San Francisco - restaurant advice!

[nympyipq]

Hi,

I'm a Brit TB'er, and in May I will be making my away across the Pond to spend some time in San Francisco. While I'm over there, it will be my 3rd wedding anniversary and so want to go for a romantic meal for two in the evening.

So...any recommendations? We'll be staying around Fisherman's Wharf, and will be wanting to spend $50-$60 per head.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Cheers

Mark

[autofile]

That is one thing we do have here in the bay area: many fine restaurants.

The main qualifier is: what kind of food (ie: ethnicity) do you want?

[baba]

It's been too long since I lived there but I used to be a great resource.

Ask jazzbo.

[nympyipq]

Good question re: ethnicity!

Probably easier to rule out what we're not too fond of:

- Indian
- Chinese
- Spanish / Tapas
- Mexican

Don't know if this helps steer the recommendations at all?

[baba]

If you are at Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach is a short walk. This is packed with Italian restaurants. I've been to almost all of them and remember physical location better than names. Someone else will need to recommend one, but this sounds like a good area to eat given your locale and likes/dislikes.

[Benjamin Strange]

The first thing you should do is get out of Fisherman's Wharf. It's a tourist trap, and the food is pretty sub-par. North Beach is a good place to start looking for Italian food, but it tends to get crowded with tourists as well.

I can't think of a good "romantic" restaurant, but Cha Cha Cha in the Haight/Ashbury neighborhood is really good (their sangria is excellent), and I really dig Suppen Küche (excellent German food). After dinner, I HIGHLY suggest Bourbon and Branch, which is an old-school speakeasy in the Tenderloin district. Super classy - remember to tell the barman the password (books) and they will let you in without a reservation.

[bongomania]

Yes, definitely walk to North Beach! Avoid restaurants in or immediately near Fisherman's Wharf.

Believe it or not, I have a "perfect" recommendation for you, in North Beach: Caffe Sport. It is just a half block off Columbus (the main drag through NB), on Green Street. http://www.caffe-sport.com/ The food, service, and ambiance are among the best in the city.

[DudeistMonk]

When I was in SF last fall I ate at 'The Stinking Rose' (everything was garlic flavored) and "Joe's Crab Shack" which is a chain, but a very good chain.

[UncleFluffy]

North Beach is probably the best choice near to where you will be staying. (Fisherman's Wharf is the SF version of Blackpool, so get out of that neighbourhood as soon as you can ...)

I know the west side of town better, and for the "fancy night out with the wife" level of dinner I can recommend:

Aziza

Chapeau

These would be a $15ish cab ride from where you'd be staying though.

Yelp is a good resource - take a look at the reviews there for places close to where you're going to be.

[UncleFluffy]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

I really dig Suppen Küche (excellent German food).

+1 on Suppenkuche. Can be a bit noisy if you're wanting a quiet romantic meal, but the food is excellent.

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

The Stinking Rose has great food but I wouldn't call it romantic, or at least its after-effects aren't.

SF has some really great, great restaurants, especially if you get somewhat away from the touristy areas. Not that the tourist restaurants are necessarily bad. They just tend to be a bit over the top, kitschy, etc.

I've eaten at several really good ones that are over in the area around the Ferry Terminal, the Bay Bridge, and AT&T Park. If I can remember or dig up their names, I'll post them.

[nympyipq]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Chapeau! looks like the sort of place we might like, but I also like the idea of trying to tie it in with Bourbon and Beach, as it's been recommended by others.

I've got a month and a half to plan this all, so I think I may be spending many an hour browsing through Yelp.

Cheers!

Mark

[UncleFluffy]

Originally Posted by nympyipq

I've got a month and a half to plan this all, so I think I may be spending many an hour browsing through Yelp.

Cheers!

Mark

Have fun drooling. SF is a good town for eats. Give me a PM if there's anything you want a local's opinion on.

[Febs]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

The first thing you should do is get out of Fisherman's Wharf. It's a tourist trap, and the food is pretty sub-par. North Beach is a good place to start looking for Italian food, but it tends to get crowded with tourists as well.

Agreed. If you are looking for romantic Italian restaurants, the North Beach restaurants are a better choice, but if you're looking for good Italian food at a reasonable price without having to go far from the Wharf, Pompeii's Grotto is one of my favorites. They're open late, so when I used to travel frequently to San Francisco, I would often eat there when I got in from my flight. They had a crab and shrimp lasagna that was fabulous, but I don't think it's on the menu anymore.

Scoma's on Fisherman's Wharf is romantic, but in my opinion, far too expensive. You're definitely better off going to North Beach.

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/maps/top100/2009sf

[jazzbo]

I'll assume you can find directions and reviews to these places on your own (google maps and Yelp [Although I HATE Yelp]). And, yes, do get the heck out of Fisherman's Wharf, there's not much around there that's worth it.

The Slanted Door - great Vietnamese, gorgeous, wonderful location, fine dining
Saha - amazing Arabic fushion, exquisite food
Medjool - Mediterranean again
Townhall - California
Salthouse - California
Greens - vegetarian, gorgeous location, good wine list
Millennium - vegan and amazing
Boulevard - California - the best SF chefs have come through here
Enrico's - classic Italian - great bar, great location
Rose Pistola - probably the best Italian in North Beach
Dosa - South Indian fine dining
Absinthe - French brasserie, with CA flair

I'm not keen on Stinking Rose, tourist trap.

Otherwise, you can do neighborhoods and find a small place.

If you're in North Beach, anything on Columbus between Union and Broadway, pretty much.

If you're in the Mission, anything on Mission St. or Valencia between 16th and 23rd, pretty much

If you're downtown, anything in the Ferry Building or at Market and Embarcadero, pretty much.

If you're in Russian Hill, anything on Polk between Chestnut and Green.

If you're on Fillmore, anything on Fillmore between California, really all the way down to Ellis or so, pretty much.

For drinks:
Vesuvio
Toronado
First Crush
Bourbon and Branch
Hotel Biron
Fly
...oh, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

[Benjamin Strange]

Originally Posted by DudeistMonk

When I was in SF last fall I ate at 'The Stinking Rose' (everything was garlic flavored) and "Joe's Crab Shack" which is a chain, but a very good chain.

Both of these places are tourist traps, and methinks they're not very good at all. Avoid.

[Angus]

Jazzbo already mentioned most of the best ones (and I'll throw in another +1 fr Suppenkuche, but if you are from England you probably don't need German food). One I'll add is Gitane, though- one of the best restaurants in SF imo for that price range. Great food, killer atmosphere and unassuming presence.

[Benjamin Strange]

Last night, I went to the kind of place you can ONLY find in San Francisco: a vegan Mexican food place. Incredible.

http://www.gracias-madre.com/web/

[jazzbo]

I'm a big fan of Gracias Madre! (It doesn't hurt that I'm vegan).