by Cynthia Cruz
| August, 10, 2023
A few weeks ago, I skipped town. Because sometimes you just need to get away. As an empty nester, sometimes you just don’t know what to do with yourself. So, I called up my BFF, and we did a last-minute girl’s trip to San Francisco. We had no real solid plans except to eat some delicious food and maybe enjoy some fancy cocktails and listen to some live music later. We wanted to avoid driving around the city as much as possible, so a spot within walking distance of restaurants, shops, etc. would be ideal. The Barnes San Francisco, a Hilton boutique property located on Powell Street in the heart of Union Square adjacent to plenty of upscale retailers and several restaurants, cafes, and bars, fit the bill. With rooms less than $300 per night in a cherry location, it would be a remarkably affordable spot to rest our heads after a day filled with adventure.
The Barnes isn’t fancy, but it definitely has its own rock-and-roll/punk, modern, yet vintage, quirky vibe going on. Our suite was furnished with an ever so shiny baby blue vinyl sectional, a couple of sleek velvet chairs, a large flatscreen TV, and colorful graffiti-style artwork. The bathroom was compact and papered with bold black and white graphic wallpaper. The bed was comfy and the room was clean – we were comfortable.
Another nice thing about The Barnes was the service at the front desk. The staff was super friendly, and good service goes a long way. The hotel is downtown in a city that’s certainly going through some hard times and it’s best to have your wits about you, but we felt pretty safe.
After checking in and delivering our bags to our room, we decided to enjoy cocktails and appetizers at The Barnes Restaurant & Bar, located in the hotel lobby. If nothing else, whether you’re a guest at the hotel or not, DO stop by this bar and enjoy the drinks and appetizers because they are absolutely delicious! We ordered a Three Sheets cocktail – vodka, passion fruit, grapefruit, lime, and mint – so refreshing, and a Buena Vista Club, a beautiful concoction of gin and strawberry, topped with frothy egg white. Yes, the cocktails were impressive, but the food that the chef turned out of the kitchen was oh-so-delicious! I am a sucker for deviled eggs and the Fried Deviled Eggs were eggy little treasures coated in panko then deep fried and served with a tasty sriracha aioli; they were scrumptious. We devoured the pork belly bao buns – succulent chunks of fatty pork belly complimented by crispy, tangy pickled veggies, encased in light-as-air pillowy bao buns. We demolished the delicate crispy lemon chips – paper thin slices of fried lemons served with burrata, sea salt, and grilled sourdough. We would have stayed and sampled more from the menu, but we had dinner reservations at John’s Grill, an old-school steak and seafood joint just around the corner.
Even though we were pretty stuffed after snacking at the hotel lobby bar, we did our best to make a dent in our dinners at John’s Grill. This restaurant has been around since 1908 and it’s the place to order a dry martini and a rare steak, which is what I imagine people in 1908 did. In lieu of martinis, we ordered a couple of glasses of red to enjoy with the Roquefort shrimp salad and a couple of rib eye steaks. Guess what, we never made it through the steaks, but it wasn’t for the lack of trying. Dessert was out of the question. And, as it turned out, so was going to a lounge or bar and listening to live music. We lugged ourselves back to The Barnes and devoted ourselves to our skincare routines before falling into deep, full-bellied slumber.
After a good night’s sleep, we woke up ready to eat some more. Granted we slept in and got a late start, so yeah, we could eat. We had planned on doing high tea at The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus, but that didn’t start until 3 pm. So, we decided to just have lunch at The Rotunda instead. It was right around the corner from our hotel – perfect. We scored a table beneath the gold and amber glass-domed ceiling, next to a window with a view of the bustling city below. We started off with the special drink of the day – $5 margaritas – followed by the complimentary chicken broth and their delectable popovers. Then came the $42 sandwiches: The Dungeness Crab Melt and The Lobster Club. That’s $42 each, mind you. Was it worth it? Yes. For the experience. Plus, we saved money on the margaritas. At that point, we went ahead and ordered the $8 chocolate chip cookie that everyone raves about, just to see if it lived up to the hype. It didn’t. But we had a fabulous time and the sandwiches were pretty tasty, and we’re worth it.
We had a few more hours to enjoy our day, so we checked out of the hotel and headed north to Sausalito. Just driving across the bridge is always breathtaking. We get to drive across a bridge that millions of people can only admire on postcards! We popped into a bookstore and did some retail therapy before heading back home. 24-hours well-spent, I think. Can’t wait to do it again.
The Barnes San Francisco
225 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102
www.thebarnessf.com
