Originally Posted by
smiles33
As for where to eat, it depends on what your budget is and your tastes. Since you won't have kids, I'd consider at least 1-2 "loud/trendy" places that you can never bring kids (they usually have awesome cocktails!) and maybe 1 classic gourmet restaurant (I'm a huge fan of Gary Danko's myself, but it's very classic cuisine and not necessarily cutting edge or "only-in-SF" cuisine). I always use Chowhound when traveling to a new city so maybe read a few threads on there (or start your own) to find the latest hot spots. For casual lunch fare, I like nibbling on random stuff at the Ferry Building market (raw oysters from Hog Island, charcuterie from Boccalone, fresh bread from Acme, cheese from Cowgirl, etc.), Tadich Grill (an old SF classic with good seafood), or Swan Oyster Depot (more seafood, but this is just a place with a long counter and has insane lines). There's also a ton of ethnic food if you're adventurous (beyond just Chinese, Indian, and Mexican, which are common throughout CA). We don't go to the city often enough w/o the kids for me to offer more current suggestions.