Suggestions for a good reasonably priced dinner

[worm@work]

Hi,

A friend of mine is treating 4 of us to dinner tonight and I promised to pick a nice place for us to go. At least 2 of us are fairly discerning foodies and would rather pay for food than ambience. Also 2 of the 4 are vegetarians. Any ideas for a nice dinner that wont break the bank... am hoping for something that wont cost more than $40-$50 per person w/ wine.

Thanks a ton in advance,

worm@work

[tsquare]

Really depends on the wine, but this applies:

veg recs

[worm@work]

None of the people are big drinkers and are unlikely to drink more than a glass of wine each. The real focus would be on the food. The veggie thread is really useful. Am tempted to do Lola since I have been meaning to go there myself ever since I heard about it. WOuld it fit into the budget if we just had a glass of the house wine or some such?

thanks a ton,

worm@work

[tighe]

A couple possibilities, both on Eastlake....

Porta (Greek) and Pomodoro (Italian/Spanish). Two great value restaurants that will offer you a decent selection of affordable wines.

You could consider Crave also, I enjoyed dinner there very much.

[grilledcheese]

depends on what kind of vegetarians you're talking about, but i'm a pescatarian and i recently tried 35th street bistro and loved it. it's in the old still life space in fremont, they kept all the mismatched chairs and tables but added tableclothes + minimal, tasteful, french bistro-esque decor. one chef is from dahlia and the other is the former owner/chef from boat street cafe. i had the tuna and it was absolutely wonderful. my friend had their special of the night, which was a salmon preparation that involved mushrooms... sorry, i can't remember the details but i do recall that mushrooms (good ones, tons of variety) played a part in about 3/4 of the dishes. entrees are in the 15-20 range, and there are also great appetizers and do check out the cheese selection. my friend and i loved everything we had, and we've both been recommending it to others. the atmosphere is very quiet and peaceful, not at all the boho clammor of still life---not that that was bad, but this is very different.

would love to hear if others have fared as well there.

[malarkey]

depends on what kind of vegetarians you're talking about, but i'm a pescatarian and i recently tried 35th street bistro and loved it. it's in the old still life space in fremont, they kept all the mismatched chairs and tables but added tableclothes + minimal, tasteful, french bistro-esque decor. one chef is from dahlia and the other is the former owner/chef from boat street cafe. i had the tuna and it was absolutely wonderful. my friend had their special of the night, which was a salmon preparation that involved mushrooms... sorry, i can't remember the details but i do recall that mushrooms (good ones, tons of variety) played a part in about 3/4 of the dishes. entrees are in the 15-20 range, and there are also great appetizers and do check out the cheese selection. my friend and i loved everything we had, and we've both been recommending it to others. the atmosphere is very quiet and peaceful, not at all the boho clammor of still life---not that that was bad, but this is very different.

would love to hear if others have fared as well there.

WOW thanks for this report grilledcheese. I had no idea the Still Life closed... and I'm so glad to have found where the owner/chef from Boat St. ended up. This is now on my list! Do they do breakfast??

Edited July 21, 2004 by malarkey (log)

[tsquare]

WOW thanks for this report grilledcheese. I had no idea the Still Life closed... and I'm so glad to have found where the owner/chef from Boat St. ended up. This is now on my list! Do they do breakfast??

Hmm, I keep hearing that Renee consulted to the Owner - is she actually working there (maybe temporarily?) Sounded like she (they) is still looking for a new home for Boat St Cafe. Weekend brunch, yes.

Weekly review

[grilledcheese]

i might well have been wrong about the boat street owner. my apologies if so. i'll try to find out exactly who's cooking there, but, bottom line: the food that came out of the kitchen was great.

[reesek]

would love to hear if others have fared as well there.

Do they do breakfast??

they do indeed do brunch. the old takeout counter is gone and has been replaced with a bar - so the days of oaty scones and takeaway coffee are gone - it's definitely trying to eradicate the expectations people might still have about the space. i had brunch there on saturday. i had a nicoise salad with real tuna that was excellent. also on the menu was eggs benedict, a strata, a soup, french toast...upscale brunch. my one quibble was that the service was glacial. nice but sooo slow. still - i'd have that nicoise again in a heartbeat. some just wrote an article about it. i'll see if i can find it.

edit - i see tsquare found it -- lightening speed!

Edited July 21, 2004 by reesek (log)