How does my food intinerary look?

[groover808]

Going to SF for a few days in early December. My travel partner and I have been there a few times before. We're pretty low key, just want good food in classic SF style - casual, non-chainy, and with some local/neighborhood flair. Here's what I'm thinking (we'll be driving in from San Bruno every day):

Sat:
Brunch - Ferry Building (Farmers mkt, Acme brd, and/or Taylor's refresher)
Dinner - Thai House Express

Sunday:
Lunch - Pacific Catch
Dinner - E Tutto Qua

Monday:
Breakfast - Morning pastries from Tartine Bakery
Late Lunch - Zachary's in Oakland. We do prefer thin crust, still good here?

Any thoughts? At least 1 Thai place and 1 Italian place with great pasta is a must on the agenda. For Monday lunch, will be crossing Bay Bridge so want to do something in Oakland. I wanted to try Bakesale Betty's, but they're closed on Mondays :( We're coming from the OC, so no need for Vietnamese or Mexican. Thanks in advance chowhounders!

[jamsine]

Dopo is really good Italian, both pizza + pasta. Dinner can be packed with long waits (it's a small, intimate place), so you might really luck out going there for lunch.

[ML8000]

Classic SF style? For seafood, you might consider Tadich Grill (closed Sun) for lunch/dinner or Swan's Oyster Depot (lunch). Or maybe Sam's Grill.

I'd skip Zachary's in Oakland/Berkeley for lunch. Why not try Chez Panisse Cafe? They'll have a pizza and the food will be much, much better for not that much more.

[oakjoan]

I'd go to Luka's Tavern on Broadway and Grand in downtown Oakland. Amazing soups, extremely good catfish sandwiches and great hamburgers with Belgian fries.

If you want good pizza in the East Bay, go to Doppo (on Piedmont Avenue) or Pizzaiolo (right down the street from Bakesale Betty's) on Telegraph.

[JasmineG]

The OP is only going to be in Oakland for lunch on Monday, and Pizzaiolo isn't open at lunch, but Dopo is a great choice for Monday lunch, better than Zachary's. But Chez Panisse Cafe would also be fantastic, if you haven't already been.

-----
Dopo
4293 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA 94611

[groover808]

Oh, these sound good! Never been to any restaurants in Oakland. How would you describe the food at lunch at Chez Panisse? Their website only has their dinner menu. Same for Dopo, they don't have a website.

[rworange]

The lunch menu at CP is usually pretty similar to dinner. CP makes a pretty terrific pizza. Also, you could grab a slice for later from Cheeseboard across the street.

If you are considering CP which is in Berkeley,you might also consider Sea Salt which has terrific seafood.
http://www.seasaltrestaurant.com/

Why Pacific Catch? Don't know if four restaurants qualify it as a chain.

What places have you tried in the past and enjoyed

[groover808]

Pacific catch looked good for some fresh seafood at a reasonable price, reminds me of a slightly more upscale Wahoo's? Any other suggestions?

I've on been to SF one other time and eaten, but my tour guide was more about showing me the city vs the eats. So I've been to Betelut, Crepes on Cole, La Boulange, and some random Italian place in North Beach. I'm hoping to get a better food experience on this trip, but bf is not as much as a foodie as I am.

[Chuckles the Clone]

At Chez Panisse, only the Cafe is open for lunch. The Cafe dinner
menu is here: http://www.chezpanisse.com/pgcafemenu...
Lunch is similar or identical but I'm pretty sure it's a couple of bucks
cheaper (?). I've been very unhappy with their pizzas. Hard to explain
exactly why but it's like they come out as bread-with-stuff-on-it rather
than pulling together as something unified.

Dopo: really great crispythin pizza. good to reallyreally good pastas, and
a silly winelist laid out on a map of Italy.

The pizza at Zachary's hasn't changed in ages so it's likely to be just
as you remember it. But beware, they stop serving the thin crust version
at some way-too-early time in the mid afternoon. Even if all you want
is a slice and even if there are a whole bunch of slices in their little
slicewarmerholder thing. You can walk in from the street at six seconds
after two pm and say, "I'd like a slice please," and they will say to you,
"I'm sorry, we don't serve slices after two pm," and you can say to
them, "but I'm hungry and all I want is that one sitting right there and I
have money in my pocket," and they will say to you, "tough noogies."

You can avoid this frustration by going instead to Dopo where the staff
does not consist of recent immigrants from Planet Bonehead.

[wolfe]

Yoy would think if you had a piece of the pie you might be a little more customer sensitive.
http://www.dailycal.org/article/16015...

[Xiao Yang]

I worked for a company with an ESOP and all my equity went into my 401k. It just motivated me to retire earlier.

[ML8000]

Chez Panisse is often consider the birth place of locally grown/ingredient driven cuisine, aka California cuisine. Basically they get excellent produce, poultry, etc and cook a dish to that strength. If you're into food, it's a good one to notch off the list.

[groover808]

Thanks, that makes my decision a no-brainer! My bf is not a foodie so much as I am so we may end up doing Dopo. More reason for me to come back to the Bay area!

[Louise]

Cheeseboard Pizza is quite wonderful, but they are closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Vik's, which is miles away, is also good but alas also closed Mondays.

In the east bay, I will second Luka's, I also like Wood Tavern. Both of them take reservations which Pizzaiolo doesn't. Not saying don't go, just be aware.

If you like good coffee, make sure you get rec's on where to go for the best. It's something everyone on the board has an opinion on. My favorite in Oakland is Cole's, but there will be plenty who agree with me and plenty who won't.

Also if you are in the east bay, a strong suggestion to at least visit Berkeley Bowl. The produce section alone is mind blowing. And Crixa is practically across the street in case you are flagging and need to revive yourself with some apricot kifli or jamaican rum chocolate mousse cake.

[JasmineG]

Pizzaiolo does indeed take reservations, Dopo, however, does not, at least for parties under 6 (I think that's the rule).

I adore Dopo, and love their pizzas (if there is lardo on one of them, get that one!), as well as their pastas. I think that for lunch they are mostly pizza, calzone, and sandwiches with some salads, but you'll have a good meal there any time of day.

[wolfe]

Late Lunch - Zachary's in Oakland. We do prefer thin crust, still good here?
I don't consider their crust to be "thin" except as compared to their tomato bomb. Thin crust is Arinells, Gioia or Lanesplitter. It tastes fine, especially after you scrape all of the corn meal off the bottom.