Chris Rising's Profile
changes at Z&Y
I stopped in for a couple Shichuan favorites last weekend and enjoyed both the Shichuan pepper beef tender (sic) and the cold Shichuan noodels. I am still adjusting from living in NYC where Shichuan was a dominant part of chinese options. Can't wait to go back and try the Comin (sic) beef and Sichaun Chicken. It was quiet in the mid afternoon, and the service was very good. Fluent english speakers and showed a real interest in my enjoyment.
Suggestions for Weekend Meals/Monday dinner
Incanto is very good. Plan on a minimum of 45 minutes in each direction according to Muni. Bus to Market St, transfer to street car.
There are good options near where your staying. A couple blocks away is Pesce, a small plate fish place on Polk. A few more block is Luella on Hyde, a chef owned spot that very popular with the neighbors.
Seeking excellent Chinese restaurant not far from Convention Center/Union Square
Union Square is very close to Chinatown. I'd go with R&G Lounge.
What to order at Slanted Door and Michael Mina
I enjoy the seafood dishes at MM much more than the meats. The menu used to focus primarily of seafood but has changed a lot in the last year or so. The signature lobster pot pie is fantastic, but a different experience than the rest of the menu items in terms of presentation.
NYC 'hounder needs SF dinner rec, not Slanted Door
I think Delfina is uniquely Californian, memorable and suitable for dinner when you only have one night in the city. I lived in NYC for quite a long time and can't think of a comparison. Maybe if you put Babbo on 2nd and Avenue B and he was in the kitchen on a daily basis. (Delfina is not in a bad neighorhood, it has a semi-gentrified East Villiage feel)
Canteen is also memorable, and offers a limited menu of the chefs choice. The food is usually very, very good but in no means spectacular. It is not a blowout.
I really enjoy Range, but it feels like a great NYC neighborhood restaurant.
Best Set Menu/Banquet for 8 in Chinatown?
Its a different experience than a banquet menu, but I'd say the best in Jai Yun. Its more like a tasting menu. You pick a price point, say $65/pp and the dishes start coming out. I remember having about 12 cold and 12 hot dishes. The food was amazing, and not too challenging for a picky eaters. It was as good as a similar banquet I had in Beijing.
SF: North Beach Restaurant - anything worth the price?
I eat there once or twice a year, my SO really likes it. He likes the chicken parmigiana- old school comfort food. I've had the veal saltimbocca, which was average, no complaints; and the milanese, which was done very well. My sister had the cioppino, she didn't rave about it but she liked it and finished it all. Another plus is a good wine list. We were seated in the basement, and a couple of tables were invited to see the Prosciutto room. There are cheaper places that do the same just as good, but there some charm in a tuxedoed waiter with an old country accent, good service, and knowing Willie Brown is entertaining a table of 10 in the next room.
Visiting San Fran next week..where should I go?
The dining bar at Boulevard is a great way for a single diner to experience great SF food. It is higher end, but you can usually get in without a wait.
Affordable SF Ambiance?
Plus in the summer, with the dollar where it is, most of North Beach is swarmed with foreign tourists. Nothing wrong with that, but it might not be your idea of SF ambiance.
Ring-a-ding-ding cocktail bars
The Pied Piper Bar in The Palace Hotel. Beautiful Maxwell Parrish mural and great cocktails. Market and New Montgomery.
Back to the SF/coming from LA - one night only
I think Delfina's a great choice if your considering it. Fun, Mission and classic SF. Bar Tartine is another good Mission recommendation. Range is very, very good, a little pricier and more sedate than the above choices, but the cocktails are so good that everyone is usually having fun. Limon is fun, loud and boisterous with great ceviches and Peruvian dishes. Maverick is popular, although I haven't been. Lolo on 22 and Mission is definitely worth checking out. Small, very kitschy, with some very interesting latin dishes that I really enjoyed- panko crusted shrimp with a chipolte sauce wrapped in thinly sliced jicama.
High-end, modern, trendy restaurant needed for 15 people
The is a private room at Conduit. It fits the bill perfectly.
Range Raised Prices... thoughts, visits, michelin?
I was at Range about a month ago, and found it to be as good as always. I'm a fan. We didn't order dessert, but the kitchen sent one out anyway as a gift. I always feel like I get treated special in one way or another.
Visiting San Francisco 4 1st Time...Major Foodie!!! Need Help!
Delfina, A16, and SPQR are all Italian. For wow factor, i'd pick Delfina. For new American I really like Conduit right now. Range is another personal favorite. Both remind me of Blackbird. Conduit is a bit more expressive.
Michael Mina, Boulevard, Quince, Delfina.........
Thanks for the report. I noticed the last time I visited MM that the new menu includes a lot more meat items. I also found them to be a bit less successful than when the menu focused primarily on seafood.
Michael Mina, Boulevard, Quince, Delfina.........
Littleman: Please remember that the only way to become one of the most overrated restaurants is also to be one of the most highly rated. I love MM. The room, the service, the wine list, and the non-straightforward presentation.
On your list I also love Quince for a jewel box setting and lovely pasta; Delfina for its more casual approach, and Gary Danko for perfect execution of high end food. Most visitors love Aqua, my personal experience is mixed. Evenings at Aqua are a mix of business and society.
Conduit- outstanding report
As a disclaimer, I love modern american cooking. I've been to Conduit twice and IMHO it rocks. I visited tonight, alone, to sit at the dining bar and sample a few dishes that intriqued me off the menu on my first visit.
