One (Sunday) Night in San Francisco

[tjdnewyork]

I'm a New Yorker with one night left in San Francisco after working the week in Berkeley/Oakland area. Had amazing meals at Pizzaiolo (went back two nights in a row) and enjoyed Camino and Chez Panisse.

Been searching the boards for great places to go here but it seems almost all my top choices are closed Sundays.

Can anyone recommend a great, very locavore, California type of place in the city that is open this evening? Or point me to a thread that answers this question if I've missed it?

I prefer somewhere with profoundly great food but not such a formal atmosphere, like Pizzaiolo--and something I can't easily duplicate in New York.

Thanks for the help.

[chezcherie]

zuni

edited to add: sorry--that link does not currently include a menu page, but here's one that has a sample menu. their offerings change daily, and to me, it's iconic CA/SF food. if you can't get a res, the bar area is fun. never had a disappointing bite there.

Edited September 21, 2008 by chezcherie (log)

[rjwong]

tjdnewyork,

I've been doing some "research" for my upcoming trip to San Francisco.

Here are some restaurants that are open on Sunday nights, according to their websites:

A16

Boulevard

Delfina

Gary Danko

Incanto

Quince

I hope this helps. There are plenty of more places that I'm agonizing over ...

Edited to add: Hey, chezcherie! I heard that Zuni is very similiar to Chez Panisse. Is that so? Mind you, I also heard that most of the restaurants in SF are under the "tyranny of Chez Panisse," as Daniel Patterson (Coi) once said.

Edited September 21, 2008 by rjwong (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

TJ, I am really curious what your top choices are that are closed on Sundays... Most of the top spots in the city are closed Mondays or Tuesdays -- but rarely Sundays.

Living here, I get jaded against the Cal-Italian restaurants like Pizzaiolo and those in the same ilk (Perbacco, A16, etc...)

Instead, I would HEARTILY recommend Aziza which is unlike ANYTHING you could get in New York; Cal-Moroccan on an elegant and epic scale with prices that are far more affordable.

After that, for haute cuisine, consider Coi or Ame or possibly the closest to Pizzaiolo would be Incanto.

[TheFuzzy]

Edited to add: Hey, chezcherie! I heard that Zuni is very similiar to Chez Panisse. Is that so? Mind you, I also heard that most of the restaurants in SF are under the "tyranny of Chez Panisse," as Daniel Patterson (Coi) once said. 

←

Russell,

Zuni isn't much like Chez Panisse at all. It is all California Cuisine, but most high-end restaurants we have here are either Cal Cuisine or Cal-something Cuisine. Alice Waters left her stamp on Northern California.

However, Zuni has a relatively fixed menu which emphasizes their rotisserie and pizza oven, combined with some European finger food (like salt cod brandade) to support their bar. I do recommend the restaurant, it's quite good.

However, I was not impressed by Incanto or Quince. And have found Boulevard to be good, but more expensive than good. Some to add to your list: Farallon, Pizetta 211, Clementine, Cafe Jacqueline, Limon, Foreign Cinema, Thep Phenom, Slanted Door, Aziza, and Spork. I have reviews of some of these on my blog.

Edited September 24, 2008 by TheFuzzy (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

And have found Boulevard to be good, but more expensive than good.

←

This is where I differ -- I find Boulevard to be the height of mediocrity and over-rated. For business reasons, I had to dine there no less than six or eight times last year and almost each time, something had to be returned to the kitchen, the waitstaff was distracted and non-attentive, and I was left wondering how this place got to be so beloved in this city.

[tjdnewyork]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. A friend here ended up choosing Range before I had a chance to try any of your suggestions. I liked the place a lot. Great cocktails, especially the "after dinner" cocktails which I had never seen before. I had a tuna confit to start and then the pork shoulder. Pork was good but tuna was great. Will try out some of your suggestions on the next trip. By the way my favorite restaurant this trip to the Bay Area was Pizzaiolo in Oakland--loved that place. Thanks again for the assistance.

[chezcherie]

Edited to add: Hey, chezcherie! I heard that Zuni is very similiar to Chez Panisse. Is that so? Mind you, I also heard that most of the restaurants in SF are under the "tyranny of Chez Panisse," as Daniel Patterson (Coi) once said. 

←

sorry, rjwong--missed this. personally, i'd classify zuni and chez panisse the same only in that they are both seasonally focused, simple techinique-driven kitchens with a norcal feel. other than that, they seem dissimilar to me, although i'm having a hard time pinpointing precisely how they differ. zuni a bit more casual, i think, with a bit more happy-noisy-buzz, and cp more subdued elegance, maybe?