From One Foodie to Another  Superstar
chefs Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, and Paul Bertolli have put the San
Francisco Bay Area on the top shelf of international cuisine -- which
means the locals have developed a keen set of taste buds. So we asked
San Francisco–based contributing editor JACK BOULWARE to spill the beans (no pun intended) on some of his favorite eateries.
KNOW WHERE TO EAT Breakfast RUDY’S CAN’T FAIL CAFE
This little diner -- which once fed pancakes to Emeryville’s hard-hat
workers -- still maintains its blue-collar roots, despite the fact that
Pixar has since moved into the neighborhood. Breakfasts here are
excellent, and they’re served all day long. 4081 Hollis Street,
Emeryville; (510) 594-1221; www.rudyscantfailcafe.com PHILZ COFFEE
You’ll find the best coffee in the city here; it’s made one cup at a
time. Sure, you could reverse engineer their two exotic cardamom blends
and then try to make them yourself at home. Or, you could just drop by
one of their locations and leave it to the masters. 3101 24th Street,
(415) 875-9370, www.philzcoffee.com Lunch RED’S JAVA HOUSE
This little shack on the pier has been open since 1923, and it mostly
serves the cheeseburger-and-Budweiser lunch special. At least, that’s
all I ever order -- well, that and the doughnuts. Regulars include
seagulls and Anthony Bourdain, who reportedly drops by whenever he’s in
town. Pier 30–32, (415) 777-5626 PAPALOTE MEXICAN GRILL
San Francisco is the city that reinvented the burrito, turning it into
a massive meal-in-a-log, and this place offers the best one in town.
The chicken mole is excellent, the seafood is sautéed in white wine and
butter, and you can take home a jar of their homemade salsa. 3409 24th
Street, (415) 970-8815, www.papalote-sf.com HUKILAU
Northern California boasts one of the largest populations of Hawaiians
on the mainland. Three homesick natives founded this small chain, and
it’s a perfect lunch stop. They have plate lunches, loco moco, Hukilau
beef-teriyaki sandwiches, chicken katsu, and the best ahi poke outside
the islands. On weekends, there’s live Hawaiian music. 5 Masonic
Avenue, (415) 921-6242, www.dahukilau.com Dinner CHUTNEY
It’s boom time for inexpensive Indian restaurants in the city. Avoid
the chains, though. This one-off is by far the best, with family-style
curries, naan, and tandoori cuisine that will make you sweat in a good
way. 511 Jones Street, (415) 931-5541  BURMA SUPERSTAR
Getting a table at this Richmond District place can be hard to do,
because it’s always busy -- but it’s worth trying for. Everything on
the menu is great, including the vegetarian SuperStar Noodles, the
stir-fried beef or chicken with mango, and the Tea Leaf Salad, made
with imported Burmese tea leaves, tomatoes, lettuce, dried shrimp,
fried garlic, sesame seeds, peanuts, and split yellow peas. 309 Clement
Street, (415) 387-2147, www.burmasuperstar.com
GIALINA
Going to the Glen Park neighborhood for pizza may mean making a long
haul, but this isn’t your regular pie. Chef/owner Sharon Ardiana has
dreamed up her own thin-crust, Neapolitan-style recipes, so the pizzas
are topped with everything from portobellos and butternut squash to
fresh cheeses, meatballs, house-made sausage, and wild nettle. 2842
Diamond Street, (415) 239-8500, www.gialina.com Cocktails FARMER BROWN
Welcome to a country-style, neo-soul-food restaurant that relies mainly
on local African-American farmers for its organic foods and beverages.
Sit at the bar and sip a classic mint julep, a pear brandy sidecar, or
a blood-orange Bellini. 25 Mason Street, (415) 409-3276, www.farmerbrownsf.com
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TUNE IN
 Who Will Swing Supreme?
