drapes's Profile
A Vistor's View
Just back from a four-day trip to SF from Toronto. This discussion board was very helpful in finding a reasonable path through the many foodie options in SF.
Early Friday lunch at Hog Island - very pleasant. Seafood, nice view and Anchor Steam is a near perfect combination.
Late lunch at A16 - Terrific. My favourite of restaurant of the trip. Borrata, green salad, Margherta pizza and walnut cake. Would go back many times. Fun to watch the dinner prep. Tempted to stay.
Saturday morning market at the Ferry Terminal - very impressive. Top grade everything. Toronto is a good food city, but we certainly don't get January produce like this. Humbolt Fog cheese from Cow Girl Creamery and bread from the place next door was a fine walking around snack.
Light lunch/drink at the Top of the Mark - food nothing special, but worth it for the view and friendly service.
Dinner at Barbacco. I hope this place does well. The service was extremely attentive and friendly. The wine list was excellent, the menu interesting and the food prices extremely reasonable. Had a nice salad, the small chef's selection charcuterie platter (excellent), brussel sprouts in duck fat (standout), Sicilian meat balls and a squid stew. I have seen some references to oversalting. That was only true, in my view, of the squid stew.
Sunday lunch at Bodega Bistro. Extremely pleasant with good, not great, food.
City Hall farmer's market - nice, but not nearly the quality of the Ferry market.
Sunday dinner at Zuni - as advertised, impeccable service and food. Opted not to do the chicken for two, so got to try a number of things, all excellent - fried sardines, duck breast, leg of lamb and a pasta dish.
In addition to the great food, very impressed with the arts scene. So much public art and was blown away by the MOMA. Also saw a very good production of Wozzeck at Yerba Buena and Classical Revolution - Schubert being played in a bar!
Will be back.
Perilla suggestions
Report. Perilla was perfect! Serious kitchen, but comfortable setting. Thanks for the recommendations. Had the Boar Belly and Spicy Duck Meat Ball appetizers, both memorable. Also shared the the brussel sprouts - highly recommended - with the main courses - swordfish, a halibut special and the speck wrapped chicken, all perfectly prepared. No complaints whatsoever.
We also ate lunch at Inside Park at St. Bart's, which has gotten some attention on this board. It was pretty good. Nice setting and decent food, but not as interesting as I had hoped. I felt like a drop in place for shoppers and people staying at the Waldorf and other local hotels. Service was only okay.
Finally, we ate dinner at Accademia Di Vino, which was quite good. Nice space, although below street level. Good wine selection. Somewhat limited by the glass, but the selections were pretty good. The food is pretty traditional Italien, but exceeded my expectations. Overall, a nice place in that area.
Really appreciate the help this board provided. Cheers from Toronto!
Perilla suggestions
Thanks, although now it's going to be hard to wait for Sunday dinner!
Perilla suggestions
Excellent. Let me know if you discover any new must-have dishes.
Perilla suggestions
Visting NYC from Toronto with two friends. We have reservations for next Sunday at Perilla - likely our one serious dinner meal this visit.
I see an old thread on recommended dishes - any more current suggestions?
Is the tasting menu a good option at Perilla?
(Does anyone want to try to convince me that I should look a reservation someplace else. My friends are not serious foodies, but would enjoy a nice New York dining experience).
Thanks for your help!
