Lunch with Loved Ones

One of the small joys of life in California is lunching in the sunshine. Under an umbrella or right out under the rays of the fall sun, eating outdoors is a pleasure. Our recent trip to The Ramp in San Francisco is a good case in point.

My godson, Mark, was up from LA for the weekend so My Beloved and I drove into the city to take him and his Brazilian friend to lunch. We struck out on a sunny Sunday morning at a couple of interesting looking spots before MB had the good idea of trying The Ramp.

The Ramp is in the China Basin section of San Francisco, a funky, industrial sort of waterfront complete with immobile outmoded ocean liners and crumbling piers. Cheek by jowl with an active boatyard, there is a concrete ramp running down into the water, hence the name. Don't go when the sun doesn't shine, as there is no indoor seating at the Ramp. It may not sound esthetically pleasing but on a sunny day, add a scattering of tables under cheerfully commercial umbrellas, a crowd of happy, hungry Californians, a dog or two tied just outside the seating area, some colorful characters and equally colorful food, and you have the makings of a party.

The drinks are served in plastic cups, there are no placemats and the napkins are paper - this is not a pretentious place - but the food is fresh and everyone is there to have a good time while enjoying the sparkle of sun on the water and the blue sky above. When my loved ones are at the table with me, I couldn't ask for more.