Frog Hollow Farm, San Francisco: A Before And After Review

In September of 2009, Jay and I spent a couple days in San Francisco.  Jay was at a conference during the day, so I went exploring by myself.  A traveler I am most certainly not.  Big cities give me great cautionary pause.  But I didn't want my silly fears to hinder my time, so I was determined I'd ride the F-Line to the Ferry Building.  Here's an excerpt from my travel journal: "Jeff off to conference.  Went to hotel and got ibuprofen and sunglasses (all-important).  To Powell & Market-bought one-day pass for $11.  Then walked!  Too scared!  Then got brave and hopped on streetcar at 1st St to Ferry Building.  Yay me!"

It was at the Ferry Building that I found Frog Hollow Farm.

My journal reads "sandwiches, pastries, sweet & savory..."

"...but the fresh, organic fruit is the star."

At that time, they had pears.  Miles and miles of pears.  Knowing I was about to meet Jay for lunch at Sellers Markets, I knew I couldn't go all crazy, so I decided to try a Taylor Gold, sliced up, and arranged quite regally on a pleasantly square plate by the fantastic staff.

I remember it being delectable, and my journal entry confimrs that, describing it as "creamy, juicy, not like a regular grainy supermarket pear". 

Before leaving, I checked out the organic chutneys and conserves. 

The 'before' all sounds pretty terrific doesn't it?  Let's see...fantastic food, check.  Fresh organic fruit, check.  Beautiful conserves, check.  What could make this place better?

Oh, yeah, that's right!  A little Bug!

The second week in April '10 we spent some time in San Francisco again.  Jeff was at another conference, and this time, Bug got to come with us!  What a difference a child makes!  It was such fun showing her all the things I had discovered and watching her face as she took it all in.

After exploring the Ferry Building for a while, Jay met up with us for some lunch, and where else would we go but Frog Hollow?

Bug loved lunch at Frog Hollow Farm.  And while there were no pears this time, we devoured lots of other deliciousness. 

Jeff had a chicory salad with grapefruit and avocado in a citrus vinaigrette.  It was out of this world! 

I had the avocado toast.  Chewy, thick slices of crusty onion bread, toasted and rubbed with garlic, then topped with perfectly fresh avocado slices and freshly ground black pepper.  OH!  My mouth is watering over this memory!

Bug had a fruit salad and then finished off my avocado toast.  The only way she pried it out of my still-living fingers was by being so cute and offspring-like.

We shared some empanadas--one carnitas and one ham and cheese. Mmmm. Chewy. Flaky. Meaty.  Cheesy.

Using the same tactics as mentioned above, Bug managed to get the last bite of the ham and cheese empanada.

We drank from cups made from plants.  I love this city.

So the verdict?  'Before' visit: wonderful, fun, interesting.  'After' visit?  Take the 'before' visit and multiply it by 10.  Everything tastes better with a little Bug.