graduation dinner in sf. . . not these places :)

[stuckinschool]

turns out that i will soon be stuck in school no more! :) that's right, i'm finally graduating from grad school!

my family is coming into town from pittsburgh for the big event so i've been given the job of finding a nice place for dinner afterwards. it'll be 6-7 people, some of whom are kind of picky so i'd like to stick to the american/european cuisines (italian, french etc.).

i have a reservation at perbacco form 8pm on friday june 22nd but have never been there, and based on some accounts on this board, i'm a little worried that it won't be a sufficiently warm, inviting environment. i'd like this to be a comfy laid back dinner, but i'm getting the feeling that perbacco is more of an business dinner place. those who have been there, am i wrong?

so. . .i turn to you all for suggestions. i'd like the prices to be moderate, i though perbacco's prices were fine. location isn't a huge deal but they are all staying in union square so no outer richmond/sunset. other places i've been to that either aren't available or i found meh:

quince: love it, but all they have for this day is the chef's table with a $1000 min, too much.
aziza: don't like the location for these purposes and honestly, i thought the food meh.
frascati: took the 'rents here last visit, ok.
delfina: no availability
piperade: my mother is basque (actually from navarra) and an amazing cook so no matter how amazing the food is it's still better the way she makes it (imho!)

thoughts? suggestions?

thanks in advance! :)

[margieco]

We had a group of 8 of us at coco500. They've got one big round table that's nice for a group. It's tucked away in a corner that keeps it a little quieter. I remember enjoying everything we had.

[Problem Child]

Boulevard should be good for parties of that size from out of town. You can have a nice walk along Embarcadero too afterwards.

[dinnerout]

I've not been to Perbacco yet, but what about Myth or Isa? Isa is in the Marina, not really that far from Union Square, though you'd have to cab or take a bus - too far to make visitors walk! Congratulations!

[christineb]

Isa is a great suggestion. Best foie gras in the city, and a cozy environment (that is, if you sit on the patio).

[chaddict]

Myth is a perfect suggestion.

[JasmineG]

I think that Town Hall can be very comfy and laid back, and I like the food there a lot (and the prices aren't bad). However, it can be pretty loud there, so if that's an issue, you might want to request a quiet table.

[whiner]

Jardineire. Especially if they are picky -- incredibly accomodating menu.

[Dave MP]

Incanto? I haven't been, but based on what I've read and heard, it sounds like a good match.

Dave MP

[Robert Lauriston]

Yes, except for being about as far from Union Square as Aziza.

Riding the J streetcar out could be more fun than taking the Geary bus.

[Robert Lauriston]

Perbacco's good for a celebration, e.g.:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/384803

I'd call and ask them to add a note to the reservation that you'd like to be seated downstairs, preferably in the area under the mezzanine.

[margieco]

Interesting you suggest that. I had a dinner upstairs and found it quite cozy (to be fair we had requested upstairs to be as far away from their lily arrangement as possible, but that's a different story).
anyway, except for the loud shrill of laughter from a nearby table, I thought it was a really warm experience. (I'd eaten downstairs one other time and found this to be much quieter).

[susancinsf]

I agree that Perbacco is a good choice, and don't agree with the implication in some other posts that it is really only a business dinner choice. It is noisy, however, but like Robert, would ask to be seated under the messanine downstairs.

If you really want warm and inviting, you might also want to consider La Ciccia, if you can get and fit around the round table in the front window...La Ciccia is further afield, however, and I'd say overall Perbacco would be a better choice for your group....