As the weather heats up, so does the competition on the PGA Tour. Here are some tournaments you won’t want to miss. -- Josh Sens
MASTERS TOURNAMENT • April 10 to 13 • Augusta National Golf Club; Augusta, Georgia • Purse: $7,000,000 • Defending champion: Zach Johnson • Tune in: ESPN, CBS Tiger Woods is taking aim at the Grand Slam, but he can’t win all four majors if he doesn’t win the first. At 7,445 yards, Augusta plays to Tiger’s long game. This year, though, the first tee has been extended forward, so the hole can actually play 10 yards shorter -- if tournament organizers are in a generous mood. THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT • May 29 to June 1 • Muirfield Village Golf Club; Dublin, Ohio • Purse: $6,000,000 • Defending champion: K.J. Choi • Tune in: The Golf Channel, CBS In past years, tournament host Jack Nicklaus tweaked the layout, adding fresh defenses to defy the world’s top players. This year, he’s leaving his masterpiece alone. But with water in play on 11 holes, Muirfield already makes for a difficult setup. It does set up for a good story, though: Defending champion K.J. Choi of South Korea learned the game by reading Nicklaus’s book Golf My Way. THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP • May 8 to 11 • TPC Sawgrass; Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida • Purse: $9,000,000 • Defending champion: Phil Mickelson • Tune in: The Golf Channel, NBC Known as the fifth major, the Players Championship features the island-green 17th, one of the game’s most famous holes. Last year, a record 94 balls went kerplunk at this 137-yard par three. Some players have dismissed the hole as a gimmick, but Mickelson loves it. And it’s no wonder: Lefty’s win last year netted him $1.7 million. THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT • May 29 to June 1 • Muirfield Village Golf Club; Dublin, Ohio • Purse: $6,000,000 • Defending champion: K.J. Choi • Tune in: The Golf Channel, CBS In past years, tournament host Jack Nicklaus tweaked the layout, adding fresh defenses to defy the world’s top players. This year, he’s leaving his masterpiece alone. But with water in play on 11 holes, Muirfield already makes for a difficult setup. It does set up for a good story, though: Defending champion K.J. Choi of South Korea learned the game by reading Nicklaus’s book Golf My Way. U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP • June 12 to 15 • Torrey Pines Golf Course; San Diego, California • Purse: $7,000,000 • Defending champion: Angel Cabrera • Tune in: ESPN, NBC The U.S. Open returns to Southern California for the first time in 60 years, and San Diego’s Torrey Pines South Course will be up for the test. At 7,643 yards, it’s the longest venue in U.S. Open history; its stout par-four fourth hole now plays tougher than ever (its fairway has been shifted closer to a cliff); and the par-five 13th has a new tee box that requires a monstrous drive just to reach the short grass.
Updating an Old Classic
EDS BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP
• April 21 to 27
• TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas;
Irving, Texas
• Cottonwood Valley Golf Course;
Irving, Texas
• Purse: $6,400,000
• Defending champion: Scott Verplank
• Tune in: The Golf Channel, CBS
Throughout
his golf career, Byron Nelson was a model of consistency. His
tournament, though, is introducing a few changes. The Byron, the annual
event named in Lord Byron’s honor, is sporting a fresh look this year,
with a renovated layout and new attractions that are sure to please
players and spectators alike. PGA Tour veteran D.A. Weibring oversaw
the upgrades to the course, which included lengthening holes,
fine-tuning sand traps, and enhancing water hazards -- like the one to
the lake on hole 18, which is now graced with a dramatic waterfall. And
tour stars aren’t the only ones who will get to play: Among the great
additions is the 12,000-squarefoot KidsZone, which includes a moonwalk,
a miniature golf course, arts and crafts, and other family-friendly
activities. The popular Food Court Pavilion, near the main entrance and
which in past years closed at 5:30 p.m., will have extended hours, and
live bands will perform on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Oh, and lest
we forget -- for the first time, beer and wine will be on sale at
concession stands around the course. Tickets: $45 per day, $90 for the
week. www.edsbyronnelsonchampionship.org
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SUPPORT THE CAUSE
