Rickybobby seems like a fun, drunken affair featuring fast food with top notch technique. Love it. And CH reviews of Mission Chinese seem mixed to mediocre so I may drop that off. Have done Hakkasan in Miami and was not impressed (except for their insanely good steamed BBQ pork truffle buns).

Got Bar Agricole for Sat evening. Menu seems from the same "family" as State Bird (both sounds great).

AQ is booked all weekend but I've snagged a Sunday lunch reso.

Sad about Saison - menu looks tremendous. Next time.

For State Bird (menu looks most unique and exciting), their website indicates no availability for the next 60 days so I'm guessing some tables and/or the bar are reserved for walk-ins?

If we're keen on Italian, seems like Cotogna, Locanda, or Delfina will fit the bill. For more modern American/French, Zuni, Rich Table, Frances or Nopa.

Very helpful. Thanks all!

Hi SF CHers! I'm from Toronto and visiting SF with a friend this weekend (Fri-Mon) and am curious as to what are the best, super-lively restaurants (no-reservation, 2-hour lineup places are totally fine).

Any cuisine, any price range, preferably in the city. They need not be "too cool" places. For example, if Chez Panisse had an upbeat vibe (and might have a table on short notice), please recommend it.

I've been to a few spots on previous trips - Fleur de Lys, Baker & Banker, Incanto, Michael Mina - but only B&B or Incanto *might* fit the bill.

I'll be checking out Mission Chinese one night, but would love your suggestions on other spots. Thanks very much!

Splendido
Sushi Kaji
Edulis
Harbord Room
Ursa
Guu Izakaya (Church)
Joso's
Grand Electric
Daisho
Buca

As of a few days ago, they served bread and butter ($5), but I'd hesitate to call what they bring out "bread". It's more of a health food cracker (but still quite tasty). There were two kinds of butter: one rather skinny and stringy and the other churned in a small dish (along with some fleur de sel). I can't say either butter was tremendous, but I'm not sure if either were the same that you've previously enjoyed.

I attended a function in their private dining room about a week ago for a large party (~30 people). I must say the food was quite decent (if not particularly creative or inventive, as with all of Pangaea's dishes I find) but the delivery time was horrid. Our main courses took an hour longer than their planned time. A few participants actually stepped out to get sustenance nearby. The main restaurant was completely full, but if you can't provide service on time, don't set such an expectation.

If indeed you plan to spend a few hours lingering over dessert, I might suggest going later or sitting in a lower-traffic spot within the restaurant. You might also want to phone ahead to the restaurant and explain your dilemma. If they're nice and accommodating, problem solved.

I might suggest that sitting at the bar at, say, Splendido for desserts and coffee might be a nice compromise.

In my experience, between 7-9:30pm on a Saturday you'll have to wait on average 60-70 mins. Of course depends on a variety of factors such as your party size, weather, etc. If it's just two of you and you don't want to wait, the later the better (as well as if you're ok with sitting at the bar, that helps).

Ah, Big Mouth Kee! I loved this place but haven't been in over 7 years.

I distinctly recall the incredible fried eel - still the best I've ever had. Not to hijack this thread, but besides the typhoon shelter crab, what else might you recommend aser?

Depends on what your execs are like. The private room at One is very show-offy and the crowd is certainly a see and be seen group. I would never dine there on my own tab (food is heavy, greasy and salty and altogether imbalanced) but your average exec might not notice.

C5 is a great recommendation though it's a more reserved environment. The food is also more haute and sophisticated though I've often found portions to be on the small side. However they cater well for large groups (I was there once as part of a group of 20).

In similar category to One is La Societe. The food is marginally better (if the kitchen is not overworked and if you order correctly) but the scene is also boisterous and showy.

Excellent, thanks for the fast response. I'll make a reso and report back.

Any recent reviews of Ici? While reviews on this board have been almost universally positive, a number of my friends who I typically trust for recs have been quite disappointed on several fronts (quality and value primarily). They refuse to go back. I'm wondering if they drew the short straw on their various visits.