Duck Confit. A deconstucted salad lyonnaise. Duck, frissee and a perfectly poached egg. The egg dissolves into eggy goodness when slurped on top of the salad.
Skate. Appetizer portion served 3 ways. Three fish stick sized portions cooked beautifully. One with wild ramps, one with fresh spring onions and one with onion marmelade. Piping hot fish offset by cool sides in two of the three presentations. Very, very good.
Oxtail Tortellini. Braised oxtail in homemade pasta. Braising liquid is reduce with onion to a thick onion soup. Served with a large gruyere crisp. With the onion, pasta and cheese the oxtail takes a back seat, but each of the five tortellini were scrumptious.
Rhubarb Tart with Ginger Ice Cream. Sweet, tart rhubarb flavor in a perfect individual sized pastry shell. Ice cream every bit as good if not better than Bi Rite. Fennel compote as a accent.
Previous visit I enjoyed the quail and pork. Meat entrees seem a bit protein heavy, but accented with beautiful seasonal veggies. Good wine, excellent cocktails.
Enjoy.
Boccalone Salumeria coming to the Ferry Bldg!
Wouldn't that be more appropriately from the pig's mouth, Robert? Their mortadella rocks.
Having a hard time streamlining and deciding on dinners in SF. Here's my itinerary... Help! Please!
Of the restaurants you requested feedback on... all are very good. Kokkari has great lamb and great mediterranean appetizers. Fairly large restaurant in the financial district so its convenient to just about everything. I enjoy the food a lot, but don't get the sense that it's very chef driven or creative in a way your other choices are. At one point a few years back Town Hall was one of my favorite restaurants in the city. I still enjoy it a lot and it remains very popular. It would be convenient to a new wine bar on 1st called Local. Luella is a modern SF neighborhood restaurant, and a go to spot for me. The menu changes frequently as the chef/owner sees fit. It is more out of the way, Russian Hill, than your other choices. I take most of our visitors there, and most rave.
As far as wine bars go... 1550 Hyde is a small restaurant with a good wine service. There are only 3-4 seats at the bar, so its not practical for wine only. Hotel Biron is okay. I didn't love the choices, and the room is designed to be a bit dumpy like the lobby of a 1 star hotel. Cav is great, but not open on Sundays. (Thats why I ended up at Biron.) On Polk St, which is just 2 blocks from Luella there is a lively (read crowded) wine bar called Amelie. You can't get in the door on a Fri/Sat, but it might work on a Sunday. There are a few other options on Polk as well, Bar Johnny, and a new place called of course The Wine Bar.
Bi-Rite is worth a trip.
please critique my 5-dinners-in-SF list (from visiting seattle hound)
Second SPQR. They also don't take reservations and you shouldn't have a problem on a Monday night. I was there last week and my 3 go to dishes were all spot on- sausage with braised fennel, fried brussel sprouts, and carbonara. If you like chocolate there is a dessert that is worth try... its laced with chili pepper for a really interesting zing.
Brooklynite visits SF (my to-do list)
1. Cav is a great wine bar with very good food right on Market St. Kitchen open until 12 on Friday. Bacar is another good choice. Late night menu from 11-12. Live music downstairs until 12:30. Great by the glass list. I love to order a bunch of appetizers and wine vs the whole dinner menu. Lots of seating at the bar.
2. Plumpjack in Noe Valley.
3. I won't pretend its the best, but Pancho Villa on 16th is a good choice. Very easy from Bart. Thai and Vietnamese are other good bets.
5. Add Range to your list of possibilities. Luella is a good bet. IMHO, Delfina is the one of the most uniquely SF restaurants.
Wine for a grilled standing rib roast?
Does it have to be domestic? In your price range you could fine some very nice Bordeauxs or a Chateau neuf de pape.
Spruce or Gary Danko
Gary Danko is a wonderful restaurant offering a exceptional food and service. Food is not adventurous or cutting edge, so if you're looking for a new experience thats not it. The wine list is great, although my experience and reports on the pairings have been sub-par. Although expensive, I think it offers very good value. You can spend just as much in town for much less.
Spruce also very good, but not the same level of fine dining experience. I found the portions a little small, but the service suprisingly fine- wine by the glass poured at the table, for example. I do not believe they offer a tasting menu. The back room is quite nice, the front can get quite loud with its large bar.
I am one of Michael Mina's fans. The wine list is amazing. The room is large but I find it grand, and I love the food. They have a tasting menu and the standard menu also provide a unique experience. Each course is presented a trio- either 3 separate sauces or 3 preparations of the same item. I like that it provides some of the experience of a tasting menu with out so many separate courses. Very expensive. Short 2-3 block walk from the Clift.
You didn't mention when you will be in town. That impacts a decision to try the Dining Room. There has been persistant talk of the chef decamping.
Manresa is quite far from the city.
What restaurant has most impressed visitors?
Delfina, as it is one of the most unique restaurants in SF. Gary Danko if they want high end, and Luella as a neighborhood spot.
Food Options Around Opera Plaza Theater
There is a decent sushi restaurant in the Plaza. Opera Plaza Sushi.
SPQR since Daniel's departure - Not up to snuff?
I had a perfect meal when Nate was in the kitchen. My next visit, on his night off was less so. All said it was one near miss after many very very good meals. Anything with pig on the appetizer menu is usually excellent.
Innovative Food - Recommendation for Birthday Dinner
I met Elizabeth at a charity food and wine event, thanked her for her participation and found her to be very gracious and warm.
