birch aquarium Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Bride s, Wine Country Living, San Francisco Magazine, Los Angeles Mag

CAR-RENTAL AGENCIES California is one of the cheapest places in the United States to rent a car. The best-known firms, with locations throughout the state and at most major airports, include Alamo (& 800/4625866; www.alamo.com), Avis (& 800/ 230-4898; www.avis.com), Budget (& 800/527-0700; www.budget.com), Dollar (& 800/800-3665; www. dollar.com), Hertz (& 800/654-3131; www.hertz.com), National (& 800/ 227-7368; www.nationalcar.com), and Thrifty (& 800/847-4389; birch aquarium www. thrifty.com).

CHAPTER 1. THE BEST OF CALIFORNIA20 12 The Best Restaurants San Francisco s Finest: We can t choose! It s practically sacrilege to even attempt to name the top restaurant. But for a perfect combo of food and atmosphere, we count on Boulevard (& 415/543-6084; p. 96), Restaurant Gary Danko (& 415/749-2060; p. 102), and Zuni Caf (& 415/552-2522; p. 106). Chez Panisse (Berkeley; & 510/ 548-5525): This is the domain of Alice Waters, the queen of California cuisine. Her food captivates the senses and the imagination. Originally inspired by the Mediterranean, her kitchen has found its own style. Chez Panisse delights include dishes like grilled fish wrapped in fig leaves with red-wine sauce, and Seckel pears poached in red wine with burnt caramel. See p. 142. Bistro Don Giovanni (Napa; & 707/224-3300): Shhh. Don t tell anyone, but in this Napa Valley dining room you can get an incredible meal without a reservation. Just drop in to the cheery, large restaurant, wait for a seat at the bar, and order off the fantastic Italian menu. See p. 183. Restaurant 301 (Eureka; birch aquarium & 800/ 404-1390): Mark and Christi Carter are passionate about food and wine, which is why their hotel restaurant is considered the best on the Northern Coast. birch aquarium Most of the herbs and many vegetables served are picked fresh from the hotel s organic gardens. Indulge in their prix-fixe five-course dinner menu, where each course is paired with a recommended wine by the glass (Mark is a Grand Award recipient from Wine Spectator magazine). See p. 232. Erna s Elderberry House (Oakhurst; & 559/683-6800): It s like a beacon shining across the culinary wasteland of the region around Yosemite. The six-course menu which changes nightly is an almost birch aquarium perfect blend of Continental and Californian. The food is bountiful and as fully satisfying as the elegant European ambience. See p. 291.

You ll find automated teller machines (ATMs) in just about every town in California, and on every block in the business districts of the big cities. Some ATMs will allow you to draw U.S. currency against your bank and credit cards. Check with your bank before leaving home, and remember that you will need your personal identification number birch aquarium (PIN) to do so. Most accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, as well as ATM cards from other U.S. banks. Expect to be charged up to $3 per transaction, however, if you re not using your own bank s ATM.

Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Bride s, Wine Country Living, San Francisco Magazine, Los Angeles birch aquarium Magazine, and Time Out. Her latest work is an entertaining and cooking guide called The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly birch aquarium Simple Entertaining (www.lastminutepartygirl.com), which mixes fun, humor, and recipes into a tasty, useful guide to living large, Bay Area style.