35359 Wed Mar 30 00:00:55 -0800 2005 14 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 161462 Hey there- I'm moving out to SF this summer, and my little lady will be visiting me for a week, and I'd like to take her out five or six times. We're hoping to get a reservation at the French Laundry, and will be trying the Slanted Door and probably Chez Panisse. For the remainders, if you have any recommendations that fit into any of the following categories, let me know: Achingly hip? Distinctively SF? Splurge but worth it? Oh, yeah, and we need a really good sushi restaurant, if it doesn't fit into one of the above categories. Thanks so much for your help! Jeff Wed Mar 30 00:00:55 -0800 2005 0 beantowner 1 161465 Take her to AsiaSF on the corner of 9th & Howard http://www.asiasf.com/menus.html . The wait staff are transvestites...they call them "gender illusionists". Truly, it's a bazzar feeling to be sexually attracted to a girl you KNOW is a dude...they are that good. Every 30 minutes one of the "girls" takes stage on the bar/runway and does a dance/lipsink to a Broadway show tune. Great Fun and very good and ineresting food. The ahi burger with wasabi aioli is great as are the salmon firecracker rolls. Have fun! Link: http://www.asiasf.com/menus.html Wed Mar 30 00:29:30 -0800 2005 161462 0 orangeplow 1 161479 French Laundry & Chez Panisse are one of the best restaurants in the area, however, I wouldn't consider them "hip" in anyway. Slanted Door is a good one though. Now, as far as good & hip sushi place, you can try Ozumo - really cool interior, great bar, pretty hostess and waitress, and good sushi. Price is a bit on the high side, but you do want hip, right? Other place that would be included in "distinctively sf & (somewhat) hip" would be: Zuni Cafe, BIX, Bacar, and Tallula. Check out some of the newer restaurants like: Lavende Lounge, Myth, Town Hall, Cortez and the brand new Americano (in the Vitale hotel). For the Splurge section, if you find yourself having a hard time getting into the French Laundry, I would definitely try either La Toque or Terra in the wine country. Similarly, try Gary Danko, (the newly improved) La Folie, & Fifth Floor. As always, you can't go wrong with Fleur de Lys (for romance) and the Dining Room at the Ritz. For something completely different though, check out Aziza (Moraccan with belly dancing), or really completely different, AsiaSF. Wed Mar 30 06:39:32 -0800 2005 161462 0 Concierge_J 2 161503 Recent reports here on Tallula have been mostly negative. Wed Mar 30 12:09:39 -0800 2005 161479 0 Robert Lauriston 3 161505 I was forced to go there a month or so ago for a friends birthday. The food was mainly unremarkable apart from a lobster dosa ? that was sublime. I certainly would not call it aching hip. I don't think SF does achingly hip. SF may be able to manage 'just about hip' but certainly not 'achingly'. This is a good thing about SF in my opinion. Even 'trying to be achingly hip' places like Frisson let somewhat over the hillsters like me through their front doors. Wed Mar 30 12:17:16 -0800 2005 161503 0 Sixy beast 3 161507 I second the Tallula sentiment. When it first opened, I loved it--and it was good the second time. Then, they raised their prices and I think the chef went on permanent vacation. Service went down hill, the menu didn't change as often, and the things that stayed on lost their spark. Oh well, hopefully their business will drop off and they'll be reinvigorated when the owners catch on that we've caught on. Wed Mar 30 12:32:00 -0800 2005 161503 0 SteveG 2 161547 Aziza no longer has belly dancing. Wed Mar 30 17:00:31 -0800 2005 161479 0 Ruth Lafler 1 161489 I haven't lived here long, but a couple of achingly hip lounges with food I've been to are the Redwood Room in the Clift Hotel and Lime in the Castro. Wed Mar 30 08:54:28 -0800 2005 161462 0 KathyR 1 161513 Achingly hip: Frisson Oola (yum) Myth--I had great food and service there too Cortez--but