27138 Mon Dec 29 03:36:56 -0800 2003 10 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 111419 Cabrales, your recent post on Tru in Chicago was other-worldly. I am new to the board and I used to think I was discriminating in my food choices. Now I see I am a novice. That said, I am flying with vegetarian daughter to SF this weekend to help her settle in at Stanford. We have already chosen to try STOA for dinner in PA Friday evening on arrival. I've visited SF many times over many years - I used to think Scoma's was IT. Last visit, in Feb. '03, had mixed results. Probably my favorite experience was Zuni's where I walked in on weeknight and got a table for one and had very good oysters and merely okay Caesar. Other highlights, and again this was pre-Chowhound, included: 1) Blowfish Sushi, excellent oysters and sushi but pricy; 2) Chez Panisse for lunch with daughter; and always 3)Cafe Riacce in Palo Alto for atmosphere and ease of use. A prior trip had discovered La Taqueris in the Mission, great salsas, but a recommendation this time for El Toro was a disappointment ( I don't eat burritos.) Other frustrations were Swan's Oyster Bar (oysters not terribly fresh at 3-4 P.M. - may need another try), Kabuto sushi (recommended by kitchen at Zuni's - nothing noteworthy - ready to relocate across the street and none too soon), Lou's Pier 47 ( need to find where I got that rec. and delete as source.) I'm rambling - Milllenium was interesting but I got a hair in my chocolate dessert. Boulevard was a fun lunch spot though I don't recall the food being noteworthy. So here is my challenge: I don't drink and don't particularly crave French. I will have a drinking vegetarian in tow some of the time. It's hard to be searching the net while on vacation. I'd really like to invite a very knowledgeable Cabrales to lunch or dinner and get educated. 1.Where can one go for a great salad? I went to Tadich'es and it was quite pedestrian. 2.Am I crazy to spend $159 a night to stay at the Westin Palo Alto with its excellent spa and unsurpassed bathrooms? Are there pleasant SF locations for more reasonable rates? 3. Is Hog Island Oyster Bar a must? I believe so. 4. (Decaf) Coffee Freak - I've had real fresh roasted before - try XOX? 5. Take daughter to Juicy Lucy's in N. Beach for lunch? alternatives? 6. Being a seafood freak as well, sushi is a good way to take fresh seafood - any ideas? Pretty frustrated last time. Thanks, folks! Sorry to trash any favorites. I've spent a good deal of time clicking through posts here. One gets dizzy - especially coordinating with /citysearch etc. Oh yes, is Andalu the place to try for Mission/dinner? I could go on... Mon Dec 29 03:36:56 -0800 2003 0 Bill Palmer 1 111439 Hi BIll, Welcome to Chowhound! Just a brief note: This board is an absolute treasure trove of posters who know this area inside and out. Asking for the input of a specific poster could possibly deprive you of some terrific feedback. Sure would hate to see that happen! The more opinons the better. Have a great time in San Francisco. And again, welcome! Mon Dec 29 15:08:53 -0800 2003 111419 2 The Chowhound Team 2 111460 I am definitely new to this board although I search the Chicago board increasingly. You'll note my post was in the wee hours, so you know I'm serious about chow. And it doesn't matter to me if it's a hot hog stand (with Viennas and poppy seed buns) or a nice Bistro (good experience at D&J Bistro in Lake Zurich IL with same daughter last weekend), I just like to see the proprietor want to be the best. And having found it on occasion, I'm spoiled for the Zagat survey. That said, I had no idea Cabrales was all over this board and I was half kidding. Then today I learned to use control F and realized her presence. I really do want info from informed folks, which I am seeing. As for Cabrales, I would treat her to any meal in town and probably any other comers as well if we could work the logistics. Honestly, Cabrales' review of Tru on the Chicago Board made my stomach queasy, which means I'm not used to French cooking and also that the description is like that of a fine painter. (Did anyone see "Girl with the Pearl Earring?") I am getting blurred vision from all this searching. I made a DAT reservation for Andalu for early Sat. evening, but I may cancel. Daughter thinks both Andalu and Stoa look great, but she's easy to please. It was the very tiny bubbles in the wine at lunch at Chez Panisse that made her rave the most. Frankly, its information overload, but I keep coming to look for more. In February my routine was internet search for a couple hours each morning then off to SF and eat. My original plea was for someone to take me by the hand... a little of the chowkid in me. This Desiree in the Presidio for morning chow Monday before the lunch crowd sounds appealing. Daughter needs me in P.A. but hey, who's the Dad here? Thanks and keep comimg Mon Dec 29 19:37:05 -0800 2003 111439 0 Bill Palmer 3 111504 Bill: Thanks for the encouragement, but I got your message relatively late and am not presently in the US ;) I'm not too familiar with the cuisine situation in Palo Alto, but can recommend Hong Kong