dignitaries were hosted for receptions. Organizers can arrange for FDR (a local gentleman who dresses the part and plays the role) makes an appearance or joins groups on the sailings.

The same evening that the Potomac and Red and White announced their partnership, just a block away was another debut of new wharf happenings. Rodney Fong, grandson of Wax Museum founder Thomas Fong, unveiled the newest figure -- Mariah Carey -- which joins other female entertainers, including Madonna, Beyonce and Gloria Estefan, in the museum galleries. Buxom Mariah will be out in front of the museum for a while greeting passersby.

For more on what to do at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, see my travel app on Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach, on sale at iTunes for .99 cents.

North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf, by App

My new travel app on San Francisco's North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf is out and available on iTunes. I'll have more in future blog posts but check it out if you're looking for a guide to these two favorite San Francisco areas, among the top-visited places in the city.
I've included descriptions of more than 80 cafes, restaurants, shops, bakeries, bars, attractions and historic sites. It's an insider's guide: I lived in North Beach for many years and my Italian family has roots there.
I've also covered the waterfront from Ghirardelli Square south to Pier 39 where, amid the souvenir shops catering to millions of tourists, there's still authentic San Francisco in the colorful old fishing boats, the smell of boiling crab pots and oven-fresh sourdough bread.
The app sells for .99 cents and includes dozens of photos, interactive maps, telephone numbers and web site links to help plan a trip, and to use while visiting San Francisco.
It can be used together with my first app, San Francisco's Chinatown, which was released earlier this year and covers the city's Chinese quarter that, in some places, overlaps with North Beach.
Both apps were produced by Sutro Media, a San Francisco company that is creating a collection of worldwide guides of photos and useful travel information, downloadable onto computers and mobile devices. Enjoy.