Fall is really the loveliest time in the Bay Area, as I’ve written about previously, and in an effort to enjoy all the autumnal local treasures, Dear Husband and I headed into San Francisco for some culture at SF MOMA. And a good way to start off a SF MOMA visit is with a delicious and quick lunch at Delarosa. It’s about a four minute walk from the museum, and the food is delicious.
Getting to downtown San Francisco
But first, some downtown San Francisco logistics… BART is probably the easiest way to get into downtown SF, but we aren’t comfortable with public transit right now. So we drove from Moraga and parked in the lot attached to the museum at 188 Minna. It’s not cheap (we hit the max amount- $26- during our 4+ hour visit downtown), but it is convenient and safer than parking on the street. There have been a lot of car break-ins in San Francisco recently, and for us, it’s better safe than sorry to park in a secure garage.
Quick lunch at Delarosa
Our museum entrance reservation was for 1pm, and Delarosa opens at noon on Sundays. The restaurant is a convenient pick for lunch near SF MOMA, as well as the Contemporary Jewish Museum, which is right across the plaza. I noticed they have an exhibition on Levi Strauss running through January 2021; I might need to go back!
We arrived promptly at noon, were seated, and had ordered a few minutes later. There was good social distancing inside the restaurant, and the outdoor patio has a number of space heaters- making for a comfortable and safe spot for a quick bite.
There’s nothing like having some wine at a weekend lunch- it feels very indulgent and European 🙂 So I had a glass of red and Dead Husband ordered an interesting beer…
Unbeknownst to us, it was San Francisco restaurant week (it’s actually 10 days long, ending on November 1st.) That meant there was a special prix fixe, which Dear Husband ordered- kale caesar salad and the pasta.
I ordered a margarita pizza and a couple of appetizers to share- the crispy cauliflower with capers with lemon aioli and the dungeness crab arancini with calabrese aioli. Both were delicious! And not something I’m going to be making at home anytime soon- which helps guide my ordering these days.
No time for dessert- this was a quick lunch at Delarosa, after all! But it was a delicious meal, and I’m looking forward to trying their outpost in Bishop Ranch, which is a bit easier for us to get to from Moraga. Delarosa is a great pick for lunch near SF MOMA.
Delarosa, 37 Yerba Buena Lane, San Francisco, CA 94103
A sunny stroll in Salesforce Park
I’ve been hoping to visit the Salesforce Park for months now. In the olden days (pre-COVID), I was working in downtown San Francisco at least a few times a month. I had grand plans to get a burrito or salad and head up for some greenery and relaxation on a work day. Alas, the first obstacle to this plan was the closure due to the cracking (I can’t believe that happened two years ago- time is truly warped these days.) And then COVID happened, and I never got the chance to execute on my weekday lunch plan.
But after our visit to SF MOMA, we had a bit of time before meeting our daughter. So we headed the 2-3 blocks to the entrance to the park. We had a hard time finding an entrance that was open… the whole transit center is very quiet. Was it even operational??…(it is indeed open) Eventually we found an entrance and headed up.
What a beautiful day! I loved seeing all the vignettes of different plants from around the world. The park is really lovely, especially on a sunny day. A few things were closed, like the massive Starbucks, and the fountains were turned off. But it was still a very pleasant spot in the midst of semi-bustling downtown San Francisco. And being there with my Dear Husband was particularly nice… I might actually even call it romantic 🙂
All in all, a wonderful Sunday in the city. I’m a planner, and I must say, this day went off without a hitch!
Have you visited the Salesforce Park? What did you think about it?
Salesforce Park, 425 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105