I'm keen to check it out because I've found CHers to be a generally reliable bunch provided that you can parse posters' individual comments (i.e. "Super good! Mmmmmm" is not a terribly informative review).

Are you referring to Bar Centrale located at 1095 Yonge Street (just south of Scrivener Square)? It's run by the Terroni group. It opened a few months ago and has had bad to mixed reviews.

I understand there will also be an actual Terroni on the 2nd floor (perhaps this is what you've heard of). Whatever the estimate, restaurants are notoriously bad for opening on schedule so 5 different answers might have the same likelihood of being correct.

Just want to point the OP to an alternative viewpoint that I posted in another thread on Nadege's caneles. I've generally been a fan (though I acknowledge there have been the occasional consistency issues):

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/635113

While I don't know if they use silicone molds or not, the white tops are not a definite indicator of their use. One can slather sufficient butter or beeswax to brown the tops to get the desired crispiness, though I find that approach will often yield overly burnt caneles.

Having discovered and devoured tons of caneles in Paris when I was working there, I never once came across mini-sized ones as at Nadege. I must say though that they are usually tremendous: crispy on the outside and soft and custardy on the inside.

On the rare occasion I've found them to be a bit soggy, but I think that's a function of their freshness. I'm pretty sure they make them several times per day, if you get the oldest ones you risk some sogginess. I'd suggest you give them another try.

Having said that, I haven't been terribly impressed with the macarons or pain au chocolats at Nadege. In the former case they're usually too dense and imbalanced and in the latter case I would echo kwass's comment that they're often like biting into a bun or dinner roll.

EDIT: It seems the negative review I responded to has been deleted. All the same, I hope this is helpful.

I would highly recommend the Black Hoof's Cocktail Bar. However, it's a small spot so if you're looking for a busier environment, look elsewhere.

Well after 2 weeks of non-stop calling, I finally got through at 1:20pm CST today and spoke to a nice guy about making a reservation for 2 for either Nov 18 or 19. Unfortunately the only slot they had available was on Nov 18 at 5:30pm which is when our plane lands. We're on the waiting list and I was told we would be ready to come by with an hour's notice.

Thanks all for your help and fingers crossed that we'll get the call. I'll probably have to lug a couple bottles of wine around all evening just in case we get phoned :)

Thanks all for the tips. I'm also a desk-sitter and call several times per day, but due to the time difference, 11am CST is 12pm EST which is often when I take my lunch. Looks like I might be missing the brief window. I'll report back when I'm successful.

Made a 9:30 reservation on a Thursday at Splendido a few weeks ago for a party of six. The website was quick, easy, and no fuss.

When we arrived at Splendido, I mentioned we booked through Dining Date Night and they indicated their acknowledgment. Dinner was quite nice but when the bill came, we realized the 30% was not removed. I politely and quietly mentioned it to our server who quickly returned with the revised bill. Aside from the slight awkwardness of the exchange, it was handled as professionally as possible and indeed we received a 30% discount. Just remember to tip based on the non-discounted total.

You're right estufarian. Even though Vij has two restaurants, they're next door to each other and Vikram often hits Rangoli at lunch at Vij's at dinner so there's terrific quality control. Opening a Toronto outpost would stretch him too thinly (though I wish he would export his frozen curries to Toronto - they're better than much of what you can get in a restaurant here). I suppose I'm just lamenting the unfortunate higher-end Indian dining market we currently have in Toronto. Defies logic.

I might add Alain Ducasse to your one-entry list of successful multi-city chefs. My meals at the Plaza Athenee in Paris and Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo are among the very best meals of my life. I've never tried his London, NYC or Tokyo outposts but from what I've heard, they're very good, but not at his peak performance (despite the Michelin stars).

I'm from Toronto and will be visiting Chicago for a weekend in mid-November. Schwa is at the top of my dining to-do list. I've read all related threads and various blogs on how to get a reservation at Schwa but this is ridiculous. I've been calling every single day about 4 times per day starting at 10am CST for the past 2 weeks. Every single time I get a "voicemail is full" response.