Flower Lounge for dim sum (particularly the clay pot rice dishes). I also can't advise on the hotel, except that the Sheraton Palo Alto and the Stanford Park are relatively close to campus and are likely to be slightly more expensive. Tue Dec 30 11:05:59 -0800 2003 111460 0 cabrales 4 111678 Thanks for all the help. We decided to hang in there with the Westin for the first 3 days, which is tough when a room at the Fairmont can be had for the same - the Westin PA is really nice though. Then I got a Grand Hyatt for $65 for Monday on Priceline. We're go for STOA Fri. and Andalu for Sat. I'm apprehensive and still could be talked into a switch. Other ideas will be implemented as possible and I'll report on my Midwestern tainted reactions. The drive on 280 between the 2 places is fine and we have stuff to do in both. Hi to Tim, a Wishbone/Grand Lux/Adobo(Chicago) New years Eve day compatriot sure to be checking us hounds out now. Windy many thanks. If you're still checking, is La Casita Chilanga closer to Menlo on Middlefield? Have you tried La Bamba (I think) for Salvadorean food on Middlefield by Rentschler? It seemed good, and packed, last visit. Also, many thanks for biddingfortravel.com, I used it!!!!!!! Finally, am I going to lose my cookies in yuppietown power-chow central on Sat.? Daughter still interested in Andalu, I could punt. BP Wed Dec 31 21:56:57 -0800 2003 111504 0 BP 1 111441 Sounds like a great weekend. I'm looking forward to hearing your review of Stoa. I posted a rave a few months ago, but haven't had the time or to return recently. I love Juicy Lucy's but have only tried Lisa's amazing drinks, not the food. She uses only organic produce so I imagine this is a great place for a salad or sandwich. To counteract all that healthy stuff, cross Columbus for a few truffles at XOX. Caramel and cognac particularly recommended. They do serve Graffeo coffee, but last time I was there, they didn't have extra rich milk. You might walk up the street to Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store for the cappucino, which I'm pretty sure is Graffeo. My two other must visit vegetarian spots, both repeatedly praised on this board, are Minako, which offers Japanese home cooking for dinner only and Hulu House, which is Singaporean-Malaysian vegetarian. These are both in San Francisco. Minako offers fish as well as vegan options, but the best choice is always their kaiseki (around $30 for more courses than you can eat). They have a good range of organic sakes. If you want another option for tacos, you might visit La Corneta on Mission st, or closer to Palo Alto, stop at La Casita Chilanga on Middlefield Road for a torta. I think Andalu is too trendy to be considered a regular Mission spot, but that's my anti-yuppie bias; if you're looking for a fancier dinner in the general neighborhood, you might consider Delfina or Incanto. If you're willing to gamble a little on lodging, check out biddingfortravel.com which is a board that keeps track of Priceline bids. There's no point commuting up from Palo Alto to SF every day if you don't need to. This should be a good weekend for a deal. -not Cabrales, but hope this helps Mon Dec 29 15:25:14 -0800 2003 111419 0 Windy 2 111451 well, if you want to wow your daughter you might also take a drive over to Marin County and try Roxanne's all raw food. Mon Dec 29 16:58:59 -0800 2003 111441 0 roxy 1 111444 La Taqueria is closed until around 12 January, for their annual Christmas break. Mon Dec 29 15:49:16 -0800 2003 111419 0 Art Wong 1 111529 Where you stay in the Bay Area should be based on where you want to do things/eat (or since this is Chowhound, eat\do things). Palo Alto has a lot of good restaurants and it's a short drive from Mountain View and Sunnyvale, where there are tons of good Chinese and Indian and other restaurants. But if you mostly want to be in San Francisco, stay in San Francisco. San Francisco Reservations (www.hotelres.com)is a highly reputable discount reservation service that can put you in a good SF hotel for less than $159 per night. The only night that might be difficult is New Year's Eve. Sushi--Just had some fine stuff at Hana Zen near Union Square. For fish/seafood ciccetti, Pesce on Polk St. is wonderful. I'd second Delfina, though it's very hard to get a reservation. If you're willing to eat at the counter or bar you may be able to walk in. Tue Dec 30 14:17:00 -0800 2003 111419 0 Nathan Landau 1 111530 Looking at hotels.com, they have the Fairmont at $149 and the Sir Francis Drake at $120 this weekend. I can't speak for the bathrooms, though (g). You should definitely plan on going to the Ferry Building, which houses not only the Hog Island Oyster Bar, but numerous other local purveyors of fine foods. On Saturday morning they have a farmers' market that is pretty amazing, even this time of year. Tue Dec 30 14:28:18 -0800 2003 111419 0 Ruth Lafler 2 111623 I got a room at Cathedral Hill for $60/per night plus tax and service total was $70/per night through priceline. Not sure how good the hotel is but the website pics look decent and supposedly was recently renovated. Wed Dec 31 09:33:03 -0800 2003 111530 0 DodinBouffant