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A rather intense week after getting back from San Francisco. I had planned to come back and attempt to maintain my sense of calm for as long as I could. That lasted until about Wednesday arvo.

For some reason, we seem to be rushing into things. Things that need a step back, a reassess, and maybe a little more planning thrown into the mix. I am certainly getting gun shy when it comes to emergency change controls that in my humble opinion are not emergencies. The stupid thing of course is I'm the one being forced to file them.

Maybe after today, we can step back and do some planning. I really hope so, as again, my stress levels are peaking out. And no matter how much I want to accomplish the work, there is only so much I can take before burning out.

Brunch: The Elite Cafe. Say no more. Bloody Mary's, gumbo, house cured salmon.

Yum. Two for four.

Dinner: Indigo. Major win. Major discovery. I was reading restaurant reviews before doing the trip and was looking for a class restaurant that was open on Sunday night. This one fit the bill and their menus and wine lists looked great.

I was going to catch a cab over, but ended up walking. I love walking in SF. Just knowing how to avoid the hills is a lot of fun.

I arrived fairly early. There was only one party in the restaurant, and one bloke at the bar. No chance of getting seated at the bar this time. One nice corner table and "Is this suitable for you, sir?" from the Matre'd. That's more like it.

I was looking for a wine to try. This place has an extensive wine list. I finally settled on a 2000 chardonnay by Gary Farrell from Russian River. Mmmm. I had ordered a garden salad with goat cheese, figs, and pickled red onion, when as a complete surprise, I was offered a taste from the kitchen. This consisted of a home make wonton wrapper fried and topped with raw ahi tuna and artichoke shaving with a red peppery dressing. Intense! Wonderful!

Shortly thereafter, the salad turned up. The figs and goat cheese married perfectly, and the simple vinaigrette dressing complemented it instead of burying it.

The main course was grilled pork tenderloin with polenta and spinach. The pork was accompanied by a roma tomato chutney, which was just outstanding.

I looked at the dessert menu, expecting to give my usual "Nothing thanks", but there was a cheese course! Hah! This is my kind of restaurant. A nice mild blue accompanied by toasted bread and date walnet tort. Just the thing. A nice glass of Smith Woodhouse tawny port complimented it.

Whew. Three for five. I highly recommend Indigo. I can tell you I will be heading back there next time I'm in my second favourite city on the planet.

Compare this meal to yesterday's at Fog City. Both cost exactly the same (to the dollar).

Lunch: Scoma's, the family owned and run favourite at Pier 47. The nice lady that sat me suggested that if I faced the other way, I would have a better view. I informed her I didn't care so much for the view as what the food looked like. She smiled knowingly.

The menu was similar to yesterday's. Guinness and oysters for a start, and this time, blackened wild king salmon fillet with vegetables and mashed potatoes. A half bottle of BV chardonnay to wash it down.

In contrast to yesterday, the bread was free, the oysters were huge, and so was the fillet of salmon. It nearly stopped me, as a matter of fact. One for two.

Dinner: I had heard about a joint called Biscuits and Blues, and wanted to try it out. I rode up to Union Square on the cable car, something I haven't done in more than twenty years. The cover was pretty steep at $15 for the Phillip Walker Band. Let's get this out of the way first so I can talk about the food and service. For $15, I expect top flight music, and while Walker is a legend, this sure wasn't top flight. He must have been having a bad night or something. And the crowd seemed clueless. For a place that had got some great writeups, I wasn't very impressed.

If you pay $15, expect to get seated at a table. That's sure what I was thinking. Wrong. Even though there was a table for two vacant when I walked in, and I asked for it, I was told that singles must sit at the bar. Well, I should have walked out right then and demanded my money back. My mistake.

Taking a seat at the bar, I ordered a green salad with triple citrus and molasses dressing to start, and pork chops, bourbon glazed yams, fresh vegetables and a Creole mustard sauce for the main. When the salad arrived... after an hour and one attempt at placation with a beer on the house from the obviously distressed bar maid... it was OK. Another thirty minutes saw the chops turn up. I ate them, asked for the cheque and left.

One for three. Uhoh.

Returning to North Beach, I went to drown my sorrows with a couple of drinks at Specs, only to hear one person at the bar ask his companion "What's the name of this place again?" The barman and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes.

I left the pager, phone, and computers in Sacramento and headed for San Francisco for the weekend. I hopped in a cab which dropped me at the Greyhound station for the trip over to the Bay Area. I'm not sure if flying is better or worst. They both cost about the same and take the same amount of time...

Arriving in the city, the plan was to hit The Gold Coast for a steak, but they were closed. Right next door is Tadich Grill, but I really wasn't in the mood for the stuffy wait staff they usually have in there, so as I walked up to through Chinatown towards North Beach, I stopped and grabbed some take out dim sum. I should have written down the name of the restaurant, as they turned out to be rather good. At least I know where it is so I can find it next time I'm in the city.

I checked into the San Remo Hotel, still one of the better kept secrets in the city. After a quick freshen up (and a bit of time wasting) I headed out to go to Fog City Diner. This place has been a consistent favourite of mine for quite some time. However, tonight it was to disappoint.

I got to the diner around 6pm, which I consider early. Sure enough, there were plenty of empty tables. Asking to be seating at a table however, was turned down by the lovely but evil greeter (we won't call her a Matre'd). Instead I was shown to the counter. I normally don't mind sitting at the counter in this restaurant, but I was in the mood for serious eating. And I would have spent twice as much money at a table as I did at the counter. Their loss.

I ordered a Guinness to start, with half a dozen oysters natural. I was rather disappointed with the oysters, which were small and rather "fishy". Considering what I had at Scott's last weekend, these didn't even come close.

The main course was the fish of the day, which was a fillet of halibut with truffled mashed potatoes and a corn ragouot. While the fish was cooked to perfection, I was left wanting more and ordered a loaf of their sourdough bread. The mashies where bland and the corn and other veggies were frozen (I watched the chefs getting them out of the bags). I had a nice little half bottle of Villa Mt Eden chardonnay to go with, which sort of compensated.

I had intended to go onto The Saloon for some blues afterwards, but I was just too tired, and a bit disappointed with the meal. So I headed off to bed.