Going to SF for 4 days with one evening in Wine country- need dinner suggestions
My fiance and I live in Manhattan and are going to SF for a conference on March 5th and will be there uniil monday. We will probably have a chance to have 2 nice dinners and were thinking of blowing off the conference on Sunday and going to wine country. I have been to San Francisco over a dozen times (many as a child) and he had gone with me three years ago for the same conference but neither of us have been to Wine country. unfortunately, I totally missed the boat on French Laundry- I guess they take reservations 2 months in advance and today was the day for our 3/8/09 dinner in wine country. I even tried calling them after failing miserably with open table and they are apparently on vacation till Jan 20. i booked Redd as a backup on OT after having read some reviews on the board. Would appreciate any opinions or advice.
Also, we went to Gary Danko on our last trip and would appreciate any advice on the other nice dinner we would like to to have. We are staying at the Marriott near the convention center- though it doesn't necessarily have to be close to taht location. We like all food- Italian, japanese, Frence, American, Chinese. Not sure if we want another super-formal tasting menu option or something of equally high quality but maybe slightly less formal, so would appreciate both options for now.
Thanks!
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please try gitane.
i have not yet dined at this recent SF restaurant, but friends have hailed it magnificent. visit their site and DO NOT pass up the photo gallery; if i had heard that the food here was no better than a 99 cent fast food menu, i'd still be clamoring to soak in the richly embellished atmosphere. beautiful. http://www.gitanerestaurant.com/
also, if you are looking for a meal that tastes more like a nitecap, Oola serves til 1 am and the ribs and parmesan & truffle oil fries are a knock-your-socks-off duo. the drinks are yum and the staff, amicable and on-point. salads are good too. http://oola-sf.com/
if you want swanky soul food and a spot patronized by the locals, stop here and try just about anything. the crispy cornmeal catfish is my favorite dish and the chopped salad is a delicious and hearty starter (may want to share). also, on my last visit, i tried a rich chocolate cake with a cream cheese, soft frosting and i do not exaggerate when say i have yet to meet a more delicious chocolate cake. there is always a buzz here and the decor is warm and...well...soulful. and don't fear the neighborhood: the edge of the tenderloin seems sketchy, but you'll be safe here. honestly, they've got me addicted. http://www.farmerbrownsf.com/index.html
happy eating!
