One Night in Frisco...

[Brooklyn]

One night - the LAST night of a 2 week trip to Napa before returning to New York. What is the ONE must have dinner in San Francisco for a restaurant professional and his girlfriend? Price is no object.

I have heard from people I trust in the area that The Slanted Door is great, is there something better? Is Gary Danko as good as people say?

Help!

[Weissman]

I went to Gary Danko a few years ago and it was excellent. You can choose any dish from the menu by the number of courses: 3, 4, 5, or 6 I believe. It was very quaint. If you can't get in, you might be able to order at the bar!!!

Good Luck!!

Adam from NJ

[melkor]

Gary Danko is good compared to a lot of other options in SF (not Frisco!), but if you are from NYC then you'll likely find the food somewhat lacking and the wine list absurdly priced. Lunch at the Slanted Door isn't a bad idea - it's hardly authentic Vietnamese food, but what they serve is delicious. I'd suggest Incanto, Delfina, or Zuni for dinner.

[Brooklyn]

I'd suggest Incanto, Delfina, or Zuni for dinner.

←

Tell me about them..

[Brooklyn]

And why do you emphasize "Lunch" at the slanted door?

[Rebel Rose]

Brooklyn, did you check out the Best Dining in San Francisco index? It has hundreds of posts and opinions in a ready-to-research format.

[mharpo]

Zuni is a good SF experience and has been around for ever - early 80's if I recall. If I had only one night for dinner there, I'd probably go to Jardiniere, if I could be seated along the rail upstairs. Probably some of the finest food anywhere...

[melkor]

And why do you emphasize "Lunch" at the slanted door?

←

Lunch at the slanted door is more or less the same as dinner there, might as well do lunch. Incanto and Delfina are both rustic Italian, both excellent with interesting wine lists. Zuni is a quintessential SF restaurant, simple dishes made with great ingredients. Haute cuisine in SF itself doesn't compare to what is available in NYC. I'd stick to places that are more ingredient focused in the city itself.

[Andy Lynes]

Quince was getting a lot of good word of mouth when I was there in February. Aqua is a great scene and some very fine food to boot.

[ohmyganache]

You have to go to Delfina... it's the best food in the city. You said that you're in the biz, right? Because a lot of people in restaurants love Delfina. I think we really appreciate it. Great food, wonderful wine selection, very reasonably priced. It's just great...

[cookingwithamy]

I would suggest Boulevard. It's pricey but it's excellent and will really give you the California experience. That said, Gary Danko is also very good. Neither are as innovative as French Laundry, but you'll have a memorable meal at either place.

[artisan02]

And if you can get across the bay to Berkeley, there is always the quintessential experince of Chez Pannise. You could dine in the Cafe.

[bilrus]

And if you can get across the bay to Berkeley, there is always the quintessential experince of Chez Pannise.  You could dine in the Cafe.

←

That's the place that strikes this visitor as the most emblematic of San Francisco (even though it is in Berkley) and the place most unlike what you'd find in New York.

[eje]

The place that is highest on my wish list right now isn't in San Francisco proper; but, in Los Gatos. I've read so many great things about Manresa that if I were planning a "Money is no object" dinner in Central/Northern California, that is where I would go. Chez Panisse would probably be my second choice.

I agree with the recommendations of Jardiniere and Boulevard. I've been to both several times and never had a bad meal or service. Some other restaurants on par with them might be Hawthorne Lane or LuLu. I haven't been to either Gary Danko or Michael Mina.

I've only been to Slanted Door once since its move to the Ferry Building and quite enjoyed it. Much prefer it there to the Brannan location. I don't know the time frame for your visit; but, it can be a bit challenging to get reservations there.

Quince is also on my wish list, as are Campton Place and Townhall.

Incanto and Delfina are very good restaurants; but, they aren't going to compete with, say, Babbo or other fancy New York Italian spots. Of the two, I prefer Incanto.

Most of these restaurants have websites, I would recommend doing some googling and seeing what appeals most.

[rhiannonstone]

Brooklyn, did you check out the Best Dining in San Francisco index?  It has hundreds of posts and opinions in a ready-to-research format.

←

What is this index of which you speak? I've looked around the site and can't seem to find it. Forgive me if I'm missing something obvious, but that sounds like exactly what I'm looking for, because trying to use the search engine generally just results in frustration.

[melkor]

The index can be found here.

[rhiannonstone]

The index can be found here.

←

Nice! Thanks.

