37311 Thu Jun 23 18:10:04 -0700 2005 34 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 173590 My wife and I are coming to the bay area from July 15-22. Three nights in SF and three nights in Yountville. Then one night back in SF before we leave. I have no reservations for SF. Need one to two great/expensive suggestion (last time we were in town, we ate at Foreign Cinema, Anzu and Rosa Pistale) and any additional suggestions for lunch spots, picnics and neighborhood cafes for one moderate to cheap night. We love seafood, steak, ahi tuna, sushi (really want to know of a good sushi joint for one night, price is no object). Also love italian, really just about anything. And my wife loves cheese, so cheese course is a plus Have seen websites on Gary Danko, Slanted Door, JuliusCastle,Delfina, Aziza. Help, the amout of good food is overwhelming. For Napa, we have reservations at Martini House and Auburge du Soleil (sp). One more night and some lunch, picnic spots would be appreciated. We may have an in at french laundry, not sure yet Thu Jun 23 18:10:04 -0700 2005 0 BWoosley 1 173601 In SF, Delfina and Incanto are definately worth a visit. Spend an afternoon at the Ferry Building to shop and snack In Yountville, grab picnic items at the Bouchon Bakery (and maybe even have a meal at Bouchon next door) Link: http://bunrab.com/yummychow/Reviews/SFReviewsFrameset.html?BouchonReview.html Thu Jun 23 18:56:38 -0700 2005 173590 0 Edie 2 173741 What is Incanto? Fri Jun 24 13:29:17 -0700 2005 173601 0 BWoosley 3 173897 Incanto is one of SF's best Italian eateries. 1550 Church St. San Francisco, CA 415.641.4500 Link: http://bunrab.com/yummychow/Reviews/SFReviewsFrameset.html?IncantoReview.html Fri Jun 24 22:36:34 -0700 2005 173741 0 Edie 1 173616 I'd advise against Julius' Castle -- gorgeous building, spectacular location, filled with tourists, never ever renowned for its food. A wonderful lunch spot in Calistoga (north end of Napa Valley) is the Wappo Bar & Bistro -- if it's a nice day, sit out on the brick patio under the grape arbor. Link: http://www.wappobar.com/ Thu Jun 23 19:58:41 -0700 2005 173590 0 Rod Williams 1 173646 There are so many fabulous places between Napa and Calistoga - forget Auberge. Go for a glass of wine and enjoy the view - you won't much enjoy the food. Do a search on this board for Napa/Yountville/St. Helena/Calistoga - too many to list and we all have our favorites. But have not heard anyone ever say Auberge was a favorite!! And good grief - you are staying in Yountville - home of Bistro Jeanty, Bouchon, Hurley's - let alone Gordon's and Bouchon Bakery for breakfast and lunch and picnic snacks. Thu Jun 23 22:28:30 -0700 2005 173590 0 Mad 2 173650 I agree with a glass on wine on the deck at the Auberge, and have dinner at Terra. Martini House is good. Cindy's Backstreet kitchen in St. Helena is good and inexpensive. Also, Mustards outside of Yountville is an oldtime favorite. Many good choices. Gourmet fast food at Taylor's Refresher. Try the Ahi burger. And they serve wine. Have a great time! Thu Jun 23 23:40:07 -0700 2005 173646 0 Ann Leneave 2 173665 Gordon's is so wonderful for snacks and breakfast or lunch. But, I think their dinners (Friday night only, no other night) are fabulous. I had the best pork chop and lamb shanks (not in the same meal) I have ever had. Plus, I think it is a quintessential wine county dining experience. Fri Jun 24 01:00:09 -0700 2005 173646 0 deelish 1 173681 I'll second that I never heard a good word about Auburge du Soleil. The consensus, on and off the board is that the food is average and overpriced. I had drinks there recently to catch the sunset which made the hills look exactly like my friend said "like a Monet paintng". Anyway, checked out the menu and it looked a little cliche. Ditto on Julius Castle. Aziza has been getting a lot of good posts. Search the posts. I really loved the Dining Room at the Ritz Carleton which, IMO was superior to the French Laundry. They have a nice cheese cart and a champagne cart. EXCELLENT, I mean EXCELLENT pairing of wine to the food. The best I've ever had. I also liked Michael Minna very much, but no cheese tray I was unimpressed with Gary Danko. They did have a nice cheese tray, but the portions were skimpy. You would be better off stopping off at Cowgirl Creamery at the Ferry Building and sample some cheeses. In fact, if you are here on Saturday morning, the Ferry Plaza farmers market is a must. I would highly recommend getting a copy of the just published Chowhound guide to