X2O in Yonkers might be another option. The view is really special and you can choose to dine casually in the Dylan Lounge or more formally in the main room.

Can you be a little more specific about your route?

If you're taking 95, you could go to Tarry Lodge in Port Chester. I'm not sure I'd say "can't miss" but I'm smitten with their pastas and pizzas, and you get the Batali experience without having to go into NYC.

I can't think of anything in the county comparable to BHSB.

We had gnocchi and a salad to start. Both were fantastic, and eaten with way too much of their buttery foccaccia. . I had the burger, which I saw someone getting when we were there for RW, and it was, bar none, THE best burger and fries I think I have ever had. (Kittle House's is amazing too, but North's fries are better.) I think it came with pork belly on top of it if I remember correctly. I could only manage half of it, so I brought the rest home for lunch the next day. My husband had the veal osso bucco, which he devoured. We shared a skillet for dessert. They're making their own sodas and juices now, and I think that' what went into my cocktail. I wish I could remember more details of the drink.

Report back, I'm getting hungry thinking about it!

We went about a month ago. They had some great new cocktails. I had some sort of sangria concoction that was awesome! Some new desserts too...

Thank you for this great post!

Great!! We need some good breakfast places and oatmeal and pastries sound perfect. Can't wait for your trip report! I'm counting down the days till our trip.

Interesting. I've had pizza from his truck a bunch of times at Capt. Lawrence. It's great but it's pretty pricey and it's not very filling. At least it'll be easier to get into the cookery (maybe?).

Nice review! Glad you've enjoyed it.

Nice report!

Chiboust was just OK for me. They first tried to seat us in one of the window tables. The window tables have two seats, one a tall stool with no back, and the other a seat in the window on a cushion. It looked really uncomfortable so I asked for a different table and we ended up at a table right in the doorway. Really not ideal. I guess I pictured something different.

The service was fine, not very warm, but ok. They were out of two of the beers they have up on the chalkboard. I had pinot grigio, reasonably priced, and she topped off my glass (a lot) because the bottle was almost empty.

Food was really a mixed bag. The very good: the mushroom pizza, the duck breast (a special at $28 and served with a comically small portion of potatoes, which I just dont' get. I'm spending $28 on duck, put a nice portion of potatoes on that plate!!). The ok: the beet salad with goat cheese mousse (tasty but again a small portion for the price). The bad: the cheese/charcuterie plate. I guess I have had too many excellent cheese plates in the recent past. This was really pathetic. The cheese looked and tasted like supermarket cheese. Not really what I'd expect.

The excellent: Desserts choices are presented to you to look at, which I as a rule hate. None of them looked particularly appetizing. However, my husband chose the carrot cake for us to share, and it was delicious. Really, really tasty, moist cake, with a lovely light frosting.

I would go back for a pizza and dessert at the bar, but not for a full dinner. Too many other good restaurants in the area to spend so much money on a hit or miss meal.

Thanks, your review and photos definitely did convince me it was worth buying the voucher!! We'll be staying in a cottage in Healdsburg. Google says about 30 or 35 minutes...

Thanks for the review! I bought the voucher for our trip in July. Looking forward to trying a place we probably wouldn't have otherwise!

Thanks. I'll keep the fireworks in mind. I was surprised to get a reservation. I know there is talk of it being over hyped but I have to admit I'm curious, and not having to wait hours to get in I'm sure predisposes me to like it more! And I got a reservation to also much-hyped mission Chinese here in NY this past weekend and really enjoyed it so I'm hoping the same is true for state bird.

I already booked girl and the fig for our first night there... I've been eyeing the menu for months!

Not sure if this is convenient for you, but I like the takeout from MP in Irvington. It's a step above typical Greek food and reasonably priced. Also tomatillo in Dobbs does takeout if their great burritos. Lots of options there.

Thanks! Looks great!

Hmm, what time are the fireworks? I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for the Sonoma recs too!

I just wanted to update a little now that I've started making reservations and am finding that I have to juggle things around a little.

We're coming July 4th weekend (actually arriving on July 4) so a bunch of places seem to be closed on July 4th... so I've had to move some meals around. Also, based on the other thread about Perbacco vs. Cotogna I've decided I'd rather do Perbacco (we like trying restaurants that specialize in Piedmont specialties since we spent our honeymoon there and there's only one place in NY that I've found-- Sorella-- and we went to Spinasse in Seattle).

Changes-
Thursday dinner- I have an email out to Nopa asking them to confirm if they are open on July 4th. Perbacco is not. If Nopa is open, we'll probably go there to that area, which seems like it has a bunch of places we'd like. I bookmarked all of the suggestions on Divisadero made here.

Friday dinner- on a lark I tried loading the reservation page for State Bird this morning at 7:45 (NY time) and I got a reservation for the Friday night we're there. Thoughts?

Saturday dinner- I reserved Perbacco for a late dinner after the Giants game.

I also really appreciate the bakery feedback. I made note of all the suggestions. Heyday is really close to our hotel so hopefully they'll have the kouign ammans (have never had one and would love to try one!). Probably won't go out of our way for Italian bakeries since we have so many here.

I also forgot to mention that we will be driving to SFO (from Mendocino) the following Saturday. I haven't looked yet but I wonder if anyone has suggestions on what's noteworthy en route to the airport (and with a car)? It'll be dinnertime by the time we are back in SF.

Thanks again, I'm enjoying reading all the suggestions!

Great to hear. I made a reservation for Saturday, looking forward to it!

