San Francisco

ALIE: I'm Alie. GEORGIA: And I'm Georgia. We're best friends and cocktail connoisseurs. We love taking trips and eating stuff and enjoying fabulous drinks. ALIE: Then we come home and throw a party for our friends inspired by our travels. This is Tripping Out with Alie and Georgia. GEORGIA: So I lived in San Francisco for a little over 3 years. Alie was born there and grew up in the Bay Area. So San Francisco is very important to both of us. ALIE: Yeah, my parents were actually married there and so we have so many great family memories and I just wanted to share some of them with Georgia. So we set out to explore San Francisco together. And I wanted to show Georgia some of my favorite places like Specs that serves up a very unique cocktail. It tastes like an old timey medicine man. GEORGIA: And I wanted to show Alie some of my old haunts, like this crazy little pub where I used to go for trivia night and fried food. Fish and chips! They have the best fish and chips here. ( screaming ) ALIE: The best part though was meeting up with my family. Mama... ALIE: At this cafe that has an incredible history. But first, breakfast in a very cool neighborhood. The Mission neighborhood of San Francisco is very hip. There's a lot of cute vintage stores, antique stores, a lot of great restaurants. Lot of things crop up in the Mission. Such as Craftsman and Wolves. This is what I understand, that they have muffins, secret muffins. Secret muffins. And they put like an egg or like car keys or something exciting inside of it. And the fact that it's called Craftsman and Wolves makes me think there's gonna be a lot of hot, bearded, rustic guys. ALIE: Absolutely. Cute. All right, so here's the deal. We want like five of these. Okay. GEORGIA: Can we do the rebel within? The rebel within is this beautiful being. It is basically a savory muffin, on inside is an egg and when you cut into it, the egg yolk just... I've seen so many photos of it online, I just stare at them. I know, I feel like we're meeting a famous person like, hi, we've heard a lot about you, muffin. Yeah. Because I've just been dreaming about this forever. I mean, here's the deal. This is a $7 muffin. They're already almost sold out. It's like 9 a.m. But there's eggs in it. There's something about this muffin. Scalpel? That's my favorite gag, are you ready for this? Okay. It's a soft boiled egg, so there's gonna be some yolk happening. I love yolk. Oh. Oh, look at that. That's gorgeous. I'm eating this immediately. There she goes, ready? GEORGIA: It's so good. It's like all of breakfast was like, "Hey, you want to meet in this Muffin?" We asked how they made them so, such a perfect egg in it, lot of science, a lot of trial and error. They won't tell you. Just get two and go-- leave with two. What's in there? Oh, my gosh. I feel like I tripped upon like a cave of ham and cheese taking a nap, and I'm like, I hate to disturb you. It's really low calorie, right? Don't worry about it. These are cute. Can I just eat a whole one in my face? Yes, put a whole one in your face and then we're gonna arm wrestle for the third one. Okay. That's my favorite. Well, this is the Thai scone, right? Because it's got curry, ginger. Coconut. Ready? Break some of that. Ooh, there's stuff inside of it. Almost like a lime green color. Huge flakes of coconut in it, so the texture is chewy from the candied ginger and then you get that like shredded, pulpy coconut. That is so good. It's great. It's really, really good. This place is awesome. They did not open this until after I moved out of the city, I'm really, I'm peeved about it. I want to come here every morning. I think we just need to let the San Francisco air Okay. Let's burn some calories shopping. Let's go to the pirate shop. Pirates, pirates, pirates. They have a pirate store. And it sells anything a pirate would need. Let's get some supplies for the party. Oh, hell yes, I need some eye patches, I need some whale lard. They sell eye patches, they have candlesticks, whale blubber. Oh, that looks, I dare you to stick your arm in there. I'm so excited about this. Ooh, it smells. Oh, it does smell. It smells like-- Paste? It's fine. I'm gonna pass on that, but I think we should get some eye patches for the party. What is that trapdoor? Which-- MAN: You see that sign in the middle right there? It will explain everything. Okay. I was mopped? No. ( screams ) Oh, my God, that scared the... No. I was mopped. Why? Never trust a pirate. MAN: I do? Did I mention you should never trust a pirate? Because that's what you should do. You have to put those back though, huh? So the joke's on you. Nice. Here you go, sir. Thank you. Thanks for the mopping. I'm gonna just tell you though, it could've been a lot worse, knowing pirates and how often they deal with chum and stuff like that. And seaweed, don't ask. GEORGIA: Now that I'm totally embarrassed, time for a drink at my favorite bar. Specs is one of the coolest bars I've been to, like, I wish I'd known about when I lived there. ALIE: It's kind of divey, but they serve Fernet and that's this drink that's been around since the early days of prohibition. San Franciscans drink an inexplicable amount of Fernet. They said they would let us in. Hi. I can always be talking to a Fernet. Yeah. So I called Specs and they actually opened the bar just for us. Oh, my gosh, look at this place. People in San Francisco drink so much Fernet and we're from L.A., people don't really drink that. It's very popular there, so the way to drink it there is a shot of Fernet in a glass of ginger ale. Do you want a sip of this? Yes. I love Fernet. It's really minty. If you haven't had Fernet, it's very herby, it's very minty and has kind of like a licorice and a mint flavor. Just little tiny sips. This, um, their card is really cool, not only is it their information, but it's also, it says, "Sir, the lady is not interested in your company..." So if a dude's hitting on you, you just pass him that card. I know. All right, Alie, it's my turn. Look at this. Is it Bloody Mary time? It totally is. Cheers. ALIE: That's next on Tripping out with Alie and Georgia. What exactly, what secret awaits me? I don't know, I've actually never looked through here before. Oh. I want to see, I want to see, I want to see. San Francisco. A great way to see San Francisco is from a scooter. My dad in the '60s rode a Vespa all around San Francisco and I always, always wanted to do it. And there was a company that rents scooters that are just street-legal enough for any hooligan can just hop on one and-- You don't even need a IQ test, you just have a credit card. I'm just texting my parents to tell them that I love them. And-- Set your hair-- This is gonna give you a good feel for the weight of the scooters. It's like a big red turtle -- Keep going forward, she can hop in behind you. ( bike engine revving ) GEORGIA: We were terrified. Well, it had--the throttle is just like a hair trigger. Oh, shoot. Oh, I'm so sorry. But it was actually a great way to see the city, 'cause we're like, oh, there's a bakery, I can smell it, don't look. And it was great to really feel immersed in the city. I think my dad was on to something with the scooter thing and his enthusiasm at least was definitely hereditary. GEORGIA: Well, since Alie showed me her favorite spot in San Francisco, I thought I will return the favor. Zeitgeist is my favorite bar. It's got a huge patio and a lot of hot men. And they serve the only Bloody Mary that I've ever enjoyed in my entire life. Okay. Look at this. Just wait though, this is not the best part. Oh, my gosh. Oh, this is beautiful. Can I get a-- have a Bloody Mary, I'm gonna have a Bloody Mary. You're gonna love it, I promise. Absolutely. Their Bloody Mary is really well made, a lot of spice to it. So you have a lot of layered flavors as much as tomato juice and ***. Also there's a buffet of pickled snacks on top which is always great to get a snack. So it was actually really nice to-- sit on the patio, sip your lunch... Outdoor, sunny, day drinking with like nefarious people who maybe have a warrant out for their arrest, it's my favorite thing. Cheers. Cheers. I do enjoy the peppery aspect of this. This is the only time I've ever had some Bloody Mary and not gone, ugh. Don't touch me with that. That's disgusting. Also Zeitgeist, they have their-- their saying is "fast/friendly/service, pick one." GEORGIA: After the best Bloody Mary, there was one more thing that I wanted to share with Alie. WOMAN: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the show. MAN: What was Pope Francis's name at birth? MAN: Number two, what movie was based on the Joseph Conrad novel-- So you used to come here all the time. Yeah, we used to come here Tuesday nights. They have the best pub quiz I've ever been to. Hello, sir. Hi. Do you think you can hook a lady up with a Fernet and ginger ale? Nice. Nice, look at you. You order fish and chips at the bar and they bring it from around the corner and it is just greasy, greasy bar food which is exactly what you want at a place like Edinburgh Castle. And as promised, your fish and chips. Delicious in the worst way. I was born in this city and I never knew that there's anywhere that you could get a fish wrapped, what is this? Oh, yeah. What? Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Look at that. GEORGIA: I can't eat fish and chips without vinegar. Do it on two of them. I can't eat fries without ketchup. I can eat them without pants and without shame, but I can't eat them without ketchup. Look at how perfectly flaky that is. Ooh, nice, white fish. It's steaming. Oh, my God. Mmm. Good, right? Yes, it tastes like the sea. If we did a party like this, I would want newspaper to somehow factor in-- You know what I mean, like, just FYI. How do you serve fish and chips at a party? You could batter the fish...in...chips, like potato chips or salt and vinegar chips. Is your brain ready to quiz? Yup. I'm ready, I've been-- I've been ready. I'm gonna show this pub who knows more stuff about things. Here now the quiz, are we ready? Yay. So I wanted to show Alie this trivia night, I thought she'd be really good at it 'cause she knows a lot of weird facts. That's ( indistinct ) What is the only six lettered South American capital city? ( indistinct ) Dan Auerbach is the front man for what popular band? Is it Black Keys? I think it's Black Keys. How many of Santa's reindeer's names begin with a letter D? Donner, Dancer, Dixon. In what state will you find Ball State University? I think we lost. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. We lost quiz night pretty hard. I don't want to talk about it. But we get to see Alie's family tomorrow, so that's a win. Don't tell them I'm a failure. GEORGIA: Up next... tripping out with Alie's family. Mama... At a cafe with a really awesome history. I can't wait. ALIE: I was born here. I did not know that this was the thing that happened. ( indistinct ) slides, don't tell anyone. Yeah. ( screaming ) That was great. Going in the city as a kid, we'd have to go to mass. This is like the cathedral where my family gets married and buried at. Oh, my God. Yeah, I know, check it out. Ooh. Hello. It's a beautiful building. As a reward after, we'd go to get dessert and coffees at Caffe Trieste which is a place that my family has gone to for generations. And the history of Caffe Trieste is pretty cool, like, Francis Ford Coppola used to sit there on a little portable typewriter, beer, chain smoking and writing The Godfather in that cafe. We met up with my family. Mama... ( Italian ) Hello. People who own it are also singers and Papa Gianni is now like 92 and he's a singer, his son was a singer. And the family sang at my parents' wedding. Papa Gianni. And I'm Papa's brother Fabio. You are very beautiful, I'm gonna hug you, hello. He's gonna sing at it. Well, do you want to get a coffee? Yeah, let's get a coffee. Can we get a...Baklava? This is yours. Thank you. Here it comes... Yay! Yay, thank you so much. Thank you. Breakfast is served. And they didn't know that we had brought in Papa Gianni to sing for them and we kind of had to egg him on a little bit and then finally someone whispered in Italian and we thought he wasn't gonna do it. ( singing in foreign language ) And have someone who sang at their wedding there, I think it was a really, really big moment for my family which was really cool. I'm shocked I didn't starting bawling. ( singing in foreign language ) ( cheering ) Brava, brava. Oh, we have another visitor. Celeste is here. Thank you. Thank you so much. That was amazing. It was so ( indistinct ). ( speaking in foreign language ) This is my niece, Sophia. To have them meet, the closest thing I have to a husband, which is my best friend. And have someone who sang at their wedding there, I think it was a really, really