SF. There are just so many good tips in there. Also, it is light weight and you can carry it with you. No matter where you find yourself, there are nearby suggestions. If you go to the Ferry Plaza farmers market there are suggestions about what to look for. Also, it will help you narrow down some choices. It is a fun and easy read as well. Here are links to my recent visits to Michael Minna, The Ritz and Gary Danko. The Dining Room at the Ritz http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/sanfrancisco37/messages/130149.html Michael Mina http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/sanfrancisco37/messages/131129.html Gary Danko http://www.chowhound.com/california/boards/sanfrancisco37/messages/130596.html Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0143034413/chowhoundcom/002-1076964-0438406 Fri Jun 24 02:30:57 -0700 2005 173590 0 rworange 2 173736 Auberge du Soleil was terrific while Richard Reddington was the chef there. But he left a couple of years ago, a few weeks after fixing a magnificent lunch for my... umptieth birthday party. Robert Curry is the chef there now -- came from 6 years at Domaine Chandon (for whatever that's worth). I've been looking for food reports but haven't heard a squeak. Maybe I'll just have to head up there and try it myself. It's such a beautiful place, it really should have a stellar restaurant that lives up to the view. In any case, I certainly second the recommendation to stop in for a pre-dinner glass of champagne on the terrace, wherever you end up dining. Fri Jun 24 13:19:13 -0700 2005 173681 0 Rod Williams 3 173882 Yeppers, Reddington's new place in Yountville, Redd, is supposed to open in a couple months. Fri Jun 24 21:27:22 -0700 2005 173736 0 Melanie Wong 2 173740 well dangit on Auburgue, I had heard good things. Any other suggestions for Yountvile, Napa area? we intend to hit the farmer's market for sure. Fri Jun 24 13:26:38 -0700 2005 173681 0 BWoosley 3 173911 I've had lunch at Auberge a only a few/several times over many years, always on the patio. Each time it was special, sometimes with very good food and sometimes with well, they tried and it wasn't bad at all but not great. It seems to depend on the time or maybe the year. But it's a place that I've noted, and said at the time, as we were eating and drinking wine and looking out over the hills and valley, this is a place people would travel halfway around the world to come to and we get to be here with a short drive. Sat Jun 25 00:27:03 -0700 2005 173740 0 Mick Ruthven 1 173699 In SF, Aqua is great as is Boulevard, both for excellent food plus at Boulevard you can have a beautiful view. Cortez on Geary is a fun place, small plates, good atmosphere. Fri Jun 24 10:34:43 -0700 2005 173590 0 Monty 2 173738 What are the specialties of Aqua, Boulevard & Cortez? Fri Jun 24 13:21:52 -0700 2005 173699 0 BWoosley 3 173750 Aqua is and always has been an upscale seafood place, excellent. With the new chef there are a few more "non-seafood" items but go for the seafood. Boulevard really has no "specialty" per say. Nancy Oaks, the chef, is excellent with pork and with potatoes. However, there is usually lamb, fish, perhaps game such as quail on the menu. It's just overall very good. Cortez is "small plates." My wife and I normally order about 6 different dishes ranging from empanadas to lamb. Have never been disappointed there. Plus, the dessert biegnets are wonderful. Fri Jun 24 13:51:06 -0700 2005 173738 0 Monty 1 173744 anyone? Fri Jun 24 13:38:45 -0700 2005 173590 0 BWoosley 2 173764 Tokie's in Foster City or Sushi Ran in Sausalito...used to be a sushi chef and they've got the best fish.... Fri Jun 24 14:44:51 -0700 2005 173744 0 Jinks 3 173795 where is foster city and how difficult is it to go from SF to Sausilito? We are staying at Omni downtown Fri Jun 24 16:14:10 -0700 2005 173764 0 BWoosley 4 173883 Tokie's in Foster City is not good enough to merit the hassle of leaving the City, imo. Are you looking for traditional or American-style sushi? Fri Jun 24 21:29:36 -0700 2005 173795 0 Melanie Wong 5 174015 yes Sun Jun 26 12:17:31 -0700 2005 173883 0 BWoosley 5 174017 Not sure of the difference. Good sushi and sashimi is what we like Sun Jun 26 12:43:20 -0700 2005 173883 0 BWoosley 5 174104 If you're going for quality of fish and good rolls, I still say Sushi Ran or Tokie's....having worked as a sushi chef I'm particular about the quality of my fish and I happen to know that Victor uses the top suppliers. And he's good enough to have Martin Yan