40 By 40 - #8 & #9 - Pier 23 (featured on Diners, Drive-in...) and Butterfly

I’m not a “foodie” but I could see myself slowly developing into one. The Bay Area makes it easy to experiment and explore, with culinary options, ambiance (and prices) to suit any palate. One can choose Vietnamese for one meal, Indian for another, and Thai for yet another. Some places even offer fusion cuisine (Vietnamese-Cajun anyone??).

Things 8 and 9 reflect this reality. On this day, we spent time on The Embarcadero, the main strip in SF where all of the piers are located.

#8 – For lunch we decided on Butterfly. Located on Pier 33, this restaurant serves what the chef calls “Asian within Asian” cuisine. And, as with several restaurants in the area, it boasts great views of the bay. And the food – appetizers were chili chicken wings (American-ish) and kalua pig with butter lettuce cups (Hawaiian), followed by the Vietnamese fried fish sandwich. Even the traditional kids menu ventured away from the ordinary, while still being appealing. Definitely worth a return visit.

At Butterfly with Me-mo and Big Daddy Mickels

#9 – For dinner we landed on Pier 23 Cafe, featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. As expected, (considering it was featured on Triple D), we initially thought “dive”. The first impression was not spectacular. First, there was a rather large crowd gathered. Then, we entered into a small, cramped, loud even more crowded bar area. With no seating visible. Enough to make you consider turning around. But, hang in there. What you can’t see is the actual seating area. Past the crowd, past the bar, through the door is the real dining area. Outdoors. With views of the bay…that I neglected to get shots of (oh well). While it is primarily known as a seafood restaurant (the crab and shrimp sandwich was pretty good), reports were that the ribs were great. One disappointment was that a featured item from Triple D was no longer on the menu. But, we would return.