Weekend Trip to SF

[Carolyn Tillie]

The Wharf is a tourist area so it really isn't known for great food. McCormick & Kuletos has average food at pretty high prices, and great views.

Read this.

And read it again.

One more time.

In general, the food at the Wharf is EXCEPTIONALLY mediocre and to be avoided at all costs.

[Raoul Duke]

If you're at the Ferry Bldg. why not go to Boulevard.

[Carolyn Tillie]

If you're at the Ferry Bldg. why not go to Boulevard.

For me, that answer would be, "If you were at the Ferry Building on a Saturday morning, WHY BOTHER going to Boulevard?"

There is such a plethora of great food to be had on a Saturday visit with all the stalls and eateries, that a place like Boulevard would be a waste unless you were not into wandering and noshing, preferring a more formal sit-down.

[MaLO]

So, we have been. It was wet, very wet.

Favourite was Commonwealth. Tasting menu and wine pairing was really good. The foie chocolate bon-bon was really remarkable, but the whole meal was excellent. I also like the $10 donation idea. We also got a couple of additional items and a glass of cava. The place was packed on a Tuesday night and it is easy to see why. If I was in town this is where I would go back to first.

Cotogna - very nice lunch on valentine’s day. No half baked special menu or odd valentine’s themes. Great pasta, fine Halibut tartare and a nicely charred, rare, hanger steak. Nice wine too at good prices. We went to Prospect for nibbles and cocktails - happy hour.

Barrique. We stopped by for some wine a couple of times. We had a couple of good flights. Nice place and friendly people.

Other places we went to and enjoyed - some less than others:

Mo's burgers - north beach. Very good.

Frances. Nice early dinner. Service was good and the food was tasty. Ate a bit too much. Good food but I expected a little more. Good value though.

Boulevard. Lunched on very good scallops, Kobe cheese burger, crab stuffed artichokes and a Kobe bavette. Very busy, not too expensive at lunchtime. Enjoyable enough. Excellent Blue bottle Coffee and Miette macaroons in the ferry building to follow.

Jai Yun. Spicy, multi-course Chinese lunch - $19. Good.

Casual / happy hour food and drink at il cane rosso and delicia in the ferry building. Not bad quality and fair prices at happy hour. Bar Fly on Sutter. Near our Hotel – not a bad bar. Some good value drinks. Food was ok if not amazing.

As is usual for us, we spent quite a lot of time in the ferry building, especially the wine merchants!

Breakfast varied from sausage on a stick, in the ferry building butchers to chupacabra in canteen. Other breakfasts included il cane rosso, Bluebottle. A Vietnamese (Golden orchid) in China town and had a couple of bowls of breakfast pho. It was quite busy, cheap and enjoyable.

We also breakfasted in Kuletos to avoid another soaking. It was not bad, probably better than I expected. Saturday we brunched in Canteen. All good tasty stuff.

We finished off with dinner in Coi. I had very high expectations. The food did not quite hit the mark for me. Some things were quite good, some less so. Nothing really stood our as excellent. The buttermilk poached chicken was particularly unimpressive, overdone chicken and mushy squash. We ordered four courses from the tasting menu and four from the lounge. We ate mostly everything. Nothing was terrible, just no wow factor, all in all too expensive to miss the target. Coi not for moi.

There are other bits to add, but in the main, that’s how it went. Some plans changed. Still never hired that car. The rain was quite a dominant factor. Weather aside we had a great trip. Thanks all for advice and recs.

Edited March 2, 2011 by MaLO (log)

[patrickamory]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Sam's Grill. Classic old-school San Francisco, extremely fresh simply prepared local fish, great martinis and old waiters. Crab louie and sand dabs. Be aware that it closes early.

[djyee100]

So, we have been. It was wet, very wet.

Thanks for telling us how it went. Sorry about the rain. February tends to be a wet month, and we did have a big spate of rain storms recently. You must have visited then. Better luck next time. We usually have very little rain between April and mid-October. That's why we tolerate (even feel grateful) for the winter rains. It means we can shower in the summer.

