33117 Tue Dec 14 13:41:06 -0800 2004 22 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 147571 My workmates and I want to get the boss and his wife a gift certificate for a nice restaurant, though the most we can come up with is $100. It would be nice to send them to Quince or some place similar, but they would probably have to shell out an additional $100-200 bucks. Is there a really nice place that, for two, comes out to be around $100? Even if it came out to be a little more, that would be ok. Thanks! Tue Dec 14 13:41:06 -0800 2004 0 Kevin in SF 1 147572 Have you considered Ti Couz? Two people can dine or brunch there very nicely for $100, including apps and cocktails. Tue Dec 14 13:45:36 -0800 2004 147571 0 canard 1 147573 I posted earlier that several years ago I was given a gift certificate to Fringale for $100 and I paid a small surcharge. I recall having apps, entrees and a bottle of wine and enjoying it very much. I don't think prices have increased much since then. Tue Dec 14 13:54:29 -0800 2004 147571 0 Frosty Melon (was Chowderhead) 2 147665 I should have mentioned I dined with a companion. Wed Dec 15 11:57:04 -0800 2004 147573 0 Frosty Melon (was Chowderhead) 1 147577 I just posted about Firefly 3 posts ago if you want to read a review. The set menu (available M-T) is just $29 for 3 courses + Tea or coffee. That would leave round about $25 for wine and the remainder for tip. Maybe add in just a little more if you want a better bottle of wine. Their website doesnt say they do certificates per se, but I am sure/hope they might arrange something if you were to ask them. Tue Dec 14 14:14:00 -0800 2004 147571 0 Sixy beast 2 147588 Firefly is a great choice! Tue Dec 14 15:06:12 -0800 2004 147577 0 Nancy Berry 3 147771 Thanks for the rec for Firefly. I took a friend there for dinner on Tuesday night. The owner and host, Brad, was very nice and accomodating. The room is warm, and the service friendly. The $29 price-fixed dinner is an outstanding value. The best appetizer was the raw beet salad. The latkes were only OK. (I'm from NYC and Jewish so I'm very fuzzy about them.) The two fish courses were very good. The desserts, especially the flourless chocolate cake, were excellent. And the decaf coffee was about as good decaf as I have had. For all of this, one glass of wine, tax, and a generous tip, the bill was $85. And if you have the time, walk along 24th street, and around the Noe Valley neighborhood. It is very, very lovely. SF is a wonderful palce! Thu Dec 16 09:18:18 -0800 2004 147588 0 Steve 4 147875 You're welcome, Steve. I'm from New York (the Catskills) and Jewish, also, so I usually don't order latkes in restaurants. The only restaurant latkes I've ever liked as much as my mom's or mine were at Ratner's late great dairy restaurant in NYC (I use their recipe for my home-made latkes.) Brad Levy's seasonal Jewish dishes at Firefly are good, but I prefer his salads (the Mayfair is my favorite) or vegetable appetizers like the brussels sprouts with parmesan and white truffle oil. And I love his grilled entrees (like the pork chop or flat iron steak) or the great fish and seafood entrees. He always includes loads of interesting vegetables on each plate -- I like that they are coordinated with the entree, not just an afterthought. Fri Dec 17 12:41:49 -0800 2004 147771 0 Nancy Berry 3 147772 Thanks for the rec for Firefly. I took a friend there for dinner on Tuesday night. The owner and host, Brad, was very nice and accomodating. The room is warm, and the service friendly. The $29 price-fixed dinner is an outstanding value. The best appetizer was the raw beet salad. The latkes were only OK. (I'm from NYC and Jewish so I'm very fuzzy about them.) The two fish courses were very good. The desserts, especially the flourless chocolate cake, were excellent. And the decaf coffee was about as good decaf as I have had. For all of this, one glass of wine, tax, and a generous tip, the bill was $85. And if you have the time, walk along 24th street, and around the Noe Valley neighborhood. It is very, very lovely. SF is a wonderful palce! Thu Dec 16 09:18:36 -0800 2004 147588 0 Steve 1 147580 although it'll be hard to wrap up dinner for 2 for $100 in some of the top-tier places (like quince and boulevard and so forth), there are still many options out there that fit your need. perhaps you can consider an area and atmosphere that they might prefer and go from there. here are a few of my personal faves -- there's absinthe in the civic center... incanto, bacco and delfina in the mission/noe... el raigon, moose's, and iluna basque in north beach.... piperade, helmand, and jeanty at jack's in the financial/lower broadway... bizou, basil thai, and the public in soma... baraka and chez papa in potrero hill.... there are the restaurants on belden place as well, most of them are pretty reasonable. plus, bear in mind that the $100 might go further if they use it during DAT in january at participating restaurants. i've listed most of the websites below to the places i suggested. good luck and hope this helps. :-) http://www.absinthe.com/ http://www.incanto.biz/? http://bacco.citysearch.com/?cslink= http://www.elraigon.com/ http://www.mooses.com/index.html http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/customer_website/40838586 http://www.piperade.com/ http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/customer_website/917537 http://www.jeantyatjacks.com/ http://bizourestaurant.com/welcome.html http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/customer_website/868215 http://www.thepublicsf.com/ http://www.barakasf.net/home.html http://www.chezpapasf.com/ http://www.beldenplace.citysearch.com/?cslink= Tue Dec 14 14:22:23 -0800 2004 147571 0 artemis 2 147581 Delfina's a great idea. Every time I go I top out at right around $100 for 2 apps, 2 entrees, a dessert and a bottle of wine. Tue Dec 14 14:23:43 -0800 2004 147580 0 Frosty Melon (was Chowderhead) 1 147585 Did the same thing last year for a wedding present. It worked out well for seafood lovers @ Pesce on Polk because with the small plates and wide "wine by the glass" selection, they could moderate cost easily. Tue Dec 14 14:53:58 -0800 2004 147571 0 deelish 1 147589 Many options on that price range Chapeau--Probably the best French bistro and even with a foie supplement two can easily dine there for $100 Piperade--Excellent rustic Basque dishes. Two can dine there between $80-120 depending on wine consumption, but mains top out at $20 A16--Very unique authentic Neapolitan food and great wine list. The room is bustling and loud which may be a hinderance, but for $100 they can have a 3 course meal a great bottle of wine. It feels like a more expensive experience because the waiters change plates and silverware often and they use expensive glassware. Tue Dec 14 15:07:51 -0800 2004 147571 0 Javier T 2 147590 I second the vote for Chapeau. Also, OpenTable offers gift certificates that can be used at most of the restaurants on their site. Not sure if you feel that's a bit impersonal, but it gives them the option of splurging with the cert + their own money on something they wouldn't normally do (like Michael Mina or Masa's) or cap it at the $100. Also, there are several restaurants in the wine country it can be used for. Tue Dec 14 15:27:32 -0800 2004 147589 0 Fatemeh 3 147797 Also, if they are coming from the East Bay, I recommend Soizic Bistro. Thu Dec 16 15:04:39 -0800 2004 147590 0 Fatemeh 1 147604 I think it will come down to Fringale or Bizou. Delfina was high on the list, but supposedly reservations are too hard to come by. I'm not sure about the noise level either, nor the driving situation. They are coming from outside of the city, so it seems like Fringale and Bizou would be easier to get to. Also, he really likes Piperade, so I'm sure Fringale would go over well. However, I myself am split between which restaurant would be better as a "special time" restaurant. I hear the noise level in Bizou is too loud, but that the food remains excellent. Also, my boss and his wife are architects/interior designers, so I think they may like Bizou better. Can anyone give me a good reason not to send them to Bizou, rather, send them to Fringale? Also, I truly appreciate all the time you've spent giving suggestions! They are very good recommendations! Special thanks to Artemis for all of the time he/she went to with the links!! Tue Dec 14 18:16:57 -0800 2004 147571 0 Kevin in SF 2 147611 At Bizou, you can bring in wine purchased at nearby K&L and pay no corkage. That could make the difference between under and over $100. Tue Dec 14 18:38:10 -0800 2004 147604 0 Robert Lauriston 2 147622 I certainly preferred the decor at Bizou. Fringale's is quite ugly. But the food, the service, the experience was amazing at Fringale, when i went. I can't forget a lamb dish I had (over a year ago). The staff were so nice to us - for what reason I have no clue, but we got free drinks and were so well looked after, even though we turned up latish on a saturday having only booked by phone 10 minutes prior. Bizou was a little more impersonal. I recall I didnt care for their version of foie gras but that some beef cheeks were sublime. Fringale will be the one of the two i would return to first. although I am a little worried about reports of a new chef... I think both of these places will be over 100 if you are including tip and they want 3 courses, but Robert's wine suggestion is a good one. K & L would probably be closed by the time they arrive for dinner (unless they eat early) so you would need to organise that in advance) Tue Dec 14 20:14:51 -0800 2004 147604 0 Sixy Beast 2 147625 We ate at Fringale recently and had an excellent meal...the check came to $150.00 for two [with a healthy tip], but that included cocktails, wine, and the full, lovely meal...if your friends aren't as gluttonous as I, they could come in on/near budget...I realize that the decor at Bizou might be more aesthetically pleasing, but Fringale is no dump; and besides, you don't eat the wallpaper. Tue Dec 14 20:25:26 -0800 2004 147604 0 Paulie 2 147692 One great reason to go to Fringale is for the new head chef - Marc Rasic, formerly of La Table. Wed Dec 15 16:11:22 -0800 2004 147604 0 miche 1 147605 Hey Kevin, off the subject, but did you ever find a source for saltpeter? First Spice has a curing mixture with 6.5% nitrate-nitrite but no saltpeter. I'd like to make up my own formula, but like you haven't been able to find the K salt. Please let me know if you're successful and I'll do the same. Thanks-Tom-(thget@jps.net) Tue Dec 14 18:23:24 -0800 2004 147571 0 TomG 2 147616 I'm going with Morton's Tender Quick. It seems safer, cheap, and easily available. I checked everywhere: Molly Stones, Rainbow, Whole Foods, Safeway, Andronicos, Little City...most places told me one place, Carlson's Butcher Supply at 50 Mendell. Unfortunately, they are only open M-F, 7-4, which is too difficult for me. So I'll probably be going online. I did try to call the place you recommended (thank you!) and haven't heard back from them, yet. But Carlson's does carry saltpeter (or salpetre) aka potassium nitrate, but I'm not sure if it's the diluted stuff (some folks got dead after mixing the wrong quantities not too long ago, which I believe prompted some type of legal action/consequence). My butcher at Molly Stones told me that's where he gets his (for personal use). Tue Dec 14 19:00:06 -0800 2004 147605 0 Kevin in SF 3 147672 Checked with Carlson's, their product is also a proprietary mixture called Redimix. Where did you find Tender Quick? Wed Dec 15 12:32:43 -0800 2004 147616 0 TomG