good food and not annoyingly hip Distinctively SF: Jack Falstaff Universal Cafe (I sound like a broken record, always recommending that place) Blue Plate Piperade (though the food is Basque) Splurge but worth it: Ritz Dining Room FL (of course) Manka's (also distinctively SF, 60 min drive from SF) Manresa Wed Mar 30 13:01:20 -0800 2005 161462 0 wlw18 2 161530 Oola felt to me like a restaurant-biz insider's hangout, but other than that it seemed more classic than hip. Anyway I liked it. Wed Mar 30 14:41:49 -0800 2005 161513 0 Robert Lauriston 1 161520 I am not hip ** caveat but I personally think Aziza, Gary Danko and Delfina are relatively hip with really great food. I also STRONGLY second Manka's Inverness- suberb food and uniquely SF. Also, Belden place- with Plouf, Cafe Bastille and about 6 other eateries) is a hip/slick (European feel) place to hang out- caution the food is passable - not great and sometimes not even good. Based on many other Ritz Carlton dining rooms- I think the Ritz would not be hip...but I haven't been to the one here yet (set for May)... Blowfish is super hip (again to me) with passable sushi. Fun to watch the anime porn and the crowd/ambiance is definitely (in my opinion) achingly hip. Wed Mar 30 13:33:49 -0800 2005 161462 0 bandit 2 161926 I agree that Belden Place is hip and fun, but that food at each restaurant can be hit/miss. Having said that, it's also a great place to try a lot of different foods. I've been on a restaurant-hopping kick, so what I'd do is: mussels at Plouf: just had this this week, and it was wonderful. There are 6 sauces to choose from, from your basic garlic/onion/parsley to a Thai-inspired coconut version. I can't remember the name of the sauce I had, but it was the last one on the list and it was deliciously creamy. The bucket it comes in is piled high and a great appetizer or light lunch. paella and squid tapa at B44: arguably the best paella in SF, if a bit pricey. dessert at Tiramisu: there's an impressive dessert sampler if you have a sweet tooth. It's adorable, but you have to be willing to try all 7 desserts on the menu. Otherwise, the lemon sorbet and tiramisu are worthwhile. The chocolate cake is extremely underwhelming (dry), as is the rum/raisin something-or-other. Other desserts were okay, but not great. Sam's Grill: old school SF in the tradition of Tadich. Perhaps a good place to share a fish entree (sole, sand dabs?). There's a newish vodka bar with a hip modern vibe (white walls, blue lighting, bold blue/orange sofas), but I haven't stopped in there yet. Sat Apr 02 19:02:02 -0800 2005 161520 0 nooodles 1 161557 Town Hall. It doesnt fit perfectly in any of your categories, but the food is great and it is pretty much still an "it" place. Best part is the food, tons of excellent options in every course. I've had nothing bad nor even average. Its a new American style that is definately not stuck in the 90s. An excellent choice to experience what is going on foodwise is SF. Wed Mar 30 18:05:39 -0800 2005 161462 0 Chris 1 161911 A co-worker enjoyed a fixed price lunch at French Laundry and for he and his wife the lunch cost $600. They had 2 half bottles of wine with the lunch. If that is in your budget--ENJOY! 2 month waiting list Sat Apr 02 14:42:13 -0800 2005 161462 0 Tina 1 162203 Achingly hip and decent? Cortez, for tiny plates SF style, or Myth. Only in SF: Tadich Grill -- one of the oldest restaurants in SF (think Barbary Coast) -- Swan Oyster Depot, raw-foods Cafe Gratitude, the tiny indie-rocker bistro Blue Plate, and if you've got a car, Just for You for damn good brunch. Plus, if you're a chowhound, you should eat at one of the cheap Pakistani places (Shalimar, Pakwan) where you're going to be spending a lot of money over the next few years. And if you don't treat her to a burrito at La Taqueria or Can-Cun (the original on Mission and 17th) then you've missed the essential SF experience. Tue Apr 05 10:50:46 -0700 2005 161462 0 Spatulab