So..... Chiboust got the nod from the Times today..... http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/nyr...

Who's been lately? I have never been but I think I'll have to make a trip. Also I do agree that their baked goods are great; they sell at some local markets and I've had a chance to sample a few things, all of which I loved.

Update: Keenan House now has a small outdoor seating area that's open till 11 PM. While it's admittedly not the most scenic sidewalk, I think it's great for a nice day!

Thanks for the feedback. I put B. Patisserie on the agenda for Thursday because I mistakenly thought the California cable car line ran that far and it seemed like it would be a good place for a snack since we wanted to take a ride on the cable car. But I looked it up and I see it doesn't go that far, so we'll probably go elsewhere for a snack. We are arriving a little after 12 so we will probably be in the vicinity of our hotel by 2 or so, and I can't see wanting to go too far for lunch, which is why I chose R&G or Great Eastern. Then we will probably do some walking around of Chinatown and Nob Hill and make a circuit back to our hotel. We will probably be exhausted so I didn't want to get too crazy with our plans for the first day.

I want to leave Saturday flexible and a bit open since our Friday is pretty packed.

What bakeries do you like?

Wow, this is a good deal. Is it difficult getting reservations? We'll only be in the area 2 nights and I don't want to risk not being able to use it.

Thanks! I definitely plan on a return visit to bi-rite (it was a highlight of our last trip) but probably the newer non-mission location. I love lamb so that actually makes Marlowe more appealing! But the deal you mention at Epic sounds great too. We'll probably play the burger by ear.

The cheese list alone seems to be reason enough to go there. I think I'm convinced. Thanks.

I was hoping you'd weigh in, Grayelf, since your input on threads on this board and the Portland board (we went to Portland last summer) is extremely helpful!

Yes, my husband makes up for the stomach space I lack; last time I was in SF was with my sister who is frankly weak (I say that lovingly :) and I think I worked her into a food coma by the last day.

How is Harrow other than Happy Hour? We may not get there in time for HH on our first night there. Good to know re: Comstock too.

The porchetta at Roli Roti looks great and I will put that on our list. My friend suggested a whole burrito crawl of the Mission but there's so much I want to eat in the Mission that I don't think filling up on burritos is the best idea, so we will start with one.

I was trying to plan a mini-beer crawl for my husband on the Friday night so would like to try to hit up at least Magnolia and Toronado. Not sure what else would be worthwhile nearby.

Would appreciate any other input you or others have. Thanks!!!

I'm curious about this too. My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Alba in the Piedmont region of Italy, and it's hard to find some of the food we enjoyed there here in NY. I had decided on Cotogna for our Italian dinner, but now seeing Perbacco's menu, I'm leaning towards that instead. I see vitello tonnato, tajarin, agnolotti, lots of Piedmont cheese and wines.... if anyone has been to Spinasse in Seattle, how would Perbacco compare?

I was thinking of a late lunch on Saturday, around 2, for the reason you state, and since we won't have dinner till probably 8 or 9. But maybe we'll do a lighter lunch and have Burmese later. Thanks!

Thank you! Corkage sounds fun and a bit different. I'll keep in mind that Nopa's neighborhood is more lively.

Hi all,
I've been browsing the boards for a few months now in anticipation of planning our (limited number of, sigh) meals for our summer trip. Now that we're entering the window of time where reservations and other non-food plans need to be firmed up, I thought I'd put my tentative itinerary to the experts on this board and get some thoughts on variety, what's feasible, and what's best given our interests and preferences.
This is my second time to SF and my husband's first. I'm definitely more into food than my husband but he's a good sport and game for anything. I love farm to table food and my husband loves craft beer. On my first trip in 2009, I absolutely loved everything at the Ferry Building and the Farmers' Market (we had two memorable meals at Il Cane Rosso), Zuni, Absinthe, Olea, and Bi-Rite. We weren't crazy about Tartine. I was disappointed to miss Alembic, Humphrey Slocombe and burritos in the Mission. We like low-key and are not into tasting menus. I love cheese and (surprise!) ice cream.
We have 9 meals in SF, 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 3 dinners, before we move on to a couple of nights in both Sonoma and Healdsburg. We are staying in the Financial District near the Ferry Building.

Thursday:
Lunch- R&G lounge or Great Eastern
Snack- B. Patisserie
Dinner- Cotogna
Drinks- near our hotel, Comstock Saloon or Harrow... any other suggestions?

Friday:
Breakfast- en route to Alcatraz ferry... suggestions?
Lunch- Mission burrito (I have been waiting 4 years for this; I have La Taqueria, El Metate, El Farolito bookmarked.)
Drinks- Southern Pacific Brewery
Snacks- Ice cream at Humphrey Slocombe, Craftsmen & Wolves
Drinks/snacks- Alembic, Magnolia, Toronado
Dinner- Torn here, can't decide between Nopa and Rich Table. Both menus appeal to me but I guess I'd prefer the one in a more fun neighborhood to walk around and possibly get a drink after?

Saturday:
Breakfast/snacks- Ferry Plaza Farm Market
Lunch- Burmese Kitchen
Snacks- at the SF Giants game
Drinks- 21st Amendment Brewery
Dinner- I was thinking Marlowe since it's sort of near the stadium-- because of the burger-- but I'm not thrilled by this choice and would be open to other suggestions. I'm intrigued by Coqueta, also State Bird but don't want to eat standing up. Nothing too far afield from our hotel.

Sunday:
Breakfast- near the hotel

Thanks in advance! I'm really looking forward to our visit.