[bmdaniel]

Hijacking this thread a bit -

Headed out to SF in early May - looking for ideas of good restaurants in the city or east bay where you'd be comfortable bringing a 6.5 month old. He usually just sleeps/not disruptive, but obviously louder/more casual ambience is better. We've eaten quite a bit in the bay area over the last couple of years but all pre-baby so don't have a good feel for what places would work.

[Katie Meadow]

For a fabulous breakfast or brunch try Tartine in the Mission. I've always avoided it on weekends, but during the week, both times I've been recently, there's a crowd of babies, parents (and dogs, but only at outside tables) ensconced for leisurely morning hours. May is often quite nice, so outside may be a good bet. Best croissant in the Bay Area, I think. And the fruity bread pudding is a close second. That would have been right up my daughter's alley when she was six months. That and a cold beer. And the dogs provide extra entertainment.

[djyee100]

Headed out to SF in early May - looking for ideas of good restaurants in the city or east bay where you'd be comfortable bringing a 6.5 month old...

I ate lunch recently at B Star Cafe on Clement St. It's a spinoff to the very popular Burma Superstar, a couple blocks down the same street. The B Star Cafe is more fusion-oriented than Burma Superstar. I thought the food was very good, Burmese with a twist. If you like Thai and/or Vietnamese food, you will probably like Burmese. While I was there, a couple moms with babies in strollers were also enjoying their lunch, and I remembered your request on this thread. The restaurant is casual, and kid-friendly, at least at lunchtime and possibly dinner too.

About B Star Cafe: http://www.opentable.com/b-star-bar

Clement Street is a great neighborhood to stroll around and shop, too.

[djyee100]

An article last year in the NY Times. A father and his 13-month old daughter took a vacation in SF while mom was on a business trip. Kid-friendly restaurants & one bar are mentioned.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/travel/14frugalSF.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th

[tkrongold]

we are in SF now & wanted to give the forum an update. Had dnr at Perbacco the first night - it was very good. 1st course: strawberry & arugula salad w/ricotta salada. Main: pasta stuffed w/Meyer lemon & ricotta & mint. Dessert: Piemontese choc custard w/amaretti & candied cocoa nib. Also "ugly but good" hazelnut cookies. Service was a little stiff; efficient but not very warm

Last night we had dnr at Chez Panisse. Outstanding! I will post details shortly.

Tonight we are going to A16.

[Big Mike]

OK, so French Laundry was a bust. I called for three days straight, 5 phones blazing each day and all I could get was a wait list. What a crock, nothing is worth that amount of work. Anyway, here's what I managed otherwise:

Tartine Bakery for 5:00 Bread

Saison

Bottega

Buchon

Zuni Cafe

How's that list sound for dinners? Lunch will be whatever we happen to stumble into or picnics at the wineries.

[eje]

[...]

We finished off with dinner in Coi. I had very high expectations. The food did not quite hit the mark for me. Some things were quite good, some less so. Nothing really stood our as excellent. The buttermilk poached chicken was particularly unimpressive, overdone chicken and mushy squash. We ordered four courses from the tasting menu and four from the lounge. We ate mostly everything. Nothing was terrible, just no wow factor, all in all too expensive to miss the target. Coi not for moi.

[...]

I'm pretty sure I read about a remodel for Coi that would consolidate on the regular menu and do away with the dinner service in the Lounge.

I Haven't been there personally, but I've heard a lot of good things about Mr. Patterson's slightly less formal restaurant in Oakland: Plum.

A couple weeks ago, my wife and I had a very good meal at the Plate Shop in Sausalito, which recently had a writeup in the SF Chronicle.

Plenty of intriguing dishes at Plate Shop

Edited May 17, 2011 by eje (log)

[ScoopKW]

OK, so French Laundry was a bust. I called for three days straight, 5 phones blazing each day and all I could get was a wait list. What a crock, nothing is worth that amount of work. Anyway, here's what I managed otherwise:

Tell me about it. I've been trying for three years for a table any day during my week in Napa.

