Weekends in San Francisco

It is not often that I get to spend an entire weekend in downtown San Francisco. It is even more rare when such a weekend begins with the most perfect weather. Now that I had gotten one, I was going to make full use of it.  The previous week, I had flown into Boston during a time when the region was in the midst of a deep freeze due to crazy weather that seem to be the norm now-a-days. I could hardly venture outside for a coffee without feeling uncomfortable in the chilling wind. Washington DC was somewhat better, but only a little. This made the lovely weekend in San Fran even more welcome!  After waking up late and getting some food under my belt, I decided to take a long walk to the Ferry Building.

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Pune Food Roundup

Pune continues to see a rapid influx of new restaurants even as some old (and not-so-old ones) go belly-up. As the city replicates Bangalore’s explosive growth during the last two decades, I expect this trend to continue for several years. This can only be good news for foodies! When I moved into Pune in ’99, it seemed like there were only a few places to choose from to eat-out. Today, we are spoilt for choice. I can no longer boast that I have eaten at every good restaurant in town.

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Gajalee In Pune

Mumbai’s popular seafood restaurant Gajalee is now in Pune!  Their raison d’être is simple: turning the freshest catch into sumptuous coastal delicacies with a minimum of fuss.  We turned up a their nicely done up (and large) restaurant next to the Inox multiplex in Camp.  Unlike in Mumbai, where there would be a long line of people waiting for tables at their flagship restaurant during lunchtime especially on a weekend, this restaurant was mostly empty.

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A Craving for Burgers

My craving for burgers continues unabated. Every time I am in the United States, I hunt out new places to relish yet another spin on this uniquely American comfort food.  Thankfully, there is no dearth of variety! Burgers are now offered as fast food and in gourmet variants.  You can go gaga over In N Out or Super Duper Burgers, great examples of fast-food versions that are actually fun to eat, and then there is also the designer version dished out by Ralph Lauren's RL in Chicago, a favorite of celebrities such as Oprah.

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Grand Mexican at Colibri

There has been an upswing in the number of new and inventive Mexican restaurants in San Francisco lately.  Places such as La Urbana, Nopalita, and Tacolicious have successfully combined cutting edge Mexican culinary techniques with an upscale and chic ambiance that has both locals and visitors flocking to them.

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Dezio

Dario’s has been a long-time favorite for Italian food lovers in Pune. This was pretty much the only place for authentic Italian fare in town until a few years back. Started by an Italian chef who decided to make Pune his home, the only thing missing in Dario’s impressive food menu until now was meat. Carnivore fans you can now rejoice! Dezio, their new restaurant in Kalyani Nagar not only celebrities the flavors of Sicily, but also brings meat on the menu.

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