aqua - good place for fun business group (7) dinner?

[mark r]

going to be in san fran 1 night and a co-worker made a reservation at aqua. we are looking for fun, little sceney, and real good food.

is this the right place for 7 people? can anyone recommend something different?

thanks

[Millicent]

It may be okay for your group, but know that Aqua is one of the most expensive places in town, probably in the top 5 pricewise. So, it's not really fun or "sceney"--the food is good, but the vibe is more about reminding you that you're in an Important place.

What kind of food would your group enjoy? and do you want to stay in a particular part of town, or are you able to get around to some of the neighborhoods?

[mark r]

we are traveling from ny to have dinner with clients, so the price is not a factor. i believe the clients are in union sq area, so we dont want to travel too far from there.

normally i would go for food over scene, but this client wants to "have a good time", so a fun scene with good cocktails, would be more important (i still want good food). open to different types of food, just no mexican.

[amalia]

For a good time, maybe consider Asia de Cuba, Grand Cafe or Le Colonial.

All these are known for cocktails as well as food, and as far as I've heard recently, all are good-to-very good food-wise. And all are in close proximity to Union Square. None are among the Top 10 dining experiences in SF, however. How woud Fifth Floor or Jeanty at Jack's rate for Mark's needs?

I also think Boulevard is a good destination for this kind of dinner, very clubby atmosphere, very good food.

[Jaina S]

I strongly disagree with the recommendation for Asia De Cuba. We had an abysmal experience there.

On the other hand I think Aqua is a great choice. The only thing that gives me pause is the requirement that it be "fun." We had a romantic celebratory dinner there and it was perfect for that.

[Curtis]

I'd have to concur with several of the other members' posts. Having been to Aqua on numerous occasions, I don't think that I would characterize it as a "fun" or "sceney" place at all. Don't get me wrong, the food is excellent and the dining room is well appointed with gigantic floral arrangements scattered about, it's just that I wouldn't think a business group would have that great a time there.

If you're going to be in the Union Square area I agree with the Le Colonial (excellent Vietnamese/French cuisine) recommendation which is very conducive to socializing. I especially enjoy the indoor/outdoor seating area where you can linger over cocktails. In the same vein is the Grand Cafe (very good bistro cuisine) which has more energy and is great place to linger over dinner. Otherwise, you can always mix things up with cocktails, dinner and drinks at different venues. For instance, I really enjoy the restaurant at Campton Place (Pan Asian fusion) for dinner. Afterwards you could always zip over to Harry Denton's Starlight Room for drinks. Depending on the age of the group you could hit up the Red Room at the Commodore or Neo at the Metro Hotel for after dinner cocktails. Also, the Fifth Floor (inventive French fusion cuisine) is not too far off the square and I can also highly recommend the Hotel Palomar in which it is located. That's probably a good bet for what you've described (great food, sceney etc.) And as they say in the commercial, "Just be sure to bring your VISA, because you won't want to walk around carrying the kind of cash you'll need at Aqua or the 5th Floor ;)" (of course 5th Floor is a relative "steal" next to hopping a plane to hit up Restaurant Alain Ducasse!)

a sante,
Curtis

[PekoePeony]

Hm, your request is actually a bit difficult. It's hard to find an Aqua-scale food/price experience with a fun atmosphere. Also, by fun, do you mean trendy? Or have interesting decor/ambiance? Or both?

The food at Aqua is fine, but I wouldn't consider it "fun" -- it's more on the quiet side. Farallon is somewhat more fun (or at least, has more outrageous decor) and it's right in Union Square.

Though Asia de Cuba's been criticized by some 'hounds, I liked it and thought the food was pretty interesting and the vibe, very trendy. However, I'm not sure if it's that busy, and if you're from NY there's an Asia de Cuba there so it might be nice to have something different.

A lot of my friends like Roy's but there's several of them around. It's definitely more of a lively place that's upscale with a bit of casualness. However, you may not want to take your clients to a chain restaurant.

Le Colonial is interesting but it's a bit empty? And I think women like it more than men (as a broad generalization).

I haven't been to Bix for a while, but that might work for you, it's classic American cuisine with a busy bar area and live jazz every night. Other ideas are XYZ or Scala's Bistro.

For somewhat trendy places, I might go someplace like Azie, Tokyo Go Go, or Blowfish Sushi. Places I haven't been but might work are Bacar, Espetus Churrascaria, Tablespoon, Ana Mandara, Chaya or Cortez.

[wlweiden]

I would *definitely* recommend Cortez for this group. I've had excellent food there, and the atmosphere is both a scene and trendy, without being over the top. Both the cocktails and the wine list are quite good as well. Good for groups, lots of plates to share (or keep to yourself, especially if it's the crabcake or tuna tartare!) and the prices, while not low, are not unreasonable or as high as Aqua.

Also a block or two from the heart of Union Square.

[Ruth Lafler]

I agree that Aqua isn't much of a scene. A couple of people have suggested Asia de Cuba, but the negative reports outweigh the positive by a large ratio, particularly as regards the food.

RNM in the Haight might fit the bill.

Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...

[Paul H]

Aqua may be what you are seeking. The scene here is big-bucks dressed up - mid thirties and up in age. There is usually an after work bar crowd here. It's definately upscale. The food is excellent. It will be crowded enough that it will be noisy. Service will be professional and deferential -- they aren't going to joke with you. Dinner at Aqua would be my idea of a good time. On the other hand, for calibration purposes, TGIFriday's is my idea of torture.

[Alexandra]

And one more comment on Aqua... If your "scene" consists of local celebrities, Aqua is the place to go. Both times I've been there have been celebrities in the house - if Willie Brown (the most recent time) counts, that is... George Lucas was the other one.

And the food is excellent. I'm not sure it's worth the price, but if it's an expense account, then it definitely is.

[Lisa K.]

I've been to two business meals at Aqua - one lunch one dinner - and both have been fantastic. Both were small groups, 3 people and 5 people. The restaurant gets high points from me for being wonderfully accommodating when I found out only a few hours before the dinner that the person responsible for making the reservation had messed up and not made it correctly, yet they still squeezed us in.

And while it can be one of the most expensive places in town, since we had a late dinner and only ordered entrees, a couple of shared appetizers and one bottle of wine, we got out with a tab of about $60/person which was very reasonable for the quality and quantitl of food and wine.

Having said that, its not a "Hot" scene kind of place, but one that feels very special.