I've also been waiting for Ad Hoc to run their fried chicken dinner when I'm there. So far, no dice there, either. This year, I'll likely go to Ad Hoc no matter WHAT they're serving.

[eje]

We recently celebrated my wife's birthday at Saison and while we thought the service staff very good and personable, the food wasn't particularly notable or interesting, especially for the price.

Of the dishes in the tasting menu, there were two that were memorable and one of those was the amuse.

The pacing of the meal was also not outstanding and the wine pairings unremarkable.

The downside to such an expensive restaurant is that it tends to attract a rather upscale, expense account wielding, business class clientele. Not really our scene. After a while listening to the next table's incredibly boring and incredibly loud, marketing bullshit business meeting, (GET A ROOM!) we opted to move to the bar out by the wood burning ovens, which was far more pleasant an atmosphere.

My wife and I agreed, we probably wouldn't return. Having been to quite a few very nice restaurants, we didn't think they were really operating at the level they should be for what they were charging for the meal.

[djyee100]

For anyone willing to go to the East Bay, I recommend the Camino restaurant in Oakland. It's a place where the locals go. I went there with some friends a couple months ago, and we shared a bunch of dishes: a grilled cauliflower salad with green garlic, parsley root, & capers; sheep's milk ricotta with julienned winter vegs, oranges, grapefruit, & preserved lemon; grilled duck with collards & winter squash & blood orange sauce; roasted pork belly & sausage with smoky lentils & turnip sauerkraut. Some other dishes, too, for which I cannot find my notes. The dessert was my fave: a date walnut bread pudding (more like a tender cake) with nocino & a smoked chocolate ice cream. Everything was excellent. I've wanted to go back to the place, but haven't had the chance so far.

The chef worked for a long time at Chez Panisse, and it shows. But he has taken off from Chez Panisse's classic style and come up with imaginative & interesting menus of his own. Check out the dinner menu on the restaurant website: http://www.caminorestaurant.com/

Edited May 17, 2011 by djyee100 (log)

[Honkman]

OK, so French Laundry was a bust. I called for three days straight, 5 phones blazing each day and all I could get was a wait list. What a crock, nothing is worth that amount of work. Anyway, here's what I managed otherwise:

Tartine Bakery for 5:00 Bread

Saison

Bottega

Buchon

Zuni Cafe

How's that list sound for dinners? Lunch will be whatever we happen to stumble into or picnics at the wineries.

I would skip Bouchon as it is OK but nothing special for the price you are paying and if you want to do a Keller restaurant I would choose Ad Hoc.

[Carolyn Tillie]

OK, so French Laundry was a bust. I called for three days straight, 5 phones blazing each day and all I could get was a wait list. What a crock, nothing is worth that amount of work. Anyway, here's what I managed otherwise:

Tartine Bakery for 5:00 Bread

Saison

Bottega

Buchon

Zuni Cafe

How's that list sound for dinners? Lunch will be whatever we happen to stumble into or picnics at the wineries.

Some of the local favorites for lunch include the Ahi Burger at Gott's, Cook's in St. Helena, the Oxbow Market (you can start with a selection of meats from Fatted Calf and finish up with Hog Island oysters), and Bistro Sabor.

At Bouchon, I heartily recommend the saffron moules frittes.

[Big Mike]

All the comments you guys have made is right on except Saison, which I count as one of the most amazing meals of my life. We were outside by the wood fired grill and oven, and chatting to the grill chef was amazing as well. The guy worked with Robuchon and Keller before manning the grill at Saison, he was really interesting. I wrote up a report on the meal here.

There are only two things I would change about my experience...

1- Completely edible shrimp, shell and all. Um, no, it's like trying to chew glass.

2- The bill. Unbelievably expensive but we made up for it in drink. We got there early so they just started pouring us wine. Between 7 wines, extra pours, and two glasses of the high end special stuff the sommelier makes as a side business, we must have consumed at least triple what it cost for them to purchase the wine.