560489 Fri Sep 26 14:18:05 -0700 2008 12 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 4064391 DH & I will be meeting his (senior) parents in San Francisco in late November/early December. We'll be going to the new Academy of Sciences on MONDAY, Dec. 1st. I know there will be two restaurants there, but since they haven't yet opened, I'd like to have a "plan B" for lunch. We'll have a car, and the seniors may have some walking problems, so we need a restaurant where we can park nearby. Foodwise, we're looking for something simple, but tasty. Great sandwiches or simple seafood would work. Most Asian would be out ("too exotic" for the seniors!). Any ideas? Thanks! Fri Sep 26 14:18:05 -0700 2008 11439 Anne 1 4064667 Park Chow at 9th and Irving might fit the bill. I'm not quite sure how to describe it...maybe New American? Or comfort/homestyle food with a twist? But everything I've had there has been delicious, and it's a pretty short walk from the museum. Also, just across the street from the Academy is the cafe at the DeYoung, which is pretty good, and definitely a convenient option! Fri Sep 26 16:11:33 -0700 2008 4064391 182589 bex109 2 4064766 DeYoung is closed on Monday, unfortunately. Would have been nice to take your in-laws up to the tower and see the view. One does not need to purchase museum admission to do that. Fri Sep 26 17:04:25 -0700 2008 4064667 20781 buoncibo 2 4069603 Thanks. I checked out Park Chow's website and it looks perfect for our needs that day. I can easily find something each of us will enjoy on the menu---admittedly NOT an easy feat! Too bad about the De Young being closed that day. I'll keep it in mind if we get back to the area that week. Mon Sep 29 08:37:33 -0700 2008 4064667 11439 Anne 1 4065174 Check out this thread. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/556433 Fri Sep 26 21:06:10 -0700 2008 4064391 91425 virtualguthrie 2 4069613 Thanks for the link, but while several of the places listed appeal to DH & I, most would be too exotic for the seniors! Mon Sep 29 08:41:09 -0700 2008 4065174 11439 Anne 1 4065204 Chow is definitely a great choice...perfect for a casual lunch and dependable for quality. You might also try Cha Cha Cha just off the park on Haight St - great food, unique atmosphere and killer sangria.. Fri Sep 26 21:28:26 -0700 2008 4064391 214342 deanpaul2 2 4069614 Cha Cha Cha sounds interesting---but their website says they are only open for dinner. Are they now open at lunchtime? Mon Sep 29 08:42:18 -0700 2008 4065204 11439 Anne 1 4075164 Review of restos IN the museum today: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/01/FDIN13877G.DTL Wed Oct 01 14:29:49 -0700 2008 4064391 18222 maria lorraine 2 4075181 Yes, both restaurants are open, so with seniors, might be more convenient to just eat at the museum. If not, I would say Park Chow or Pacific Catch would be good alternatives because they're physically closest to the park's Lincoln and 9th St. entrance. Wed Oct 01 14:37:24 -0700 2008 4075164 43882 singleguychef 1 4077913 And yet today, a very nice -- and funny -- write-up of the Museum by Jon Carroll of the San Francisco Chronicle: "But you're wondering about the cafeteria. It is designed in the modern manner, with stations rather than one long snaky line. There's a dim sum station, and a Vietnamese spring roll station, and a quesadilla station and a grilled things station. All very healthy; men armed with special cell-stun devices stand ready to maim any trans fat that attempts to enter the eating area. "Oh, and there's a noodle station. Three kind of noodles - spaghetti, penne and rice. A lot of kids gravitate to the noodles. And here's a fact: A lot of kids just want a little butter on their noodles. They don't want the special secret sauce that goes into the $10 noodle entree. A person can ask for rice noodles with just butter, say, but not without the chef sighing and rolling his eyes. Look, put it on the sign. Name it after a penguin. Rice noodles with butter, butter from cows so happy they compose sonnets in their spare time. " http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/02/DDAN13910B.DTL Thu Oct 02 15:32:22 -0700 2008 4064391 18222 maria lorraine 1 4220865 Original poster here. Just got back from our trip to San Francisco and wanted to report on our day at the Academy of Sciences. Fabulous place. Can't imagine anyone NOT enjoying it! Foodwise, we decided because of the parking situation to eat at the cafeteria in the academy. It was surprisingly good! The seniors each had a sandwich---one got ham, the other salami. They looked good and the seniors seemed to like them. My husband got the falafel wrap. I had a taste and it was good, but not great. A friend we met there got the lemongrass chicken. He found it to be rather disappointing, noting that it contained more bones than meat. I ordered the clear "winner": the rock shrimp over rice noodles from the pasta station. The sauteed shrimp were flavorful (and plentiful), served over Vietnamese-style rice noodles with a clear sauce, with bean sprouts, shredded raw carrots, cucumbers, mint, and romaine lettuce. Very tasty combination. One other note: my husband ordered a caffe latte that was surprisingly good. Thu Dec 04 13:27:55 -0800 2008 4064391 11439 Anne 2 4236639 Thanks for reporting back. Wed Dec 10 14:16:27 -0800 2008 4220865 10264 rworange