Chaya Brasserie, San Francisco

I love weekends in San Francisco. As many of you already know, I lived there for many years so it's one of my favorite places to go back to. Though the summers in this city are colder than most winters in Los Angeles, there's something about the fog and the cool air that I love.

On our first night, we hit Chaya Brasserie. Yes, it's the same Chaya that's already very popular here in Los Angeles. Normally I would stay away from chains, even ones as small as Chaya, but I actually really love the food and it was about a 2 minute walk from the hotel. For those unfamiliar with Chaya, it's an Asian fusion restaurant that focuses on "La Nouvelle Cuisine Franco-Japanese." We started with some drinks: red wine, a peach Bellini and a black cherry cosmo cocktail. Yum.

For an appetizer, we had the Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Toasted Homemade Brioche, Raspberry & Rhubarb Gastric. The foie was rich and lovely, and the tangy fruit and mild brioche were the perfect compliment.

We also shared the Poached Main Lobster Salad with Endive, Orange, Watercress, Ravigote Sauce. The flavors were great, though the lobster was slightly overcooked. Still, we enjoyed it.

My favorite of the evening was the Pan Seared Wild Sea bass with Sweet White Corn Polenta, Watercress, Morel Jus. The fish was cooked perfectly, so tender and so light, and the polenta just melted in my mouth - nothing at all like the thick, gritty polenta I've had at other restaurants. This was almost like a corn pudding, it was so light. And the morels...I loooooooove morels. Everything about this dish was perfect, just perfect.

We also had the Roasted Free Range Chicken Breast with Roasted Baby Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Asparagus, Espresso Port Wine Sauce. We raved about this dish as well; the chicken was tender and juicy and the vegetables were cooked to perfection.

For dessert, we all shared the butterscotch pudding. Though it doesn't have the salt aspect like the famed Butterscotch Budino at Mozza, it was still a major winner. Sweet, light and buttery - all three of us wished we'd ordered two.

To burn off the calories of that fabulous meal, we boarded a ferry to Angel Island for a long hike the next day. No, that's not the ferry, but an old-fashioned boat that passed us on our way. Pretty cool.

Here is the view from Angel Island - breathtaking! The hike takes you all the way up to the top of the island, so the views are just amazing and totally worth the climb.