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Coqueta Restaurant (Tapas)

Address: Pier 5 Embarcadero San Francisco, Ca. 94111

Coqueta Restaurant is owned by a famous American celebrity chef that specializes in Italian California cuisine named Michael Chiarello. Coqueta offers tapas and family-style plates and drinks in a classy atmosphere. Tapas is a small Spanish savory dish typically served with drinks or a variety of appetizers served either warm or cold. Michael Chiarello is also seen on Food Network and Fine Living Network (Napa Style). He also owns the Bottega Ristorante in Napa Valley.

It took us about 25 minutes to get to Coqueta restaurant from Daly City, California. We parked our car at Pier 3 and it costs us $20 all day or a $5 per hour rate. When we arrived the friendly hostess sat us right away at the outside covered heated patio with the stunning view of the Bay Bridge. We were impressed by the prompt service of the waiters. The server reminded us to wear our masks when they are approaching our tables for Covid-19 safety. All the tables were separated 6 feet apart and have a sanitizer available on each table. We were a little bit confused on deciding what to order since it is our second time eating at a tapas restaurant. The friendly waiter suggested or recommended some of their popular dishes.

We ordered a few dishes such as the Pulpo A La Parilla which is a perfectly cooked octopus, Lubina De Mar a Mediterranean Sea Bass, Paella De Tinta a seafood paella cooked with squid ink, Croquetas De Pollo a chicken crusted with Chicharron, and fried calamari made into a sandwich with a special sauce. My wife ordered the Passion Mojito and the Galleon drinks. And for our dessert, we ordered the Churro Fantasy which is a crispy Spanish doughnut with chocolate and mixed berry powder, Manchego cheesecake with caramel popcorn, Mille Hojas de Passion a passion fruit mousse. Each dish is savory and has an average portion.

Overall, it is a very classy and unique tapas restaurant with a relaxing atmosphere and an outdoor heated patio with a gorgeous view of the Bay Bridge. We were also greeted and had a nice friendly conversation with Mr. Harry which is the General Manager. We would highly recommend Coqueta to our friends and family.

Tips: After our lunch, we walked around and took pictures at Pier 7 with a beautiful view of the Bay Bridge, Coit Tower, and Transamerica building. The restaurant is also within walking distance from the Ferry Building and the Waterfront Restaurant.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about Coqueta Restaurant after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Yak’s on the 5 Restaurant

Address: 4917 Dunsmuir Avenue, Dunsmuir, California 96025

“Yak’s on the 5” restaurant is located in Dunsmuir, California at Shasta County. It is famous to I-5 travelers and locals alike. It is famous for it’s Artisan Burgers and world famous sticky buns. Recently named by Yelp as one of the top 100 food destinations in the nation. I ordered the BBQ chicken wings glazed with dark beer and chocolate bbq sauce with their famous fries. My wife ordered the BBQ spare ribs, while my daughter ordered the popular Artisan bacon overload burger. And for dessert we had the famous sticky bun with a caramel and baileys/bourbon sauce. They have available tables and chairs outside for customers. We even get to pick a tag with famous people’s name and they will call that name once your order is ready. We were lucky to have picked Robin Williams which is from the Bay Area (San Francisco).

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about Yaks on the 5 after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site to your friends and family. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Nepenthe Restaurant

Address: 48510 CA-1, Big Sur, California 93920

Nepenthe Restaurant is perched high above overlooking the Santa Lucia Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It’s about a 10-15 minutes drive from Pfeiffer Beach. They have 2 parking lots are available for guests. One is located in front of the restaurant and the other is on an unpaved road right on the main road before the entrance. They are open at 11:30 am and if they are busy you can check out the other cafe called Cafe Kevah which is situated on the lower level. The restaurant and the Cafe pretty much have the same view.

During our first time visit, we arrived at 11:30 am and only waited for 10 minutes. But on our second time around, we arrived at 12:30 pm and waited for at least 30-40 minutes. They provided us with a pager that works even though we were in the gift shop or taking pictures around the area. They only have an outdoor dining area available as of now due to Covid and everyone is wearing a mask but you can remove it when you get to your table to eat. All the outdoor seatings have a panoramic view. We ordered the famous Ambrosia Burger, Chicken, and the Shrimp BLT sandwich. They were all served on a very delicious soft French roll. For dessert we ordered the famous Triple Berry pie baked with raspberries, strawberries, and boysenberries with walnut toppings.

Let me know if you have any questions or what you think about The Nepenthe Falls after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.

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Auberge Du Soleil Restaurant (Napa)

Address: 180 Rutherford Hill Rd, Rutherford, CA 94573

Auberge du Soleil Restaurant is a fine dining restaurant that is perched on a hill with an amazing view of the Napa Valley. And it is also an exclusive resort for couples (no kids allowed) with a beautiful swimming pool with great amenities. Auberge du Soleil means “Sun Inn” in French. The Executive Chef for Auberge du Soleil is Mr. Robert Curry. The restaurant also received the Michelin Star Award for 13 consecutive years.

The Restaurant is by reservation only and it’s usually difficult to find an open time slot to reserve a seat. We arrived for lunch at Auberge du Soleil restaurant at around 11:30 a.m. which is the time when the restaurant opened. We drove up on a hill for about 3 minutes on a narrow winding road. As we arrived, we were immediately greeted by a valet attendant, who opened our doors, gave us a claim stub, and parked our car. We noticed a lot of very expensive and exotic cars parked in front of the restaurant. We checked in with the friendly host and were seated after we waited for at least 3-4 minutes.

We were seated on a table closest to the handrail that has an unobstructed view of the Napa Valley. The waitress provided us with a fresh bread basket with different pastries and sliced bread. We ordered the lunch 3-course meal for $85 per person since it was my daughter’s early birthday celebration. We started out with appetizers and ordered wild gulf shrimp, cows milk burrata. And for our main entree, we ordered Sonoma Chicken which is roasted baby artichokes, fennel, carrots, and thyme sauce. Buttermilk pancakes with blueberries, applewood smoked bacon, and maple syrup. Cabernet braised short ribs with spring onions, miso turnip puree, mizuna, and kumquat. And for our dessert it’s a Trio of Seasonal Fruit Sorbets with the flavors mandarin, blood orange, and rhubarb. Valrhona Manjari Cremeux which is a brandy roasted cherries, devils food cake, vanilla bean ice milk. And lastly Tomatero Farms Strawberry Mille- Feuille which is lavender velvet cake, wildflower honey cream. They even provided us with birthday candles for my daughter’s early birthday celebration.

Overall, we were satisfied with the quality of the foods that we ordered. The gorgeous view of Napa Valley, the great service and the beautiful sunny warm weather made our experience memorable. We would highly recommend the Auberge du Soleil due to the quality of food and the amazing valley view.

Tips: From the main entrance, on the left side is the main restaurant where you order the full meal course. While on the right side is the Bar and Bistro which serves different menus and small bites such as Crispy Monterey Bay Calamari, Roasted Bone Marrow, Grilled Flatbread, Margherita Pizza and Auberge Burger. Request a table closest to the handrail so you will have the best view of the Valley. If you drive up a little further you will end up at Rutherford Hill Winery which has a Cave and a great view of the Valley.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or what you think about Auberge Du Soleil Restaurant after your visit in the comments below. And kindly share our family travel blog site with your friends and family. Or even include our travel blog website address when you post your pictures on social media. Have fun and stay safe. Thank you.