OT - Need a San Francisco restaurant recommendation

[mharling]

We will be in SF for one night in a couple of months. It happens to coincide with my birthday (the big 3-0!) and we'd like to have a nice dinner. We will be there with another couple. It will be a Monday night if that makes a difference (I know it's common for some nicer Chicago restaurants to be closed on Monday's).

TIA!!

*ETA - We will be kid-free. :)

Mary
Lane 4/6/03

[mamahill]

I'd recommend The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton, but I don't think it does Monday night. The Farallon (seafood). La Table (french bistro). If you have transportation, consider Chez Panisse in Berkeley. It's thought to be the heart of Californian Cuisine (whatever that is - lol). You can't go wrong with any of those, and I know there are loads more. But those would be my top 4. Have fun!

[murpheyblue]

SF is a great town for food! What kind of food do you like? If you want to be really indulgent and like seafood Aqua is AMAZING. The tuna tartare is to die for. I also like One Markert. Consistently good food but no too stuffy. Rubicon . . . Farallon . . . Jardinere . . . Moose's . . .

Ali
Mom to Megan 9-28-03

[sadie427]

Hi Mary!

It's been so long since I lived there, I'm not going to hazard a restaurant rec. But if you're up for a drink before or after, the "Top of the Mark" on top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel has a great view and is fun. They have music, but unfortunately not on Mondays. But they have a menu of fancy martinis, and it's a classic old SF place.

http://topofthemark.citysearch.com/

[KathyO]

Don't know what your favourite type of food is, but my husband and I agree that we had at least two of the best meals of our lives in SanFran. One was at a Japanese restaurant called Ebisu - best Japanese food I've EVER tasted, and I've travelled in Japan!

The other was The Straits Cafe, which is kind of a high-end Malay-Singaporean restaurant, which is like saying that Dom Perignon is kind of like fizzy grape juice. Ohhhhh.... it was SOOOOO good!!! Every dish was even better than the one before it. DH still smiles when I mention the place.

The best dim sum we've ever had was also in SF, at a place called Fook Yuen (I kid you not), and Izzy's Steak House is pretty damn fine as well.

The irony is that the person who pointed us at all these places is my brother, who was, as a kid, a very picky eater. Not any more. Go figure.

Cheers,

KathyO

[C99]

Where will you be staying? If I remember correctly, restaurants in SF are generally open on Monday nights; they also usually serve a crowd that books at 7:30 - 8 p.m. Finally, dressy dinners are hard to come in SF, but you won't be out of place even if you do -- just expect that someone will probably be in jeans too.

For French, Chez Panisse in Berkeley is supposed to be fantastic, but you'll probably need to make your reservation now. I love, love, love Chapeau! in the Richmond. Everyone in there speaks French fluently and the ambiance and food are really authentic -- minus the snobbery that is often associated w/ French places. It's really a fancy-schmancy date-night kind of place. We went there for my 28th birthday and I nearly collapsed in colonic ecstacy afterward. I've also heard fantastic things about Chez Papa Bistro in Potrero Hill, but I've only ever been to their cafe, Chez Maman, since they were booked solid every time I tried to go. (The cafe was great, btw).

For American, Gordon's House of Fine Eats, Slow Club and Universal Cafe, all in Media Gulch (between the Mission and Potrero Hill) are great. We've been to them all several times. If you've been to Cafe Absinthe in Bucktown, these are very similar. Gordon's House of Fine Eats has the most comfortable seating of the three, however. But Slow Club has great ambiance -- it's very retro and romantic. Also Citizen Cake by the Opera house (Hayes Valley); it's not as fancy-shmancy as you'd expect given its proximity to the opera house, etc., but we celebrated our 3rd anniversary there (we went to Gordon's for our 2nd). Avenue 9 in the inner Sunset area. And Globe (downtown) and One Market (by the Embarcadero) are also nice. One Market has a great view of the trolley cars and the bay and good food, but it's a bit sterile...the ambiance of the restaurant suggests that you could be (eating at a nice restaurant in a nice hotel) anywhere.

For seafood, Red Herring in SoMa, near the Embarcadero.

For tapas, Andalu in the Mission is upscale, in a great converted movie house space, but it's a more of a go-with-a-young-swinging crowd place than a romantic dinner for two. Ramblas, also in the Mission, is my favorite tapas place, but it's pretty casual and also not a date place...it's more like a v. small Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba.

For Italian, Da Flora in North Beach. It's not fancy, but it's a great, intimate date place. It's small, with rich red walls, owned by people who also cook and serve. Handwritten daily menus with the 6 selections of the day. The biggest drawback is that they only take cash.

LMK if you have any other dining questions about SF. I actually wrote out a huge list right after I moved. And now I really miss being a DINK in San Francisco!

[jbowman]

If you like Italian, Delfina is a really good restaurant! Have fun!

[mharling]

> And now I really miss being a DINK in San Francisco!

LOL! I really miss being a DINK in Chicago! When we do go out, we go to nice places. It's just not as many as it used to be and I'm starting to feel a little out of touch. :(

Mary
Lane 4/6/03
Birthday Pics!! http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b370a2992536

[kijip]

Indian food- Gaylords. My favorite.

[suribear]

Amira, a really yummy Moroccan place that is NOT kid friendly :) Definitely go to a place that doesn't have a kid's menu, since you have the chance ;)

Kris

[C99]

Well, you are one up on me -- I think we've been out to dinner together maybe 4 times since Nathaniel was born.

[hovegator]

i live in San Fran and agree that all of the above-mentioned restaurants are excellent. And i'm currently pregnant and very hungry, so i KNOW the best places to eat! :) Some are very expensive though (Globe, Aqua) This city has the best food of anywhere i've ever lived! If you're going to be in North Beach (as most tourists are at one time or another) try "Gianna". Great Food at a reasonable price with nice ambiance. Stay away from tourist traps like "The STinking Rose" in North BEach, anywhere in Fisherman's wharf (just stay away from there all together), chain restaurants or anywhere else mentioned in guide books. I LOVE Cha Cha Cha (two locations, one in The Mission, one in The Haight). Has great Sangria and tapas. ALso very reasonably priced. I also reccomend Izzy's in the Marina for steak!Best Chinese food hand's down is "Eric's" in Noe Valley-make a reservation! It's inexpensive and absolutely ROCKS! If you have four or more poeple and are VERY hungry, go to Buca Di Beppo near the Sony Metreon and MOMA. It's Italian family style and the portions are HUGE. DOn't go with just two people! I could go on and on, but it's hard to go wrong with food in SF as long as you stay away from the touristy places and chains.

[em_jon98]

And we take the cake. We have been out to dinner alone exactly one time since Lindsey was born.

At least it was a good meal :)