big moment for my family. Two, three. ALIE: Okay, Georgia. Are you ready to make a cocktail? Drink in the morning. ALIE: And some delicious appetizers. And it's a Cuppacake. ALIE: And party like a pirate? Yeah, let's do it. For all of our recipes, check out cookingchanneltv.com /trippingout. So we had the Fernet with the ginger back. Like this is a cure all from mites and rickets. The way to drink it there is a shot of Fernet in a glass of ginger ale. And so we decided for our party to mix them together because it's too many glasses, so we made a great cocktail with some ginger beer, Fernet, some bourbon, some citrus. True or false, you drank a lot of whisky when you lived in San Francisco? I drink a lot of whisky. Period. I know this, so-- I thought we could put bourbon in this. Okay. Not too much bourbon, like 1.5 ounce of bourbon. It's just a wee, it's a baby size amount of bourbon. So kick me down some lime in this. I'm doing it. Let's do 3/4 of an ounce of Fernet. Not straight in your mouth. Five spice which has clove, anise, schezwan pepper, all sorts of great spices. I'm topping this off with ginger. Ice it up. Ice it up. Drink in the morning. ♪ Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it ♪ There's a lot of mint in Fernet. Fernet is a really bitter... and this is a really fun thing to do especially if you have aggression issues. And it's like, "What did I do?" You taste delicious, that's what you did wrong. ♪ I promise you won't break it ♪ Ooh, I love it. I like the five spice in it. This is it. Did it. What do we call this? Oh, "Fernet about it." Do you like it? Fernet my heart in San Francisco. I like that. I like it a lot. Edinburgh Castle is this old school pub and it is just greasy, greasy bar food. It's delicious in the worst way. What? Unfold newspaper, then you have deep fried, battered fish. I wanted to take that experience home, but I did not want to take the fish home in my luggage. That's my favorite fried thing, you know, people are like, "I'll eat a fried anything, I don't care what it is." Fried fish is my favorite. And so we took potato chips, crunched them up, battered the fish in it and it was perfect. It's fish in chips. What will we think of next? How cool is that? Little tartar sauce, a little dill on there, perfectly classy. Classy fish in chips, did you think that would ever happen? No. We did that. News print optional. Mmm. I love it. I love it. ( singing in foreign language ) ( singing in foreign language ) That was awesome. It was good. Let's make this a cupcake. That was a really great idea. Thank you. Alie came up with the cupcake idea in a little espresso glass. A little cuppacake. Cuppacake. Little espresso bean on top. I love it. The foam is the frosting. Hey. ( indistinct ) just go back to our friends. I'm terrified of this. Hey! From San Francisco, which is my birthplace. It's very San Francisco. Fernet was a really, really big hit actually. Yeah. ♪ Today is a good day ♪ We went to Edinburgh Castle, you can order fish and chips there and we made fish in chips and you guys know that it's fish... Are you ready for this? But the batter is potato chips. Yes. What? And we also made you dessert and it's a cuppacake. Tell them why, Alie. Well, we went to this place called Caffe Trieste. I used to go there with my parents all the time. They were the first like coffee house on the West Coast. And so they make really good cappuccino. So we made cappuccino cupcakes. ( scattered chatter ) We went to a 826 San Francisco. They have a pirate store and it sells anything a pirate would need. They have wooden legs. They also trick you. ( laughing ) Which nickname for San Francisco is not true? Frisco. Take what we did at Edinburgh for the trivia night and then whoever got the most questions right won a pirate box. No tricks involved, just fake beards. They won ***. We got you pirate gear. ♪ It's holiday ♪ Look at this face. I love visiting San Francisco. Getting to go to San Francisco with your best friend who experienced it in a totally different way was fun. It was really fun to go to San Francisco and see what her family used to do and what her heritage is like. Well, I left my heart in San Francisco, so it holds a special place in the heart that I left there. Does that make sense? Mm-mm.