 The Shirt on Your Back
These days, if you want to help someone, you don’t have to give up your shirt; you can just buy one. -- Tracy Staton
The Edun ONE Tee from
the celebrity-studded charity effort is a double play. It’s made in a
factory in Lesotho, Africa, which helps boost the local economy, and
$10 from each shirt goes back to Lesotho to provide AIDS medication for
factory workers and their family members. $40. www.edunonline.com
Zooey’s Green Line T-shirts benefit Healthy Child Healthy World with $2 from each sale, and the shirts are 100 percent organic cotton. $82. www.zooeytees.com
You pick the shirt and the cause, and Tonic Generation passes on 40 percent of its product revenues -- that’s revenues, not profits -- to pay for school supplies, wells, mosquito nets, or whatever is needed. $45. www.tonicgen.com
Yellow Bird Project asks
musicians to design tees, and then it sends the profits to each
musician’s charity of choice. We had a tough time picking a favorite,
but the newest one to the mix is designed by the Shins for the Nature
Conservancy. $25. www.yellowbirdproject.com
Glamour magazine
commissioned five designer tees, issued a limited edition of each, and
teamed up with Malaria No More to buy three mosquito nets for each tee
sold. Shown: Thakoon’s version. $68. www.glamour.com/fashionbeauty/fashiongivesback
Who better to design a tee than an artist? Part of It puts
an artist’s handiwork on its shirts and donates a portion of the
profits to a charity of the artist’s choosing. Michael Perry’s “It’s
Just You and Me” tee benefits NARSAD, an association that researches
psychiatric illnesses. $28. www.partofit.org
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PLAN A TRIP
ACategoricalListingof(Cool)TravelWebsites.com  While
online travel giants are similar to department stores -- great for
one-stop satisfaction -- sometimes it’s nice to do some specialty
shopping. Lucky for you, these days there’s a travel site to fit any
personality. They’re not quite as specific as the personals, but we
trust you’ll find your match anyway. And best of all, they’re free. -- T.S.
If you like ... Staying Busy, try Eventful.com.  Anyone
with the inclination can quickly and easily find info on any
destination’s travel infrastructure -- as in hotels, restaurants,
sights to see. But you want to fill your calendar too. At Eventful, you
can find which local bands are playing, which symphony the local
orchestra has on the program, whether any new plays are opening, and
whether that hot new restaurant has a special wine tasting. Without a
lot of effort, you can customize a trip to your tastes. The only
downside? No more excuses for vegging in your hotel room. Immersion, see Viamigo.com.  You
don’t want to skim the cream off a place; you want to drink it all in.
For that, you need the inside skinny you can get only from a local. At
Viamigo, personal guides help you bypass tourist thoroughfares in favor
of back streets and remote villages. You can find guides by location
and by activity, and the ratings posted by other travelers will point
you to the best. Organization, go to TripIt.com.  You
want to know when, where, and how you’re traveling, and you don’t want
to search your half-dozen itineraries for the info. Enter TripIt.com,
which combines flight, hotel, rental car, maps and directions, weather
forecasts, and other notes into one whiz-bang master itinerary. All you
do is forward any confirmation e-mail messages to TripIt, and the
service compiles all your stats with helpful local intelligence. Trendy, see Fabsearch.com.  You’re
on the cutting edge, but your guidebook lost it about 30 minutes after
publication. Fabsearch delivers inside info on the hippest and
trendiest places to be, with constant updates from trend arbiters like Vogue, Wallpaper, and DailyCandy. This way, you won’t blunder into dinner at a restaurant that’s just so yesterday. Customization, visit BestTripChoices.com.  Not
sure what you want? Take a quiz. At BestTripChoices.com, your answers
will classify you into one of six travel personalities and then
recommend destinations based on the results. Because if you’re a
risk-taking Venturer, you don’t want to laze in a hammock like an
Authentic. Personal Service, see AAVacations.com  Want
someone else to do the negotiating? Pick your destination, and then
choose from the hotels and rental cars offered. Add on suggested tours
and activities -- and voilà! -- the entire trip is set. Plus, you can
pay with AAdvantage miles.