I'm guessing that the only counsel you can provide is "have infinite patience", but I am missing something? Are they closed because Carlson broke his foot or the sewage is acting up again?

+1 for Vij's outpost. Toronto has a large and vibrant Indian population and no truly excellent Indian restaurants (granted, Vij's dishes are not all traditional Indian, but they hew close enough to key ingredients, spices and techniques). There is unquestionably a market in Toronto for such a restaurant.

As for neta, the top NYC establishments fly most of it in from Japan so "availability" is really just a function of ability to pay which, granted, NYC diners are both more able and inclined than Toronto folk. I think there is room in Toronto for one top sushi chef who imports many of his/her ingredients (interesting aside: I don't know of one top female sushi master), though places like Hiro would certainly suffer.

I don't dispute your first paragraph but it's unclear what direction Lucien will go in.

You're assuming that Grant and Guy bought out (or into) the existing owner(s). I suppose that's a not unreasonable assumption considering their pedigree but the OP only said they're "heading up the kitchen", hence my curiosity as to whether this is a short-term or long-term station for them.

I believe Grant was sous-chef at Lucien before moving to the Black Hoof. I wonder if this is just a temporary gig until he raises enough capital to launch his own restaurant or if he plans to remake Lucien with Guy in their own image. In either case, perhaps a visit to Lucien is in order in a few weeks.

Thanks all for the recs. I've been meaning to check out Casa Imperial for a while so this would be a great opportunity.

It looks like Toronto is very close to an outright ban on the sale of shark fin and I would love to have it one last time in the city. Problem is, I've only enjoyed it during Chinese weddings as part of an 8-course meal. I would prefer (rather, could only afford) just the soup course. While there are certainly other preparations of shark fin (I think Lai Wah Heen had dumplings once with it), the soup is what I'm craving.

I've searched the board and the only place I could find was Shark's Fin City in Pacific Mall. Is that the only decent option? Any other recs (ideally in Toronto)?

Of course, the Toronto ban would not apply to Markham or Richmond Hill, but if Mississauga has successfully passed the ban, other jurisdictions may follow swiftly.

For more details about the ban, see here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto...

Wine list is short and IMO crappy. An uninspired smattering of Canadian, Italian, and French with nothing of notable value or interest. We stuck with the Fielding Pinot Gris which sold for around $56 I think. I'm guessing their wine list is limited because they have a limited budget overall (as evidenced by the decor). I'm hoping their financial success will allow them to expand their offerings in the future.

I don't know if they do corkage, but if they do, I would advise it.

I read the subject heading and wondered if all of a sudden Pickle Barrel was the new dining hot-spot in Toronto.

I fully agree with you marionclaire. This restaurant is undoubtedly one of Toronto's top 3 openings in 2011 (maybe even #1), but the decor has got to be one of the worst. Clearly they had a very limited budget, but there are many things you can do to make the room feel warmer and more intimate. Go for some damask wallpaper, expose the brick or even use faux brick if you absolutely must, but don't make it look like some crappy home reno job. Put in a screen or dividing wall to make the larger room more intimate. It currently looks like a dank cafeteria.

If possible, Acadia should borrow from its future success (and revenues) and invest in the space. This could be one of Toronto's top dining destinations in short order. Well, I have some concerns about the inexperienced and caught-in-the-headlights look of some of the serving staff, but that's for another post.

Keriwa clearly spent more money but the lights are way too bright, the room is far too open, and the decor is eclectic to put it mildly.

La Palette's old location in Kensington was dumpy but quaintly charming and they most certainly had a super limited renovation budget.

The business was listed for sale on a restaurant real estate site a couple of months ago. I saw the papered up storefront this past weekend and wondered whether it indeed was sold or if they're attempting a re-branding with a renovation.

I've went once to Kaiseki-Sakura back in January 2011 on a Thursday night and was one of 3 tables dining the entire time I was there. A shame really when the kaiseki was quite excellent (though I'm no kaiseki expert). The staff were quite professional and kind but I think the location and size of the space weren't terribly conducive to good restaurant economics. Still, I'm rooting for them.