Last meal in SF - what would you do?

[eventfarm]

So I just found out that we are moving to Dallas in 1 month.

That means that all those dining experiences that I wanted to have in SF just aren't going to happen.

So, if you had $250 (for 2, one doesn't drink) what would be your last SF (or peninsula) fling?

(just to make it more personable - our favorite restaurant is Espetus, then Cortez, then the cheap places (back-a-yard, dee-dee's, etc).)

Thanks!

[wchane]

i'd load up on as much cheap ethnic cuisine as i possibly could, as dallas has none of that. dim sum, mission burritos, small plates, slanted door, bissap baobab, all that and a bowl of san francisco clam chowder from pier market. i'd just spend a day or two eating everything and everywhere.

[meels]

meesh (post #1) mentioned Jardiniere, which hasn't been picked up in the thread, but it's worth checking out - especially the chef's tasting menu. For a special occasion, an upstairs table (not too close to the jazz trio) really can't be beat. www.jardiniere.com

[eventfarm]

Wow! I'm just getting back online after a killer couple of days of work. Nice to see lots of suggestions!

Gary danko was on my list and is right now the running favorite. Chez Panisse looks fantastic - I'm embarrased to say I've never actually taken a look at the menu.

I'll have to do a post when we decide where we're going.

[rworange]

Please, please don't go to the BORING, grim Gary Danko as your last meal. I know, I know ... good fois gras, some souffle thingy ... but it is so ORDINARY for this type of restuarant ... and I'm sorry, that cheese cart doesn't do it for me. Just stop by Cheeseboard and buy some. The samples at Cheeseboard are almost as large as what GD serves.

DO please check out the menu at Chez Panisse.

http://www.chezpanisse.com/pgcafemenu...

Either the cafe or the dinner. There are ways to get in. The cafe is easier, but there are cancellations.

You won't find anything like that in Dallas and all GD is doing is a riff on what Chez Panisse does ... and not as well.

[Robert Lauriston]

Food like Gary Danko's could be duplicated in Texas if there were demand.

Chez Panisse's close connections with local farmers could not.

[laurendlewis]

My husband and I went to SF on our honeymoon last year - our favorites were:
Yank Sing (dim sum)
Farallon (seafood)

Maybe very touristy but .. hey.. you're tourists!

[jbeaux]

Anybody know, does Delfina have a website?

[Robert Lauriston]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&am...

[lettuce]

It will be more than $250, but I would go to Manresa in Los Gatos.

Otherwise, Gary Danko, Delfina or the Cafe at Chez Panisse.

[ML8000]

I'd go with stuff you couldn't get in Dallas and then move on to sentimental favs.

On my list would be Cali cuisine (CP is at the top of the list), seafood (Swan's, Yuet Lee), inexpensive Chinese and Asian, ethnic cuisine that would be harder to find in Dallas, maybe a fusion place you couldn't see in Dallas. Sentimental favs would be of course be personal.

Oh yeah, I'd try to hit some good neighborhood places in SF. It's the high and low but also the nice reasonable-to-moderate neighborhood places (regardless of cuisine) that make SF different.

[Chris Rising]

ML is right on the ethnic especially as far as Chinese is concerned. You need to be ready for NO acceptable Chinese food.

[Problem Child]

I would do Chez Panisse if you have never been. Make your reservations today as their reservation policy is 1 month in advance.

$250 is more than enough if 1 doesn't drink. The other can do their suggested wine pairing.

[farmersdaughter]

That would be my choice as well. Unfortunately, I haven't dined enough in Dallas to have personal experience with the food there, but I think CP is probably hugely different from the restaurants in Dallas (including the difference between the local ingredients in the two cities).

[Robert Lauriston]

I've never seen a wine pairing at Chez Panisse, is that a new thing? You can always ask for recommendations from the by-the-glass list, but often there's no great match.

[Problem Child]

I did the wine pairing the last time I went. You might want to ask your server the next time you go there. The server brings the bottle to let us taste first and see if we like it before pouring a glass.

[Robert Lauriston]

What's the charge?

[Problem Child]

Can't reply to your msg so I'll reply to this. 2 $75 dinners, 2 wine pairings + tips + tax = $250. So I would say the wine pairing cost between $25-$30 each.

[Robert Lauriston]

By "wine pairing" do you mean a preselected flight of three or four wines for a fixed price, or wines by the glass recommended by the waiter or sommelier?

[Problem Child]

If I recall correctly, the waiter said that they have a set of wines already selected for the night. But that's 1 yr ago. Please let me know if you go again and remind me if that's the case.

[Robert Lauriston]

They didn't last month, or in January, or at any of my other visits over the past 25+ years.

[Chris Rising]

I'd invite my two best friends and go to Delfina. Dallas has some very good restaurants. I pine for tex mex cheese enchilladas.

[Pei]

That was my last meal in SF, and I still drool just thinking about it. Perfect everything! Pasta, meat, seafood, wine, SF vibe...yum. But it won't be $250 unless you eat and drink a LOT. But who cares if you spend less; you'll have a great time.

[Robert Lauriston]

I'd order the Quinto Quarto or Whole Beast at Incanto.

http://incanto.biz/information.html

[MuppetGrrl]

I'd spend a Sunday afternoon in the backyard at Zeitgeist and have a grilled gardenburger. I'd have a Rosamunde sausage, probably stop at Tommy's Joynt for a big ol' ham with au jus, and I think I'd even go down to the wharf for one of the giant crabs fresh off the boat. I'd get the seafood combo from Swann Oyster Depot and picnic out at Sutro Park.

For evening meals, I'd pick between Incanto, Sanraku, Le Charm (or Fringale), or maybe hit a few places I haven't been yet, like Aziza and RNM.

EDIT: I hadn't noticed the $250 price tag.

At least you know you'll be getting great barbeque!

[Robert Lauriston]

No crabs fresh off the boat this time of year.

[MuppetGrrl]

While I'd personally wait until December, of course, I'm sure the crab they do have there would at least be fresher than what they get in Dallas. Although Dallas might be a real seafood town, for all I know.

[meesh]

1. Gary Danko
2. Jardinare
3. RNM