Dining Out: Greens

On Sunday morning I returned from nine days in San Francisco, my second trip there in the last three weeks. My first visit was for the full week before Thanksgiving and though I was in the city for work, I was able to squeeze in some fun and exploring too. 

One of the nights during the November trip my college friend picked me up at my hotel (so kind of her to chauffer me!) and took me to what she described as, "one of the best vegetarian restaurants in San Francisco," called Greens

Greens is located in an old military base called Fort Mason. There is ample parking, so if you are ever in town with a rental car, getting there is easy peasy. 

We had a reservation and were seated immediately. They didn't even mind that we were 20 minutes early. 

Each table is super cozy. 

One entire wall of the restaurant is floor to ceiling windows with an unobstructed view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

We toasted to our west coast reunion with glasses of sparkling rose. 

With drinks in hand, we started looking over the menu. There were so many incredible options, all prepared with fresh, local ingredients. Let me tell you, the produce options in California are abundant! 

The first dish we decided to share was called pupusas, which are like flat, coin shaped dumplings. They were made with summer squash, spring onions, serrano chiles, pumpkin seeds, smoked cheddar cheese and cilantro. They were served with sliced avocado, salsa and vegetable-herb salad. 

I loved the artistic presentation of the plate. The best bites were the ones with a piece of pupusa, a slice of buttery avocado and a little smear of salsa. I just licked my lips typing that. 

We also shared the wilted kale and brussels sprouts salad, which was tossed with roasted delicata squash, slow roasted almonds, shaved manchego cheese and a dijon sherry vinaigrette. 

The salad was served warm, which was unexpected. Due to the temperature, the kale didn't have it's usual crunch. Despite that, the flavor combinations were spot on. 

For the main course, we decided to order two dishes and share them. The first to arrive was the garlic parsley linguini with roasted cauliflower, parsley almond pesto, spring onions, pecorino cheese and toasted bread crumbs.

The dish was so creamy! The sauce was rich without being too over the top. The decadent sauce was balanced by the crunch from the toasted breadcrumbs. My only complaint was that I wished the cauliflower had been a bit softer.

Our second dinner dish was the wild mushroom and leek pizza. When our waitress set it down on the table, we could smell the earthiness from the mushrooms. It was intoxicating.

Every component of the pizza was as fresh as could be and it was all sitting on top of an expertly crisped crust. 

Once we'd cleared both plates (which took no time at all) our waitress asked if we'd be interested in dessert. We took a look at the menu, but all of the dishes felt a bit too exotic. We wanted something sweet, but not quite so fussy. So we paid the bill and then headed to one of San Francisco's most famous places - Ghirardelli! 

Well, Ghirardelli Square to be exact. Though it was only mid-November, the building was already covered in twinkle lights. 

It was so cool to see the brand name in huge lights over the city.

In Ghirardelli Square there are several places you can order ice cream. We walked through an illuminated curtain to the far shop (the one right on the street was packed with little kids).

Though there were countless flavors to choose from, we both felt like Rocky Road. My friend ordered her scoops in a cone:

And I wanted mine with hot fudge and whipped cream.

Whoops! Made that disappear. 

I know Ghirardelli is a very touristy place to go. Judge if you must, but it was worth it! 

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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Address:
Greens
2 Marina Boulevard Fort Mason, Building A
94123 San Francisco , CA
United States
California US