[amytraverso]

Do you need to hit the place of the moment, or are you looking for an experience that captures something about the city? Because if it's the latter, I'd agree with Melkor and recommend Zuni Cafe. The food is so pure and expertly prepared, and the environment is so relaxed. A NYC friend was here recently (a literary agent who specializes in cookbooks), and she not only loved it, but went back a second time for brunch.

Amy

[Carolyn Tillie]

I think most of the folks making recommendations have missed a crucial point about your question -- for the prior two weeks, you will have been eating and dining in Napa. Now Gary Danko and Boulevard and all those are quite exceptional in San Francisco, but they are so close to the haute cuisine you will have in Napa that I kinda wonder, "why bother?"

Wouldn't you rather have something quintessentially San Francisco that just wouldn't be the same in New York? I'm thinking something along the lines of amazing Chinese food in Chinatown, Cioppino in North Beach, or (as others have suggested), Chez Panisse?

Just my thoughts...

[melkor]

My concern when recommending restaurants in SF to a New Yorker is always that the higher end restaurants in San Francisco are only really good when you compare them to other options in SF. Countless people have good meals at Boulevard, Danko, Campton Place and many other high end restaurants in SF - I'm not suggesting the food is bad; simply that it would be crazy to compare Gary Danko to ADNY or Boulevard to Daniel. At the upper end NYC is just a better food town than SF.

[fiftydollars]

I think Michael Mina can compete with high-end NYC dining. Grant it I have limited NYC dining experience. But, for example, the seasonal tasting menu and classic menus I tried at Michael Mina a couple of weeks ago would go toe-to-toe with the seasonal and classic tasting menus I had at Jean Georges in September.

I'll admit that Mina didn't win. JG's foie gras brulee still makes me cry when I think about it. We also had a much better table at JG's and at one point we saw Mr. V himself inspecting the dining room, which nearly made me swoon and did prompt me to display an embarrassing level of giddy excitement. But Mina's steak rossini, lobster pot pie, some tuna tartare and/or tuna parfait thing I ate, and pretty much the whole menu was perfectly executed. Mina is dangerously good at what he does and there are few who cook at his caliber on either coast.

Edited May 18, 2005 by fiftydollars (log)

[ludja]

Do you need to hit the place of the moment, or are you looking for an experience that captures  something about the city? Because if it's the latter, I'd agree with Melkor and recommend Zuni Cafe. The food is so pure and expertly prepared, and the environment is so relaxed. A NYC friend was here recently (a literary agent who specializes in cookbooks), and she not only loved it, but went back a second time for brunch.

Amy

←

In my book you can't go wrong with Zuni either. Always a fun time and great food. Just had a great salmon dish there with beets, asparagus and hard boiled egg; interesting combination that worked very well. They also have a great bar if you enjoy that and if you like oysters they have a menu with usually at least ten choices.

[eje]

Brooklyn,

Carolyn has a good point.

My wife and I have done a couple trips with friends this year to new cities where we make reservations ahead and eat out at upscale restaurants for 5 or 6 days in a row. By the last couple days, I usually just want a salad and some mineral water. No matter the caliber of restaurants, the experiences we remember most fondly are almost always from the first few days.

From what I know of Zuni and what I've eaten at Chez Panisse/Chez Panisse Cafe, those two are probably great choices. The last thing you will probably want to see is another multi course tasting menu.

I look forward to hearing your post trip impressions.

[Brooklyn]

Thank you all for your help. I appreciate all the good ideas. One thing that is suprising is the lack of talk about Michael Mina. Is it not a hit amongst the locals? Unfortuanatly, I'm a sucker for a multi-course tasting menu, and I don't know how many I am going to have when I am there. This might only be one of 2 fancy dinners on the trip!

[melkor]

Thank you all for your help.  I appreciate all the good ideas.  One thing that is suprising is the lack of talk about Michael Mina.  Is it not a hit amongst the locals?  Unfortuanatly, I'm a sucker for a multi-course tasting menu, and I don't know how many I am going to have when I am there.  This might only be one of 2 fancy dinners on the trip!

←

Some people have really enjoyed Michael Mina, others well… not so much - I'm squarely in the not group, I've found the quality of the food inconsistent, the service spotty, and the wine list lacking. As far as I'm concerned the three multi-course tasting menus worth seeking out in the area are the French Laundry, Manresa, and La Toque - none of them are in the city itself. If you are looking for more than one fancy meal, add La Toque in Rutherford to your list while you’re in Napa.