Recs for 12-person group dinner close to UC Berkeley campus?

thanks all for the recs - - i hope Gather works out, otherwise i'll try Adagio. I'll report back on how receptive they are for large parties.

kwalaty in San Francisco Bay Area

Recs for 12-person group dinner close to UC Berkeley campus?

we'll be meeting in the middle of campus, actually, in Doe Library -- so about equidistant from Shattuck, Euclid and Telegraph. not sure if that helps.

kwalaty in San Francisco Bay Area

Recs for 12-person group dinner close to UC Berkeley campus?

hi chowhounds,

i'm new to the east bay/Berkeley area, and have been charged with organizing a small conference at UC Berkeley in October. We have a limited budget (@ $40/pp not including wine), and we want to stay as close to campus as possible while still getting good quality food.

Most group dinner suggestions seem to be in N. Oakland/Temescal area, but is there anything at all within walking distance of the campus (say 15-20 minute walk) that you'd recommend?

help is MUCH appreciated!

kwalaty in San Francisco Bay Area

Wedding dessert ideas - pie vs. cake?

I am getting married in San Francisco at the end of March and we are searching for desserts for the event. Neither of us wants to go the traditional tiered cake route, but we thought it might be nice to have a large sheet cake for the 'cutting' ceremony and then a mix of different kinds of pies to supplement the cake.

Any suggestions for places in the city proper for both cake and pie? Our party is big (170-200), and we want to keep the desserts inexpensive and not-too-fussy, but still yummy.

I grew up in the inner Richmond and can think of Schubert's for cake, also Blissful Bites (formerly I Love Chocolate) on Arguello for pies. Any other suggestions, or other fun dessert ideas?

thanks!!

kwalaty in San Francisco Bay Area

catering/to-go food for small (12 person) informal event

hi chowhounds,

i grew up in san francisco, but have been living on the east coast for many years, and will be back home visiting my family for a celebration at our house. we were going to cook, but none of us feel up for crafting a delicious menu and slaving in the kitchen all day.

can you please recommend places that would take to-go or catering orders for a small event like ours? we'd love anything mediterranean, new american, or tapas-style, though we're open to whatever's good. i know many suggest Costco or Whole Foods, but it's a special enough occasion that we want to go above and beyond the usual. we'd especially love a local/slow food option, if possible.

thanks for your advice!!

kwalaty in San Francisco Bay Area

mid-range special occasion dinner for picky SF visitors

my family is convening in New York City for my parents' 40th anniversary. We are foodies from San Francisco and while we want a great meal, my brother and I are paying and can't completely break the bank (ie entrees under $30, apps under $15, etc). I've scoured the NYC boards but seem to only come across places that are too expensive, don't take reservations, or have gotten mixed reviews.

for those of you familiar with SF, we're looking for something along the lines of Nopa (as opposed to Boulevard)...good quality food that is either mediterranean, asian or latin influenced (though new american works), hopefully a fun atmosphere with great service, and points for an interesting cocktail menu. we are also hoping for somewhere downtown, definitely below 42nd street.

some places we've come across (somewhat randomly) are...
Salt (in the w.village, good reviews online but seems relatively unknown)
Aqua Grill
Suenos (though always a little wary of eating Mexican in NY, esp coming from CA)

Any thoughts on these restaurants or others that fit our loose requirements would be most appreciated!! Also, any threads on the message board that i may have missed would help. Thank you for your help - we are excited to celebrate for my parents and want to make sure it is a good time.

kwalaty in Manhattan

somewhat affordable but delicious birthday dinner in boston proper

hi everyone,
my partner and i just transplanted to Boston from San Francisco a couple months ago, and it's his birthday in a couple weeks. it's a big birthday year, and his parents are flying in for the occasion. he's worked on cocktail menus at some of the top restaurants in SF, and we've all got a little food snob in us.
that said, i've been searching for a great restaurant to celebrate the bday, and i feel like i'm running in circles. we're willing to pay a good amount, but budget's a little tighter this year than in the past. we were thinking of going to Drink, which just opened in Fort Point, for cocktails beforehand, and then heading to somewhere either in the South End or possibly North End (we all love Italian).
i think we'd prefer French, Italian, Mediterranean or some kind of new American. If anyone is familiar with San Francisco, I'm thinking a restaurant that is like Nopa (rather than Boulevard) - a menu based on fresh and local food, great atmosphere, hopefully nice drinks or wine list, and not absolutely exorbitant.
And regardless of the SF comparison, we'd just really appreciate any advice to point us in the right direction. any worthwhile South End spots? a special Italian restaurant in the North End that's not-to-miss?

thanks in advance for your help!

kwalaty in Greater Boston Area

space for 75-person dinner?

i posted this a week ago but only got one response, so i thought i'd give it one more try:

i'm in california, trying to organize a dinner for 75 people in NYC, and we need to keep it to about $60/person. any ideas for a restaurant that could host this? the cuisine is no matter, as long as it's good and a nice space. preferably around midtown-west area, but we can be flexible. your help is MUCH appreciated, i'm having a horrible time finding something.

kwalaty in Manhattan