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BUY A SOUVENIR
Souvenirs Worth Bringing Home
Part
of the fun of traveling is bringing back loot that conjures up visions
of your vacation. But not just any loot will do. Here are a few of our
favorite -- and meaningful -- mementos from a handful of places. -- Bryan Reesman  1 Belgium and England
While
the comic-book adventures of the famous reporter/ explorer Tintin are
available Stateside, certain toys are available only at official Tintin
stores in Belgium and England. $8 to $25. Rue de la Colline 13
(Brussels), 011-32-25145152, www.tintin.com; 34 Floral Street (London), 011-44- 020-7-836-1131, www.thetintinshop.uk.com
2 England
Thinking
of old London? Check out the cannonball key ring ($4), the knight key
ring ($7), and the jeweled sword letter opener ($60) at the Tower of
London. EC3N 4AB, 011-844-482- 7777, www.hrp.org.uk/toweroflondon/shopping/default.aspx 3 Germany
Marzipan
imports in the United States tend to feature fruits and holiday themes.
Go to Café Niederegger or to Marzipan- Land in Lübeck for many more
variations on this delectable candy treat. $5 to $30. Breite Strasse 89
(across from the town hall steps), 011-49-451-53-01- 126-127, www.niederegger.de; Drechslerstraße 6, 011-49-451-8- 973-939, www.marzipanland.de 4 Denmark
Hnefatafl
is an intriguing, chess-like Viking strategy game. You can play it
online, but the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde has the real deal. $65.
Vindeboder 12, 011- 45-46300200, www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk 5 America
If
you’re craving sweet drinks with cane sugar, visit Galco’s old-time
grocery store, Soda Pop Stop, near Pasadena, California, for more than
450 soda varieties. The store carries everything from Apple-Beer to
High Mountain Huckleberry, and the bottles make great keepsakes. $1 to
$3. 5702 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, (323) 255-7115, www.sodapopstop.com Celebrity Finds
Julie Benz
(Rambo, Dexter)
“I collect antique rings from every country [I visit]. I’ve been all over Europe and to Thailand. My favorite is a beautiful antique emerald ring I found in Knoxville. It was my biggest splurge.” Michael Emerson
(Lost)
“I’ve become a collector of masks, and I try to find something authentic and theatrical wherever I work. When I filmed The Legend of Zorro in Mexico, I brought back an interesting El Moro mask that was used in the ceremonial telling of the story of the Moors and the Christians.” Judge David Young
(from the eponymous court show)
“I
collect penguins and hunt for penguin-obilia wherever I travel --
figurines, bed sheets, ice cream scoops. I found a piece of penguin folk art in Quito, Ecuador, carved out of a gourd and covered with indigenous symbols. It now sits proudly in my rookery.” Ivana Milicevic
(Casino Royale)
“When I went to the town of Itacaré in Brazil, they had these long necklaces made from beads and açaí berries, which are from the Amazon. They were in one of the stores [off a little] street.” Ana Ortiz
(Ugly Betty)
“My mother-in-law went to Mumbai, India, and bought me 100-year-old earrings that are gold and amethyst and are the most exquisite things I’ve ever owned. They were from an Indian princess.” Be a Savvy Shopper 1. Never look too eager to buy something; otherwise, you run the risk of spontaneous price gouging on unmarked items. 2. Try bargaining -- market sellers are often willing to cut deals if you pay in cash. 3. Compare prices with those in nearby stores that sell similar items. 4. Inspect the quality of the merchandise; make sure it will last. 5. Determine how rare the item is. It might justify the splurge.
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