use him on his show...so...... Mon Jun 27 12:49:56 -0700 2005 173883 0 Jinks 6 174250 Since Martin's studio was right across the alley way from Tokie's, I'm sure it was very convenient to do the filming. Also, Martin chooses showmanship over other things sometimes. For top quality fish in the City, my picks would be Hama-ko or Ino. But these are very traditional spots, and if the poster is not familiar with sushi etiquette, well, these might not be the best places to send someone. I'm not up on American-style places that make fancy rolls in SF and someone else will need to advise on where to get monster truck rolls. Tokie's makes some interesting rolls. Just bear in mind that it's a 30-45 minute drive from San Francisco to get there. I'm not sure that it's a unique enough experience to be worth the drive, and I'd think that somewhere closer in might suit the OP just as well. Mon Jun 27 21:32:21 -0700 2005 174104 0 Melanie Wong 7 174312 MMostly interested in sashimi, not rolls per se. Tue Jun 28 13:03:58 -0700 2005 174250 0 BWoosley 8 174525 Here's a link to my old post on Sushi Hama-ko to give you an idea of what the sashimi plate can be. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/17408#51613 Wed Jun 29 13:16:05 -0700 2005 174312 0 Melanie Wong 7 174635 Just FYI...it wasn't filmed there. And like I said before...the quality of fish is what counts. Some of the places you mentioned aren't bad, but their vendors aren't exactly top notch. The head chefs at Sushi Ran and Tokies will pay more just to keep the quality up. A bit of insider information. Wed Jun 29 20:23:10 -0700 2005 174250 0 Jinks 8 174636 When's the last time you ate at Hama-ko? Wed Jun 29 20:29:16 -0700 2005 174635 0 Melanie Wong 9 174739 About a month ago and was not terribly impressed...not bad, but not great. They mentioned that they were more into sashimi so in that case fish quality is paramount. Thu Jun 30 15:21:29 -0700 2005 174636 0 Jinks 5 174409 I have to agree w/ Melanie on this one. You don't have to drive all the way to Foster City (or Sausalito for that matter) to have good sushi/sashimi. If the OP is staying in S.F., I would second Ino Sushi rec. If the OP actually wants to drive out of the city, then my personal favorite Japanese place in Peninsula is Yuzu in San Mateo. Tue Jun 28 19:37:32 -0700 2005 173883 0 Yuko 1 173917 i'm sort of in with the sushi---but since you mentioned steaks---a new place in st helena recently opened called press---very pleasant---nice cuts of meat and interesting sides. some of the best tartare i've ever eaten (tartare is hard to come by nowadays). 6 of us tried it fathers day so we got a pretty good sampling of the menu and there were no disappointments. maybe worth a try---no lunch weekdays. Sat Jun 25 01:05:40 -0700 2005 173590 0 rich 2 173918 Mmm, tartare! Glad to hear more about this new spot. Is it mostly meat-oriented? Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/36807#170636 Sat Jun 25 01:12:54 -0700 2005 173917 0 Melanie Wong 3 173996 hi melanie---they have a little something for everybody---well marbled meats and fresh fish. i'd go back just for the tartare and oysters (done with creme fresh(sp?) and leeks), especially if i didn't have to drive home. they did a terrific job remodeling "the spot" to a fresh and airy new look---you wouldn't recognize this place, located next to dean and deluca. prices are a little more than coles, but for st helena not all that bad. worth a try for a special night out---lunch on the weekends only---a good looking wine list---and 20 bucks corkage (waived for local vintners). Sun Jun 26 01:22:40 -0700 2005 173918 0 rich 1 174771 Ten Ichi is great, simple sushi on Fillmore Street. Thu Jun 30 17:26:25 -0700 2005 173590 0 thasker 1 174915 For a tasty lunch or bistro dinner in Yountville, you might enjoy Thomas Keller's charming "Bouchon". It can be hard to reserve by phone but try "Open Table" online. It's certainly easier to get into than The French Laundry right down the street! They have delicious bread - also available at their bakery next door - and fantastic mussels and frites. My guests were happy with everything they ordered - unusually creamy quiche, marinated artichokes with sea salt, leg of lamp with polenta and we all enjoyed the profiteroles for dessert. You might want to go early because the place gets noisy and crowded but the decor is beautifully detailed and the zinc bar stunning. Even the nuns at the table behind us were having a great time.... Sun Jul 03 00:59:31 -0700 2005 173590 0 Marie